The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Merchant Group - Chapter 376

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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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The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 376

Chapter 376. The Lesser Palace Mistress (3)

At my words, his pupils trembled.
“Ah, excellent. How much is all of this?”
“Th-that is, well….”
Your mouth’s gone dry and your throat’s parched, hasn’t it?
Of course it has.
Everything you’ve been carefully skimming off is about to be seized in one fell swoop.
“Let me see… Wow, there’s even spirit stones here? These are incredibly expensive spirit stones.”
“….”
As I continued speaking, the complexions of those around me grew darker.
I noticed Jeon Il Pyo-du’s expression growing increasingly pale.
Hmm, I should stop teasing him. At this rate, he’ll faint.
“In any case, quite the windfall.”
I handed the ledger to Seo-woo Warrior and spoke.
“Find everything written in here and bring it all to my office.”
“I receive your command.”
And just as Seo-woo Warrior was about to leave with the other guards to search for the items listed in the ledger.
“I’ll kill you!”
Jeon Il Pyo-du, having lost his senses, drew his blade and rushed at me.
Clang!
But his blade was blocked by another’s sword.
“Huh?”
It was my Master.
“Jeon Il Pyo-du.”
At my Master’s voice, he flinched. True energy resonated within that tone.
“Tell me the truth. Whose ledger is that?”
“….”
“Jeon Il Pyo-du!”
At my Master’s sharp rebuke, Jeon Il Pyo-du flinched and took a step back.
“Th-that is….”
His hesitant demeanor, so different from before.
That alone made the situation abundantly clear.
“I… that is… I….”
“Jeon Il!”
My Master’s sharp rebuke came again.
Thud.
Jeon Il Pyo-du, unable to withstand my Master’s overwhelming presence, collapsed where he stood.
Even I felt a tingling sensation from it—there was no way he could endure my Master’s aura.
“Please, tell me it isn’t true.”
Jeon Il Pyo-du glanced around at those gathered.
Some kept their eyes tightly shut; others averted their gaze with heavy sighs.
Realizing the truth was already laid bare, he lowered his head and answered.
“I apologize.”
At his confession, my Master closed his eyes tightly.
What radiated from his expression was betrayal and anguish.
Someone who had run alongside him toward the goal of rebuilding Seolpung Palace had harbored ulterior motives all along.
He could not help but be wounded by this.
Yet I exposed this truth now precisely because concealing it would inflict far greater damage later.
And the wound would cut far deeper.
“How long has this been going on?”
“About ten years…”
“Since you became Pyo-du, then.”
“…”
“Your reason… Hah.”
My Master drew a sharp breath. He dried his face with his hand, then asked him.
“What is your reason?”
“That is… well…”
“Tell me your reason! Speak!”
Every word from my Master’s voice carried profound fury.
“I thought it was… hopeless. I believed Seolpung Palace had no hope of being rebuilt.”
“…”
My Master clenched his teeth.
How could my Master not know this?
Yet his position demands he walk this thorny path of rebuilding Seolpung Palace regardless.
The atmosphere around us had transformed into something akin to a funeral chamber.
Filled with sorrow and despair.
Every disciple of Seolpung Palace would have wrestled with this question.
A goal everyone knows is difficult.
Yet we pressed forward, encouraging one another to persevere—and this Jeon Il had thrown cold water on that resolve.
I dislike this atmosphere.
“No hope?”
At my words, all eyes turned toward me.
Step, step,
I advanced toward Jeon Il Pyo-du and spoke.
“Who decided that?”
“Because that’s reality!”
“Reality, huh… That’s laughable.”
I let out a soft chuckle.
“Of course, reality is bleak. So what? Who are you to determine the future of Seolpung Palace?”
“….”
“The future is not predetermined.”
That’s right—the future is not predetermined.
If the future were fixed, then the end of the path I walk now would be the same miserable death as my previous life.
The future of this life will be different from the future of my past life.
I clenched my fists tightly.
This was also a vow I made to myself.
“The future can change in countless ways.”
By saving Lady Hong Geum-so this time, I could confirm that once again.
“And if you!”
I took the ledger from the hand of the Seo-woo Warrior beside me and spoke.
“Had not embezzled the enormous sum recorded in this ledger, Seolpung Palace would be in a far better position now! Your selfishness! Your greed! Your arrogance in declaring it hopeless! These have gnawed away at Seolpung Palace’s hope!”
I turned my head to look at everyone.
“Do you all believe Seolpung Palace has no future?”
Not only the disciples of Seolpung Palace but also the Pyo-dus—none of them could open their mouths.
I spoke with resolve.
“If you believe that, then it will be so. But if you all believe Seolpung Palace will flourish in the future, then that too will come to pass.”
I continued.
“Which side are you on?”
“….”
“I will stake all my chips on the side that believes Seolpung Palace has hope.”
“Why?”
Ha Cheol Pyo-du asked me.
“Why do you think that way?”
“Well, naturally.”
I pointed to myself with my thumb and spoke.
“Because I am the Lesser Palace Mistress. Would I allow the place where I stand as Lesser Palace Mistress to fall?”
“Hahahaha!”
At my words, Ha Cheol Pyo-du burst into hearty laughter.
“Indeed, there was good reason for my daughter to evaluate you that way.”
Huh? What exactly did my Second Sister-in-law say about me…
Thud—!
Ha Cheol Pyo-du prostrated before me and spoke.
“Dharma Protector Ha Cheol of Seolpung Palace! I greet the Lesser Palace Mistress.”
Then the Lord of Changin Escort Agency also prostrated before me.
“Dharma Protector Yu Seong! I greet the Lesser Palace Mistress.”
So the Lord’s name was Yu Seong.
Whether it was their actions that started it, others soon followed suit and bowed to me in turn.
Once I confirmed that everyone had bowed to me, I turned my head to look at my Master.
Clap!
I cupped my fist toward my Master and spoke.
“Disciple Eun Seo-ho awaits your words, Master.”
At my words, my Master nodded.
“I, Gwak Myung-hyun, Palace Master of Seolpung Palace, hereby appoint Disciple Eun Seo-ho as Lesser Palace Mistress!”
I smiled wryly.
Thus I formally became the Lesser Palace Mistress of Seolpung Palace.
Now all that remained was the matter of Jeon Il Pyo-du’s punishment.
My Master approached Jeon Il Pyo-du.
Whoosh!
And he struck toward him.
Gasp!
Jeon Il Pyo-du coughed up blood.
“I have sealed your martial arts. The martial techniques of Seolpung Palace are not meant for someone like you.”
In my Master’s eyes, there was not a trace of warmth.
“Throw him in the Prison. His punishment will come later.”
“Yes!”
In an instant, having lost his martial arts and all his internal energy, he became a pathetic sight.
He was dragged away by the other warriors.
I presented the ledger to my Master.
“Please accept this, Master. It belongs to Seolpung Palace.”
My Master took the ledger and, after a moment of thought, asked me.
“But how did you come to possess this?”
“Ah, well….”
I answered with a sheepish smile.
“It’s a secret.”
I’m worried my Master might grab the back of his neck when he sees what’s written in this ledger.
Jeon Il Pyo-du had embezzled quite a lot.

* * *

“Ugh!”
A moment later,
Gwak Myung-hyun, who had been examining the ledger that Eun Seo-ho presented in my office, found himself instinctively gripping the back of his neck.
The scale of what had been embezzled was staggering.
“Heh heh. Heh heh heh, heh heh heh heh.”
I let out a hollow laugh, unable to find words.
“Phew, if it weren’t for the Eun Small Merchant Leader—no, the Lesser Palace Mistress, the damage could have been catastrophic.”
“It’s a blessing we uncovered this even now.”
Ha Cheol Pyo-du continued, and then I spoke.
“Regardless, she has remarkable talents. How did the Lesser Palace Mistress discover what we ourselves had been completely blind to all this time?”
Gwak Myung-hyun provided the answer.
“It’s likely because we, being insiders, had our vision clouded. And though she is my disciple, the Lesser Palace Mistress possesses an insight that is quite exceptional.”
As Gwak Myung-hyun spoke, a faint smile played at the corners of his mouth.
Seeing this, I and Ha Cheol Pyo-du exchanged looks of pleasant surprise.
Since Seolpung Palace’s destruction, smiles had been rare on Gwak Myung-hyun’s face.
The burden of becoming the Palace Master, leading Seolpung Palace, and overseeing its reconstruction had stripped away his ease and happiness.
Those of us who remembered his childhood found this deeply lamentable.
Yet recently, smiles had begun appearing on his face little by little.
We both seemed to know who was responsible for that.
And for that, we were deeply grateful to Eun Seo-ho.
“In any case, what do you intend to do about Jeon Il Pyo-du?”
At my question, Gwak Myung-hyun exhaled a long sigh.
“I cannot cast him out. In a situation where we still don’t know who destroyed Seolpung Palace, expelling Jeon Il Pyo-du would only create a liability.”
“You’re right. We cannot afford that while our identity must remain hidden.”
“Then there is only one conclusion.”
Gwak Myung-hyun washed his face with his hands and rose from his seat.
“I will end this with my own hands. I cannot stain my comrades’ hands with a brother’s blood, can I?”

* * *

By the time I finished my business at Changin Escort Agency, evening had already fallen.
Various people sought me out, and as I exchanged words with them, time slipped away unnoticed.
I’d eaten dinner, so it was time to head home.
As I walked with that thought, I felt something odd and lifted my gaze.
There, sitting atop the roof, was a familiar figure.
It was my Master.
I considered pretending not to see him and walking past, but his expression looked melancholy.
Sigh.
I told Palgap and the Guard Warriors to wait a moment, then rolled up and climbed onto the roof.
“Why are you here?”
“Ah, the Lesser Palace Mistress has arrived.”
“It’s Lesser Palace Mistress—why add the honorific?”
“It’s still a bit difficult for me.”
I sat beside him and spoke.
“Do as you wish. Whether you add the honorific or not doesn’t change the fact that I’m your disciple and the Lesser Palace Mistress, does it?”
“I suppose not.”
My Master answered thus and drank deeply from the bottle.
“Surely that’s not alcohol?”
The prohibition on drinking hadn’t been lifted yet.
“It’s honey water.”
Ah, now that I thought about it, my Master often carried honey water in a bottle and drank it.
What he’d given me before was honey water too.
“Do you know why I drink honey water instead of alcohol?”
He wasn’t seeking an answer, so I simply listened quietly.
“On the day Seolpung Palace fell, I drank to celebrate completing my mission. Because of that, my return was delayed.”
“….”
“If I hadn’t drunk, if I’d arrived just one day earlier… Seolpung Palace wouldn’t have been annihilated. At the very least, I could have learned who Hyung-su was.”
My Master held up the bottle.
“I made a vow that day. Not to drink alcohol until Seolpung Palace was rebuilt. This honey water is a symbol of that resolve.”
“….”
I listened to my Master’s words in silent contemplation.
“However, as I’ve continued drinking this, I’ve discovered it has its merits. It lifts my spirits when my mood grows dark.”
My Master spoke thus and released a deep sigh.
“Sigh. Lesser Palace Mistress.”
“Yes.”
“Today, I cut down Jeon Il Pyo-du.”
I bit my lip.
I’d actually suspected as much. The scent of blood clung to my Master.
“In truth, I gave him a dagger and told him to take his own life. But he… clung to me. He said he was sorry, begged for one more chance. Yet he was a danger. For the safety of others… I had no choice but to cut him down.”
My Master looked at me.
“This is what a Palace Master must do. Do you think you can handle it, Lesser Palace Mistress?”
“I….”
But my Master continued before I could properly begin my response.
“In truth, I wished you would never become the Lesser Palace Mistress. I did not want you to walk this thorny path.”
My Master’s feelings toward me came through clearly.
Just as he cherished his own sons, he cherished me as well.
“Yet here we are.”
I exhaled slowly.
Master….
What happens if you get drunk on honey water?
Of course, what made my Master so emotional now was likely… what happened today.
Not the honey water.
“Sigh… I’ve said far too much. You should go now.”
My Master’s face had already returned to its usual composed expression.
Truly a steadfast person. My Master is.
“And today, I was grateful. In many ways.”
“You’re too kind to say such things.”

I descended from the roof and spoke to Palgap and the Guard.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, sir.”
Then my Master called out to me from the roof.
“Ah, I forgot to give you this.”
My Master threw something to me, and I caught it.
“This is….”
“The Lesser Palace Mistress’s credential tablet.”
Holding it in my hand, I could truly feel that I had become the Lesser Palace Mistress.
“Thank you. Then I shall take my leave.”
With the Lesser Palace Mistress’s credential tablet tucked away, I resumed my steps.
Behind me, I heard my Master’s voice.
“Tomorrow at dawn, I will teach you a new sword technique. So prepare yourself mentally.”
“Pardon?”
I turned back without thinking and questioned him.
“Tomorrow will be more difficult than today.”
Wait, Master.
If tomorrow is harder than today….
I might actually die, you know?
For a moment, I thought about returning the Lesser Palace Mistress’s credential tablet.

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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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