Chapter 17
"Hah. So that's how it was."
Once the assassin's face became visible under the lamp...
Relief mixed with disappointment washed over me.
Because, to be honest...
There was one person I'd suspected.
If someone here had enough access to slip poison into my food...
Who would be the most likely?
Poisoning usually worked that way.
The closest person.
Someone who stayed nearby.
Someone who had spent the most time with you.
Naturally...
One face had kept appearing in my mind.
A foreign man with a strong impression.
A magnificent beard.
An overly friendly personality.
Our Arab-looking friend.
Ma Hapji.
Fortunately...
That suspicion had already weakened while I subdued this assassin.
First...
His body wasn't like Ma Hapji's.
Ma Hapji was taller than most people by an entire head.
The man I'd thrown onto the floor was much smaller.
Even the amount of muscle I felt when driving the dagger into his shoulder was completely different.
Still...
I hadn't fully dismissed the possibility until I lit the lamp.
Then the suspicion vanished completely.
The face under the light belonged to a completely ordinary Central Plains man.
A narrow, unpleasant mustache suited him perfectly.
He was trembling in fear.
"You're the bastard who bumped into me after we got the Fasting Pills."
"Kh... Third Young Master... p-please... mercy..."
I remembered.
After receiving the Fasting Pills...
Someone had lightly bumped into me in the crowded plaza.
Apparently, that had been when he'd switched my pouch.
His hands must have been incredibly fast.
I hadn't noticed a thing.
Feeling irritated...
I twisted the dagger embedded in his shoulder.
The moment I removed my hand from his mouth...
He immediately surrendered.
Second Brother really was something.
Was this seriously the kind of assassin he'd sent?
Or maybe he'd thought someone of this level would be enough for me.
I sighed.
"I-I'll tell you everything!"
He panicked.
"It was the Second Young Master! The Second Young Master...!"
"There is also one more person! He'll soon..."
Shhk!
"Urgh...!"
I didn't enjoy torturing captured enemies.
I cleanly cut his throat.
Then I sent him where he had planned to send me.
At first, I'd considered questioning him.
But there really wasn't anything I needed to ask.
The situation already told me everything.
Second Brother had sent him.
The intention was obvious.
Even if he told me who his accomplice was...
There was no guarantee I'd recognize the name.
More importantly...
Waiting was better.
Just like when I caught this bastard.
If there was an accomplice...
That person would soon realize something had gone wrong.
The man who had entered to confirm my death wasn't returning.
That meant the plan had failed.
And if there was an accomplice...
There was only one thing left for them to do.
They would have to approach me somehow.
The dead man's unfinished words, He'll soon..., only confirmed it.
Considering the circumstances...
Tonight was the perfect opportunity.
So I waited inside the narrow cave chamber with the corpse.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Claaang!
The fighting outside hadn't stopped.
A slaughterhouse was probably still unfolding.
I wondered who would make it through that chaos to find me.
There was no need for another act.
Since one assassin had already failed...
The second would approach more cautiously.
Then we could simply meet face-to-face.
Step. Step. Step.
Amid the endless sounds of steel outside...
I heard heavy footsteps approaching.
He's here.
Creeeak.
The door opened.
Tension and anticipation rose at the same time.
Light entered.
And the person standing there...
Was someone I had never expected.
"Huh."
It wasn't an assassin.
It was...
"Cheon Gangwol...?"
My half-brother.
The Fifth Young Master of the Divine Cult.
Cheon Gangwol.
A sharp sword rested in his hand.
Cheon Gangwol slowly entered the cave chamber.
His expression remained calm.
His sword carried a cold edge.
Countless thoughts crossed my mind.
Was this guy sent by Second Brother too?
What if he arranged the whole assassination himself?
I focused on the sword in his hand.
Ready to move at any moment.
But that tension didn't last long.
Because his other hand was holding something too.
A blood-soaked man.
Thud.
Cheon Gangwol glanced around my chamber.
Then tossed the man onto the corpse already on the floor.
The two bodies lay side by side.
And looking at them...
I immediately noticed something.
They were wearing the same uniform.
Then the whole situation became clear.
Second Brother's target hadn't only been me.
He had tried to use this opportunity inside the Dark Demon Well to eliminate both me and Cheon Gangwol.
That was the cleanest conclusion.
Our dear older brother is greedy.
Actually...
This made more sense.
Cheon Gangwol was a descendant of the Sacred Moon too.
To the other brothers...
He was a rival.
If anything...
He might have been a higher-priority target than me.
Publicly...
I'd lost my martial arts and become almost useless.
Cheon Gangwol, on the other hand...
Was already known as a martial arts genius.
Maybe I wasn't even the primary target inside the Dark Demon Well.
Maybe he was.
"Hey."
I broke the silence first.
"Look who came."
"Our little brother."
"Did you come because you were worried about your big brother?"
I tried to lighten the awkward atmosphere.
Cheon Gangwol's expression remained dry.
One thing was certain.
This bastard had no sense of humor.
"I'm here because I wanted to see whether you were dead."
Sigh.
You.
What a nice way to address your older brother.
This family really had no warmth.
Still...
The way he glanced around the room almost looked like he was checking whether I'd been injured.
Maybe he was simply terrible at expressing himself.
Hard to tell.
"We usually call that worrying."
"Don't we?"
