Myst, Might, Mayhem

Chapter 197 – Loyalty (4)

The Third Captain Commander of the inner fortress of Heaven and Earth Society, Seop Chun, who had witnessed Mok Gyeong-un’s true face filled with pure malice, momentarily lost his words as a chill ran up his spine.

It seemed he had been mistaken after all.

Seop Chun had felt that Mok Gyeong-un was similar to Na Yul-ryang, the Society Leader’s great disciple.

But that wasn’t the case.

Certainly, both of them were definitely different from ordinary people.

However, if the Eldest Young Master Na Yul-ryang gave off a cold feeling of being emotionless and solely pursuing the path of a villain, Mok Gyeong-un appeared to be pure evil itself.

How could such a person exist?

A trembling rose from within him.

At that moment,

-Thump!

Mong Mu-yak collapsed.

The state of Mong Mu-yak, who had his eyes rolled back and his body trembling, did not look good.

It seemed that on top of having his arm cut off, he had suffered a great shock from nearly having his neck sliced as well.

Thanks to that, Seop Chun, who had been gripped by fear for a moment, was able to come to his senses.

“You went too far.”

“What?”

“I said you went too far!”

“In what way?”

“If it was for loyalty, what I did earlier was more than enough to prove it. But what was the reason for pushing it this far? If we had ended it then, as you said, like this……”

“I told you pretending is meaningless.”

“That’s……”

“Is there any other way for you to prove right here that you weren’t going to monitor me on the Vice-Leader’s orders or work for other successors?”

“……”

Seop Chun couldn’t answer to this.

Although he had crossed the line, what Mok Gyeong-un said was correct.

No, should he say it was wise?

‘Thanks to this, I have no choice but to be in the same boat as this bastard.’

It was from the moment he attacked the Vice-Leader’s son, Mong Mu-yak.

From his position without any backing, he had no choice but to follow Mok Gyeong-un to avoid becoming an enemy of the Vice-Leader.

“Haa.”

But he couldn’t help feeling conflicted.

Just a moment ago, he wanted to achieve great things together with Mok Gyeong-un and make his family name and his own name resound not only throughout the Heaven and Earth Society but the entire Central Plains.

But now that he had seen the true face of the evil inherent in Mok Gyeong-un, he was frightened.

Was he truly someone he could trust and follow?

Wouldn’t this be the worst choice?

“Why are you staring at me like that?”

“…… To be honest, I’m afraid.”

“Afraid?”

“Yes.”

“Of what?”

“I’m afraid of you, and just now, I had doubts about whether choosing you would be the right decision for me.”

“Very honest of you.”

“Even if I had steeled my resolve, I can’t help it after seeing your true self.”

“True self……”

Mok Gyeong-un chuckled.

Then, he approached Seop Chun, lightly tapping his shoulder, and said,

“I like that. I commend you for facing me head-on and not turning away even after seeing that side of me.”

“……”

It was a truly peculiar compliment.

Should he take this as a compliment?

But what was it that strangely made him waver at the words of this guy who was younger than him?

Was it because of the leadership qualities this guy possessed?

Or was it this guy’s capacity?

Seop Chun opened his mouth.

“I have a wish.”

“A wish other than being my right-hand man and left-hand man?”

“Yes, I have one.”

“What is it?”

“Fear is fear, but I hope there will be a sense of fulfillment in following you.”

At those words, the corners of Mok Gyeong-un’s mouth twitched.

A sense of fulfillment.

From the moment he joined him, he would walk a path stained with blood, so would this person be able to feel a satisfactory sense of fulfillment from that?

As he was pondering this, Cheong-ryeong’s voice was heard.

-No need to think too much.

-……?

-There is no such thing as a master-servant relationship without giving and taking. Rather than making a fuss about a sense of fulfillment, you just need to appropriately fulfill their desires.

-I see. I’m learning something again.

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Cheong-ryeong cleared her throat and said,

-Ahem. Why are you acting like you’re learning something new?

Mok Gyeong-un chuckled and said to Seop Chun,

“Don’t worry too much. If you faithfully perform your role, you will undoubtedly obtain what you desire. I can certainly promise you that.”

At these words, Seop Chun let out a soft sigh.

Hearing such words from Mok Gyeong-un made him feel much better.

He hoped it would really turn out that way.

That way, this choice wouldn’t become the worst.

-Thud!

With the matter settled, Seop Chun knelt on one knee and clasped his hands, shouting to Mok Gyeong-un,

“Seop Chun, the Third Captain Commander. I pledge my loyalty to Young Master Mok Gyeong-un. Please accept it.”

“……”

Mok Gyeong-un stared intently at Seop Chun, who was pledging his loyalty.

A glint of interest shone in Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes as he looked at him.

Seop Chun was a different type of subordinate from those he had brought under his command so far.

He had come to him of his own accord.

And even after seeing a side close to his true nature, he didn’t turn away from it and even showed honesty about that fear.

-This isn’t bad either.

-It’s because you gained a subordinate in a proper way.

-Is that so?

Mok Gyeong-un chuckled at Cheong-ryeong’s words.

A proper way.

This was the one thing he didn’t particularly agree with Cheong-ryeong’s words.

He was simply making the most optimal choice for the situation.

“I accept.”

Mok Gyeong-un said to Seop Chun.

Then Seop Chun bowed his head to the ground, paying his respects.

Since his loyalty was accepted, he was showing proper etiquette.

It was said that the ruler, the master, and the father who gave birth to you are one and the same.

So, one shows respect with a bow.

Having fulfilled the etiquette, Seop Chun stood up and said,

“Since I have decided to serve you as my lord, I will address you with respect from now on. Please speak comfortably, my lord.”

“I will do so gradually.”

“You don’t have to be formal. Feel free to……”

“When the time comes, I will do so. For now, this is more comfortable for me.”

Seop Chun didn’t hide his puzzlement.

But what could he do if Mok Gyeong-un, his lord, said he would do so?

He was only following his lord’s will.

More than that, this seemed to be the priority.

Seop Chun checked the condition of the collapsed Mong Mu-yak, the Vice-Leader’s son, and sighed, saying,

“Phew. The bleeding is severe, and his condition is not good.”

It was as expected.

-Tap, tap, tap, tap!

Seop Chun pressed Mong Mu-yak’s acupuncture points to stop the bleeding, hurriedly raised his severed left arm above his heart, and tore a piece of cloth to tightly tie it so that there would be no more bleeding.

After taking these measures, Seop Chun clicked his tongue and said,

“My lord, do you have a plan?”

“A plan?”

“Yes, I don’t want to blame what has already happened, but he is the Vice-Leader’s son. Moreover, he was selected for this mission, so is it okay to do this?”

Seop Chun was genuinely concerned.

Would Mong Mu-yak, whose arm was cut off, still be willing to carry out the mission with them?

Or would he return like this and report it to the Society Leader or the Vice-Leader?

If that happened, everything would be messed up.

However,

“Are you worried?”

Mok Gyeong-un showed no such concern.

Was he not worried at all even when things might turn into a disaster?

To Seop Chun, who was furrowing his brow, Mok Gyeong-un said,

“More importantly, search his body to see if there’s anything.”

“Excuse me?”

“I said to search him.”

“…… Understood.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s command, Seop Chun was momentarily puzzled but searched the collapsed Mong Mu-yak’s belongings without further question.

There was nothing particularly noteworthy other than silver coins and the Heaven and Earth Society’s identity tags.

However, he found something unexpected hidden in a small pouch inside his leather shoes.

-Rummage, rummage!

“Huh?”

What was this?

Inside was a small red bottle.

What the hell was this that he had hidden inside his leather shoes?

Seop Chun, who was staring at it with questioning eyes, soon brought it to Mok Gyeong-un.

“He was hiding this.”

“Is that so?”

Mok Gyeong-un, holding the small bottle about the size of two fingers, shook it.

It was difficult to guess what was inside with just this.

So Mok Gyeong-un gestured to Mong Mu-yak with his head and said to Seop Chun,

“Wake him up.”

“Is it okay to wake him up right now?”

“Is there any reason not to?”

“Understood.”

Seop Chun pressed one of Mong Mu-yak’s acupuncture points and infused internal energy into him.

Soon, Mong Mu-yak, who had lost consciousness, opened his eyes.

“Gasp.”

Mong Mu-yak, who had opened his eyes, abruptly sat up and looked at Seop Chun with a perplexed expression while coughing.

“Cough, cough……”

For a moment, Mong Mu-yak thought he had been dreaming.

But soon, he discovered his severed left arm and realized this was reality.

Mong Mu-yak frowned, unable to bear the pain.

Seop Chun couldn’t hide his inner guilt towards him.

‘…… He lost his arm because of me.’

If he had attacked with the intention to kill from the beginning, as Mok Gyeong-un said, perhaps the incident of his arm being cut off wouldn’t have happened.

For a martial artist to lose an arm, it meant problems with balance and everything else, signifying a sharp drop in combat power.

He fully understood the guy’s state of mind.

Then, Mong Mu-yak spoke with eyes full of mixed emotions,

“Have you betrayed us?”

At his question, Seop Chun hurriedly waved his hands and said,

“No way. Why would we betray Heaven and Earth Society?”

“Then why!”

Mong Mu-yak raised his voice.

Filled with anger, he glared at Seop Chun and then shifted his gaze to Mok Gyeong-un, saying,

“Why did you do this?”

He held up his severed arm.

He wanted to cut off their arms in the same way, but knowing he was at a disadvantage, he barely suppressed his anger and lowered his voice.

To him, Mok Gyeong-un said with a smile,

“Are you resentful that your arm was cut off?”

“You!”

The anger he had barely suppressed flared up again at the mocking tone.

Seop Chun warned him,

“Calm down.”

“Calm down? If you were in this situation, do you think you could calm down? How could you do this if you’re not spies or traitors?”

“……”

Seop Chun couldn’t answer to this.

He felt too sorry to tell him that he had attacked to prove his loyalty.

But Mok Gyeong-un didn’t seem to have such feelings at all.

With a still-smiling face, he approached Mong Mu-yak.

Then, he held out the red bottle and said,

“More importantly, what is this?”

‘!?’

Mong Mu-yak, who had been unable to control his anger just a moment ago, quickly calmed down.

‘How did that…?’

That was what his father, Vice-Leader Mong Seo-cheon, had given him.

[If that bastard contacts the righteous faction or shows suspicious signs, use this. You know how to use it, right?]

Mong Mu-yak instinctively crossed his ankles and checked if the bottle hidden inside his leather shoes was there.

But it wasn’t.

‘Damn it.’

They must have searched his belongings.

The person his father, the Vice-Leader Mong Seo-cheon, had told him to use this on was none other than Mok Gyeong-un.

Seeing Mok Gyeong-un holding that, he was extremely perplexed.

Unable to say anything, Mok Gyeong-un asked him again,

“It’s your own item, so you won’t say you don’t know, right?”

“……”

“Why aren’t you answering? Do you not know what this is?”

At the repeated questions, Mong Mu-yak finally made an excuse,

“…… It’s something necessary for this mission.”

“Mission?”

“Yes.”

Come to think of it, he hadn’t used it yet, and if he made an appropriate excuse that it was for a secret mission, it would be a solvable problem.

What could he do to him with this?

But then, Mok Gyeong-un chuckled and said,

“Something necessary for the mission?”

“Yes, it’s nothing special.”

“Ah, I see.”

“When the mission starts, you’ll find out……”

“Since it has practically already started, it wouldn’t matter if we found out now, would it?”

Mong Mu-yak calmly responded to Mok Gyeong-un’s persistent questioning.

“The advance team said they would inform me of the exact purpose, so I truly don’t know either.”

“The advance team?”

“Yes.”

If he made this excuse, they wouldn’t be able to question him further.

However,

“Hmm, is that so?”

Mok Gyeong-un, who had been nodding his head, opened the lid of the red bottle he was holding.

-Pop!

“Wh-what are you doing? Close it right now!”

Mong Mu-yak shouted at Mok Gyeong-un in a moment of panic.

To this, Mok Gyeong-un tilted his head and said,

“Why are you so startled?”

“Close it quickly! I said close it!”

“This is strange. Why are you making such a fuss about closing it as soon as I open it when you claim you don’t know what it is?”

“That’s……”

“Do you really not know?”

“I…… I was just told it’s dangerous. That’s why, so please close it.”

Mong Mu-yak pleaded, almost begging.

But Mok Gyeong-un instead held the bottle closer to him.

Then Mong Mu-yak frantically struggled, trying to distance himself.

“You really!”

“Hold him.”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s command, Seop Chun pressed down on Mong Mu-yak’s shoulders.

“L-let go!”

Seeing him react with such disgust, as if he were having a seizure, Mok Gyeong-un became genuinely curious about what was inside this bottle.

So, he brought the bottle closer and said playfully,

“Even if it’s dangerous, it wouldn’t hurt to use a little, right? Since you won’t be able to carry out the mission with that body anyway, for our sake……”

“It’s, it’s the Explosive Shattering Worm!”

“Pardon?”

“What’s inside is the Explosive Shattering Worm. It’s very small and can enter through the mouth or nostrils, so please close it. I’m begging you.”

In the end, Mong Mu-yak revealed the truth.

At this, Mok Gyeong-un chuckled and closed the lid of the bottle.

“You said you didn’t know, but you did?”

“……”

“Don’t tremble so much. I had blocked the opening with internal energy.”

At these words, Mong Mu-yak gritted his teeth.

This bastard was toying with him.

But even if he showed his emotions here, there would be nothing beneficial for him.

“…… For the mission, I was told to keep it a secret and know about it alone. I didn’t hide it out of ill intent.”

“I’m sure. What exactly is the Explosive Shattering Worm?”

Mok Gyeong-un had never heard of it either.

So Mong Mu-yak said,

“It’s a bug that inhabits the remote deserts of the Western Regions.”

“Since it’s called a worm, that’s natural. But judging from your reaction, it seems quite dangerous?”

“…… Yes. If it enters the body, it burrows into the blood vessels and circulates through the meridians.”

‘It burrows into the blood vessels?’

At these words, Seop Chun clicked his tongue.

Just listening to it, it sounded like a terrifying and highly dangerous bug.

But why did he bring such a dangerous thing, saying it would be used somewhere in the recapture mission?

As he was puzzled, Mok Gyeong-un said,

“Just circulating through the meridians would be dangerous enough, but I don’t think that’s the end of it.”

“……”

“There are other problems, right?”

‘Cunning bastard.’

It was difficult to deceive him at all.

In the first place, since it was already a situation where he couldn’t deceive him, Mong Mu-yak revealed the truth.

“…… This bug is very vulnerable to sunlight.”

“Sunlight?”

“Yes. That’s why in the Western Regions, it’s also called the Desert Night Crawler.”

“Desert Night Crawler?”

“It takes only one or two hours to lay eggs and become an adult. However, this bug is so vulnerable to sunlight that it explodes and dies if it’s exposed to even a little light.”

“That means……”

“Yes. If infected with the Explosive Shattering Worm, the moment you’re exposed to sunlight, the meridians throughout your body will burst, and you’ll die.”

“Ha!”

At Mong Mu-yak’s words, Seop Chun shook his head.

In a way, this seemed more dangerous than even the deadliest poison.

With poison, there was at least a possibility for a high-level martial artist to perform qi circulation and detoxify it on their own.

But would it be possible to catch and remove one by one the tiny bugs that enter the body and flow through the meridians?

It might be impossible.

“It’s impressive that they found such a bug.”

“I don’t know how they found it either. I heard that because it’s vulnerable to light, it parasitizes moles, earthworms, and insects deep underground in the desert, making it difficult to discover.”

“But here it is?”

Mok Gyeong-un shook the bottle wildly.

Then Mong Mu-yak said anxiously,

“Be careful. No matter how sturdy the bottle is, if it accidentally breaks, it will be a real disaster.”

“I’m sure. But why did our Vice-Leader’s son bring such a dangerous thing?”

At Mok Gyeong-un’s words, Mong Mu-yak sighed and replied,

“Didn’t I say? I brought it for the mission.”

“The mission…… I see.”

With those words, Mok Gyeong-un whispered in Mong Mu-yak’s ear,

“But that mission is to use it if Mok Gyeong-un, the hostage bastard from the righteous faction, contacts other righteous faction members or shows suspicious signs in the Imperial Palace, right?”

‘!!!!!!!!!’

Instantly, Mong Mu-yak’s face turned pale and stiffened.

How the hell did this bastard know about this?