Chapter 53

Chapter 53 — Your Illegality Is Excluded at the End of a Swaying Sword (1)

"..."

"..."

Jo Jinkyung and Seo Gyeongsik were thinking the same thing.

This man... is Honggak, the leader of the eight provinces?

Very little was known about the bandit leader.

People knew that he possessed superhuman physical abilities and that, as his title Red Leg suggested, he was extraordinarily swift.

So when the two men faced the masked visitor, they naturally wondered whether he really was Honggak.

"How is this governor supposed to believe that you're the leader of the eight provinces?"

Without saying a word, the masked man took out an iron bar.

Jo Jinkyung and Seo Gyeongsik misunderstood his intentions and immediately panicked.

"W-What are you doing?!"

"How dare you bring a weapon into the inner office?!"

"Guards! Is anyone there?! Seize this man at once...!"

But before they could finish, the masked man gripped the iron bar and bent it with his bare hands.

Then he threw it onto the floor.

Clang!

"......!"

Looking at the iron bar, now bent into the shape of a right angle, Jo Jinkyung gave Seo Gyeongsik an order.

"...Dosa."

"Y-Yes! What is it?"

"Go and examine that."

"......!"

Seo Gyeongsik hurriedly picked up the iron bar.

There was nothing unusual about its appearance, and it felt perfectly solid.

"...Hup!"

He gripped it with both hands and tried to bend it with all his strength.

Naturally, it did not budge under the strength of an ordinary man.

"...Hmm."

The iron bar hasn't been tampered with.

He bent it through sheer physical strength?

And his breathing didn't even change.

...He certainly is extraordinary.

Someone with such superhuman strength would be difficult to find anywhere in the eight provinces.

Jo Jinkyung's suspicions faded somewhat.

He still did not completely trust the masked man, but he also had no practical way to establish whether the visitor really was Honggak.

...There's no way to prove his identity right now.

Even if I force him to remove his mask, I don't know what Honggak's face looks like.

And if the real Honggak takes offense and the negotiations collapse, that would be extremely troublesome.

So Jo Jinkyung decided to take a friendly approach for the time being.

There's no reason to antagonize him already.

Pushing him too hard now would be like slaughtering a hen that lays eggs simply because I'm hungry.

"...Have a seat for now."

"What is it you wish to discuss with me?"

The masked man went straight to the point without bothering to test the waters.

"Release Hong Myeong."

"H-Hahaha..."

"......"

What a remarkably straightforward fellow.

Jo Jinkyung gave Seo Gyeongsik a meaningful look.

"Dosa, leave us for a moment."

Seo Gyeongsik naturally understood that the governor intended to extort wealth from Honggak.

But Jo Jinkyung could hardly negotiate so openly with a bandit leader in front of his subordinate.

So he sent Seo Gyeongsik away.

"...As you command."

As he left the governor's office, Seo Gyeongsik thought,

He really is extraordinary.

He doesn't seem nervous in the slightest, and his strength is truly monstrous.

How can a man bend an iron bar with his bare hands?

Seo Gyeongsik suddenly stopped.

"Come to think of it... the leader of the eight provinces has a very peculiar way of speaking."

"Could it be some kind of regional dialect?"

"Young Master, are you sure this will be all right?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean your decision to send your servant in my place."

Hong Gil voiced his concern, but Doyul remained composed.

"Oh, it'll be fine."

"..."

...I never imagined he would devise a plan like this.

Hong Gil recalled his earlier conversation with Doyul.

"What if we send Donggu instead of you, Chief?"

"...Are you being serious?"

Hong Gil had been skeptical.

But Doyul was so determined that he eventually had no choice but to agree.

"The fact that you've never shown your face publicly made this much easier."

"...Ghh."

Hong Gil looked troubled.

"I agreed to trust you and follow your plan, but I still can't quite understand what you're trying to accomplish."

Hong Gil had also intended to offer the governor every last bit of the wealth he had brought while disguised as a merchant.

But Doyul had stopped him.

"Let's take only three-tenths, about thirty percent, for now."

As Hong Gil continued expressing his concerns, Doyul smiled.

"The Governor of Gyeongsang is probably considering which course of action will bring him the greatest benefit."

From what Choi Sihyeon and Seo Myeongjin had told him, Doyul had little difficulty predicting what Jo Jinkyung wanted and how he would behave.

"What we want is Hong Myeong's release."

"What the governor wants is greater profit."

"And among the things Jo Jinkyung wants is your head, Chief."

Naturally, Hong Gil was well aware of that.

"I knew the risks from the moment I first sent the governor a letter."

"How could I not?"

"Thanks to you, I'm safe for now, but your servant may be harmed in my place."

"I won't let that happen."

"..."

Hong Gil had two questions.

"How do you intend to prevent it?"

"I'll give him what he should receive and withhold what he shouldn't."

Doyul answered simply.

Hong Gil asked his second question.

"Was there some particular reason you absolutely had to send Donggu instead of me?"

"If things take a turn for the worst, the simple fact that you're still somewhere safe will completely change the direction of the negotiations."

"And there's something Donggu needs to do inside as well."

Doyul smiled at Hong Gil.

"So don't worry."

"...You certainly seem carefree, Young Master."

"Haah. I can't help worrying that your innocent servant might be harmed because of my affairs."

"Do you think things would have been different if you had gone yourself?"

"...I won't deny that I was confident I could protect myself, even if the worst happened."

Doyul's eyes shone.

"If you can do it, Donggu can do it too."

"...!"

"You seem to have forgotten, Chief."

"Donggu is stronger than you."

"...Hahaha!"

Hong Gil laughed cheerfully at Doyul's provocation.

"...I admire your confidence, but if we'd fought to the very end that day, I would have won."

"I'm sure you would have."

...What a foolish question I asked.

Only then did Hong Gil finally relax.

He trusts Donggu without the slightest doubt.

Hong Gil smiled.

Yes.

That's what family is supposed to be.

Jo Jinkyung was at a loss.

Is this... what the leader of the eight provinces is actually like?

The more confidently Donggu spoke, the more Jo Jinkyung found himself being dragged along.

"So... what exactly do you want from me?"

"I've already said it several times."

"Release Hong Myeong."

"......"

I've never met such an ill-mannered lowborn bastard in my life!

It's like reading scripture to a cow.

No, at least the cow might understand something!

Jo Jinkyung had heard that the leader of the eight provinces possessed intelligence rarely found among bandits.

But the man sitting before him was like a stone Buddha who couldn't be reasoned with.

Jo Jinkyung had never encountered anyone quite like him.

"Hong Myeong didn't do anything wrong."

"Release Hong Myeong."

Jo Jinkyung wanted nothing more than to have this infuriating man arrested immediately.

But a discreet investigation had revealed that the wealth he had brought on the carts was far less than Jo Jinkyung had expected.

That made it difficult to act rashly.

"We heard that he arrived in Daegu carrying so much wealth that he had to disguise his group as a merchant caravan."

"But the amount he brought to the provincial office is nowhere near that much."

"He probably set the rest aside and brought only a portion."

You bastard!

Even tearing you limb from limb wouldn't satisfy me!

How dare you make a fool of the governor!

Jo Jinkyung glared at Donggu.

Donggu remained completely unaffected.

"Hong Myeong."

"......?"

"Release him."

"......Haah."

A sigh escaped Jo Jinkyung.

His blood pressure seemed to rise without limit.

Then, after reaching the point of resignation, he finally calmed down enough to analyze the situation rationally.

There are two possibilities.

Either this man is deceiving me, or he has a strategist working behind the scenes.

Jo Jinkyung realized that his opponent had already figured out his weakness.

He couldn't be this bold unless he knew I coveted wealth.

Has he staked his life on a dangerous gamble?

Jo Jinkyung studied Donggu, then shook his head.

No. That's unlikely.

It's more reasonable to assume this behavior has been carefully calculated.

"I cannot simply release Hong Myeong."

"Release Hong Myeong."

Then perhaps I should test him from this angle.

"I understand what you're asking."

"But there are laws in this country, and there are procedures we must follow."

"I know."

"For example..."

"If, purely by coincidence, through some unfortunate accident, an imprisoned criminal somehow happened to escape..."

"That would be one thing!"

"But otherwise, every criminal must undergo a hearing so that his guilt can be clearly established."

"...Do you understand what I'm saying?"

Jo Jinkyung deliberately emphasized several words.

Donggu's response, however, was nothing like what he had expected.

"That's right."

"Good! We're finally getting somewhere!"

"We should hold a hearing, just as the governor says."

"...What?"

"Hong Myeong didn't do anything wrong."

"So we should hold the hearing and release him afterward."

"Since he hasn't committed a crime, there's no reason for him to escape."

...Is he insane?

Jo Jinkyung himself would be presiding over that hearing.

How did this fool expect Hong Myeong to escape punishment?

"Donggu, if Jo Jinkyung starts talking about holding a hearing, show him this."

"As you command."

Donggu handed the bewildered governor a note.

"Read it."

"...What is this?"

"A letter."

Just as I thought...

There really is a strategist behind him.

Jo Jinkyung hurriedly unfolded the letter.

Its contents surprised him considerably.

No... perhaps I need to reconsider the entire situation!

The writing was so elegant that it was difficult to believe the author could be nothing more than the strategist of a bandit group.

[To the Governor.

Hong Myeong is truly innocent, but I understand that I cannot make unreasonable demands of Your Excellency.

Please accept this small token of sincerity and allow the hearing to proceed as scheduled.

If the hearing reaches a satisfactory conclusion, I shall offer three times as much with even greater devotion.]

Hahaha. Interesting.

So they're willing to let the hearing proceed?

Or have they decided to accept a lesser loss to avoid the worst possible outcome?

Given that Hong Myeong's culpability was not entirely clear, bribing the governor to prevent a death sentence rather than insisting on his immediate release was a strategy worth considering.

...Very well.

Let's see what you've got!

After thinking for a moment, Jo Jinkyung spoke.

"I'll do as you ask."

"However, I have one condition."

"Say it."

"Until the hearing concludes, you must remain imprisoned here."

Donggu readily nodded.

"All right."

"......"

Looking at the utterly untroubled Donggu, Jo Jinkyung reconsidered his earlier conclusion.

Perhaps the truth isn't that the man in front of me is a fake leader.

And perhaps it isn't merely that the bandit leader has a strategist.

There may be a third possibility.

Jo Jinkyung's reasoning was logical.

...Someone might be standing behind the bandit leader himself.

If I think of it that way, everything falls into place.

It wouldn't be strange for a notorious outlaw who had appeared like a comet and gained fame throughout the country to have powerful backing.

If anything, that possibility seemed quite natural.

That would also explain this man's arrogance.

Just how far do his connections reach?

"One final question."

"Who wrote this letter?"

Donggu stared at Jo Jinkyung.

There was a simple reason he felt no fear even when speaking privately with the Governor of Gyeongsang.

Young Master is going to become Chief State Councillor.

When I serve a man who's going to become Chief State Councillor, why would I be afraid of a mere governor?

But he could hardly express that burning loyalty in those exact words.

After some thought, Donggu offered his own perfect answer.

"The Mountain Lord."

"...What?"

"The Mountain Lord wrote that letter."