WeTried Translations
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Editor: Abstract
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 110: The Choice (1)
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Mighty Conqueror Council.
Overlord of Blood and Slaughter.
Even after more than seventeen years, their presence had not faded from the minds of the people of the Central Plains.
It remained so even across generations.
The present era was known as a world ruled by the force of justice, but in those days, the Mighty Conqueror Council had brought about an age ruled by the force of evil.
The tyrant's road of the Mighty Conqueror Council had turned the Central Plains into a sea of blood.
The Nine Sects and One Clan, the Six Great Families, and the other powers that led the Central Plains at the time had joined forces to resist them, but they could do nothing against the Overlord of Blood and Slaughter, called the greatest master of his age, and the Mighty Conqueror Council he led.
The people of the Central Plains called that era the worst age of darkness.
‘...That can't be true.’
‘Mumu's biological father was the Overlord of Blood and Slaughter?’
Even they, who had become hard to shock over anything concerning Mumu, could not hide their disbelief.
This was not something they could simply accept and move past.
Even if Mumu had merely been the child of a major figure in the force of evil, the academy, no, the force of justice, would have considered him dangerous. This went far beyond that.
‘...He could be branded a public enemy.’
Being descended from the Overlord of Blood and Slaughter was enough to shake the entire martial world to its core.
Even the revered masters of the force of justice at the time had feared the birth of another Overlord of Blood and Slaughter and wiped out every last trace of his bloodline.
If it became known that Mumu and his siblings were alive, the entire martial world might rise up again.
‘Hah...’
Mo Il-hwa looked at Mumu with a grave expression.
He seemed puzzled, as though he did not know who the Overlord of Blood and Slaughter was.
‘This is driving me crazy.’
She had decided to stand by Mumu no matter who his biological father was.
Yet this was completely beyond anything she had imagined.
The Overlord of Blood and Slaughter had been the greatest public enemy in the Central Plains, dangerous enough that even the imperial family had mobilized government troops against him.
‘When they said they were an organization that tried to kill all the academy students, I should've guessed. Damn it, my head hurts.’
A headache began to pound at Mo Il-hwa's temples.
Jin-hyeok felt the same.
He and his entire family had shown their resolve and even sworn to support Mumu regardless of his birth.
But this went beyond that.
‘Father... what in the world did you do?’
The infant Yu Yeop-kyung had happened to take in at a place of exile was the child of the greatest public enemy in the martial world, the Overlord of Blood and Slaughter.
It was beyond coincidence. It was absurd.
If this fact became known, the entire family would be in danger. No, they might lose their heads before a day had passed.
Then Mumu opened his mouth.
"Overlord of Blood and Slaughter? Who's that?"
At Mumu's question, Ja Muk-hyun and Ha Ryun's expressions changed.
They had already found it strange when he asked who that person was, but he did not even know of the Overlord of Blood and Slaughter? What was going on?
‘Could he truly have known nothing?’
Jin-hyeok spoke in a somewhat agitated voice.
"Mumu... this won't do. I said I, and everyone in the family, would support you even if you became everyone's enemy, but if it's the Overlord of Blood and Slaughter, then you and everyone else will be in danger."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"The Overlord of Blood and Slaughter was the leader of the force of evil and the greatest public enemy in history, the one who stained not only the martial world but the entire Central Plains in blood."
"A public enemy?"
"Th-this cannot get out. Not only force of justice martial artists, but even the authorities and the imperial family will try to kill you and our whole family."
Cold sweat drenched Jin-hyeok's face.
Understandably so. This was not Mumu's problem alone.
They had taken in and raised the child of the Overlord of Blood and Slaughter, the martial world's greatest public enemy. The entire family could lose their lives for it.
"...They'll try to kill my family?"
"Mumu... Jin-hyeok is right. Even being the child of a major figure in the force of evil would be dangerous, but this is beyond that. Adults are still afraid of the Overlord of Blood and Slaughter."
Mo Il-hwa agreed with Jin-hyeok.
Mumu knew nothing, so they had to make him understand the truth.
Mo Il-hwa believed that relationships between people, whether involving the force of evil or not, came down to cause and effect, and that there was no absolute right or wrong. But it was different if Mumu's father was the Overlord of Blood and Slaughter.
He and the Mighty Conqueror Council had killed far too many people. Everyone feared and hated them.
‘Hah!’
Ja Muk-hyun narrowed his eyes.
Their conversation confirmed it for him.
‘He didn't know who he was.’
That was why Mumu had kept interfering with their Grand Plan.
Then, for some reason, Ha Ryun had discovered the Jade Medallion, and after Mumu defeated Kang Mu-i, he seemed to have learned there was another Jade Medallion.
Ja Muk-hyun's sharp mind had almost reached the truth.
‘Everything fits.’
That was why Mumu had asked him about the Jade Medallion and that person.
He had asked because he knew nothing.
‘Why he has a Jade Medallion when there were supposed to be only four, I don't know. But if he survived the chaos by a stroke of heaven-sent luck and lived as an orphan, it all makes sense. Hah!’
He had not become the adopted son of Yu Yeop-kyung, the former Scholar, to hide his identity.
Yu Yeop-kyung had truly taken him in and raised him.
All while Mumu knew nothing of his own identity.
‘A predator who did not know what he was...’
How could something so interesting exist?
The corner of Ja Muk-hyun's mouth twitched.
This was better.
If Mumu did not know who he was, that meant he did not even know how his biological father had died.
Jin-hyeok pointed at Ja Muk-hyun and Ha Ryun, his voice trembling.
"Mumu... I'll be on your side no matter what, but this time, please listen to me. Break that Jade Medallion and hide who you are."
"Hide who I am?"
"Yes. Otherwise, not only you, but our entire family, who accepted you as one of us, will be in danger."
Mumu furrowed his brow at Jin-hyeok's sincere voice.
The fact that Jin-hyeok, who had said he would support any choice Mumu made, was speaking so strongly meant that Mumu's biological father had truly been a dangerous person, hated this much.
Mumu looked at Mo Il-hwa.
He wanted to ask whether she felt the same.
That was when it happened.
"Master. Your father, the master of the force of evil and the greatest hero of his age, your mother, and all your family and household members were killed in a combined attack by those vicious force of justice members."
"They... died at the hands of force of justice members?"
Mumu frowned and questioned Ja Muk-hyun's words.
"There is a saying that those who know the bonds of family and filial duty cannot share the sky with enemies who murdered their parents. Will you kill us, who seek to ease the resentment of those whose blood is not yet dry as they wander the afterlife, and deny the Master's bloodline?"
"Shut up! Don't drag Mumu into danger! You paid the price because you killed countless innocent people!"
Jin-hyeok rebuked Ja Muk-hyun for seizing the opportunity.
This time, Ha Ryun glared at Jin-hyeok and spoke with a mocking laugh.
"Innocent people? Hah... So did force of justice members only kill the guilty?"
"What?"
"Strip away that outer shell called the force of justice, and how are they any different from us? Was it for justice that they rooted out and slaughtered every person even slightly related by blood or association to them, from the elderly to infants, because they feared that person and us? In the end, didn't they kill innocent people too, just to eliminate future trouble?"
"That..."
Jin-hyeok was left speechless.
He remembered the example Mo Il-hwa had given about wars between nations.
She had said that it was meaningless to judge right and wrong in a conflict between two sides.
[In the end, didn't they kill innocent people too, just to eliminate future trouble?]
Jin-hyeok's mind became a mess.
He had spent his entire life thinking about what was right.
But as Ha Ryun said, could the force of justice truly be called wholly right when they had destroyed everything related to them, even if they were guilty, because they feared future trouble?
In the end, fear had led them to do the same thing.
‘But...’
Even if right and wrong could not be judged, this was now a world ruled by the force of justice.
If people learned that Mumu's biological father was the Overlord of Blood and Slaughter, would they really say, ‘Oh, right. He was only a baby back then, so he has nothing to do with it,’ and let it go?
No. They would be afraid instead.
They would constantly suspect that Mumu would seek blood revenge for his parents' deaths.
‘Damn it.’
Jin-hyeok looked at Mumu.
What was the right answer in a situation like this?
He had sworn to support Mumu no matter what choice he made, yet fear that the world would try to kill Mumu and his family had led him to urge Mumu to hide everything about his birth.
‘Is this fate?’
Jin-hyeok realized it.
This was already a fate beyond his power to change.
Everything depended on Mumu.
Mumu's decision would determine the fate of Jin-hyeok, his father, mother, older brother, and the entire family.
‘I want to stop him. But...’
If his own father had been killed, could he simply endure it?
Even if his father had been a traitor who abandoned all righteousness, he would still want revenge.
That was the fate of those connected by blood.
He could neither stop Mumu nor blame him.
‘Ever since Father raised Mumu, we have been bound to this wheel of fate.’
Having realized this, Jin-hyeok let out a deep sigh.
He could no longer interfere.
Mo Il-hwa gave a bitter smile at the sight of him.
‘Yes. Knowing how rigidly upright you are about everything, I thought you would come to that conclusion in the end.’
She understood.
She had believed Jin-hyeok would ultimately understand Mumu.
That was why the crucial thing was Mumu's decision.
It might sound cold, but given the circumstances, Mumu had to reach his own conclusion.
"Mumu."
"..."
"Your decision is what matters most."
"My decision?"
"Yes. As you heard, your father was called a public enemy in the martial world because he killed countless people and sought the conquest of the realm. He was killed after drawing everyone's fury, so even if you choose to join them and seek revenge as his son, we wouldn't be unable to understand. But if your true identity becomes known, then naturally you and the people around you will be in danger. You must be prepared to bear that."
"..."
"I told you before, didn't I? Right and wrong aren't important. This is ultimately a matter of two chains of cause and effect, the force of justice and the force of evil. But whatever decision you make, you must endure and take responsibility for the consequences."
Mo Il-hwa coldly laid out the situation for him.
In truth, either path would be thorny for Mumu.
If he chose his biological father's side, then his adoptive father and family, who had raised him until now, would be endangered, and he would have to turn his back on most of the bonds he had formed.
On the other hand, if he cut his ties with his biological father's side, then he might end up opposing those who rose to seek revenge again.
‘...You were born with such a troublesome fate too.’
Mo Il-hwa looked at Mumu with pity.
Who could have known that Mumu's fate, after he had lived so brightly, would be as turbulent as crashing waves?
What choice would Mumu make?
Thud!
Ja Muk-hyun slammed his forehead against the floor and spoke.
"Master. Do not forget the resentment of your father and all your family and household members, who died unjustly at the hands of force of justice members and now wander the afterlife. If you abandon your own fate and remain with them, it would be no different from submitting beneath your enemies..."
"Wait a moment."
Mumu interrupted him.
Ja Muk-hyun looked at Mumu as though he could hardly believe it.
"Master..."
"I have something to ask."
"Command me as you wish."
"Are Senior and the retainers of the person you say is my biological father seeking revenge, then?"
Ja Muk-hyun fell silent for a moment at Mumu's question.
His answer here could determine whether he could turn Mumu's resolve toward their side.
Ja Muk-hyun spoke in a resolute voice.
"Along with blood revenge, we will honor that person's will and achieve the conquest of the realm. If Master makes the decision, we will follow without question."
Every man dreamed of the conquest of the realm.
Ja Muk-hyun believed that someone like Mumu, whose strength lay beyond human limits, would be even more captivated by it.
"Conquest of the realm?"
"That is correct! If it is Master..."
"Then you'll get revenge, achieve the conquest of the realm, and kill many more people too?"
"That..."
Ja Muk-hyun could not immediately continue.
To seek blood revenge and subjugate the realm, there would naturally have to be countless sacrifices.
How could they achieve the conquest of the realm or make their enemies feel fear and terror without sacrifices?
"...It is an inevitable course."
Mumu replied in a sullen voice.
"Then isn't that more than revenge? Isn't it just repeating everything that happened before?"
"What?"
"You'll kill and kill again. Is doing that what the conquest of the realm means? If that's what it is, then I think I understand why he became a public enemy."
"Master. How can you say that!"
"I'm only saying what I think. What's wrong with that?"
"..."
Ja Muk-hyun could not hide his disappointment at Mumu's words.
How could the child of a fierce tiger have such weak thinking?
‘...He was influenced thoroughly.’
Ja Muk-hyun thought he understood why.
Mumu had not known about his birth until now.
In the meantime, he had grown up as the adopted son of someone from the National Academy, a former Scholar who discussed the Confucian way of the young master, and he had formed friendships with force of justice members. That was why he had become this way.
"Master... do you truly not intend to avenge your father and carry on his will?"
"I don't know."
Mumu's tone showed how little he liked the idea, and Ja Muk-hyun pressed a little harder.
"Master has not yet received the recognition of the entire House of the Eight Villains. Therefore, if Master does not intend to carry on that person's will, then the other future Masters will do so instead."
"So you'll do it even if it's not me?"
"That is correct."
At Ja Muk-hyun's answer, Mumu rubbed his chin.
"Hmm... That's a problem."
"The House of the Eight Villains has waited for this moment for over seventeen years. Master grew up knowing nothing and formed ties with the enemy, so you may not understand this boiling anger, but our resentment can never be stopped..."
"Looking at Senior, I can see that."
They would never stop.
Mumu, who had been rubbing his chin, spoke.
"Let me change the question a little. I think I understand why you want revenge. So if I tell you not to touch me or the people around me, to avenge that person with as few sacrifices as possible, not to harm innocent people, and achieve the conquest of the realm, can you do that?"
Ja Muk-hyun scoffed inwardly at Mumu's words.
The moment they sought blood revenge, they would have to massacre every force of justice member.
Then they would have to wipe out their bloodlines in turn.
That alone would take countless lives, so how could they possibly get revenge with few sacrifices?
"Master. No, future Master. This is not as simple as you think. Unlike you, the other future Masters have endured hardship and bided their time..."
"Yes. I understand."
Mumu cut off Ja Muk-hyun.
Then he lowered his hand from his chin and said,
"So you have no intention of listening to me."
"..."
Ja Muk-hyun gave no answer.
But anyone could tell that silence meant yes.
Mumu stared at him for a while, then sighed.
"Sigh. I guess there's no helping it. Forget the questions. I'll just tell you."
"What do you mean?"
"I'll become the Master of Senior and my biological father's retainers. But you have to obey me without question."
‘!?’
Ja Muk-hyun furrowed his brow at those words.
He already understood Mumu's intentions and disposition.
If Mumu became their Master and ordered them to submit, then he clearly intended to lead them in the direction he wanted.
And what was with that attitude?
Mumu sounded as if it was troublesome, but he would still become their leader for them.
"Future Master. If you do not properly carry out that person's revenge and will, then who among the House of the Eight Villains would..."
Before Ja Muk-hyun could finish speaking, Mumu strode toward him.
Then, with extreme care not to crush it, Mumu grabbed Ja Muk-hyun's head and lifted him.
Squeeze!
Even so, it felt as if his head would burst.
"Ghk!"
Ja Muk-hyun panicked from the pain, and Mumu spoke in a flat voice.
"I think you're mistaken about something."
"W-what do you mean?"
"If you're going to get revenge and achieve the conquest of the realm that way, I can do it alone."
Footnotes:
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