Love Ballad of the Tyrant King

Chapter 100: Jaseung, Speaks His Dream

Perhaps this was the most surprising moment for Baek Seolyoung since she had met Lee Jaseung.

Because it was his dream.

She had truly not expected the answer that the reason he wanted to have control over the martial world was because it was his dream.

"Because it is your dream?"

"Yes. It has been my dream since I was young. A dream I have carried for a very long time."

She stared at him intently. Her face showed doubt over whether that could really be the reason. Lee Jaseung did not offer any other explanation.

Wearing an expression that looked as if she found it a little absurd, she suddenly laughed loudly.

"Hahahahaha."

To think she would ever hear someone say it was simply because of a dream.

Suddenly she recalled a very early childhood memory.

When she was young, one of her little friends had once said that their dream was to "conquer Jianghu."

She had laughed the same way back then.

When you are young, your dream might be to become the Leader of the Murim Alliance, or the number one martial artist in the world, or the richest person alive. But once you reach your shaggy-haired teenage years, you begin to realize how unrealistic those things are.

Becoming an instructor at an academy becomes your dream, or becoming a low-ranking martial artist in the Alliance. And so everyone grows older.

Yet the man standing in front of her was still dreaming that grand dream.

"You are not teasing me right now, are you? Everything you said is the truth, right?"

"Of course."

She erased any trace of playfulness from her face and spoke.

"Alright."

"Is that answer enough for you?"

"It is enough. What in the world could be more precious than a person's dream?"

If her own dream was precious, then someone else's dream was precious too. Protecting her clan had also been a kind of dream, a fervent wish. She understood better than anyone how important and valuable that could be to a person.

Of course, it was not only because it was his dream. The underlying reason for her ready answer was the belief that he could actually achieve it. Her willingness to help came from that belief.

"Let’s go."

She strode ahead first.

‘Well, in the worst-case scenario, I’ll just end up dying. I’ll just bear this crazy dream with him.’

Thinking that made her feel at ease. How long had she walked for? They arrived at their destination for the day, the smithy.

It had been only ten days, but the old man looked thinner.

She could feel the traces of grueling work. Yet his expression held a mix of peculiar pride and anticipation.

Laid out on a white cloth were twenty daggers.

Lee Jaseung picked one up and inspected it slowly. One by one, without missing a single one, he examined them all.

Baek Seolyoung could not tell whether they were good or bad even by looking.

The old man was watching Lee Jaseung with a tense expression. The dagger Lee Jaseung had shown him on the first day was truly well-made. To surpass that, he had poured his entire soul into the work over the past ten days.

There had been a sense of rivalry, but more than that, it was because of Lee Jaseung’s discerning eye. All artisans in the world were probably the same. They would give their all for someone who recognized their worth.

After inspecting the daggers for a while, Lee Jaseung smiled broadly.

"Excellent. They are even better than the original."

The old man’s face lit up brightly at those words. Truly, he had worked without proper sleep for the past ten days just to hear that one sentence.

Lee Jaseung bowed his head to the old man in gratitude.

"I will use them well. Thank you for working hard to make these."

"Wait a moment."

The old man brought out a leather belt worn at the waist. It had been crafted to hold about forty daggers along its length. It was made for practicality and looked like it would be extremely useful once one got used to it.

"If you need it, take it."

The daggers he had made numbered twenty, but the belt could hold forty. He was telling him to place the ones shown earlier together with these.

Even though the other twenty had been made by someone else, he was acknowledging that those knives were also masterpieces.

"Thank you."

Lee Jaseung accepted the belt without refusing. He placed both the old knives and the ones made by the old man into it and strapped it under his clothing at the waist.

The old man’s gaze shifted to Lee Jaseung’s waist.

On the first day, he saw the dagger called Asura on Lee Jaseung’s belt. He had immediately recognized it as an extraordinary weapon. It surpassed the realm of masterpieces, a treasure he would not dare attempt to make himself.

He had wanted to at least admire it, but its killing aura was too heavy.

So he had not even asked to see it.

But today, there was another dagger on his belt, and this one felt different.

"May I take a look at that?"

Lee Jaseung readily took off Dream Phantom Dagger and handed it to him. The old man’s eyes were filled with emotion as he examined the Dream Phantom Dagger.

Perhaps for an artisan, the emotion was even greater than for a martial artist. Returning the dagger, the old man spoke with genuine admiration.

"It is truly a fine dagger."

Lee Jaseung gave a faint smile.

Forty perfectly balanced, perfectly weighted, and exceptionally sharp daggers.

Along with Asura and Dream Phantom Dagger.

Lee Jaseung felt immensely reassured.

After Baek Seolyoung paid, the two left the smithy.

In front of the smithy, Lee Jaseung spoke to her with genuine gratitude.

"Thank you."

To him, her gift was far more precious than the Dream Phantom Dagger offered by Ban Yeo. They were consumable throwing knives that would all be lost eventually, but he would never forget her heart in giving him a gift for his sake.

Baek Seolyoung smiled brightly and replied.

"I am glad you like it."

* * *

"Expert Ban was the one who brought in the Black Way Alliance?"

Sa Jo-pyeong looked up at Jang Wonso in shock.

As the Captain of the Vermilion Bird Hall for many years, he had experienced many incidents. Among them were cases that would have caused chaos if word had spread through the martial world. There were also many cases he had personally suppressed.

But never before had there been an event this shocking.

The second-in-command of the Murim Alliance colluding with the Black Way Alliance? That could bring not only the Alliance but the entire Orthodox world to ruin.

"If the Iron Cavalry Regiment moved, that means he made direct contact with the Black Way Alliance Leader… but that Leader is currently at their main base."

"If he is at their main base, then that one must be a fake."

Jang Wonso’s eyes held a reproachful glint. If that were true, Sa Jo-pyeong would have no excuse. It would mean the Black Way Alliance Leader had been moving right under the Murim Alliance’s nose without him knowing.

It was, in truth, unavoidable. The Vermilion Bird Hall was the weakest in intelligence-gathering among the three intelligence organizations of the Orthodox and Unorthodox Factions.

The reason for that was corruption. Corruption reduced efficiency and inevitably led to incompetence. The entire Murim Alliance was wracked with corruption, not just the Vermilion Bird Hall.

Sa Jo-pyeong subtly changed the subject and asked,

"What was the reason for this?"

Jang Wonso handed him a booklet. It was the very same one Mujin had stolen from the Central Plains Treasury.

Reading about how Ban Yeo had enticed and threatened Murim Alliance members, Sa Jo-pyeong’s expression grew grave. He now understood where the conflict between the two men had begun.

"We should convene the Counter of Elders to deal with this."

Ban Yeo’s power was strong enough that trying to handle it easily could lead to bigger problems.

But Jang Wonso’s expression showed some dissatisfaction.

Sa Jo-pyeong asked carefully,

"Do you have another idea?"

"Captain Sa."

"Yes, Alliance Leader."

"As you know, Expert Ban knows far too much."

Sa Jo-pyeong looked up at him. From the look in Jang Wonso’s eyes, he could guess what was on his mind.

"Are you saying we should get rid of Master Ban?"

"It is for the sake of the Alliance."

Both of them knew.

It was not for the sake of the Alliance, but for their own sake.

If Ban Yeo opened his mouth and this incident connected to the Alliance’s corruption, the Alliance Leader would be involved, and so would Sa Jo-pyeong.

With anyone else, they could find a way to silence them, but Ban Yeo was different. He was a giant among giants.

‘The Alliance Leader’s judgment is correct.’

The most certain way was to eliminate him.

‘But how?’

Sa Jo-pyeong’s mind grew complicated.

He had served Jang Wonso for a long time. He could guess his thoughts just by looking into his eyes. The reason he was bringing this up to him was simple. He wanted him to find a way to remove Ban Yeo.

Jang Wonso closed his eyes and waited for his words.

After thinking for some time, Sa Jo-pyeong spoke.

"He is currently out with the Virtuous Heroes and even a private organization. There is no way to remove him through ordinary means. Even if we succeeded in eliminating him, the incident would cause an enormous backlash."

It would be an incident where the second-in-command of the Murim Alliance was assassinated.

After hearing his words, Jang Wonso added an absurd restriction.

"Do not use internal forces."

Sa Jo-pyeong was appalled. To remove Ban Yeo without using the Alliance Leader’s own forces? That was an impossible task.

Jang Wonso had decided to preserve his own strength. If there was already change within their ranks, then something could happen soon that would throw the entire martial world into upheaval.

In such a situation, exhausting his own forces would be not only foolish but idiotic.

Jang Wonso slightly opened his eyes. The faintly narrowed gaze seemed to say, "I have overlooked the fact that you, as Vermilion Bird Hall Captain, have been embezzling hundreds of thousands of silver coins a year, so handle this matter at the very least."

Eventually, the corrupt strategist proposed a scheme.

"They say in spring, the pheasant calls and brings ruin upon itself."

Spring pheasant calling. When a pheasant calls, the hunter naturally turns to look.

Jang Wonso’s eyes lit up as he asked,

"What do you mean by that?"

"It was Ban Yeo himself who brought in the Black Way Alliance. As they say, you reap what you sow."

"You mean let the Black Way Alliance handle him?"

"That is correct."

"Will they accept that? They already joined hands with Ban Yeo."

Sa Jo-pyeong replied with a relaxed smile.

"This is a promise made among the Unorthodox Faction. Offer them more money, and they will certainly turn."

Thinking it was reasonable, Jang Wonso nodded.

Sa Jo-pyeong added,

"This time, the Black Way Alliance’s movements have already become known in the world. If it turns out to be their doing, cleaning up afterward will be easier."

"But wouldn’t public opinion demand we attack the Black Way Alliance?"

"The Black Way Alliance will hand over a suitable scapegoat. They do not want a war either. Once we hold that man accountable and execute him, the matter will quickly settle down."

A satisfied smile spread over Jang Wonso’s lips. Everything seemed to be falling into place.

Sa Jo-pyeong said carefully,

"But there is one problem."

"What is it?"

"To make this work, it seems you will need to meet the Black Way Alliance Leader in person."

A flash of displeasure crossed Jang Wonso’s face.

"I think you alone would be enough. Even Ban Yeo managed to do it, did he not?"

"This is a different situation. If I handle it, the price we will have to pay will be higher."

Sa Jo-pyeong was determined to draw Jang Wonso into the matter somehow. Not only would the meeting itself be safer, but it would also allow him to gain leverage over him.

But Jang Wonso saw through his ploy instantly.

"I will delegate full authority to you."

Seeing that he would not back down, Sa Jo-pyeong did not press further.

"Understood. I will do my best to handle it."

Of course, his true thoughts were far from compliant.

‘You sly old fox!’

Bowing his head, Sa Jo-pyeong took his leave.

"I will contact the Black Way Alliance Leader immediately."