Even the Sword God Needs Paternity Leave Chapter 24 : Chapter 24

Chapter 24: Parents, Politely

"The Ink Sword Hero burned down Master Dongpae's estate?"

The Black Path King asked in a murky voice.

A casual tone of asking.

But the trading company leaders shrank as if struck on the spine.

"This is the second ti he's interfered with our business."

It also ant this was the second ti the Black Path King's instructions hadn't been carried out.

When work failed the first ti, an order fell to bring the life of Leader Yang who had failed.

And now.

News ca that the Master Dongpae couple and their son who should have executed the order had been eliminated.

"Ink Sword Hero."

It was by the Ink Sword Hero Jin Yeomyeong.

"Does he know about our connection with Master Dongpae?"

Banyang Trading's Leader Guyang Je opened his mouth.

"He probably doesn't know that far. We're investigating, but it seems he got involved through work Master Dongpae was doing personally."

Following him, the trading company leaders also joined voices.

"That's right. He probably doesn't know about the Black Path King yet."

The Black Path King was silent.

Within that silence, the trading company leaders gauged the Black Path King's mood.

Whether satisfied with the answer or not. Accordingly, another might suffer harshly.

Probably Guyang Je's turn this ti.

He had introduced the Dragon Sword Gang group to Leader Yang, and had also recomnded entrusting Leader Yang's elimination to the Master Dongpae household.

"..."

Guyang Je himself seed to feel this, as his body bent even deeper.

Eventually.

"Ink Sword Hero Jin Yeomyeong."

The Black Path King opened his mouth.

"Originally he had no leisure to turn his eyes to other matters while following the Alliance's instructions, wasn't that said?"

"Yes. But a few days ago, he submitted a leave application."

"Leave application?"

"It's called childcare leave."

"What's that?"

But there was no one who could answer.

Looking at the aning, it ant taking ti off work to raise a child.

Everyone thought that couldn't be.

They were people who had never given such leave to subordinates as trading company leaders.

"I'll find out."

"Suspicious. Find out clearly."

And it was over.

Guyang Je seed to get one more chance.

Leader Jeong, who usually kept Guyang Je in check, suddenly opened his mouth.

"Leader Guyang, who would be good to send to Leader Yang this ti?"

Flinch—Guyang Je's body moved.

"Leader Jeong."

"Either way, Leader Yang's punishnt must be carried out, mustn't it?"

Guyang Je's scholar-like face rarely showed anger.

If not before the Black Path King, you might have seen him curse for the first ti.

"I'll call Cloud-Severing Sword."

"Cloud-Severing Sword? Has he returned to Luoyang?"

Guyang Je nodded.

Leader Jeong was about to sneer once more.

"Leader Jeong, how are the physicians coming along?"

The Black Path King asked about the task entrusted to Leader Jeong.

Leader Jeong—Jeong Yangtak—answered confidently. Now was the opportunity to surpass Guyang Je and beco the Black Path King's right hand.

"Yes, today or tomorrow at the latest, we should be able to gather all ten physicians."

***

A shack standing in an empty lot in the slums.

I asked young beggars for guidance and ca to et Swift Wind.

"Hey, if you're not a beggar, you can't just—, mm? It's the Ink Sword Hero."

One-Knot Beggar blocked then recognized my face.

"Correct. Kids, thank you. You can go back now."

The young beggars examined my face again.

"Why?"

The children clasped their hands on their bellies and bowed.

"Thank you for saving Uncle Mud Beggar."

"Mm."

To these children, Captain Zhu was still Mud Beggar.

"Did you greet Mud Beggar Uncle?"

"Yes! Uncle ca at night and gave us lots of delicious things. And he said he'll soon make it so we can learn and work!"

"Really?"

So people forget their hungry tis after success.

But Zhu Hochong didn't forget his ti wandering as a refugee.

"Mud Beggar Uncle will keep his promise. This Ink Sword Hero Uncle will also help Mud Beggar Uncle."

If Luoyang prospers under Golden Cloud Trading's lead, refugees and young beggars will also improve their circumstances.

For such work, I'd gladly help even with comrcial matters.

"See you next ti."

"Yes!"

The young beggars withdrew.

After watching their backs, I entered the shack.

Inside, one beggar lay with cloth wrapped around injured places,

and Swift Wind was walking in circles beside him examining.

"Ink Sword Hero, you ca."

He welcod naturally as if I'd co by appointnt.

"He's a gang mber injured during Captain Zhu's assassination attempt. I saw his face then."

"Right. This friend Jogon is quite serious. The wound festered."

The young beggar called Jogon had cloth wrapped around his head. Though crusted with blood, he pulled up his lips trying to smile.

"I'm fine really..."

"Shut up. What are you saying when half-dead? Keep your mouth shut and lie down."

Beside Jogon, one young beggar was attached.

"Sob. He got hit more trying to save . If not for , it wouldn't have been this bad..."

Jogon soothed the child with a weak voice.

"Jang Hyu. If I hadn't saved you there, I'm not a Beggar's Gang mber. It's not your fault, so don't cry."

I took in Swift Wind, Jogon, and Jang Hyu at a glance.

Though blood didn't connect them, they were family.

"Swift Wind, did you only treat him at the Beggar's Gang? You haven't called a physician?"

"No, I called a physician too. It's ti for him to co today but he hasn't co yet."

Asking the physician's na, another unknown na ca out.

Jang Huigun, Sang Jeogo, the third physician the young beggars guided to, and here another physician.

"Send soone."

"?"

"Be sure to check if it says 'closed for business.'"

"Sothing's happening."

Swift Wind's eyes sharpened.

After telling him about going around physicians today, his expression beca more serious.

He pulled out not one but several gang mbers, sending them to the physician with instructions.

"Search the surroundings thoroughly. If gambling debt talk cos up, find out which gambling house."

"Yes!"

It seed personnel sent to support the Chang'an branch hadn't returned yet. The numbers looked few.

Swift Wind stroked his chin.

"If this is soone's doing?"

"We must find that soone."

On the way, I slowly retraced past events.

Three years from now, when the Demonic Cult rampages.

Luoyang lacks physicians and people suffer.

At the ti, I thought it happened because Luoyang was so stagnant,

but that wasn't it—there was a separate cause.

"Branch Leader!"

The physician must have been close, as gang mbers soon returned.

"It was written like this."

The gang mbers didn't know writing, so they drew the characters on the door as they appeared.

It was "closed for business" with insufficient strokes.

"And we found the gambling house location."

Indeed, the Beggar's Gang.

Though they didn't know writing, work handling was certain.

Hearing the gambling house location they ntioned.

"It's close."

"Going to see? You don't think it's coincidence?"

Swift Wind's expression beca serious.

"Isn't it too coincidental to be coincidence?"

"That's true."

He also nodded.

Physicians in gambling debt disappeared.

Together with identically wrongly written characters [closed for business (廢業)].

One or two might be coincidence. But it beca three, four, and investigating might increase the number more.

White Path senses shout.

Certainly there are more.

"Saying it's gambling debt makes people less suspicious even if they suddenly disappear."

"Right. Even if the person doesn't usually gamble. Because they think he was doing it secretly behind."

If gambling to the extent of occasional enjoynt, it could be done openly.

But truly large-scale gambling is done secretly while hushing up.

So even if a person suddenly disappears, it just passes.

However.

"That they're all physicians weighs on my mind. Even so, if physicians disappear in groups, wouldn't rumors spread?"

"Probably so?"

"Then these bastards will try to finish work quickly. So hands can't be laid when rumors spread."

"That ans—"

"There's not much ti."

I know Luoyang's physicians didn't separately form a guild (a kind of colleague association).

But they couldn't not interact. Talk would circulate among physicians, and after that, everyone would know.

'But how did this not beco a problem with both governnt and Alliance?'

Even if governnt is unsettled now during magistrate replacent, shouldn't the Alliance have grasped it?

'I was going to visit anyway because of leave rejection. I must properly question then.'

Will Branch Leader Hwangbo Gak be there this ti?

Anyway, putting that behind this matter.

"I should go to the gambling house. Do you know anything about that place?"

"Word goes around that the gambling house owner recently changed."

"?"

"Originally a place Luoyang natives operated. I hear it was sold expensively to soone from outside—"

"In this atmosphere, it might have been seized rather than sold."

"Could be."

Location was Luoyang City's southwest slums.

Close to this shack now.

Public safety isn't good, and governnt only looks around when there are problems.

"I'll go."

"Wait, I'll go together. Since I don't know dicine, there's nothing to do here. I'll go with you and look around."

"Good. Let's go together."

I for Taebok, Swift Wind for Jogon.

Furthermore, for the disappeared physicians and their patients.

***

I can't take Mukheun to a gambling house.

Gambling houses prohibit weapon carrying. Thinking about it, it's natural.

Most will be losers—if weapons were in their hands? Wouldn't blade fights break out several tis a day?

The gambling house couldn't be operated.

"Then please hold this briefly."

I entrusted Mukheun to Swift Wind.

"I will. If you whistle, I'll bring it inside."

"Yes. Conversely, if not, even if commotion happens, stay here. Sothing to resolve outside might arise."

Swift Wind takes outside, I take inside.

"Mukheun, stay in Swift Wind's hands briefly."

Then I turned around.

'Though I'm clearly fully dressed.'

The feeling is strange.

Without a sword, not just my waist feels empty but I feel completely naked. A chronic disease of sword users.

'I should prepare at least a dagger.'

Thinking that, I walked toward the gambling house door.

Above was a closed shop. Dust piled thickly as if closed long ago.

Beside that shop was a door connecting underground, and two Black Path mbers stood before it.

'Certainly not neighborhood Black Path.'

Even those standing before the gambling house were different.

'Killing intent circles in their eyes. Eyes accustod to harming people.'

Fighting the unorthodox demonic path long, I'd grown accustod to differences existing among them.

Neighborhood Black Path just use violence. aning rough. But that's all.

Lower quality Black Path have killing intent swirling.

Kill and be killed.

Such people don't treat people as people.

"Enjoy yourself."

I received a body search amid a perfunctory greeting.

Now exploration was the purpose.

I planned to observe the atmosphere as if existing yet not existing like air.

The mont I went underground and opened the door.

"Double sixes! Double sixes ca out!"

"Wooow!"

"Fuck! Why double sixes!"

"Those who bet on double sixes take your money! Everyone else give money!"

"Isn't this cheating?"

"Our gambling house's motto is honesty and fairness! If you don't like it, leave!"

Noisy sounds rushed in.

"Well, I never."

"Look here, first ti?"

One Black Path approached.

"This is my first ti here."

"Exchange money over there. If money's short, we lend too."

"Ah."

"Card gas, dominoes, shell gas, dice, everything's here. Go over there for cockfighting too."

As soon as Black Path finished speaking, a rooster crowed sowhere—ko-ko-ko-kok.

Nothing's missing.

Above was a small shop, but below they'd dug caves making it quite spacious.

I beca a gambler observing a first-ti gambling house, peeking at various gambling explained.

Of course, my gaze swept the entire gambling house, not gambling tables.

'There's a door leading inside.'

Two doors on both sides. The door to ground level I entered and the door inside the gambling house.

Just then, I saw one Black Path enter that door. Briefly talking with Black Path standing before the door.

I operated inner power enhancing hearing.

Where's the Boss?

Sa. In the innermost room.

Called won again?

Hehe. He's alone now. Probably counting money.

Anyway, fuck, won or money.

Hehehehe. Aren't you the sa?

They giggled together, then one entered inside.

Glancing, it didn't connect directly to a room but had a corridor. If there's a passage to ground level from over there.

'Swift Wind is checking.'

Relief that he ca together.

I slowly circulated gambling tables approaching the inner door. If opportunity arose, I wanted to enter inside.

However.

While watching him, a small argunt was happening before the door entering inside.

"I brought money, so why won't it work!"

An old man grabbed Black Path and shouted.

"This isn't nearly enough. Your son's debt isn't this level."

Black Path detached the old man as if botherso.

"Nonsense! I brought this much money yet it's not nearly enough. Just how much debt did he incur!"

The bundle the old man held was clearly large at a glance. Silver and valuables glimpsed inside.

As if bringing all property at ho.

"Who knows? Not sure?"

Black Path sneered toward such an old man.

"You won't even say how much the debt is! Is there really debt? Aren't you just capturing people!"

At the old man's conclusion, Black Path burst into anger.

"Shut up! I was going to let it pass since you're old, but must you taste fists! Our gambling house is honest and fair!"

The words "taste fists" weren't a threat.

Whoosh.

A fist really flew.

Toward the white-haired old man.

"Stop."

Even during exploration, I couldn't watch.

Quickly moving to his side, I caught the fist.

And asked politely.

"Do you not have parents?"

As politely as possible.