Book 8: Chapter 23: Solitude

Annex, Bank Director's Study.

"Bank Director."

The secretary questioned the old man who was looking through a book.

"Would it not have been enough to prepare a separate small room and show them only the copies that could serve as evidence?"

"Allowing them access all the way to the library where all the ledgers of successive Bank Directors remain, of all things…"

The white-bearded old man, the Bank Director, closed the book he was reading and smiled broadly.

"Did I not tell you? We must earn the Eldest Young Master's trust. Since I have nothing to hide, I opened everything when the opportunity arose."

If it were not for this special situation, there would have been too many eyes, making it impossible to bring an outsider into the highest security area in the first place.

"In terms of time and manpower, the Central Inspection Department will already have its hands full just grasping the materials for the current incidents, but…"

The secretary swallowed dry saliva.

"If, by any chance, though I do not think it would be possible. If there is a one-in-a-million chance…"

Cold sweat trickled down the forehead of the secretary who continued speaking.

"If they were to trace the past cash flow of the Sword Family Bank…"

The Bank Director replied as if it were of no consequence.

"If that happens, they will discover facts that only the Bank Directors knew."

The massive corruptions buried in the darkest and deepest places of the Sword Family Bank, which even he had no choice but to know and turn a blind eye to.

* * *

Sword Family Bank Headquarters,

Bank Director's private ledger library.

Highest Security Area.

The Chief of the Central Inspection Department, Dokgo Ya-yeon, who had obtained access authority from the Bank Director, selected two members and deployed them to the highest security area.

It was the best choice that could be made under limited manpower and limited time. "……."

Hwa-bok, who could be called her closest subordinate, wore a sour expression.

Merely holding open the copy of the ledger he was looking through, his gaze was directed toward the person beside him.

"Hey, rookie." "……."

The rookie did not answer.

He was merely busy flipping through the stacked copies of documents.

"Hey, rookie…!"

When Hwa-bok called out in a slightly louder voice, only then did the one called rookie reply.

"Yes, senior. What is it?"

Even so, the rookie pushed up his large glasses and remained busy flipping through and viewing the documents.

No matter how one looked at it, it was an action that seemed like he was just roughly scanning to see if anything was inserted between the papers.

"No matter how much I look, it is fascinating."

Hwa-bok spoke as if dumbfounded while looking at the rookie's behavior.

"You flip through it so roughly, yet you remember all the contents?"

"It is just a trivial trick."

He was a rookie who had joined the Central Inspection Department through special recruitment by Dokgo Ya-yeon not long ago.

He had heard that the rookie caught the attention of the higher-ups by writing a secret report on the Inner Courtyard.

"My, that is fascinating…"

For Hwa-bok, even while watching it in person, he could only half-doubt the extraordinary memory capacity the rookie possessed.

'I heard he took first place in the palace examination. Does one need that almost bizarre memory to achieve that level…?'

Whether Hwa-bok looked at him with suspicious eyes or not, the youth, Kang Ho, who had memorized all the documents prepared by the Bank Director, closed the final file.

"I am finished."

"Oh, okay."

Hwa-bok scratched the back of his head.

"Right, good work."

"Senior…"

Kang Ho sighed and looked back at him.

"As for me, it is enough to memorize the contents, but do you plan to just pass it over with that? There must be a reason why the Chief deployed Senior Hwa-bok with me, after all."

At his words, Hwa-bok snapped out of it.

"Ah?! That is right! I must quickly look as well."

Seeing him delve frantically into the documents, Kang Ho sighed inwardly.

'Good, now…'

The highest security area of the Sword Family Bank.

Coming all the way into the library where only successive Bank Directors could enter, and leaving after checking only what was shown, was something only a fool would do.

"Hmm. So this is how it connected."

Leaving behind Hwa-bok, who was completely absorbed in the evidence documents to grasp the current case, Kang Ho began to read every file and ledger that came into his sight. "……."

Generally, it was a tight time even just to check the copies of the given evidence materials and match the facts.

However, if he did not grasp the context or judge the content, Kang Ho was a person who was fully capable of viewing and memorizing all data that seemed important within the time.

Because that was the instant memory capacity that Kang Ho possessed.

'By the grace of the Eldest Young Master, I was able to safely write the secret report on the Inner Courtyard, and was selected for the Central Inspection Department, even rising to success.'

Having met Yeon So-hyeon through the incident in the Inner Courtyard in the past, he had already become the Eldest Young Master's loyal subordinate.

'With this, I will be able to live up to the Eldest Young Master's expectations even a little bit.'

In that way, the overall cash flow of the Sword Family Bank, continuing from the past, would be delivered to Yeon So-hyeon through him.

Even the massive corruption within it.

* * *

Annex, Bank Director's Study.

"By the way, have you thought about this point?"

"What are you referring to…?"

The Bank Director turned his chair and crossed his legs.

"Why the Eldest Young Master did not enter the ledger library in person, but let the Chief of the Central Inspection Department take that role, that is."

"That is…"

For the secretary's sake, the Bank Director gave a bit more of a clue.

"If the Eldest Young Master had entered the ledger library himself, he would have been able to grasp the entirety of the abnormal cash flow with his extraordinary brain."

"Ah…!"

The secretary, who finally understood the situation and was about to marvel aloud, hastily covered her mouth.

"It means the Eldest Young Master knows that the Central Inspection Department has a talent who can grasp that flow in this short time!"

And she subsequently realized.

"Then, do you mean the Eldest Young Master is testing the Chief of the Central Inspection Department?"

* * *

Sword Family Bank Headquarters.

The temporary investigation command room requisitioned by the Central Inspection Department.

The Chief of the Central Inspection Department, Dokgo Ya-yeon, was pacing the room, unlike her usual self.

'Kang Ho….'

Although Kang Ho did not know even in his dreams, she had already finished a background investigation on him before welcoming him as a member of the Central Inspection Department.

From the matter of Kang Ho's instant memory capacity, which only her direct superior, the Chief of the Inspection Department, had known.

She had even grasped the relationship between his grandfather and Yeon So-hyeon.

Of course, she could not know that Kang Ho was pledging loyalty to Yeon So-hyeon, but even if so, that was also a situation within the range she had assumed.

'Even so, I had no choice but to deploy Kang Ho to the Bank Director's private ledger library.'

In a situation where time and manpower were lacking, there was no reason not to deploy a talent who possessed a unique ability like Kang Ho.

She could not fail to recruit a talent into the Central Inspection Department, who had established brilliant contributions and could establish more in the future, merely on the single reason that his relationship with Yeon So-hyeon was suspicious.

'…That Eldest Young Master must know all about this situation.'

That was likely why the Eldest Young Master let her Central Inspection Department enter the Bank Director's ledger library.

'Although it is simple to press Kang Ho and obtain the information he grasped.'

The aftermath was the problem.

It was obvious that information about corruption cases grand enough to transcend imagination would pour out of Kang Ho's mouth one after another.

Ten years since the Patriarch had been absent.

It was plain to see what the corrupt power-holders of the Luoyang Sword Family had been doing in the warehouse that lost its owner all this time.

And the weight of those deep-seated corruptions would be something she and the Central Inspection Department could never dare to bear alone.

'Must I eventually share the information with the Eldest Young Master, an outsider, on my own accord, and request help…?'

The option to bury it without investigating did not exist in her mind.

Nor was there anyone at the very top of the Luoyang Sword Family, which swarmed with people like vipers, whose hand she could reasonably hold.

'…Was this originally a scheme of the Eldest Young Master to make the Central Inspection Department join his faction on its own feet?'

From the very beginning when the anonymous complaint arrived, up to this moment.

In fact, she had no choice.

Yeon So-hyeon, who would look through her behavior patterns and values as clearly as the palm of his hand.

Indeed, was it not a board that he would have laid out?

'…Does the Eldest Young Master wish for the Central Inspection Department to completely abandon its political neutrality on this occasion and become his force?'

The fist she clenched without realizing it trembled with anger.

'In the end, the Eldest Young Master is also just like the other successor fellows…'

At that moment, her pacing footsteps stopped.

'Successor…?'

* * *

"By now, she must have noticed as well."

The Bank Director wore a meaningful smile.

"This is a question of whether she regards the Eldest Young Master as the reserved Young Patriarch of the Main Family, or merely as one of the successors."

"I see…!"

The secretary marveled.

"If she regards the Eldest Young Master as the Young Patriarch, she must naturally report the cash flow she grasped! And seek the Eldest Young Master's cooperation… No!"

The secretary shook her head violently in excitement.

"It would not be seeking cooperation, but she would have to cooperate with the Eldest Young Master."

"Correct."

The Bank Director smiled contentedly.

"That is why, a moment ago, the Bank Director also said that one must earn the Eldest Young Master's trust!"

Since the Bank Director already regarded the Eldest Young Master Yeon So-hyeon as the reserved Young Patriarch, he chose the method of earning Yeon So-hyeon's trust.

"The same choice was given to the Chief of the Central Inspection Department!"

The Eldest Young Master had not eliminated Dokgo Ya-yeon's options.

Rather, he had given her the right to choose.

Whether she would regard the Eldest Young Master as the reserved Young Patriarch and make a choice to earn his trust.

Or, whether she would regard him as merely a single successor, and bury the cash flow she grasped.

Or make a choice such as seeking other collaborators to become yet another political figure overflowing in the Luoyang Sword Family.

"I am curious to see what choice she will make."

"Hmm, perhaps…"

The secretary spoke as if she understood something.

"It is just a brief thought, but given her disposition, as the Chief of the Central Inspection Department who would rather choose isolation, I do not think she will make the wrong choice."

Hearing the secretary's words, the Bank Director wore a faint smile.

"I hope so too."

His gaze directed out the window.

The secretary quietly withdrew so as not to disturb his contemplation.

'Isolation…'

Just like Dokgo Ya-yeon, he was also isolated.

In this era, in this Luoyang Sword Family, choosing the right path was just like that.

And at present, he recalled the one who was more isolated than anyone else.

'Eldest Young Master.'

Not fully understood by anyone.

No one can properly keep up with his thoughts.

What meaning the ten years of seclusion held, and what it meant to break it.

It was difficult even to guess.

Merely.

'I hope those who support him will increase.'

He only thought so.

* * *

"Eldest Brother…"

"It has been a long time since we saw you."

The Third Young Lady Yeon Da-eun and the Fourth Young Lady Yeon Da-hye.

Yeon So-hyeon's gaze as he looked at the girls trembled slightly.

[Your first younger sister went around executing demon heads to restore even a little luster to the family name, only to meet a demon of the previous generation and be torn limb from limb.]

Yeon Da-eun was right in front of his eyes now.

[Your second younger sister lost her twin sister like that, and after losing her mind, she wandered the streets and froze to death on a day when it was raining heavily.]

Yeon Da-hye was also standing beside her, holding her twin sister's hand.

"Brother…?"

Yeon So-hyeon could not find a single speck of shadow in their clear eyes.

As if gentle waves rolled across a lake, there was a tremor in the appearance of the siblings who met after a long time.

But that instead only made the lake shine dazzlingly like gems reflecting sunlight.

It was as if their eyes reflected their spotless, untainted souls.

"…Indeed."

Although Yeon So-hyeon controlled his own body as easily as breathing, at this moment, he could not even tell what kind of voice he was making.

"…It has been a long time."

Would his voice be choked up as if blocked?

Or would it be trembling with joy and longing?

"It really has been a long time…"

These children were alive.

They were living and breathing in front of his eyes as if it were natural.

Just like their appearance that remained only in his memories of the old days.

The children's pretty cheeks were dyed with peach color, not yet having lost their baby fat.

The cute noses, neat eyebrows, everything was in its place.

He could feel his heart beating with joy.

"Eun-ah, Hye-ah:"

Uttering their pet names, Yeon So-hyeon stepped toward them without realizing it.

Was it because they were glad to hear their pet names after a long time?

"Yes, Brother."

A natural smile hung on the lips of the children who had been tense.

It was a bright smile like the warm sunlight of a sunny spring day.

Yeon So-hyeon spread both of his hands as he approached them.

"Ah…"

He saw it.

That dried blood was congealed on both of his palms.

Having only roughly wiped it off, it was the blood of the warriors that remained on his hands.

He hastily withdrew his hands.

And he realized.

[We cannot trade another person's life as the price to save my child.]

Mother.

Mother, who had cut away her own life to twist destiny for his sake.

'…Only now, give this foolish father a chance to act as a father.'

Father.

Father, who had left countless arrangements until the very end for his lacking self.

He had lost them all.

Everyone who had been close to him met an ending where they lost their lives.

Everything he had bestowed and done was only distorted as time flowed.

Since his emotions were shaken, he realized what he had forgotten.

After returning due to the Scripture of Controlling Darkness and Shaking the Heavens, he had never once sought out his younger sisters or older sisters first.

Both Yeon Bi and Yeon Seo-rin were simply the ones who sought him out.

Political situation?

If he had set his mind to it, would such a thing have been an issue?

He had been afraid.

Of showing his changed self.

Himself, who possessed a body where demonic energy flowed, devoured people, and could not even maintain human emotions without the Dual Principles Mind Art.

And the past where he lost everyone close to him, regardless of his struggles that bordered on desperation.

It was terrifying.

Without realizing it, he asked the twin sisters.

"Me…"

The fist he clenched trembled slightly.

"Do you not resent this brother?"

Me, who turned away from you, turned away from everyone, and turned his back on the world for ten years.