WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS x FLAME NOVELS

Translator/Editor: Chen

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◈ The Former Supreme ◈

Chapter 61: The Secret Is Revealed (2)

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Late at night, Alliance Leader's Hall.

Low groans drifted from the Murim Alliance Leader's bedchamber.

As though trapped in a nightmare, Ak Sogun groaned and sweated profusely.

The woman sleeping beside him woke him.

"Alliance Leader. Alliance Leader."

Ak Sogun's eyes snapped open.

He let out the breath he had been unable to release properly.

"Huaaaaaah!"

Though awake, he still seemed disoriented.

"Are you all right?" the woman asked.

The woman watching him with concern, wrapped in a blanket around her bare body, was Secret Pavilion Master On Byeokhwa. The two shared a bed.

They were both unmarried, so there was no moral issue involved. Still, because she held an important position in the Murim Alliance, there was plenty of room for gossip.

Only one person knew about their relationship: Pung Geukan, chief of the Secret Guard. Whenever she came to see the Alliance Leader, all the other guards were dismissed, leaving only Pung Geukan to protect him.

"Did you have a bad dream?"

"No. I'm fine."

"You're sweating far too much."

The moment she touched Ak Sogun's body to wipe away his sweat, he roughly slapped her hand aside.

"I said I'm fine!"

"I'm sorry."

It was an irritable reaction unlike him.

Rather than feeling offended, On Byeokhwa was more concerned. The Alliance Leader had been growing increasingly irritable lately. There had been no particular reason for it, yet he seemed unable to control his anger.

"Haah..."

Ak Sogun's sigh felt like ominous smoke rising from lava on the verge of erupting.

"I'm sorry."

Ak Sogun spoke in a gentle tone, patted her shoulder once, and rose from the bed. Though he was past seventy, his body remained strong.

"Is something troubling you?"

"No."

"You haven't been sleeping well lately. I'm worried."

For a moment, Ak Sogun nearly said something, then held it back. On Byeokhwa could tell. He had almost shouted, "I said I'm fine!" again, but barely restrained himself. The Alliance Leader truly could not control his anger.

"I'll get some air."

Ak Sogun got dressed and left the room.

On Byeokhwa watched his retreating back with concern.

'Is it because of Unit Commander Baek after all?'

The only recent change had been Baek Socheon's return as commander of the Sage Heaven Corps. Everything had changed after he returned.

Yet hadn't Ak Sogun held a celebration for the Sage Heaven Corps without showing any discomfort, and even bestowed the Ghost Shadow Sword upon him again? At times like that, it seemed his relationship with Baek Socheon had improved...

Lately, Ak Sogun was impossible to understand.

'What in the world happened between you and Unit Commander Baek?'

She was just as curious as Baek Socheon himself.

* * *

Baek Socheon had just parted ways with Cheon Geuk and was about to enter his home when he stopped before the front gate.

"Who's there?"

His low question cut through the darkness. Someone stood there, not deliberately concealing themself, but merely leaning against a wall shrouded in darkness.

The person stepped forward. Baek Socheon was startled when he recognized the visitor.

"Alliance Leader?"

To his surprise, the uninvited visitor at such a late hour was Ak Sogun.

"Socheon."

Ak Sogun's voice was different from usual. It was not gentle and warm, but rough.

"What brings you here?"

Baek Socheon tensed inwardly. He had to prepare for the worst.

He readied himself to summon internal energy at any moment. Since he could now raise internal energy directly through the meridians throughout his body, he could react much faster than if he had to draw it from his dantian.

As he watched Ak Sogun approach, he checked the surroundings for signs of others. The Alliance Leader could not have come alone. Sure enough, he sensed martial artists from the Secret Guard hiding nearby.

Ak Sogun soon came to a stop before him.

Baek Socheon was startled again when he saw him up close.

Ak Sogun's face was flushed crimson, and sweat poured down him like rain. His face had also been red and sweaty at the Secret Pavilion Master's banquet, but he looked worse now. He seemed so ill that he might collapse at any moment.

"Are you unwell?"

"No. I'm fine."

At this point, the guards should have intervened. Since they remained where they were, Ak Sogun must have strictly ordered them not to step in.

At least, it did not seem he had come to kill him. He would not bring a whole line of guards with him to kill Baek Socheon. Still, anything was possible, so Baek Socheon did not let down his guard.

"I came because I have something to say to you."

"What is it?"

Ak Sogun suddenly grabbed Baek Socheon's hand. Baek Socheon nearly summoned internal energy and struck back. Fortunately, Ak Sogun had only taken his hand, so he did not raise his internal energy.

"Socheon, everything will end with tomorrow's battle. How do you feel?"

"...?"

The unexpected words left Baek Socheon bewildered. He could not understand what Ak Sogun meant.

"You must be nervous. I'm nervous too. But we'll definitely win tomorrow's battle. If we can kill Yeom Hwasin tomorrow, we can end this war."

At first, Baek Socheon did not understand. Then he realized what this was.

These were the words Ak Sogun had spoken when he came to see him the day before their final battle against the Black Heaven Alliance Leader.

'Why is he suddenly talking about that day?'

Ak Sogun continued without a care. He was not in his right mind. Right now, he was the Ak Sogun from three years ago.

"Shall I confess something?"

Just as he had that day, Ak Sogun gave an awkward smile and revealed his true feelings.

"I'm only telling you this now, but there were many people who were jealous of you. There were countless attempts to drive a wedge between us. Even so, I never listened to them, not even once. I trusted only you. You know that, don't you? Even my second son likes you more than he likes me. But I'm all right with that, because I think of you as one of my own children."

He was repeating exactly what he had said that day.

The memory of that day suddenly rose up, and Baek Socheon's chest tightened.

Yes, this was the kind of relationship he had shared with the Alliance Leader.

That was why Baek Socheon had been unable to leave the alliance for the past three years and had no choice but to keep agonizing over his relationship with Ak Sogun. He had truly respected him, and Ak Sogun had cared for him as well.

"To be honest, I'm only human. How could I not have been jealous of you? Every martial artist I knew respected and followed you. How do you think I felt whenever I heard that we would lose this war without you? If I had liked you even a little less, that jealousy would have consumed me. But..."

Baek Socheon watched Ak Sogun's condition more closely than his words. His face was even redder than when he had first arrived. It was so red that it seemed ready to burst.

With a vacant expression, Ak Sogun spoke the last words from that day.

"...I truly like you."

The moment he finished speaking, the Alliance Leader fell backward.

"Alliance Leader!"

Baek Socheon rushed over and checked on him. He was gasping for breath, and his condition was terrible.

The Secret Guard immediately abandoned their concealment and revealed themselves.

Pung Geukan rushed over and took Ak Sogun into his arms.

"I'll take the Alliance Leader back to headquarters first."

He gave an order to his subordinate.

"Bring the Divine Physician at once!"

Holding Ak Sogun, Pung Geukan shot toward Alliance Leader's Hall.

It was a bolt from the blue, something no one could have imagined.

Even Baek Socheon had no idea what had happened.

He ran after them toward Alliance Leader's Hall.

* * *

Inside the bedchamber, the Divine Physician Ban Wollyang was examining the Alliance Leader.

Outside, all the Pavilion Masters who had heard the news had gathered. Whenever something went wrong with the Alliance Leader's body, regulations required that the matter be kept strictly secret while the Pavilion Masters were informed.

Zhuge Hyeon came over to Baek Socheon.

"What happened?"

Everyone waited for Baek Socheon's answer.

"He came to see me at night and said strange things."

"What did he say?"

"He spoke of that day three years ago. He repeated what he said to me the day before our final battle. He was not in his right mind."

"Good heavens!"

Hwang Jongsin, Pavilion Master of the Shadow Pavilion, had been listening with an expression of disbelief. For a moment, he suspected Baek Socheon might have done something, but soon decided that was impossible.

Pung Geukan and the Secret Guard had been there, so Baek Socheon could not plausibly be lying.

"Could it be deviation fire?"

"Perhaps."

Everyone sighed. If the Alliance Leader suffered deviation fire when war was right around the corner, it would be the worst possible outcome.

Hwang Jongsin berated Pung Geukan, demanding to know how he had guarded the Alliance Leader. Pung Geukan said nothing.

On Byeokhwa said nothing either. She was blaming herself. There had clearly been signs from the moment they had been together in the bedchamber.

'I should have followed him.'

But moving around with the Alliance Leader late at night would have looked suspicious to anyone. She should have stopped him from leaving instead.

'Alliance Leader...'

She truly loved Ak Sogun. They had come to like each other after she became the Secret Pavilion Master.

Ak Sogun had been the first to develop feelings for her.

His continued courtship had eventually drawn her in as well. They shared similar values. Aside from his incomprehensible attitude toward Baek Socheon, Ak Sogun was a man worthy of respect.

Then the Divine Physician Ban Wollyang emerged.

"How is he?"

Everyone gathered around him.

With a grave expression, Ban Wollyang explained the Alliance Leader's condition.

"He is suffering from a severe fever, while his energy and blood are moving erratically. Medicine and acupuncture have failed to stabilize him. He is currently in critical condition."

Everyone was shocked to hear that his condition was critical.

Zhuge Hyeon asked on behalf of them all, "Has he been poisoned?"

"He has not."

"Then has he suffered deviation fire?"

"I do not believe that is the case either."

"Then what in the world is wrong with him?"

"I will have to treat him further before I can tell."

Even the Divine Physician could neither ease his symptoms nor determine the cause. That showed just how serious the situation was.

When he went back inside, Pung Geukan spoke to everyone.

"This matter must be handled with the utmost secrecy. If you remain here, word may spread outside. Please return and wait. I will contact you immediately if there is any change in the Alliance Leader's condition."

The Pavilion Masters left.

"Unit Commander Baek."

On Byeokhwa followed Baek Socheon out.

"Yes, Pavilion Master."

"What happened?"

"Just as I told you earlier."

"You're hiding something from me, aren't you?"

Her question was so direct that Baek Socheon instead thought she was not involved in this matter.

"I wish that were true. If I were hiding something, at least it would mean I knew what was happening."

Then Baek Socheon asked her, "Are you hiding anything from me?"

"No."

She did not mention her relationship with the Alliance Leader. She could not easily speak of that matter.

'Today's events are definitely connected to Unit Commander Baek.'

It was a woman's intuition, as well as the intuition of a subordinate who had watched from nearby.

Yet Baek Socheon had his own intuition. He had sensed On Byeokhwa's agitation when he asked if she was hiding something.

'She is hiding something.'

Both of them reached that conclusion.

"I'll be going now."

Baek Socheon left Alliance Leader's Hall.

The next day passed, then the day after that, but the Alliance Leader's condition only worsened.

Even after the Divine Physician used every medicine at his disposal, the Alliance Leader did not improve. Instead, his condition gradually deteriorated.

On the third night after the Alliance Leader collapsed, two unexpected visitors came to Baek Socheon's home.

They were Cheon Geuk and Na Sarin.

Na Sarin was the one who had business with him.

Without any preamble, she asked, "You said there were red spots in that person's pupils?"

"Yes."

"Ah! My memory has gotten so poor in my old age."

Na Sarin had finally remembered something she had forgotten. She recalled one possible cause for red spots appearing in both pupils.

"If you do not wish to face disaster, you must answer me honestly from this moment on. Will you trust me enough to do so?"

Na Sarin was someone who understood courtesy. For her to speak this way meant the matter was urgent.

"I will."

"Is that person the Murim Alliance Leader?"

She asked directly. It was something she should not have asked, and something he should not have answered, yet Baek Socheon replied honestly.

"Yes, that's right."

"Is he all right now?"

"No. He has collapsed."

Once again, Baek Socheon answered honestly.

"How long has it been since he collapsed?"

"Three days."

Na Sarin then said something shocking.

"Your Alliance Leader will not survive the night. If you want to save him, take me to him at once."

Footnotes:

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