‘This is insane!’
Guard Go Chan wore a horrified expression. The sight of the severed arm flopping about like a fish was absurd enough, but the brazen actions of this fake Mok Gyeong-un were becoming too much to handle. No matter how dire the Manor Lord's condition was, to mercilessly chop off a martial artist's right arm... he was far too fearless.
‘What am I to do?’
If the Great Madam, Madam Seok, or the other Young Masters were to find out, all hell might break loose. Whatever the reason might be. -Tear! For now, Go Chan tore a strip of cloth from his own clothes and tightly bound the Manor Lord's arm above the severed stump to stop the bleeding.
“Haaa....”
Watching the color drain from the Manor Lord's face, Occultist Myo Shin let out a deep sigh. In truth, this method wasn't entirely wrong. When an Impurity becomes uncontrollable, gathering it into a part of the body and severing it is one possible approach.
‘…That a fellow who knows nothing of anomalies or Impurities could make such a decision is simply dumbfounding.’
It was enough to make one shake their head in disbelief. However, this method was, quite literally, a last resort. Using such an extreme method on someone from a great family or a person of power made dealing with the aftermath difficult.
“That was a foolish thing to do.”
Occultist Myo Shin said, clicking his tongue. He wanted to say more, but cleaning up this mess was the priority now. Although the anomaly in the Manor Lord's body had been expelled by concentrating it into the severed arm, the problem was not yet completely resolved. -Slap!
Occultist Myo Shin peeled the talisman with the character for Suppression written on it from the Manor Lord's forehead and slapped it onto the severed arm, which was twitching and jumping on its own. Then, forming a hand seal, he recited an incantation.
“The Northern Emperor bestows upon me a talisman to strike down evil spirits! As I spread the divine scripture, any who dare disobey shall be confined to the city of Fengdu! By my command, act with haste!” -Bulge!
Bulge!
At that, the veins all over the thrashing arm bulged grotesquely, turning black. It was a sight difficult to behold for anyone with a weak stomach. Even Guard Go Chan turned his head away, but Mok Gyeong-un watched the grotesquely transformed arm with an intrigued expression. -Sizzzzzle!
The talisman quivered, and the skin beneath it turned red-hot. As if affected by it, the bulging areas around the talisman began to subside.
‘What a shame.’
Occultist Myo Shin inwardly clicked his tongue. Unlike a typical anomaly, this one was infused with a killing curse. A killing curse was a type of malediction.
In other words, this wasn't some chance encounter with an anomaly; it had been inflicted intentionally. Usually, when a killing curse is involved, there is a way to trace it back to its source.
However, now that the anomaly was concentrated in this dead piece of flesh, even if he were to reverse the killing curse, it would not harm the originator, and tracing them would be difficult.
‘This brat ruined everything.’
That was why he was lamenting inwardly. It seemed he would have to perform a perfunctory purification, prove that it wasn't his fault, and get out of this place as quickly as possible. After all, he had failed to obtain what the Great Madam wanted.
It was at that very moment. -Shnk! A cold, sharp sensation on the right side of his neck. The sensation caused Occultist Myo Shin, who was in the middle of his incantation, to stop abruptly.
“... What is the meaning of this?”
A chillingly blue blade was pressed against his neck. The one holding the blade to his throat was none other than Mok Gyeong-un.
“Young Master!”
Guard Go Chan was also flustered by Mok Gyeong-un's sudden, rash action. However, when Mok Gyeong-un brought a finger to his lips in a gesture for silence, he could say no more.
‘No, what on earth is this bastard thinking?’
While he stood there in bewilderment, Mok Gyeong-un parted his lips.
“From the looks of it, they call you an Occultist. Is the Manor Lord's life-and-death struggle related to this thing right now?”
“Can’t you tell just by looking? Your Manor Lord has been corrupted by an anomaly.”
“What is an anomaly?”
At this fundamental question from Mok Gyeong-un, Occultist Myo Shin swallowed dryly. He needed to hurry and perform the exorcism, but he had no idea why the young man was acting this way.
“Young Master... I will explain everything, so please remove the sword. If I do not purify this completely, the Manor Lord’s condition could worsen again.”
“Are you certain?”
“What?”
“It's been severed from the body, so how can his condition worsen again?”
At Mok Gyeong-un’s question, Occultist Myo Shin’s eyes wavered. Usually, when such strange events occurred, people tended to trust the word of an expert, the Occultist. But this young fellow was doubting him.
Occultist Myo Shin answered calmly.
“Listen here. I am performing my occult arts after receiving payment from the Great Madam. Why would I lie? The longer this takes, the more the Manor Lord's life is in danger...” -Shnk!
Before he could finish his sentence, the blade cut slightly into his neck. Startled, Occultist Myo Shin gasped in shock.
“Wh-what is this? Do you really intend to ruin everything? I don't know who you are, Young Master, but if the Manor Lord dies, it could all be your fault.”
“If the Manor Lord passes away, it would be your fault for failing to perform the occult arts properly despite being paid. How would it be my fault?”
‘!?’
Occultist Myo Shin was momentarily at a loss for words. The fact that this brat showed no hint of wavering even as he spoke like this made it seem as if he had no interest in the Manor Lord's survival at all.
‘Could it be that, like the Great Madam, he’s not hoping for the Manor Lord to live, but waiting for him to die?’
He couldn't rule out that possibility. While performing his occult arts, he had witnessed such things countless times. Power struggles within a family.
‘If that’s the case...’
“I’d appreciate it if you answered my questions instead of trying to think your way out.” -Puk!
The blade dug deeper into his neck. Overcome by the fear that his neck could be sliced open at any moment, a panicked Occultist Myo Shin hurriedly spoke.
“I-If the Young Master also wishes for the Manor Lord to die, I will do as you please, so please spare my life...”
“Also?”
“Pardon?”
“Who else wanted the Manor Lord to die?”
At Mok Gyeong-un’s question, Occultist Myo Shin’s expression hardened. He had taken a gamble out of fear of being beheaded, but it seemed he was wrong.
“Th-that is...”
“Who was it?”
“Y-Young Master, that is not what I meant...”
“Was it the Great Madam?”
“...”
Occultist Myo Shin was speechless. He tried to think of an excuse, but having been hit right on the mark, he couldn't come up with an answer. At this sight, Guard Go Chan was inwardly stunned.
He had thought Mok Gyeong-un had gone mad for suddenly putting a sword to the Occultist’s throat, but could it be that he had orchestrated this situation? -Drip. Just then, Occultist Myo Shin began to break out in a cold sweat and opened his mouth.
“Young Master... the Great Madam merely...”
“I think it would be best if you stopped your eyes from darting around. In a situation like this, honesty might be the only way to survive.”
“Y-Young Master...”
“My hand feels like it's about to apply more pressure.” -Shnk!
“Eek! The-The Great Madam told me that I didn’t have to save the Manor Lord, but just to find out from his lips where the secret manual and the Manor Lord's seal are.”
In the end, Occultist Myo Shin confessed what he knew. He too had been through his share of trials and was full of cunning tricks. But this fellow... he truly seemed as if he would cut his head off right here and now.
“Secret manual? Manor Lord's seal?”
Mok Gyeong-un repeated, then looked at Guard Go Chan. Guard Go Chan was at a loss as to what to do.
‘Damn it. To think the Great Madam would pull such a bold stunt.’
The person they were planning to switch their allegiance to was the second young master, not the Great Madam and the first young master. But if Mok Gyeong-un hadn't come here, the first young master might have inherited the position of Manor Lord before they even had a chance to act.
“Guard Go Chan.”
“Ye-Yes?”
“He says the Great Madam ordered it. What should we do?”
“What?”
Guard Go Chan couldn't hide his bewilderment. What was he supposed to do? Even if they had found out what the Great Madam did, there was nothing they could do about it right now.
On the contrary, by interfering, they would only incur the Great Madam's wrath and scrutiny. Go Chan's mind raced. The situation had already unfolded, and they knew the Great Madam's secret.
There was only one way to improve things and survive.
‘Damn it!’
To think he would have to say such words with his own mouth.
“Young Master... you must save the Manor Lord. Otherwise, the Great Madam will target you.”
“Because I got in the way.”
“That is correct.”
At Go Chan’s answer, Occultist Myo Shin hurriedly interjected.
“Y-Young Master, I can save the Manor Lord. Since the anomaly has been separated from his body, he will be fine as long as I purify the severed arm. I will save him without fail, so please...”
“So you can save him, is that right?”
“Yes! Therefore...”
“There’s something I’m more curious about.”
“What might that be? I will tell you anything.”
“You said the anomaly was threatening the Manor Lord's life, but by what means were you going to find out what the Great Madam ordered you to from the Manor Lord?”
At that question, Occultist Myo Shin was once again at a loss for words. He never expected to be asked so bluntly about the method he planned to use. He could talk about it, but to hear it... -Grip!
Just then, Mok Gyeong-un grabbed Occultist Myo Shin by the neck. Squeezing his throat tightly, he said, “Don’t think. When I ask a question, I’d like an immediate answer without the slightest pause.
I believe there’s no need to keep people who serve no purpose alive.”
“...”
“No answer again. I suppose...”
“I-I was going to control the anomaly to make the Manor Lord speak himself.”
Terrified, Occultist Myo Shin answered immediately. Mok Gyeong-un smiled brightly at him and said, “You can do it, so why do you think so much?”
“P-Please spare me. If the Great Madam hadn’t ordered it, I would never have done such a thing. I will purify the anomaly right away, so please...”
“No.” “Pardon?”
To the bewildered Occultist Myo Shin, Mok Gyeong-un pointed at the Manor Lord and said, “Go on, try what you just mentioned.”
“Wh-what are you...”
To the flustered man, Mok Gyeong-un said with the corner of his mouth turned up in a smirk, “You said you could control the anomaly to get what you want from the Manor Lord's mouth.”
‘!?’
At Mok Gyeong-un's unexpected and bizarre demand, the expressions of Occultist Myo Shin and Guard Go Chan hardened.