Chapter 9: What About the Thing I Left You With?
Wu Wonta was puzzled.
Didn’t he say he wanted to see his quarters?
Slurp, slurp
But instead of heading out immediately, he was sitting right there in the bloodstained restaurant, eating his food.
Of course, it was the meal that had been ordered for him, but still…
'Right here, of all places?'
This was the man who made a big show of paying for the damages because he’d “caused a scene.”
At this point, Wu Wonta was starting to wonder if Yu Gyeongseong had just wanted them to clean up the place so he could have his meal.
After waiting and waiting with no sign of him getting up, Wu Wonta finally couldn't hold back anymore.
"Squad Leader Yu, when exactly are we going to check out your quarters?"
But the response he got was completely unexpected.
“Well, after a scene like that… don’t you think I need to clear my name?”
Wu Wonta sensed there was something else going on and forced a tight smile.
"You don't need to go that far. I saw the whole thing. You can file your report later. Right now, we should really get going…”
But Yu Gyeongseong acted as if he hadn't heard a word, continuing with his own train of thought.
"They're slower than I expected."
"...?"
“The response time for a dispatch call is pathetic.”
That's when Wu Wonta finally sensed the presence of five people approaching.
'How the hell...?'
His surprise wasn't because Yu Gyeongseong had sensed them before he did.
He wasn't shocked that Yu Gyeongseong felt them first. He was shocked that the Law Enforcement Hall was here at all. How could they have gotten the news and mobilized so fast?
Back when Dong Gung had been brutally beaten and everyone was still reeling in shock, Yu Gyeongseong had sent a telepathic message to the nearby cult members.
[Quickly summon the Fifth Squad of the Law Enforcement Hall!]
And when Dong Gung's group had been carried out, those people had rushed out of the restaurant.
They were the ones who'd reported to the Law Enforcement Hall.
They weren’t even sure who gave the order or if it was a real voice or just something in their heads.
The situation had been so shocking that they'd acted without thinking. But following those instructions came naturally to cult members.
It was simply what the cult's rules demanded.
All Yu Gyeongseong did was give them a little nudge in the right direction.
In this moment, a calm voice reached the somewhat bewildered Wu Wonta.
"Time to meet my squad."
***
Yu Gyeongseong sat quietly, observing the movements around him.
Inwardly, he nodded to himself.
This was the right moment to see his squad members.
The gazes were now scattered.
Some followed Dong Gong because of his over-the-top commotion, while the rest were drawn by his announcement about his visit.
Wu Wonta was now fully aware of this situation.
'...'
He felt like he was being played, but he tried to look on the bright side.
If the Squad Leader met his team right here, right now…
I’d be the one with a front-row seat to every word they said!
But then—
Before his men were even in sight, Yu Gyeongseong stood up from his seat and made a bold demand.
"That building I was in this morning, the one for the meeting with the Clan Lords? It’s spacious and well-decorated. A pity there wasn’t a single person inside.”
"...?"
"I'll be using that building for a bit."
How could he say no to that?
And as if he'd merely been informing rather than asking, Yu Gyeongseong moved without waiting for an answer.
"I'll head there first. Squad Leader Wu, you bring them directly to that location."
"..."
“Ah, the dispatched squad members will find it odd if they are suddenly told to follow you somewhere... just tell them the Cult Leader summoned them in secret."
"The Cult Leader?"
“It doesn’t mean anything. But if you mention that, they’ll show up first and ask questions later, no matter how weird it seems."
He looked at Wu Wonta as if to say, “What do you think?”
Wu Wonta could only answer, "That's... true."
Yu Gyeongseong had made his call.
He had to get them all here at once. And send them home all at once. This was to prevent anyone who had met with him from contacting the other members afterward.
If he brought the rest separately, big are the chances they will coordinate their stories, and that would give the Six Demons an easy opportunity to manipulate the squad members he hadn't met yet.
And even setting that aside...
‘What if my own squad figures out I have amnesia?’
It would severely limit his ability to steer the conversations as he'd planned.
He couldn't let that happen.
"Besides those five, gather all the other Fifth Squad members as well. Right now."
***
Was it because his indirect pressure on Wu Wonta had been effective?
Or did Wu Wonta just feel like he was being tested again? Either way, the man quickly fulfilled Yu Gyeongseong’s orders.
Life Demon wasn't kidding when she said Wu Wonta was basically his attendant; the way he handles matters was certainly efficient.
The five squad members who'd responded to the call were immediately guided to the building upon arriving at the restaurant.
Wu Wonta assured him the other four were on their way.
Yu Gyeongseong thought to himself:
'I need to meet them one-on-one.'
That's the only way he can fully verify what he left behind.
“Put them in separate rooms. One man per room.”
It wasn't a hard order, just a weird one. Wu Wonta figured he was planning to talk to each person one by one and compare their stories. It was the only explanation that made sense. As if reading his mind, Yu Gyeongseong kept going.
"And Squad Leader Wu, please ensure no one enters or leaves this building."
"...Not even leaving?"
"Correct. No one should be able to enter. And none of the squad members will try to leave the building alone ahead of the others."
"...Understood."
Yu Gyeongseong's next words came out deliberately loud, as if to make sure everyone heard.
“And it would be a very bad idea for anyone to try to eavesdrop on the conversations inside. Otherwise, I might think they have ill intentions toward me, wouldn't I?"
***
All nine members had gathered.
The squad members sat in separate rooms, completely clueless about what was happening.
Yu Gyeongseong entered the rooms one by one.
First, how could he prevent sound from leaking out?
The moment his mind wills it, a curtain of energy flows from his body and forms a barrier covering every inch of each room.
The first thing his men said when they saw him was pretty much the same every time.
"Huh?"
They hadn't expected to see him here.
"Squad Leader, I thought you were off on some special mission? It's only been a day."
"I figured it was some big deal, but I guess it was a cakewalk? Or is this still part of the job?"
It seemed they'd been told his absence for inheriting the Great Law was actually a special assignment.
"What's going on? We were told the Cult Leader summoned us in secret, so we came here."
It was their way of asking, “Where's the Cult Leader, and why are you here instead?”
Then, their words gradually trailed off.
Was it because he just stared at them without saying anything?
They began to study his expression cautiously, as if sensing that the atmosphere was strange.
“What about the thing I left with you?”
The first two guys reacted as if I’d grown a second head.
“What thing are you talking about?”
“The thing you… left with me?”
There was no hint of deception in their reactions. Had he miscalculated?
But the third squad member he met gave him the reaction he'd been hoping for.
It was a man who looked about ten years older than him.
“What about the thing I left with you?”
"Right here."
As if he'd been waiting, the man pulled something from his chest and handed it over with a casual toss.
A money pouch.
"..."
"I thought you'd leave it with me longer. Ah, is this why you told me to always carry it around?"
While listening to those words, Yu Gyeongseong opened the pouch to examine its contents.
But aside from silver taels, he couldn't sense anything else inside.
“…Isn’t there something else?”
"More?"
“Something else?”
Then, as if a switch had been flipped in his head, the man’s expression hardened.
"...You think I pocketed some of the money? Come on now, if you’re that worried, just dump it out and count it. See if I’m lying.”
'If you don't trust me, why'd you leave it with me in the first place...' the man muttered resentfully.
"That's not what I meant."
He was about to retort with a skeptical Yeah, right, but his eyes went wide at what Yu Gyeongseong said next.
"During the mission... I lost all my memories."
“What? How did that happen?”
"I'm not sure... maybe I got hit by some kind of spell..."
He got a look on his face that said, Oh… one of those missions. He seemed to accept it without much trouble.
"Huh? Now that you mention it... Your way of speaking is a bit awkward too... You really don't remember anything at all?"
"That's right."
"Well damn..."
Yu Gyeongseong observed the man carefully.
He could sense deep sympathy from him.
Were we actually friends?
That's when the squad member clicked his tongue and spoke.
"Should've kept the money pouch then."
"..."
Ah. So that's what he felt so sorry about.
"That's a full year's worth of a Squad Leader's salary saved up."
"...Did you open it?"
"Tch... Why would I need to open it? Did you really knock all your screws loose?”
"...?"
"A Squad Leader's monthly gets five silver taels a month. Silver is universally valued by weight alone, so why would I need to open it? I just have to know how heavy it is.”
Something clicked for Yu Gyeongseong at those words.
“…And how did you know that I put only silver inside?”
An awkward smile appeared.
Neither of them said anything more.
Even under Yu Gyeongseong's steady gaze, the man never tried to claim he hadn’t looked inside.
***
"You don't even remember my name? It's Maeng Heum."
"...I don't remember."
“Man, you’re going to get cheated blind out there.”
“Funny, I thought you were just about to give it a try.”
“Hey, don’t be so cold about it. You just handed me a bag of money out of nowhere! So I thought maybe you were planning to give me the money if you died. I was even a little touched, you know."
"Basically holding a funeral for me while I'm still alive?"
"Hehe... A guy’s gotta eat, right? The living still need to make a living.”
He treated Yu Gyeongseong without much reservation.
Maybe that's why it felt oddly comfortable.
"Tell me about myself."
“Huh? What is there to say? That you were a boring person?"
I grinned.
I began by confirming the most important things.
"Do I have... parents?"
"Nope."
"Then siblings?"
He shook his head firmly.
“Nope. Unless your folks, who died young, had a secret love child somewhere.”
"..."
In this moment, Yu Gyeongseong recalled something.
That feeling. The relentless urge that was always in the back of his mind. That voice he heard when he woke up last night.
[I need to find it.]
That desperate feeling washed over him again.
What the hell was so important?
“Was there… a woman in my life?”
This time, he was really just guessing.
“Ha! Now you’re getting funny.”
"..."
“Not a chance. You, with a woman? You don’t even go to taverns, let alone brothels. How are you going to have a woman if you never go anywhere to meet one?”
He was telling the truth. Yu Gyeongseong could feel the certainty radiating off him.
‘What the hell is it then?’
What was he supposed to find?
Could it be that it is not a person?
But Yu Gyeongseong set aside his confusion and continued asking questions.
Either way, he needed to gather as much information as possible right now.
"...What was I like in the Law Enforcement Hall?"
"Hmm... a loner?"
The answer came out way too fast.
Maeng Heum continued.
"But I was probably your closest friend, if anyone was."
They must have been close enough for him to joke around like this without hesitation, much like his earlier mention of a hidden sibling.
"What was my relationship with the Hall Master, Vice Hall Master, and the five Elders?"
"Well... not bad, I guess?"
Under the pressure of silence, Maeng Heum rattled off more details.
"Ah... at first it was just okay."
Meaning it had been bad.
"Why?"
"How should I know? I wasn't sitting there with them. I don't know the details."
"But?"
"I'm just guessing based on the vibe, you know? The cold atmosphere."
"..."
"Actually, it made sense that it was awkward at first. You just showed up in the Law Enforcement Hall out of nowhere. This place is usually full of old-timers. You need brains, you need guts, and you need to know how the world works.”
That made sense given their duties.
“But then you, a kid fresh out of training, just get dropped in here. Of course, they thought it was weird. On top of that, every talented young fighter in the Cult usually wants to be in the Six Demon Clans’ combat unit. So for a guy with your skills to come there... yeah, that was strange. You were a hell of a fighter, even back then.”
"Then how did I end up in the Law Enforcement Hall?"
"You really don't remember anything, huh? Hmm… there was talk that the Cult Leader himself sent you."
"Was that... true?"
“Who knows? But judging by how the bosses acted… they definitely didn’t like you. Then again, just because the Cult Leader sent you doesn’t mean they have to like you. The other squad members felt the same way at the time. Some wet-behind-the-ears kid suddenly drops in from above as their superior—who'd be happy about that? Especially Byeon Wu, who'd been aiming for the Squad Leader position. He was pretty pissed."
"Byeon Wu?"
"The Vice Squad Leader."
"And then?"
“What do you mean, ‘and then’?”
"You said 'at first it was just okay.'"
Meaning it got better later, right?
“Well, what else is there to it? If you have the ability, that’s all that matters. Martial artists prove their worth through martial arts, and we prove ours through investigation results. I don’t know about your other qualities, but your track record was excellent.”
"I was... that good?"
Maeng Heum's voice lowered as if recalling the past.
“Hmm, now that I think about it, it was kind of strange. You were just a kid, but you’d solve cases that everyone else thought were dead ends. How should I put it... You had good instincts?"
Maeng Heum.
From what he was saying, he had sharp perception befitting an investigator.
So… if a guy like that could only explain Yu Gyeongseong’s methods as “good instincts,” what did that mean?
It meant that even someone as perceptive as him couldn't understand how Yu Gyeongseong caught criminals so easily.
This wasn't something to take lightly.
It had nothing to do with one's martial cultivation.
‘Was it from back then…?’
When I first obtained the Grand Grotto Mystic Mantra...