Respond with Deception (2)
Ilho found himself in a spacious room after walking down a white corridor. It was the same room he had visited with Chilho in the past. At the far end, a man was seated, engrossed in writing something.
Ilho reported from the doorway.
“Kono has disappeared.”
“What?”
The man paused, lifting his head in disbelief, as if questioning whether he had heard correctly.
Ilho repeated himself.
“Kono has disappeared.”
“What do you mean by disappeared?”
“Exactly that. We lost contact with him during the mission.”
“Is he dead?”
“It seems likely, but we can’t be sure.”
“He’s not dead. There’s no way someone like Kono would fall to the likes of the Heavenly Palace Leader.”
The man resumed his writing, but his hand was tense.
“And the mission?”
“It failed. The Heavenly Palace Leader returned safely to the alliance.”
The man threw his brush in frustration, splattering ink across the expensive carpet as it rolled away.
He stood abruptly, pacing back and forth, shaking his head in disbelief. From where Ilho stood, he couldn’t make out the man’s expression.
“Kono, dead at the hands of the Heavenly Palace Leader?”
The man’s voice, echoing through the room, was noticeably faster and rougher than before.
“Given his usual demeanor and past actions, there’s an over eighty percent chance he was sacrificed in this operation.”
“Did the entire Heavenly Palace follow?”
“Thirty men followed.”
“No, even if they all followed, they wouldn’t have been killed by them.”
“There was a variable.”
“A variable?”
“The soldier Sima Qian sent was Galsaryang.”
“Ah!”
The man seemed to understand a bit more now.
“Even so, Kono was defeated?”
“It’s possible Galsaryang set a counter-trap. We need to send someone to investigate further.”
“Find out immediately and report back.”
“I’ll proceed right away.”
“Send someone reliable. This is no ordinary matter.”
Ilho bowed respectfully.
“Don’t worry. I have someone trustworthy.”
There was another person taken aback by the Heavenly Palace’s return: Sima Qian, who had been expecting news of their annihilation.
‘Did I miscalculate?’
He glanced at Ma Bong-gi, who sat with his eyes closed in the Taesa’s seat. It was impossible to tell if he was contemplating the current situation or reminiscing about the woman he had been with the night before.
Sima Qian had considered this mission a death sentence. A secret operation targeting the Heavenly Palace, sending only the leader and a small force. It should have been orchestrated by the Justice Pavilion, but it came down from the Alliance Leader.
He had assumed they would all perish.
Across the room, his eyes met those of Ju Cheol-ryong, a man as inscrutable as the Alliance Leader himself. Next to him was Ok Dang-chu, the Iron Cavalry Leader, who had betrayed Galsaryang to follow Ju Cheol-ryong. Unlike Ju Cheol-ryong, Ok Dang-chu was easy to read—a typical bureaucrat, neither a villain nor a self-sacrificing hero.
The real enigma was Ju Cheol-ryong. There was undoubtedly a force backing him.
Just then, the doors to the Alliance Leader’s chamber opened, and the awaited Heavenly Palace Leader, Jong Cheon-rak, walked in.
He strode across the red carpet and bowed respectfully to Ma Bong-gi.
“Heavenly Palace Leader Jong Cheon-rak, reporting back from the mission.”
“You’ve worked hard. I heard there were some issues?”
“Yes. We arrived at the designated location, but no one was there.”
“Was the information false?”
“Or they might have been eliminated beforehand.”
Ma Bong-gi nodded, glancing at Ju Cheol-ryong, who remained silent, simply watching Jong Cheon-rak. Ju Cheol-ryong was likely the most shocked and angered, having secretly orchestrated this affair.
‘What are they plotting with the revival of the Demonic Cult?’
Ma Bong-gi couldn’t fathom their intentions.
Sima Qian then asked him, “I heard there were several ambushes.”
“Indeed. Fortunately, our elite forces managed to fend them off.”
Jong Cheon-rak made no mention of the new recruit’s contributions. They had agreed only to acknowledge Galsaryang’s assistance if necessary. He had strictly ordered his subordinates to keep silent.
Ma Bong-gi addressed the gathered leaders of the Martial Alliance.
“Though this mission didn’t go as planned, if we fail to prevent the Demonic Cult’s revival, the martial world will descend into chaos. Stay vigilant and ensure your organizations are well-prepared. We may soon face them in battle.”
“Yes, understood.”
The leaders responded in unison, bowing their heads.
“Let’s conclude today’s meeting here. Leader Jong, you’ve had a long journey. Go and rest.”
“Thank you, Alliance Leader.”
Jong Cheon-rak bowed and exited the chamber. He acted as if he knew nothing, despite their attempt on his life. The thought made his blood boil, but he reminded himself that nothing had been proven yet. This mindset helped him conceal his true feelings.
As the other leaders left, Ju Cheol-ryong was the last to remain.
Sima Qian wanted to stay and eavesdrop on their conversation, but he feigned ignorance and left. He had attempted to eliminate Galsaryang during this affair, so he didn’t want to linger unnecessarily.
Once alone, Ma Bong-gi spoke coldly.
“Your filthy scheme failed.”
Ju Cheol-ryong’s expression soured slightly. Ma Bong-gi never held back. Even in private, he lacked the subtlety one might expect from those who shared secrets. He asked bluntly and accused openly, using such crude language.
‘Pathetic fool.’
If it weren’t for the orders from those who had recruited him, Ju Cheol-ryong would never have allowed Ma Bong-gi to become the Alliance Leader.
“The failure was theirs, for attempting to kill the Heavenly Palace Leader.”
Ma Bong-gi saw their failure as his opportunity.
“I can’t trust you. Tell them they’ll regret not meeting with me.”
His eyes conveyed that this was more than a simple threat.
Ju Cheol-ryong said something he had never uttered before.
“Can’t you just live as things are?”
“As things are? As a puppet Alliance Leader? Stamping documents by day and playing the fool by night? No, I can’t. Tell them I don’t want anything else. Just a meeting.”
Without another word, Ju Cheol-ryong bowed and left.
Ma Bong-gi’s mocking laughter followed him out.
‘You fool. Don’t act so high and mighty. You’re just a puppet too.’
“Galsaryang! I’m so relieved you returned safely!”
Sima Qian rushed over, clasping Galsaryang’s hands. His excessive welcome was almost awkward, revealing his guilty conscience.
“The Heavenly Palace warriors were remarkable.”
“I just saw the Heavenly Palace Leader. What exactly happened?”
“I’ll prepare a report soon.”
“Yes, yes. Take your time. You must have been quite shocked.”
“This mission made one thing clear: the Demonic Cult is indeed plotting a revival.”
“A truly terrifying prospect. We must stop them at all costs.”
“I’ll give it my all.”
“You must be exhausted. Take a few days to rest. I’ll expect the report afterward.”
“Thank you.”
Before leaving the room, Sima Qian added with a genuinely moved expression, “If you hadn’t returned safely, I would have lived with guilt for the rest of my life.”
Galsaryang smiled.
“Thank you. Your concern brought me back safely.”
Back at the alliance, Galsaryang was busy.
His top priority was the Heavenly Palace. Though he was also a target, his own safety was secondary. He needed to find a way to extricate the Heavenly Palace Leader from this danger.
So, he had to take action.
In truth, I was the one who knew the most about the forces behind them. It was frustrating not to be able to share all that information with Galsaryang.
First, I had to deal with Sima Qian. He had tried to kill Galsaryang, and there might be another attempt.
How to deal with him?
I intended to kill him. Not just for revenge against his attempt on Galsaryang’s life.
He knew that Jong Cheon-rak and the Heavenly Palace warriors would die. That’s why he sent Galsaryang along.
As the Chief Military Officer of the Martial Alliance, sending subordinates to their deaths knowingly? It’s not just a crime; it’s an atrocity deserving of the harshest punishment.
But killing the Chief Military Officer of the Martial Alliance in a fit of rage would cause significant problems. The forces behind him might immediately uncover our identity.
They must be on edge after the old man’s death. Though he fell to my Wheel of Karma, he was a formidable master.
They’ll investigate how the old man died. I can’t afford to be exposed to them yet. In this situation, I can’t just rashly cut down Sima Qian.
If I can kill him without repercussions, I will, but for now, expelling him from the alliance is the practical solution.
How to handle this man?
Then I remembered something related to Sima Qian.
Ah! That’s right.
I recalled a contingency plan I had prepared for this very moment.
I immediately sent a secret message to Jin through the contact point.
“Something’s off.”
Sima Qian had a bad feeling. If he hadn’t personally sent Galsaryang, he could have watched this unfold from a distance.
It was, after all, a matter between the Alliance Leader and the Heavenly Palace Leader. But having pushed Galsaryang into the fray, he couldn’t shake the unease.
‘Could it be that Galsaryang was the reason for the failure?’
It seemed impossible, yet I couldn’t understand how Mengju and his backers had failed in their latest scheme. They must have had a good reason to plot such a thing.
Once I decided to eliminate Galsaryang, I became determined to see it through.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
“What is it?”
“It’s me.”
The person who entered was the chief military officer.
“What is it?”
“They’re sending an investigator from Mengju’s office to look into this matter.”
“An investigator? For Galsaryang?”
“Yes.”
Typically, when a major mission fails, an investigator is dispatched. But the department responsible for such matters is the Judicial Office. So why was someone sent from Mengju’s office?
It meant that either Mengju or the organization behind him intended to investigate this incident themselves.
“Damn it!”
If I wasn’t careful, it could be revealed that I had deliberately tried to kill Galsaryang. That would expose the fact that I knew about the existence of the organization backing him.
“What should I do?”
Three days later, I received a message from Jin.
As expected, he had prepared what I had asked for earlier.
With what he sent, I went to see Galsaryang.
In the meantime, Galsaryang had come up with a way to save the leader of the Heavenly Palace.
Recently, two members of the Heavenly Palace had died, and several others were injured. Using the pretext of eradicating the demonic cult, they had entered special training.
Special training usually lasted from one to three months.
Once they left for training, they could escape Mabonggi’s reach, and being surrounded by a thousand martial artists from the Heavenly Palace was the safest way to avoid assassination.
It was indeed a good plan. Galsaryang was indispensable.
In a private meeting, I handed Galsaryang a few sheets of paper.
“Take a look at this.”
“What is it?”
“I thought we couldn’t just leave the General alone. So I conducted a discreet investigation on him. Recently, his right-hand man, Jo Byeok, opened a brothel with a young child.”
“Oh! I remember that incident.”
At the time, the martial artists of the Murim Alliance had dealt with it, and the old men who frequented the place were all imprisoned. It was handled as an official case.
“Back then, Samacheon denied knowing Jo Byeok.”
“That’s right.”
“These are the proofs that Jo Byeok carried out various tasks under Samacheon’s orders.”
“What? Where did you get this?”
I had previously instructed Su and Jin to investigate this matter, to gather evidence of the connection between Jo Byeok and Samacheon.
I had thought it might come in handy someday, and that time was now.
“I bought it through an information network.”
If Galsaryang pressed for the source, I could reveal it. Jin and Su had already established a large-scale intelligence organization across the central plains. I could say I bought it from them.
Galsaryang didn’t ask further. Considering the abilities I had shown since we met, this wasn’t surprising. Besides, I was once the heir of the renowned Byeok family sword clan in Shandong.
“With this evidence, we can remove Samacheon from his position as General. But the entire Murim Alliance is on his side…”
Galsaryang’s eyes sparkled.
“We need to find a way to use this evidence effectively.”
I trust him. He will find a way.
Saryang, use your wits to your heart’s content. I’ve got your back.