The Patriarch of the Northern Heavens - Chapter 7

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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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Master of the Bukcheon Sword Family – Chapter 7

“Who made such a proposal?”
I asked the question cautiously, just in case.
There was a chance I could identify the culprit unexpectedly.
“That is… well…”
“I’ll ensure your safety, so speak freely.”
“It’s not that… I simply couldn’t tell. When they made the proposal, they wore a mask and hid their face.”
So there was no easy way out of this.
But since I’d anticipated as much, I accepted it and moved on.
“Then what about their age? Do you have any sense of it?”
“From their voice, they seemed to be around middle-aged. Their height was similar to yours, and—ah, they appeared to be wearing a sword at their waist.”
“That’s not particularly helpful information.”
There were plenty of people within the family with similar heights who carried swords.
A voice that sounded middle-aged?
‘That doesn’t mean much.’
They could genuinely be middle-aged, or perhaps young with a naturally deep voice, or conversely, elderly with a voice that sounded middle-aged.
And human memory has its limits—even if I heard them directly, I couldn’t be certain I’d recognize them.
I fell into contemplation for a moment.
‘Wait, then in my first life, was this thief acting on someone’s commission to make a fool of me?’
That seemed quite likely.
Now that I thought about it, wasn’t it strange?
No matter how wealthy, a thief who only targeted common households wouldn’t suddenly steal a family heirloom from a martial arts clan without good reason.
I glanced at Sa Gong-cheon beside me.
His mouth hung open in shock at the revealed truth.
Perhaps he was already suspecting his master, Lee Tae-gyeom, the Elder Council Head?
‘The Elder Council Head certainly has enough motive to be the culprit.’
The immense power that old man wielded stemmed from the absence of the family head, after all.
So he would naturally want to suppress me, the Young Master, by any means.
In other words, he had sufficient motive.
‘Of course, without evidence, there’s nothing I can do.’
I deliberated for a moment.
Should I drag this thief back to the family and force him to confess everything?
But I immediately shook my head.
No matter how I looked at it, that would be a poor choice.
Once this man was locked in the family’s prison, he’d be as good as dead, no matter how much I tried to protect him.
I’d just end up killing the witness.
Even for a thief, that left a bitter aftertaste.
‘Then…’
After much deliberation, I spoke to Nam Cheon.
“Hmm. I suppose there’s no helping it. I’ve changed my mind.”
“Y-yes?”
“You wouldn’t want to die or become a cripple as things stand, would you?”
Nam Cheon nodded vigorously at the obvious question.
“Of course not!”
“But if I take you into custody, the Bukcheon Sword Family won’t let you off easily. At minimum, your wrist will be severed as punishment for theft, and you’ll likely die with high probability.”
“What? Even if I’ve committed a crime, why would…!”
“The theft itself wouldn’t be grounds for execution, but the person who hired you won’t let you live. They’ll kill you to keep their identity hidden.”
“That’s…!”
Horror bloomed across Nam Cheon’s face.
He clearly hadn’t considered such a possibility.
I exhaled lightly and continued.
“But no matter how much you tried to make a fool of me, I don’t want to see you die over something like this. It would be far too unjust.”
“What? W-wait. Does that mean you’re….”
“Yes. I am the Young Master of the Bukcheon Sword Family.”
“…!”
Nam Cheon’s eyes widened in shock, and he immediately pressed his forehead to the ground.
“I-I’m truly sorry, Young Master! I’ve committed an unforgivable crime!”
“It’s not quite unforgivable, so raise your head. In any case, I intend to release you.”
“What? Young Master, are you serious?”
Sa Gong-cheon, standing beside me, asked in bewilderment.
I nodded.
“Didn’t I just say so? If I take this wretch into custody, he’ll likely die. I can’t simply abandon him to that fate.”
“But he attempted to steal a family heirloom. At the very least, he should be turned over to the authorities.”
“Even if we hand him over to the authorities, do you think he’d survive? If anything, it would be easier to kill him there than in our own prison.”
“…!”
Sa Gong-cheon couldn’t refute my words. It was the truth, after all.
“Are you truly releasing me?”
Nam Cheon gazed at me with a face full of hope.
I chuckled softly and nodded.
“Yes.”
“I’m truly grateful…!”
“However, there is a condition.”
I stopped him as he was about to press his forehead to the ground again.
Nam Cheon asked in confusion.
“A condition?”
“Yes. Abandon your hideout and leave this place. And you must return everything you’ve stolen to its rightful owners.”
“What!?”
He seemed utterly taken aback.
It was only natural. Being asked to disgorge the fortune he’d painstakingly accumulated over the years—he couldn’t help but be flustered.
But that’s precisely why I spoke with even greater resolve.
“Did you not understand properly? I’m telling you to return what you stole to its rightful owners. Of course, I’m not asking you to return it yourself. If you did that, you’d be captured by the Government Military, and even locked in the Government Office, you’d be assassinated as a loose end.”
“B-but Young Master…!”
“This is your last chance to save your own life. Surely you’re not going to throw away that opportunity just because you’re attached to some stolen goods?”
“…!”
Nam Cheon seemed to deliberate for a moment, but soon squeezed his eyes shut and answered.
“Then please allow me to stop by the Hideout and take one thing with me. There’s something I absolutely need.”
[So he’s trying to take the Phantom Thief King’s Manual.]
[H-how did you…!]
Nam Cheon was startled by my sudden telepathic message.
At the same time, I spoke casually as if I hadn’t sent the telepathic message, careful not to let Sa Gong-cheon catch on.
“No. I won’t allow it.”
[Besides, even if you go to the Hideout, the Phantom Thief King’s Manual won’t be there. I already took it.]
“Y-yes?! But then…!”
Nam Cheon seemed utterly bewildered.
Information coming from two directions left him unable to collect his thoughts.
I spoke to the confused Nam Cheon again, my voice firm.
“Just leave. This is the last consideration I can offer you.”
[But if you do as I ask, I’ll let you take not only the Phantom Thief King’s Manual but also a portion of the fortune you’ve accumulated.]
Nam Cheon asked carefully, responding to my telepathic message that differed from my spoken words.
“And if I don’t leave…what happens?”
[…What exactly do you want from me?]
“Simple.”
I smiled wickedly at him and spoke.
“You die.”
[All you need to do is forge a single letter for me.]
[!]

* * *

We were guided to Nam Cheon’s hideout and immediately contacted the Government Office.
The response was remarkably swift.
The Government Office was already on high alert due to this incident, so they dispatched their people without delay.
I held out Nam Cheon’s torn, blood-stained garments toward them and spoke.
“I managed to wound the thief with a blade, but unfortunately the scoundrel slipped through my fingers. He was far too quick to apprehend.”
“I see….”
“However, in exchange, we were able to discover the hideout where he had been concealing himself all this time, along with the stolen goods.”
“Is that truly so?”
“You found everything he stole?”
Naturally, their reaction was explosive.
The young master of the Bukcheon Sword Family, who had harbored no expectations of success, had effectively cornered the phantom thief who had been plaguing the Government Military.
My words were proven true when Sa Gong-cheon presented the stolen items.
Soon, government soldiers came pouring in and ransacked Nam Cheon’s hideout.
From within, countless treasures he had pilfered over the years came to light.
“Young Master Jin! Your achievement is truly remarkable.”
“Though we could not recover everything that was stolen… thanks to you, we have managed to reclaim at least a portion of our lost property.”
“Indeed, the young master of the prestigious Bukcheon Sword Family is truly exceptional!”
The recovered goods were subsequently returned to their original owners through the Government Office.
Those who had retrieved their lost fortunes sought me out to express their gratitude.
Did they merely offer words of thanks?
Of course not.
They presented a modest reward to the Bukcheon Sword Family before departing.
My standing within the clan naturally rose considerably.
“Our young master has recovered the family heirlooms that were stolen!”
“I thought he had changed dramatically in recent days, but he truly is remarkable.”
“Who would have thought he could accomplish such a feat….”
“Now the main house will find it much easier to interact with the influential figures of the region.”
Such remarks echoed wherever I passed.
The ordinary servants within the clan, who had little involvement in internal politics, were all delighted.
Not only had I prevented the humiliation of the family heirlooms being stolen, but the very prestige of the Bukcheon Sword Family itself had been elevated.
‘But this is far from the end.’
The plan I had prepared was only now beginning.
Sure enough, shortly thereafter, the Government Office delivered a letter to the Bukcheon Sword Family.
“I thought this should be shown to you, so I brought it. It was a letter hidden in the thief’s dwelling.”
“What on earth could it be… Gasp!”
For the contents were nothing short of shocking.
[To place the arrogant young master in dire straits, I require your assistance. I shall inform you of the hours when security is minimal—please raid the Bukcheon Sword Family’s storehouse and steal the heirlooms.]
The letter transmitted through the Government Military.
It clearly contained instructions to ensnare me in a trap.
Moreover, it appeared to have been sent by someone from within the clan itself.
Naturally, the family was thrown into complete turmoil.
“Who on earth would do such a thing!”
“Now, please, everyone calm down. Isn’t it possible this could be a trap?”
“A trap? What kind of trap? Who would even prepare something like this!”
“Perhaps it’s the scheming of a faction hostile to the main house….”
“Even so, the fact that someone knows about the family’s security arrangements and the location of the heirlooms is clearly suspicious. This must be the work of an insider.”
Everyone was left bewildered.
The theft had occurred during the exact hour when the Bukcheon Sword Family’s defenses were at their weakest.
In other words, this could never have happened without an insider leaking information.
Naturally, this revelation spread like wildfire, and soon every member of the family knew of it.
Those who had initially believed this to be merely a tale of Jin Muyeol’s virtue were inevitably shocked.
“Good heavens, how could such a thing happen to our Bukcheon Sword Family?”
“Even if one dislikes the Young Master, to set a trap like this….”
“The culprit would surely have blamed the Young Master for the theft.”
“Then could the culprit’s identity be….”
“Shh! Keep your voice down. Is this the place to be gossiping like this?”
The Bukcheon Sword Family’s retainers whispered among themselves while speculating about the culprit’s identity.
The list of suspects was naturally limited.
Certain elders who had been at odds with my father and me, attempting to diminish our influence.
Among them, Wang Jin, with whom we had recently clashed, emerged as the prime suspect.
Of course, the other elders were not spared from suspicion either.
“The Young Master truly deserves our pity. It must be painful enough that the Family Head is ill and in poor health, yet to nearly fall victim to such treachery….”
“I don’t know who the culprit is, but it’s despicable. They will surely face divine retribution!”
“Let us stand as a support to the Young Master.”
Some of the retainers spoke thus, and began to sympathize with and support me.
Those who had previously shown me no interest had now become my allies.
And I.
‘Everything is proceeding according to plan.’
Watching the family’s atmosphere shift, I smiled with satisfaction.
‘This reminds me of the old days.’
In my past life, my first existence, I bore the hatred of everyone in the family.
I had been branded as the primary culprit who destroyed the once-thriving Bukcheon Sword Family.
Whether that judgment was true or false, the retainers swept up in the atmosphere had all despised me.
But how is it now?
‘Though it may be sympathy, I am gaining supporters.’
This represented tremendous progress compared to before. And I had no intention of stopping here.
‘I will continue accumulating merit like this. And I will raise my standing within the family until I am truly recognized as the Young Master.’
And someday, instead of sympathy, I will receive admiration.
And instead of admiration, I will become a Young Master worthy of respect.
That was my goal now. And it was a future I would achieve in the not-too-distant time.
‘To do that….’
Establishing my position within the family was certainly important, but first and foremost, I needed to grow stronger.
I made my way directly to the Training Grounds.
First, though….
‘Should I start by taking the vitality elixir?’

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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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