Absolute Regression

The hastily formed trio headed to Flowing Wind Tavern.

Lee Ahn and Seo Daeryong were quite drunk, but the moment the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader flipped the table, their drunkenness vanished as if it had been a lie.

When else in their lives would they witness the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Wind Cult overturning a table in front of the Demon Supremes? It was a story to tell their grandchildren, starting with, “In my youth, this old man…”

It was a shared sentiment among the three that they couldn’t just go home on such a day.

Before heading out to Maga Village, Jangho entrusted the Millennial Cold Iron to Gwak Bangju, who was the head of the main cult’s ironworks and known as the “Divine Hand.”

Gwak Bangju was delighted to finally have a proper task to work on after a long time, and since he rarely showed any emotion, the trio realized anew how great a gift they were receiving.

The three entered Flowing Wind Tavern in Maga Village.

“Only the three of you today?”

Jo Chunbae greeted them warmly.

Seo Daeryong joked, and Lee Ahn added,

“It might soon become a quartet.”

Not understanding, Jo Chunbae laughed as Lee Ahn explained.

“Bring us the drinks first.”

They sat in their usual spot on the second floor.

The drinking session began with Jangho’s half-joking, half-serious remark.

“Sometimes, I feel a bit sad.”

“Why?”

“You two are the heart and the right arm, but I’m still nothing.”

He said it jokingly, but a hint of sadness was evident.

Lee Ahn smiled and said,

“Isn’t that why it’s even more impressive?”

“What do you mean?”

“Like you said, you’re neither the heart nor the right arm, but the Young Master always calls you, doesn’t he?”

Jangho opened his eyes wide, realizing he had never thought of it that way.

“Although calling someone the right arm or the heart is just a joke, the Young Master’s trust in you is real. I can tell just by looking at his eyes.”

“Really?”

“Yes!”

“Our sister here sure knows how to make someone feel good.”

This time, Lee Ahn asked, “Really?” and Jangho replied with a big “Yes,” just like Lee Ahn. The three laughed together.

Suddenly, Lee Ahn thought of the man in shackles. He was someone who couldn’t be left out of today’s drinking session.

“Who was that person earlier?”

“He seemed quite unusual.”

In response to Seo Daeryong’s answer, Jangho reiterated,

“No matter how important or outstanding someone is, I won’t let them act recklessly.”

He made it clear that he intended to keep an eye on the man in shackles.

“Thank you for stepping in for me earlier.”

Seo Daeryong expressed his gratitude. He was grateful because Jangho had stepped in when the man in shackles pressured him about what he would do if someone tried to take the position of the right arm.

“I’m sorry to say this, but I didn’t step in for Investigator Seo. I was sincere about what I said. There are candidates lining up for the position of the right arm.”

Lee Ahn and Seo Daeryong looked at him in surprise.

“Lord Jang…”

Seo Daeryong started to say something, but Jangho interrupted.

“Please don’t say that you can yield. I believe that the position of the Young Master’s right arm is not something that can be easily conceded.”

“No, I was actually going to say that I wouldn’t yield even to you, Lord Jang.”

“What? Then why did you say you would yield earlier?”

“That was a lie. I felt that it wasn’t the right moment for me to step in. Honestly, I can’t yield. I absolutely won’t.”

Seo Daeryong revealed his true feelings. It wasn’t just because he was drunk. There was something he had always wanted to say to Lee Ahn and Jangho at least once.

“My senior at the Underworld Pavilion was killed by the previous Demonic Army Commander, and I was consumed with thoughts of revenge. I memorized all the details about the Demonic Army Commander’s people. But that was it. I couldn’t bring myself to suggest a reinvestigation, so I just harbored my vengeful thoughts silently.”

Seo Daeryong took a drink. Jangho silently filled his glass.

“Pathetic, right? But that was the only way I could endure it. If the leader hadn’t come as an interim investigator back then, I would have lived my entire life in self-reproach, in darkness and gloom. Do you know what people say to me most these days? They ask why I’ve become so bright. Do you think I would easily give up my position as his right arm? I wouldn’t yield even to the Lord. And I’m improving my martial skills every day.”

Seo Daeryong exhaled deeply after pouring out his feelings.

Jangho, who seemed about to say something, just smiled pleasantly. Seo Daeryong found this rugged man’s occasional smiles to be surprisingly charming and inspiring. He always wanted to smile like that too.

Seo Daeryong spoke to the two of them.

“Let’s keep this gathering going, please!”

The three of them talked late into the night.

They discussed Geom Mugeuk, the man in shackles, the Demon Supremes, and each of their own affairs.

It was a pleasant drinking session where we could say everything we wanted without crossing any lines. It gave us a vague sense that we could say anything in this setting. Without Geom Mugeuk, we felt more free to open up our hearts.

“I’m really glad we gathered today.”

When Lee Ahn raised his glass high, the other two toasted vigorously.

After the drinking session ended, the three of us stood side by side in front of the tavern.

Looking at the distant main building, Seo Daeryong spoke.

“Tonight, many people’s destinies might be changing. Or perhaps they have already changed.”

Lee Ahn nodded in agreement.

“We just need to believe in the destiny that leads those fates.”

People who were sincere to the end, like the Young Master, were here as well.

* * *

At dawn, the man in shackles came to see me.

Seeing him at my residence, instead of always next to the Thunder Bell with shackles on, felt so new.

Before greeting him, I looked at his ankles.

“Are your ankles okay?”

“The Second Young Master always defies my expectations.”

His voice was low and calm.

I looked up at him with a face asking what he meant.

“I didn’t expect you to look at my ankles before greeting me.”

“It’s more important than a greeting.”

“My ankles are fine. Even if it’s not great martial arts, I’m still a martial artist.”

“Can you tell me what kind of martial arts you practice? I want to know your exact skills.”

“At one time, I mastered the Celebrity Fist Technique up to the seventh level.”

“Ah, that’s a good technique.”

“You know the Celebrity Fist Technique?”

“Isn’t it the unique martial art of Yang Seong, the Fist Master, one of the Nineteen Strong of Saewae?”

“How do you know that?”

“I have a wide range of interests.”

Fortunately, the man’s ankles were fine. As I straightened up, the man spoke.

“My name is Gowol.”

Finally, I learned the name of the man in shackles.

Gowol. His name, meaning ‘lonely moon,’ suited his aura well.

“Gowol. It’s a good name.”

“Thank you.”

Our gazes tangled in the air. Through the strands of his long hair, I saw his clear eyes. Just as our encounter had started with those eyes, no other words were necessary between us.

“Please become my comrade from now on.”

Gowol responded calmly to my sudden proposal.

“Later, when you become the Heavenly Demon, I will become the Strategist Advisor of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect. Do you trust me with such a significant responsibility?”

“It will happen if you play a major role in me becoming the Heavenly Demon. You won’t be appointed by me; you’ll have to rise to the position yourself.”

After pointing this out accurately, I added a joke.

“Still, becoming the Strategist Advisor of the Demonic Sect will be easier than becoming my right-hand man.”

Gowol smiled faintly.

“It seems so, from what I saw earlier.”

Just like with my proposal, Gowol didn’t hesitate. He knelt down and formally showed his respect.

“Although I am lacking, if you accept me as your strategist, I will serve you with utmost loyalty. I swear upon my life and honor to Heaven and Earth.”

I also formally accepted him.

“Gowol, from this moment onward, I appoint you as my Strategist Advisor. Please guide me well.”

I believed in the determination shining in his clear eyes more than his words. I believed in the fate that brought him to me.

“From now on, you can speak comfortably.”

“I will.”

This moment of welcoming Gowol was special. It marked the moment I was relieved from the burden of having to bear everything alone.

I took his hand and helped him up.

“First, let’s focus on recovering your health.”

“I’m fine.”

“There’s no need to rush. I need you not just ten, but twenty, even thirty years from now. During that time, we might have to go to war with the Martial Alliance, appease the Unorthodox Alliance, face rebellions, or fend off powerful enemies. I didn’t recruit someone to advise me today; I recruited someone to go through all those challenges with me.”

For a moment, a spark of emotion flickered in Gowol’s eyes.

“To think so far ahead… You are truly unpredictable, Young Master.”

“I may be unpredictable now, but in the future, I might become very predictable. However, that doesn’t mean my subordinates’ lives won’t be precious. You need to help me now, and also then. We have a long road ahead.”

“I will keep that in mind.”

This time, Gowol asked me.

“May I ask you a question?”

“Ask anything.”

“What if you find a strategist better than me in the future?”

“Then you will become his vice-advisor and assist me together. How’s that? Is my answer satisfactory?”

“Yes, it’s satisfactory.”

“Won’t you feel resentful? If I bring someone else and say, ‘From today, this person is my strategist,’ what then?”

“I did not come to seek a personal relationship with you, Young Master. There’s no need for us to become close. Therefore, if such a situation arises, you must accept it without hesitation. If you can’t make such an obvious choice, it means either I am an idiot or a bad person. You must be decisive, for both your sake and mine.”

Gowol indeed had exceptional insight. He knew that becoming emotionally attached could ultimately ruin relationships even further.

“To be honest, you’re so intelligent, Young Master, that I sometimes wonder if you even need me.”

“A person can’t be smart all the time, right? Both you and I will make mistakes. But isn’t it less likely for both of us to make the same mistake at the same time? So, let’s discuss things and move forward together.”

“What kind of life have you lived, Young Master?”

How could I explain my life to him? Instead, I conveyed what Sima Myung had once told me.

“A strategist I respect once told me, ‘A good strategist is one who is smarter than the opponent’s strategist.’”

“Is my opponent the strategist of the Martial Alliance? Or the one you respect?”

“Both.”

Gowol likely guessed that the respected strategist I mentioned was Sima Myung, the Strategist Advisor of this sect. It meant he should become a strategist superior to him.

“You have a task ahead. Create an intelligence organization and dominate all information across the Central Plains. Aim to surpass the Heavenly Communication Pavilion.”

“Yes!”

“Is that really something you can answer so easily?”

Gowol asked back with confident eyes.

“Isn’t that why you went through the trouble of bringing me here?”

* * *

A few days passed.

Gowol spent these days focusing on recovering his health. He didn’t arrange separate lodgings. For the time being, he decided to stay in a guest room in my quarters.

Just like on the first day, he was up early today as well.

“You’re up?”

“Did you sleep well through the night?”

“I did.”

“What’s the matter this morning?”

“Here, take this money.”

I handed him the bundle of promissory notes I had kept so far.

“You’ll need money to create the organization, so use this.”

Even after confirming it was a large sum of a million nyang, he didn’t show any surprise.

“What if I take this money and run away?”

“I’ll send people to catch you.”

“And then?”

“I’d melt down the daggers and fan I’m making now, and then I’d put you in shackles. Then, I’d show you to the person I dislike the most. You’d have to act all mysterious and keep up the charade.”

This joke was too much for him to bear, and he let out a small laugh.

“Let’s go. Today, let’s go out and have a meal.”

We headed out to Maga Village and saw the Heavenly Wind Cult Leader sitting on the second floor of the Flowing Wind Tavern.

“The owner of this place told me that the Cult Leader of the Heavenly Wind Cult has already come here alone twice. It seems he wants to see you. What do you think? Do you want to meet him?”

Otherwise, the Cult Leader wouldn’t have come here twice to eat.

“Yes, I wanted to meet him as well.”

While I had solved my own problem, they still had issues to resolve. Right, even if we fight while carrying a load on our backs, we should fight without the burden on our hearts.

We slowly made our way up to the second floor.

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