Chapter 82
Part 7: Remember
Yeon Sang-hyeon leaned back.
It was difficult to even recline comfortably inside the cramped four-man palanquin, but—
“My apologies, but...”
“It is the guideline. I know.”
The commander, who had been bending his own body as much as possible so Yeon Sang-hyeon could remain comfortable, smiled.
The four-man palanquin carrying Yeon Sang-hyeon to attend the Supreme Operations Council raced down the main roads without hesitation.
In the scenery that changed in an instant as they cut across it, not a single pedestrian could be found.
There was not even anyone peeking out from beyond a wall or through a window.
This was the power of the “priority authority” held within the Luoyang Sword Clan by the organization known as the Institution.
“Are you feeling dizzy?”
It was a question from the commander seated across from him.
“The men carrying the palanquin are sprinting with movement techniques, my eyes are covered, we’ve circled the same alleys several times, and, whenever possible, they’re leaping over rooftops. And you’re asking whether I’m dizzy?”
When the commander sent a sound transmission to his subordinates, the warriors running while guarding the area around the four-man palanquin widened their formation.
Then they took out something like small bells from their robes and shook them.
Strangely, however, no sound of bells could be heard.
“...Is that the Institution’s unique anti-eavesdropping formation?”
At Yeon Sang-hyeon’s question, the commanding warrior answered through sound transmission.
‘Yes, that is correct. Your ears are quite sensitive. With this, my sound transmission will not leak outside.’
Yeon Sang-hyeon gave no answer and only nodded.
‘You must have many questions after seeing my hand signal, but since our travel time is not long, I ask for your understanding that I have little time as well.’
Without even checking Yeon Sang-hyeon’s reaction, he hurriedly continued his sound transmission.
‘According to an informant known only to me...’
Information that began this way was usually extremely unreliable.
However, Yeon Sang-hyeon silently listened to the sound transmission.
That “hand signal” had that much value.
‘At some unspecified point in the past, the Second Young Master and Third Young Master were once summoned by the Supreme Operations Council.’
Yeon Sang-hyeon’s brows twitched.
‘They are said to have received one definite answer from the Supreme Operations Council. That answer was...’
He looked straight at Yeon Sang-hyeon, who sat with his eyes covered.
‘The Supreme Operations Council will ensure that the clan-head seal has no influence on the selection of the successor.’
Behind the blindfold, Yeon Sang-hyeon closed his eyes.
The commanding warrior hurried his sound transmission.
‘I will not ask you to believe me immediately. In any case, once you meet the supreme members soon, you will be able to confirm it directly through their actions.’
He looked at Yeon Sang-hyeon with an earnest gaze.
‘I beg you, Eldest Young Master.’
His feelings could be felt even through the sound transmission.
‘You must be careful of them. And you must show every courtesy so as not to disturb their mood.’
It seemed they were nearing their destination.
He conveyed his warning as quickly as he could.
‘For now, this is a moment when you must lower your head as much as possible. Only if you overcome this crisis can you later pursue the greater cause—’
Yeon Sang-hyeon cut him off.
“According to regulations, a different commanding warrior will accompany me on the way back, won’t they?”
“That is a security matter, so it is difficult for me to answer.”
The commanding warrior answered doubly, speaking aloud while also using sound transmission.
‘Yes, that is correct.’
Then Yeon Sang-hyeon answered him through “sound transmission.”
‘Then I will tell you now.’
The man was startled by Yeon Sang-hyeon’s sound transmission entering his ear.
“...!”
He was so shocked that the Institution warriors outside, sensing his presence waver, all placed their hands on their swords at once.
“There is nothing wrong here! The Eldest Young Master is preparing himself, so everyone widen the distance and maintain your guard.”
The anti-eavesdropping formation was released.
Their destination was right before them.
‘You... knew... martial arts?’
His sound transmission was unstable, as if revealing his mental agitation.
‘From what I can see, you are currently fighting a lonely battle within the Institution.’
‘...That is correct.’
‘Listen carefully. These are the same words I once said to the former head of the Institution, who was your elder brother and also my friend.’
Yeon Sang-hyeon had known who he was from the hand signal alone.
The four-man palanquin stopped at its destination.
‘If a situation ever comes that you cannot handle alone, remember this.’
With the help of the commanding warrior, Yeon Sang-hyeon stepped down from the four-man palanquin and continued his sound transmission.
‘In this Sword Clan, I, Yeon Sang-hyeon, exist.’
The commander felt as though Yeon Sang-hyeon was looking at him from beyond the thick blindfold.
‘If there was a reason your brother died, it was undoubtedly because he forgot my request, or ignored it.’
Another group was approaching from the other side to take over the handoff.
‘Come find me.’
The warriors of the other group entered the range where sound transmission could be overheard.
The commander could only stare blankly at Yeon Sang-hyeon.
From the face of the boy his elder brother had praised so highly, he could read nothing at all.
“Are you all right?”
At his subordinate’s words, he came back to his senses.
“I-I’m fine. Everyone, listen. From this moment onward, we will move to the first withdrawal point.”
The Eldest Young Master had already disappeared from sight.
As he ran with his subordinates using movement techniques, the commander recalled his elder brother’s suicide note.
He remembered his elder brother, who had once been the person responsible for the Institution.
The suicide note he had read dozens of times over, to the point that he had memorized it all.
“If you are reading this suicide note, then naturally, it means I am dead.”
Even while preparing for his own death, his elder brother had been utterly calm and composed.
“If that is the case, then it is because I forgot or ignored the request of the Eldest Young Master, who was my dear friend.”
“Remember this, my younger brother.”
“In this Luoyang Sword Clan, there is the Eldest Young Master, Yeon Sang-hyeon.”
He clenched his teeth.
“If he ends his seclusion and returns to the world, you must meet him.”
He sincerely prayed that Eldest Young Master Yeon Sang-hyeon would overcome this crisis.
Ever since rumors about Yeon Sang-hyeon’s seclusion had begun to circulate, he had searched desperately for information that might be of help to him.
In the end, he had succeeded in delivering the information he had barely managed to discover to Yeon Sang-hyeon.
“The Supreme Operations Council will ensure that the clan-head seal has no influence on the selection of the successor.”
Now, what remained was up to Yeon Sang-hyeon.
The Luoyang Sword Clan, the Second Young Master’s camp.
Han Myeong-hwi, the Second Young Master’s strategist, spoke to Elder Son.
“...A conclusion will be reached within today.”
Elder Son, who was seated leisurely with the chief strategists on the Second Young Master’s side, nodded.
“The Supreme Operations Council never delays matters, so the issue of the Eldest Young Master will be resolved before the day is over.”
They were waiting only for new news to arrive.
Strategist Choi, who had been biting his fingernails, asked Elder Son,
“...Surely the Supreme Operations Council would not break its promise to our lord?”
Elder Son chuckled.
“If only our lord had been there, perhaps they might. But the Third Young Master was there as well. For the sake of their own reputation, the supreme members will certainly keep their promise.”
Elder Son gave a benevolent smile.
“If they had no trust or credibility...”
The strategists’ gazes gathered on him.
“Would everyone have quietly accepted them continuing to operate the main clan while the Grand Elder Clan Head is unconscious?”
His eyes flashed.
“Those monstrous power holders of the main clan?”
“...In any case, the location where the Supreme Operations Council is held always changes irregularly.”
He grumbled.
“This kind of thing is nothing more than using security as an excuse to put psychological pressure on the summoned person. I am not a criminal, but a summoned person. Treating me like this is an extremely unjust measure.”
The commanding warrior in charge of internal security answered.
“If you have a complaint, file a formal protest with the Institution, Swordless.”
His voice was full of mockery.
“Though it will be useless.”
Yeon Sang-hyeon shrugged.
“Is that so? If I truly put my mind to it and come at you, you’ll all be smashed apart ‘like before.’ Will that be all right?”
***
Still blindfolded, Yeon Sang-hyeon followed the Institution warriors and walked without end.
The heavy sound of their footsteps ringing in his ears seemed to pile up like tinnitus.
Yeon Sang-hyeon was in the middle of grumbling.
“You must have heard stories about me from your ‘seniors’ until you were sick of them, no?”
No answer came back.
Instead, for some reason, their steps grew even faster.
With his arms linked by the warriors on either side, Yeon Sang-hyeon was now practically being dragged along.
“Hey! You lot! I’ll go easy on you this time, so let’s walk a little slower!”
Naturally, they became even rougher.
Yeon Sang-hyeon laughed as he hung from them.
“You lot. I’m going to remember all of this.”
“...Do as you please, Swordless.”
“Proceed straight ahead.”
They removed Yeon Sang-hyeon’s blindfold and shoved him forward.
Yeon Sang-hyeon staggered, then barely regained his balance.
“Hey, you lot. Isn’t this a bit much just because I joked around?”
Behind him, the stone door closed with a thud.
“...Heartless bastards.”
Yeon Sang-hyeon shook his head and headed forward along the long corridor.
Along the lengthy corridor, artificially made streams flowed on both sides.
Above the streams, the ceiling was open, letting natural light seep in.
As expected, when it came to wasting money, the Sword Clan was the best in all the Central Plains. Yeon Sang-hyeon gave a twisted smile.
The formations installed along the corridor tried to psychologically shrink him down and make him uneasy.
But there was no way a mere formation could affect him.
He lightly hummed through his nose and moved forward with loose, swinging steps.
When he reached the end of the corridor, a wide hemispherical space revealed itself.
“Stand in the center, Eldest Young Master.”
A distorted voice, sounding both male and female, echoed out.
It was because of the shape of the enormous stone cavern, which was formed like a hemisphere.
“This place used to be Father’s private training ground...”
Yeon Sang-hyeon muttered to himself and stood in the center of the stone cavern.
Sunlight pouring down from a hole in the ceiling shone upon him.
“...For that, we are deeply apologetic as well, Eldest Young Master. However, we ask that you please understand our circumstances.”
It was a different voice from the one before, but it too was distorted.
And those voices were coming from the small stone chambers opened all around the hemispherical cavern.
Nine chambers, nine people.
Yeon Sang-hyeon slowly turned once and greeted them.
“It has been a long time, Nine Supreme Members.”
As if he had just realized something, Yeon Sang-hyeon clapped his palm.
“Ah. Some of you must have been replaced in the meantime. It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time. I am Yeon Sang-hyeon.”
There was no answer.
He smiled.
“It feels strange for only me to give a greeting. How about we begin by exchanging greetings?”
At those words, a distorted voice answered.
“The supreme members do not exchange such things as greetings.”
Another voice continued.
“According to the strict internal rules unique to the Supreme Operations Council, all personnel who make up the Supreme Operations Council must neither know, nor attempt to know, each other’s identities.”
Yeon Sang-hyeon shrugged.
“At the very least, two of you are seeing me for the first time after becoming supreme members.”
“This is not something to boast about, but...”
Yeon Sang-hyeon smiled.
“Any supreme member who remembers dealing with me even once in this place would never answer a remark like that.”