Chapter 115: Extreme Pa Clan (2)

Leaving behind the bizarre experience of that sudden question and answer.

It didn’t take long for me to become convinced that the gatekeepers hadn’t just let us through for nothing.

‘Are we being watched?’

I could feel a secretive gaze directed at us from somewhere.

‘No, rather than simple surveillance… it feels like someone significant is observing us.’

Unless the Pa Clan had nurtured someone on par with the Ghost Command Unit in stealth skills.

Even I barely noticed it—Gu Chil or Myeong-oh would never be able to detect it.

Even after passing through the front gate, it took a short while before we truly entered the main domain of the Pa Clan.

“Welcome. We received word from the gate, Young Master Jin.”

As expected of the Extreme Pa Clan, a man with a dagger at his waist—likely the chief steward of the clan—greeted us.

“Is the Young Clan Leader inside?”

“She is currently in training. If you wish to meet her, you’ll need to wait about two shichen (4 hours). Will that be alright?”

“What? That’s absurd!”

At the mention of a two-shichen wait, Gu Chil nearly exploded, but I quickly raised a hand to stop him.

“We came without notice. It’s our fault. We’ll wait.”

“Thank you for understanding. Then, this way…”

The man, who appeared to be the Pa Clan’s chief steward, led us to the reception hall.

“Young Master! This is outrageous! Leaving a Young Master of one of the Six Great Demonic Clans waiting for two shichen!”

“No, I don’t think that’s what this is.”

If it were any other of the Six Clans, maybe. But not the Pa Clan.

The Extreme Pa Clan was a family of men who faced things head-on rather than scheming in the shadows.

The steward, after leading us to a room in the hall, finally asked in a quiet tone.

“May I ask the purpose of your visit to our main house?”

“……”

I paused to choose my words.

I could have refused to answer, but like the Jin Clan, it was highly likely that the Pa Clan’s steward possessed authority beyond that of a typical steward.

‘To form an alliance with the Jin Clan and suppress the unrest within the Cheon Clan, ultimately supporting the Young Cult Leader…’

…The words never left my mouth.

“I’m here to have a match with the Young Clan Leader.”

“Oh! Is that true?!”

“I do have a proposal for afterward, but this comes first.”

At my response, the Pa Clan steward gave a faint, meaningful smile.

“You’re quite well-informed about our Pa Clan, Young Master Jin.”

There was a slight friendliness, but also mockery in his smile.

“To some extent.”

“Very well. We can’t just let this slide then.”

“……Huh?”

Why say something like that all of a sudden?

Feeling uneasy, I instinctively reached out toward the steward.

“What do you mean by that—?”

“Then I shall take my leave. Ah, by the way, your meeting with the Young Clan Leader might be a little more delayed than expected. Please rest comfortably until then.”

More delayed?

Why!?

Before I could protest, the steward had already walked away briskly.

Watching him leave, Gu Chil and Myeong-oh both spoke up.

“Young Master, we don’t know what’s going on, but this seems like it’s going south. What do you think?”

“Be quiet…”

I covered my face with both hands and let out a deep sigh.

***

It’s probably true that Pa Yeongyeong is in the middle of training.

So I understand that it might take time to meet her.

But what was that about it being further delayed?

And what was with that meaningful smirk?

“What do you think they’re plotting?”

Even Gu Chil sounded uneasy as he asked.

I took a deep breath to calm my inner doubts.

“I don’t know either. But what’s certain is—we’ve already crossed the river. Turning back now is worse than not having crossed at all.”

“Mm!”

Gu Chil and Myeong-oh swallowed hard, their expressions sobering.

The dice had already been thrown, and our feet were already inside the tiger’s den.

Whatever happened next, we had no choice but to face it head-on.

“But still… why did you just show up without any notice? Given the relationship between the Six Clans, it would’ve been courteous to give advance notice at least a few days ahead, right?”

Even setting aside the two-shichen wait, Gu Chil’s point made sense.

“Because we need to move discreetly now.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“From the moment I gave up on the Exchange Ceremony, there’ve probably been many in the Six Clans keeping an eye on me.”

“Well…”

Gu Chil trailed off.

Truthfully, even while I was holed up in the Thousand-Day Pass, I occasionally felt unnatural gazes on me.

“To think the Six Great Demonic Clans would be entirely ignorant of my intent is arrogance. I’m sure some have caught on at least partially—and if that’s the case, it’s only natural they’d monitor my actions.”

That’s why I had to move as covertly as possible, avoiding their eyes.

Then—

Clack!

Suddenly, the door to the reception room opened without warning.

It hadn’t been long since the steward had left.

“Pa Yeongyeong, Young Lady?”

“……”

“No, that’s not her.”

At first, I thought the woman who appeared suddenly was Pa Yeongyeong, but I quickly corrected myself.

That cold, composed face—definitely not the one Pa Yeongyeong would show.

Right… like the difference between Cheon Yura and Cheon Yujeong. Similar faces, but vastly different impressions.

“You must be Lady Pa Seolyeong.”

“You’ve got a good eye.”

The acting Clan Leader in Pa Yeongyeong’s absence.

She was the younger twin sister of Pa Yeongyeong—Pa Seolyeong.

Though she had the same double bun hairstyle, the impression she gave off was completely different from her sister’s. She quietly sat in one corner of the reception room and fixed her gaze on me.

“I’ve heard from the steward. You came to have a duel with my sister.”

“That’s correct.”

“It seems that the Young Master of the Jin Clan is quite desperate for the Pa Clan’s strength.”

She went straight to the heart of the matter.

And it didn’t stop there.

“Cheon Yujeong.”

“……!”

“Is it because of her?”

My eyes widened.

“You… know a lot.”

She calmly nodded.

“I’m the one expected to become the next Clan Leader of the Extreme Pa Clan[a][b]. It’s only natural that I have access to a certain level of top-secret information.”

Knowing about Cheon Yujeong was one thing, but connecting her to me took a level of insight that wasn’t ordinary.

“We’ve already predicted the possibility of a large-scale civil war breaking out within the Cult. However, the higher-ups of the main family have resolved to step back entirely if that happens.”

Had I underestimated the Pa Clan’s information network?

I couldn’t help but feel that I was already a step too late.

“It seems I arrived too late.”

“Not necessarily.”

“……?”

“That decision from the upper echelon of the main family… it was made under my lead.”

“Meaning?”

“Neither the Clan Leader nor the Young Clan Leader knows anything about this. In fact, they have no interest in the matter at all.”

Which meant—

“If you can convince those two, the decision can be overturned with ease.”

If she couldn’t be persuaded, then it meant I would never be able to make the Extreme Pa Clan an ally.

At that moment, I realized.

The woman standing before me was the true power that controlled the Extreme Pa Clan!

Pa Seolyeong narrowed her eyes slightly and lowered her gaze.

“There’s an arrogant outside perception that our clan charges forward without thinking, that we’re a bunch of brainless brutes…”

“……”

Sounds about right.

Actually, sounds spot on.

In that moment, Myeong-oh, Gu Chil, and I exchanged rapid, silent glances.

“There are… ‘a few’ members like that, and I won’t deny their existence.”

“R-Right.”

From the way you said it, I’m guessing that ‘few’ includes the Clan Leader and the Young Clan Leader?

Of course, since I was the one who needed something here, I couldn’t just say that out loud.

Pa Seolyeong continued.

“Because of people like them, someone has to coldly assess external situations and make judgments for the family’s affairs.”

“You’re saying that person is you, Lady Seolyeong.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

Just as I expected.

“I should be throwing you out on your heels instead of letting you meet the Clan Leader or my sister…”

She smirked.

That cold face of hers bore a meaningful smile.

It was strikingly similar to the expression the Pa Clan steward had shown earlier.

“But I’ll give you a special opportunity.”

“…I’m grateful.”

“Be thankful that you’re the Young Master of the Jin Clan.”

If she had already come to a conclusion, she was the type who favored safety over risk—so why give me a chance?

Sure enough—

“But I’m not sure if you’ll be able to seize that opportunity.”

“What do you mean?”

Her words were far from ordinary.

“To stand before my sister, you must prove that you are a saber-wielder. If you arrogantly swing a sword with no resolve, even if you win, you’ll gain nothing.”

With a faint smile, she asked,

“I heard Young Master Jin is a swordsman. Am I mistaken?”

Ah, so that’s what this is about?

I expected something more serious. If that’s all, it’s actually a relief.

What do you think I’ve been doing the past week?

“You’re half right, half wrong.”

“…Excuse me?”

“Just as you said, I’m here to prove that I carry the soul of the saber.”

I picked up the scabbard lying in front of me.

Gripping the handle, I slowly began to draw it.

Twitch!

At that action, Pa Seolyeong’s eyebrows twitched slightly.

“Seriously now, who in their right mind would come to the Extreme Pa Clan wielding a sword?”

What emerged fully from the scabbard was a straight saber, slightly broader than a typical sword.

When she saw it, Pa Seolyeong’s eyes briefly showed a flicker of surprise.

“…Are you seriously saying you intend to stand before my sister with a saber?”

“Yes.”

“Truly?”

“Truly.”

Shhhhhhh!

As soon as she heard my confirmation, an intense murderous aura burst forth from Pa Seolyeong.

“You dare, with your half-baked blade techniques, to defile my sister’s devotion to the way of the blade?”

She looked ready to draw her weapon and strike me down on the spot.

But I calmly responded, unfazed by her killing intent.

“Whether I defile it or purify it… we’ll only know once it happens, won’t we?”

…Crack!

Pa Seolyeong glared at me with such fury that the veins in her eyes bulged.

Yeah, honestly… this was kind of terrifying.

“Ha. So, someone from the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan… wants to prove the soul of the saber to the Pa Clan?”

She muttered something under her breath, then opened her mouth again.

“Crack! If you can really prove it. Crack! Then my sister might very well choose to help you. Crack!”

I didn’t know it was even possible to grind your teeth while talking, until today.

“Many people tried to cozy up to my sister. They showered her with praise and compliments, calling her a saber master.”

So I wasn’t the only one who’d thought that way.

Indeed, Pa Yeongyeong had a very friendly nature.

Flattery probably worked well on her, and it was no surprise many people had gathered around her.

“But none of them truly proved their sincerity to the saber. All of them said what sounded nice, but in the end, they were nothing but garbage.”

Thud!

Crack!

With one punch from Pa Seolyeong, the table split cleanly in two.

“And what do you think happened to that trash?”

I had no answer.

Pa Seolyeong’s eyes widened as she stared into my silence.

“I killed them all. Without my sister knowing. Regardless of rank or position. Quite a few of them were members of the Six Clans.”

If she truly had that much authority within the clan, that wouldn’t be difficult to believe.

“Even the Young Master of the Demonic Heaven’s Jin Clan is no exception. Even if war were to break out between the Jin Clan and the Pa Clan.”

Even Gu Chil and Myeong-oh were silenced by the weight of her madness.

“If you defile my sister’s pure heart, I will gladly use my saber to sever your head.”

In my first life—my original life—there was a word for people like this…

Right, they were called siscons.

Man, she’s terrifying as hell.

[a]isn’t Pa Yeongyeong supposed to be next clan head?

[b]Maybe next Vice Clan Leader

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