CFZ

Hello friends, read this very carefully. Work on this novel is being moved to our backup site Mynovels.net. You just need to register there with your nickname and password, the same as you use on . See you there!
_____________________________

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Muk Yeon maintained his feigned ignorance in response to my question.

But no amount of pretending could hide the truth.
‘When did he figure it out?’
The reason he deliberately brought up those terms—

It was because I had already planned to use them myself.
I had prepared them in advance when drafting my incident report before coming here.
The Alliance wouldn’t dare throw me away, given my current value.

Even if I received punishment, I had already crafted a justification to reduce the severity.
Support from the Sword Divisions?
It wasn’t even necessary.

What use was their support to me?
It was nothing more than a tool—meant to intimidate the other commanders.
And more than that—

‘A spark to ignite the flames.’
It was bait to provoke conflict.
It had already proven effective, stirring agitation among some of them.

I had prepared to manipulate the situation or, if needed, use it as a fallback plan.
But now—
‘He already knew?’
That old man had seen right through me.

Maybe he hadn’t uncovered every layer of my intent,
But he understood the gist of my plan.
And to prove it, he immediately suggested revising the terms.

‘Damn.’
Now it made sense.
I had wondered how he intended to control the backlash from the commanders.

He had simply been waiting—letting the tension build, knowing something would eventually break.
And—
‘He thinks I’ll act in line with his plans and use me for it?’

During the last commanders’ meeting,
Muk Yeon had shown hints of expectation toward me.
I had noticed it then, even if only vaguely.

But now I was sure.
Muk Yeon—
The battlefield ghost and political specter—

‘He wants a purge.’
Muk Yeon wanted to purge the Martial Alliance.
A clean sweep—tearing down the old to make way for the new.

Rather than leaving stagnant waters untouched,
He intended to flood them out completely.
To prepare for the coming storm,

He needed a new structure.
And for that—
‘He needed to replace the commanders.’

And to achieve that—
‘He’s planning to use me.’
Muk Yeon’s method was to weaponize me.

He would use me to intimidate the commanders, and if necessary, to remove them.
Honestly?
I didn’t care.

I wasn’t about to let him use me freely—
‘Because I’ll be using him too.’
I needed leverage in the Alliance,

And Muk Yeon was my ticket to getting it.
But—
‘He already knew ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) that too?’

This conversation was proof.
Just as I had figured out Muk Yeon’s motives,
Muk Yeon had figured out mine.

That was why he called me here directly.
‘What a terrifying old man.’
By removing my demands from the equation,

He effectively neutralized any objections from the other divisions.
‘And since I was just bait to stir the pot, removing me didn’t matter.’
Muk Yeon came out clean, managing the situation without taking any hits.

‘Hah.’
I had wondered how to untangle this mess—
‘Turns out it won’t be easy.’

Dealing with someone who had spent decades navigating politics was no small feat.
‘Maybe I should eliminate him sooner rather than later.’
Leaving this old man alive might cost me more in the long run.

“I’ll leave the revisions in your capable hands, Strategist Muk.”
“I’ll take that as your consent. I’ll send someone to notify you of the adjustments.”
“…Understood.”

“Technically, you should remain inside the Alliance until the investigation concludes, but I’ll make an exception.”
“…Aren’t you afraid of losing your position for abusing your authority?”
“Haha.”

His laugh carried no fear whatsoever.
And I agreed.
Who in their right mind would dare remove Muk Yeon?

“I’ll take this as a gesture of goodwill. I won’t forget your expectations, Strategist Muk.”
“I’m not sure what expectations you’re referring to.”
He feigned ignorance again.

I couldn’t tell if it was an act or genuine.
But—
‘No. It’s deliberate.’

I was certain.
Muk Yeon planned to use me.
Even as he doubted me, he had already decided to exploit me.

It was a dangerous move,
But it was one he had clearly deemed necessary.
And it made sense—

‘He doesn’t have much time left anyway.’
Muk Yeon didn’t look like someone with years to spare.
‘...’

That thought lingered as something clicked in my mind.
“Strategist Muk.”
“Yes?”

“Are we done here?”
“I’ve said what I needed to. If you’re busy, you can go. I’ll handle the guards myself.”
“Understood. I’ll return when I have updates.”

“Take care. I won’t see you out.”
“Yes. Until next time.”
I gave a brief bow and turned toward the door.

Just as I reached for the handle—
“Oh, and Strategist Muk.”
I paused and looked back.

“That tea you’re drinking.”
“Yes?”
“Switch it out for Mu Ryeong Grass. Tae Seom Flowers might help with paralysis, but they retain traces of toxicity, no matter how much you dry them. Mu Ryeong Grass is better for pain relief.”

“...”
“Good day.”
With that, I stepped out and closed the door.

Shortly after—
“…Hah.”
Muk Yeon let out a low chuckle.

“Still sharp as ever.”
His voice carried the weight of regret.

   *****************
   

After finishing my meeting with Muk Yeon, I returned straight to my quarters.
Given the incident I had caused, the stares within the Alliance were somewhat odd.
But since Muk Yeon had already passed along his words, no one dared to stop me.

Despite the fact that I had beaten a unit commander to a pulp, they simply let me go.
What’s more—
‘Some of them actually looked pleased.’

It felt like they were suppressing satisfaction behind their uncomfortable expressions.
‘Twin Crescent Swords. I guess that guy’s reputation inside the Alliance speaks for itself.’
Judging by their reactions, it was clear how much of a nuisance Twin Crescent Swords had been.

The man had been a commander for a long time.
Yet he was beaten and humiliated by someone who had barely entered the Alliance.
And there were people who were actually happy about it?

What kind of life had he been leading to provoke such a response?
It was almost funny.
‘Anyway, Muk Yeon said he’d take care of it, so it should be fine.’

Muk Yeon had promised to shield me from the consequences of breaking a commander.
While the conversation had hinted at deeper intentions,
The takeaway was clear—he would handle it.

And more than that—
‘He’s basically daring me to see how far I’ll push things.’
It felt like he was encouraging me to test the limits.

That was my impression, at least.
‘I’ll have to keep pushing the line to figure it out.’
What exactly was Muk Yeon’s goal?

How far would he let me go?
I’d have to test it step-by-step.
The only problem was—

‘It’s tricky.’
Navigating Muk Yeon’s intentions was going to be complicated.
No matter how much I tried to outthink him,

I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was just another pawn in his game.
If I moved carelessly,
It might be better to do nothing at all.

‘Hmm…’
The man was a monster.
If there were martial artists who had reached the heavens with their strength,

Muk Yeon had likely reached the heavens in politics.
‘Even if Cheon Yulang’s battle instincts were a bit dull…’
Muk Yeon had turned even that dullness into precision.

‘I can’t make careless moves.’
Planning anything in Hanam would require more effort than usual.
Of course, Jegal Hyuk would arrive soon, which might help.

But—
‘Whether Jegal Hyuk can be useful to Muk Yeon is another issue.’
No matter how smart Jegal Hyuk was,

He wasn’t the same person as in my previous life.
And I hadn’t planned to involve him too deeply in this matter.
I’d need alternative strategies.

“Hah…”
I sighed without realizing it.
The situation was beyond frustrating.

There were too many pieces to handle,
And trying to sort it all out with my limited brainpower was a nightmare.
“…You guys…”

I forced myself to suppress my irritation as I looked at the three standing before me.
“How did you even find out?”
“...”

The three flinched at my question.
They were women with completely different hair colors—
Namgung Bi-ah, Wi Seol-ah, and Tang So-yeol.

They stood with both arms raised,
As if they were being punished.
I hadn’t ordered them to stand like that—they did it themselves.

“I tried to keep this quiet. How did you know?”
They refused to answer.
They kept avoiding my gaze.

I reached out and pinched Wi Seol-ah’s cheek.
“Eek…!”
“No answer?”

“Y-young Master, that hurts…!”
Even as she complained, she still didn’t answer.
Neither did the other two.

And that was precisely why I was messing with them.
“…How did you find out and apply to support me?”
All three had applied to join the Star Dragon Unit.

I had intentionally posted the recruitment notice late and created distractions to avoid their involvement.
Yet somehow, they were already listed.
‘I went through so much trouble to divert attention.’

I had taken extra measures to keep things under wraps,
But these three had still slipped through.
‘They were prepared ahead of time.’

They must have known all along.
They just waited until the last moment to act.
Thanks to that, my plans were ruined.

If I had caught on earlier,
I could have rejected them outright—but it was already too late.
‘Everything fell apart because of Namgung Bi-ah.’

Once Namgung Bi-ah started sparring with Silver Wolf Sword,
Rumors about her spread quickly in Hanam.
Her talent and performance made her an instant topic of discussion.

And now that she had stepped into the spotlight,
There was no way to hide.
And it wasn’t just her—

“…Why are the two of you here too…?”
Wi Seol-ah, the Crescent Moon Sword.
Tang So-yeol, the Poison Queen.

They had both made waves during the martial tournament,
Their names carried weight now.
And since I had already accepted Namgung Bi-ah,

I had no choice but to accept these two as well.
And because of that—
Rumors about me had taken a turn for the worse.

Something about—
‘The Star King stuffing his unit with women to suit his tastes.’
The moment I heard it, I wanted to track down whoever started it and tear them apart.

‘This is driving me insane.’
It was impossible not to feel defeated.
“We’ll do our best!”

“Yes, we’ll work hard!”
“…Sure.”
“Sigh.”

It didn’t matter how hard they worked.
I already knew they’d excel.
But that wasn’t the point.

I couldn’t undo what had already happened,
But I still regretted it.
‘I should’ve just rejected Namgung Bi-ah.’

If I had stopped her from the start, none of this would have happened.
But now it was too late.
Still—

“Seriously, how did you find out? Who told you?”
“...”
No answers.

“Whoever speaks first gets off easy.”
“That’s—!”
Tang So-yeol flinched and almost spoke—

Smack!
Wi Seol-ah slapped her hand over Tang So-yeol’s mouth.
“…Sister.”

“…Mmph.”
I scowled and was about to press further when—
-Young Master.

“...”
A voice interrupted me.
It was Nahi’s transmission.

-Apologies for interrupting, sir.
-What is it?
I usually hated being interrupted,

But Nahi never cut in unless it was important.
-This may be sudden, but…
-The Shadow King has just arrived in Hanam.

“...”
It was a name I hadn’t heard in a long time.