Doctor’s Rebirth - Chapter 295

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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 295
‘Humor tends to emerge when people are a bit unhinged.’
Cheonwoo seemed to think I possessed some mysterious stratagem.
But he didn’t know that even my Master, who feeds people with such mysterious stratagems everywhere, simply smashes heads to solve problems when he finds it bothersome.
‘What, did I leave a bag of tricks behind… Why is everyone like this?’
I was beginning to understand my Master’s frustration.
The expectations and image people placed upon the Jegallga.
That image of seeking mysterious stratagems while ignoring the convenient path!
‘But neither my Master nor I are the type to care about such things.’
I naturally melted into the darkness.
Among the miscellaneous martial techniques I learned at Baekrin Uigak, there existed a method of moving silently—not quite stealth, but close enough.
Combined with the movements of assassins from beyond the world that Ilkana taught me and the Samjae Protective Method pushed to its limits, discovering me would be difficult for anyone short of a master.
Using these skills to cling to the roof of the Village Chief’s house where the Magistrate was staying was remarkably easy for me.
I used Hwang-gu to locate the Magistrate, then moved to the roof above his room and lay flat.
‘Living this long, I never thought I’d do something like this… but it’s actually fun?’
Back at the Heavenly Demon Sect, Yeo Ha-ryun often conducted secret investigations like this.
After becoming the Heavenly Demon and truly walking the path of tyranny, he would smash heads without question, but before that, he had to uncover the schemes and plots of his enemies, so he did this often.
‘Not quite like Yeo Ha-ryun, but I seem rather impressive myself.’
For the sake of an old man’s pride, I would never voice such words aloud, but surely a little self-satisfaction was permissible at a time like this.
Then a voice rang out.
“Damn it! Why does that brat Baekui Gwangryong have to show up and ruin everything!”
“Magistrate, sir. Still, it’s not entirely bad. Their demand was simply not to take the target, was it not? By merely stalling for time, we’ve accomplished what we needed to.”
The Magistrate and Village Chief’s voices echoed.
‘So the Village Chief was safe after all.’
Amid all this chaos, only the Village Chief and his family remained unscathed.
Of course, in the midst of battle, it was possible this happened by mere chance.
Yet the largest tile-roofed house in the village—clearly full of things to plunder—and the bandits left it completely untouched?
‘It’s sad how suspicion becomes certainty this way.’
Today, the Village Chief helped with the funerals of the dead on behalf of the village and spent money to bring in an undertaker.
He embraced the coffins and wept with them.
-Oh, Man-seok, my friend! Didn’t we promise that you’d see your son get married before you went? How could you be so heartless…
Some villagers wiped away tears watching him.
And this Village Chief was the cause of the bloodshed?
The villagers could never have imagined it.
In truth, even I found it difficult to comprehend.
Villages like this typically know how many spoons their neighbors possess.
When going out to work the fields, they take turns, with one villager watching all the children.
In modern terms, neighbors performed the function of a daycare center.
Who could have known that someone you lived face-to-face with, sharing the same earth, would turn like this and contribute to the slaughter of my family?
“Your lack of thought is the problem! If you’d done it right, you could have swallowed the target and disposed of it!”
The Magistrate’s sharp rebuke made the Village Chief groan and respond.
“I am deeply sorry, sir… but even with my humble authority, the situation was beyond my control. That Baekui Gwangryong left no openings whatsoever…”
“Tch. The cunning little bastard. No matter what excuse I present, he counters with an even greater one…”
“Even you struggle with him, sir. What could a simple fool of a village chief possibly do?”
I fell into thought.
‘I’ve heard enough of what I need to know. This was nothing but a rigged game of cards involving the Magistrate, the Village Chief, and even the bandits. Of course… things wouldn’t unfold this easily.’
In the minds of ordinary people.
A so-called wandering hero finds people in distress and eliminates the bandits.
Afterward, the people chant “Long live the great hero!” and spread his name far and wide.
That “great hero” says, “What is this? I need no reward,” refuses even a single coin, and departs gracefully.
The story ends with everyone praising the chivalrous spirit of that hero who came and went like the wind.
‘But is reality truly like that?’
I, Jin Cheon-hee, a pragmatic inspector who must pay taxes to the government without fail, understand reality.
When one band of bandits is eliminated, a new one takes their place and attacks the people again.
To avoid such attacks, the people will have to pay protection money to the bandits.
Just as good flows according to the natural order, so too does evil.
That is the way of the world.
What has the government been doing all this time?
This is a blood trade on a scale far beyond simple smuggling, prostitution, or assassination.
In an age without phones, internet, or social media, it is virtually impossible for imperial law to reach this remote corner.
‘That’s why inspectors like me exist.’
Yet even an inspector must be fortunate to discover corruption.
Had I arrived days earlier or days later, I would never have uncovered this situation.
‘I was lucky.’
A bitter laugh escaped me, but my chest still burned with fury.
‘People died because of these bastards…’
The Magistrate continued speaking.
“What about the goods the merchants smuggled?”
“Do not worry, sir. We are keeping them safe. You may use them whenever you wish.”
“What, do you take me for a drug dealer?”
Hmm, there are no poppy fields in this region.
If there were, Noeji would have informed me long ago.
Which means the Village Chief must have also served as an intermediary transporter.
‘The Village Chief really has been living industriously.’
By day managing all village affairs, by night scheming and plotting while squeezing the people’s money and lives.
‘I could strike now and produce my inspector’s credentials, but it would be better to have evidence…’
The problem with a world without recording devices.
He will surely cry out that he’s been wronged.
I could suppress him with my authority as inspector, but it would be ideal to have something decisive to report upward more swiftly…
‘Perhaps I should wait patiently and see what unfolds.’
If they’re running an operation of this scale, they must keep records.
If they’re discussing money and planning for the future, they’ll have to open those ledgers eventually.
‘Besides, these fools are small-time crooks in the grand scheme of things.’
It would be different if they were the Golden Blood Sect or a trading company under the Demonic Sect.
They lack both the organizational capacity and the intellect to orchestrate something so elaborate.
I watched them proceed at my leisure.
This required no special strategy or mysterious foresight.
And then.
Finally, the Magistrate spoke.
“Don’t you think it’s time we prepared a secret vault? That Jin Seung-bae fellow is so meticulous—we need to be ready for him now.”
“Ah, that Jin Seung-bae? If we’re thinking about expanding operations, we should definitely do it. But… this is…”
The Magistrate and the Village Chief were clearly not working together.
The Village Chief trailed off, wringing his hands nervously.
The Magistrate clicked his tongue.
“Tsk! I’ll fund it myself. We can say we’re repairing the damage those thugs caused and hire workers for that.”
“Hehe, yes sir.”
“Now bring out the ledgers.”
At those words, the Village Chief retrieved a grimy book from a hollow space carved deep within the wall behind a bookshelf.
“And get some fresh paper for the ledgers too. This is filthy.”
How helpful he was, bringing out the ledgers without being asked.
What a good man.
In that moment, my body dropped from above.
Crack!
My feet landed squarely on the Magistrate’s broad shoulders.
“Gahhhhh!”
The Magistrate shrieked and tumbled forward with a crash.
‘This fool hasn’t even trained in martial arts.’
According to law, officials drawing the Empire’s salary should cultivate at least basic qigong for self-defense and health maintenance, even if not true martial prowess.
Though it’s called law, it’s more of a cultural expectation—not something enforced by holding tournaments where officials bash each other’s heads.
Still, in this barbarous age, shouldn’t a Magistrate at least be able to draw a sword and flee when necessary?
‘He was too busy pocketing bribes to think about anything else.’
The Magistrate shouted.
“Who dares!”
I drew out my bracelet as if I’d been waiting for this moment.
“Inspector!”
“What does that—?”
Ah, I’d pulled out the wrong bracelet.
“….”
I’d drawn the Demonic Sect artifact that Yeo Ha-ryun had given me.
I quickly put the Demonic Sect artifact away and this time retrieved my genuine golden dragon Inspector’s badge, gleaming brilliantly.
“An Inspector!”
Only then did the Village Chief and Magistrate stiffen, their eyes widening.
“Is Constable Jin Seung-bae outside!”
I infused my inner energy into my voice and shouted loudly. Not long after, Jin Seung-bae burst through the door.
“What is the meaning of this… wait… the Inspector’s seal!”
I picked up the ledger he had dropped and spoke.
“Having discovered evidence of the Magistrate’s misconduct, Constable Jin Seung-bae shall immediately arrest these two!”
“Yes! You outside, what are you doing! Seize these two criminals at once!”
At those words, the Magistrate and Village Chief cried out in panic.
“Please spare us! Please spare us, my lord!”
“This is unjust! All of this was orchestrated by the Village Chief. I only just learned of it!”
The Magistrate’s voice was filled with genuine indignation.
Had I not known better, I might have been deceived.
Even when the Village Chief had embraced the corpses of the villagers and wept bitterly, I had wondered if I was merely suspecting an innocent person based on circumstantial evidence alone.
But now, I was certain.
“Whether there are any injustices will be determined through investigation from this moment forward. The truth shall be revealed with absolute clarity!”
Before this ledger and the bandit leader’s living head, no secret could remain hidden.
‘Of course, the head must still be attached to a living body.’
In typical cases like this, a truly classical warrior might sever the head and preserve it in a salt box for delivery to the authorities.
Wang Gak-yeon had done such things in the past, creating a dark chapter in her history.
That is a highly inefficient method.
Even if I myself advocate for sparing lives, that is separate from the fact that a tongue must move to provide testimony.
‘Well, with the suspects and evidence in hand, I only need to gather the bandit leader as a witness to complete the set of three.’
The collector’s blood is boiling!

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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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