‘It can’t be…’
The old physician taking the pulse could not hide his surprise. Only this morning, the Manor Lord’s pulse had felt as if it would stop at any moment. But now, life had returned to his pulse.
In just a few hours.
‘His complexion has improved as well.’
All the symptoms of unknown origin had vanished. He was somewhat weakened from having been unconscious in his sickbed for so long, but with proper rest, there was a high chance he would recover fully. However, ‘The problem is his consciousness.’
The Manor Lord had been unconscious for a very long time. It was because he had not regained his senses that the Lotuswood Sword Manor was in an uproar over the matter of succession. Since he was in the process of recovering, the probability of him waking was high, but it was impossible to say when that would be.
If someone were to harm him before then…
‘…’
Just then, a sharp woman’s voice reached his ears.
“How is he?”
The old physician slowly raised his head. The owner of the voice was the Great Madam, Madam Seok. Her expression was different from usual.
When he had seen her in the morning, her eyes held a look of determination beneath her arrogance. The old physician had felt something ominous about it.
‘Something is going on.’
The old physician sensed that the situation was not simple. When he had rushed here, the Manor Lord’s arm was severed, and the room was filled with traces of occult arts, like talismans and red strings. And yet, the Occultist who performed the arts had been found dead.
The third young master was involved in the incident.
‘What in the world is happening?’
The old physician cautiously looked into Madam Seok’s eyes. Her gaze was trembling strangely. It was the kind of reaction one might have when something had gone wrong.
‘Things didn’t go as planned.’
Though his arm had been cut off, the Manor Lord’s complexion had improved considerably. As a martial artist herself, Madam Seok would have learned martial arts and should be able to gauge his condition to some extent. If so, she must have already noticed that his condition was better than it was this morning.
And yet, for her not to be pleased in the slightest…
‘Don’t tell me she wasn’t trying to heal him with the Occultist, but was plotting something with occult arts?’
It was entirely plausible. Everyone knew that the Manor Lord was considering the youngest Young Master, Mok Yu-cheon, as his successor. From the Great Madam’s perspective, she would rather the Manor Lord not wake up.
“Has his condition improved at all?”
At Madam Seok’s repeated question, the old physician hesitated for a moment. Only the two of them were present. If he were to say that the Manor Lord would soon awaken, he had a feeling Madam Seok might do something drastic.
After some thought, the old physician spoke carefully.
“…His complexion has brightened and his pulse has improved, but his condition is still poor. It is due to the prolonged illness. It would be best to see this as a final burst of life.”
“Ah…”
A final burst of life. It was a phrase that likens the brief moment of brightness in the sky just before the sun sets to the temporary surge of vitality before death. In truth, that was not the case, but he said it on purpose.
And yet, ‘Hah.’ The old physician was inwardly dumbfounded. Though she let out a groan as if in sorrow, Madam Seok’s expression and gaze were closer to relief.
She was surely acting this way because she did not want the Manor Lord to recover. The old physician looked at the Manor Lord and said to himself.
‘Manor Lord… there is no time. You must wake up.’
Otherwise, there was no telling what Madam Seok might do.
Stepping outside, the Great Madam Seok returned to her usual arrogant expression. As she came out onto the veranda, the Inner Hall Master, Jang Myeong-in, a one-eyed female warrior named Ho-aeng who served as her guard, and two handmaidens were waiting for her. Madam Seok approached Inner Hall Master Jang Myeong-in and spoke.
“Is the cause of death certain?”
At her question, Inner Hall Master Jang Myeong-in nodded and replied quietly.
“It is. He did not die from physical impact. I have seen many corpses over the years, but one like that…”
Jang Myeong-in gestured with his eyes towards the body of the dead Occultist, Myo Shin. It was covered with a straw mat, but on the exposed skin, blood vessels bulged grotesquely. She, too, had never seen such a corpse.
Madam Seok turned her head away from the body and asked in a low voice.
“What did they say?”
“According to the Guard, he came to pay a sick call.”
“A sick call…”
“Yes. Then, the Occultist went mad as if possessed, cut off the Manor Lord’s arm, and tried to kill him.”
“... What a mess.”
“My apologies. I should have at least been guarding the entrance to the pavilion…”
Jang Myeong-in bowed his head in apology. She shook her head.
“What can be done about what has already happened. But does it really seem that way?”
“What do you mean, does it seem that way?”
“That that boy really came for a sick call and just happened to discover it by chance?”
“…Considering the state of the body and the circumstances, it seems to be true.”
“Seems to be true?”
“Young Master Mok Gyeong-un even suffered an injury where his thigh was pierced by a sword. The bleeding was severe, and it could have been dangerous.”
That was how it looked to Jang Myeong-in. An injury of that degree would be difficult to inflict upon oneself. Had it been a light cut, not dangerous, or if there had been little bleeding, it might be different, but this left no room for doubt.
“…”
At his words, she still did not let go of her suspicion. Seeing this, Jang Myeong-in simply accepted it. It was because she disliked all the young masters except for the first young master.
Then she asked.
“Where is that boy now?”
“Pardon?”
“I’m talking about that boy, Mok Gyeong-un.”
“Ah. The third young master… I managed to stop the bleeding, but I sent him to the Medicine Hall for treatment.”
“The Medicine Hall?”
“Yes.”
Her gaze turned toward the Medicine Hall, located on the west side of the main building. Soon, her footsteps followed her gaze.
‘A pleasant smell.’
Mok Gyeong-un sniffed the air and smiled. The scent of various medicinal herbs, which he hadn’t smelled in a long time since descending the mountain, filled him with a fond nostalgia. Memories of following his grandfather to gather herbs.
As he recalled those fresh and beautiful memories, a contradictory emotion welled up again from a corner of his heart. -… A strange light flickered in the Demonic Monk’s eyes, which were nothing but white pupils. He was affected by the dense killing intent.
Ordinary killing intent would not have much effect on a vengeful spirit, but the one emanating from Mok Gyeong-un was different. It was so thick that even a vengeful spirit would find it unpleasant. It was a darkness qualitatively different from the resentment forged by circumstances.
It felt almost primal. -… Just then, Mok Gyeong-un asked in a low voice.
“So. Did you confirm it?” -…
At his question, the Demonic Monk nodded.
“Where is it?”
The Demonic Monk pointed his finger at a wall filled with stacks of medicine containers like a chest of drawers. At a glance, the entire wall literally looked like a medicine cabinet. And yet, the Demonic Monk pointed there.
On the medicine drawer the Demonic Monk pointed to, the word Five Suns was written. When the bark of the Paulownia tree is dried for a long time in a shaded place, it becomes a medicinal herb called Five Suns, but it was not commonly used.
‘That makes sense.’
They purposely targeted a drawer for a rarely used herb. The reason Mok Gyeong-un had the Demonic Monk confirm this was because of the words that came from the Manor Lord’s mouth.
[Medicine… Hall… basement… Jeong… stone… gate… inside…]
But there was no entrance to a basement within the Medicine Hall itself. He had expected as much. If it was an object precious enough for the Great Madam to covet, it was unlikely to be placed where everyone could see it.
‘Well, I’ll know once I check.’
Mok Gyeong-un looked around. Right now, the Medicine Hall was full of people who worked there, including the medicine boys. With so many watching eyes and listening ears, it seemed difficult to check.
It seemed he would have to wait until late at night. Just as he was thinking that. -Creek! The one who opened the door to the Medicine Hall and entered was none other than Guard Go Chan.
Go Chan came inside and approached Mok Gyeong-un. Mok Gyeong-un spoke to him.
“You’re a little late, aren’t you?”
At those words, Go Chan nearly scowled. The task Mok Gyeong-un had given him was not as simple as fetching water. It wasn’t something that could be done in an instant, so to be told he was late felt truly unfair.
“Where are they?”
At Mok Gyeong-un’s question, Go Chan took out two books from his robes.
“Only two books?”
At Mok Gyeong-un’s disappointed tone, Go Chan grumbled.
“Even these were secretly taken before they were burned.”
“Before they were burned?”
“Yes. The guards protecting the main building are burning the Occultist’s book chest and all of his belongings.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
At that, Mok Gyeong-un smacked his lips in disappointment. He had been interested in the Occultist’s arts and wanted to look through his books. But all he got out of so many books were just these two.
‘Yin-Yang Fundamental Scripture? Classic of Anomalies?’
Those were the titles of the two books. Still, Go Chan had managed to sneak away the two thickest books among those he had seen. It seemed he would have to be satisfied with these, disappointing as it was.
“You’ve worked hard.”
“But, Young Master… why did you want the Occultist’s books…”
Go Chan stopped mid-sentence. Then, he put the books he was about to hand to Mok Gyeong-un back inside his robes. Mok Gyeong-un looked at him, wondering why he was doing that.
But he soon understood the reason. -Stand back for a moment. -Yes. From outside the Medicine Hall, new presences approached and said something, and the guards protecting the entrance stepped aside. -Creeeeak! The door opened and someone appeared.
It was a middle-aged woman dressed in splendid clothes adorned with precious metals. Seeing her, Go Chan bowed his head with a surprised expression and greeted her.
“Greetings to the Great Madam.”
‘The Great Madam?’
She was none other than the Great Madam of the Lotuswood Sword Manor, Madam Seok. A strange light flickered in Mok Gyeong-un’s eyes. She was the woman mentioned in the information Guard Gam had given him.
It said that the Great Madam, Seok, was more dangerous and required more caution than the first young master, Mok Yeong-ho. She was from the Golden Flower Seok Family Manor, a martial arts family, so her martial arts were considerable, and she was described as a cunning woman.
‘Damn…’
Go Chan was just as bewildered by her appearance. Guard Gam had strongly advised him to prevent meetings with the Mok family members as much as possible to avoid any unforeseen circumstances, even though this Mok Gyeong-un’s appearance was an uncanny match for the real one.
“It is the Great Madam’s command. Everyone, get out.”
At the command of Ho-aeng, the one-eyed female Guard beside Madam Seok, everyone in the Medicine Hall went outside. -Rustle! As everyone was sent out, Guard Go Chan felt that something was wrong. He had never directly clashed with her, so he had no idea what was going on.
He was just wondering about it when, Madam Seok approached Mok Gyeong-un, who was sitting up on the bed. At this, Go Chan hurriedly gestured with his eyes.
‘Greet her. Greet her.’
Understanding this, Mok Gyeong-un clasped his hands and bowed his head respectfully.
“Please forgive me for not being able to stand, as my leg is injured.”
He greeted her better than expected. But the real test started now. The most telling difference between the fake and the real was the voice and manner of speaking.
Fortunately, this fake Mok Gyeong-un’s voice was similar to the dead, real one, and it had sounded similar enough during practice, but he was worried if it would pass.
‘Other than the first young master, the other young masters rarely have direct encounters with the Great Madam, but…’
Madam Seok was more sensitive and suspicious than he had thought. If he was found out here, it could lead to the worst possible situation. Just then, Madam Seok, who had come right up to him, opened her mouth.
“I didn’t come here just to receive a greeting.”
‘Haaah…’
For a moment, Go Chan almost let out a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Madam Seok didn’t seem to have noticed. It seemed he was more indistinguishable from the real one than expected.
It was still like walking on thin ice, but as long as he didn’t make a mistake, he might just get through this moment… -Squeeze!
‘!?’
Go Chan’s eyes widened. It was because Madam Seok had suddenly pressed down on the wound on Mok Gyeong-un’s thigh. At this, Mok Gyeong-un bowed his head and let out a groan as if in pain.
“Kkeueueu!”
‘D-damn it!’
Seeing this, Go Chan was utterly dismayed. It seemed the problem wasn’t whether he was real or fake. Judging by her attitude, she was doubting whether Mok Gyeong-un was truly injured or not.
“What did you see and what did you hear there?” -Press!
“Kkeup!”
Madam Seok pressed down harder on Mok Gyeong-un’s wound and spoke. Seeing this, Go Chan became restless. There was no way that crazy bastard couldn’t endure the pain.
But if he made a slip of the tongue in this situation, he would not only arouse the Great Madam’s suspicion but also make an enemy of her.
“Madam! You must have misunderstood something…” -Shing!
Go Chan stepped forward to stop her, but Madam Seok’s guard, Ho-aeng, drew her sword and aimed it at his throat.
“Do not interfere.”
‘Damn bitch!’
Go Chan didn’t know what to do. If he wasn’t even allowed to speak, Mok Gyeong-un would have to get through this situation on his own. Right now, the only way to get out of this was to endure it and act humbly.
Madam Seok’s Guard, Ho-aeng, was glaring at him, so he could no longer send signals with his eyes or mouth. -Squeeze! Just then, Madam Seok pressed Mok Gyeong-un’s thigh even harder and demanded.
“You may not know this, but it is rare for an Occultist of his skill to die by being possessed by an anomaly while performing his arts. And yet you say you stopped the Occultist who was possessed by something from cutting off the Manor Lord’s wrist and trying to harm him? Did you think I would easily believe that…” -Pfft!
At the sound that came from Mok Gyeong-un’s mouth, Madam Seok frowned. Just a moment ago, he had been writhing in pain. But did he just sneer?
If she hadn’t misheard, it was the sound of a scoff.
“You… surely you’re not…”
Just then, Mok Gyeong-un slowly raised his head. Seeing Mok Gyeong-un smiling with the corners of his mouth turned up, Madam Seok was momentarily speechless. Has this brat gone mad?
‘No, what is he doing now?’
Guard Go Chan was just as bewildered. In a situation where he was under suspicion, he should be bowing as low as possible. What was he doing?
As expected, Madam Seok spoke in a voice filled with anger.
“You bastard, have you truly…”
“Let’s not waste our energy on pointless things.”
“What?”
“You need the Manor Lord’s seal, don’t you?”
‘!?’