Chapter v19c10

## Patrol Duty

– Shift Change

“Eldest Senior Brother, it’s time for patrol.”

Namgung-Sang’s words, uttered as he entered the dormitory room, twisted Bi Ryu-Yeon’s expression into a grimace. It was a grimace that perfectly matched his posture, precariously balanced on a single leg of his chair, the other three legs splayed out at odd angles. His right arm, resting on the armrest, seemed to be doing its best to prevent his head from tilting further.

“Patrol, my ass!”

His words, uttered through a lopsided grin, were as crooked as his posture.

‘This is bad!’

Namgung-Sang tensed up.

He could sense his senior brother’s annoyance. No one enjoyed patrol duty.

It seemed unlikely that Bi Ryu-Yeon would willingly detach himself from his chair.

“But we have no choice. It’s an order.”

Two days ago, a notice had been posted, containing the following directive. The “golden armbands” had all been stunned.

* * *

Entrance exam judges are required to patrol the city in pairs, once a day.

* * *

The official reason was to supervise the aspiring entrants and prevent any trouble, but the true purpose was so obvious that it felt malicious.

After days of constant challenges – the entrance exam judges preferred this term to “attacks” – they were becoming increasingly reluctant to leave the academy. Why bother seeking out trouble? But the elders wouldn’t allow it. This patrol duty was clearly a desperate measure to force them out.

The pairings had even been pre-determined. It seemed they had anticipated this situation from the start. It was a well-prepared trap. Some of the judges sarcastically referred to the patrol duty as the “sacrificial procession.” They weren’t wrong.

The situation had become so dire that even the golden armbands couldn’t act recklessly. They had to be cautious. Their pride as seniors was at stake. Losing to a junior in a duel would be a humiliation, a blow to their authority. And once lost, authority was difficult to regain. They couldn’t afford to lose to their juniors.

Namgung-Sang could accept that, even if he didn’t like it. But when he saw who he was paired with, he couldn’t help but cry out in dismay.

‘This is a lie!’

Why, out of all the people, did he have to be paired with his dreaded senior brother? His lucky star must have been a dud.

He knew why the pairs consisted of a senior and a junior. It was a kind gesture, a way for the seniors to look after the juniors.

‘Kind gesture, my ass!’

Thanks to some thoughtless pairing, his burden, both mental and physical, had increased significantly. Who was looking after whom? He was doing all the work. He had one body but two people’s worth of responsibility.

“Eldest Senior Brother… I know you wouldn’t waste your time on such a pointless, unproductive task. But we have no choice. It’s an order. Please bear with it.”

Bi Ryu-Yeon ignored him, his butt firmly planted on his chair.

“Eldest Senior Brother…”

Namgung-Sang called out again, his voice even more dejected. This time, there was a response.

“Those cunning old geezers! So that’s how they’re going to play it? I should have added a clause in the contract about refusing overtime work. My mistake!”

The chair, balanced precariously on a single leg, spun like a top. But Bi Ryu-Yeon remained unmoved, his posture unchanged, his chin still resting on his hand.

“Such a bother…”

That was the biggest problem. But it wasn’t the only one.

“Is it so hard to know your place?”

Or at least your limits. If he knew either, he wouldn’t be such a bother.

He should choose his opponents wisely. He had no judgment…

“It is a bother. And tiring.”

Namgung-Sang agreed. He had been working twice as hard lately. It was a miracle he was still alive.

“That’s what I’m saying. What’s gotten into you? You’re actually making sense for once.”

Bi Ryu-Yeon nodded, his chin still resting on his hand.

“How many have succeeded so far?”

“None yet. There would have been a huge uproar if anyone had succeeded.”

“Right? Those guys are all about saving face. They would have thrown a tantrum, crying about their seniority.”

Bi Ryu-Yeon pretended to cry.

“It seems safe to assume there haven’t been any successful challenges, since it’s been quiet. The golden armbands are probably avoiding going out.”

“But I’m a little disappointed that there haven’t been any successes. They’re all so incompetent… Maybe this year’s entrants are all weaklings.”

“Maybe the other judges are just competent.”

Namgung-Sang offered a more positive interpretation.

“No way! Lying is bad!”

Namgung-Sang was surprised to hear such a sensible statement from Bi Ryu-Yeon.

“Incompetence is incompetence. You can’t call incompetence competence.”

“But that includes you, Eldest Senior Brother.”

Namgung-Sang pointed at the golden armband on Bi Ryu-Yeon’s right arm.

“Ah, I’m an exception, of course.”

Namgung-Sang was speechless.

“Then… What should we call those who lost to the incompetent ones?”

“Well, they’re ‘doubly incompetent,’ I guess.”

Namgung-Sang was stunned by his absurd answer.

“Doubly incompetent? Is that even a word?”

“Of course not. I just made it up.”

It was a made-up word.

“Well…”

“Why bother coming up with a word to describe incompetence? It’s a waste of time.”

“That’s a harsh assessment.”

“Would it be fair to treat good people and bad people the same?”

“No, but…”

“It’s the same.”

“I-I see…”

Namgung-Sang was convinced.

“Hmm, it’s annoying to think that those doubly incompetent fools are causing us trouble. Isn’t there a way to make this easier?”

Namgung-Sang tilted his head, considering his question.

“Is there really a way?”

These were people who had dedicated their lives to entering Cheonmu Academy. They might be pathetic, but their determination was formidable.

“Hmm… There is one way.”

“What is it? Is there really a way?”

“Terror!”

“Huh? Terror?”

Namgung-Sang didn’t understand his cryptic answer.

“Spread terror!”

Bi Ryu-Yeon’s lips curled into a smile.

“Instill fear into their hearts and souls, so they’ll never dare to challenge us again. Kindly and gently, of course. Hahahaha!”

A dark aura emanated from him as he laughed.

Was he serious?

‘He might actually do it…’

Namgung-Sang imagined the most gruesome scenes.

Limbs torn apart, flesh ripped from bone, blood splattering everywhere…

He shuddered.

“Murder is bad, even if they’re annoying.”

He said, his voice trembling, offering his sincere advice.

“Huh? Who said anything about murder? How could a gentle soul like me commit such a horrific act?”

‘Easily!’ he thought, but he had the sense not to say it out loud. He didn’t want to risk his vocal cords.

“Oh, is that so?”

He asked, his face blank. Bi Ryu-Yeon gave him a look of disdain.

“Where’s your head at? You won’t get much for a rotten mind like that. Return it!”

The unspoken words, “while you still can,” echoed in Namgung-Sang’s ears. He had learned to read between the lines.

“But that would ruin the entrance exam.”

It would be a chaotic mess. The academy wouldn’t want that.

“That’s a possibility.”

Bi Ryu-Yeon didn’t deny it.

“Right?”

“But wouldn’t it be more interesting than this boring, tedious situation?”

He clearly didn’t value normalcy.

“Are you serious?”

Namgung-Sang asked cautiously, lowering his voice.

“What do you think?”

“Well…”

He shrank back, watching the ominous smile spread across Bi Ryu-Yeon’s face.

“Gungsang-ah, your eyes are wavering.”

He flinched, feeling exposed. It was as if Bi Ryu-Yeon had seen through him.

“Th-that’s impossible! My faith in my Eldest Senior Brother is unwavering!”

“Really?”

“O-of course.”

Fortunately, he didn’t press the issue.

‘Whew…’

Namgung-Sang sighed in relief.

“Shall we go then?”

“Let’s go!”

“I wonder how many fools will challenge us today. I’m looking forward to it.”

‘Please don’t look forward to it!’

Namgung-Sang screamed inwardly, praying for a peaceful patrol.

‘You say it’s a bother, but you’re looking forward to it?!’

He hoped the number of challengers would be small. After all, it was always his job to deal with them. Bi Ryu-Yeon rarely lifted a finger.

‘The duel is just a few days away. You don’t want to break up with Jin-Ryeong, do you?’

How could he say no to that? How could he possibly defy him?

He was already stressed about the upcoming duel, and he didn’t want to be overworked any further. But Bi Ryu-Yeon’s training – or rather, his habit of dumping his responsibilities on him – was relentless.