Chapter 77

“The damage?”


“For now… except for the garden that Guhae wrecked, there’s nothing else.”


Jiegal So-Bong, the temporary head of the Jiegal Family, who had just regained consciousness after being knocked out by thick fog, followed Jiegal Yang, who was checking the formations at the estate, and answered the question.


“How are Yeonghwa and Guhae?”


“On the surface, they seem fine. But they got soaked in the sudden rain, so they’re both in the bath warming up.”


“What about the attackers’ bodies?”


“Well, about that…”


Jiegal So-Bong hesitated and cautiously opened his mouth.


“Should I say we couldn’t find them… or that they’re just not there… I went to the place you mentioned, but there was nothing.”


“They disappeared?”


“Yes… I’m sorry.”


So-Bong bowed his head as if ashamed, and Jiegal Yang furrowed his brow for a moment before refocusing on the formations.


“Fine. The guy who fought Guhae probably used some trick to escape and took the bodies with him.”


He glared at the traces of someone tampering from the inside, not the outside.


“Or maybe there’s an accomplice.”


“…Huh?”


“From now on, don’t let anyone into the estate, and don’t let anyone leave.”


So-Bong’s face stiffened as he understood Jiegal Yang’s meaning.


“Are you saying that…?!”


He realized why unknown martial artists could freely enter the estate, which was supposed to be protected by multiple layers of formations.


He realized why no signal had come to him even though the formations were breached. It was because they were never breached in the first place.


Jiegal Yang’s eyes narrowed sharply like a hawk’s. A murderous aura flowed out.


“That’s right, there’s a traitor within the Jiegal Family… someone among the blood relatives who is skilled in formations.”


Someone had simply opened the door quietly from the inside without anyone noticing.

***


In front of the main gate of the Jiegal Family estate located in the Martial Alliance.


Faced with an unexpected and absurd situation, Sima Mantian grabbed the back of his neck in frustration.


“No, I mean! I had tea with that old man Jiegal Yang! We ate together! Played Go! Did everything together!!”


But the guard simply stood firm at the gate.


“No. The elder has ordered that no one be allowed in for the time being.”


He repeated the same words to the point of irritation.


“Besides, the elder isn’t someone you can easily meet. Please leave while I’m still being polite.”


Easily meet my foot. He’s like a wild Pokémon you run into while taking a walk.


And you can even catch him with Go.


Anyway, even when I asked them to tell Jiegal Yang that Sima Mantian had come, they didn’t take it seriously, probably thinking I was just some young upstart.


Frustrated and wronged, I looked up at the sky.


After all that hardship, I finally thought I could meet Guhae. But this is just too unfair.


They’re really going all out to prevent me from meeting her.


‘Should I just… barge in? Slaughter them all so they can’t even open their mouths?’


As I was thinking this, a familiar voice came from behind.


“Isn’t that you, Mantian?”


“Uncle Bi-Young?”


A man with long limbs and a refreshing appearance. Jiegal Bi-Young, my father’s acquaintance and deputy head of the Martial Alliance’s Bi-Ryong Division, approached with a friendly face.


“You’ve really grown a lot since I last saw you. I almost didn’t recognize you.”


“Sir Bi-Young, do you know… this person?”


The guard, flustered by the appearance of the second son of the Jiegal Family, Jiegal Gyu-geun, asked.


“Know him? He’s my friend’s son. Let him in.”


Bi-Young patted Mantian’s back and vouched for him.


“Well… I’m sorry, but no. And I’m really sorry, but you can’t enter either, Sir Bi-Young.”


Unfortunately, the situation didn’t change.


“What?! I just came back from working overtime until morning! What kind of nonsense is this?!”


Bi-Young was furious at the idea that even the second son of the Jiegal Family couldn’t enter the estate.


“It’s because of Elder Jiegal Yang…”


At the guard’s words, Bi-Young clicked his tongue and turned around.


“Tsk! Mantian, let’s back off for now. I’ll send someone to deliver a message later.”


“Uncle, can’t you do something?”


At Mantian’s plea, Bi-Young hesitated for a moment but then shook his head.


“Jiegal Yang… if that old man is being this strict, something must be going on. There’s nothing we can do.”


“…What’s going on?”


I frowned and asked. Bi-Young laughed heartily, as if to shake off the unease, and patted my shoulder.


“Haha~ It’s probably nothing serious. Don’t worry. Maybe they’re just doing a big cleaning of the house.”


He showed a friendly smile that made it hard to believe he had just been turned away from his own home.

***


Clunk~ clunk~ clatter~ clatter~


Since there was nothing I could do right now, I borrowed Uncle Bi-Young’s carriage and headed back to the Martial Alliance accommodations where I was staying thanks to my senior and Sososo’s kindness.


“Wow… so you ended up saving the young master of the Namgung Family and were rescued by the Alliance Leader after being attacked by the Demon Sect? That’s quite an adventure.”


In real time, it was about two weeks, but so much had happened.


Uncle Bi-Young nodded in admiration as he listened to my somewhat embellished adventure story.


“But of all people, you got involved with the Namgung Family.”


However, he frowned at the name ‘Namgung’ and then awkwardly laughed, as if he had said something unnecessary.


“Since it’s a family with a lot of rumors. I guess I said something unnecessary. Young people should handle their own affairs.”


Bi-Young looked intently at the wolf-like golden-brown eyes characteristic of the Sima Family. He remembered a girl he couldn’t protect.


“Maybe it’s because you and I could have been family. I keep meddling.”


“…Family? What do you mean?”


Completely unexpected words. But thinking back, whenever he visited our house, he always gave me a lot of pocket money and treated me excessively well.


I had always thought it was just because he was my father’s friend.


Is there something I don’t know? Did he have a crush on my mom or something?


“Didn’t Sima Bu tell you? That guy… well, it’s not a good story anyway.”


Bi-Young took out a small wooden frame from his pocket and showed me the portrait inside.


My eyes widened at the image of a beautiful girl who looked like a young lady from a prestigious family.


‘…Yeonghwa?’


No, not quite. The overall atmosphere was somewhat similar to Yeonghwa, but upon closer inspection, it was different. Most notably, the eye color was different.


The girl in the portrait had deep golden-brown eyes.


“…Who is this?”


“Sama Hwa. Your little aunt. My first love.”


I stared intently at the girl in the portrait, who looked to be in her early teens.


…So, my father’s younger sister, my little aunt?


I was dumbfounded by the existence of a little aunt I had never known about.


What the hell, is this family a mystery box? The more you dig, the more comes out. At this rate, I might even find out I have a half-sister somewhere.


“I don’t know the details either, but I heard there was a big upheaval in the Sima Family a long time ago.”


Bi-Young stared blankly out of the carriage as he recalled those times.


“Because of that incident, the older brother who was learning commerce in the Western Desert…”


“Hwa, who lost all her relatives except Sima Bu, temporarily took refuge in the Jiegal Family, hiding her identity with the help of a bodyguard who had connections with the Jiegal Family.”


Apparently, Hwa-ya was Bi-Young’s nickname for Sama Hwa.


“She was quiet and had an unapproachable, dignified yet pitiful aura. When you teased her, she would glare at you with a pouty face, which was really cute.”


“…And then she went to find Sima Bu in the Western Desert to escape her pursuers, but died of an epidemic.”


The calm flow of memories was buried in anger, self-blame, and sorrow.


“She wasn’t a child who should have died so meaninglessly.”


Clatter~ clatter~ Neigh~!


The sound of horse hooves echoed as the carriage stopped at its destination.


“Haha… I’ve said unnecessary things again.”


Bi-Young, as if trying to break the heavy silence, stretched out his arm and patted Mantian’s shoulder.


“I just wanted to tell you that you’re like a nephew to me, not just anyone.”


With those words, Bi-Young handed over a generous amount of pocket money and bid farewell.


I got off the carriage, my head spinning from not being able to meet Guhae and the sudden revelation of my little aunt’s existence, which my father had never mentioned.

***


Plod… plod…


Instead of the usual vigorous ‘plod-plod,’ I walked with a weak ‘plod… plod…’ back to the Martial Alliance accommodations.


I’ve always thought this, but our family has too many secrets.


Why didn’t they tell me about my little aunt?


And whenever I try to ask about these things, they subtly change the subject.


I felt alienated and sighed.


“Sigh…”


Am I really an outcast? Did I just think we were close?


Sniff… Mantian is sad.


As I walked with these thoughts, I ran into Sososo ahead.


Sososo’s expressionless face lit up at the unexpected appearance of Mantian.


“Lord Sima? You’re back early. How did your errand go?”


“Well, it got postponed for various reasons. Where are you headed, Lord Namgung?”


“Ah, I’m going to get a new sword since the one I usually use got damaged in the last battle.”


Sososo glanced at Mantian’s empty, calloused hands and shyly lowered her head, brushing her hair behind her ear to hide her embarrassment.


“Um… if it’s alright with you, would you like to come along? You need a new staff too… Ah, of course! I’ll pay for the staff!”


Here’s the amazing advantage of Tagujang.


A broken Bankai is irreparable, but Tagujang can be replaced at any local store no matter how many times it breaks.


Anyway, since there was nothing to do at the accommodations, I decided to go with Sososo to clear my head.