The Legend of Red Cloud - Chapter 77

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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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Episode 77. Unease Among the Members
Responsibility for this Narakat transport operation ultimately rested with the Hwangsan Unit.
Of that, the Hwangwi Unit was the designated operational squad for the transport.
Naturally, On Chang, the unit commander of the Hwangwi Unit, was overseeing the operation.
On Chang noticed members of the Jeok Sa Jo, who had scattered after being granted freedom, returning before the sun had even set, and he approached them.
“It should have been a fine chance to catch up after so long—what brings you back so early?”
In response to On Chang’s question, Jang Min Soo, with whom he had some acquaintance, smiled wryly.
“We had many guests.”
“Guests? Ah, I should have known from the start when the Jeok Sa Jo were assigned. How fortunate.”
Though his words betrayed ignorance of the true situation, Jang Min Soo merely smiled wryly in return.
It was too tedious to explain everything in detail.
Led by Jang Min Soo, the members of the Jeok Sa Jo gathered around a table at the Inn.
It was because of what Jwa Ryang had said—that even if they’d missed the chance to see the world for once, shouldn’t they at least have a drink?
But then five of them had asked whether three could step out for a moment.
Jeok Sa, who understood their position to some degree regarding this matter, nodded, and three members of the Dae Mun Pa, led by Hwangbo Jang Seong, left the Inn.
Gwak Ki Ryang caught Yun, who had been watching them leave intently and was about to approach Jeok Sa.
Yun turned with a puzzled look, and Gwak Ki Ryang sent him a Soul Transmission.
—Anything you say now will only backfire. If you’ve decided to wait, wouldn’t it be better to simply wait, Your Highness?
After a brief moment of conflict, Yun settled reluctantly back into his seat at Gwak Ki Ryang’s Soul Transmission.
Jeok Sa, glancing at him, felt a smile flicker across his lips.
But no one around him noticed.
It had happened far too quickly.
“If this keeps up, what are you thinking of doing?”
At Jwa Ryang’s question, Jeok Sa shrugged.
“You know better than anyone that this isn’t a situation where we can afford to enter anywhere.”
“That’s… well, we and our members know that matters, but they don’t. So it’s a word of caution—those considerations won’t apply to them at all.”
“What they think doesn’t matter much to me anyway.”
Jwa Ryang let out a soft laugh at Jeok Sa’s words and continued.
“You’re reassuringly carefree, but I still worry. I know what these so-called Dae Mun Pa types are like.”
At Jwa Ryang’s words, Yi Song’s head nodded in agreement as well.
“What Jwa Ryang says is right. I don’t think refusal alone will settle this.”
“So you’re saying I should go somewhere else?”
Yi Song, who knew better than anyone what consequences that would bring, smiled wryly and answered.
“I’m saying we should find a reasonable compromise. Just as the Hwangha Suli Maeng suggested—we could be recognized for a certain period of freedom while maintaining formal affiliation.”
“If it’s the Hwangha Suli Maeng, I approve.”
At Jwa Ryang’s words, Dong Pil offered a jab.
“Come now, even if you share the same origin, how can you know what’s in that man’s head and approve?”
“You can tell at a glance. His words are rough, but he’s terrible at hiding things. That’s what makes him good. It’s men like that mute one—the kind who don’t flicker an eyelash while dismissing us—those are the dangerous ones.”
At Jwa Ryang’s jab, Dong Pil only puffed out his lips but couldn’t bring himself to disagree.
Jwa Ryang turned his gaze away from Dong Pil and pressed closer to Jeok Sa.
“Since we’re at it, go that way. Trust? That only grows through collision. You know I didn’t trust the commander from the start either, right? We’re the type—cowardly, full of suspicion. But once we decide someone’s on our side, we’re all in, come what may. Let’s trust that and go forward. What do you say?”
Both Yi Song and Dong Pil simply watched Jwa Ryang’s aggressive push.
Of course, there was also Gwak Ki Ryang, who looked anxious about whether Jeok Sa would agree with those words and pulled Yun, who had risen from his seat again, back down.
In the midst of this atmosphere, Jang Min Soo spoke cautiously.
“If we must unavoidably attach ourselves to one of the Dae Mun Pa, wouldn’t Muddang or Namgung be better?”
“Ah! Why?”
Perhaps thinking it felt like scattering ashes over perfectly cooked rice, Jwa Ryang’s voice burst out somewhat louder.
And then, startled by his own outburst, Jwa Ryang hastily apologized.
“Ah! Sorry. I got too caught up, I think. Lost my mind. It’s not even my affair.”
At Jwa Ryang’s apology, Jang Min Soo smiled pleasantly and nodded.
“Ah! Don’t worry about it. I understand where your heart is. I’d probably be the same if there was a place connected to me.”
“Is that so? You really are generous. Thank you.”
Jwa Ryang’s expression, which had been smiling with gratitude at Jang Min Soo’s words, crumpled.
It was because of what followed from Dong Pil.
“No, I think we should investigate. When has Ryang ever stuck his nose into someone else’s business like that? I’m saying there must be something he’s getting paid under the table for.”
“What? Under the table? Oh yeah! There is. He said he’d give me a hundred silver if I brought your tail. Come here, you bastard! I’ll cut it off for you.”
Gripping his crotch to dodge the lunging Jwa Ryang, Dong Pil ran circles around the table.
Among the members chuckling at the sight, Jeok Sa spoke up.
“You’re kicking up dust. Sit down.”
At those words, Jwa Ryang, who had been chasing reluctantly, sat down, and Dong Pil stuck his tongue out teasingly before settling into the opposite seat.
Jwa Ryang balled his fist at Dong Pil, but it came to nothing.
Once the commotion settled, Jeok Sa answered Jang Min Soo.
“I understand roughly why you’re saying to choose Muddang and Namgung. But I can’t guarantee it’ll actually work.”
Unlike Jwa Ryang and Dong Pil, whose eyes went round in bewilderment, Yi Song nodded in understanding.
“Right. No matter how strong the Alliance Leader and the Taegeuk Sword King are, competitive spirit doesn’t die down so easily.”
At Yi Song’s words, Jang Min Soo stepped forward with a look of disbelief.
“If the senior goes to either Muddang or Namgung, we’d immediately have two Hwagyeong users. Any challenge from other sects toward such a place would come with death.”
“What if it’s not just one sect challenging?”
At Jeok Sa’s terse question, Jang Min Soo’s eyes widened.
“You mean they’d band together?”
“What guarantee do you have they won’t?”
“Well…….”
Now that he’d been asked, he had none.
There was no reason any of the nine major sects would celebrate seeing another gain enough power to overwhelm them.
It was entirely possible they might unite against such a threat.
Realizing this, Jang Min Soo could only close his mouth.
Yi Song’s voice followed.
“Some might ask whether internal conflicts are even possible while embroiled in war with a formidable external force. But I believe they are.”
“Why is that?”
When Jang Min Soo asked, lingering doubt in his tone, Yi Song replied.
“Because unlike before, Baek Ui Ryeon has now taken Cheol Hyeol Maeng’s hand.”
As Jang Min Soo nodded at Yi Song’s answer, Dong Pil posed a question.
“Then couldn’t we just go to another major sect instead? Say, the Hwangha Suli Maeng that Jwa Ryang pushes for?”
At Dong Pil’s question, Yi Song glanced at Jeok Sa, who sat quietly with his mouth closed, and answered.
“That would spiral into mutual destruction. Everyone would throw themselves at each other, biting and tearing. And all the fallout from that would land on the senior’s shoulders.”
It meant that all the sects unable to strike at Jeok Sa would turn and savage him with their wounds.
The expressions of the unit members darkened.
“Damn it! Then don’t go! What’s the matter with us—we’ve had good treatment before. We endure. Time will make us forget.”
Jwa Ryang’s words made Dong Pil, who’d been about to nod in agreement, stop short.
He’d seen Jeok Sa shaking his head.
“It’ll likely be different this time. It’s not just danger—they’ll try to kill us any way they can.”
“But why?”
“If we can’t have it, no one else should either.”
At Jeok Sa’s answer, alarm flashed across the unit members’ eyes.
But the alarm faded just as quickly.
It was reasoning that made perfect sense.
The strength drained from Gwak Ki Ryang’s hands as he listened to it all.
Then Hui Jun, whom Gwak Ki Ryang had held back all this while, suddenly shot to his feet.
In that instant, Jeok Sa moved first.
-You’re still years away. That’s what we promised, isn’t it?
-That, well…….
Jeok Sa’s Soul Transmission pierced through the flustered Hui Jun.
-If you can’t even keep that promise, I see no point in even considering it.
-Then just promise me one thing.
-What?
-Whatever decision you make now, when the time comes and I can leave Jeok Sa Jo—will you give serious thought to my offer?
At Hui Jun’s question, Jeok Sa smiled faintly and replied through Soul Transmission.
-I’ll need to train hard.
At the unspoken question in Hui Jun’s eyes, Jeok Sa answered again through Soul Transmission.
-Because I have to survive until then.
The meaning of those words was equivalent to a promise, and Hui Jun’s head nodded heavily.
Though the other unit members noticed some exchange passing between the two, they pretended not to see.
Only Hui Jun, who knew Hui Jun’s true identity, watched Jeok Sa with concern.
As the conversation between the two seemed to conclude, Yi Song stepped in.
“All right, let’s call it here for today and rest. Running mental contests with endless unexpected people has worn me out.”
At Yi Song’s words, those who’d said their assents headed up—but Jeok Sa was the first to climb to the inn’s upper floor lined with guest chambers.
Hui Jun and Hui Jun, and then Gwak Ki Ryang, followed behind him.
Left behind, Jwa Ryang, watching their departing figures, asked Yi Song a question.
“That one’s clearly government, isn’t he? Would that side be better for him?”
“The government……. But aren’t things in complete chaos over there these days?”
Jang Min Soo added his voice to Dong Pil’s concern.
“It’s a mess, certainly, but if we can get our ducks in a row, even the great sects of Kangho would have trouble making a move.”
Everyone knew Jang Min Soo had come from the Geumui Guard.
Which meant he understood the nature of government better than anyone else in the Jeok Sa Jo.
“If you say so, I suppose we have to trust it.”
Yi Song, whose face betrayed his unease, finally voiced the source of that anxiety.
“Who do you think it is?”
The gazes of Jwa Ryang and Dong Pil fixed on Jang Min Soo as he answered.
“Honestly, I have no memory of seeing them.”
“Does that mean they never visited the Imperial Palace?”
“After I was exiled alongside the person I served, much changed at the Imperial Palace. It’s possible this is someone I never encountered.”
“And yet you still think the Imperial Palace?”
“It’s the safest bet. No matter what anyone says, the heart of power is the throne itself.”
“What about the Powerful Noble Families? Isn’t that where the real danger lies these days?”
Jang Min Soo nodded at Dong Pil’s question.
“True enough. If we play our cards right, the Powerful Noble Families might actually be safer lately. They aren’t bound by the same legitimacy that chains the throne.”
“Which houses, then?”
“The Bukhpyeong Three Noble Houses would be ideal. They’re the three families that control the country’s fate right now.”
Yi Song picked up the thread this time.
“And where would Gwak Ki Ryang stand?”
“From the Geumui Guard? That’s a Jinmusa-level officer. Someone who carries the rank of general.”
“A general-caliber escort? Could this point to the Imperial Palace or the Bukhpyeong Three Noble Houses?”
“More than ten families could send someone of that caliber as a bodyguard. If you include the real powers in the military establishment, you could name twenty more.”
“So it’s impossible to pin down their identity with any certainty.”
“Yes.”
Dong Pil’s face fell as his hopes crumbled with that single word.
“What? So we can’t even trust him completely?”
Jang Min Soo’s silent nod darkened the mood of everyone present.
“Why are we dancing around this? Why don’t we just ask him directly?”
Jwa Ryang responded to Dong Pil’s suggestion with a question.
“How?”
“Just ask straight out—”
“If it were that easy to get him to talk, he wouldn’t be keeping his mouth shut now.”
At Jwa Ryang’s rebuke, Dong Pil’s eyes flashed with meaning as he flexed his fist meaningfully.
“Then maybe a little persuasion—”
“If you actually harass a comrade for real, I’ll stake my entire fortune that the boss will beat you to death first.”
At Jang Min Soo’s words, Dong Pil’s face twisted into a grimace.
“Yeah… I know that too.”
Since there was no way out, the shadows deepened across everyone’s faces.
Ryu sat alone in his assigned room, yet he could hear every word of the discussion happening on the floor below.
Breaking through the wall of Hwagyeong had granted him several abilities, including Expanded Hearing.
As the Blood Shadow Demon Lord, once the Gunma Rim’s Alliance Leader, had demonstrated, he couldn’t hear Soul Transmission yet, but conversations happening several walls away came through as clearly as if someone were whispering at his side.
Though he hadn’t been deliberately listening.
It was simply that sitting still allowed the ambient sounds to drift naturally to his ears.
He understood the worries of his comrades.
But he didn’t want to betray Yoon’s secret.
Not because he mistrusted them, but because it had been Yoon’s choice.
Yoon was his comrade too.
While trust mattered, so did honoring a comrade’s choice—as long as it wasn’t wrong. That principle was important to Ryu.
But pushing aside Yoon’s matter left him uneasy.
He could navigate any situation, but he feared one of his comrades might suffer because of it.
He didn’t want to lose anyone else because of his own weakness.
He’d endured that for far too long, and lost far too many.
As Ryu made some silent resolution, his jaw clenched tighter, his eyes closing in the darkness.

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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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