WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Chen
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◈ The Martial Genius who Remembers Everything ◈
Chapter 466: The Anxiety of Goodness (3)
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Ilgak and I moved somewhere private.
It didn't seem like something we should discuss in front of everyone.
“Benefactor Jin, you must participate in the inspection as well.”
“...”
I was now part of Yuseong Hall, which reported directly to the Mantong Office.
There wasn't a single hall member yet, but I was still, in name and fact, its Hall Master.
Once someone reached the Hall Master-level, personnel matters within the Alliance took priority over fieldwork.
The first thing I needed to do was properly organize Yuseong Hall.
Jegal Somyeong must have created the organization and entrusted it to me for that very reason.
A completely independent group, free from the influence of the Orthodox Society, the White Path Society, and the Twelve Peak Alliance.
Yet I, entrusted with such a weighty duty, couldn't return to the Martial Alliance...
After sorting through my thoughts, I asked Ilgak, “What is this inspection about?”
“What you're expecting, Benefactor.”
“...”
“Forbidden arts and Blood Cult techniques.”
My uneasy premonition had been right.
The purge operation had failed.
Problems had arisen in the process, so people were bound to distrust its outcome.
That gave those who had committed wrongdoing a way to justify themselves.
Which raised a question.
“It'll be difficult to prove it again through an inspection at this point.”
Based on extensive investigation, unilateral judgment could be passed under the justification of a purge operation. Now, it had become the difficult task of publicly proving their crimes.
Publicly proving their guilt would always give the suspects a chance to defend themselves.
“The Alliance knows that as well. But there is no other way.”
The Martial Alliance's secret operation had gone awry, and the criminals remained.
“So they're carrying out a mission they expect to fail.”
“...”
They were assigning an impossible task as though it were possible.
There was vicious malice woven into this mission.
I couldn't understand why Ilgak had been included.
He was a disciple of the Shaolin Sect, one of the finest among the elite.
Wasn't he precisely the sort of talent the Orthodox Society should protect?
Why include him in a mission clearly doomed to fail?
“How did I end up being included?”
I couldn't understand the intent behind involving me, either.
There was no way the Mantong Office, which I reported to directly, had added me to the delegation.
My foremost duty was organizing Yuseong Hall. Sending me on outside work before I had even completed that organization made no sense.
“We don't know either. The orders only said to join Benefactor Jin.”
“...”
Nothing was clear.
Only one thing was certain.
The mission's failure would return as a blade called accountability.
Even so...
“I guess we have no choice.”
We had to do it.
“Is there any other option?” Ilgak asked.
I tilted my head as I looked at him.
I knew what the future held, and I knew better than anyone that promotions and performance evaluations now meant nothing.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
Ilgak, on the other hand, no matter how much of a rogue... no, a monk he was...
Considering that his standing in the Martial Alliance would affect his standing once he returned to the Shaolin Sect, he was far too calm.
“This mission is going to fail. Are you okay with that? Don't you care about your personnel record?”
“...There is nowhere lower for me to fall from in the White Wolf Pavilion anyway.”
“Ah! Right.”
“...”
For some reason, I avoided his resentful gaze and left.
#
My fellow disciples headed for the Martial Alliance.
“I won't tell you not to cause trouble. ...Just don't get hurt.”
“Venerable Ilgak, please take care of Senior Brother.”
“Please stop Senior Brother from causing trouble.”
Their senior brother had been dragged into a dangerous mission, yet those were the only things they worried about.
Insolent little bastards.
Still, I began traveling with the Dragon-Phoenix Association members.
They were all people I knew, but the atmosphere felt strange.
We talked and even ate together, yet the awkwardness never quite disappeared.
I thought the walls between us had mostly come down after we survived Mukrim together...
Did they still think of one another as different?
“I don't believe that's it.”
When I subtly tested Ilgak, he shook his head.
“Because of us, those friends have been placed in an awkward position.”
“...Ah.”
The Dragon-Phoenix Association was the Martial Arts Academy's highest honor.
It symbolized the next generation of the martial world, the very image of young heroes.
What they were actually like mattered less than what their existence represented. They were the best of the best, people with immense potential.
But many of the top graduates had declined to join the Dragon-Phoenix Association and applied elsewhere instead. The lower-ranked candidates had ended up joining the association.
Naturally, that had become tempting fodder for martial artists who loved to gossip.
Quite a few people mocked this Dragon-Phoenix Association as a fake one.
Tch.
It was a bitter story, but I didn't feel much about it.
They had simply seized their chance when it came.
I wasn't free enough to worry about them feeling hurt by the gossip.
“Well, they'll handle it.”
“...Benefactor Jin.”
“What? Did anyone hold a sword to their necks and force them to join the Dragon-Phoenix Association?”
“...”
At least I hadn't.
#
Time heals all wounds, and after several days of traveling together, the awkwardness faded.
We had been close during our time in the Life-or-Death Unit, and regardless of what people whispered behind their backs, they had graduated with excellent results. Surely they had every right to serve in the Dragon-Phoenix Association.
Truthfully, it wasn't as if I had no lingering feelings about the Dragon-Phoenix Association either.
In my previous life, when I was young, my dream had been to join it, just like every child attending the local martial arts school.
Even after I grew old enough to think that dream was childish, I had lost sleep with excitement when I heard the Dragon-Phoenix Association would visit the Taeul Sect. That was how much I admired them.
When I was young, they looked cool because they were praised and admired wherever they went. Once I learned more about the world, I wanted it even more because I envied all the benefits they received.
“Heh heh.”
“...? Why are you laughing, Benefactor?”
“I was just remembering my younger days.”
“...Benefactor Jin is still young.”
“Back in my day...”
“...”
This was why I hated talking to people who knew nothing. Tch.
Just look at their clothes.
Ilgak and I wore ordinary clothes, while the Dragon-Phoenix Association wore splendid uniforms.
They looked like the children of high officials and nobles, people who had stepped straight out of a painting, with elegance spilling from them.
On top of that, their activity allowance, appearance-maintenance allowance, and monthly subsidy were greater than the salary of most Alliance members.
A job where you wore fine clothes, ate fine food, and received hospitality and praise everywhere you went.
I was young too.
Looking back, it was all so pointless, but I had wanted it desperately back then.
What was so great about a little desire for recognition?
Until the war broke out, I hadn't realized how happy I had been.
And in this life, I had given up the Dragon-Phoenix Association for something that truly mattered.
“Look! It's the Dragon-Phoenix Association!”
As we entered a village, people stopped what they were doing and turned toward us.
“Huh? It really is!”
“Wow! It's the Dragon-Phoenix Association!”
They spread the news as though the very fact that the Dragon-Phoenix Association had come to their village was an honor.
The children who had been staring blankly at the association suddenly snapped out of it and ran home.
When they returned at a brisk pace, their tiny hands carried every scrap of cloth and paper they could find.
“C-could I ask for your seal impression?”
“M-me too! Please! I want to join the Dragon-Phoenix Association when I grow up.”
The association members seemed to be getting used to this. They kindly accepted the children's requests and exchanged a few brief words with them.
Afterward, the children stood there with dreamy eyes as if they had met celestial maidens, then rushed off to brag to their friends.
There were rude people among them, too.
“Aah!”
Someone had pulled Danmok Gyoryeon's hair.
The mood turned icy in an instant.
The culprit was a filthy little girl.
“Mom?!”
Her face was smeared with black soot, and she cried out strangely when she saw Danmok Gyoryeon. The villagers quickly snatched her up and bowed their heads.
“We are sorry... The child's mother suffered a misfortune recently, so whenever the child sees someone wearing a red headband...”
“Ah... It's all right. Little one, something terrible must have happened to you. What should we do?”
Danmok Gyoryeon, whose brow had furrowed, nodded as though it were nothing and gently stroked the girl's hair.
The people's looks of admiration for the Dragon-Phoenix Association grew even stronger.
An elderly villager led the girl away, and Danmok Gyoryeon's response restored the mood.
“That monk over there is...”
Apparently, the Dragon-Phoenix Association was not the only famous one here.
“Could that be Venerable Ilgak of the Shaolin Sect?”
“I think it is.”
“Right? It's the Vajra Monk!”
“I heard he defeated jiangshi in Sichuan!”
People began recognizing Ilgak.
I still couldn't understand how they could distinguish Shaolin Temple monks when they were all bald and wore the same robes.
“Amitabha...”
“Are you Venerable Ilgak?”
“Yes, this humble monk is Ilgak.”
“Wow! Venerable...! I've wanted to meet you!”
The children and young people had welcomed the Dragon-Phoenix Association, while the middle-aged and elderly gathered around Ilgak, pressing their palms together and pleading to hear a few words from him.
The crowd kept growing.
With no choice, I prepared myself for the annoyance and took out my paper, brushes, ink, and inkstone.
Hah. My fame had to be greater than that of the Dragon-Phoenix Association and Ilgak.
“Being too outstanding is a problem too.”
As I checked whether there was enough ink in my portable inkstone and examined my brush...
“...”
More people gathered.
Only around the Dragon-Phoenix Association and Ilgak.
“...?”
Before I knew it, I had been pushed far away from the group by the crowd.
...What was this? Had I imagined it?
I used the Taeul Eighty Thousand Divine Steps and slipped through the crowd.
Then a clear voice came back at me.
Just as I thought, they recognized me...
“Don't cut in line, bastard!”
“...???”
Once again pushed away from the group, I stared at the Dragon-Phoenix Association and Ilgak.
They looked overwhelmed as they tried to respond to the crowd and their requests for seal impressions.
Yes, everyone but me.
“Hey! Ilgak!”
“...”
“Ilgak!”
When I called a little louder, Ilgak turned toward me.
“Where was our lodging again?”
“Ah! The Boryeong Inn.”
After answering, Ilgak went right back to speaking with the people.
“Ilgak! What are we eating for dinner?”
“...Would you like to choose whatever you want?”
No, normally he chanted, “Benefactor Jin, Benefactor Jin,” even when I told him not to.
“Hey! Ilgak!”
“...Benefactor Jin. What is it?”
Irritation crept into Ilgak's voice, and the people's gazes turned my way.
I cleared my throat.
“Ahem, so Jin. Sowoon. gets to choose dinner tonight, is that it?”
“...”
Ilgak gave me a strange look.
Then a small gasp rose from the crowd.
“Jin... Sowoon?!”
“Jin Sowoon means...”
The noisy street suddenly fell silent, and people began stepping back one by one.
“Haha, yes. I'm Jin So...”
“B-Black Flame Dragon?!!!”
Wait, wait, what was this?
The adults backed away while the children burst into tears.
“If it's the Black Flame Dragon, you mean the Black Maitreya, right?”
“B-Black Maitreya... Waaah! I'm sorry!!!”
The place descended into chaos.
The crowd that had gathered like clouds vanished like the wind.
Before long, only...
“...”
Our group remained on the street.
“What was that...?”
“...”
“What the hell was that...?”
#
“They say the Black Maitreya immediately knows when someone lies.”
“...”
“And that the Black Flame Dragon takes away children who lie.”
“...”
Leaving aside whether that story made any sense.
Could they at least use either Black Maitreya or Black Flame Dragon?
Why were my two epithets being used as though they belonged to different people?
“It seems to be a story used to teach children a lesson. Please do not dwell on it, Benefactor Jin.”
“Fuck, how am I supposed not to dwell on that?”
“...In any case, is that not fame of a sort?”
“I never wanted fame!”
Fame was of no help in war.
Right, I was the one rejecting it. I wasn't disappointed at all!
“Don't be too disheartened...”
“I'm not!”
“Ahem...”
It was time to talk about the actual work.
“Where is the first inspection target?”
I had a list in my head of sects that had suddenly disappeared around this time in my previous life.
They had likely been targets of the Inspectorate's purge operation in my previous life.
I thought comparing them with the sects targeted for inspection now would provide a rough cross-check.
I had no intention of letting this inspection mission, which was certain to fail, simply end in failure.
More than anything, I had no intention of forgiving those who secretly learned dark arts.
I didn't know what harm they might bring to the war.
We couldn't let the very first inspection fail.
“Tanghyeon Sect.”
But then...
“Tanghyeon... what?”
The moment I heard the name Tanghyeon Sect, my thoughts became tangled.
It was certainly one of the sects that no longer existed around this time in my previous life.
“...”
But the Black Officers had not destroyed it.
“It is also the most prosperous sect in this region.”
Because in my previous life, it had been destroyed when the Wang Family Estate attacked it over Wang Soso's disappearance.
Footnotes:
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