The Ruler of Darkness

Elder Yeom nodded gently in agreement.

“…Considering the capabilities of the target of the war in the north, I believe it is worth attempting. However…”

The target of the northern war, Dong Ga-hyu, prostrated himself on the floor and interrupted Elder Yeom.

“I, Dong Ga-hyu, will surely accomplish this!”

Although he might have been angered by the interruption,

Elder Yeom, whose expression remained unchanged, continued speaking after Dong Ga-hyu finished.

“However, regardless of this person’s abilities, there are significant concerns regarding his reliability. This person is…”

Then, Dong Ga-hyu shouted again.

“If not I, Dong Ga-hyu, then there is no merchant in the north you can trust…!”

The booming Dong Ga-hyu immediately shut his mouth at the chill he felt from the Eldest Young Master’s single remark.

“Yes…?”

Despite sweating, he sneakily tried to gauge the situation but met the Eldest Young Master’s gaze staring directly at him.

“He, heek?!”

Dong Ga-hyu buried his head back on the floor.

“I deserve to die…!”

The Eldest Young Master gestured to Elder Yeom to continue.

“Please, go on.”

Elder Yeom calmly resumed,

“…During the northern war, this person was accused of supplying military goods to enemy tribes, and was not punished only due to lack of evidence.”

“This, this…!”

Dong Ga-hyu was restless, wanting to interrupt Elder Yeom several times, but ultimately remained silent under the Eldest Young Master’s steady gaze.

“To this moment, the military authorities in the north are still continuing their investigation into this person, as far as I am aware.”

As Elder Yeom finished speaking, the Eldest Young Master nodded in understanding.

“A dreadful act. Selling or lending military supplies to an enemy nation during war is tantamount to treason.”

Dong Ga-hyu’s face paled at these words, but the Eldest Young Master wasn’t finished.

“You mentioned an investigation by the northern military authorities?”

“Yes, it’s being handled by the intelligence agency directly under the Great General’s office.”

“I see. If it’s the intelligence agency directly under the Great General’s office, it must be a competent organization.”

“So, you must be cautious. Only heaven knows what this person might do in the north, claiming to be on a mission while using the Eldest Young Master’s name as a shield.”

Elder Yeom was about to recommend a few individuals that came to mind, but the Eldest Young Master spoke first.

“The fact that this person is still freely roaming around despite the capable organization of the Great General’s office investigating for several years suggests his abilities might be more competent than we anticipated.”

A glimmer of pride appeared on Dong Ga-hyu’s face.

“It is true that I am competent. That’s why…”

Elder Yeom, with a hardened expression, paused to choose his words carefully, then spoke bluntly.

“A ‘rein’ for control is absolutely necessary. However…”

Elder Yeom looked at Dong Ga-hyu with a disdainful expression.

“This person is also skilled enough to not leave behind any weaknesses.”

The Eldest Young Master nodded, arms crossed.

“I see.”

Silence settled in the room for a moment.

It felt as if one could hear the sound of an old man, kneeling and prostrate, rolling his eyes back and forth.

‘Very capable, but dangerously so.’

Elder Yeom turned his eyes towards the Eldest Young Master.

‘I wonder if the Eldest Young Master has a way to control him?’

At this moment, Dong Ga-hyu, for reasons unknown to him, seemed excessively craven, like a despicable old man.

Yet in reality, the old man was among the most influential merchants in the north, and under certain circumstances, like now, he was someone who did not need to heed Elder Yeom’s opinions due to his substantial financial power.

Ordinarily, it would be prudent to reconsider employing such an individual for important missions.

However, he hoped that the Eldest Young Master might have ‘some’ means to manage him.

“Dong Ga-hyu.”

The Eldest Young Master called out to Dong Ga-hyu.

“Yes, Your Highness!”

“In solving this problem, can you swear not to seek any personal gains?”

Therefore, when the Eldest Young Master posed this seemingly absurd question, he was taken aback.

Dong Ga-hyu responded immediately.

“Of course, Your Highness! I swear by the Primordial Heavenly Venerable, if only you place your trust in me, Dong Ga-hyu, I will certainly…”

“How strange.”

The Eldest Young Master interrupted.

“Aren’t you a follower of Tengri?”

Dong Ga-hyu, momentarily at a loss for words, quickly recovered.

“O-of course, I can swear by Tengri as well! What’s so special about a humble merchant’s faith? If it brings me good fortune, I’d worship Tengri, the Primordial Heavenly Venerable, or even Amitabha Buddha!”

“Indeed.”

“Exactly!”

Dong Ga-hyu chuckled, still kneeling and rubbing his hands together.

The Eldest Young Master’s second question was even more baffling.

“Then, would you be willing to roll in a filthy mud pit full of filth if it meant the success of this mission?”

Even Dong Ga-hyu, known for his thick skin, seemed shaken by such an absurd question.

“O-of course.”

“I see.”

The Eldest Young Master seemed disinterested in Dong Ga-hyu’s answer despite having asked the question.

“You will surely keep this oath, won’t you?”

“Absolutely! If I fail to keep this oath, may lightning strike me down from the heavens!”

Just as Elder Yeom was about to intervene, something disturbed his sense of qi.

It was a transmitted message, flying in from outside.

But intercepting a message directed at the Eldest Young Master, especially under unprepared circumstances, was impossible even for a master of high caliber.

Had he been able to intercept the message, he might have heard the following:

‘Everything he says is a lie, my lord.’

The Eldest Young Master, who received the transmitted message from his chief steward with dragon eyes, Jung-ah, smiled.

“Come to think of it…”

As if something had just come to mind, the Eldest Young Master stroked his chin and began.

“I’ve just remembered a rumor about a certain chieftain from the distant northern steppes.”

With an exaggerated motion, the Eldest Young Master feigned recalling the memory.

“He swore not to drop his sword until he had captured his uncle who cowardly murdered his father and torn his flesh into ten thousand pieces.”

Elder Yeom was puzzled not just by the Eldest Young Master’s seemingly out-of-place anecdote, but even more so by Dong Ga-hyu’s unusual silence, despite his usual penchant for chatter at any given opportunity.

“That chieftain had the most loyal followers, who, in accordance with their leader’s oath, tied their right hands with red cloth along with their swords, vowing not to untie them until their revenge was complete, I’ve heard.”

The Eldest Young Master, turning to gaze into the distance, had a profound and meaningful smile on his face.

“It’s astonishing, isn’t it? Even after decades, they still haven’t untied those red cloths.”

Elder Yeom turned to look at Dong Ga-hyu and was startled.

“…!”

The old man was trembling like a leaf, still kneeling, his face utterly drained of color.

And the sweat – it was profuse enough to soak his entire garment.

Elder Yeom realized then,

‘This man is the very person from that story!’

Elder Yeom was not the only one taken aback.

‘Could it be that Dong Ga-hyu was not originally from the Central Plains?’

His gaze shifted towards the Eldest Young Master.

‘How did the Eldest Young Master come into possession of such information?’

Doubts about the Eldest Young Master wavered.

‘Did the Eldest Young Master have this information beforehand and had Dong Ga-hyu wait on purpose?’

That seemed unlikely.

The appointment today with Elder Yeom was set solely by Elder Yeom’s own decision.

‘Even if Dong Ga-hyu had received a message from the north and came to Luoyang to wait, it would have taken at least several months.’

Moreover, if the Eldest Young Master had prepared Dong Ga-hyu in advance, there would have been no reason to conceal this fact.

The more Elder Yeom pondered, the more his thoughts tangled, leaving no time to organize them, as the Eldest Young Master’s soft voice filled the room.

“Dong Ga-hyu.”

Dong Ga-hyu tried to respond hastily, but only a whistling sound escaped his lips.

The Eldest Young Master slowly walked past the desk to stand in front of the wretched old man.

“I will not command you to stake your worthless life on this mission.”

The Eldest Young Master issued an irrefutable command.

“However, you must ensure this mission’s success.”

The Eldest Young Master whispered into the old man’s ear.

“Isn’t that right, Dong Ga-hyu?”

The Eldest Young Master’s eyes narrowed like the edge of a blade.

“Or should I call you ‘Arukutai’ of the ‘Ugrai Tribe’?”

The old man’s eyes widened as if they might tear apart.

For some reason, the Eldest Young Master’s voice sounded to him like that of his brother, whom he had stabbed in the back and killed long ago.

The voice of his brother who had trusted him more than anyone else in the world!

The old man cried out as if in a fit.

“I, I will surely fulfill your command and succeed!”

He smashed his head against the hard marble floor.

“Surely!”

And smashed it again.

“Surely!”

Blood splattered, but he did not stop.

“Surely!”

Then, another message flew to the Eldest Young Master’s ear.

It was the content he had been waiting for.

‘It’s the truth, my lord.’

A thoroughly satisfied smile appeared on the lips of Eldest Young Master Yeon So-hyeon.

For a moment, his teeth, reminiscent of a shark’s serrated edges, were exposed, but no one in the office saw them.

It was the result produced by the amalgamation of the voices of vengeful spirits narrated by the Ghostly Heavenly Mirror and the dragon eyes possessed by the Witch of Golden Eyes.

‘Do not worry.’

Yeon So-hyeon reassured the filled room of vengeful spirits in his mind.

‘This vermin is a traitor who murdered his kin to monopolize the inheritance, a mass murderer who burned down numerous villages for greed, and a rebel who betrayed his country for influence.’

It was a proclamation,

‘Eventually, on the day his usefulness ends, he will die torn into ten thousand pieces.’

That was a declaration.

The terrestrial executor of celestial punishment in place of the indifferent heavens.

The chilling ghostly aura of the Sovereign of Dark Heavens blazed vividly in the depths of his eyes.

* * *

The war target from the north, who had been using the alias Dong Ga-hyu, rolled out of the office as if fleeing.

His undignified exit resembled more of an escape from a deathtrap than a retreat.

After a moment of heavy silence, Elder Yeom spoke up.

“We have certainly put a leash on him, but…”

His tone was cautious.

“…won’t he be frightened and go into hiding?”

The Eldest Young Master, the only one in the office seated comfortably, smiled slightly.

“The ‘Mangudai’ of the Ugrai Tribe, given even the slightest reliable lead, will pursue him to the ends of hell.”

The smile on the Eldest Young Master’s lips clearly contained delight.

“If he’s already dead, they’ll drag his corpse; if turned to bones, they’ll seek out even a handful of his ashes.”

A thick scent of blood seemed to emanate from that smile.

“And he will never abandon the wealth he has acquired to flee.”

The Eldest Young Master spread his hands open.

“The moment he entered this office, his life was already in my hands.”

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