Chapter 29 Promotion (2)

Chapter 29 Promotion (2)

The members of Squad 17 blended into the new department better than expected.

“So what happened?”

“You bastards dared to disrupt the Nine Dragons Fortress event and still expect to live?! I threw my Flying Star Shrapnel at them, and those bastards just screamed ‘Oh my god!’ and ran off.”

Yang Gang charmed the seniors with some bluster he’d picked up who-knows-where.

“I’ll call it out for you, so write it down. Sword is ‘hyun’, press is ‘hwang’. Hey now, what kind of monkey has such a bad memory… No, that’s not what I meant. Put your fists down a bit…”

Yu So-pyeong gathered the illiterate members of the group to teach them characters.

“Extra! Well, someone saw the Fifteenth Squad Leader with the Seventh Squad Leader!”

Ha Jin-hyeong spread sensationalized, tabloid-style rumors mixed with lies, grabbing the seniors’ interest.

Finally, Dang Pal-i…

“…Originally… Poison… difficult.“

”Hey, just write it down. Someone bring him some paper!“

In many ways, he was making the seniors burst out laughing.

Well, at least it seems they’re getting along well without forming cliques.

”Alright, let’s get started with the day’s work.“

”Yes.”

Unlike other squads, which maintained a number between five and seven including the squad leader, Squad One’s total members exceeded thirty.

The duties of Squad One weren’t about patrolling and guarding designated areas.

Their work involved guarding critical facilities like the embankment or stables I’d destroyed in the past, responding to issues arising in the outer city, and handling incidents and accidents.

It was work that was practically half a judicial institution.

This wasn’t due to some principle of official inviolability, as seen in other martial arts novels.

It was simply because the court had descended into utter chaos, leaving the empire’s administrative power woefully inadequate.

Against this backdrop, the Emperor delegated administrative authority over the area to the Nine Dragons Fortress.

The reasoning was that entrusting the territory to those with power was preferable to letting bandits run rampant.

Roughly speaking, it was privatization.

The Outer Court came to fulfill the judicial role within that governance.

Buzzing with activity.

The once-quiet open space in the first courtyard soon filled with people.

From those who’d suffered injustice and came to lodge complaints, to pickpockets caught red-handed, to drunks dragged in for causing disturbances.

All manner of people came, each voicing their own grievance.

For me, who had lived peaceful days, it was utterly bewildering.

Still, as a salaried employee, dereliction of duty was unthinkable.

I lay in the shade and watched the work of the Iljo.

Woo Je-jun, the most senior among the team members, began dealing with them one by one.

“You drank and smashed a street vendor’s stall, did you?”

“I’m not at fault, sir. I just tripped over it and kicked it. I didn’t know it would break so easily.”

“You caused damage to others, so you must compensate. Go pay them and come back.”

“Huh? How much are you talking about?”

“Give whatever the victim demands. Even if it’s a rip-off, just pay up. Refuse, and I’ll issue a deportation order.”

“…Understood.”

Seems we’ve dealt with one drunkard for now.

“He was picking pockets… How many times has this one been caught?”

A nearby officer answered his question.

“Four times this year alone.”

“Five strokes of the cane will do.”

The captured man protested, veins bulging in his neck.

“What? Corporal punishment?! I already paid the money back…”

“Then shall we deport you outside the city walls?”

“…No.”

The habitual offender was also dealt with.

While I was watching this stern judicial process unfold for quite some time…

“Black-clad men are fighting on Taeryong-ro!”

A call to action arose.

The team members looked at me, as if asking what to do.

“I’ll go myself. The rest of you stay and handle your tasks. We’re already busy; do we really need to swarm over to this?”

Then, Woo Je-jun approached.

“I’ll go with you.”

“You don’t have to come alone?”

“You haven’t even received a proper handover yet, have you? It would be helpful if I came.”

“Well, if that’s the case…”

A short while later.

Thud. Thump. Crack.

Arriving at Taeryong-ro, we saw a dozen or so black-clad figures swinging clubs and fists at each other.

It was broad daylight, so they weren’t using knives, but we couldn’t just stand by.

“Stop right there!”

My shout, infused with inner strength, halted the black-clad men. They split into left and right groups.

“What the hell are you doing in broad daylight? Can’t you see people are scared?”

One from the left group asked.

“You’re from the Outer Court?”

This bastard. Doesn’t seem to recognize my face.

Looks like the Turyong brand needs more viral marketing.

“Yes.”

“You seem to be a new warrior. If you keep acting so rigid, you might get into serious trouble. I’ll leave today, but remember my advice.”

With that, the men began to leave.

“Hold on.”

“…What now?”

“Clean this place up before you go. Pay for anything you broke too.”

“……”

The man glared.

“Why? Is resentment boiling inside you? Should I knock some sense into you?”

Just as he was about to throw a punch, the glaring man glanced at Woo Je-jun and bowed his head.

“I will.”

After wrapping things up and heading back, Woo Je-jun murmured softly.

“I wonder if we pushed them too hard.”

“Why should we give a damn about those Black Path scum?”

If things get out of hand, we’ll just wage war on crime.

“Individually, they’re nothing special, but when they gather together, they’re tough to deal with. Like Lee Seon-bang of the Black Snakes, for example.”

“Lee Sun-bang?”

“Yes. It’s the largest black-cloaked faction, with over five hundred members just recently. Probably only by combining all the black-cloaked forces in the outer city would you get a similar number.”

‘They’ve grown that big?’

The bald guy was more capable than I thought.

I never realized it, seeing him just eating his meals while polishing his head every day.

“Anyway, you should be especially careful when dealing with those Iseonbang bastards, if nowhere else. Once they set their minds to it and start making trouble, things get really tough.”

Hearing about Iseonbang, an idea popped into my head.

“If he helps us, wouldn’t things get a bit easier?”

“Huh?! You mean Lee Seonbang-ju?”

“Yeah, if he just told the Parakho not to cause trouble, our workload would cut in half, right?”

“That might be true, but he’s famous for keeping a low profile. Even the members of Lee Seonbang don’t know where he is.”

He stops by our house morning and night, doesn’t he?

“Don’t worry about that. There’s a way.”

We can meet him over dinner later tonight.

“…You really are a master.”

“Why bring up masters now?”

“Aren’t you trying to track him down by spreading your aura?”

“…I’m not some missile defense system. How big is the outer city? That’s impossible. Let’s just go back. I’ve got work to do.”

“Huh? Missile defense system?”

Yeah. The missile intercept system your descendants will resent later.

“Let’s hurry. I’m tired.”

Leaving a bewildered Woo Je-jun behind, he returned to Iljogak.

***

Evening.

Leaving the team members who wanted to go out for drinks behind, I forced myself to head home.

A long line stretched outside the house.

Cheongjang-maejeong Muteun’s branch, where Cheongso-go was the specialist and Myo-hyang was the nurse, was bustling with business again today.

“Alright, alright. Business is closed for today, so go home.”

“Who the hell are you to tell us that?”

“Me? I’m the landlord.”

“Tu, Turyong!”

“Get lost already?!”

“Yes, sir!”

The guys in line scurried away, clearing the spot.

‘That’s more like it.’

“Next person, come in.”

Just then, Myohyang came out.

“Oh? Why the early departure?”

“Getting promoted means more flexible hours.”

It was a privilege reserved for the three executives of the Oedang.

For reference, the positions considered executives of the Oedang were the Head, the Deputy Head, and myself, the Work Supervisor.

“But did you see the people outside? There were tons of them just a moment ago, and suddenly they’re gone.”

“Ah! Those guys? I kicked them all out.”

“Huh?”

“It’s almost dinner time, right? So I kicked them all out.”

“Are you out of your mind?! What if you drive away the customers?!”

Myohyang’s eyes instantly lit up with anger.

“Ah, no, I was worried my sister might be struggling…”

“You’re the one making it hardest for her, you know?!”

The nagging didn’t end there.

“What did you say? You chased away the customers? Team Leader Jin, you’re completely insane, aren’t you?!”

Even the cleaning staff inside joined in, unleashing a torrent of complaints.

The high-pitched nagging echoed through the kitchen.

A short while later, dinnertime.

Thud!

A soup bowl flew and landed in front of me.

The spilled soup soaked the floor, but I didn’t utter a word. No, I couldn’t.

Zing.

The two women’s aura was simply too menacing.

‘This isn’t good.’

I scooped up my soup, thinking that breaking up the bond between these two women—as strong as the US-Korea alliance—was the top priority.

“Sis? Why is it only my bowl that has no meat in it…?”

“What did you say?”

“Ah, nothing.”

A chilly evening atmosphere, like daggers piercing my chest.

I shoveled my rice down as fast as possible.

Slurp slurp.

“Wow! You truly are Miss Miao. This deep flavor resonates in my heart.”

Yongmasan downed his soup in one gulp, marveling at its goodness.

‘That scalding hot stuff…’

I couldn’t be sure, but his palate must have been completely scorched.

Taking advantage of the moment he injured his mouth, I spoke.

“Hey. Yongmasan.”

“Speak.”

“Let’s have a drink.”

“To celebrate your promotion?”

“How did you know I got promoted?”

“Nothing happening in the outer city escapes my notice.”

“Just what I’d expect from a Black Path scoundrel—quick with the news. Fine, let’s drink to your promotion then.”

“Well, I suppose there’s no harm in that.”

And so the drinking session began.

They intended to go to an inn, but Myohyang prepared snacks, so the table was set for drinking right there.

As he tilted the bottle to fill the cups, Yongmasan’s voice came in.

“What’s the occasion for wanting to drink it all? You usually ignore me completely.”

“When did I ever ignore you? Hey! Saying that hurts my feelings. We’ve crossed the line of life and death together.”

“And that kind of person gets paid for meals? Two taels a month, no less?”

“You just don’t know. Our meals use organic vegetables and animal welfare-certified meat, so the ingredient costs are different.”

“Cut the crap.”

Raising his cup to Yongmasan, he drank and asked.

“Get to the point.”

“Ahem, well, it’s like this…”

I requested Yongmasan’s cooperation with the Oedang’s affairs.

Nodding as he listened to my explanation, Yongmasan answered with a faint smile.

“What kind of nonsense is that?”

“Hey, this isn’t a bad offer for you either, you know?”

“How so?”

“From what I’ve seen the guys in the Second Division do, they don’t touch civilians. Sometimes they even help the poor. You ordered that, right?”

“Correct. Even outlaws have their principles and rules.”

“So they only clash with other outlaws? Mostly turf wars, then.”

“That’s true too.”

“In that situation, what if I, the head of the Ijokjang, were to back you up?”

“…!”

The thick tendon right in the middle of Yongmasan’s forehead twitched.

It was a sight I hadn’t seen since the day long ago when Myohyang grabbed his hand, begging me for help.

“Well? Starting to sound tempting?”

“… I won’t deny it. But if we take your hand, Lee Sun-bang won’t escape censure.“

”Am I a fool? Push him around so obviously?”

I gave Yongmasan a few examples.

Like not cracking down on the gambling dens Lee Sun-bang runs.

Or not pursuing Lee Sun-bang’s men when they flee. There were many ways.

“Conversely, what if we crack down daily on your competitors’ businesses? On the condition we never touch civilians again.”

“…An enticing offer.”

“Will you? Or not?”

“I will. But there’s one condition.”

“What is it?”

“If you don’t charge for the meal, I’ll consider it.”

That’s something I’ll need to think about.