WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Episode 3: Strange Phenomenon (3)
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‘This is insane!’
Guard Go Chan looked horrified.
The severed arm flopping about like a fish was absurd enough, but this fake Mok GyeongUn's ruthless actions were beyond anything he could handle.
No matter how dire the Manor Lord's condition was, how could he cut off a martial artist's right arm without a moment's hesitation? He was fearless to a ridiculous degree.
‘What do I do now?’
If First Madam Seok or the other young masters learned of this, it could cause a serious incident.
Regardless of the reason.
Riiip!
Go Chan tore his clothes and tightly bound the Manor Lord's arm above the severed section to stop the bleeding.
“Ha...”
Taoist occultist Myo Shin let out a heavy sigh as the Manor Lord's complexion changed.
This method was not entirely wrong.
When an impurity became too overwhelming to bear, it was sometimes gathered into one part of the body and severed.
‘...It is almost absurd that someone who knows nothing about aberrations or impurities made that decision.’
It was enough to make him click his tongue.
However, that method was truly a last resort.
Using such an extreme measure on someone from a great Clan or a person of power made it difficult to deal with the consequences.
“That was foolish.”
Myo Shin clicked his tongue.
He wanted to say more, but cleaning up the aftermath came first.
The aberration in the Manor Lord's body had been forced into the severed arm and separated, but the matter was not fully resolved yet.
Slap!
Myo Shin removed the talisman marked “Suppression” from the Manor Lord's forehead and attached it to the severed arm, which was twitching and hopping on its own.
Then he formed hand seals and chanted a spell.
“By decree of the Northern Emperor, I wield this talisman to strike evil spirits. Each sheet bears divine writing, and those who dare disobey shall be confined in Fengdu City. Hurry, Hurry, Act According to the Law!”
Bulge! Bulge!
Black veins rose grotesquely across the rampaging arm.
It was enough to make anyone with a weak stomach look away.
Even Guard Go Chan turned his head, but Mok GyeongUn watched the Manor Lord's grotesque severed arm with interest.
Sizzle!
The talisman trembled as the skin beneath it turned red-hot.
As though affected by that, the swollen areas around it gradually subsided.
‘What a shame.’
Myo Shin clicked his tongue inwardly.
Unlike an ordinary aberration, this one carried baleful energy.
Baleful energy was a kind of curse.
In other words, the Manor Lord had not been afflicted by an aberration through some accident. Someone had done this deliberately.
Usually, when baleful energy was involved, there was naturally a way to trace it back and identify the culprit.
But now that the aberration had been gathered in a severed, dead mass of flesh, sending the curse back would neither harm the culprit nor make them easy to identify.
‘That bastard ruined everything.’
That was why he lamented inwardly.
It seemed he would have to purify it enough to prove that it was not his fault, then leave this place as quickly as possible.
After all, he had failed to obtain what First Madam wanted.
Just then,
Shhk!
A cold, sharp sensation touched the right side of his neck.
Myo Shin stopped chanting at once.
“...What are you doing?”
A gleaming sword edge rested against his throat.
The one holding the sword there was none other than Mok GyeongUn.
“Young Master!”
Guard Go Chan was also flustered by Mok GyeongUn's sudden action.
However, when Mok GyeongUn put a finger to his lips to signal silence, he could not say anything further.
‘What the hell is this bastard thinking?’
As Go Chan stood there in confusion, Mok GyeongUn spoke.
“You seem to be what they call a Taoist occultist. Is the Manor Lord's life-threatening condition related to this?”
“C-Can't you see? Your Manor Lord has been consumed by an aberration.”
“What is an aberration?”
At such a fundamental question, Myo Shin swallowed dryly.
He needed to hurry and exorcise it, yet he could not understand why this was happening.
“Young Master... I will explain everything, so please lower the sword. If this is not properly purified, the Manor Lord's condition may worsen again.”
“Are you certain?”
“What?”
“Can the Manor Lord's condition worsen again when it has already left the body?”
Mok GyeongUn's question made Myo Shin's eyes waver.
Normally, when something so bizarre happened, people trusted the words of a Taoist occultist, an expert.
Yet this child doubted him.
Myo Shin answered calmly.
“Listen. I was paid by First Madam to perform occult arts. Why would I lie? The more this continues, the more the Manor Lord's life will be in danger...”
Shhk!
Before he could finish, the sword edge pressed lightly into his throat.
Myo Shin jumped in alarm.
“W-What are you doing? Are you truly trying to ruin everything? I do not know who you are, Young Master, but if the Manor Lord dies, it could all become your fault.”
“If the Manor Lord dies, it would be your fault for failing to properly perform occult arts despite taking payment. How would it be my fault?”
‘!?’
Myo Shin was momentarily speechless.
Even after he said that, the boy did not waver in the slightest. It was as if he had no interest at all in whether the Manor Lord lived or died.
‘Could he be like First Madam? Is he not hoping the Manor Lord lives, but waiting for the Manor Lord to die?’
He could not rule it out.
He had seen such things countless times while practicing occult arts.
Power struggles within a Clan.
‘If that is the case...’
“I would prefer it if you did not think too hard and simply answered my question.”
Stab!
The sword edge dug deeper into his throat.
The fear that his head might be cut off at any moment overwhelmed Myo Shin, and he hurriedly said,
“I-If you also want the Manor Lord to die, I will do as you wish. Please, spare my life...”
“You also?”
“Pardon?”
“Who wanted the Manor Lord to die?”
Myo Shin's expression stiffened at Mok GyeongUn's question.
Fearful that his throat would be cut, he had gambled, but it seemed he had guessed wrong.
“T-That is...”
“Who?”
“I-I did not mean it in that sense...”
“First Madam?”
“...”
Myo Shin could not speak.
He needed to make some excuse, but Mok GyeongUn had struck the truth in one blow, and no answer came to him.
Go Chan was inwardly astonished by the sight.
He had thought Mok GyeongUn had gone mad when he suddenly held a sword to the Taoist occultist's throat. Had he truly been trying to force this situation?
Trickle...
Then Myo Shin began to sweat coldly as he opened his mouth.
“Young Master... First Madam merely...”
“I do not think you should let your eyes wander. In a situation like this, honesty may be your way to live.”
“Y-Young Master...”
“I think my hand is about to tighten.”
Shhk!
“Eek! F-First Madam said that it did not matter whether the Manor Lord was saved. She told me only to find out where the martial arts book and the Manor Lord's seal were.”
In the end, Myo Shin spilled what he knew.
He had also been through much in life and possessed plenty of cunning.
But this boy truly seemed like he would cut off his head right here.
“A martial arts book? The Manor Lord's seal?”
Mok GyeongUn repeated the words and looked at Guard Go Chan.
Go Chan was at a loss over what to do.
‘Damn it. To think First Madam had done something so bold.’
The person they had intended to switch allegiance to was not First Madam and the eldest young master, but the second young master.
Yet if Mok GyeongUn had not come here, the eldest young master would have nearly inherited the position of Manor Lord before they could do anything.
“Guard Go Chan.”
“Y-Yes?”
“They say First Madam ordered it. What do you think we should do?”
“What?”
Guard Go Chan could not hide his bewilderment.
What was he supposed to do?
Even if they had discovered that First Madam had done such a thing, there was nothing they could do about it right now.
Rather, since they had interfered with her, they would only earn First Madam's anger and efforts to restrain them.
Go Chan's thoughts raced.
The situation had already unfolded, and now that they knew First Madam's secret, there was only one way to improve matters and survive.
‘Damn it!’
To think he would have to say this himself.
“Young Master... We must save the Manor Lord. Otherwise, First Madam will target you.”
“Because I became an obstacle.”
“That is correct.”
At Go Chan's answer, Myo Shin hurriedly intervened.
“Y-Young Master. The Manor Lord can be saved. The aberration has been separated from the Manor Lord's body, so if I only purify the severed arm, the Manor Lord will be unharmed. I will certainly save the Manor Lord, so please...”
“So you can save the Manor Lord?”
“Yes! Therefore...”
“There is something I am more curious about.”
“What is it? I will tell you anything.”
“You said the aberration threatened the Manor Lord's life. How were you planning to learn from the Manor Lord what First Madam had asked you to find out?”
Myo Shin was once again left speechless.
He had not expected Mok GyeongUn to suddenly ask how he planned to obtain that information.
He could explain it, but what would hearing it accomplish...
Grip!
Mok GyeongUn seized Myo Shin by the throat.
Then he squeezed hard and said,
“Do not think. When I ask something, I would like you to answer immediately, without even the slightest pause. I do not see any need to keep people who serve no purpose alive.”
“...”
“You have no answer again. As expected...”
“I-I was going to control the aberration and make the Manor Lord speak directly.”
Terrified, Myo Shin answered at once.
Mok GyeongUn smiled at him.
“You can do it, so why think so hard?”
“S-Spare me. If First Madam had not ordered it, I would never have done such a thing. I will purify the aberration immediately, so please...”
“No.”
“What?”
Mok GyeongUn pointed at the Manor Lord.
“Try what you mentioned a moment ago.”
“W-What do you mean...”
Mok GyeongUn curled up one corner of his mouth.
“You said you could control the aberration and get what you wanted out of the Manor Lord.”
‘!?’
Myo Shin and Guard Go Chan's expressions stiffened at Mok GyeongUn's unexpected demand.
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