Chapter 15: The Library’s Secret

The person speaking was none other than Moyong Yeon. Behind him, along with Muyoung, was Il-Woo, looking terrified.

Thump!

“You…”

Black Wolf’s attention turned to Yeon.
Thanks to that, the steward was able to escape his near-death experience.

“Cough, cough!!”

“A-Are you alright?”

Il-Woo quickly approached and helped him up.
The steward’s relief at being alive was short-lived.
Anger surged at Il-Woo, who looked foolish.

“Cough, you rascal! What do you mean by bringing the Clan Head here?!”

“I-I tried to stop him too!”

“You…! Is that what you call trying to stop him…!”

Thump. Il-Woo finally got hit.
The steward looked at Yeon, who was now standing in front of Black Wolf.

‘Huh?…’

The Clan Head he knew should have been trembling in fear, unable to utter a word under Black Wolf’s pressure.
But what was this?
Yeon was staring at Black Wolf almost admiringly, in a posture that was more than just crooked; it looked rebellious.
His eyes, which normally appeared weak due to their light color, now held a cold, inscrutable gleam.
A subtly savage aura flowed from his face, which he had always thought of as tearful.
The steward was utterly baffled, unable to close his mouth, wondering how such a small and delicate-looking person could exude such a strong and resolute feeling.

Meanwhile, Yeon looked at Black Wolf’s face for the first time and thought to himself.

‘…What on earth is wrong with his appearance?’

He was nothing short of a large wild boar. And a wild boar that looked like it could tear a person apart at any moment.
It was enough to make him wonder if the Black Wolf Sect’s ill reputation actually stemmed from his appearance.

‘He’s just like Pigsy.’ [TL Note: Pigsy, also known as Zhu Bajie, is a character in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, depicted as a pig demon.]

Yeon briefly shifted his gaze to the steward.
He noticed the red handprint remaining on the neck of the dumbfounded steward.

‘Hah.’

Annoyance surged in an instant.
Although he had only known him for a few days, Yeon already perceived him as his subordinate.
Yeon was not the type to cherish objects or people; rather, he was prone to treating them roughly.
However, once something fell into his grasp, he possessed a possessive nature that couldn’t stand others touching it.
It was the same when he was the leader of the Emperor Sword Unit.
The Emperor Sword Unit members, suffering from the leader’s frequent verbal abuse and arduous labor, despised and disliked their tyrannical superior, Namgung Yeon.
Yet, because they knew he cared for their safety more than anyone else, their professional trust in him was immense.
That’s why, when Namgung Gi framed Yeon as a traitor and cast him out, they were the ones who stood by Yeon.
A sharp glint entered Yeon’s eyes as he looked at Black Wolf again.
He wanted to twist the fellow’s neck right then and there, but unfortunately, he couldn’t.
Right now, just successfully driving him away was a blessing, so he had to suppress his annoyance and plan for later.
What to do?
While Yeon was racking his brains, Black Wolf, who had finished his assessment, opened his mouth.

“You must be the Moyong Clan Head. Is this the first time I’ve seen your face, as you always hid behind your retainers?”

He was mocking the Clan Head’s cowardice.
But it had no effect on Yeon whatsoever.

“Yes, if I had seen a face as impressive as yours, I think I would have remembered it too.”

“What? This tiny fellow…”

Just as the enraged Black Wolf was about to approach.
Yeon, having finished his thoughts, opened his mouth.

“Hold it. Stop right there.”

“?”

“If you dare touch even one of my fingers, I’ll immediately go tell the authorities.”

“…”

Yeon had uttered this after his calculations, but his seemingly unreasonable remark caused a stir.
In particular, the steward, who had been watching the situation with sweaty fists, gasped in shock, his mouth agape.

“W-What are you saying?”

“Y-Yeah, what indeed…”

Il-Woo, who retorted, looked at Muyoung, who was holding his drawn sword close to Yeon, with a face asking for an explanation.
It was a signal asking if Muyoung knew something since they had been together.

“…”

However, Muyoung also looked at Yeon with a displeased expression.
To that extent, Yeon’s remark just now was an unreasonable threat.
No one in Bushin was unaware that the Black Wolf Sect was running rampant due to the authorities’ special favors.
Of course, the authorities had never directly acknowledged that relationship.
But the fact that the Black Wolf Sect, which had been oppressing the common people, had faced no significant sanctions for several years made it clear.
The steward’s gaze turned to Yeon, who was facing Black Wolf.
Watching the Clan Head’s serious face, the steward thought.

‘He doesn’t know what words he just uttered!’

It was nonsense that could only be spouted by a Clan Head whose mind was partially unsound.
He had to intervene between them immediately to prevent any further outrageous remarks.
The steward swallowed hard, cautiously observing Black Wolf’s face.
His knees buckled, imagining how much anger and bewilderment he must be feeling.
But then.

“…”

What on earth was happening?
Black Wolf’s attitude was quite different from what the steward and others had expected.
His wide eyes, which had been glaring at Yeon as if to devour him, were strangely directed towards the ground.
His prominent eyebrows were slightly lowered, having lost some of their momentum.
Black Wolf’s face, as if lost in thought, seemed more bewildered than angry.
But even more unbelievable was Black Wolf’s next remark.

“…Hmph. Scared, you say! We only came to give a warning today.”

He had backed down from the standoff with Yeon.
Black Wolf had never shown such a demeanor before.
Of course, he tried to intimidate them with harsh words and actions even as he left, but it couldn’t affect the already confused steward’s mind.
As soon as Black Wolf completely disappeared from the Moyong Clan manor, everyone’s attention focused on Yeon.

Clang.

Muyoung, sheathing his sword, spoke to Yeon in a displeased tone.

“…You seem to have many lives,”

“If you don’t do your job, I only have one.”

When Yeon replied boldly, Muyoung’s cool face crumpled in exasperation.
Before Muyoung could say anything more, the steward and Il-Woo rushed to Yeon.

“Are you alright?”

“A-Are you alright…?”

Yeon casually nodded.
Despite his unenthusiastic reply, Yeon seemed fine, except for looking tired.
Having confirmed that the Clan Head was alright, the steward could no longer hold back and asked.

“But what on earth did you just do?”

“What?”

“Black Wolf, I mean! It looked like he turned back because of what you said!”

“Oh, that?”

The steward nodded vigorously.

“It’s obvious. I heard quite a few stories about the Black Wolf Sect while wandering the marketplace today.”

“Stories?”

“Yeah.”

Yeon recalled the story that had piqued his interest.
That the Black Wolf Sect, who had been rampaging in the marketplace for days, had suddenly become quiet.

‘Why?’

The market merchants, believing the exaggerated rumors from Tiger Moon Tower, thought the Black Wolf Sect was being cautious around the Moyong Clan.

‘That doesn’t make sense.’

To be so scared of a mere kid that they even stopped their oppression of the marketplace merchants?
It made more sense to think they simply had problems with the authorities.
Of course, the timing was delicate.
Didn’t their problems with the authorities arise right after he stirred things up?
Yeon thought for a moment, but he had too little information to infer that Black Wolf had backing, and that backing was targeting the Moyong Clan.
The steward, having heard Yeon’s brief deduction, minus the questioning part, was horrified.

“But that was just a possibility, wasn’t it! What would you have done if it hadn’t worked?!”

It was a rational question.
But Yeon’s answer was.

“Really?”

It was simple.

“Huh?”

Yeon was confident in his deduction and didn’t think it was wrong.
Even if he had been wrong, it was better to try something than to suffer helplessly.
At least then he would know that his information was wrong.
Of course, to the steward, it might seem somewhat irresponsible.

‘Well, it can’t be helped.’

But why?

“…”

“…”

The steward’s face, which had been ashen for a moment, was now gradually suffused with an indescribable light of emotion.

‘…What is this?’

It was natural for Yeon not to understand the steward’s feelings.
The steward had been mentally and physically exhausted from watching the Clan Head do nothing for a long time.

– Why on earth are you just sitting there?

– What if I’m wrong…? What if the situation gets worse because of me…?

But just now, no such hesitation could be found in the Clan Head.
While it was true that he felt complex emotions about the situation that would have unfolded if he had been wrong, this change was profoundly moving for the steward.
Because a Clan Head also needed a kind of determination that bordered on recklessness.

“Yes… I’m glad you’re alright.”

At his words, Yeon gazed at the steward as if observing him for a moment, then opened his mouth.

“Steward?”

“Yes?”

Yeon gestured with his head towards the steward’s neck, which had begun to swell.

“!!!”

The steward’s eyes widened.

‘H-He wouldn’t have done such a reckless thing because of me, would he?!’

Tears began to well up in the steward’s eyes, and he looked like he would burst into tears at any moment.
Yeon was not immune to anyone’s tears, and with both Il-Woo and the steward looking so tearful, goosebumps appeared all over his body.

“Don’t cry. If you cry, I’ll kill you.”

“…Yes.”

But unlike Il-Woo, who looked like a gentle dog, the steward was a large man with a strong impression, so Yeon could react quickly.
In an instant, the steward’s tears of emotion completely vanished.
Yeon, having barely escaped the crisis, looked at the spot where Black Wolf had been and pondered something.
After a brief silence, perhaps having collected his thoughts, he called the steward.

“Anyway, Steward.”

“Yes…?”

The steward replied meekly, intimidated by the Clan Head’s unusual call.
The steward inferred the words that would come from Yeon’s mouth in that fleeting moment.
Perhaps he would suggest returning the money they had earned to Black Wolf since things had turned out this way.
It was a natural decision for a Clan Head.
The steward could not hide his conflicted feelings, but he was prepared to accept it.
Yeon opened his mouth.

“Where is the Moyong Clan’s library?”

“Yes… Return the money to the Black Wolf Sect… Huh? What did you just say…?”

The steward looked at Yeon with wide eyes.
He wondered if he had misheard.

“…?”

Muyoung also looked at Yeon with a puzzled expression.
But Yeon, with calm eyes, calmly repeated his words to the steward.

“The library, I mean. The library.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t they usually keep secret manuals in the library?”

It felt somewhat out of the blue to the steward.

“…What are you suddenly talking about?”

Just a moment ago, they were confronting the Black Wolf Sect.
But now he was abruptly asking where the library was?
He recalled that the Clan Head’s usual hobby was reading.
While reading was a good thing, in Moyong Yeon’s case, it was a means of escaping reality.
The steward asked, wondering if his true nature was suddenly emerging at a time like this.

“You’re not thinking of idly reading in the library, are you…?”

“Yes, I am?”

“Y-You… you…!!”

Yeon replied calmly, and the steward was so dumbfounded he couldn’t speak.

‘I was a fool to have expectations!’

When the Clan Head stepped forward in front of Black Wolf in place of the steward, the steward secretly held expectations for the Clan Head.

‘The original Clan Head would have hidden behind his subordinates until the very end.’

Even if that were the case, it would have been fortunate.
The young Clan Head, crushed by the pressure, had even wished for the clan to fall.
Regardless of his loyalty, this absurd attitude infuriated the steward.
Yeon didn’t seem to understand.

“Why are you angry?”

“How can I not be angry now…”

“I’m going to learn the Moyong Clan’s martial arts. Then I need to learn through the secret manuals, right? Where is the library?”

“…”

The steward was dumbfounded by Yeon’s utterly unexpected remark.
Yeon expected the steward to be surprised.
But it was a necessary question to ask.

‘Although everything else was disposed of, they couldn’t have disposed of the secret manuals… But why is the steward reacting like this?’

As the silence stretched longer than he had imagined, Yeon became flustered.

“Why? What is it?”

The steward’s gaze swept over Yeon from his feet to his head.
His emaciated limbs, like tree branches, and his pale skin, like a corpse.

“…What do you plan to do with such a weak body?”

“…”

This was why the steward hadn’t even guessed the Clan Head’s intention.
The current Yeon possessed a body that was far, far from that of a martial artist.
Yeon instantly realized why the steward’s reaction had been so displeased.

‘Wow, to think I’m being treated like this…’

His dignity was in tatters.