“…The vote is currently underway. If any elder who hasn’t voted yet could please stay seated, that would be greatly appreciated…” Elder Hwang Mok’s voice, strained with the effort of maintaining order, reverberated through the Grand Assembly Hall. “…Please, if I could just have a moment of silence…”

However, at this juncture, not a single elder was paying him any attention.

***

In one corner of the hall, a large group of elders had gathered, their presence so overwhelming that it seemed like an occupation. Loud, angry voices were beginning to emanate from the huddle.

“What on earth are they doing over there?” an elder who had just returned from his errand asked, squinting to discern the faces in the crowd. “Every single one of them is a core elder, or a leader of a clique or faction.”

An elder from his own Hebei faction responded with a shrug. “They’re on a hunt for the ‘traitors,’ or so I’ve heard.”

“Traitors…? Ah,” the elder who had inquired nodded, his understanding gradually unfolding. “Are they referring to the thirty percent who broke the accord and cast invalid votes for the Grand Young Master?”

“Precisely the same. But…” another elder, who had been observing the unfolding situation, interjected. “They’re not seeking out the original thirty percent. They’re employing a more strategic approach. They’re targeting the ten percent who switched their votes to ‘invalid’ during the re-vote.”

In this corner, the men murmuring, though not the most prominent or influential in the Council of Elders, were still elders of the Luoyang Sword Clan. They grasped the strategy instantly.

“Ah, that makes sense.”

“It’s far simpler and quicker to identify the ten percent of factions and cliques that collectively add up to ten percent than to forty percent.”

“And once they find that ten percent, they’ll use them to hunt down the thirty percent who were the core of this entire affair.”

Just then, another elder from the Hebei faction, having cast his vote, returned and approached them. “So, how did everyone vote?” Normally, one would never ask such a question so openly, but the situation had deteriorated to the point where it no longer mattered.

“Rejection.”

“I also voted for rejection.”

Voting to reject the no-confidence motion meant they had chosen to support the current Treasury Director.

“The candidate for the next Treasury Director, the Treasury Vice Director, has already been dragged off to the Central Inspectorate’s prison.”

“When he comes out, it’ll be as a corpse.”

“No, he won’t even come out as a corpse.”

“I hear they burn the bodies inside. He’ll never come out, period.”

“In a situation like this, what’s the point of dragging it out any longer?”

“I just want to go home, wash my feet, and rest.”

“Besides…” The elder from the Imperial Capital Faction, who had always maintained friendly relations with the Hebei group, interjected. “Even they’ve given up. What purpose does it serve to continue this?”

The ‘they’ he referred to was, of course, the Yeon Clan elders. The group subtly shifted their gaze in that direction.

“…They still appear menacing.”

“But the poison has been neutralized. They’re defanged.”

“It’s a funeral home over there.”

At this, the elder from the Imperial Capital Faction let out a sharp smirk. “They’ll be holding a series of funerals soon enough, so that’s not entirely inaccurate.”

“Oh? Did you hear something?”

Surprisingly, the answer came from a new elder within the Hebei faction. “From what I’ve gathered…” He was the very same new elder whom the Grand Young Master had patted on the shoulder and encouraged. “I heard that the investigative agency managed to obtain a secret transaction ledger that the Treasury Vice Director was concealing.”

The elder from the Imperial Capital Faction nodded, confirming the news. He stroked his beard, his gaze fixed on the Hebei rookie with a calculating expression. “That aside, you seem quite capable, young man. Perhaps you might have some interest in joining our Imperial Capital Faction—“

“Hey!”

“You bastard…!”

The Hebei elders instantly bristled, their eyes flashing with anger. “Are you trying to poach our rookie right in front of us?!”

Even amidst their furious shouts, the elder from the Imperial Capital Faction maintained his sly gaze fixed on the new elder. “If you’re interested, just let me know later.”

“Haha, no thank you.” However, the new elder refused him immediately. “I’ve already chosen my path and have my own will. I regret to decline your offer.”

“Oh?” The elder from the Imperial Capital Faction licked his lips. “Heh, he’s got guts. A fine young man to have—“

His words were cut short by a roar from across the hall.

“I TOLD YOU, IT WASN’T US!”

Everyone turned their heads. The shout had come from the cluster of core elders and faction leaders.

“That’s…”

“Isn’t that the voice of Elder Peng, our own Hebei faction leader?”

“If it wasn’t you, it wasn’t! Why are you getting so agitated, Elder Peng?” An elder from the Third Young Master’s side retorted, his eyes narrowed to slits. “We are simply stating the numbers.”

“And numbers… don’t lie. Am I wrong?”

Elder Peng’s face turned crimson with rage under the crushing pressure from the Third Young Master’s faction. “If numbers don’t lie, then your calculations must be flawed!” The leaders of the other cliques and factions, who had been implicated alongside Elder Peng’s Hebei faction, also raised their voices. “What possible advantage would we gain from making a backroom deal with the Grand Young Master?!”

“If you continue to corner us like this, we won’t take it lying down!”

As the arguments escalated, other core elders swiftly intervened. “Now, now, everyone is far too heated…!”

“Please, let us all calm down…!”

One of the council’s eldest members stepped forward. “No matter what is said now, we will find those individuals and punish them. Is that not correct?”

On this point, both the Third Young Master’s side and the accused, who had been targeted by the suspicious arithmetic, nodded in agreement.

“That’s right,” one of them said. “We must make them face the bitterest consequences.”

“Only then will this kind of thing never happen again…!”

“To backstab their fellow elders and attach themselves to the Grand Young Master…!”

As the atmosphere began to heat up once more, the old elder raised his hand. “But… this old man believes there’s a silver lining to this situation. In fact, I think we’re fortunate.”

“…Fortunate, you say?”

The outcome of the vote was an inevitable result. Their Council of Elders had suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the Grand Young Master. Considering the unusually intense scrutiny from the outside world since that morning, their losses were staggering.

“Yes, all of you, think about it,” the old elder continued. “What if those elders, that thirty percent of us, hadn’t just deceived us? What if they had been fully on the Grand Young Master’s side from the very beginning? What do you think would have happened then?”

The moment he posed the question, a collective, icy chill ran down every spine in the huddle.

“…Indeed.”

“…I see.”

The core elders and faction leaders murmured, their faces drained of blood. “If they weren’t merely deceiving their fellow elders from the shadows, but had instead revealed themselves openly… that would mean…”

Elder Peng’s eye began to twitch uncontrollably. “…It would mean that thirty percent of the Council of Elders is, without a doubt, the Grand Young Master’s firmly established faction.” If they hadn’t been mere opportunists making a secret deal, but had, in fact, been his people all along, simply following his orders…

“If that were the case… this wouldn’t just be a single loss.”

“…It would mean that from this day forward, everything has changed.”

The words were so chilling, even to the men who spoke them, that they all swallowed dryly.

“…Then, our current situation…”

“…You’re saying we’ve actually avoided the worst-case scenario.”

“…We… We really might have to call this fortunate.”

Now that a shared understanding and consensus had been reached, the elderly elder who had initiated the discussion shifted to his main point. “Therefore, while finding the traitors is crucial, regardless of the method we employ… the most significant aspect is this…”

Thud.

The elderly elder struck the floor once with his staff, his tone becoming more pronounced. “You must eliminate the threat as soon as it emerges, before it’s too late. We must absolutely prevent them from forming a new faction centered around the Grand Young Master.”

***

Back at the Hebei Faction’s seats.

“The silence returned once more.”

“For a fleeting moment, I feared it would disintegrate entirely.”

“At least it appears they’re making some progress.”

The Hebei elders, gazing at the cluster of core leaders, exhaled a collective sigh of relief.

“By the way…” As the tension subsided, one of the elders turned back to the rookie. “What did you mean earlier? That you had ‘already chosen your path and possess your own will’?”

“I was curious about that as well.” Another elder approached, casting a glance at the elder from the Imperial Capital Faction, who had returned to his seat.

“That is…” With all eyes suddenly fixed on him, the new elder felt a momentary flutter of nerves. However, as if making a resolute decision, he spoke, his voice low yet sincere. “Senior Elders… are you all genuinely content with the Council of Elders as it stands?”

“Satisfied…?”

“…’Dissatisfied’?”

One of the elders let out a snort. “There’s plenty to be dissatisfied about.”

Another shrugged, gesturing with his chin toward the core elders they had just been watching.

“…This pond has been stagnant for far too long.”

This was not a topic for loud voices. They leaned in, whispering.

“It’s a game where the same people who have always been eating… just keep on eating.”

“Still, if there’s any hope…” another elder cackled, picking up the thread. “…it’s that they’re all getting older, and eventually, it’ll be our turn to eat.”

“We just have to endure it and wait for that day.”

A senior elder, his smile bitter, turned back to the rookie. “…They’re being rather blunt, but… they’re not wrong.”

“No. That’s not what I mean.”

The new elder shook his head firmly, his gaze sweeping over his seniors. “I don’t mean that the Council of Elders should solely focus on safeguarding their own profits and political gains…!” He spoke with a sudden, fervent passion that was surprising from a man who had been so quiet until now. “I’m referring to a Council of Elders that genuinely cares about the future of the Luoyang Sword Clan and engages in honest discussions!” He stood up abruptly, his voice ringing with conviction. “Don’t you want to be part of such a genuine Council of Elders? Don’t you want to be such true elders?!”

However, the response to his heartfelt plea from the depths of his soul was a stunned, bewildered silence from his seniors.

“…Pfft-hah!” Finally, one of them couldn’t contain their laughter and burst out laughing. “You… you were seriously considering such things?”

“So young, so very young.”

“Haha. How on earth did someone like you even manage to reach the rank of elder?”

One of the senior elders shook his head in disbelief. “This is the consequence of the purge of the Second Young Master’s faction after the last clash with the Grand Young Master. The standards have fallen.”

“My goodness.” Another person wiped a tear of mirth from their eye. “To live long enough to witness such childish idealism being spouted in the halls of the Council of Elders.”

“You…” The senior elder who had first questioned the rookie tapped him on the shoulder. “My sincere advice. If you want to survive here, you’d better discard those childish delusions as soon as possible.”

As they all chuckled and shot him mocking glances, the new elder, invisibly, tightly, clenched his fists.

“…I…”

At that very moment, someone who had been observing the honored guest seats suddenly shouted in a low, sharp voice. “The Main Clan’s Grand Young Master is entering!” There was nothing unusual about announcing the Grand Young Master’s arrival. However, a question lingered in the air.

“…Which elder is that shouting?”

“This is the Council of Elders.”

“Just because the Grand Young Master emerged victorious in this round, some fool has already allied himself with that side?”

“Idiotic…”

In a place exclusively inhabited by elders, announcing the Grand Young Master’s entrance was a self-deprecating act. Initially, they mocked this unknown elder just as they had mocked their rookie.

“…But wait. That elder…”

“Isn’t that… the First Department Head?”

A wave of shock rippled through the hall as they recognized the man who had made the announcement.

“Why is the First Department Head of the Court of Judiciary…?”

“Where is the Head of the Court of Judiciary? Why is the First Department Head acting as the Grand Young Master’s subordinate?”

Even as every gaze in the hall focused on him, the First Department Head maintained his head held high, his expression and posture exuding an air of composure.

“…The First Department Head.”

The new elder, who had been staring with wide eyes like everyone else, suddenly nodded, a look of understanding on his face.

“Seniors, you all laughed at me.”

The senior elders turned back to him, their expressions frowning and their hands gesturing for him to sit down. “Hey, in a situation like this, you’re still talking about that?”

“We’ve already forgotten about it. Stop the nonsense—“

But the new elder ignored them, remaining on his feet as he continued, his voice clear and proud. “But there was one person who didn’t laugh at my thoughts. Who, in fact, listened intently… and who even promised to lead the way.” As he spoke, the new elder turned his gaze to the man who had just entered the hall, his arrogant eyes sweeping over the assembled elders.

He was looking at the Grand Young Master, Yeon So-hyeon.

“You…?”

“Right… now…?”

Only then did the senior elders realize something was terribly wrong. But before they could speak, the rookie’s words continued. “He told me, when I was anxious, that he would demonstrate his influence, his skill, and his undeniable power.” The rookie’s voice remained steady. “In return, all he asked of me was to secretly cast an invalid vote.”

“……!”

As the unimaginable truth began to unfold, the entire Hebei faction froze in place. “And that man, the Grand Young Master, has proven his words. He has proven them beyond any doubt.” At that very moment, the rookie’s voice suddenly changed.

“Huh? Where are you going?”

“Wha…?”

The new elder from the Hebei faction was not the only one who had risen from his seat.

“What is this…?”

One by one, others began to stand. As if gaining courage from each other, more followed, and then more.

“What are you all doing?”

Then, as if by a silent, pre-arranged signal, they all began to move. They gathered toward the honored guest seats and to the side of the Grand Young Master, Yeon So-hyeon.

Their total number was thirty percent of the entire council.

In later records, this event would be known as ‘The First Thirty Percent.’ It was the moment, whereby, in the Council of Elders of the Luoyang Sword Clan, the Grand Young Master’s faction had officially revealed itself.