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“Where have you been?”

“Twenty-Nine.”

I spilled everything I had heard to Twenty-Nine.

The mood grew heavy.

“…If all of that is true…”

“We have no choice but to verify it.”

I made an excuse to stop by the accounting office and borrowed the most recent ledger.

The warehouse of the Sma Clan.

I went to the tightly locked place, but there were two warriors blocking the entrance.

“You cannot enter.”

“Please cooperate with the Blood Demon Leader’s investigation.”

“I have no knowledge of that. This is an exception. This is the Blood Demon Leader’s warehouse filled with every kind of precious item. It cannot be opened to just anyone.”

The gatekeeper drew his sword.

“If you insist on entering, you will have to pass over us.”

His eyes were sharp, and his tone was heavy.

The warrior before me was truly resolved; he would block us even if it meant dying from a sword wound the next moment.

“…….”

I fiddled with the hilt of my sword. I couldn’t understand why they were guarding the supplies so fiercely.

Are they accomplices?

Or is it loyalty to the Sma Clan?

Before I could figure either out, a deep voice came from behind me.

“Get out of the way.”

“Ch-Chu Warrior!”

“The Blood Demon Leader is investigating the Sma Clan. I will personally oversee it, so clear the path.”

Chu Yi-gyeong.

The bodyguard of the Sma Clan stood behind me. Twenty-Nine asked.

“What’s your scheme?”

“If you check here as well, it will be evident to the world that the Sma Clan is innocent, right? Both we who are being investigated and the Blood Demon Leader conducting the investigation would be equally tired.”

Chu Yi-gyeong opened the door to the warehouse.

“We know we are not guilty. So witness this: there is nothing unusual here.”

Inside the warehouse was packed with various items, and it was extremely large.

Grains were piled in one corner. The divided compartments acted as boundaries, preventing the mixing of supplies.

“Take a look, Blood Demon Leader.”

We proceeded inward. While Chu Yi-gyeong watched the door, we examined the internal supplies.

“…This is fine.”

I slowly counted the supplies before me. I checked if anything was missing while cross-referencing where the items were supposed to be.

Time passed. We meticulously checked the supplies, leaving no stone unturned.

Further in.

Deeper still.

Eventually, we arrived at the last pile of supplies at the end. There was a label attached.

Tribute.

The items mentioned by Cheonakmun.

The tributes that had been moved to the Demon Cult’s headquarters ‘Heavenly Hall’ were all wrapped. Once we confirmed that Chu Yi-gyeong had stepped back, we slowly examined the boxes.

They were securely locked. There was a lock preventing any hasty opening. But even without looking inside, there was a way to determine if something was inside.

Just by picking it up and shaking it.

I lifted the box. I shook it.

No sound came out. As if to prove how exceptionally light it was.

“…Thirty.”

Twenty-Nine whispered. I was also gazing at the same sight.

Inside the thick box. Most of the items I had shaken several times were…

—Empty.

“…….”

I exchanged glances with Twenty-Nine.

I turned on my heel.

“Is it over?”

“It’s over.”

“Then let’s go.”

I observed Chu Yi-gyeong’s expression. I couldn’t discern what emotions were reflected on his face.

If he had known this fact, would he have let me inside?

Of course not.

Letting me in seemed like a stance to declare his own innocence.

I remained silent. The absence of the supplies meant that, at the very least, the information given by Cheonakmun was true.

The supplies were smuggled out. Items that were supposed to go to the Heavenly Hall where the Heavenly Demon is.

A treasonous act.

…Such things were unfolding right before my eyes, deceiving the leader of the Demon Cult.

—Clunk.

The door behind me locked. I turned slightly to take a look.

I locked eyes with the gatekeeper. His glare was filled with hostility.

Twenty-Nine whispered.

“Thirty, we need to send a letter to the Blood Demon Leader. The Sma Clan must have made some sort of deal with the orthodox faction. Just that alone is a felony. But… we can’t suppress the Sma Clan alone. We need to report this quickly…!”

“That is true, but…”

“True is true, so why are you hesitating?! Send the letter right now…!”

“Twenty-Nine. Doesn’t everything align a little too perfectly?”

“That’s why it aligns even more! Look! Thirty! Everyone in the Sma Clan is hostile toward us! They don’t even seem to like us prying into it!”

“…….”

“On top of that, supplies have disappeared. From the warehouse that only the Sma Clan can access!”

Twenty-Nine’s words were right.

All the circumstances indicated that the Sma Clan had committed an offense.

Returning to my lodging, I fiddled with my sword. Sitting beneath my bed, I glared at the wall.

Discomfort.

A discomfort that everything aligns a little too perfectly.

“…….”

What I needed to do was simple. I had confirmed all the circumstances, so all I had to do was contact the Blood Demon Leader.

It was only natural that we couldn’t suppress such a large organization like the Sma Clan with just two people. Just verifying the truth and reporting it to the higher-ups would be the end of it.

An extremely easy task. A mere nod would suffice.

“…Could you wait a moment?”

But I walked through the garden. Leaving Twenty-Nine behind, I cooled down my heated head.

My head naturally urged me to send the letter, but my intuition was different.

…Something.

I felt like I was missing something…

“Young Master.”

“……?”

In this expansive estate, there was only one person who called me that. I turned around.

A small child was looking up at me. A boy too young to be a servant.

He was the boy who guided us on the first day.

“Is your cheek okay?”

“…It’s fine. What were you doing here?”

Among the Sma Clan members, he was the only one with no hostility. I slowed my walking pace so his tiny steps could keep up.

“I was thinking about work.”

“…Young Master. The Sma Clan is not guilty.”

“Is that so?”

“Of course. It’s true. Please believe me.”

“Hmm.”

I placed my hands behind my back, looking up lazily. Suddenly curious, I asked.

“Young Brother.”

“Yes?”

“Is the head of the Sma Clan usually fierce?”

“…Y-yes?”

“When I first met the head, he scolded me the moment he saw me. He even mixed in some insults. It was somewhat embarrassing to an extent.”

“Th-that’s because you came from the Blood Demon Leader…”

“What do you mean?”

The young servant wiggled his fingers.

“I heard the Blood Demon Leader is a beast that pries into anything. N-Not that you are, of course, but… I’ve overheard the warriors talking.”

“What did they say?”

“They said the Blood Sea Organization should’ve shown their faces at least and that the mere presence of the Blood Demon Leader was a terrible insult to the Sma Clan… And that they were half-convinced we were apostates…”

Thinking about the status of the Blood Demon Leader, they certainly weren’t wrong.

I trailed off slightly.

“I see. That’s not an incorrect statement. We are here as part of an investigation.”

“Wh-what was the result of the investigation?”

“I didn’t find anything strange.”

“Really?! See?! Our head is thorough!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes! He is incredibly kind. Very good… He always takes care of people like us.”

The young servant’s face lit up with a wide smile.

“There used to be many people working like me. But recently, it has shrunk a lot. Our elder sent away the first to leave when things got tough.”

“…….”

“The only workers left are people like me and Grandpa Baek who can’t work anywhere else. And he even told us not to clean places that he hardly uses, just in case we might find it difficult.”

“So the pavilion we saw earlier…”

“Yes! That’s right! Ah… Uh… I’m sorry. I was really angry back then… We hadn’t done anything wrong, but hearing the word apostate outside made me…”

“It’s okay. That’s understandable.”

“You’re so kind, Young Master.”

A respected head of the Sma Clan.

“Does the hired warrior share the same feelings?”

“Yes! Anyone working in the Sma Clan would. Our elder always cherishes and takes care of us. He treats the workers like family.”

“……”

“Sometimes he pretends to clear his throat in front of us, but I know everyone isn’t like that. And I… and this…”

The young servant pulled something from his pocket. I leaned down.

Sweets.

They were similar to the snacks we had eaten with Twenty-Nine before coming here.

“What is this…?”

“Today, Grandpa Baek bought some. We all shared it, but there was a little left… So I brought some for you. Here!”

“…….”

His smile was so innocent. I took the sweets from the young servant’s hands.

“You are kind, and our elder is kind too… everything will turn out well, right?”

“…….”

I held the sweets under the setting sunlight. I slipped them slightly under my mask.

They were sweet. Very sweet.

“…Of course.”

I mumbled and swallowed.

“Everything will turn out well. Young Brother. Please take the remaining ones to my companions in the room. They will want them too.”

“Will they like them?”

“They will like them.”

“Should we go back together…?”

“Let’s go first.”

I patted the young servant’s head.

“I have things to do. Could you deliver it to my companions? I might be a little late.”

. . .

The lanterns flickered.

The head of the Sma Clan, Smaak, blinked. After glancing at the darkened outside, he finally realized what state he was in.

He had dozed off.

Very deeply.

When was the last time he had a proper sleep? He couldn’t remember. Smaak grasped his sword. After pulling it from its scabbard, he spun it around.

The treasured sword of the Sma Clan. A sword that only a head can possess.

The Bloodless Sword.

Just drawing it sent chills down his spine. Even touching it would surely lead to a deep cut. The Bloodless Sword was infamous for not stopping its bleeding once it inflicted a wound.

A sinister energy that would make even his hair stand on end. Smaak returned the sword to its scabbard.

Instead of holding the treasured sword, he chose to reach for a regular iron sword leaned against the wall.

He put on his shoes and stepped outside. The silent night was filled with tranquility.

The moonlight shone brightly. A slightly chilly aura lingered in the air.

Late at night.

Closer to dawn than night.

Smaak walked along the path. To dispel his drowsiness, he recited poetry as he advanced toward a place where no one would come.

The thickets grew denser. A space where only the bloodline of the Sma Clan could enter.

Amid the rustling leaves, Smaak came to a stop. He faced a stone monument set in a secluded wide clearing.

It was tall.

And at the same time, sturdy.

A monument inscribed with the names of all the heads of the Sma Clan. This place was a kind of grave. A grave without a body.

A tomb where only names are left behind.

Smaak’s gaze rose. After silently staring at the monument, he drew his sword.

The sword pointed at the last name engraved on the monument. After memorizing the name in his mind for some time, he swung his sword.

The swordsmanship of the clan that only the heads of the Sma Clan could master. Now, that secret technique was at risk of vanishing.

The One Sword of Sma.

—Swish.

Smaak halted the sword he had extended. He stared at his trembling hand.

“…Damn it.”

The heavy curse didn’t go unanswered.

“Head of Sma.”

Smaak turned his head toward the voice.

Someone was sitting atop a tree. A masked warrior. An individual he had seen several times in passing.

“You’re quite diligent at this late hour.”

—A member of the Blood Demon Leader.

Smaak clicked his tongue. Beneath the politeness lay an edge.

He was very different from when they first met. The atmosphere had settled.

…A feeling similar to when he saw the Bloodless Sword. As if blood would pour endlessly if cut.

What would he be following him for?

Natural strength tightened around the hand that gripped the sword.

 

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