Episode 153: Return to the Demon Sect

“Did you get the accounting books from somewhere else beforehand?”

It was a reasonable suspicion.

After all, Damwoo’s speed with calculations was astonishing.

But Damwoo quickly waved his hands in denial, shaking his head.

“No, no way! I swear I’ve never done that!”

With his lips tightly sealed and eyes wide open, he looked like a frightened fawn.

Sabikang watched Damwoo, who seemed on the verge of tears, and shook his head internally.

‘He’s so different when he’s confident and asserting himself.’

Sabikang chuckled softly.

“Why are you so scared? Do you think I’m going to hit you?”

“But you just… you doubted me…”

“I was just asking to be sure. You were so quick with the calculations.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“Phew, that’s a relief. I thought you really suspected me.”

Damwoo let out a sigh of relief, patting his chest.

At times like this, his earlier confidence seemed like a lie.

‘He’s usually so timid, but when he’s thinking, he becomes a different person. Just a moment ago, he was so self-assured…’

Given his timid nature, it’s no wonder he was labeled a misfit at the academy.

Damwoo had been assigned to a special class because of that label.

Yet, he had this talent.

Even though there hadn’t been many classes that required critical thinking, I should have noticed sooner.

‘Come to think of it, maybe I’m not such a great instructor myself.’

If Yeom Jaryang or Yeon Woo-kyung heard this, they’d probably shout, “You just realized that?”

Sabikang casually asked, “So, who do you think is the most likely suspect?”

“Suspect? I didn’t even know someone had stolen the documents…”

“No, that’s not what I meant…”

Sabikang rubbed his forehead and sighed lightly.

“Out of the three places you pointed out, which one seems the most suspicious? There’s only one correct answer.”

“Oh, that’s what you meant.”

Damwoo adjusted his glasses with his finger.

‘Here we go again.’

It seemed to be a habit of his.

At moments like this, his eyes changed.

What a peculiar guy.

Sure enough, his eyes sparkled as he spoke clearly and confidently, a stark contrast to his earlier timid demeanor.

“In this case, we need to approach it from the opposite direction.”

“Opposite? What do you mean?”

“You asked me to point out the most suspicious place, right?”

“Yes, I did.”

“Since there’s only one correct answer, it’s better to eliminate the least likely suspects first. In other words, we should use the process of elimination.”

“Hmm… Is that how you usually think?”

“Yes, for problems like this, the process of elimination is best…”

“No, I mean, do you always change your expression, tone, and gaze so arrogantly when discussing these things?”

“What?”

Damwoo’s expression shifted again, back to that of an innocent fawn.

He looked at Sabikang with a puzzled expression.

“Did I change? Did I make a mistake? If I was rude…”

“No, no. You’re doing fine.”

Sabikang sighed deeply and waved his hand dismissively.

It’s clear.

This guy is… well, quite unique.

“Go on. So, which place do you think should be eliminated first?”

“Manindang.”

As expected, his expression and tone changed again.

Sabikang, now accustomed to it, asked, “Why?”

Manindang’s main role was to provide services to the Justice Alliance, such as recruiting labor for large projects or volunteers for significant events. They also occasionally recruited martial artists for the alliance.

Damwoo paused briefly before continuing.

“When I looked at Manindang’s recent accounting books, there were significant discrepancies. But there’s something peculiar.”

“What is it?”

“They didn’t try to hide it. Anyone with basic knowledge of accounting could see that funds were leaking.”

“That’s true.”

Sabikang nodded.

Unlike the Shinhwa Inn or Tongmungak, Manindang didn’t tamper with the numbers in their books. They recorded everything as it was.

In contrast, the Shinhwa Inn and Tongmungak had cleverly altered their figures, making it nearly impossible to detect discrepancies at a glance.

“But that doesn’t mean we can rule out any wrongdoing at Manindang.”

“That’s true. But consider this.”

“What?”

“Recently, there was the Great War of Justice, wasn’t there? The Justice Alliance would have needed a lot of manpower. They would have recruited martial artists outside the alliance and sent laborers to repair damaged buildings. The number of people managing weapons and supplies would have increased too.”

“And?”

“In the urgent and special circumstances of the Great War of Justice, it’s unlikely that the alliance and Manindang could have conducted precise and error-free accounting. So, Manindang might have provided manpower to the alliance first and then deducted the incurred costs from the amount they were supposed to remit later.”

“Ah, I see.”

Sabikang nodded.

It was a reasonable deduction.

In other words, during the height of the Great War of Justice, the Justice Alliance might have run up a tab with Manindang. If Manindang later deducted those costs from the amount they owed, it would make sense.

Given Manindang’s role, this was understandable.

Damwoo had deduced all this just from the accounting records.

‘This guy is smarter than I thought. I had a talent right beside me and didn’t realize it.’

Sabikang hid his admiration and patted Damwoo on the shoulder.

“Well done. So we can rule out Manindang as a suspect. There’s nothing more to investigate there.”

“Ah, but we can’t do that.”

Surprisingly, Damwoo objected.

He had returned to his fawn-like expression.

Sabikang furrowed his brow and asked, “Why?”

“You should always check a stone bridge before crossing it. This is just my deduction. How can we be sure based solely on my thoughts?”

“But aren’t your deductions usually accurate?”

“What are you saying? I’m not that arrogant.”

Once again, he wore a humble expression.

‘What is this guy’s deal?’

Sabikang slightly furrowed his brow and said, “Didn’t you just tell the other students that there was no need to look at the documents because your calculations were accurate?”

Damwoo adjusted his glasses again.

With a changed gaze, he replied, “Heh. That was based on clear data and calculations. This is just a deduction. Of course, there’s a high chance my deduction is correct.”

Sabikang’s eye twitched slightly.

This guy…

“You’re annoying.”

“Excuse me?”

“Just get out.”

“Did I do something wrong…?”

“No, nothing like that. Just go.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll take my leave then.”

Damwoo bowed repeatedly as he left the room.

**

At the entrance to the leader’s chamber.

Guyun looked up at the burly bodyguard and then spoke towards the inner chamber.

“Leader, it’s Guyun.”

“Come in.”

A gentle voice from inside invited him in.

As he entered, the sharp scent of medicine tickled his nose.

The leader, Neung Unpa, was sitting on the bed, sipping a medicinal decoction handed to him by a maid.

Guyun’s expression darkened.

“How are you feeling?”

“Heh. Though my energy has waned recently, I’m still holding up. No need to worry.”

“Of course. I know better than anyone how strong you are.”

It was a lie.

To reassure the leader.

Or perhaps a wishful thought.

Guyun, who had been by the leader’s side for a long time, knew better than anyone how much the leader’s energy had diminished recently.

In public, the leader masked it with his internal energy, but in private meetings like this, he showed his true state.

‘Is time truly unstoppable?’

As the maid left with the empty bowl, the leader stood up and asked, “Instructor Sabikang… or rather, National Leader Sabikang now. How is he doing?”

“I understand he’s narrowed it down to two places. They’re searching the outer grounds thoroughly, so they’ll find the bodies soon.”

“Today marks the sixth day. Four more to go…?”

“I’m sure they’ll succeed. I believe in them.”

Neung Unpa turned to Guyun with a warm smile.

“It’s been a while.”

“What do you mean…?”

“Since I’ve seen such life in your expression.”

“Ah…”

“Believing in someone is a pleasant feeling.”

Neung Unpa gazed out the window, a wistful look in his eyes.

He seemed like an old man cast adrift on a vast sea.

Guyun steeled himself internally.

‘From now on, I’ll be the reliable aide you need. So you won’t stand alone against the stormy sea.’

**

Ten days was a shorter time than expected.

The vastness of the outer grounds contributed to that.

Moreover, with so many buildings on the estate, each with its own secret spaces, the search was bound to be slow.

The silver lining was that the number of suspect organizations had been reduced from three to two.

According to Damwoo’s analysis, it seemed that Manindang was using a pre-processing and post-settlement method.

Given this, the criminal organization had to be either the Shinhwa Inn or Tongmungak.

To uncover the truth, they needed to find a body and secure physical evidence.

But after nine days of searching, they still hadn’t found anything.

Tomorrow was the day when the fate of the cadets would be decided by the inspection team.

Sabigang stood on the roof of Bicheongak, overlooking the courtyard below.

In the distance, he could see the cadets scouring the grounds.

Just then, a shadow approached him quietly.

Turning his head, he was surprised to see Seoraehyang.

Hongmyo Seoraehyang.

Since the political meeting, she had been held as a hostage by the Jeongdo Alliance.

However, the alliance ensured she was comfortable, even allowing her to attend some meetings depending on their nature.

“They’ve tied me down here, and now it looks like you’re the one about to be kicked out.”

“It’s not me, it’s those kids who might be expelled. But that won’t happen.”

“Survival is all about choosing the right side. From where I stand, it seems you’ve chosen poorly.”

“You never know until you measure it.”

“You don’t need to measure to know.”

Seoraehyang smiled coldly.

At that moment, Jomuntak approached from behind Sabigang.

“Leader, we’ve found the body!”

“Good. Lead the way.”

“Yes, sir!”

Jomuntak quickly ran ahead.

Before leaping off, Sabigang glanced back at Seoraehyang.

“Sometimes, you can’t tell until you measure. Occasionally, the line gets longer. Ha ha ha.”