WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 360: Encounter with the Enemy (7)
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I tried my best not to let it show.
Yong Soa watched me impassively.
That only made me try harder not to show it.
Then I asked carefully.
I needed some basis to be sure he was truly looking for me.
“You say someone is trying to bring down the Martial Alliance... Why do you think that?”
“Because they are things that should not exist in the first place.”
“...Because the Martial Alliance alone is the martial world’s absolute ruler?”
“I am not a fool consumed by self-righteous thoughts.”
Yong Soa immediately saw through my mockery and firmly defended his own innocence.
He spoke as though he were stating an obvious fact, without the slightest hint of hesitation.
So... he was not simply obsessed with the belief that he alone was revered under heaven and above earth.
Just in case, I tested the waters.
“Hm. With so much happening... it’s hard to believe one person did it all alone.”
“I never said it was one person.”
“So you’re only guessing?”
“...”
Yong Soa did not answer my final question.
Based on our conversation, I could tell two things.
First, he suspected that another force had intervened in the formation of the Black Alliance and the Green Forest Alliance.
Second, he did not suspect me.
‘Then again, it would be strange for him to suspect me.’
I had planted the seeds that allowed the Green Forest Alliance and Black Alliance to take root, but it was hard to say I had created them myself.
Of course. Who did I think I was?
I had only given someone likely to become the Black Alliance’s master an opportunity a little sooner.
As for the Green Forest Alliance, I had done nothing more than prevent the disaster that would have struck its Alliance Leader.
That was all I had done.
It would be embarrassing to claim that I had created them.
So even if he investigated me, he would find neither grounds nor proof that I had helped build their forces.
Still, the thought gave me chills.
With no evidence at all, he had questioned the seemingly natural formation of the Black Alliance and the Green Forest Alliance.
His resolve to assume there was intent behind it and uncover the truth behind those artificial movements was somewhat surprising.
At a glance, his thinking seemed similar to those stupid old fossils in the Martial Alliance desperately clinging to their lofty positions.
But the foundation of it was completely different.
More precisely, he was saying the same things as people driven solely by emotion and greed, except he had removed emotion and greed from his own thinking.
‘That bastard really is terrifying.’
Even in my previous life, I had thought Yong Soa, the Taechung Divine Sword, might one day come looking for me and kill me.
Of course, it was absurd that he had personally come all this way.
Still, the Yong Soa I knew in my previous life was not someone who would simply leave me alone.
Perhaps my role was to become one of the countless people whose blood a hero would spill.
It was shallow insight, but my prediction had been correct, and it left a bitter taste in my mouth.
Gwak Gung had appeared at the very end by pure luck.
Either way, I did not like Yong Soa digging into my past while claiming he was pursuing an unprecedented enemy.
Even without proof, Yong Soa was the kind of person who could draw his sword once his suspicions hardened.
If he was going to obstruct my path anyway, it would be better to turn him into someone useful to me.
The problem was that Yong Soa was no idiot.
He would see through a lie right away.
After giving it some thought, I began to speak.
“Hm... Come to think of it, I believe I’ve heard something similar.”
“...”
Yong Soa, who had been taking a sip of tea, slightly raised his eyelids, as though he were ready to listen and inviting me to continue.
‘That bastard is acting like he’s my superior.’
After setting the stage like that, I clamped my mouth shut.
His impassive gaze weighed heavily on the air, but so what?
The Yong Soa before me was not the Yong Soa from my previous life.
Besides, if I brought it up first because I wanted to persuade him, it would only make my words less convincing.
People understood something best when they wanted it for themselves.
“...”
When I sat there pretending not to know anything, Yong Soa finally spoke after a long while.
“What is it?”
“What?”
I continued to play dumb.
A small crease formed between his brows.
This was amusing.
“...I asked what similar story you had heard.”
“Ah. That.”
I spoke as though it were nothing, as though I had no interest because I did not know much about it.
“The people who appeared in Sichuan. They called themselves descendants of the Blood Demon Sect. Then they added this. Descendants of other demonic sects would move, and they would seek revenge.”
Naturally, they had never said that.
The Blood Cult had been a heretical force that broke away from the Demonic Cult in the first place.
But if Yong Soa was going to investigate something, would it not be better for the entire martial world if he investigated the Demonic Cult rather than me?
Even the Jade Emperor would permit me to be a righteous liar over something like this. Of course he would.
I idly turned my wine cup and shrugged.
“Of course, no fool would believe everything such braggarts say. Would they?”
“Braggarts?”
“Well, isn’t that what they were?”
I neither strongly affirmed nor strongly denied it.
“...”
From what I had learned through Jegal Cheongi, Jegal Somyeong, and others, geniuses did not need to be shown the entire picture.
They wanted to take a small fragment of the whole and draw the map themselves. They were not the type to stand by and watch others make the wrong map.
Just as I expected.
“...”
Yong Soa’s eyes gleamed as though he had grasped something from the fragments of my words.
“Other demonic sects...”
At any rate, it seemed the suspicion directed at me had lessened somewhat.
Yong Soa also appeared lost in thought, as though he were putting something together in his head.
I could finally breathe easy for a moment...
“That is strange.”
Yong Soa’s eyes suddenly flashed.
“You are only telling me such important information now.”
Then he stared at me suspiciously.
“Suspicious.”
What the hell was I supposed to do, then?
#
Contrary to my worries, Yong Soa did not question me or make an issue of anything afterward.
I did not know whether he was trying to hide his suspicion of me, or whether he was too busy considering where to begin pursuing the remnants of the Demonic Cult.
Either way, Yong Soa said nothing more.
I had expected him to leave for Sichuan the moment he heard my story, saying he would investigate.
“Yong Soa, you should try this too.”
“...”
Yong Soa did not leave the procession.
Worse, I had to sit with him at every meal, and it was no small ordeal.
‘Why does he keep sitting at the same table?’
A few times, I tried to avoid sitting with them by fleeing to the farthest corner and squeezing in among the Academy students.
“Jin Sowoon, do you like this seat?”
Dang Seohui would hop through the Academy students and shove aside the person sitting next to me.
Once Hwa Jeongsan drove another Academy student away with threats, Yong Soa would calmly appear and take the remaining seat.
“I heard you were their Unit Commander. Why are you sitting in a corner?”
“I don’t understand why you keep pulling these stunts.”
Damn it, I couldn’t digest my food when I was with you people.
“...”
Other than that, nothing was difficult.
The problem was that it was far too difficult, damn it.
Nothing difficult happened afterward, either.
Once we reached the Academy, I thought the first place I would have to go would be the Enforcement Hall.
I had been certain the lecturers would have some scheme prepared.
Besides, too many Academy students had died in Mukrim.
The weight of every one of those lives was never light, so I expected the matter would not be resolved easily.
The lecturers would never willingly pay for their crimes.
‘Of course, that didn’t mean I had any intention of taking the blame.’
But then...
“I’m glad you returned safely.”
Contrary to my expectation that an arrest order would be issued, the Enforcement Hall personnel who came to meet us were polite and courteous.
“I heard Academy Representative Jin Sowoon led all the Academy students.”
A person who appeared considerably more senior than me even spoke politely while asking for my cooperation with the investigation.
“I would like to conduct a brief preliminary inquiry before the full investigation begins.”
They did not even insist that I go to the Enforcement Hall.
I sat across from two people in the Academy Representative’s office and spoke with them in a relaxed atmosphere.
Naturally, I did not serve them Seven-Colored Flower Tea.
“...So you led the Academy students out of the Demonic Realm under those circumstances?”
The Enforcement Hall officials exchanged unreadable looks as they listened to my account.
Leaning back, I slowly asked, “Yes. Is there a problem?”
“No. Rather than a problem... I have doubts about whether it is true.”
Doubts about whether it was true? What were they talking about?
“If you exaggerated for the sake of merit, you need not do so. Academy Student Jin Sowoon has already accumulated more than enough merit. Even if you gain more points, it will not make much difference.”
The official spoke warmly, as though concerned for me, but something flared in my chest like a spark catching fire.
“...I only told you the bare minimum. And... I have no intention whatsoever of using the deaths of Academy students to add to my own merit.”
“Ah, I apologize. I did not mean to make light of your friends’ deaths.”
“...”
For some reason, the word “friends” struck heavily against my chest.
Come to think of it, they had not been my friends.
If they had returned alive and graduated from the Academy alongside me, we probably would never have called one another friends for the rest of our lives.
That was why it felt strange.
They had become my friends only after they died.
“I apologize if I offended you.”
“...I understand.”
I did not make much of an issue out of it.
I was not used to Enforcement Hall personnel acting so friendly in the first place.
“We’ll conclude the preliminary inquiry here.”
“Did you not come to ask about the Myriad Poison Sect?”
“Ah... Well, they will address that once the full investigation begins. But you need not worry too much.”
They did not appear interested in my visit to the Myriad Poison Sect, which I had expected to become an issue.
Still, what the Enforcement Hall investigator added afterward irritated me.
“Based on Yong Soa’s report, the fact that those people even made it as far as the Myriad Poison Sect is a miracle.”
So there was a reason after all.
My report was surely much clearer and easier to use in understanding the situation.
Yet they placed greater trust in the other report because it carried Yong Soa’s name.
“...”
The gap between the trust he received and the trust I received once again made my blood boil, but I quickly cooled my heart.
Too many people had died because of this.
People who had not been my friends, but had become my friends only now.
Though I had not been close to them while they lived, it was my duty to mourn their deaths.
I could set aside my petty pride for a while.
Someone might say there was no need to take on such a pointless duty now that I was no longer the Unit Commander of the Life-and-Death Unit.
But for as long as I had been their Unit Commander, and for every moment they had given me absolute obedience, I was responsible for their deaths.
They had trusted me and entrusted their lives to me.
So I had no intention of turning away from that duty like those people from my previous life whom I despised.
“We’ll end the inquiry here for today.”
When I came out after the inquiry, Academy students crowded around the entrance to the delegation building.
“What is this?”
When I looked at them in disbelief, the Academy students finally noticed me and turned around.
“Unit Commander?! The Unit Commander is out!”
“Unit Commander! Did anything happen inside?”
“Did they try to blame everything on the Unit Commander? We tried to go in, but they would not let us through! Damn bastards...!”
From those who had served as Unit Leaders to the ones sent to the Academy Medical Hall because their injuries had not fully healed.
“...”
Every last one of them had gathered there, looking at me.
I barely forced my stiff lips apart.
“...What Unit Commander? It has been days since we left Yunnan.”
The Academy students immediately shouted at my words.
“How can you say something so hurtful? Once a Unit Commander, always a Unit Commander!”
“That is right! The Life-and-Death Unit truly survived life and death! You have to remain our honorary Unit Commander!”
“Do not think you can just let this pass! You still owe us drinks, Unit Commander!”
What kind of fucking unit members treated their Unit Commander with such disrespect?
“You crazy bastards.”
The ones who usually flinched at my swearing bared their ugly teeth and smiled.
“Heh heh heh. Since the Unit Commander is crazy, it is only natural for the unit members to be crazy too.”
“True, they say people in the same unit come to resemble one another. Hahahaha!”
Watching them try so hard to remain cheerful, I realized I was not the only one crushed beneath the deaths of friends.
They were all trying not to be crushed by it.
After returning alive, they would lie alone in a comfortable room at the Academy Medical Hall, and all kinds of thoughts would surface.
Grief and guilt would engulf them like deep water, slowly tightening around their throats until they could barely breathe. They could not endure even a moment of that.
That was why they had come out with every excuse they could find, deliberately exaggerating their cheerfulness.
Knowing how they felt, I did not point it out.
“Stop talking nonsense and go get treated. Do not say you cannot drink because you are in pain when it is time for drinks.”
Either way, they had to bear this weight themselves.
Just as I intended to do, they had to do the same.
If they could not...
“Let us meet again once you have recovered.”
Only a tragic future where none of us could survive awaited us.
Footnotes:
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