Book 19 Chapter 13

Imprisonment (投獄)

―Execute Biryu-yeon by death!

"…Execute!"

Loud shouts, squeezing through the narrow window, shook the entire office.

"Execute! Execute!"

Ma Jin-ga, the master of Cheonmu Academy, had to forgo his sleep. It was because of these disturbances that had been going on since the crack of dawn. In such an environment, not only sleep but even normal work was paralyzed.

"Sigh~"

Only a long sigh escaped his lips. His head throbbed as if an unseen assassin had hammered a nail into it.

With eyes not yet fully rested, he gazed at the mountain of petitions piled on his desk. There was no need to open them one by one. This pile of petitions was demanding the same thing from him as the mob outside, tied with white headbands and screaming their lungs out. There were several bundles of petitions signed jointly by over ten people. The highest record among them was one signed by one hundred and twenty-five people.

How many of them were actively thinking about this matter? Even though one person's life was at stake, most of them had likely put their brushes to paper without much thought. The most astonishing fact was that all these petitions had been submitted in just these past two days. It made one suspect that everyone had forgotten to eat and sleep, dedicating themselves to writing petitions.

'When was the last time the opinions of these children, transcending sects and families, were so unified?'

Ma Jin-ga briefly reflected and shook his head.

'This is probably the first time…'

How wonderful it would be if they united for something better. What reason was there to unite for something they didn't need to?

"Sigh~"

Ma Jin-ga let out a sigh unbefitting his dignified demeanor and walked to the window. He then opened the double-locked window. The office he was currently working in was on the third floor, so the scene below was clearly visible.

Everyone had something white tied around their heads as if by appointment, and on it was written the fierce character 'Kill' (殺).

Banners were also visible here and there. They seemed to have been made overnight, showing clear signs of haste, but the content written on them was perfectly clear.

Execute Biryu-yeon immediately! 卽 Execute Biryu-yeon 殺!

Execute Biryu-yeon by death immediately!

The red stitches on the white banners, whose maker was unknown, seemed to be filled with the writer's sincerity, with every stroke overflowing with hostility and killing intent.

However, perhaps thinking that a single phrase was too monotonous, the banners located behind them contained other messages. The blood-red lettering evoked a chilling feeling.

Execute the evil offender Biryu-yeon immediately!

To its right was the following:

Biryu-yeon, the serial killer, execute!

"It must have been busy preparing in just one day… They all worked hard."

Ma Jin-ga's words were laced with sarcasm, as if he found their behavior highly displeasing.

"Actually, he was only arrested last evening, so it's only been half a day. If you consider that, they've put in more than double the effort."

Eunmok Son Mun-gyeong, the consultant and strategist, corrected him.

"If only they put this much effort into their studies and training, I would have no complaints."

"I agree."

"Do you really think those children believe that Biryu-yeon committed that deed?"

Son Mun-gyeong shook his head.

"That's unlikely. In fact, that young man named Biryu-yeon is only a suspect; he has not yet been confirmed as the perpetrator. The investigation is still ongoing. Until this investigation concludes, and until he is proven guilty at its end, he is merely a suspect. He is not yet a criminal."

"Yet they are demanding his immediate execution. What do you think?"

"In fact, they probably don't care whether that young man Biryu-yeon is guilty or innocent."

"Why wouldn't they care?"

"Yes, they just find that young man Biryu-yeon an eyesore. They've wanted to get rid of him whenever the opportunity arose, and now a good pretext has surfaced. Even I wouldn't let such an opportunity pass by idly."

"Why are they so eager to get rid of him?"

"It's probably because he's tenacious. They've tried, but it seems they've failed repeatedly. Does anything come to mind when you look at the crowd gathered below?"

At Son Mun-gyeong's words, Ma Jin-ga observed the group with white headbands closely.

"If you look closely, besides the childish white headbands, you'll see a common characteristic."

Ma Jin-ga's movements stopped after a long observation.

"Hmm?!"

"Do you see it?"

"Now that you mention it, there isn't a single woman."

"That's right. Those who rushed to gather below are all men. Furthermore, they are single. They are all lonely bachelors."

"I didn't know that. How pitiable."

Sincere pity escaped Ma Jin-ga's lips.

"They are pitiable. So, you can probably guess what drives them."

"In simpler terms, jealousy?"

"You can think of them as a massive jealousy group composed of single men. With that many, they probably have no enemies, right?"

"Does that mean they are invincible?"

"Yes, invincible."

A look of fear appeared on Ma Jin-ga's face for the first time.

"It seems their anger is misdirected in terms of its direction and method. Shouldn't youthful impetuosity be a shield that covers recklessness?"

"However, public opinion is strongly demanding the execution of that Daoist practitioner named Biryu-yeon."

"How can there be any punishment before his guilt or innocence is even determined? Honestly, I feel like punishing all those gathered below for disturbing the peace."

"If you did that, you wouldn't be able to escape criticism for the abuse of power."

Son Mun-gyeong replied in a calm voice.

"Then what is this? Is it the rampant chaos of an ignorant populace?"

Pointing at the noisy crowd below, Ma Jin-ga exclaimed irritably. He was already on the verge of collapse due to the excessive workload these days. If people think that superiors just laze around while assigning work to their subordinates, they are gravely mistaken.

"Well, is it really a product of ignorance? I am skeptical about that…"

"If it's not a product of foolishness, then what is it?"

"Of course, the people gathered there can be called ignorant and pitiable beings, easily swayed by a little agitation. However, there are definitely a select few orchestrating these ignorant masses who are calculating their own gains and losses. Because of that, they were able to move so many people in an organized manner. Therefore, we can call them the product of malicious calculation or a stratagem, but not the product of ignorance."

"Is that what you mean?"

"That is what I mean."

However, even if some of their students were not products of ignorance, Ma Jin-ga could not honestly rejoice at that fact. It was because, even if they weren't products of ignorance, the fact that they were still ignorant hadn't changed much.

"Nominally, that young man named Biryu-yeon is the winner of this Huashan Convention. With that, he has gained representation for Cheonmu Academy. Whether we like it or not, that's how it is. If we were to execute such a person with our own hands, and on top of that, adorn him with the glorious crown of a serial killer of examinees."

"The prestige of Cheonmu Academy would fall deep into the ground."

The imagination was not difficult.

"It would truly become a scandal that would be remembered for ages in the martial arts world."

"And the support rate for Cheonmu Academy from all other sects would also decrease. Macheon Pavilion would be pleased."

Son Mun-gyeong spoke honestly. He was the consultant. Therefore, he was the one obligated to speak the truth when everyone else was concealing it. If the person at the pinnacle has their eyes and ears blocked, it is a major problem. Therefore, the person at the pinnacle must always have at least one person by their side who will tell them the truth. Otherwise, they will never be able to examine the detailed aspects of the organization. One must plant their own people at various levels of the organizational ladder, otherwise, they will lose the ability to manage the organization.

Son Mun-gyeong was also one of the people located at the highest level.

"I'm curious, you know."

"Please tell me, Master."

"Do you think some of them will obstruct the investigation to further their own interests?"

"There is a high possibility of that."

Son Mun-gyeong answered honestly once again. He acted as if it didn't matter at all if his answer caused his superior to frown. He wasn't there to try and please his superior's mood.

"That's a boring answer."

"But it's the truth."

It was clear that Son Mun-gyeong had no particular talent for making his superior feel comfortable, nor was he interested in it.

Ma Jin-ga could not help but ponder. If such a thing were to happen, it wouldn't be very pleasant. However, with public opinion boiling like this, it couldn't be simply and cautiously swept under the rug.

The difficult aspect of truth is that it never considers the feelings of the subject. Regardless of whether the recipient of the truth finds it pleasant or unpleasant, the truth remains the truth.

"We must resolve this somehow!"

Before the boiling public opinion explodes. Then, a ridiculous thought occurred to him.

'Resolve means to untie, so what happens if you tie it up again after just untying it? Does that mean returning to the original state?'

As he uttered it, it somehow felt like an ominous slip of the tongue.

If there were those who tried to tie it up again after it was untied, he couldn't just overlook it. No obstruction should be tolerated.

"We need to come up with a plan before the situation escalates to a point where it cannot be managed. I have never forgotten the fact that you have always been a reliable ally when I am in such difficult situations."

This was an implicit pressure to come up with a clever solution.

"We need to catch the perpetrator."

"Who doesn't know that?"

Ma Jin-ga retorted gruffly, his voice tinged with annoyance.

"Or understand the truth of the case."

"I know that too."

"But the problem is that most people want the truth to be buried rather than revealed. Everyone will be eager to obstruct the resolution of the case rather than help. Really, it's astonishing how one can incur such widespread animosity at such a young age. In a sense, he could be considered a significant figure."

"Then what should we do?"

"We need a friend we can secretly entrust this matter to. Someone who can investigate secretly without others knowing, and who is not tied to their interests, and even better, someone who can treat that young man Biryu-yeon fairly without any particular animosity."

A person flashed through Ma Jin-ga's mind and then disappeared. It was someone who perfectly fit the conditions Son Mun-gyeong had just presented.

'I should call Hong.'

Although he worried that she might grumble about being overworked recently, it was the most productive decision he could make at the moment.