Chapter 7
Episode 7
It felt like something was coming.
I expected it to some extent after seeing Cho Yeon-hee being treated like an outcast at Sega.
It would be difficult to be treated like that.
I also thought that he might be being too harsh towards his benefactor who saved the family head’s daughter from death, but he did not make the mistake of saying it out loud.
‘Anyway, let’s think positively about how this happened.’
He was still anxious about the current situation of relying on Cho Yeon-hee, who already had a weak position in the family.
At this point, it might be better to reveal one’s own value and be accepted as a member of Sega.
“If you have a useful talent, I will give you a job appropriate for it. If not, I plan to give you simple chores.”
Let’s think about it.
Why does Wang Chun-seong ask me questions such as ‘What talent do you have?’
Normally, you wouldn’t ask a question like that to a ten-year-old child, or even an orphan.
No, it is strange that a person as high as a general came forward to make an evaluation in person in the first place.
[You speak very coherently. He doesn’t look like a boy of that age.]
[Thank you.]
‘Have you received any hint from Chocheon-gun?’
Perhaps, behind Wang Chun-seong’s question as if looking in this direction, there is the Manjangseju.
Otherwise, the current situation could not be explained.
I scratched my cheek with an awkward expression and opened my mouth.
“First of all, I know how to read and write.”
“like.”
Wang Chun-seong immediately showed interest.
“Although it is a little bit, I have learned academics and can do math to some extent.”
“I heard you’re an orphan?”
“I am an orphan.”
“Did you lose your parents in an unfortunate accident?”
“You don’t have to lose your parents to become an orphan.”
“……”
Wang Chun-sheng’s eyes narrowed.
Orphans are broadly divided into two categories.
You may have lost a parent or been abandoned by your parents.
“Would there be any parent who would abandon a child who had acquired that level of talent at that age?”
“…It’s a bit complicated to explain.”
I deliberately trailed off and drew a wry smile on my lips.
I had no intention of explaining the details.
I didn’t want anyone to know about the regression, and I didn’t want to rack my brain and make up stories that didn’t exist.
In my experience, it was better to be quiet in times like these.
So that the other person misunderstands as he pleases.
“It seems like there’s something going on.”
Wang Chun-seong, who was quietly staring at me, nodded as if he understood.
I think I know roughly how the conclusion was reached.
Perhaps they think of me as an abandoned bastard from a noble family?
“That’s a good thing. “I’ve had a lot of work to do these days, so it’s been a struggle for me.”
“……?”
“Come visit me again when your body is completely healed. “I will make arrangements for you to work as my assistant.”
“Do you mean to work under the Commander-in-Chief?”
“okay. “I will keep an eye on you and if I find you useful, I will officially hire you.”
All of a sudden, I ended up acting as a civil servant without any authority.
I asked with a complaint on my lips.
“Then how much salary will I receive?”
“Are we already discussing salary when we haven’t even decided whether to hire someone yet?”
“You can’t work for free, right?”
“Do you think that feeding, clothing, and putting you to sleep is not enough?”
“Of course it’s not enough.”
Does this guy have an iron plate wrapped around his face?
You proudly say that you want to hire high-quality human resources every day.
“Of course, I will make sure your salary is sufficient. As long as you like working, you don’t have to worry because they will give you extra money even if it means using your own money. In the opposite case, there’s no need to say anything, right?”
It wasn’t a very satisfactory answer.
At first glance, it seems like an exciting condition, but the really important part about basic salary was omitted.
The more vicious a boss is, the more likely he or she is to use the phrase, ‘I will provide you with everything you need.’
“All right.”
But I nodded without much opposition.
Unfortunately, it was me who was in a disappointing position and it was I who was in the position of B.
You have to push and pull in moderation, but if you show off, it will be tiring later on.
For me now, this level of negotiation was my limit.
‘Actually, it doesn’t really matter whether you get paid a lot or a little.’
In the first place, I have no intention of staying at Manjangse forever.
I needed a place to rest my body until I developed the minimum strength to protect myself, not a place to bury my bones.
“okay. I’m busy with work today, so please go back now. “I will send someone to call you again later.”
“All right.”
So, I was officially hired by Manjangse.
* * *
Two years have passed since then.
I work as an assistant to the commander-in-chief and devote my spare time to martial arts training.
Training went smoothly.
Except that I haven’t been able to find a spiritual method to replace the Heavenly Demon Divine Gong.
Wolyeonggeom (月影劍) Ghost Treasure (幽靈步) Sura Cheonsimsu (修羅千心手).
All of them were among the world’s greatest scholars who were buried in the Demonic Cult’s Tianlong Library.
“What martial arts are you training so hard for?”
“It’s family martial arts. It’s not that great, but…”
“If you want to learn martial arts formally, you can tell the head of the family and give you the opportunity.”
“no. “It is just something you learn for health management and self-defense, and has no further meaning.”
Occasionally there were people who showed interest, but they could easily ignore it.
No matter how much he trained in world-class sword techniques and foot techniques, the mind technique he learned was the Samjaesimbeop.
My outwardly visible prayers were at a meager level.
‘In some ways, is this a good thing?’
You might say I was overly worried, but there was no harm in being cautious.
If Manjangse decides to steal the martial arts knowledge from my head, there is no way to resist.
One day when I was having such a busy day.
An unexpected guest visited the lodging late at night.
“Why is Lady Yeonhee here…”
“How have you been?”
Cho Yeon-hee, daughter of Manjang Se-ju.
She came to see me accompanied by her escort, Yu So-hwa.
Although I felt puzzled, I immediately offered her a seat.
“I’ll tell you straight.”
“……?”
“Don’t you want to be mine?”
What did this woman eat wrong?
Why did he come to me in the middle of the night and make a banging noise?
I couldn’t help but feel absurd when a man who hadn’t shown his face in the past two years suddenly offered to recruit me.
“What do you mean….”
“I’ve heard a lot of your stories over the years.”
If you’ve heard a lot, wouldn’t you have come by and asked me how I’m doing sometimes?
“You said you were working to assist Minister Wang?”
“yes.”
“I think it’s great. “It must not have been easy to like that strict person.”
“Yes, it’s just a simple paperwork assistance. All I do is review or write simple documents, and important matters are always reviewed and approved by the Director-General.”
These were not empty words.
I cannot and should not touch matters that determine the family’s affairs.
It was not a matter of doing a good job or not, but a matter of trust.
Because I am a foreigner who does not know where I came from and a customer who does not know when I will leave Sega.
It would be a different story if the Commander-in-Chief officially designated me as his successor, but since I had no intention of accepting it, that case was not worth considering.
“That’s what’s great. “There are more than one person who has been kicked out because they couldn’t do that assistant job.”
“……is that so.”
I scratched my cheek as if I was embarrassed.
On the contrary, I was swearing inside.
‘This guy is real.’
The assistant spoke and acted as if it was his first time, but in fact, it seemed like he had several predecessors who had gone before him.
‘Why has he been being so flirtatious these days?’
Perhaps what the Commander-in-Chief really wanted was not a talent to assist in his work, but a successor to succeed him.
It couldn’t have been a more troublesome problem.
I have no intention of living as a general manager in a rural martial arts family like this.
“Anyway, I’d like to make an offer to you.”
“Are you asking me to come under the lady?”
“huh. Of course, I’ll make sure you don’t have to worry about the way you are treated.”
“I don’t understand. “What do you want to do by dragging me in?”
“I want to form a force by gradually increasing the number of people who support me. A force so powerful that other brothers cannot ignore it.”
“…….”
I felt like I knew what he wanted to say.
‘In short, you’re aiming for the top of the family, right?’
Of course, knowing and accepting were completely different matters.
I asked her with a troubled expression.
“Do you think you have a chance of winning?”
Cho Yeon-hee’s face darkened.
With her low status in the family, the chances of her being able to become the head of the family were very low.
I feel sorry for her, but I wasn’t the kind of person who would be reckless enough to risk my future in a battle I had no chance of winning.
“I know very well that up until now I have only shown myself to be unreliable. I was self-righteous, arrogant, and immature, unable to look at my surroundings and only think about my own feelings. But things will be different in the future.”
‘what?’
Surprisingly, my self-assessment was accurate.
Maybe that’s why people looked different than before.
‘Has there been any change of heart while we haven’t seen each other?’
Mental growth was visible.
She bowed her head to me politely.
Yu So-hwa, who was standing behind him, looked at me and Cho Yeon-hee alternately with a shocked expression.
“I will never make you regret it. “Please be my strength.”
“…….”
“Right now I desperately need an ally I can trust.”
For a moment, her appearance overlapped with that of the Blood Flower Witch of the Demonic Cult.
I felt somewhat sentimental, perhaps because it reminded me of my past life.
“I will trust you, young lady.”
“You mean…!”
“It is thanks to you that I am able to live in such a friendly manner at Manjang House in the first place.”
I accepted her offer with a kind smile on my face.
There was no great reason.
I just wanted to do that.
Sometimes it wouldn’t be a bad idea to act the way you want.
* * *
“So what do you want to say?”
“It looks like Lady Yeonhee will enter the competition to become the head of the family in earnest.”
I went to Wang Chun-seong that way and told him about Cho Yeon-hee’s actions.
“What I want to ask is, why did you tell me this? “I am in a neutral position.”
“Don’t you support the Archduke?”
“What do you mean?”
“I have been assisting the Commander-in-Chief for a whopping two years. “Did you think I wouldn’t know that?”
“It’s speculation. I have no intention of taking anyone’s side. “That doesn’t work either.”
“At least externally, that’s the case.”
“…….”
There was no reason to cross that dangerous bridge.
For reference, in my past life, I also punched the blood witch in the back of the head.
‘It was quite a sight to see the old man’s pretty face distorted with anger.’
You can’t tell a person just by looking at the outside.
The same goes for Cho Yeon-hee.
I wasn’t so clumsy that someone would instantly like me just because I showed them my good side once in a while.
“Even if you don’t support anyone else, you probably won’t be happy about Lady Yeonhee becoming the head of the family.”
“…I can’t stand it.”
Wang Chunseong shook his head.
He asked, resting his chin on his clasped hands and glaring at me.
“So, did you reject Yeonhee’s offer?”
“I accepted.”
“what?”
“I plan to present to the Commander-in-Chief all the information I have gathered while serving as your hand and foot.”
“Are you planning to act as a double agent?”
“That’s right.”
Wang Chun-sheng’s face became bizarre.
“You say scary things so casually.”
“What can’t you do if it benefits you?”
“Does that mean you can betray me at any time for gain?”
“The exception is when the risk to be taken is too great compared to the benefit to be gained.”
“You speak well.”
After bursting into laughter once, Wang Chun-seong opened his mouth as if he was sighing.
“So what do you want in return?”
“Now you’re discussing the price first.”
“Because I know you’re not one to work for free.”
“I got a raise, and I’d like you to get me a few things. “There are many types, so I will write them down and give them to you later.”
“I will tell you in advance, but I cannot accommodate unreasonable demands.”
“You don’t have to worry about that. I don’t need expensive items because it’s difficult to get them by selling them myself.”
What you want are seven herbs and the tools you will use to combine them into a single pill.
Some of the medicinal herbs needed to be raw, not the hay sold at local medical stores.
‘It may not be possible to solve the fundamental problem, but…’
If your mental dharma is poor, shouldn’t you supplement your lack of internal energy by taking elixirs?
At this point, I was thinking of making a magic elixir.