WeTried Translations
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Editor: Abstract
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 102: Kang Mui (4)
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Changcheon Martial Academy's main building, reception room.
Academy Director Do Jeong-myeong stared at O Mu-yang, the Left Assistant Censor of the Censorate, with a hardened expression.
Sa Mu-heo had been proven to be the culprit behind the incident, and Mumu had demonstrated the power that allowed him to capture the man. Do Jeong-myeong had believed that even the Censorate would no longer have grounds to interfere.
Yet after questioning Sa Mu-heo, O Mu-yang said something unexpected.
"You have worked hard, Academy Director Do. After questioning Sa Mu-heo myself, I believe he truly is the culprit."
"Would that not have been possible because the academy's cadets, so full of chivalrous spirit, stepped forward?"
"Changcheon Martial Academy truly deserves to be called the finest academy in the Central Plains."
"You honor us with those words. Then, will you conclude the matter and return to the Censorate?"
"That is what I must do. We need to transport the criminal as soon as possible."
"The criminal?"
What was that supposed to mean?
Transport the criminal?
As Do Jeong-myeong looked puzzled, O Mu-yang clasped both hands together and spoke.
"I will personally report the Academy Director's efforts to the Left Censor-in-Chief of the Censorate and the Emperor."
"......Unless I heard incorrectly, it sounded as though the criminal you mentioned was Sa Mu-heo, who is currently being held."
"You heard correctly."
"Hah."
Do Jeong-myeong found it absurd.
Neither Do Jeong-myeong nor the academy administration had captured the culprit, but Changcheon Martial Academy and its cadets had undeniably suffered the most from this affair.
Naturally, they held the right to decide Sa Mu-heo's punishment.
Letting out a quiet breath, Do Jeong-myeong spoke in a gentle voice.
"Left Assistant Censor. Though the captured criminal confessed to his crimes himself, he is still a martial artist, and the incident took place within the academy. Changcheon Martial Academy holds the authority to decide his punishment."
It was an unmistakable refusal.
O Mu-yang stroked their beard.
"Is that what you think?"
"It is not simply what I think. Cooperation in the investigation is one thing, but I do not believe the Censorate has the right to demand authority over the criminal's punishment."
"Ha ha ha."
After laughing heartily, O Mu-yang took something from their sleeve.
It was a scroll adorned with golden thread.
Do Jeong-myeong's eyes trembled when he saw it.
"That is..."
"King Jin's royal decree."
King Jin.
A feudal king who had been granted a royal title, and the current Emperor's younger brother.
Unlike imperial princes who held titles without territory, King Jin controlled Sichuan Province as his fiefdom. Though a member of the imperial family, he was one of the most powerful figures trusted by the current Emperor.
Do Jeong-myeong had never expected the Censorate to produce a royal decree from King Jin.
"It is King Jin's solemn command that the criminal be escorted to the Imperial Palace."
Do Jeong-myeong frowned.
"Why would King Jin issue a royal decree over this matter?"
"Why do you think?"
"I am asking because I do not know..."
"First, some of Changcheon Martial Academy's cadets are children of officials. To claim that the academy alone holds the right to decide the criminal's punishment would be absurd."
"......"
So they intended to use the children of officials as their justification.
A shadow crossed Do Jeong-myeong's brow.
"You said first, which means there is a second reason. What is it?"
"The reason I wished to speak with the Academy Director alone is that this matter is confidential under King Jin's decree."
"Confidential?"
"Princess Seo, King Jin's legitimate daughter, is at Changcheon Martial Academy."
"!? "
For a moment, Do Jeong-myeong was left speechless.
Princess.
Originally, that title was granted only to legitimate daughters born to the Emperor's Crown Prince. Yet because King Jin had earned the current Emperor's trust, his own legitimate daughter had been given the rank of Princess Seo.
But why would Princess Seo, who should have been in Qinghai Province, be at Changcheon Martial Academy?
"H-how..."
"That is why I said it was confidential."
"King Jin permitted Princess Seo to enroll at the academy because he cherishes her. Even the Imperial Palace is unaware of this."
Of course they had to be unaware.
A king's legitimate daughter, one who held the title of Princess, had enrolled at a martial academy in the martial world.
Neither the Imperial Palace nor the authorities could be allowed to learn of it.
"King Jin was greatly angered by this incident. Yet because he cannot address it publicly, he gave me separate orders."
'Haa.'
Do Jeong-myeong could not hide his discomfort.
The legitimate daughter of King Jin, one of the nation's most powerful men, had been caught up in this affair.
That left Do Jeong-myeong with no grounds to refuse their demand for the criminal.
Refusing would mean preparing for war with King Jin.
'A princess...'
Do Jeong-myeong had long heard rumors that King Jin was an eccentric whose true thoughts were impossible to read, even though he was royalty. Still, Do Jeong-myeong had never imagined that King Jin would secretly send a princess to the academy.
If her life had been at risk, Do Jeong-myeong could not refuse.
"Will you reject King Jin's command?"
"......How could I possibly do that?"
The question of punishing the culprit was important, but Do Jeong-myeong could not make an enemy of the imperial family over it.
"Ha ha ha. I believed the Academy Director would make the right choice."
Do Jeong-myeong clicked their tongue inwardly.
The Censorate had sent someone far from ordinary.
"Ah, and King Jin also wishes for Princess Seo to return because of this incident."
"That would be best."
It was only natural.
The academy could strengthen its defenses to prevent another incident like this, but King Jin would no longer wish to entrust his precious legitimate daughter to the academy.
"We must secretly inform her of His Highness's summons."
"That is right."
"Then may I ask who Princess Seo is?"
"From what I heard from His Highness, she is posing as the direct disciple of the Sichuan Bow Emperor, the head of the Sichuan Flowing Fire Bow Clan."
'Ahhh.'
So it was that child.
Do Jeong-myeong had thought she possessed a grace and bearing unlike the other cadets. Since she was known as the female disciple of the Sichuan Bow Emperor, one of the Ten Great Masters of the Force of Justice, Do Jeong-myeong immediately understood who it was.
"I understand. I will summon the Princess separately..."
Craaaash! Rumble!
Before he could finish, a tremendous roar rang out, followed by a tremor strong enough to make the tea in the reception room shake.
Do Jeong-myeong rose from his seat with a frown.
"What was that sound?"
"It seems we should go see."
"If another incident has occurred within the academy, I will come as well."
Do Jeong-myeong let out a quiet sigh.
Why did something else have to happen just when this troublesome burden had latched onto them?
* * *
Crk!
"Arrrgh!"
Mumu's tremendous grip crushed every bone in Kang Mu-i's fingers. Kang Mu-i twisted like a corkscrew and screamed.
"I really am curious, but my father said a person should not lose all conviction and be led around by others."
Kang Mu-i found Mumu's words absurd.
The fool wanted to know the secret of the Jade Medallion, yet he was acting like this just because his adoptive father had said something like that?
"Ugh... you truly..."
"You said we're on the same side, right? But you're attaching far too many conditions."
Kang Mu-i gritted his teeth.
Mumu was strong, but his speech and behavior made him seem simple. Kang Mu-i had thought he could make use of him if he handled him well, but this bastard was more troublesome than expected.
He might look simple, but he was not lacking in insight.
"You said people are coming. Just tell me. Then I'll help you get away."
Creak!
Kang Mu-i ground his teeth.
This bastard was turning his own proposal back on him.
Was this fool, who looked so harmless, trying to seize the upper hand?
Kang Mu-i glared at Mumu.
"Haa... haa... Use that... precious strength of yours... and open it yourself."
He had his pride too.
He would rather die than yield to Mumu's monstrous strength.
"Then I have no choice. Get some sleep."
"What?"
Swish!
Mumu curled his thumb and middle finger, then placed them against Kang Mu-i's forehead.
Kang Mu-i frowned.
'A forehead flick?'
The instant he wondered what Mumu was doing, Mumu flicked his fingers.
Snap!
'Agh!'
An overwhelming pain pierced through Kang Mu-i's skull. His body went limp, and he lost consciousness.
Mumu released the hand he had been holding and scratched his head as he looked at the unconscious Kang Mu-i.
Judging from the situation, Kang Mu-i did not seem likely to open his mouth anytime soon.
'Hmm...'
If all he needed was to establish that Kang Mu-i was working with the enemy, he would have kept beating him without caring that people were gathering.
Whether Kang Mu-i was crippled or not did not matter. Mumu only needed to make him talk somehow.
But Kang Mu-i clearly knew something about the Jade Medallion, something related to Mumu's birth.
'...What if my parents are villains too?'
Mumu considered that possibility.
Kang Mu-i had said that they were on the same side.
Did that not mean Mumu could be on the same side as the villains who had tried to slaughter everyone at the academy?
For the first time, Mumu felt the strange emotion called hesitation.
'My head hurts.'
If he really was connected to them, were his birth parents villains?
The thought made Mumu's mind a mess.
After staring at the unconscious Kang Mu-i, Mumu searched his clothes.
He took out the Jade Medallion Kang Mu-i had been carrying.
The front bore the same symbol as Mumu's, a triangle with two lines drawn inside it.
But then...
"Mu-i?"
[Martial Two]
The back of the Jade Medallion was inscribed with that.
Mumu stared intently at the words.
His own medallion read:
[Martial Nothing]
Like his own name, Mumu, Mu-i had been written exactly as it sounded, meaning Martial Two.
Other than the fact that they shared Martial as a generational syllable, it was hard to tell what connection there was between them.
'Should I force him to talk after all?'
Unless Kang Mu-i revealed it himself, Mumu could not learn why he had this name or resolve his doubts completely.
Just then, people from the academy arrived where Mumu stood.
Mumu placed his own Jade Medallion necklace and Kang Mu-i's Jade Medallion into the pouch at his waist.
Then he turned the adjustment screw on his Ki-Restraining Bracelets back to eight.
Rumble!
The people who arrived were not just academy guard warriors.
Tang So-so, Master Dan Baek-yeon, one of the Six Stars of Heaven, officials from the Censorate, Academy Director Do Jeong-myeong, and Left Assistant Censor O Mu-yang all arrived one after another.
The last to arrive was Mumu's foster older brother, Inspector Censor Yu Jin-sung.
"Mumu?"
It was a strange coincidence.
Tang So-so, Dan Baek-yeon, and most of the others had set out at different times, but the sound of the Old Teaching Hall collapsing had brought them all to this place near the Changcheon Martial Archive.
Do Jeong-myeong looked puzzled as they asked Mumu, "Mumu. What in the world happened here?"
Do Jeong-myeong had come after hearing the sound, and the traces around them suggested a fierce fight had taken place.
No, perhaps one side had simply suffered fiercely.
Seeing Kang Mu-i unconscious on the ground made it easy enough to guess what had happened.
Then Tang So-so hurriedly stepped forward with a fist-and-palm salute.
"Academy Director. I am second-year cadet Tang So-so. I am saying this so you do not misunderstand. Mumu, no, Cadet Mumu, was trying to capture a likely culprit connected to the murder of Cadet Young Chun a few days ago."
"A culprit? What does that mean? Are you saying Cadet Kang Mu-i is connected to that incident?"
"Yes. That is right!"
Tang So-so glanced toward Master Dan Baek-yeon, asking for support.
Understanding her meaning at once, Dan Baek-yeon nodded and added, "Cadet Tang So-so is correct. After Cadet Mumu reported his suspicions, we sensed something unusual about Cadet Kang Mu-i and were searching for traces he had left behind when the Old Teaching Hall collapsed. We escaped safely, but Cadet Mumu stepped in because he believed Kang Mu-i might be trying to destroy the evidence."
"That's right!"
Tang So-so clicked her tongue inwardly.
As expected of someone with a master's experience and wisdom, Dan Baek-yeon had explained the matter more concisely than Tang So-so could.
Do Jeong-myeong furrowed his brow at their words.
What were they saying?
Had they found the true culprit behind the tragedy that arose from the unofficial martial match between Hong Hye-ryeong, the Southern Blade Imperial Uncle's daughter, and Young Chun, the Eastern River Sword Sage's third disciple?
As Do Jeong-myeong stood there, baffled, O Mu-yang clicked their tongue inwardly.
'Because of one brat, the Grand Plan within the academy has been completely ruined.'
O Mu-yang looked at Mumu.
Sa Mu-heo had good reason to grind his teeth and hate this boy.
At first, O Mu-yang had believed it was simply their side's mistake. Yet Mumu had not only survived the collapsed building, he had immediately gone after Kang Mu-i.
'Is he cunning? Or does he have the instincts of a beast?'
Either way, he was a truly troublesome bastard.
'Tsk tsk.'
O Mu-yang looked at the unconscious Kang Mu-i.
Of those who possessed Jade Medallions, Kang Mu-i was said to have one of the sharpest minds, yet he had ended up like that.
Mumu truly was something.
'You cannot solve every troublesome enemy through force alone. This time, I shall teach you a lesson.'
Footnotes:
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