WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 369: The Swirling Current
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The Martial Alliance proposed delivering compensation for meritorious service directly to immediate family members rather than to the deceased's sect.
A few sects protested, asking whether the Alliance did not trust them. Yet the louder they raised their voices, the more suspicious everyone became, and their protests soon faded.
Several sects were also placed under inspection to ensure the Alliance Leader's Decree was being properly observed.
The Sect Leader of the Ilhak Sect, who had been camped out at the Martial Alliance for weeks, suddenly led his disciples back to the Ilhak Sect in a frantic rush, as though he had received advance warning.
That left Geum Taejong's family stranded behind.
It didn't seem right for me to face them myself, so I sent people to look after them.
From what I heard, the Ilhak Sect had set up tents at the Martial Alliance and remained there for weeks, apparently for show.
I cursed Song Jusaeng of the Ilhak Sect, arranged the finest inn for them, and connected them with an escort agency that would take them home after several days of rest.
For some reason, once they learned that I was the one caring for them, they sent word that they wished to meet me.
I had no idea what they might say, but I thought I should honor their request. The day before they left, I visited the inn where they were staying.
Geum Taeseon appeared to be asleep, because only a middle-aged couple, who seemed to be Taejong's parents, came to greet me.
They had changed out of their gaudy yet filthy clothes into simple, clean garments. They looked so neat and modest that it was hard to imagine the pitiful figures I had seen before.
“I'm Jin Sowoon, Taejong's... friend. I also led the Life-and-Death Unit in Mukrim.”
Even so, they still seemed intimidated by martial artists.
I had deliberately left my sword behind, yet faint fear lingered on their faces.
“...”
It was truly unfortunate.
The weak in the martial world did not even have the right to reveal their emotions honestly.
Just as I had been in my previous life, they would surely be unable to openly express their anger or doubts, even if they questioned their child's death.
I bowed first.
“If there's anything you wish to say, please feel free. I know full well what I did wrong.”
The middle-aged woman hurriedly waved her hands and grasped my shoulders.
“N-no. No, Young Master.”
Young Master, was it...?
If Geum Taejong had been here, would he have complained about that flattering title?
Beside his anxious mother, his father cautiously spoke.
“That isn't why we asked to see you.”
Although I was an Academy student just like their child, they still found me terribly difficult to face.
“We wanted to thank the person who has been helping us... Then we heard it was you, Young Master Jin, so we wished to see you in person.”
“Me?”
I tilted my head at the way they spoke, as if they had known me all along.
“Taejong told us a great deal about you.”
“...”
As far as I remembered, Taejong and I had barely interacted.
What could he possibly have told them?
“After Taejong entered the Academy, he struggled greatly. As his parents, we couldn't bear to watch our child suffer, so we told him he could quit and come home. But... perhaps because the burden on his shoulders was so heavy, he didn't return.”
He had somehow entered the Martial Arts Academy, but he had no one there to lean on. Naturally, Academy life must have been difficult for him.
Still, not many people who had clawed their way up from nothing could simply throw away the burden and opportunity they carried on their shoulders.
“Then, one day, he began writing to us about Young Master Jin. He said there was... an unusual person there. That if he watched that person, he felt he could endure Academy life a little longer.”
What had the Geum Taejong I never knew seen in me?
“When he came home recently, he said Academy life was enjoyable. He said he wished he could stay for about another year.”
What had made him so happy?
“We heard... that you suffered greatly in Mukrim, Young Master Jin. We also heard the other Academy students returned alive because of you.”
“...I'm sorry.”
My voice came out faintly.
Yet the middle-aged couple shook their heads.
Soon, the woman's tearful voice reached me.
“From the moment that child took up a sword... we knew something like this might happen someday.”
Her voice was calm as she accepted the life her son had chosen as a martial artist.
“Whatever happened, you did your best, did you not?”
She took my hand.
Her palm was rough with calluses, but it carried a warmth greater than any hand I had ever held.
“Thank you.”
“...”
I had never expected those words.
I raised my head again and looked at the middle-aged couple.
Though exhaustion showed on their faces, they both wore faint smiles.
“Our Taejong was able to enjoy his life at the Academy because of you, Young Master Jin. Thank you.”
“...”
Even within my vast memories, I could not find the words to give them.
So I answered only with silence.
#
A year passed, and a new year began.
The cold had not yet lifted when the Martial Arts Academy began preparing to close its gates ahead of graduation.
Once this class graduated, the Academy would enter another long, two-year recess until the regular examination for selecting the next Academy students was complete.
The students were busy visiting their seniors to pay their respects.
There were only so many executive positions in the combat pavilions, and naturally, only a few Academy students could claim them.
If they failed to find a position before graduation, they would be sent to a branch office or assigned to the White Wolf Pavilion, which everyone avoided. They were desperate.
And I...
“Are you seriously in your right mind???!”
Once again, someone was questioning my sanity.
“Everyone is dying to go there! Besides, wouldn't it be better for the Taeul Sect if one of its disciples was active in the Dragon-Phoenix Association?”
Seong Moran listed more than a dozen reasons why I should join the Dragon-Phoenix Association.
“To begin with, the activity funds are on par with what a decent hall receives. You get to travel all over the martial world, and wherever you go, you're treated like an honored guest! Young Master Jin, you're crazy about money... no, you like money, don't you? You get to wander around, make a name for yourself, and earn a fortune!”
“I have enough money. And I don't think my name should grow any bigger...”
“Aaaagh!”
Seong Moran clawed at her hair.
Why was she so worked up when I was the one who didn't want it...?
“Aaaagh!! I knew you weren't in your right mind, but I didn't think you were this insane...!”
“...”
Seong Moran continued passionately explaining the practical benefits of the Dragon-Phoenix Association, but none of it moved me.
When I was young, I had looked at them with admiration, so the Dragon-Phoenix Association had been the model of a hero.
After living two lives, though, I realized that their activities were little more than play.
In other words, working with the Dragon-Phoenix Association would not help at all with the Orthodox-Demonic War that lay ahead.
If I were assigned to a unit after completing those activities, I would surely lack the time needed to rebuild and operate it.
And all the while, endless incidents would continue to occur throughout the Martial Alliance and the martial world.
If everyone spent their days eating, drinking, and wandering about, then who would protect justice and chivalry in the martial world? Wasn't that right?
“So, so... you're really saying you'll go to the White Wolf Pavilion?!”
Honestly, I did not understand Seong Moran's reaction.
“...But Miss Seong, don't you have grades good enough to join the Dragon-Phoenix Association anyway? What difference does it make whether I join or not?”
“Well, if you aren't there...”
“...If I'm not there?”
Seong Moran froze, as though she had suddenly realized something.
Then she said in a shrinking voice.
“...W-well, if you aren't there, it won't be fun...”
So that was it?
Hah. I, Jin Sowoon, had become someone whose very existence brought people joy.
Even with Seong Moran's encouragement, though, I could not back down.
“Of course, enjoying yourself while you can is important, but there is something I absolutely must do.”
“...Are you saying it has to be the White Wolf Pavilion, even if it kills you?”
“Yes!”
“No, think before you speak! You and I both have excellent grades. So... so why! Why are you volunteering for the White Wolf Pavilion, a place you could go without even applying? Why? Why... why...!”
After trailing off, Seong Moran abruptly turned and seized the shoulders of Namgung Seonhwa, who had been calmly enjoying tea beside us.
“What will the Divine Sword say if he finds out the young lady of the Namgung Clan joined the White Wolf Pavilion?!”
“...”
Why was she blaming me when Namgung Seonhwa had chosen to apply to the White Wolf Pavilion herself?
I wanted to argue, but it felt as though saying anything here would take me past a point of no return, so I kept my mouth shut.
Namgung Seonhwa set down her teacup and spoke calmly.
“I'm fine with it. Rather than leave him alone and watch some shameless woma... Ahem! I mean, person get their hooks into him, I'd rather be scolded by Grandfather.”
Her voice was calm, but...
Crack.
A crack ran across the teacup in Namgung Seonhwa's hand.
“Seonhwa...!”
“Oh? This teacup must have been very old.”
...I had heard it was newly purchased.
At Namgung Seonhwa's clear, gleaming gaze, Seong Moran finally let out a sigh.
“Haah... Fine. Then I'll apply to the White Wolf Pavilion too.”
What was this situation now?
“...Do you really have to?”
I honestly could not understand it.
I had special reasons for going to the White Wolf Pavilion, and it would make it easier for me to accept Taeul Sect disciples in the future.
Seong Moran and Namgung Seonhwa, on the other hand, could enter a good combat pavilion even without joining the Dragon-Phoenix Association.
So why...?
“That's what I'm saying! Why am I even doing this?”
“...Hmm, for a quick promotion?”
Killing intent flowed from Seong Moran.
“Hahaha, I was joking. Hmm! Isn't it because being with me is enjoyable? I know all about it...”
For some reason, the killing intent grew even stronger.
“Ah, was I wrong?”
She was glaring at me with bloodshot eyes now.
“...”
I might have been living my second life, but I still could not understand a woman's heart at all.
#
Talent Office.
The Talent Office under the Mantong Office was in charge of personnel assignments for all branch offices spread throughout the Martial Alliance and the martial world.
Many people wondered whether it was truly possible to manage such a vast number of personnel at the level of a mere office. In truth, though, it did not handle every appointment itself.
It only assigned branch heads and general affairs personnel. After that, those people filled the remaining positions with individuals of their choosing and submitted reports.
The Talent Office only had to check whether there were any problems with those appointments and stamp them approved.
The staffing processes for the Martial Alliance's combat pavilions and special pavilions worked in much the same way, so the Talent Office remained merely an office in status.
It had been busy recently planning compensation for the people who died in Mukrim after rendering distinguished service, but that work was nearly finished. Once it completed the assignments for the graduating Academy students, the Talent Office expected to enjoy a long vacation.
The staff members were eagerly looking forward to it.
Then...
“Hall Master, something is strange.”
“Yaaawn... What is it?”
“...The applicants are too heavily concentrated in one place.”
The Hall Master, who had been yawning for some time, waved a hand as though it were nothing.
“Even those without promised assignments apply wherever they want first, hoping to get lucky. Cut the numbers off at a reasonable point and send the rest to other pavilions. Send whoever is left to branch offices.”
Outwardly, all Martial Alliance combat pavilions were said to receive equal treatment. In reality, there were clearly pavilions martial artists wanted to join.
They worked hard behind the scenes to claim limited positions, but few people actually secured a guaranteed spot.
Those who failed in their maneuvering still tended to aim high, hoping they might get lucky. It happened every class, so it was no longer surprising.
“Ugh. I know graduating from the Academy inflates their self-esteem, but people like that need to have their heads cracked before they come to their senses.”
The Hall Master pulled a blanket up to their neck, placed their feet on the desk, and closed their eyes.
“N-no, that isn't it...”
“If any of them say they absolutely can't go where they're assigned, tell them they'll be sent to the White Wolf Pavilion. They'll come running back, thank us, and go to their original assignments on their own.”
“...Hall Master, it's...”
“I'm telling you, it's nothing. Yaaawn. I'm going to sleep, so don't wake me.”
The Head of the Talent Office relaxed, surrendering to the sleepiness that washed over them.
“Hall Master, then...”
The next words made them open their eyes wide.
“If the White Wolf Pavilion is the place overflowing with applicants, should we simply take them all? Then... how are we supposed to fill the shortages in the other pavilions?”
What kind of head-cracking nonsense was this?
“What... are you talking about?”
“The White Wolf Pavilion has no intake limit, does it?”
Of course it did not. Every class failed to fill even its expected numbers.
“But if we accept all these applications... there will be no one left to fill the other pavilions. Should we proceed anyway?”
“...”
Why had this bastard been saying things that made no sense since earlier?
Irritably, the Hall Master threw the blanket aside and snatched the documents from the staff member's hands.
“What kind of nonsense is...”
Just like the previous classes, the Azure Dragon Pavilion had a full list of applicants.
Then came applicants for the Red Dragon Pavilion, White Tiger Pavilion, and Black Martial Pavilion...
“Hall Master, look carefully. It says White Wolf Pavilion, not Azure Dragon Pavilion.”
“...”
The Hall Master rubbed their eyes so hard they nearly popped out.
They doubted their own eyes, then doubted them again.
But...
“...”
Just as the staff member had said, where it should have read Azure Dragon Pavilion, it instead boldly read White Wolf Pavilion.
“What is this...? Is there another Ilgak besides the Ilgak I know?”
“It is Ilgak of Shaolin Temple.”
“...Namgung Seonhwa? The Namgung Seonhwa I know?”
“That Namgung Seonhwa of the Namgung Clan.”
“...What about Cheol Sunjik?”
“Yes, Cheol Sunjik of the Jukhyeon Sect...”
“I know, you bastard! I was about to ask something else!”
“...”
An awkward silence spread through the Talent Office.
“Cheol Sunjik is responsible for leading the Academy's Twelve Peak Alliance, isn't he? Then he should obviously go to the Red Phoenix Pavilion. Why is he applying to the White Wolf Pavilion?”
“That isn't all. Moyong Jaehwa of the Moyong Clan, Dang Gihan of the Tang Clan, Gwak Susan and Jang Gwangbo of the Mount Zhongnan Sect have also applied to the White Wolf Pavilion. Most of those ranked in the top thirty percent of the Academy have submitted applications for the White Wolf Pavilion as well.”
“...”
The Head of the Talent Office could not move, as though they had been paralyzed.
Thirty percent?
Not three percent, but thirty percent?
“Did something happen at the White Wolf Pavilion that I don't know about? Did Azure Stone Milk spring up in its treasury?”
“Probably not.”
“Then why are all these people going mad over wanting to go there?”
“That is...”
The Head of the Talent Office swallowed without realizing it and waited for the answer.
“I don't know.”
“You bastard! Say that first!”
No matter how experienced someone was, their mind went blank when faced with a situation they had never imagined.
That was exactly how the Head of the Talent Office felt now.
They had no idea what to do.
Then an impatient staff member spoke.
“Then shall we proceed?”
Give all these people to the White Wolf Pavilion?
Every one of them with good grades?
Gulp.
If the Hall Master did that, the other combat pavilions would complain about shortages and turn the Talent Office upside down.
That had to be prevented at all costs.
“Proceed with what, you madman?!”
“...Then what should we do?”
“What do you mean, what do we do? We sound the alarm!”
“An alarm?”
“Yes, an alarm!!”
The Head of the Talent Office immediately convened an emergency meeting, and the staff began discussing the situation and possible solutions.
“Could there be rumors that the other combat pavilions have poor conditions?”
“The White Wolf Pavilion has the worst conditions. Plenty of people would rather go to a branch office than the White Wolf Pavilion.”
Yet no one could properly explain what was happening.
“Come to think of it, Academy student Jin Sowoon has apparently been telling people for a long time that he plans to join the White Wolf Pavilion.”
“...And?”
“Could they be following him? Since the top student and Academy Representative are going there, perhaps they think it is a good idea...”
“You idiots... Do you think Academy students are brainless fools? Why would they go there just because that bastard is joining the White Wolf Pavilion?”
“...”
After a long meeting that pushed them to their physical limit, the Head of the Talent Office finally made a decision.
“It can't be helped.”
“...!”
“Hand it off.”
“Can we do that?”
“After all... we aren't the ones in a hurry.”
Passing a problem they could not solve on to others.
It was an act most fitting for an administrator.
They were afraid of the uproar the combat pavilions would cause, but the Talent Office staff had reached their limit after so much overtime. Relieved to shift the responsibility away from themselves, they informed the combat pavilions of the problem.
And then.
Every combat pavilion in the Martial Alliance received an emergency alert.
Footnotes:
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