"Grandfather! I'm here!" I waved my hand with a bright smile towards Mae Geuk-ryeom.
Upon spotting me, Mae Geuk-ryeom's expression turned somewhat sour.
However, I hadn't expected a particular reaction from him.
The passionate reactions erupted around me.
"Grandfather?"
"Did you just say that to the student supervisor?"
"Could it be...?"
The students inside the inn widened their eyes in shock. 'Could it be...?' They all looked back and forth between me and Mae Geuk-ryeom.
At that moment, Mae Geuk-ryeom made a decisive remark.
"You called me out to eat... What is going on here? Are these students from our academy?"
"!!"
Mae Geuk-ryeom's acknowledgment sent everyone into a state of shock.
The quick-witted male students began to hastily clear away the liquor bottles around them, while the female students with torn skirts hid behind the folding screens to quickly change their clothes.
The students whispered quietly among themselves.
"Did the academy head have a grandson?"
"I don't know. He never talks about himself."
"Damn it. There was nothing like that in the interview documents."
"I'm going crazy. This all started as a joke, but why is it getting so out of hand...?"
Everyone was flustered and didn't know what to do.
What had begun as a joke had escalated with the arrival of the academy head and the student supervisor, spiraling out of control.
"Damn it..."
It seemed that Peng Sa-hyeok had realized the seriousness of the situation, as cold sweat, unlike anything I had seen before, trickled down his forehead. 'Just by appearing, he makes people break into a cold sweat; the student supervisor must be quite intimidating.'
...
In truth, I was still a bit scared myself.
Mae Geuk-ryeom's gaze narrowed as he looked over the shoulder of the constable into the inn.
"It seems the kids have caused some trouble."
A chilling remark.
As Mae Geuk-ryeom's white eyebrows twitched slightly, the students began to tremble as if they had caught frostbite.
...
I didn't think it was ever this bad when I was a teacher.
Mae Geuk-ryeom politely addressed the constable blocking his way.
"I am the student supervisor of Cheongryong Academy, responsible for the guidance of those students. It appears our children have caused a problem here... May I enter?"
The constable turned his head, seemingly troubled, to look at Cheongcheon, who glanced at me.
I subtly nodded my head.
Cheongcheon then spoke to the constable.
"Let him in. Since an academy official has arrived, we can seek cooperation."
As Mae Geuk-ryeom entered, he slowly surveyed the surroundings.
He looked around the inn without any noticeable change in expression.
Occasionally, students who made eye contact with him would hiccup or tremble with their heads bowed low.
The trainee instructors were no different.
They all stood with their hands clasped, looking as if they had committed a crime.
In the midst of this, Kwak Du-yong, who was drunk, stumbled and fell.
"Tsk tsk."
Mae Geuk-ryeom clicked his tongue and gave me a strange look before turning to Cheongcheon.
"Constable, may I ask what these kids have done wrong?"
"I will explain."
The sound of someone swallowing their saliva echoed like thunder.
Cheongcheon organized the events that had taken place inside and recounted them to Mae Geuk-ryeom.
After Cheongcheon's story ended, Mae Geuk-ryeom's expression appeared more serene than expected.
"... To summarize, they drank, damaged the inn's property, attempted to bribe the constable, and when that didn't work, they resorted to threats."
"Um, student supervisor..."
"And."
Peng Sa-hyeok called out to him with a flustered face, but Mae Geuk-ryeom's words were not yet finished.
His face slowly twisted, resembling a grim reaper.
"The female students have torn skirts, and some boys have split lips. And they even dragged their family names into it to shift the blame onto each other?"
Sssssssss.
The formless pressure emanating from Mae Geuk-ryeom gripped the students' bodies.
"Get out! Can you still call yourselves students of Cheongryong Academy after this?"
D-d-d-d.
Even Peng Sa-hyeok, the young master of the Peng family, couldn't withstand Mae Geuk-ryeom's pressure and began to clench his teeth. 'They say his nickname is Sword Tooth...' I knew he was strong, but this level might be the peak, perhaps even reaching an extraordinary realm.
"When you return to the dormitory, each of you will have an individual interview."
"...... Yes."
All the students, including Peng Sa-hyeok, responded with expressions as if they had lost their country.
No one dared to retort.
Mae Geuk-ryeom let out a long sigh and turned to Cheongcheon.
"Constable."
"......"
Cheongcheon and the constable's faces were also pale.
No matter how much Mae Geuk-ryeom focused his pressure on the students, the aftereffects alone could instill fear in most people.
"... Please speak."
Even Cheongcheon, who was as bold as anyone, showed a cautious demeanor towards Mae Geuk-ryeom. 'Yes.
That is what a true master looks like.' The pressure was on a different level than the arrogance of Peng Sa-hyeok, who relied on his family's influence.
Mae Geuk-ryeom, who had completely dominated the space with his presence, deeply bowed to Cheongcheon.
"My students have caused an unfortunate incident. It is entirely my fault for not teaching them properly, so I will take responsibility."
"......"
Everyone was left speechless by Mae Geuk-ryeom's unexpected action.
The students, with expressions like those of terminally ill patients, and the trainee instructors, who were anxiously observing, were equally stunned.
I was also surprised. 'A martial artist of that caliber is bowing down?'
It was something rarely seen, even in the righteous sects, let alone the demonic ones.
After a moment, Cheongcheon opened his mouth to ask, "You say you will take responsibility, but how...?"
"I will go to the government office in their place. The reason these children have misbehaved is primarily due to their parents' faults and secondarily due to the teacher's faults. These children's parents entrusted them to Cheongryong Academy, believing in us. Therefore, all the mistakes of these children are my responsibility."
"......"
That was the appearance of Mae Geuk-ryeom as a teacher, not as a martial artist who had built up an admirable level of skill.
I was even more impressed by that sight.
"Impressive..."
"Wow..."
Ahn Yeon-ho and Myung Il-o seemed to feel the same way, and several of the trainee instructors clenched their fists.
"Um..."
Cheongcheon pretended to look around the inn with a troubled expression.
Naturally, he was seeking my opinion.
When his gaze brushed past me, I mouthed the words, 'Let it go.' Cheongcheon frowned for a moment but then sighed and said, "Hearing you say that makes me feel ashamed for merely scolding the young students. Very well. I will conclude this matter with a warning under my authority. Please take them and educate them well."
"...... Thank you for your consideration, Constable."
Only then did Mae Geuk-ryeom straighten his back and look at the students with eyes like those of a reaper.
"Follow me."
Before the students left the inn, I couldn't help but interject at this point.
"Ahem! The innkeeper has suffered considerable losses. Shouldn't you compensate him properly?"
I felt a prickling sensation of killing intent from behind (probably from Peng Sa-hyeok), but I ignored it and looked at Cheongcheon.
Naturally, the righteous constable Cheongcheon agreed with my opinion.
"Of course. You must provide proper compensation to the innkeeper."
"Understood. The damages incurred at the inn will be..."
"The amount of damages will be covered by me."
Peng Sa-hyeok insisted on paying.
I made sure to remember those words. 'Look forward to the bill that will come your way.'
As I smiled contentedly, Mae Geuk-ryeom and Cheongcheon seemed to have developed a mutual liking for each other's personalities as they shared a few words.
"Then I will take the students and leave first."
"Take care."
Before leaving the inn, Mae Geuk-ryeom turned to me and said briefly, "We will talk later."
"Yes! Please take care, Grandfather!"
"...... Ugh."
After rubbing his temples once, Mae Geuk-ryeom exited the inn first, followed by Peng Sa-hyeok and the students, who looked like prisoners being led to the gallows.
"I will be watching from now on. If something like this happens again, I won't let it slide like today."
Cheongcheon also warned the remaining trainee instructors in the inn before leaving.
After everyone had departed,
"Haah..."
"Huff..."
The trainee instructors, who had been holding their breath in the tense atmosphere, sighed simultaneously.
Some seemed to have completely relaxed, collapsing onto the floor.
"Brother! Why didn't you say anything? Why didn't you tell us that Sword Tooth senior is your grandfather?"
Pok pok pok! Ahn Yeon-ho persistently poked my side.
I swatted his hand away and replied, "I was going to say it when the time was right. But I thought the Peng family brat wouldn't be scared of the student supervisor, yet he was terrified."
In fact, that was the most surprising part.
I thought that someone of Peng Sa-hyeok's status would be bold enough to disregard the student supervisor.
However, as soon as Mae Geuk-ryeom appeared, the situation was resolved in an instant.
Ahn Yeon-ho looked at me as if I were foolish for not understanding the reason.
"Sword Tooth senior is a master from the previous generation."
"What's that got to do with it? Is it because he's strong?"
Myung Il-o answered that question.
"It's not just about being strong; it's more important that he was someone who mingled with the leaders and heads of sects during his youth. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Ah..."
So, it meant that my grandfather could be on friendly terms with the head of the Peng family.
This was more impressive than I had initially thought.
I felt a sense of pride and said, "From now on, behave yourselves. That person is my grandfather."
"Oh dear... Anyway, I was scared to death. When you brought up compensation earlier..."
"I was surprised too. Why did you suddenly bring that up?"
There was a reason for that.
I smiled and told the two of them, "Heo Cheon, the owner of this inn, is someone I know well."
While we were chatting, the last constable exited the inn.
Now, only the trainee instructors remained in the disheveled inn.
As they began to leave one by one, I called them back.
"Everyone. Before you go, I have a few words to say."
The trainee instructors looked at me with uncomfortable expressions.
I remembered each one of them.
The one who had stuck to Ahn Yeon-ho like a sycophant when Peng Sa-hyeok framed him.
The one who looked shocked as if he had been hit when I slapped Peng Sa-hyeok.
Most of them were those who were angry but lacked the courage to speak up, hoping that time would pass quickly with their heads bowed low.
I had only one thing to say to all of them.
"Be ashamed, you bastards. Do you think you have the right to teach anyone after behaving like that?"
"......"
I turned my body and left the inn.
I heard a few mutterings behind me, but I didn't care.
The next day.
I met Bok Man-chun while wearing the Inpi Myun-Gu.
"You've come."
Bok Man-chun, who welcomed Heo Cheon, bowed his head.
I received a report from him about several matters that had occurred during that time.
Naturally, I could also hear about the incident at the inn the day before.
"There was an incident at the inn we were operating. The students of Cheongryong Academy..."
After listening to the story I already knew (in fact, Bok Man-chun was almost unaware of the details), I made one request to him.
"Please claim ten times the amount for damages."
"Yes. I will do that... Huh?"
Bok Man-chun looked at me with a bewildered expression.
I repeated the same thing, and Bok Man-chun still looked confused.
"Um... The other party is the young master of the Peng family. I think it's reasonable to demand up to double, but... ten times seems a bit much."
The young master of the Peng family from Hebei.
As a son of one of the five great families, even if he caused trouble, it was usually the victim who had to tread carefully.
However, in this case, it was definitely not us who needed to be cautious.
"Send a written notice to Peng Sa-hyeok stating that if he does not compensate for ten times the damages, I will send that bill to the student supervisor of Cheongryong Academy."
"...... I don't know what this is about, but I understand."
Ten times would be difficult for even the young master of the Peng family to easily arrange.
The food and drinks we consumed and the broken tables and items were all quite expensive.
'For a while, he will have to eat in the dormitory.'
I wrote Peng Sa-hyeok's name at the top of my list of "students that need to be rehabilitated after entering Cheongryong Academy."
"Oh, and I have something to tell you."
As Bok Man-chun finished his report, he smiled confidently.
"I found the elixir and the medicinal herbs you requested before."