[Chapter 35]
"I'm innocent! I didn't do it!"
The person pleading his innocence in the Underworld Pavilion interrogation room was Bae Jongtak, a martial artist from the Northern Heavens Sword Family led by the One-Slash Sword Supreme.
He had been accused and apprehended for the crime of assaulting a young servant girl from the Sword family. In the past, such an incident would not have escalated into a major issue, but this time, he was arrested the day after the accusation was made.
"That servant girl is framing me! Please let me confront her! I'm innocent."
"Why would the servant girl frame you?"
"I don't know. Maybe someone instigated her, or maybe I made some mistake that offended her. But I swear, I did not assault her."
He appeared genuinely aggrieved.
"Fine, I'll arrange a confrontation."
"Bring her here immediately."
When I gave the signal, Seo Daeryong, who was waiting outside, brought in a girl who looked around thirteen or fourteen years old. The girl was trembling with fear.
"What's going on? Why are you doing this to me?"
Bae Jongtak loudly scolded the girl.
I raised my hand to calm him down.
"Quiet! If you raise your voice again, there won't be any further investigation."
"Yes, I'm sorry."
I asked the girl, "Is the person who assaulted you Seo Daeryong?"
The girl slowly nodded her head.
"Look! She's nodding without even looking me straight in the face."
"Do you need to examine her face carefully when you know her?"
"It's because of guilt that I can't look her in the eye."
"Is it really not you?"
"No, I swear to heaven it's not me. If you just believe this child's words and punish me, it's too unfair. Think about it. If I wanted a woman, I could go to a brothel, but why would I bother with a young girl like this?"
"I don't know. You tell me. Do you get excited when you see a young girl?"
"I didn't do it, I said."
Bae Jongtak glared at the girl menacingly.
"Don't you know how frightening false accusations can be? I'll forgive you, so tell the truth. Say it's not me!"
The girl's body trembled with fear.
"Look! She's shivering with fear, isn't she?"
"That's because she's scared. If she reveals the truth, she said they'll go to her hometown and kill her family."
This incident wasn't reported by the girl herself. The girl told someone else, and that person went to the Underworld Pavilion branch on the other side of the Flowing Wind Tavern to report it.
"Why do you only believe that child?"
"Because I want to."
"Isn't that too biased?"
"Because it's certain that you assaulted them."
"Then show me definite proof! Don't just believe that child's words."
When I looked at Seo Daeryong, he went outside. He came back with two more children. They were slightly older girls than the child who had come in earlier.
As soon as Baek Jongtak saw them, he flinched.
"Do you remember? They worked under you previously."
"I know. They've grown a lot!"
Baek Jongtak greeted them warmly, but the children kept their heads down without responding.
"While hearing the children's testimonies, I got curious. You committed the crime this time, but could it be that you didn't do it before?"
After investigating the previous incidents, it was found that these girls were also assaulted.
"All testimonies have already been given. The way you assaulted the children was the same. The threats were the same. You toyed with them for two to three years and then switched to other children."
Realizing that he could no longer deny it, Baek Jongtak's expression changed. The man who had been pleading his innocence disappeared, revealing his vile true nature.
"I was drunk and made a mistake. Please forgive me just this once."
The sudden calm demeanor of the man was so different from the way he had been pleading his case earlier that it felt like watching a performance by a street theater troupe.
The man spoke calmly to the children.
"Honestly, you enjoyed it too, didn't you? I even gave you money every time it ended, right?"
At that, the youngest girl took out some coins from her pocket and threw them on the floor. The coins clattered as they scattered. She had kept every single coin without spending any and brought them today.
Baek Jongtak turned his head away, pretending not to see, and begged me.
"I heard that in the history of the Underworld Pavilion, no one has ever been imprisoned for touching a servant girl."
"You did your homework. That's right."
"I swear it will never happen again. I pledge to the heavens. I'll write a written pledge if needed. No, I'll even make sure there are no female servants."
"You won't go to prison."
At my words, the children looked up. They all had frightened faces.
"Thank you. Thank you very much."
The man grinned and looked at the children, and the children all avoided his gaze and lowered their heads.
"But you will go somewhere else."
"Where is that?"
"In Hell."
Shiiik! Thud!
With one swift motion, my sword sliced through the man's neck. He fell backward with the chair without uttering a single scream, dead.
The sudden situation made the children scream in shock. The man's blood flowed onto the coins scattered on the floor.
I immediately turned to the children.
"The one who tormented you is now dead. Your families will not die either. So from now on, live without worry."
The children looked at me with astonished faces.
"What you went through, you will never forget until the day you die. If you can't forget it anyway, then don't forget what happened today. Bury what you suffered with this moment when this man paid for his sins. Only remember his final moment."
This was the best I could do for the children.
This was the only thing I could do for them.
They looked at the corpse and then at each other.
After a moment, the oldest child stepped forward and bowed deeply.
"Thank you so much for avenging us."
The other children also bowed their heads.
"Thank you, sir. Sob."
The youngest girl burst into tears, and another child hugged her. Tears were also streaming down the face of the child who was hugging her.
No one cares about how the servants are treated. I was the same in the past.
"You don't need to thank me. The reason I could punish him was because you bravely testified. It's the retribution you achieved. So, live bravely from now on."
"Yes."
"And there will never be any retaliation from this man's friends or family. From now on, the Underworld Pavilion will protect you."
Even the oldest girl began to cry.
"Really… thank you."
Father, if we, blinded by the name of being the strongest, cannot protect these children, we deserve to have our heads cut off by those orthodox bastards you despise so much. No, we should be beheaded. We wouldn't have any excuse.
Investigators came in and took the children away. I had told them to pay special attention to these children, so they had nothing to worry about.
This incident would also spread within the Cult, reducing the number of people who dared to mistreat the servants. We need to correct the misconception that such things are acceptable just because we are in a demonic cult.
Lee Ahn, who had been watching the investigation, shook her head.
"When I saw him denying it earlier, I really thought he had been wronged. It's truly terrifying."
"Humans are scarier than ghosts."
"But he was affiliated with the Northern Heavens Sword Family. Will the One-Slash Sword Supreme just stand by?"
"His subordinate repeatedly assaulted young servants. If he makes an issue out of me killing such a man, it wouldn't be wise."
"Aren't you afraid, Young Master?"
"I'm afraid. I'm afraid I might die before I can get rid of all this trash."
"Since you became the leader of the Underworld Pavilion, our Cult has been getting kinder. What if it becomes filled with people kinder than those in the Martial Alliance?"
I immediately corrected her joke.
"Not assaulting someone—isn't that just basic decency? Of course, it is."
"Ah, that's true."
"We haven't even been able to manage that basic decency until now."
Just then, Seo Daeryong returned.
"Leader, what's the matter?"
"What?"
"You killed him on purpose, didn't you? Your principle has always been that guys like him should be imprisoned and made to suffer."
Our sect's prison was more torturous than death itself.
"That's right."
"Then why did you kill him?"
Seo Daeryong was indeed a smart guy. I had deliberately handled the matter related to the One-Slash Sword Supreme myself, and as he said, intentionally killed the guy.
"First, to help heal these children's hearts even a little bit, second, to create an official reason to meet with the One-Slash Sword Supreme."
Seo Daeryong was shocked.
"With the Blood Heaven Blade Demon issue already a headache, why do you want to meet the One-Slash Sword Supreme?"
"Because I need a second tiger."
"Pardon?"
Seeing Seo Daeryong's puzzled expression, I gave an order.
"Inform the Sword Supreme right now. Tell him there's been an issue during interrogation, and I need to meet him personally to explain."
* * *
Two hours later, I headed to the Northern Heavens Sword Family with Seo Daeryong.
"Do you really need to take me along?"
"It's an official visit. Can the leader go alone? His right-hand man has to accompany him."
"When did I become your right-hand man?"
"You're a ruthless, power-hungry type, but a true man who loves only one woman. You're a rebel who raises his hand when everyone else is silent. That's good enough to be my right-hand man."
"Oh my god!"
"Which description do you like?"
"I don't like any of them!"
Before long, we arrived at the entrance of the Northern Heavens Sword Family.
If the Blood Heaven Blade Demon's Southern Heavens Blade Family controlled the south of our sect, then the One-Slash Sword Supreme's Northern Heavens Sword Family dominated the north.
"This is my first time visiting the Northern Heavens Sword Family. None of the cases I handled before involved them. Unlike the Blood Heaven Blade Demon, the One-Slash Sword Supreme has managed his subordinates well. The Demonic Swordsmen of the Sword Family also valued honor highly."
"Is that so?"
When I responded indifferently, Seo Daeryong asked, "Do you disagree?"
"To me, Demonic Swordsmen or Blade Ghosts, they're all the same. Can those who supposedly value honor have such eyes?"
The eyes of the Demonic Swordsmen guarding the entrance were far from friendly.
They seemed to have already heard about Bae Jongtak's death. Instead of the attitude of 'he committed a crime and thus died', their emotions were closer to 'You killed one of our Northern Heavens Sword Family members just because he messed with you?' Of course, given the current situation, they dared not provoke me openly, so they soon bowed respectfully.
Seo Daeryong whispered to me, "Lately, I've been seeing that look a lot. It happens whenever I'm with someone."
"Let's add 'peace advocate' to the list of descriptions for you."
"Oh…"
A martial artist was waiting to guide us.
"The Lord is expecting you. I am Sa Woojong."
Sa Woojong was known to be the One-Slash Sword Supreme's right-hand man. He was one of the top three experts within the Northern Heavens Sword Family, and his presence was as sharp as a blade.
I knew quite a bit about this man. Not because of any personal connection, but because his end had left a strong impression on me.
"Nice to meet you."
"Please follow me."
Sa Woojong led us deeper inside. We passed through buildings where the Demonic Swordsmen resided, heading to the innermost area.
There stood a small thatched cottage.
This quaint, well-maintained place was the residence of the One-Slash Sword Supreme.
"The Lord of Underworld Pavilion has arrived," Sa Woojong announced.
At his words, the door of the cottage opened, and a woman in white robes stepped out.
"Welcome, Pavilion Leader."
The woman with the gentle voice was none other than the One-Slash Sword Supreme, So Yeonrang.