Book 9: Chapter 23: Everything Goes As Wished

Around the time the ox cart carrying the Eldest Young Master was heading toward the Third Young Master's campsite.

The Luoyang Sword Family, Business Support Group.

“Those people are…”

“They are the Young Ladies.”

The Third Young Lady Yeon Da-eun and the Fourth Young Lady Yeon Da-hye were entering the main building of the Business Support Group.

Those who had gathered in front of the main building and were waiting for the meeting time looked at them and whispered behind their backs.

“…Yesterday they left work without authorization, and today they are late without authorization.”

“No matter if they are the Young Ladies of the Main Family, isn't this too much?”

Those whispering like that were the personnel belonging to the First Support Department, which had been having friction with them.

“Just because things did not go their way, are they now going to act however they want?”

“Leave them be. Aren't they just kids anyway?”

Taking advantage of the Business Support Group Director's absence on a business trip, the First Support Department was showing behavior of openly aligning with the Second Young Master's side.

“Hmph.”

The Third Young Lady, Yeon Da-eun, snorted at those members of the First Support Department.

“Foolish fellows.”

The Fourth Young Lady, Yeon Da-hye, also wore a sneer.

The person who met their eyes felt uncomfortable.

Although they had been quite intimidated by them until yesterday, they seemed somewhat different now.

“Young Ladies.”

He stealthily approached them to probe.

“There is still a little time left until the start of the meeting. Will you be attending, Young Ladies…?”

His words were strangely short.

The Ha Family of the Third and Fourth Young Ladies was currently in a state of having lost their influence within the Luoyang Sword Family after the death of Madame Ha.

This was because the Director of the Business Support Group, who had been their guardian, had been absent from the Sword Family for a long time.

“A meeting?”

“Why should we attend a mere meeting of the First Support Department?”

Weren't they the ones who had been angry until just yesterday, saying that the First Support Department was ostracizing them?

“…Yes?”

The eyes of the person who had asked them whether they would attend the meeting widened.

“Do not interfere needlessly, and step aside.”

“Because we have no business with the likes of you.”

They arrogantly raised their chins.

“What does that mean—” just as the member of the First Support Department was about to speak, a plump old man revealed himself from above the central stairs.

“Young Ladies! Have you arrived!”

“I greet the Deputy Director!”

Upon confirming his appearance, the members of the First Support Department hurriedly bowed their heads.

However, instead of bowing their heads, there were those who stood even more upright.

“You are late, Deputy Director of Support. A contact should have been made beforehand.”

“How long did you intend to keep us waiting?”

The Deputy Director of Support, who had an impression resembling a toad, hurriedly ran down the stairs with waddling steps.

“Oh my, I have committed a great rudeness to the Young Ladies! Upon receiving the contact, I was preparing this and that in a hurry, so I…”

“Excuses are enough.”

Yeon Da-eun cut him off.

“Haha. Indeed, right? Holding onto the Young Ladies, what on earth was I doing in this humble place…”

Rubbing his hands together vigorously, he wore a smile on his toad-like face and led the way to guide them.

“Now, now, do not be like this here. I will escort you to the guest reception room for VIPs. This way…”

Looking at his greasy face, the twin Young Ladies shook their heads and followed him as if they had no choice.

“By the way, you know we have picky palates, right?”

“We only enjoy tea leaves sold by the Ha Family.”

The two of them were feeling like the Young Ladies of the Luoyang Sword Family to their hearts' content for the first time in a while.

“Oh my, of course. How could there be any doubt?”

As they disappeared up the stairs like that, the remaining members of the First Support Department fell into confusion.

“What is this…?”

“Why the Deputy Director of Support?”

The most senior among them ground his teeth and pointed at a junior.

“You! Inform the Department Head of this matter right away! Right now!”

“Yes! Yep! Understood!”

As he was startled and ran off, the senior turned around and barked at the rest.

“What are you looking at?! Shouldn't we gather information right now to find out what has happened?!”

He glared at the stairs where the Deputy Director of Support, who had welcomed the two Young Ladies and disappeared, had gone up, and ground his teeth.

'That cunning, toad-like Deputy Director is welcoming the Young Ladies, who were treated like cold rice, like VIPs…?'

Surely, right now something unusual that they did not know about was happening.

* * *

“What?!”

Upon hearing the news, the Department Head of the First Support Department ran to the VIP reception room right away, without even having the leisure to think back and forth.

'Damn it, damn it, damn it…!'

He remembered that he had vaguely heard the story that the Third and Fourth Young Ladies met the Eldest Young Master at the Sword Family Bank, but had ignored it.

It was a piece of news with low reliability and not very high accuracy, and besides, wasn't the Eldest Young Master someone they were currently hostile toward anyway?

'I judged what could the Third and Fourth Young Ladies possibly do even if they met the Eldest Young Master…!'

“Department Head!”

As soon as he set foot on the VIP exclusive floor, the waiting receptionist scurried over to him.

“Yes. I am the Department Head of the First Support Department. I heard that the Third and Fourth Young Ladies and the Deputy Director are holding a meeting here right now, so where is that—” the receptionist cut him off flatly.

“I am sorry.”

“There was an instruction from the Deputy Director not to let anyone onto the VIP exclusive floor. Please turn back.”

“I am the Department Head of the First Support Department of this Sword Family Business Support Group—!”

“There are no exceptions.”

A mere receptionist showed this kind of attitude to him, a Department Head.

'That bastard Deputy Director…!'

The answer was one.

'Has he cut off my rope…!'

Surely, even until yesterday, the Deputy Director had confidently declared that he had absolutely no intention of intervening in this matter.

He was the Deputy Director who had boasted for the Department Head to do as he pleased.

'This fucking bastard…!'

Unbearable anger soared to the top of his head.

“D-Department Head! You cannot enter!”

“Let go of me!”

He pushed away the receptionists who were restraining him and ran down the hallway.

He did not know in which room the Third and Fourth Young Ladies were meeting the Deputy Director, but it did not matter.

Since they had explicitly come to the VIP floor, they would be in the most luxurious and high-class reception room.

“Stop!”

“Step aside!”

Those guarding the entrance tried to stop him, but there was no one who had the guts to subdue the Department Head.

“Haha, so I usually… Director's words…”

He forcefully flung open the luxurious door, listening to the sound leaking through the door paper.

“Department Head of the First Department?!”

The Deputy Director, who had been rubbing his palms while seating the Young Ladies in the seats of honor, leaped up and pointed his finger at him.

“What kind of rude behavior is this before the Young Ladies right now?!”

Broken capillaries had appeared due to anger in the Deputy Director's wide-open eyes, which looked ready to burst.

At the appearance that was hard to believe for the Deputy Director, who usually consistently practiced bystanderism and chuckled, the Department Head, who flinched for a moment, opened his mouth without yielding.

“What is this right now—” he was about to call him?

“Enough. I was about to call you anyway, so it is just as well.”

Ignoring whether the Department Head's face distorted or not, the Deputy Director gestured.

'Let's hear the story first.'

“…Yes.”

He tried to sit down according to the Deputy Director's gesture for now.

Then, the Deputy Director asked him with an absurd expression.

“What are you doing right now?”

“Yes?”

Toward the Department Head, who was holding the chair and staring blankly, the Deputy Director threw a fit.

“What kind of seat do you think this is, that you are trying to sit?! Come here and stand behind me!”

At that moment.

The Department Head realized.

That even if things were tangled, they were tangled to a point that exceeded his imagination. "……."

He, whose mind had gone blank for a moment, silently stood behind the Deputy Director as told.

“Ahem. This subordinate did not know his place and committed a rudeness…”

An apology that blatantly belittled him.

At that apology, the Department Head's face began to turn red and blue again.

“Oh my, that can happen.”

“We also fully understand suffering because of a subordinate who lacks thought.”

The Third and Fourth Young Ladies waved their hands elegantly and chattered.

They were ones who blatantly screwed over the Department Head.

“Haha, it is a relief that you understand. Indeed, as expected of those who assisted that Director for many years…”

The Deputy Director also willingly danced to their tune.

Watching that scene standing behind, the veins that bulged here and there on the Department Head's forehead grew increasingly prominent.

Clearly, even until yesterday, although the status of the Third and Fourth Young Ladies might be higher than his, their rank in this Sword Family Business Support Group was far lower than his.

'These, these, these wenches…!'

A thousand fires flared up inside him, making it feel as if his head would explode.

However, there was no one who spared a glance at him.

“Haha, then shall we continue our conversation?”

“Let us do so.”

The Deputy Director rubbed his hands habitually, showing a thick smile on his toad-like face.

“Since the Eldest Young Master has become the person in charge of the finishing process of the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering stadium, it is only proper that our Business Support Group spares no effort to provide the necessary support…, no!”

The Deputy Director beat his chest.

“It is only proper that we provide all support beyond what is needed!”

At those words, the Third and Fourth Young Ladies snorted.

“Of course, naturally.”

“Because that is the decision of the Supreme Executive Council.”

Only then did the Department Head look at the documents lying on the table.

The seal of the Administration Pavilion Lord of the Supreme Executive Council was clearly stamped on that document.

It was an order directing unconditional support.

“Wa-wait?!”

The Department Head, whose thoughts had stopped for a moment, shouted unconsciously.

“The, the Eldest Young Master took charge of the finishing process of the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering stadium?!”

The Deputy Director barked.

“You, shut up for a bit!”

“S-sorry…”

The Dragon and Phoenix Gathering was a super-large project that the Luoyang Sword Family was currently putting the most effort into.

The Eldest Young Master took charge of that finishing process?

What about the Third Young Master's side?

And so suddenly like this?

“Haha, I am sorry. In any case, since the Young Ladies have personally visited like this to represent the Eldest Young Master, is there any convenience I can look into for you immediately?”

The Third Young Lady, Yeon Da-eun, demanded flatly.

“Right now, stop the sabotage operations being carried out by the First Support Department in the Valley of Sin.”

The Deputy Director froze for a moment. "……!"

Needless to say, it was the same for the Department Head, who was the very party carrying out the sabotage.

“Th-that is…”

Gravy-like cold sweat flowed down the Deputy Director's fat-filled face.

'Take a side between the Second Young Master and the Eldest Young Master?'

At that sight, the Fourth Young Lady, Yeon Da-hye, smiled.

“We are not asking you to take our eldest brother's side. Our demand lies solely in 'stopping' the sabotage.”

“That means…?”

The Third Young Lady, Yeon Da-eun, spoke just as her eldest brother had told her.

“It seems the weight of the Business Support Group has already tilted toward the Second Young Master.”

The Fourth Young Lady also spoke exactly as she had heard.

“Shouldn't the role the Deputy Director must play here be to balance and maintain the scale called the Business Support Group?”

“The duty of neutrality, that is.” "……."

The toad-like Deputy Director's face hardened.

'This is not the Young Ladies' thinking.'

It was not a story that they, who did not possess even a handful of proper power, would say.

This was surely…

'The Eldest Young Master is warning me through the Young Ladies…!'

In this Business Support Group where the Director was absent right now, it was indeed the Deputy Director who held more information than anyone else.

'The Eldest Young Master is the rising sun right now…!'

Who in the Sword Family would dare to smack the back of the Third Young Master's head while competing head-on with the Second Young Master?

His calculation was short and accurate.

“I am sorry! Because I am dull, I did not know well what the subordinates were doing!”

He slammed his head against the table.

“Please! Tell the Eldest Young Master that there will be no such occurrence in the future, and to please look kindly upon me…!”

The Third and Fourth Young Ladies rose from their seats.

“There is no need to ask to look kindly or anything.”

“If only you protect the duty of neutrality of the Business Support Group well, that is.”

“He, hehehe. From now on, no matter what happens, I will personally look into the matters, so just leave it to me!”

Listening to that conversation, the Department Head felt his consciousness grow faint.

'Just how did this turn out…?'

His head spun.

No, was the ceiling spinning?

'Is it a dream?'

It felt as if the entire world were deceiving him.

Even in this situation, one fact that was all too clear was.

He himself, who had openly aligned with the Second Young Master's side and hostilely opposed the Eldest Young Master…

'Is my path ahead blocked like this?'

Success through the Second Young Master.

The dream toward becoming the youngest Deputy Director.

The power and pleasure he should have enjoyed after becoming a powerful figure of the Sword Family.

Everything was now.

Collapsing before his eyes.

“Ah, no—!”

He screamed.

“No! No! No! It cannot be like this!”

“What a crazy bastard?!”

The Department Head slapped away the Deputy Director's hand that tried to stop his shouting.

“You damn wretches…! Do you think you will be safe later, carrying someone like the Eldest Young Master on your back?! Just because someone like the Eldest Young Master showed a few great appearances, do you think he can properly finish that massive project?!”

He shouted like a fit, splattering spit.

“Foolish people! Foolish things! In the end, all of you—!”

He could not finish his words. "……!"

This was because the Third Young Lady Yeon Da-eun's knee slammed into his face like lightning.

The Third Young Lady, Yeon Da-eun, had kicked off the table, leaped, and smashed his face with her knee.

Teeth broke, and blood splattered from his torn mouth. "……!"

Against the backdrop of the toad-faced Deputy Director, who had no inner force and could only watch the scene that occurred in an instant with his mouth wide open the fist of the Fourth Young Lady, Yeon Da-hye, who rushed in next, drove into his stomach.

“Kuegh…!”

The Department Head tumbled miserably and was shoved into a corner.

“Phew. I feel so relieved.”

The Third Young Lady, Yeon Da-eun, said while brushing off her skirt.

“Hmm. I think I know why sister's fist goes out first whenever something happens.”

The Fourth Young Lady, Yeon Da-hye, nodded her head.

Meeting each other's eyes, they burst into a giggle and laugh.

“Well then,” the Third and Fourth Young Ladies walked out of the door with energetic steps.

“Please take good care of us.”

They were the agents of the Eldest Young Master, Yeon So-hyeon.

The Department Head was now nothing more than someone whose political life was over. "……."

The Deputy Director could not say anything to them as they distanced themselves, and merely wiped his cold sweat with his handkerchief again and again.