Luoyang Sword Clan, the Court of Judiciary.
The corridors of the Court’s main pavilion were bustling with personnel moving briskly about their duties. This was the normal, everyday scene. Even if the Head of the Court of Judiciary had been publicly humiliated by the Grand Young Master, the work of the Court of Judiciary could not simply stop.
And yet, amidst this routine, there was a clear, undeniable difference.
“…Then, that incident…”
“…Understood. The report…”
The entire pavilion was oppressed by a heavy, suffocating atmosphere. The voices of the Court’s personnel, though communicating for work, were reduced to mere whispers. Unlike usual, there was no one shouting over a mistake. No one could even be heard engaging in the mundane, trivial chatter that normally filled the day.
Not a single complaint, not a single grumble about a superior, escaped their lips.
It reached the point that…
Clack.
A small sound made several people jump in alarm. They whipped their heads toward the source.
“…M-my apologies.”
An attendant, who had been clearing away finished teacups, had startled himself and was now bowing in apology.
‘Ha, truly…’
A mid-level manager, observing the scene from his office, clicked his tongue inwardly.
The Court of Judiciary. The largest investigative body in the Luoyang Sword Clan. Its members were regarded as ominous and fearsome, and as such, their pride was known to pierce the heavens.
‘The atmosphere of our Court…’
Now, it seemed the mere clatter of a teacup was enough to set everyone on edge. People weren’t even drinking the tea they usually had glued to their lips.
‘To change the entire mood of the Court of Judiciary overnight, just like this…’
The cause of this was, without a doubt… The manager discreetly turned his chair, pretending to look at his documents, and cast his gaze out the open window.
He was not the only one.
Those walking the corridors. Those moving through the offices. Those in the interrogation rooms. All of them, without exception, were unconsciously… instinctively... glancing outside, stealing furtive looks even as they worked. They looked like children afraid of being scolded for being caught staring, as if they were looking at something they were forbidden to see.
Out there, on the vast grounds of the Court of Judiciary, stood an conspicuously luxurious pavilion.
The Court of Judiciary’s guest reception pavilion.
And inside it, at this very moment, was the Grand Young Master of the Luoyang Sword Clan.
Yeon So-hyeon.
***
The Court of Judiciary. The Guest Reception Room.
The personnel were seated around a large, prepared table, with the Grand Young Master, Yeon So-hyeon, at its head. The Director of the Treasury could not take his eyes off Hwa Bok of the Central Inspectorate.
‘The Central Inspectorate… loyal to the Grand Young Master…’
More accurately, through Hwa Bok, he was thinking of the Head of the Central Inspectorate, Dokgo Ya-yeon. Dokgo Ya-yeon, known as the ‘White-Haired, White-Eyed’ demon. A woman who would break before she would ever bend.
‘…That Dokgo Ya-yeon has pledged her sword.’
What the Treasury Director himself had been hoping for was merely that she might support the Grand Young Master. But to go so far beyond support as to pledge loyalty… With this, Yeon So-hyeon had gained massive influence over both of the Luoyang Sword Clan’s two great investigative bodies: the Court of Judiciary and the Inspectorate Bureau.
‘Ho ho… truly, you are astonishing.’
What more could he feel? It was simply astounding.
Yeon So-hyeon, sensing the Treasury Director’s gaze, gave him a small nod before turning to the Sixth Department Head. “Begin. And,” Yeon So-hyeon added curtly, “get straight to the point.”
***
Within the Luoyang Sword Clan, in a certain garden.
The conversation between the Head of the Court of Judiciary and the Head of the Inspectorate Bureau was also getting to the point.
“The Grand Young Master has revealed that he controls the Sixth Department Head and the Central Inspectorate.”
“…And in doing so, he has openly pushed both of us aside.” The Bureau Head nodded, his face still wrapped in cloth. The Head of the Court of Judiciary spoke again. “What he intends to do, by pushing us aside, is—”
“Undoubtedly,” the Bureau Head’s low voice was laced with anger. “He means to show the entire family that he can make someone ‘innocent’ without any of our influence.”
***
“Witness Number 24 was scheduled to testify that ‘the Treasury Director knowingly ignored the corruption of the Yeon clansmen surrounding the Treasury.'”
“A hostile witness,” Yeon So-hyeon stated flatly. “How was it handled?”
The Sixth Department Head answered immediately, without a moment’s hesitation. “Witness Number 24 has chosen to take a generous sum and enjoy a slightly early retirement. He is no longer a ‘hostile witness’.”
“Good. Keep an eye on him.”
“Yes, sir.”
The meeting continued, leaving no room for interruption.
“Next.”
Yeon So-hyeon turned the page of his document. A rustle filled the room as everyone else did the same.
“Suspect Number 6 is currently in custody. He is one of the key figures who played a decisive role in the Yeon clansmen’ embezzlement of the Treasury’s funds.”
“The problem?”
“The problem is that this individual is insisting he ‘definitely reported it to the Treasury Director’.”
A dry, mirthless smile touched Yeon So-hyeon’s lips. “He seems to think that if he clings to the Treasury Director’s trouser legs, he might just save his own skin.”
“Yes, sir.”
“In that case, we should give him a path to survival.”
The Sixth Department Head nodded. “Therefore, we offered him a ‘plea bargain’, a chance to be released without charges.”
It meant he would be let go for this incident, in exchange for bringing them a much bigger fish.
“Still…” Yeon So-hyeon stroked his chin. “I’m not particularly pleased with just letting one of the main culprits walk free.”
Hwa Bok, the chief aide of the Head of the Central Inspectorate, stepped forward and addressed the gathering. “During our internal audit, we uncovered a separate instance of corruption committed by Suspect Number 6,” he announced, his face breaking into a warm, friendly smile. “We will diligently pursue this matter and, after a few months, we will successfully apprehend Suspect Number 6 and ensure that he faces the appropriate punishment for his actions.”
“Excellent.” Yeon So-hyeon nodded slowly, satisfied. “True despair is only felt when you’re allowed to taste freedom for a moment, just before you fall.”
He turned the page, and the room was once again filled with the sound of rustling paper. “Next. Witness Number 50…”
“And the resolution?”
“His brother-in-law operates…”
The meeting continued without pause, without a single moment wasted.
Kang Ho, who had been listening silently, felt his head spin. No, it felt as if the entire opulent room, the ceiling, the very sky, was turning upside down.
‘Th-this is…’
He, too, had once belonged to the Inspectorate Bureau, but as a low-level agent, he had never witnessed a scene like this.
‘…this is investigative power…’
The fates of everyone involved in the Treasury’s corruption… it was as if they were all being decided, right here in this room.
“Suspect Number 10 seems to have been recruited by the other side.”
“Handle it.”
“That, our Central Inspectorate will…”
If necessary, a crime was erased. If necessary, a crime was created. If a mouth needed to be shut, it was shut. If a mouth needed to be opened, it was opened.
“…In that case, Witnesses 37 and 161 will stand as witnesses, as scheduled…”
“…Suspect Number 9 must receive the most severe punishment…”
Who would testify to what was decided. Who would be punished for what was determined.
Any task that might be a burden for the Sixth Department, the Central Inspectorate picked up. Any case the Central Inspectorate wished to avoid, the Sixth Department took on.
“Kang Ho.”
At Yeon So-hyeon’s voice, Kang Ho nearly leaped out of his seat. “Y-yes! Yes, Grand Young Master!”
Yeon So-hyeon’s gaze was heavy as he looked at the dazed young man.
“Focus.”
The command was like a splash of ice water. “Yes, I understand…!”
Awake and alert, Kang Ho forced himself to concentrate on the meeting with all his might. Though he was Yeon So-hyeon’s secretary, he had no official role here. But he knew, because of that, that Yeon So-hyeon was purposefully allowing him to experience something precious, something he could not learn anywhere else.
Finally, the meeting concluded.
“Grand Young Master.”
As the attendees began to rise, the Treasury Director’s voice stopped them.
“What is it?” Yeon So-hyeon replied, setting his documents down.
The Director’s voice was trembling slightly as he asked, “Based on what I have just witnessed… it seems you intended to rescue this old man from the very beginning.”
The Sixth Department. The Central Inspectorate. Everything they had prepared for this meeting today—none of it could have been accomplished overnight. The Grand Young Master must have been moving on this for a long, long time.
“If this old man… if I had refused your offer today, and instead sat back and given up everything as I’d originally planned…”
If that had happened…
“…all of this effort, Grand Young Master, would have been for nothing.”
“No,” Yeon So-hyeon answered instantly. “It would not have. Even if you were dismissed as Treasury Director, I would have ensured you were cleared of all these absurd charges.”
A look of disbelief crossed the Treasury Director’s wrinkled face. “Even if this old man had… dared not to take your hand… you would still have saved me?” His eyes then wavered. “Is that what you’re saying now?”
Yeon So-hyeon, with unwavering conviction, nodded. “Of course,” he affirmed. “You’ve been a steadfast pillar for this family, enduring the Patriarchs’s absence. You deserve at least that much. It’s my duty.” His voice resonated in the quiet room as he continued, “I’m not a judge in this court, nor am I a member of this family’s investigative bodies.”
The others, who had been listening intently to the exchange, focused on Yeon So-hyeon.
“But I am,” he said, his voice as sharp and final as a newly forged blade, “the Grand Young Master of the Luoyang Sword Clan. And as such, I believe your loyalty must be rewarded.”
***
“So, if,” the Head of the Court of Judiciary surmised, “the Grand Young Master actually succeeds in clearing the Treasury Director without our influence…?”
The Head of the Inspectorate Bureau shook his head. “This is the Grand Young Master we are talking about. It is not ‘if he succeeds,’ but ‘when he succeeds.’ We must move under that assumption.”
“…True.” Slowly, they were beginning to comprehend Yeon So-hyeon’s methods. “The Grand Young Master would never have disclosed his precious cards—the Sixth Department Head and the Head of the Central Inspectorate—without being certain of the outcome. He must have meticulously prepared this long in advance.”
Though it was a guess without hard evidence, because their opponent was Yeon So-hyeon, they could accept it as fact.
“In that case, the place we must focus on immediately is…”
“…not the Court of Judiciary or the Inspectorate Bureau, where he has already made his moves, but…”
Their gazes simultaneously turned toward the distance, beyond the forest.
In that direction...
“The place where the vote of no confidence against the Treasury Director will proceed today, regardless of any verdict.”
“The Council of Elders.”
***
At the exit of the Court of Judiciary.
Yeon So-hyeon smiled as he gazed at the massive, imposing structure that was visible even from this distance. The Grand Hall of the Council of Elders, a building that radiated authority and power.
“Well, then. Is it time to see the arrogant faces of those damn Elders?”
It was time for Yeon So-hyeon’s first visit to the Council of Elders since ending his seclusion.