WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME NOVELS

Translator/Editor: Chen

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

◈ The Former Supreme ◈

Chapter 37: To the Alliance (2)

──────

Guards appeared around Zhuge Hyeon.

Baek Socheon recognized a few of them. There were only a handful, but as the Grand Strategist's guards, they were among the best.

"It's been a while."

"Welcome."

On the way back from the Mythic Gang's headquarters, Baek Socheon had stopped by the nearest Pojiang Branch and sent a dispatch to the Sage Heaven Pavilion. Still, he hadn't expected Zhuge Hyeon to come in person.

"Please, come in."

"It's hot. Let's talk out here."

"All right."

The two sat on a wooden platform in the courtyard. Baek Socheon respected Zhuge Hyeon. During the last war, they had built deep trust in one another. Zhuge Hyeon believed they had stopped the Black Heaven Alliance because Baek Socheon was there, while Baek Socheon believed it was thanks to Zhuge Hyeon.

"How has life here been?"

"Don't you already know?"

Zhuge Hyeon smiled.

"That's right. I know it all."

Zhuge Hyeon received daily reports on everything related to Baek Socheon that happened in Wencheng.

"People are the same everywhere. There are good people, and there are bastards."

Zhuge Hyeon nodded in agreement.

"Still, Wencheng was a special case. If Pavilion Master Baek hadn't come here, it would have become a serious problem later."

"I was lucky."

"It truly was fortunate."

What if enemies raised in the rear struck from behind while the war was in full swing? What if the Murim Alliance trusted them with an important mission? It was a horrifying thought.

"The Black Heaven Alliance Leader must have been confident to come meet me in person."

"Confident they can win the war."

Baek Socheon nodded.

After a brief silence, Zhuge Hyeon asked, "Do you have any alcohol?"

"Didn't you quit?"

"Let's have a drink for the first time in a while."

Zhuge Hyeon had stopped drinking when the war was at its fiercest. Zhuge Hyeon had not touched alcohol even after the truce, but being with Baek Socheon today brought on the urge for a drink.

"Wait a moment."

Baek Socheon brought out some alcohol, and they shared it.

"It tastes good after so long."

"I'm sorry it isn't better alcohol."

"No. For someone like me, who doesn't know the taste of alcohol, who I drink with is everything."

Perhaps because it had been so long since Zhuge Hyeon last drank, their face reddened after only a few cups.

"Pavilion Master Baek, return to headquarters."

"......"

"I need you."

"Has the Alliance Leader approved it?"

"The Alliance Leader said it would be left to me."

In response to whether approval had been given, Zhuge Hyeon said the matter had been entrusted to them. How was Baek Socheon supposed to take that? It was clear the Alliance Leader had not gladly agreed.

After a pause, Zhuge Hyeon spoke again.

"All right, I'll be honest. The Alliance Leader didn't say much about bringing you back."

Just as always, the Alliance Leader had not expressed approval or disapproval.

When Zhuge Hyeon went to settle the matter, Zhuge Hyeon told the Alliance Leader this.

-Please allow me to bring Baek Socheon back. I will take responsibility for every problem that arises from it.

The Alliance Leader had probably been displeased with Zhuge Hyeon's actions. The Alliance Leader knew perfectly well that Baek Socheon's sword had even been taken away, yet Zhuge Hyeon was asking to bring Baek Socheon back. From one perspective, it could have seemed like defiance.

Yet Zhuge Hyeon had already made up their mind to bring Baek Socheon back.

As the Black Heaven Alliance's provocations intensified, Zhuge Hyeon felt Baek Socheon's absence more keenly. That void only grew larger.

Reading the dispatch Baek Socheon sent this time convinced Zhuge Hyeon.

The Murim Alliance needed Baek Socheon. No, to be precise, Zhuge Hyeon needed him.

-Please trust my judgment, Alliance Leader.

Zhuge Hyeon believed strongly enough to push this far. The Alliance Leader might find Zhuge Hyeon's actions displeasing, but could not drive Zhuge Hyeon out in this situation. That would only deepen the Alliance Leader's resentment.

Zhuge Hyeon revealed their true feelings.

"I don't have the confidence to fight this war without you."

It was difficult for Zhuge Hyeon to say. To seek Baek Socheon, who had lost his internal energy, so desperately was a clear admission that Zhuge Hyeon had lost confidence in themself.

"I won't be of any help."

"Even without internal energy, you have experience fighting a war. Please help me. I know this request is shameless."

If Zhuge Hyeon had wanted him this badly, Zhuge Hyeon should not have sent him away in the first place. Zhuge Hyeon was no different from the others in the Murim Alliance. Watching the Alliance Leader's mood and acting like this only now was truly selfish.

But urgency had overcome shame.

Baek Socheon had not agreed yet, but Zhuge Hyeon explained the details.

"If I had my way, I would immediately appoint you Secret Pavilion Master or Iron Sword Corps Commander, but the Alliance's internal circumstances won't allow it."

Bringing him back alone was already an extreme measure.

"Instead, I'll create a new organization under the Sage Heaven Pavilion and have you lead it. A corps would be too much, but a unit should be possible."

Then came an extraordinary proposal.

"You will have full authority over personnel matters, independent operational authority, and immunity from liability."

Other organizations would complain about unfair treatment. As the Sage Heaven Pavilion Master, Zhuge Hyeon would have to bear all responsibility for that. Zhuge Hyeon was willing to carry such a political burden to bring Baek Socheon back.

How could Baek Socheon not know that Zhuge Hyeon was staking their entire career on this?

Baek Socheon drank in silence for a while, then finally spoke.

"All right. I'll return."

"Ah, thank you. Thank you so much."

Zhuge Hyeon's face brightened at Baek Socheon's answer. It felt as if Zhuge Hyeon had gained an army of a thousand horses and ten thousand soldiers.

"Forgive my presumption, but I have one request."

"Go ahead."

"Allow me access to any place you may enter, Pavilion Master."

In other words, Baek Socheon wanted access to all places Pavilion Masters could freely enter. That included every archive in the Ten Thousand Books Repository and the final level of the Murim Alliance's underground martial prison, where visits were forbidden.

Such places were accessible only to those of Pavilion Master rank or above, and Baek Socheon had come and gone from them freely when he was the Secret Pavilion Master. There were secret manuals he needed to examine again, and someone he wanted to meet in the martial prison.

"All right."

Without granting him this much, there would have been no reason to call Baek Socheon back in the first place. The backlash would be fierce, but Zhuge Hyeon would have to endure it.

Zhuge Hyeon said their farewell.

"I'll go ahead and wait. I hope to see you at the Alliance soon."

"Travel safely."

Zhuge Hyeon left.

Left alone, Baek Socheon sat on the wooden platform and looked up at the moon. A sigh escaped him without his realizing it.

"Hoo."

Zhuge Hyeon wanted him to return and join the war.

But Baek Socheon thought differently.

'I shouldn't be trying to win the war. I need to stop the war itself.'

* * *

Whoosh, swish!

Beon Saeng was swinging his sword in a corner of the training yard. Sweat poured down his body, but he did not give up as he practiced the forms.

Beon Saeng had learned his martial arts at a martial arts school. As a child, he had wandered from place to place as an orphan before a small rural martial arts school took him in and raised him.

He had suffered a great deal there, living at others' mercy while constantly watching their reactions. Still, he had been fortunate enough to learn martial arts, and after growing up, he had barely managed to join the Murim Alliance.

After finishing a round of training, Beon Saeng noticed Baek Socheon watching from afar.

"Brother!"

"You've been working hard."

"Compared to your training, Brother, this is nothing. Still, it's been a long time since I trained like this. Setting aside whether I'm getting stronger, it just feels so good."

"That feeling will get you killed one day."

"Better to burn bright than live a long, dull life."

As Beon Saeng prepared to resume training, Baek Socheon splashed water on him.

"All right, put out that fire for a moment. Bring Branch Chief Im to my house. We need to talk."

* * *

"I'm returning to headquarters."

Im Chung and Beon Saeng were shocked by Baek Socheon's words.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"When are you leaving?"

"In the next few days."

"So soon?"

The two were deeply shaken. They had gotten through the Mythic Gang crisis in style and thought only peaceful days remained. Yet just as things were getting better, they had to part ways? It was like a bolt from the blue.

"There won't be any retaliation over the Mythic Gang, so don't worry."

Silence fell. Too many thoughts raced through their heads for either of them to know what to say. Beon Saeng blurted out the most instinctive, primal thought among them.

"Brother! How can you do this? Where are you going, leaving us behind? Please don't abandon us! Take us with you too!"

"All right."

A moment of silence followed.

Beon Saeng blinked and asked, "What?"

"I said we'll go together."

"We can come with you?"

"Yes. But only if you can give up your lives here. Once you get there, you'll start as Rank-and-file Martial Artists, not a Squad Leader or a Branch Chief. Can you do that?"

Silence fell again.

A little later, Beon Saeng was the first to break it.

"If you're all right with it, Brother, I want to follow you."

Then he turned to Im Chung. Im Chung was in a different situation from himself, who was alone.

Beon Saeng would be stepping down from Squad Leader to Rank-and-file Martial Artist, but Im Chung would be stepping down from Branch Chief to Rank-and-file Martial Artist. On top of that, Im Chung had a wife and child.

It was not an easy decision, so Beon Saeng expected him to be unable to follow. He felt sorry for him. He would be abandoning the life they had shared to follow Baek Socheon. It felt as though he were betraying him.

Sure enough, Im Chung could not answer easily.

As he considered it, Beon Saeng asked again, "But my martial arts are weak. I'm worried I'll only get in the way if I follow you."

"You're mistaken about me. I'm not such a fine person that I'd take in someone who's nothing but a burden."

"Then why are you taking me?"

"Because you're trustworthy."

"......!"

His surge of emotion lasted only a moment.

"And you're enough of a pushover. Soft-hearted too, so you'll be easy to work to the bone."

"Are you really revealing all your recruitment secrets?"

"It's fine. That's not your only weakness."

Beon Saeng acted dumbfounded, but inwardly, he was pleased. It was because of the first reason Baek Socheon had given.

Beon Saeng spoke to Im Chung, who was still thinking.

"I'm sorry for deciding on my own, Branch Chief. No, Brother."

Naturally, he thought Im Chung would not come.

Yet as always, every life had its twists.

"If I can bring my family, I'll follow you too."

Baek Socheon nodded.

"You can."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"Won't they become a burden?"

"Family isn't a burden. They're strength."

Baek Socheon's clear answer swept Im Chung into a rush of emotion.

"Brother!"

He was so happy, but at the same time, ashamed and sorry. Baek Socheon had said the words he himself should have said.

Baek Socheon spoke gently.

"I know what you're worried about. Don't worry. Trust me. If going there means you'll die, you'll die even if you stay here."

It was a meaningful statement made with the coming war in mind.

In any case, at that moment, Im Chung and Beon Saeng's lives changed greatly.

And another change awaited them.

"Follow me."

Baek Socheon led them outside.

"If I'm going to work you two to the bone, you need to be useful."

"Don't tell me?"

Beon Saeng's eyes trembled.

"That's right. I'll teach you each a few moves of a sword art suited to your level."

It was a gift for willingly giving up their lives here.

Baek Socheon had spent the past twenty years surviving on battlefields. He had reached the level where he could create sword arts tailored to the two men on the spot.

Baek Socheon drew the sword at Beon Saeng's waist.

Shing.

Beon Saeng and Im Chung widened their eyes and focused, determined not to miss a single movement or word.

Baek Socheon looked down at the sword for a moment, his gaze deepening.

"When a martial artist grips a sword's hilt, they are also gripping its blade. Never forget that."

It was advice carrying deep meaning, born from Baek Socheon's long experience.

The two did not fully understand what Baek Socheon meant to convey, but they took his words to heart.

"We'll remember it and reflect on it always, Brother."

One day, they would come to understand exactly why he had said those words.

Next, Baek Socheon had Im Chung demonstrate his swordsmanship. There was no need for Beon Saeng to show his again, since Baek Socheon had watched him train earlier.

After assessing Im Chung's swordsmanship as well, Baek Socheon taught each of them a different sword art consisting of seven forms. He had created them on the spot based on their levels and the forms of the sword arts they had learned. Naturally, they were sword arts on an entirely different level from what the two had learned before.

"I just made them, so they have no names."

"If you permit it, we'll name them!"

"Do as you like."

Baek Socheon taught them every stance precisely. He took their questions and explained everything in detail.

When it came to martial arts, Baek Socheon became a different person. His prickliness and usual ease vanished. He focused only on martial arts, and the two were swept up in his intensity.

As they learned, a thought arose in both their minds. Had learning swordsmanship always been this easy? Every word sank in and made sense.

Only after teaching them the sword arts and having them demonstrate them again did Baek Socheon speak.

"Master these sword arts, and at the very least, you won't go around getting beaten up everywhere."

"Brother, thank you so much."

The two bowed at the same time. For them, this was an immense stroke of fortune.

"It's too early to thank me. This might get you killed."

Beon Saeng expressed his gratitude with a seriousness unlike his usual self.

"That would be because I made the wrong choice. Because I didn't retreat when I should have, or neglected my training and couldn't execute the forms correctly. That's why I would die. It would have nothing to do with your teaching us martial arts today. You don't know this, do you? This moment is the most moving moment of my life. No one has ever shown me such great kindness."

Tears welled in Beon Saeng's eyes. He had grown up an orphan and stubbornly endured alone until now. For the first time, someone had shown him enormous kindness.

"This is how kindness fools people into becoming pushovers. You receive a little kindness, then offer up your youth and even your life. That's how the world and organizations use young people like you."

"If this is what being a pushover means, I'm fine with it."

"One day, you won't be. So... never be taken in by the kindness of people who want to use you."

Baek Socheon tried to ruin Beon Saeng's emotional moment somehow, but at least today, Beon Saeng's feelings were indestructible.

"Yes, I'll only be taken in this once!"

Baek Socheon snickered.

"I caught myself a proper pushover."

Im Chung and Beon Saeng smiled brightly along with him.

Footnotes:

Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried