The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything - Chapter 368

WeTried Translations

Translator/Editor: Chen

◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈

Chapter 368: The Invisible Torrent (8)

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As though the heavy mood from earlier had been carried away with the scent of liquor, the Academy students gathered at Songhwa Pavilion began drinking boisterously.

As time passed, the atmosphere grew livelier and livelier.

When someone sang, everyone joined in. When someone cracked a joke, someone else fired back.

The drinking session dragged on far longer than I'd expected.

I'd thought they would pay their respects, sink into their grief, then head home with their shoulders slumped in exhaustion.

“Khahahaha! More liquor! Bring us liquor! The most expensive stuff!”

“I hear the Taeul Sect merchant group is doing well these days! Bring every side dish you have too!”

These bastards started eating, drinking, and making merry like mad, as if they'd chosen today to bleed me dry.

‘Fuck...’

The mood only grew wilder as time passed.

The people who had originally sat by sect and affiliation began mingling with one another.

A member of the Twelve Peak Alliance shared a drink with someone from the Orthodox Society.

A White Path Society member played a prank on someone from the Twelve Peak Alliance.

“Why are they... so close?”

The atmosphere felt strange, so I looked at Eunho, who was sitting beside me.

“Sometimes, the battalions gathered within the Academy.”

“Hm?”

What was that supposed to mean?

He'd given me an answer I couldn't make sense of.

Just as I was about to ask again...

“Fifth Unit Leader!!”

Wi Ripgun and Jong Chuak grabbed Eunho by the sides and lifted him into the air.

“Good grief! What are you doing here after becoming a Unit Leader? This is dereliction of duty! Your members are all waiting!”

What... was this?

“Let's go already!”

“Let's gooo!!”

At their loud urging, Eunho dangled helplessly in the air and shook his head as if he had no choice.

“I should go. Don't drink too much, Senior Brother.”

“...”

I couldn't tell whether he was being dragged away or leaving willingly, but Eunho left.

Then Geumpyo, Dongryong, Moyong Jaehwa, and Eun Seollan left as well, leaving only a few people at my table.

Still, that wasn't bad.

“It has been a while since we could have a quiet conversation among ourselves.”

With the kids around, it was hard to have a serious conversation with Namgung Seonhwa, Seong Moran, and the others...

“Why do you think I'd stay behind?”

...What was this now?

Namgung Seonhwa, always gentle and kind, always willing to put up with even Dang Seohui's outrageous behavior, was glaring at me with strangely cold eyes.

“Um, did I do something wrong?”

When I asked, Namgung Seonhwa suddenly began floundering.

“...I-I wouldn't exactly call it wrong, but... I can't say it wasn't, either...”

“If you tell me what I did wrong, I'll correct it...”

“A-Anyway, it is a huge mistake to assume I'll always stay by Young Master Jin's side! Do you understand?!”

Namgung Seonhwa's expression turned cold again.

She abruptly rose from her seat and headed toward the members looking for her.

My head was starting to hurt.

“Miss Seong... Did I perhaps...”

“I'm disappointed.”

“What? Why?”

“...”

Seong Moran left her seat as though fleeing before she could even finish what she wanted to say.

I might not understand women's hearts, but wasn't this a little absurd?

I turned to look at Saryeon...

“Senior Brother... Haven't I always taught you to conduct yourself properly?”

“...Then what conduct are you talking about?”

“There are things like that.”

Saryeon said that, then stood and left as well.

“No, what the hell is that supposed to mean...?”

No one remained who could tell me anything.

When I looked around, the Academy students had gathered according to their Life-and-Death Unit battalions.

Perhaps because they'd drunk too much, everyone was shouting, and even though I didn't want to, I could hear their discussion clearly.

I wondered what they found so entertaining.

...They were passionately debating whether their Unit Leader was an idiot or ours was an idiot.

The mood was rather serious.

They looked ready to draw their swords at any moment.

I should stop this...

“Wait... Wait... We won't reach a conclusion like this, so... Hm... Right! Let's agree that the Unit Commander is the idiot!”

Fuck, I'd just been sitting here quietly.

One guy tried to mediate with ridiculous logic.

People who suddenly said stupid things usually got beaten up by the group. Just as I was about to pray for that fool who couldn't read the room...

“Hohoho!!”

The taut tension suddenly broke, and voices of agreement rose from all around.

“Good!”

“Sounds good!”

“That is the right conclusion!”

“Are you a genius?!”

Were they fucking kidding me?

“...”

Fights even broke out among the people on the fifth floor. The Wudang Sect, Moyong Clan, and Jukhyeon Sect worked together beautifully.

Had the Fourth Battalion led by Gwak Susan practiced their coordination even after returning from Mukrim?

‘It's loud.’

After my internal energy had increased and sharpened my five senses, I usually kept my senses partially blocked, so I hadn't felt much inconvenience. On days like today, when I drank too much, that sensory block didn't work properly, and all sorts of sounds kept reaching me.

‘Whew...’

I could hear not only the Academy students but also conversations from the first and second floors, as well as the floors above. Sitting inside felt stifling.

I was about to head behind the tavern for some air when Academy students began speaking to me one after another.

“Unit Commander, where are you going?”

“To get some air.”

“Why? Aren't you having fun?”

“He said he's getting air, idiot.”

“What kind of air is air? Come over here. Have a drink with us.”

Then again, it was ridiculous to go get some air alone like a melancholic drunk.

Just as I was about to reluctantly turn back toward them, I heard another Academy student whispering.

...It was rather loud for a whisper.

“Hey! It's uncomfortable when the Unit Commander comes over. Why are you stopping him? Just let him leave...!”

“Oh, is that why you didn't invite him?”

“Yeah! Isn't our superior our main enemy?”

Fuck, was that why there were so few people around me?

Was I being excluded?

Why?

I had no flaws in my character. On top of that, I was treating them to drinks so generously.

No, where else could they find a superior like me? Besides, I wasn't even their actual superior to begin with. Damn it.

I didn't want to see the guy who had invited me get embarrassed, so I shook my head.

“Forget it. I'll get some air and come back, so keep yourselves together.”

“Heh heh heh. Have a good time. Once those guys get a little drunker, they won't be able to tell a superior from a colleague anyway.”

Leaving his playful smile behind, I headed for the garden.

Songhwa Pavilion was famous for its large garden behind the enormous tavern.

Drinking inside Songhwa Pavilion was expensive enough, but drinking in the pavilions scattered throughout the garden cost several times more.

Still, the paths around the pond were far from the pavilions, so anyone could walk through and enjoy the garden without restriction.

After passing a few drunk people rolling on the ground, I went deeper into the garden and found a quiet space.

Watching fish swim through the pond and stars glitter in the sky, I felt my cluttered mind gradually empty.

Still, I couldn't clear it all away.

Even if the pavilions were far apart, each one was packed with drunk people.

“...Ah, not here...”

“...I already spoke to the merchant group, so they'll definitely select us...”

“I'll get revenge... They abandoned me...”

I could have expelled the alcohol from my body and blocked my senses, but I chose to endure it.

I planned to go back inside and drink more anyway.

I tried to ignore the sounds and count the shining stars.

“Sect Leader.”

Then I heard something I couldn't possibly ignore.

“I heard Academy student Geum Taejong has been designated as a person of merit.”

The conversation came from a pavilion in the most secluded corner of the garden.

My gaze turned there despite myself.

Three or four men in lavish clothing sat amid the dim candlelight. At the center, a man in worn martial robes quietly drained his cup.

“I'm hesitant to say this, but congratulations.”

At the words of the man in the splendid long robe, the man in worn martial robes slowly drank as though savoring the liquor's fragrance.

When he finally set down his cup, a faint smile rested on his lips.

“Thank you. I never expected things to work out this way.”

At Song Jusaeng's words, the others seated nearby also smiled.

“I heard the bereaved family compensation has been set at quite a high amount.”

“The lecturers were so incompetent, after all.”

“The compensation will be delivered through the sect, won't it?”

Song Jusaeng accepted another drink, lost himself in thought for a moment, then lifted his head.

“That child, Geum Taejong, considered the Ilhak Sect his home. We also thought of him as our child. He surely considered us more family than his real family.”

The men in long robes exchanged meaningful looks.

“But compensation... What does that matter? Something else is far more important. When the time comes to select the One Hundred Eight Peaks, I hope you will all lend us your support.”

“Hm... Isn't Cheonmok Manor still standing in your way? Everyone knows Cheonmok Manor wants to enter the One Hundred Eight Peaks as well.”

“That problem will soon be resolved.”

“What do you mean, resolved?”

“A disciple of our sect has died. What stronger justification is there in the martial world now than the grief of an Academy student's bereaved family?”

“Heh heh, a blessing in disguise.”

“That's right. A blessing in disguise... A blessing in disguise. Hahaha!”

For some reason, those worn martial robes drew more attention than everyone else's silk robes.

They had probably been washed so often that all their color had faded.

“Ha...”

The fury boiling in my chest a moment ago cooled completely.

Would I feel better if I rushed over and crippled Song Jusaeng right now?

Or would that simply give him another justification?

A man who could use his own disciple's death would certainly use his own injuries as well.

I stopped the thoughts flooding my mind.

What did it matter?

No matter what I did, Geum Taejong wouldn't come back alive.

But...

Clench.

My hand tightened.

‘I can't stand the sight of people who exploit another's death living well and eating well.’

Whoosh!

My martial robes began to billow violently.

The pungent fragrance of liquor tickled my nose.

Once the alcohol left my body, my thoughts cleared.

I didn't regret the liquor I'd drunk.

I didn't think I'd be drinking any more tonight.

I left Songhwa Pavilion and headed for the Martial Alliance.

“...Urk!”

Maeng Juwon, who had been sleeping with his head on his desk, jolted awake.

Realizing that he had just fallen asleep, he hurriedly inspected the documents, worried that the papers he had worked so hard to prepare might have been ruined by drool.

“Whew... Thank goodness...”

Not long after the affairs in Sichuan had ended, another incident had broken out in Mukrim, leaving the Mantong Office staff exhausted to the bone.

Cheonmok Pavilion had even caught and dragged back those who had run off halfway through, claiming they couldn't take it anymore.

When the deserters raged and threatened to report them to the Inspectorate and Enforcement Hall, someone would calm them by saying, “Then there'll be even more work to do, won't there?”

That was how close they were to their limit.

Their one source of hope was that the Martial Arts Academy's graduation was just around the corner.

According to Jegal Somyeong, there were as many as three or four people worth bringing into the Mantong Office...

That was the only hope and driving force keeping the Mantong Office staff working.

“We can put Jin Sowoon to work immediately, and if we tell Jin Sowoon to train the others...”

A smile crept onto Maeng Juwon's face without him realizing it.

Just a little longer. They only needed to endure a little longer.

Then this hellish life in the Mantong Office would ease somewhat.

Jin Sowoon and his peers would be worked to the bone instead, but people said hardship was worth buying when one was young.

After brainwashing himself like that, Maeng Juwon picked up the next document.

“Hm? What's this?”

Two unfamiliar documents were mixed into the stack.

One was a plan concerning compensation for the bereaved families of the Academy students who had died in Mukrim.

It proposed giving the compensation directly because funds sent to the sects could be lost before reaching the families. The method was clearly organized as well.

If carried out as written, it seemed they could properly compensate the Academy students' families without going through their sects.

The other was intelligence from Cheonmok Pavilion.

Although the Martial Alliance had strictly prohibited anyone from linking the Mukrim incident to accusations that the victims had learned dark arts, one of the dead Academy students' sects was preparing to cause trouble.

“The Ilhak Sect...”

Come to think of it, the Ilhak Sect had made suspicious movements during the Sichuan affair as well, though he couldn't remember the details clearly.

He had thought they had quieted down after the Alliance Leader's Decree was proclaimed. Were they trying to cause trouble again?

As Maeng Juwon examined the two documents, he tilted his head at a strange sense of unease.

“The intelligence aside... Since when did this compensation plan exist?”

In truth, the contents caught his attention all the more because it was something he had been considering for a long time.

The problem was that he had no memory of preparing such a document.

“Hmm...”

He read it again.

The issue was framed perfectly, and its solution had been designed just as perfectly.

It was the kind of document that could only have been written by someone deeply familiar with the Mantong Office's work.

After carefully examining it for a long time, Maeng Juwon suddenly exclaimed.

“Ah!”

Understanding dawned on him.

“I... I made this.”

To think he could create such perfect documents even while asleep.

Maeng Juwon marveled at his own ability once again.

“We can proceed with this as written.”

He quickly processed both documents, stamping them with the Head of the Mantong Office's approval seal.

“Sniff... Sniff... Who's drinking while working?”

He frowned at the faint fragrance of liquor lingering in the office, then soon let it go.

“Well, there is already more work than anyone can handle while sober. Should I have a drink while working for the first time in a while?”

Dozens of documents still remained on his desk, and there was no way he could get through that amount without liquor anyway.

By the time I had hurriedly prepared the documents and left the Mantong Office, the sky was beginning to brighten.

Though many stars still remained, the rising dawn left me with a strange feeling.

“Of all times for a view like this.”

Perhaps what I'd done was something Geum Taejong wouldn't have wanted.

Perhaps Geum Taejong had truly considered the Ilhak Sect family and wanted its prosperity more than anything.

But...

Clench.

My hand tightened.

The Ilhak Sect Leader had made Geum Taejong's death meaningless.

Blinded by greed, he had abandoned his disciple's dignity.

No matter how much Geum Taejong might have wished for his sect to flourish, I couldn't overlook this.

Even if endless deaths someday made life feel cheap, I didn't want that to happen already.

It must not happen already.

As I left the Mantong Office building and passed the other halls...

Wriggle.

A small bundle lay in one corner of the training ground.

Thinking it was a wild animal, I approached and let out a quiet sigh.

“...”

The bundle was Geum Taeseon, curled up.

The clothes, even dirtier than when I had seen her a few days ago, had faded until even their bright colors had lost their shine.

Perhaps sensing my presence, Geum Taeseon rubbed her eyes and stood.

“...Mister?”

“What are you doing here?”

Among the stains all over her face, the tear tracks stood out especially clearly.

“...”

The child still wore the sulky expression she had worn the last time I saw her.

“Mom said I can't play with my brother. My brother promised to play with me...”

“...”

“Everyone's bad! Mom, Dad, and Sect Leader Mister too! My brother, my brother always keeps his promises, but everyone keeps saying he won't keep this one...”

Was it easier for them to say he was a bad person than to tell the child that he had died?

They must have judged that if the memory would fade eventually no matter what, it would be better to leave a small disappointment than an overwhelming sense of loss.

I quietly stroked her head.

“I see.”

“Everyone's bad. Nobody keeps their promises! Martial Uncle is bad too! He didn't keep his promise to find my brother.”

Still, like them, I had no choice but to make the cowardly choice.

Even if a deep wound healed with time, the child's scar would remain for a long time.

Besides, I happened to have Hong Family sweets with me, the kind Dang Seohui liked.

“Do you want a sweet?”

“...I don't!”

A growling sound came from behind the little body as she sharply turned away.

“It's good. A little kid I know... likes these a lot too.”

“...”

After thinking for a moment, Geum Taeseon slowly turned around and took the sweet from my hand.

Then she began chewing it.

“Is it good?”

“...No! It tastes bad.”

The child briefly lowered the sweet as though to show me, but the taste quickly drew her back, and she put it into her mouth again.

“Eat as much as you want.”

“...Can I really eat them all?”

“Yeah.”

“...Really?”

“Of course.”

Still sulking, Geum Taeseon took a huge bite of the sweet.

“You'll keep this promise, right?”

“...Yeah.”

Faint traces of tears that had not yet dried remained on her face.

As dawn slowly rose, the light caught those tear tracks, making them clearer and clearer.

I gently stroked Geum Taeseon's head as she repeated, “One, two, three...” several times, as if trying to remember how many sweets were stacked together.

“You don't have to count them.”

“...There are more than ten?”

“This brother may not know much else, but his memory is incredibly good. So don't worry. Just eat.”

Perhaps feeling embarrassed, Geum Taeseon looked at the rising dawn, her face flushing slightly.

The sweets Geum Taeseon ate today, and even today's sorrow, would probably scatter away with time.

Leaving behind memories that would fade just as the adults wanted, she would keep living, finding new joys.

Yes, surely she would.

That was fine.

“I'll remember.”

The number of sweets, Geum Taeseon's sorrow, and Geum Taejong's death.

I, who possessed a memory that could forget nothing, would remember it all.

I would remember today's sorrow and every death from the past.