Chronicles of the Mad Demon - Chapter 245

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 245. Invasion (1)
Meng Ha Sung regarded the two men with keen interest.
“Why live while dead?”
“Precisely.”
“I don’t grasp your meaning.”
Moyong Bi crossed his arms.
It was hardly the posture one should display before a superior, yet neither Meng Ha Sung nor Gu Wol found his bearing disrespectful—his expression was far too grave for that.
“The reason I’ve returned here is to ask you, Alliance Leader, what manner of organization the Secret Law Court truly is.”
“And?”
“The Secret Law Court handles an astonishing array of duties. From minor personal errands for you to managing the Alliance Leader’s Faction assets, and even functioning as a combat unit—all simultaneously.”
“There is also the investigative work of rooting out misconduct in other organizations.”
“One of the Tambi Command’s two primary functions.”
“So what is your point?”
Moyong Bi tilted his head at an angle.
“Don’t all those duties define the Secret Law Court’s very limitations?”
Gu Wol’s brow twitched.
“Limitations?”
“Yes.”
“How do you perceive the Secret Law Court’s limitations?”
“An organization without limitations—that is the Secret Law Court’s limitation.”
“…What?”
Moyong Bi spoke with utmost seriousness.
“The Secret Law Court is directly under the Alliance Leader’s command, making it one of the few organizations in the Martial Alliance wielding considerable power. In principle, with the Alliance Leader’s authorization, it can do anything.”
“…”
“To put it simply? In other words, the Secret Law Court is both the Alliance Leader’s blade and a blade with its own will.”
Gu Wol’s eyes grew cold and distant.
“Are you suggesting it can run rampant as it pleases?”
“In crude terms, yes.”
“That’s absurd. Precisely because it is directly under the Alliance Leader and wields the greatest power, it must be operated with even greater caution and care. That is what the Secret Law Court should be.”
“You’re mistaken.”
“What?”
“In peaceful times, perhaps. But not now.”
Moyong Bi glanced briefly at Meng Ha Sung.
“And the Alliance Leader knows this truth quite well.”
“…So?”
“The Secret Law Court must do much for the Martial Alliance—correct wrongs, refresh the atmosphere—all within bounds that don’t cross the line.”
“It could tarnish the Alliance Leader’s reputation.”
“A master who blames his blade for the blood upon it is unfit to be called a master.”
Gu Wol was inwardly startled. He had never expected this youth to voice something so extremely dangerous before the Alliance Leader himself.
While he himself spoke without reservation, this young man had crossed all bounds.
“Mind your tongue. You stand in the presence of the Alliance Leader.”
“That’s precisely the problem.”
Moyong Bi turned his gaze toward Meng Ha Sung.
“Did my words displease you?”
“Heh, I wouldn’t say they pleased me. But then again, I’m not particularly bothered either.”
Moyong Bi’s eyes shifted back to Gu Wol.
“You see? In all the history of the Martial Alliance, there’s scarcely been an Alliance Leader with such an unfettered way of thinking. And I’m certain the Deputy Alliance Leader understands this well.”
“Which is precisely why——”
“That’s why you should have made greater effort to understand the Alliance Leader. You should have engaged in far more extensive dialogue. That wasn’t merely the Alliance Leader’s responsibility—it was also the duty of the Secret Law Court.”
“…!”
“If the Secret Law Court had done its work properly, would the Alliance Leader have placed me in such a burdensome position as Commander of the Tambi Command—a role practically begging to be cut down? What could he possibly have been relying on?”
Gu Wol’s eyes widened considerably.
Moyong Bi’s expression grew more solemn. He regarded Gu Wol not as a future superior, nor as the nephew of a favored subordinate, but as one human being addressing another.
“In times like these, the Secret Law Court should have flourished magnificently on the Alliance Leader’s behalf. When external pressure bears down upon the Alliance Leader, it becomes an opportunity. Those who dared to pressure him could rightfully be punished according to principle.”
The Secret Law Court itself could have served as bait.
And bait must remain alive and vital to fulfill its purpose.
“The Secret Law Court has existed as a corpse—bait that cannot lure any great fish, that cannot even twitch once.”
“….”
“That is the true nature of the Secret Law Court as I perceive it.”
Gu Wol found himself unable to speak.
He could have refuted him, certainly. Organizational duties were not matters to be judged so simplistically.
Yet Moyong Bi’s words struck him with considerable force.
‘The Alliance Leader’s temperament…?’
Official business and personal relationships were separate matters.
But given the nature of such an organization, understanding and knowing one’s superior’s mind was more crucial than in any other institution.
He could refute other points, but this particular aspect was not easily dismissed. And that very fact suggested his own failure.
“Even if you had failed to fully grasp the Alliance Leader’s temperament, you should have done everything within your power. Mistakes lead to enlightenment. The Alliance Leader would have pointed out your errors, and that would have become the foundation for the Secret Law Court’s growth.”
Moyong Bi smiled.
“Is this not sufficient reason for a twenty-year-old young punk to become Commander of the Tambi Command?”
Gu Wol’s response was immediate.
“It is not.”
“As I suspected?”
“I’ll grant that your mind is reasonably sharp. Your perspective is quite fresh. But that alone does not make you sufficiently qualified to serve as Commander of the Tambi Command.”
“Then press the matter with the Alliance Leader.”
Meng Ha Sung let out a quiet laugh.
“Why do you keep throwing this back at me?”
“I believe I have proven myself in my own way. Doesn’t this position require diverse experience, perspective, and decisiveness more than martial prowess? There is no further way for me to demonstrate these qualities.”
At that moment, Gu Wol spoke.
“There is.”
“Then tell me. I shall prove myself.”
Truly a peculiar fellow.
‘Is it confidence?’
Confidence is confidence. Yet it didn’t come across as arrogant or excessively passionate.
There was an ease about him that didn’t seem like baseless confidence, and while not burning with fervent passion, there was an unmistakable certainty that he could accomplish anything.
Gu Wol, who had been observing Moyong Bi quietly, asked Meng Ha Sung.
“Alliance Leader.”
“Speak freely.”
“I heard the Righteous Protection Squad incident this time was orchestrated by the new Tambi Command Leader.”
“Indeed it was.”
Meng Ha Sung’s face showed not the slightest hint of urgency as he answered.
‘He truly doesn’t concern himself with it.’
What Moyong Bi had done was, in a manner of speaking, no different from detonating a bomb within the Martial Alliance itself.
Yet the Alliance Leader showed no worry whatsoever.
Gu Wol spoke to Moyong Bi.
“I won’t ask the Alliance Leader what happened. I won’t ask what kind of world he envisions.”
“….”
“Show me yourself. Show me what the Alliance Leader desires. In how you handle this matter, I’ll see whether you truly deserve recognition as the Tambi Command Leader.”
Moyong Bi let out a soft laugh.
“I’ve already been appointed, so whether you recognize me or not, I am the Tambi Command Leader.”
“I am a blade, but a blade with a will of its own.”
“You give with the measure and receive with words.”
“And don’t mistake this. Whether you have personal connections with the Alliance Leader or not, your superior is me.”
He drew a clear line.
Moyong Bi smiled.
“I won’t forget.”
Gu Wol bowed to Meng Ha Sung.
“This humble one shall take his leave.”
“A moment, Vice-Commander.”
“Yes, Alliance Leader.”
Meng Ha Sung spoke in a calm voice.
“Burden is not a bad thing. But I believe there are times when you must lose yourself, and that too is your responsibility.”
“….”
“I couldn’t do it either, and now I intend to try. Just remember that.”
“Alliance Leader, you need only give me your orders.”
“When you understand the other party well, a system softer and faster than mere orders can take shape.”
“….”
“I apologize for not telling you about the Tambi Command Leader position beforehand.”
“Not at all.”
It was then.
“Alliance Leader.”
Gong Sun Baek entered the Rear Garden.
“How convenient that everyone has gathered here.”
Meng Ha Sung’s eyes shifted sharply.
“Who made a move?”
“Jong Mu Seok. Elder Jong Mu Seok.”
Jong Mu Seok was one of the twenty-eight Elders of the Martial Alliance and a formidable Master bearing the nickname “Flaming Dragon Great Blade.”
Meng Ha Sung turned his gaze toward Moyong Bi.
“Shouldn’t the Deputy Director of the Secret Law Court verify your abilities firsthand?”
* * *
Thud!
The weighty blade of the great sword bit into the earth.
The massive blade, weighing a full eighty jin, overwhelmed all who beheld it through sheer presence alone.
“The air in this place is truly stale.”
A large Old Man with his sword planted in the ground and hands clasped behind his back surveyed his surroundings with leisurely indifference.
Young Ho Gyeong swallowed hard.
‘Damn it—surely not this person!’
A Master renowned among the Martial Alliance’s Elders for his volatile temperament and notoriously difficult disposition.
Jong Mu Seok, the passionate wanderer who had studied Martial Arts under an unknown Reclusive Master and boasted that the world was too small for his talents, had arrived at the Law Enforcement Hall.
“Ho, how are you holding up?”
“As you say, Master, the air here is not good.”
Behind Jong Mu Seok stood a Young Man of similar build.
He was Bang Ho, Jong Mu Seok’s disciple. Bang Ho’s arms, clad in sleeveless garments, rippled as though ready to burst at any moment—his limbs appeared even more menacing than the sword strapped to his back.
Jong Mu Seok furrowed his brow.
“How could the air be good in a place that doesn’t hesitate to torture the innocent? There must be countless souls who died unjustly within the Law Enforcement Hall.”
“Yet without the Law Enforcement Hall, the Martial Alliance itself would struggle to stand upright.”
“If it merely fulfilled its role properly, who would complain? In a world where the innocent suffer, the Law Enforcement Hall is one of those organizations that must guard its principles most carefully.”
A shadow fell across Young Ho Gyeong’s face.
‘Damn it, he’s pushing this openly.’
At least since he had assumed his position as director, there had been no executions of the innocent or imprisonments of the guiltless in Thunder Prison.
But it seemed such things had occurred in the past. Jong Mu Seok was pressing on that very point, suggesting that O Gyeong Ha, currently imprisoned, was innocent.
Young Ho Gyeong lowered his head and asked as though ignorant.
“Elder Jong, what business brings you to the Law Enforcement Hall?”
Jong Mu Seok fixed Young Ho Gyeong with a sharp gaze.
Yet his voice, contrary to his eyes, was quite gentle.
“I heard an innocent person was being held here, so I came to see.”
“Are you perhaps referring to O Gyeong Ha, the Alliance Leader of the Righteous Protection Squad?”
“You know well.”
Young Ho Gyeong contemplated this.
‘So he does maintain some restraint after all.’
Given Jong Mu Seok’s nature, it would not have been strange for him to demand immediate release without further talk. Even now, this was relatively measured speech for him.
In other words, it meant: “I’ve done this much for you, so if you don’t handle things the way I want, then things will stop being fun.”
‘Insane! Why is he doing this to me?!’
My back grows damp with sweat.
Young Ho Gyeong spoke carefully.
“According to Law Enforcement Hall principles, releasing a detainee in the middle of an investigation is….”
“What investigation could possibly apply to someone with no crime?”
“That is….”
“Moreover, if you’ve summoned so many Righteous Protection Squad warriors as witnesses, wouldn’t it make sense to interrogate them instead?”
It was a breathtaking statement.
Young Ho Gyeong felt fury rising within him.
“Elder. The Law Enforcement Hall has its own principles. Those are unique authorities that have been protected since the Martial Alliance was founded.”
Jong Mu Seok’s lips curled upward.
“Principles? Authority?”
“Yes.”
“Have you never considered that someone might appear tomorrow who guards those principles and authority far better than you?”
It meant: if I wanted to, removing you would be nothing.
Even for a Martial Alliance Elder known for his fiery temperament, it was a statement that crossed the line.
Young Ho Gyeong crumpled his face as he spoke.
“Elder, your words are too….”
That was when.
“Ugh, what a stench of trash vibrating through the air.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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