“Seems like I keep running into you quite often.”

In a quiet room.

Amid the subtle fragrance of wood, there was a rather harsh tea scent lingering.

As if reflecting the master’s character, the room was tidily arranged, and an old man was looking at me.

His eyes resembled the stillness of the room.

The emotions hidden behind his expressionless face revealed a glimpse of humanity.

Sensing this, I smiled slightly and responded.

“Indeed. At this rate, I might become quite fond of you.”

“…”

At my words, the old man’s beard trembled slightly.

“Star King. No, Star Dragon Master.”

The changed title made me feel slightly uneasy.

“Yes, Elder.”

“From now on, please call me Muk the Strategist.”

“Muk the Strategist.”

Right now, I was facing Muk Yeon, the legendary strategist who had returned to the alliance.

On the neatly arranged desk lay a mountain of letters.

Among them, something resembling a spirit pill was faintly visible.

‘That looks like it’s from Shaolin.’

Certainly not from any summoning group or the like, but it appeared to be a lower-tier spirit pill made in Shaolin.

Though it was lower-tier, its value couldn’t be overlooked.

Had they piled it up like a mountain just like that?

It seemed none had been consumed.

Anyway, it was clear that the alliance was quite concerned about Muk Yeon.

“Star King.”

“Yes?”

Among those items, Muk Yeon spoke to me.

“The reason this old man refrained from participating in today’s Star Dragon selection test is that I thought it was your wish, Star King. Since I had already been requested to oversee it, I deemed it unnecessary to attend. Am I mistaken in my judgment?”

“No, you are correct.”

“Thank you. Then, allow me to ask.”

Thud.

Muk Yeon took a sip of tea and set the cup down.

In that moment, my gaze swept over the tea water, and I breathed deeper to catch the aroma.

“Why has this situation arisen?”

“…”

“I heard that the Iron Dragon Lord and the applicants engaged in a duel. They said the Iron Dragon Lord wished to verify the examination process himself due to suspicions. Is that correct?”

“…That’s correct.”

“I see. I will need to discuss this matter in more detail with the Iron Dragon Lord. Moving on.”

Rustle.

Muk Yeon picked up a letter from the table.

This was the so-called account of events that I wrote myself.

“This concerns the ambush and assault on the Gold Dragon Master.”

“…”

This was also the reason I was having this discussion with Muk Yeon.

“With the Gold Dragon Master currently unconscious, we cannot verify both sides’ statements. Thus, all we have is the words of the Deputy Lord of the Gold Dragon and the account from the Star Dragon Lord. Therefore, I ask you.”

Muk Yeon’s gaze immediately darkened.

Seeing that made my throat tighten involuntarily. Despite being a person who should have no stakes in this, the shift in his expression felt so different.

“What happened?”

His heavy eyes inquired, and I steadied my breath.

“I believe I have sufficiently detailed why it occurred.”

I had written down everything.

Right after I struck the Gold Dragon Master, of course, the Guardian Unit and other martial artists arrived immediately. I also recalled the shocked looks directed at me and the bloodied double blades.

Eyes filled with caution.

Even the slightly nervous body movements suggested they were on guard against me possibly spiraling out of control.

The double blades were Transformation Realm Martial Artists, and quite strong within the alliance.

For someone like that to be knocked out by me served as a testament to the fact that there were few who could stop me if I truly lost control.

That was why they were acutely tense, unsure of how to handle the situation.

“Arrest me, please.”

I instead extended my hands to request restraint.

I knew this would happen, so I had no intention of causing a riot.

“Star Dragon Master.”

“Yes, Muk the Strategist.”

“That means the Gold Dragon Master planned to falsely claim that the Sword Dance Hero used demonic techniques during his duel, and he attempted to spread false rumors of illegal dealings between the Iron Dragon Lord and the Star Dragon Lord. Am I correct?”

Rustle.

A letter was flipped over.

“So you’re saying that after hearing that, you lost control and resorted to violence?”

“That’s correct.”

A clean summary without fluff.

I had thought I might need to provide extra explanations since I wrote it rather hastily, but Muk Yeon pinpointed only the necessary parts to reach his conclusion.

However.

“I have confirmed everything you stated, but the evidence is lacking.”

This account was written solely from my perspective.

As Muk Yeon said, its credibility was weak.

Additionally.

“This involves an incident where a great lord was ambushed by another great lord. In such a situation, it is unreasonable to judge solely based on the assailant’s account.”

“I understand.”

“Therefore, I will ask again.”

Muk Yeon placed the letter back on the table.

“What happened?”

“…Muk the Strategist, as I mentioned earlier—”

“This is not a question regarding the account.”

“Then what?”

“Star Dragon Master. Are you aware of how you are facing me right now?”

“Well, you called for me, didn’t you?”

“That is correct. This conversation without shackles here, not conducted by the Guardian Unit or any internal suppression unit, is exclusively due to my exercising my authority.”

He boldly admitted to abusing his power.

However, Muk Yeon’s demeanor was more solid than shameless.

“Originally, these discussions should be handled directly by the Guardian Unit, but I sincerely wanted to ask, so I arranged this meeting.”

“Should I be grateful then?”

“You don’t need to.”

“Understood.”

“Regarding the words that became an issue leading to the assault… I find that part strange.”

“If you don’t believe me, you can impose a Golden Binding. Regardless, my statement won’t change.”

“Imposing a Golden Binding on a great lord is prohibited in the alliance.”

“…Is that so?”

Was there such a rule?

I thought it was a rather pointless stipulation. Why wouldn’t they do it?

‘If they just imposed that, finding traitors would be so much easier. Tsk tsk.’

No wonder the internal worms were crawling everywhere.

“So, you can’t trust my words… and there’s no evidence. What do you wish to do?”

“Oh, it’s not that I can’t trust you.”

“Yes?”

“I simply see it as a question. Why would the Star Dragon Master make such a choice… that’s all.”

“I fail to see your reasoning. Everything regarding my choice is detailed in the account—”

“From what I have seen, you don’t seem to be the type to be overly emotional.”

I flinched. Muk Yeon’s words made me momentarily pause. I hastily needed to add a response.

“You’ve misjudged me, Strategist. I’m quite the fiery person.”

“Yes, I agree with you.”

What…?

“You are a blazing flame, capable of incinerating anything that stands before you. However.”

Muk Yeon’s gaze remained heavy and stoic on me. That felt even more burdensome.

“It’s a flame that knows when to burn.”

“What an intriguing phrase. What kind of flame knows when to burn?”

I couldn’t relate to his words.

Flames are disasters.

They cannot choose when to ignite or extinguish; that’s why they are called calamities.

A flame that knows when to burn? What a contradictory statement.

“And that’s what makes it more frightening. A flame that knows when it should burn, how terrifying is that?”

“…So, do you think I’m such a frightening person, Muk the Strategist?”

“Hmm, I can’t say that with conviction.”

Rustle. Muk Yeon grabbed a spirit pill from in front of him and peeled off its shell.

He popped it in his mouth, and a fragrant aroma wafted through the air.

“If someone dares to become scared, they will surely be a fearful person. Moreover. You are not someone who would recklessly mess things up without thought— that is how I view the Star Dragon Master.”

“Your exalted evaluation is undeserved for a mere hothead.”

“Then it seems I must be mistaken. However, I believe the great lord would not be the type to create such chaos without careful thought.”

“…”

“That’s why I was curious. Surely you have considered the problems arising from clashing with other great lords within the alliance.”

Despite claiming to share his subjective opinions, Muk Yeon’s voice was filled with certainty.

The more I listened, the more I found it difficult to react.

“…If there’s any overestimation, I don’t quite understand what you see in me.”

It felt like he was attributing a thousand meanings to something that was just a simple slap.

“It seems Muk Yeon is indeed fixated on this.”

Initially, I had expected to be shackled in the interrogation room for a meeting with the Guardian Unit.

Ah, of course….

‘I was planning to come here by using some tactics from the interrogation room.’

But I never expected to arrive directly at where Muk Yeon was without passing through the interrogation room.

“I understand your intention, Strategist, but as you mentioned, I’m not someone capable of deep thought.”

“Is that so? That’s quite disappointing.”

“…”

His tone was one of disbelief.

Damn it.

Why the heck is he acting this way towards me?

Generally, those who approach me can be categorized into two types. One is:

‘Someone who nitpicks no matter what I do.’

Most of those who wouldn’t lack a bit, like the recently smacked double blade users or the Sword King, were like that.

If not this type, it’s the other:

‘Someone who has unreasonable expectations despite me doing nothing.’

There are those who endlessly inflate expectations, and it seems Muk Yeon is one of this latter kind.

He certainly seems to belong to the more bothersome category.

Since he is overestimating me, he won’t let his guard down. Such people aren’t even sure of their own estimates and will go to great lengths to confirm their expectations.

There are few who are as annoying as these.

And it was just like this yet again.

“Given that you have no intention, I understand. Regarding the situation, I plan to determine a course of action after hearing the stories from the Gold Dragon Master and the Deputy Lord, who are directly involved.”

Even though there was skepticism in his eyes, his words didn’t reflect that.

His lowered eyes captured only me.

“However, even if what the Star Dragon Master said holds true, it is still merely a case of an assault that blatantly contradicts the rules. Please keep this in mind.”

“I’m aware.”

“Depending on the situation, it could lead to the revocation of your position… but as you know, the current Martial Alliance needs the Star Dragon Master, so it likely won’t come to that.”

“Yes.”

Just as Muk Yeon said, I was well aware of that.

So it’s not as if I haven’t done anything wrong.

“If there’s something in particular I wish to push forward, it would be regarding the conditions you laid out to take your seat.”

Swish.

As Muk Yeon spoke, he handed over a letter to me. Upon receiving it, I realized it was the contract I had written down beforehand.

“I believe the part where you receive support from two of the Sword Teams in the alliance should be revised. Are you okay with that?”

“…Haha.” After seeing that, I let out a hollow laugh.

Was it because of the reckless part? That he brought up the conditions? No, it wasn’t that.

‘How does this old man…?’

It was rather impressive. A mix of admiration seeped into my laughter.

“How did you know?”

At my words, Muk Yeon smiled slightly.