episode_0026

– Please make sure to prepare yourself personally and come by tomorrow at noon.

Thinking about the last words that Sibi had said, Iyeon headed towards the street.

Not one to indulge in extravagance, Iyeon didn’t have much luggage, but a few new clothes were still necessary.

Passing by a boutique that dealt with expensive clothing, Iyeon entered what looked like an ordinary clothing store to anyone else.

For a shapeshifter like him, flashy silk clothes were unnecessary.

Simple, nondescript clothes were more than enough.

“Welcome, please come in.”

As Iyeon entered the clothing store, he was greeted by the owner with a goatee.

“Are you here to buy some formal attire?”

“Haha, I see. Shall I take your measurements right away?”

“No, that won’t be necessary. I’ll write them down.”

Iyeon wrote down his measurements on the cloth handed to him by the owner.

“Thank you. I’ll get them ready for you… Oh, by the way, what colors would you like?”

“Two sets each of white and blue.”

“Got it. I’ll prepare them right away.”

The owner walked over to where the clothes were laid out.

And shortly after, he returned with four sets of formal attire.

“Here you go. Oh… but just in case, would you like to try them on for a test fitting?”

“Sure.”

Iyeon nodded.

“Alright, then let me guide you to the changing room.”

Following the owner’s lead, Iyeon entered a vacant room in the back corner.

Thud.

The door closed.

But Iyeon didn’t change into the clothes.

It was obvious.

There was a man inside, and a man at that.

A man with a cold, indifferent demeanor.

But Iyeon knew that wasn’t his true face.

The man’s face changed every time you looked at it.

A skill using illusionary faces.

That was the man’s specialty.

“Did you have a tail?”

The man confirmed that first.

He seemed to have a meticulous personality.

“No, I didn’t.”

Iyeon replied immediately.

Although she was a bit concerned about her back, she knew it was an impossible scenario from the start.

Would twenty top-notch experts like her have tails?

Would such power even exist within the current Golden Dragon Field?

If such power existed, they wouldn’t have recruited so many warriors on such a large scale.

“I apologize.”

The man belatedly apologized to Iyeon for the breach of etiquette.

“So, whose idea was it to prepare for this thorough yet absurd meeting?”

Iyeon had no idea until she entered the clothing store.

She only found out after hearing the owner’s prelude.

“It was Lady Lujoo’s idea.”

“Ah, I see. Of course it was her. After all, why else would you, a nameless one, be here?”

Nameless.

A man who could be considered Eun Hwayeong’s right-hand man.

But an individual who was thoroughly concealed from the public eye.

However, Iyeon knew about Nameless.

Just that knowledge alone would reveal the true nature of the relationship between her and Eun Hwayeong.

“Lady Lujoo takes this matter seriously.”

“I suppose so. That’s why she made such a request to me.”

Iyeon replied.

“What do you think? Do you really find the Golden Dragon Field suspicious?”

“I cannot dare to question Lady Lujoo’s decisions. But I must say one thing.”

“What is it?”

“Lady Lujoo’s intuition differs from that of ordinary people. I sense that fear.”

“I see. I feel the same way.”

Iyeon nodded at Nameless’ words.

And a moment of silence passed.

Iyeon had nothing to say, and Nameless seemed to be organizing his thoughts.

Then, Nameless spoke again.

“Did you sense anything unusual at the Golden Dragon Field today?”

“No. The faces of the Gasols were calm, and the atmosphere was peaceful.”

“Of course, on a day like today, only a fool would reveal any weaknesses.”

“Of course. If someone as mysterious as that child’s guardian, they must not be underestimated.”

“Yes, that part will be taken care of by this association.”

“It’s quite a burden.”

Ilyeon chuckled.

“Of course, we will do our best to assist Lord Lujoo and the others. Please accept this.”

Muyeong handed something over.

It was a small gray box.

“What is this?”

At Ilyeon’s question, Muyeong silently opened the box.

And then.

A mouse appeared from inside.

A small mouse with black fur.

The peculiar thing was that the mouse did not squeak or make any noise.

It didn’t make a sound like a mute.

“A mouse? Why is this?”

If it were an ordinary woman, she would have been startled by the mouse that popped out, but she was indeed a martial artist.

She calmly asked what the mouse meant.

“It’s a Black Rat.”

“A Black Rat. So what does that mean?”

“It’s a messenger. Very intelligent and used for communication.”

“Used for communication? I’ve never heard of a mouse being used for communication before.”

A commonly used messenger.

A messenger used by those seeking a higher status.

It was one of the representative communication animals in the martial world.

But a mouse.

She had never heard of it before.

“That’s understandable. Black Rats are creatures only used in the main text. And there are only three of them in total. So only those in very special positions in the main text can use them.”

When Muyeong mentioned the main text, it was naturally referring to the Haomun.

Although she called Eun Hwayoung Lujoo, her other identity was the head of the Haomun branch.

Although she was called the head of the branch, her position was incomparable to that of a normal regional head.

Haomun was famous for its enormous pleasure district.

So famous that it was called the city that never sleeps at night.

So there were more courtesans there than anywhere else.

The representative of those courtesans was Eun Hwayoung.

As the representative of the courtesans, her position was naturally high.

Having a Black Rat showed a glimpse of her position.

“I see. But can you really give away such a precious creature like this?”

“Communication is impossible with regular messengers. The Golden Dragon Army does not take such risks.”

“Of course, that makes sense, but…”

“But it’s possible with a Black Rat.”

Regular messengers are well known and can be seen by people’s eyes at any time because they have to fly through the sky.

But Black Rats are different.

People’s sight tends to darken when it comes to things under their feet.

Moreover, they are so small, and there are holes everywhere that mice can go, so there is nowhere they can’t go.

It was truly the perfect animal for secret communication.

“Understood. Let’s use this for communication.”

“Thank you.”

Muyeong explained to Ilyeon the handling method of the Black Rat and the time for communication.

And added.

“Muyeong will always be waiting near the Golden Dragon Army headquarters.”

In fact, this was not a message from Lujoo.

It was an exceptional message delivered on his own initiative.

He judged that it would be better to convey Lujoo’s sincerity to his only friend.

“…I see. You worry too much. It’s not like it’s a big deal.”

Ilyeon said so.

But she seemed pleased.

***

“Always be careful.”

Bang So-woon said.

“Of course, sir. How do you see me?”

Jang Il replied with a relaxed face.

Since Bang So-woon obtained the Hwangbo Seal, everything was going well, so it was natural for him to have such leisure.

However, Bang So-woon was different.

He was a cautious man from the beginning.

So it might be that Jang Il’s straightforward personality was somewhat controlled and led to better results.

“I understand your heart. But do you know what it means to have twenty first-class masters?”

“Twenty first-class masters are twenty first-class masters.”

Jang Il answered with a strange expression, as if saying he would ask strange questions.

Bang So-woon clicked his tongue as if in disbelief.

“It means chaos will ensue if they catch on and start moving, kid.”

Of course, we do have the ace in the hole, the pinnacle expert Yeon Soo-rin.

But apart from her, our forces are currently at a dismal level.

Yeon Soo-rin alone couldn’t handle it all.

“Ah… I see.”

Finally nodding his head, Jang-il said, “That means we have to discreetly and thoroughly dismantle them one by one. We must not let them catch on.”

“Haha, of course.”

Though he spoke confidently while pounding his chest, there was a hint of caution in his demeanor compared to before.

That should do for now.

“Oh, and one more thing.”

“What now, sir?”

“Perhaps among those twenty, there might be a spy planted somewhere.”

Narrowing his eyes, Bang So-woon spoke.

“What? No way. They’re all top-notch experts.”

Jang-il chuckled and shook his head.

“This kid. Do top-notch experts not engage in espionage?”

“Well… I suppose not…”

“In fact, I anticipated this before we even began this operation, so I gave strict instructions to the head and the spy. Make sure to manage the spy thoroughly.”

“But, I can handle the spy management…”

“Kid, think for a moment. Everyone knows you’re my certified bodyguard, so why would you go around managing spies?”

“Ah.”

Jang-il finally seemed to grasp the situation as his eyes widened, and he fell silent.

He realized that he couldn’t just go around as he pleased anymore.

“Once we finish our work before anyone catches on, we’re done. But still, be cautious in case of any unforeseen circumstances.”

“Yes. I will keep that in mind, sir.”

Jang-il’s gaze changed.

“Let’s decide on the order in which we’ll dismantle them. Of course, it may change depending on the situation.”

And so, Bang So-woon and Jang-il carefully and thoroughly prepared for the next task.