The Ruler of Darkness

Luoyang Sword House.

Elder Council, Great Hall.

Whenever Elder Yeom attended the regular meetings of the Elder Council, he always tried to maintain the tension as if he was about to enter a battle.

Alert to the extent of awakening his senses, but not so tense as to stiffen his body.

Maintaining such appropriate tension, there were times when his intuition would whisper to him.

Just like now.

“The next item on the agenda is regarding the replacement or deletion of terms not used in the Sword House Law and the establishment of terms that are lacking.”

A fellow elder sitting next to him sighed softly.

“…The most boring time.”

For him, a martial artist, it was one of the most dreadful times.

But for some reason, he felt an itch at the nape of his neck and a tickle in his nose, indicating that something unusual was afoot.

“…The terms to be replaced or deleted are….”

Already, some were beginning to doze off.

“…Therefore, as examples of how to designate and express these terms…”

Such scholarly items were usually handed over to the Elder Council’s sub-committees.

Then, fellow elders from each faction who had been dedicated to these tasks for decades would resolve them.

The rest usually followed their opinions.

“…Next, the third point, the establishment of lacking terms…”

But today, he felt a certain conviction that it shouldn’t be that way.

“…The terms in question include, diligent continuation , seclusion , honorable retreat …”

He snapped to attention.

‘See this…?’

He nudged his fellow elder from the same faction, who was dozing off, to wake him up and turned his gaze to the elders belonging to the factions of 2nd Young Master and 3rd Young Master.

Interestingly, while they appeared bored, none of them were dozing or yawning.

At that moment, Elder Yeom’s intuition turned into conviction.

“…Therefore, we will proceed with a simple vote to transfer this issue, as usual, to the relevant sub-committee….”

And it seemed he wasn’t the only one who felt something was amiss; the head of the Elder Council, who had been blatantly leaning back and half-asleep, also sensed it.

“Wait a minute!”

Despite his small stature, he was known as a ‘little giant’ for his remarkable achievements.

“Who’s the one playing this kind of prank?!”

He stood on his desk, shouting curses.

His foul language and eccentric behavior were only seen during the closed Elder Council meetings.

“I clearly said it before, didn’t I? Anyone trying to bury important matters in a sub-committee like this, I’ll find and kill!”

His shout, though not filled with internal energy, reverberated loudly across the spacious hall.

“What, what’s going on?”

“Oh, I almost had a heart attack.”

Elders who were dozing or lost in thought snapped back to attention.

“Head of the Council. What’s the matter?”

“Someone calm down the Head of the Council!”

Several elders forcibly brought the cursing Head of the Council down to his seat.

One elder who muffled the Head’s swearing asked loudly.

“Can someone explain what’s happening?”

The head of the Law Enforcement Council, who had been chuckling at the scene, spoke up.

“It seems someone wanted to shift the extent of the Eldest Young Master’s seclusion to a sub-committee to manipulate as they wish.”

“What…?”

The hall quickly descended into chaos.

* * *

‘These are indeed monsters.’

Elder Yeom clicked his tongue.

Even elders who usually showed no interest in the Eldest Young Master were quick to grasp the situation.

But…

“Why can’t they see that acting this way always leads to the whole faction of the successor being collectively blamed?!”

“If you don’t like it, the Third Young Master’s faction should have acted properly in the first place!”

“What?! You follower of the unorthodox faction?!”

“You supporter of a now-defunct orthodox faction, only your mouth is alive?!”

The elders from the factions of 2nd Young Master and 3rd Young Master were almost at each other’s throats.

Added to that, elders who joined half for fun and half for interest were causing a commotion as if it were a festival.

It was a scene reminiscent of street brawlers fighting in the marketplace.

Unable to use internal energy and with the assurance that the meeting’s contents would not leak, this was a downside of the Elder Council meetings.

An elder responsible for conducting the meeting approached Elder Yeom and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“…I’m counting on you, Elder Yeom.”

Elder Yeom sighed deeply and stood up.

Then, with a great swing, he smashed his massive fist down, breaking the table into two pieces.

“If you’re itching for a fight, I, Yeom, will take on anyone here.”

Suddenly, the commotion in the Great Hall ceased.

Some elders expressed disappointment that it was over so soon.

There were even those who egged them on.

But the situation had already calmed down.

No one wanted to engage in a physical scuffle with Elder Yeom, especially without using any internal energy.

* * *

Afterwards, the meeting proceeded in a sensible and serious manner, considering the nature of the agenda.

“Defining the scope of seclusion in the law will be fine once we reach an agreement. Retroactive application is not a big issue either if we add an exception clause.”

“But the problem is that the subject in question is the Eldest Young Master, isn’t it?”

“…Many seem to have interpreted the incident in the inner court as the Eldest Young Master’s ‘declaration of refusing seclusion’.”

“Presumably, it’s the elders from 2nd Young Master and 3rd Young Master’s factions, right?”

“Indeed, if it’s the Eldest Young Master, starting something at any time wouldn’t be strange.”

“Was the past Eldest Young Master really that fearsome?”

“…Let’s not ask. ‘That story’ is almost a taboo in the Elder Council.”

“Do we really need to limit the range of the Eldest Young Master’s seclusion at this point?”

As the elders murmured among themselves, Elder Son from 2nd Young Master’s faction, whose turn it was to speak, stood at the podium.

“It seems many here still don’t grasp the seriousness of the situation.”

He smiled amicably and laughed softly.

“Is it not true that the only ones who benefit from this agenda are those belonging to the factions of the successors?”

Responding to a question from an elder, Elder Son stepped closer to the dais.

“What do you believe is the current status of the Eldest Young Master, Yeon So-Hyeon?”

“Well…”

An elder, about to answer confidently that he was the Eldest Young Master, suddenly hesitated, his face turning grim.

Elder Yeom’s expression hardened as well.

Ordinarily, he might not have noticed, but having recently studied and investigated Yeon So-Hyeon, he was aware of the situation.

“What’s the matter?”

“Can someone explain?”

Amidst the murmurs, especially from those elders who had lost interest in Yeon So-Hyeon’s usual seclusion, curiosity grew.

“Elder Yeom, what is he talking about?”

A fellow elder from the same faction asked him, and Elder Yeom slightly parted his lips.

“…Have you forgotten? The Eldest Young Master currently possesses the head’s seal of the main house.”

“Why does that…”

His colleague’s face hardened.

Elder Son, standing on the dais, looked satisfied with the increasingly heavy atmosphere.

“Now everyone realizes. Technically, his current status is not just the Eldest Young Master but also the ‘Acting Head’ of the main house.”

“Acting Head?!”

The elders buzzed.

“He is currently in seclusion, isn’t he? Then…”

“The position of Acting Head is both a title and a status. Currently, the ‘Supreme Operating Council’ is performing the role of the Acting Head…”

He looked around at the assembly.

“But that doesn’t mean we can categorically say that the Eldest Young Master’s status is not that of the Acting Head.”

“Is this true, Head of the Judiciary?!”

The Head of the Judiciary Council crossed his arms and nodded.

“…Though it’s a bit of a stretch, the Eldest Young Master did receive the head’s seal directly from the Grand Elder Head. It’s not incorrect to interpret it that way.”

“But wasn’t it not officially delegated?”

“That doesn’t matter.”

An elder stood up and exclaimed.

“Even if that’s the case, it’s just an academic interpretation! Even if he claims that, who would accept it?!”

A few nodded in agreement.

However, the majority shook their heads.

“Think about it.”

An elder who shook his head spoke.

“What if, after gaining enough power through his actions like now, the Eldest Young Master claims he’s the legitimate Acting Head?”

“The Supreme Operating Council would make the judgment, wouldn’t it?”

“What if the Supreme Operating Council denies that the Eldest Young Master is the Acting Head, and he refuses to accept it, stating it’s not the will of the Grand Elder Head?”

The same word popped into everyone’s minds at that moment.

Civil war.

Elder Yeom also sighed.

The atmosphere, already heavy, deepened as Elder Son, standing on the dais, smiled.

“Now, do you all realize the seriousness?”

His smile deepened.

“Why this Elder Council must impose clear restrictions on the Eldest Young Master’s seclusion, you all must understand now.”

* * *

A brief recess was declared.

But since it was only a brief recess, no one could leave the Great Hall.

“Why does the Eldest Young Master still possess the head’s seal?”

“Wasn’t it because he was the most compliant in seclusion, more than anyone?”

“…Rather, it’s more accurate to say no one could retrieve it.”

“If the Supreme Operating Council tried to reclaim it in the name of the Grand Elder Head, there would have been significant backlash, especially from those who know the truth…”

“Even if they had pushed through, under the Sword House’s law, only the ‘Head’ and those ‘authorized by the Head’ can claim ownership of the Sword House’s Gold Seal.”

“…Neither the Grand Elder Head nor the current Acting Head, the Supreme Operating Council, qualify.”

Someone clicked their tongue.

“Insane. All this time, we’ve been sitting on a ticking bomb, dozing off on it.”

“Who would have thought that the Grand Elder Head’s last command to the Eldest Young Master would be defied?”

As the meeting resumed, voices erupted from various corners.

“We must limit the Eldest Young Master’s seclusion range immediately!”

“Precisely, we need to add the term ‘seclusion’ to the Sword House Law and establish it properly.”

“Start the vote immediately!”

However, many remained silent.

Among them was the Head of the Surveillance Department, who hadn’t spoken until now.

He finally spoke.

“It will be futile.”

All eyes in the assembly turned to him.

The Head of the Elder Council, who had been watching calmly, agreed.

“He’s right. The head of the main house is above the Sword House Law. The same applies to the Acting Head.”

The heads of the Law Enforcement and Protection Councils also agreed.

“I concur.”

“If this issue reaches my court, I would have no choice but to make the same judgment.”

“This would only end up solidifying the Eldest Young Master’s ambiguous position so far.”

Elders from the factions of 2nd Young Master and 3rd Young Master started hurling criticisms at them.

“Order! Keep order!”

The cries of the elder managing the proceedings were in vain.

“Shut your mouths and be quiet, you wretched fools!”

It was only when the Head of the Elder Council stood on the table and shouted that the voices began to subside.

“…Then there is only one way to prevent a civil war.”

His voice was low, almost like talking to himself, but it was enough to silence everyone.

As the Great Hall quietened, the Inner Court Chief Administrator, who held a status equal to the elders, continued.

“Raise this matter to the ‘Supreme Operating Council’.”

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