Chapter 25
“Are you awake?”
“Ah...”
The first feeling I registered upon opening my eyes was comfort.
A moderate hangover, a pleasant weariness. A warm floor, a knee pillow of just the right height.
*If I could just sleep for One Shichen more like this, it would be perfect...* No, wait, *who the fuck is this?*
Realizing belatedly that I was resting my head on a stranger's thigh, I quickly sat up. And the one who greeted me was...
“Haha, you should have slept longer. Why are you up already?”
“Ha... *damn it*, Munseok.”
...It was Munseok, the Sichuan Branch Leader of Haomun.
Since he wasn't someone who would openly antagonize me, I felt a little relieved and looked around. The room was well-organized and clean, clearly a luxurious Guest Room.
“...Where is this?”
“This is a Guest Room attached to Cheongwolru. I personally moved you and your friend here after you both got completely drunk.”
“...My friend? ...Ah.”
As I looked beside me, Youngest was also sleeping soundly, snoring with a pleasant expression.
“Anyway, did you sleep well? You were so drunk you wouldn't have known if I had carried you on my back?”
“...”
“The Haomun Leader asked if you admitted defeat in the bet.”
“...”
*...The bet. Right, the fucking bet.*
In a drinking contest, the winner is decided when one person gets so drunk they pass out. Since I lost consciousness yesterday after drinking the poisoned wine, by rights I lost.
But...
“...I don't accept it.”
“What...?”
“*Fuck*, I said I don't accept it.”
I absolutely could not concede this match.
As I took a firm stance, Munseok frowned, looking at me as if I were a piece of trash.
“No... were you always such an unsightly person...? How can a man, having lost, refuse to accept the outcome like that...”
“No, I'm not the one at fault! This was a foul! That bitch dared to move during the drinking contest!”
The most fundamental rule of a drinking contest.
To compete solely on the basis of drinking, without using martial arts.
But the Haomun Leader stood up, approached me, and then put something in my mouth.
Of course, it was just a tangerine, but it had a significant impact on the outcome, so this match is invalid.
No? Invalid, my ass. That bitch forfeited due to a foul, so it's my victory, goddammit!
Anyone who knew about drinking contests would have sided with me, ten out of ten, a hundred out of a hundred.
But isn't it said that loyalty runs deep? This Nobleman, a native of Sichuan, was tilting his head in front of me, simply because the Haomun Leader was on his side.
“Hmm... this case is certainly a bit ambiguous.”
“*Ambiguous, nonsense!* Shut up and just deal with it. I'm leaving. Hey, Youngest. Get up, let's go...”
Ignoring Munseok's words, I started gathering my belongings, intending to leave, when I immediately noticed something strange.
More precisely, my pockets felt remarkably empty.
“Ah... *fuck*...”
“...”
“Munseok. *Damn it*, you shouldn't cross the line.”
It was gone.
My 200 Gold Gwan banknotes are more precious than my own life.
They had completely vanished from my person. And the person who seemed to be the clear culprit merely wore a serene expression in front of me.
Until yesterday, I had been magnanimous, so I might have even laughed off this humiliation.
But taking my money while I was unconscious was a different story. I strode over, retrieved my saber, and then sat down in front of Munseok.
“Give back my money.”
“...That was something we held as insurance, in case you refused to accept the outcome of the bet.”
“I clearly stated that yesterday's match was a foul. You know that yesterday's drinking contest was questionable. Don't be stubborn, just give me my money. Then I won't have to shed any blood...”
“I'm sorry, but I cannot give it to you now.”
*CRASH—!*
“...H-huh! What the...!”
As I briefly unleashed a powerful Killing Intent, a shockwave rippled through the Guest Room, forcing open every door. Youngest, who had been sleeping soundly, woke up with a start, but I paid him no mind, focusing solely on Munseok.
*Tremble, tremble.*
Munseok's body was trembling slightly. It was likely not due to fear, but a physiological reaction to the overwhelming Killing Intent.
From the start, even though Munseok was a Branch Leader of Haomun, he wasn't specialized in combat, so there was a significant gap in our skill levels.
Despite this, he was forcing himself to endure the current situation.
Not only that...
*Swoosh—.*
“...”
He went a step further and knelt before me.
“Ha.”
I couldn't help but let out a hollow laugh at the sight.
A Branch Leader holds a fairly high position within Haomun. For Munseok to kneel so easily...
“Please, would you at least hear me out?”
“...Go on.”
Although I harbored some resentment, seeing Munseok, whom I had known for quite a while, kneeling before me felt a bit strange.
My resolve weakened, and I decided to at least listen to his story before making a judgment.
“Haomun is currently preparing for something that will happen soon. That's why we need someone with outstanding martial prowess like you.”
“...What is this 'something'?”
“I'm truly sorry, but the exact nature of the matter is a Haomun secret, so I cannot tell you. However, I can promise you this: your task won't be much. You just need to show off your skills to others and hold your position, just as you are now.”
“...”
“I understand that this seems quite suspicious to you. But think of how long we've known each other. Please, trust my words. Perhaps this matter can be resolved without you even having to draw your saber from its sheath. We are simply anxious..., and having a Master like you watching our backs would make us feel much more secure, which is why we've gone to such lengths.”
Saying so, Munseok took something from his sleeve and placed it before me.
And then...
“Here, these are your 200 Gold Gwan. And this is...”
*Thud.*
“...!”
He pulled out another stack of banknotes, exactly the same thickness as the first, and placed it next to it.
“These are new 200 Gold Gwan. The Haomun Leader offered 200 Gold Gwan as payment for this task.”
“...What? 200 Gold Gwan?”
My current financial situation was comfortable enough that I didn't strictly need more money. But 200 Gold Gwan was a different story.
If I added another 200 Gold Gwan to the 200 Gold Gwan I already had, I could live a life twice as prosperous as I had planned.
“...”
Munseok kneeling and pleading, the 200 Gold Gwan, and the promise of an easy task existed.
Feeling somewhat swayed, I retracted my Killing Intent and let out a sigh.
“So, what exactly do you need me to do?”
“The matter I mentioned earlier has about seven days and nights left, so during that time, you...”
And after hearing Munseok's explanation...
“That's all I have to do? Just do that for seven days and nights, and you'll give me 200 Gold Gwan?”
“That's right.”
I was a little surprised after hearing the task Munseok had assigned me.
**
“Elder Brother.”
“Yes, Youngest.”
“Yesterday's liquor was truly delicious. Except for that last part where Elder Brother gave me a different poisoned wine.”
“That... I apologize for that.”
“No, it's fine. It was quite an enjoyable experience, actually. But, Elder Brother...”
The youngest asked me in a slightly bewildered voice.
“Weren't we supposed to leave today? What are we doing here?”
“...Indeed. How did things end up like this?”
We were currently guarding the entrance of Cheongwolru, dressed in neat black clothes with batons at our sides.
The task Haomun had given me, which offered 200 Gold Gwan, was...
*“Guard duty?”*
‘Yes, guard duty. You just need to guard Cheongwolru for seven days and nights. It's not much of a guard duty, really. Just manage the entrance, and if any drunkards appear, subdue them and drag them out.’
...It was Cheongwolru guard duty.
It was called guard duty, but considering the clothes and the work itself...
“Like a bouncer at a tavern...?”
Or a recruiter for a courtesan house.
Our job was exactly that level.
*‘They're giving me 200 Gold Gwan just for doing this for a week?’*
There was certainly something more to it, but I found it hard to refuse this offer.
The work was even easy.
What if, just casually chatting with Youngest like this, a Troublemaker or Drunkard appeared somewhere...
“Hey, you sons of bitches—!! Get the House Mistress—!! *Damn it*, do you know who I am?! Do you know who I am!! I'm not paying! *Fuck*—!!”
“Sir, please calm down for a moment. Shall we go to the back?”
“What? Who are you, you bastard—! Get the House Mistress, not a punk like you—! Huh? How dare you lay hands on a customer? You son of a bitch, do you want to die—!!!”
...We'd grab them like this, and after we kindly *instilled* some manners in them in the back, they'd become docile on their own.
“I was wrong. I seem to have made a mistake from drinking too much. I will pay for the broken chair and the liquor right now. I sincerely apologize once again to everyone who was inconvenienced by me.”
Youngest commented on the work we were doing.
“This... isn't this similar to what we did as Bandits in the mountains? Threatening and extorting...”
“Oh, Youngest. We are guardians now. How can you compare the sacred guard duty of a Courtesan House to banditry?”
“Is that so? Hehe. Anyway, the work seems easy enough.”
Seeing that Youngest seemed to be letting his guard down, I leaned closer and whispered in his ear.
“Youngest, I told you. Those Haomun bastards promised 200 Gold Gwan. They're not fools. There's no way they'd offer such a high price for just this much.”
“Then...”
“Something is definitely going to happen. They said the event would occur after seven days and nights, so if things seem strange then, you need to run. If you run first, I'll assess the situation and follow.”
“...Yes, Elder Brother.”
“Anyway, I already have my original 200 Gold Gwan, so if push comes to shove, it doesn't matter if we just run.”
After the earlier incident, Munseok had returned my 200 Gold Gwan. So, I didn't necessarily need to overexert myself to earn another 200 Gold Gwan.
It was then, as we were planning for what might happen seven days and nights later.
“You two—!”
“Hmm...?”
Munseok, who was secretly the Sichuan Branch Leader of Haomun but outwardly served as Cheongwolru's Chief Manager, rushed towards us in the corner with an urgent expression.
“Munseok, what is it?”
“You two aren't busy right now, are you? Could you perhaps help out over here?”
“What kind of work?”
“The fellows who were supposed to entertain have disappeared! Don't you two have good looks? I'm asking you to entertain!”
“...Entertain?”
*...Entertaining means pouring drinks, matching the mood, subtly touching, and things like that, right?*
*And he wants Youngest and me to do that now...?*
...
*Oh my god, what the hell is this absurdity?*
“This is *fucking* ridiculous... I knew there was a reason they were offering 200 Gold Gwan.”
In that instant, my temper snapped, and I channeled Internal Energy into my fist as I approached Munseok.
Seeing my expression, Munseok flinched and immediately clarified.
“...Ah, no—! What on earth are you thinking? It's, it's women. Female guests! We also cater to female guests, you see! What I'm asking you to do is entertain female guests.”
“Entertain female guests? That's...”
*...Isn't that a host bar?*
Finally understanding Munseok's words, I straightened my face and spoke to him.
“Hold on—! Munseok. No matter what, Youngest and I are Martial Artists. Are you telling us to fawn and flatter among women, pouring drinks? My pride as a Martial Artist.”
“I understand that point... However, these are truly important guests. Men with looks like yours aren't easy to find. Please, can't you reconsider? You can just sit there like a statue next to them.”
“My pride as a Martial Artist! No matter how important 200 Gold Gwan is to me, I have no intention of selling my pride. Munseok. Even if it's Haomun, you are also a Martial Artist. I'm quite disappointed in you for making such a proposal to me.”
“I'm sorry... But is there really no way? I beg of you...”
As my firm stance continued, Munseok's pleas also persisted. and soon after...
“Young Ladies, shall we toast?”
“Y-yes, please...! Oh, I'll pour you a drink right away...”
“Ah~, not this one, something more expensive.”
“Bring 10 bottles of the most expensive liquor right now! Right now—!”
...I had discovered a hidden talent I never knew I possessed.