Chapter 80: How about you be more tactful? (9)

"Cale-nim, did something happen?"

Choi Han, who had been watching Cale, cautiously asked before Raon asked a question as well.

"Human! Who is Joong Won? I don't know who that is!"

Choi Han responded to Raon's question.

"I heard that the world we are going to next is the Central Plains."

"Ah! That's Joong Won?!"

The human and the young Dragon looked at Cale.

Both of them saw Cale looking at them and smirking. He seemed quite happy.

"Do you know who our helper will be in that world?"

He seemed oddly excited.

"Who is it? Who is making you smile like that?"

"Who is it, Cale-nim?"

"Pfft." Cale chuckled as he responded.

"The Emperor's mom."

Choi Han's eyes clouded over. Cale slowly leaned toward Choi Han and continued.

"And apparently the Emperor is extremely filial."

Tap, tap. Cale tapped on the mirror and asked.

"Explain in detail."

Ding ding!

< Yes sir! >

A popup window soon appeared on the mirror.

< The current Emperor is the former Emperor's nephew and the youngest son of the previous Emperor before that... >

The explanation was long.

That previous Emperor before the former Emperor died in battle but all three of his children were very young.

That Emperor's younger brother used that opening to become the next Emperor. Thankfully, loyal vassals helped the Empress and the youngest son escape. However, he ended up living a miserable life.

'Somehow that youngest son ended up the current Emperor and his mom must have sacrificed a lot in the process.'

Cale had a question at that moment.

"But why is the Emperor's mom your subordinate?"

Ding ding!

< They lived in hiding in the mountain where my clone lives! I helped them hide from their enemies at that time! >

"Clone?"

Ding ding!

< Yes sir! I don't have the power to mediate things like Xiaolen noonim so there are times when I need to personally run around and get things done. That is why I need a clone! >

"Oh."

Cale let out a short gasp of admiration before his gaze oddly changed.

Di, ding ding!

< I, I feel like I said something I shouldn't have said! >

Joong Won seemed anxious.

"Hey Joong Won."

Cale spoke gently.

"I can see you when I go to the Central Plains. Right?"

Di, ding!

< E, excuse me? >

"You said you have a clone. >

Di, ng!

< Ah, oops! >

Cale gently caressed the mirror.

"I look forward to it."

Oooooooong- Ooooooooong-

The mirror started shaking.

However, Cale did not care. Choi Han watched before asking a question.

"Cale-nim, is it perhaps possible to learn about Choi Jung Soo's location?"

Cale looked at Choi Han for a bit after hearing the question Choi Han asked after some hesitation.

'It makes sense that Choi Han would be most curious about that.'

Although he couldn't read all of Choi Han's inner thoughts, it was possible to make a guess.

"You heard that, right? You know Choi Jung Soo, don't you?"

Cale calmly asked the mirror.

However, neither Choi Han nor Cale thought that they would get an accurate response about it.

"…There is no response."

The messages had suddenly stopped as Choi Han mentioned.

Cale shook his head.

'As expected, neither these gods nor world shitheads answer properly when you ask a question.'

He held back a sigh. It seemed as if he would need to find Choi Jung Soo through team leader Lee Soo Hyuk.

'Even the team leader didn't seem to know his accurate location.'

It was at that moment.

Oooooooong- Ooooooooong-

"Human! This mirror seems weird?"

Raon pointed to the mirror with a confused look on his face.

"Mm."

Cale gulped.

The mirror was vibrating. It was vibrating extremely intensely.

'What is going on?'

As he had an ominous feeling…

Di, di, di, di, diiiiiiiiing–!

'What is going on?'

The alarm suddenly became weird.

"Human, what is wrong with it?!"

Raon moved away from the mirror in shock and hid behind Cale's back.

Cale stood there stiffly as he observed the mirror.

Multiple messages soon appeared on the screen one after another.

< When his sword points to the sky, his white yong will swallow the sky! >

'Hmm? White yong?

Choi Jung Soo creates a white dragon with his sword...?'

< The moment the white yong appears, everybody will stop moving and blank out at the pressure it gives off! >

'…Mm.'

< This world is full of hypocrites! Only the white yong born from the sword walks the way! >

'… Uhh… mm....'

< The Sword Demon rocks! The Sword Demon is the best! The super strong Sword Demon! >

'Mm.'

< The Sword Demon rocks for beating up all martial artists who cause issues! Oh Sword Demon-nim, I'm a fan! >

'…Mm.'

< Sword Demon-nim, please beat up the martial artists bothering Joong Won even more! Please destroy them with your white yong! >

Cale was silent.

"...."

A message slowly appeared in a few moments.

Di….ding!

< Of course, I respect Cale-nim the most. I respect you even more than the gods. - Sincerely, Joong Won, who is keeping himself sane while waiting only for Cale-nim >

Cale asked calmly.

"His location?"

…Ding.

< ...I will look into it, sir. Wanderers are like the wind. They are very good at avoiding the gazes of worlds as well! >

He nodded at Joong Won's response before informing Choi Han.

"He'll look into it."

"Yes, Cale-nim."

Cale put the mirror back in his pocket and got up.

"Then shall we go on that tour first?"

* * *

Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-

The man entered the small temple to avoid the rain.

The temple was extremely old and broken in many places, making it difficult to tell what was worshiped in this temple, but it was a decent place to dodge the rain.

Ooooooooong.

The man pulled a small plaque out of his pocket after feeling a vibration.

Words appeared on it.

< Would you like to return? >

The man looking at the words debated for a moment before letting out a short sigh.

The sky was covered in grey. This forest was dark because there was no sunlight.

Clang.

He pulled out his sword.

He could see the white blade.

He started speaking.

"I will not return."

White smoke started rising from his white blade at the same time.

Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-

The moment a breeze filled with rain brushed past him…

A white yong rose up out of his sword and Choi Jung Soo kicked off the ground.

Piiiiiii!

There was a short sound of a flute before numerous people in black outfits appeared in the dark forest.

The white yong opened its jaw and charged toward them.

Baaaaaang—!

The white yong soon shot up into the sky. Choi Jung Soo watched the endless amount of blood flowing down the pure white blade.

"It should be about time for them to come here. Isn't that right?"

He mumbled, despite nobody being there to hear him, before shaking the blood off the blade.

He then moved somewhere else.

All that was left there were corpses that were starting to lose warmth.

Tap. Tap.

A few moments later, there were some quiet noises before two people quickly appeared there.

One looked like a daoshi while the other resembled a beggar.

They let out short groans.

"…Amitāyus." (TL: According to wiki, In addition to transliteration, the name Amitābha has also been translated into Chinese using characters which, taken together, convey the meaning "Infinite Light": 無量光 (Wúliàngguāng). In the same fashion, the name Amitāyus ("Infinite Life") has been translated as 無量壽 (Wúliàngshòu). These translated names are not, however, very commonly used. Author used Wúliàngshòu here but I'm just going to use Amitāyus for all to make it simple (unless later I see reasons not to do so)

"The Sword Demon must have gone through here."

"…It looks like there is no other choice."

The daoshi of the Wudang Sect and the beggar of the Beggars' Gang looked at each other before speaking.

The beggar was the first to speak. There was a rope with five knots around his waist.

"It looks like we have to raise the Sword Demon to a Grade 3 Public Enemy of the Martial Arts world."

"…Amitāyus."

The daoshi closed his eyes once before opening them back and speaking.

"Will the Unorthodox faction and the Demon Cult sit idly as we do that?" (TL note: Changing to Orthodox and Unorthodox from good and evil factions.)

"We have no choice."

The beggar shook his head.

"As long as that Martial arts text is in the Sword Demon's hands… We must capture him at all costs."

"…Amitāyus."

The daoshi sighed.

"…The Sword Demon is not evil."

"I am aware of that. Daoshi-nim."

The beggar also sighed before pointing to the dead people.

"These bastards are assassins of the School of Carnage. The School of Carnage! You know that they are one of the three great assassin organizations of the Unorthodox faction! The fact that these bastards are here should mean that the Unorthodox faction is aiming for the Sword Demon's life as well, doesn't it?"

"Mm."

"We must find him before that happens. We must at least find the Sword Demon before the Five Great Clans. Especially before the Namgung Clan. You know that the Sword Saint's eyes have basically rolled over as he attempts to find the Sword Demon. I heard that he has even pulled in the Heavenly Guardians."

"…That is a big issue."

The beggar spoke sternly.

"We must find the Sword Demon even if it takes listing him as a Public Enemy of the Martial Arts World. The goal is to capture Grade 3 Public Enemies alive. That is why we must openly do this. If we wish to keep the Sword Demon alive, that is."

"…Amitāyus."

The daoshi opened his closed eyes.

"I shall make a visit to Shaolin."

"Please do, daoshi-nim. I will head to Kunlun first."

The Kunlun Sect was one of the Orthodox faction's Nine Sects One Gang.

They were located right next to the Demon Cult's base in the Xinjiang region. It was the frontline battlefield against the Demon Cult.

The daoshi started speaking.

"…Has the Demon Cult made a move?"

The beggar was about to move but stopped for a moment to respond.

"The Great War of the Triumvirate must not happen."

"Mm."

The daoshi responded by nodding his head.

The two people soon disappeared in different directions.

A person appeared in that spot soon after they left.

It was Choi Jung Soo, who had disappeared earlier.

"…What a headache."

He let out a sigh. He pulled a small book out of his pocket.

< Sky Sword >

There were only two words written on it.

Sky Sword.

The sword of the sky.

"That guy needs to be here for intellectual issues like this."

He shook his head.

"I wonder when that colleague of mine is going to show up."

Choi Jung Soo put the book back in his pocket and disappeared into the darkness of the forest.

He made one last comment before he left.

"This is for my paternal cousin once removed."

* * *

Duke Fredo, the Vampire. He approached Cale with his arms opened wide.

"My son, you're here?"

Cale, who had arrived at the last stop on his grand tour, sighed before responding.

"Do you want me to pretend to be your son?"

"Mm."

Duke Fredo thought about it with a serious look on his face before shaking his head.

"No."

His face seemed quite serious as he said that.

"It was just a slip of the tongue."

"...."

Cale's face became unsettled.

He subconsciously asked after seeing Duke Fredo reject it so seriously.

"Am I not good enough to be your son?"

"You would be a son I can be proud of, but a parent would not be able to sleep having a son who goes around looking for death traps."

"...."

Cale was at a loss for words.

– Human! Duke Fredo is right!

'I know, right?'

That was why Cale was at a loss for words.

"Duke Deruth is an amazing person."

Cale's mouth became shut even tighter after Duke Fredo's comment. Duke Fredo chuckled before patting Cale's shoulder and pointing to the side.

"What do you think?"

This white palace that the White Star once resided in…

While it was being restored, the undamaged areas were being used for administrative purposes.

However, Fredo was pointing outside the window of the white palace.

He was pointing at Endable.

"Not bad."

Duke Fredo smiled at Cale's nonchalant response.

Cale found this smile to be quite unfamiliar. However, Duke Fredo's smile seemed a bit relaxed.

"What's wrong? Do I look weird right now?"

"Yeah."

Cale, who answered ruthlessly, was still looking out the window. Vampires, Dark Elves, and many other races were walking around Endable.

This large sinkhole…

Although there was construction happening all over, the place was full of life.

"It is a bit different from what I had expected."

Cale was a bit shocked that the mood was brighter in Endable than he had expected.

"I guess it could seem odd. Just like the look on my face."

Duke Fredo nodded before continuing to speak. He spoke in a casual voice.

"The Eastern continent is currently aiming for Endable. They are trying not to accept us. They wish for this place to disappear. It is different from when they were bowing their heads toward the White Star."

Duke Fredo's gaze sank down.

"But you see…"

And his eyes clouded over.

"We always never existed."

Cale turned to look at Fredo.

He looked back at Cale and smiled.

This was not a relaxed smile but an extremely emotional smile.

"Although we definitely existed… Although our history existed alongside theirs… Even though we are living among them right now… However, everybody pretended not to know that we existed this whole time."

They exist but do not exist.

"However, they can no longer feign ignorance anymore. We are now in the same history as theirs."

Although Cale could not clearly see the faces of the people in the streets from the white palace, he could tell that some of them were smiling.

Their steps were full of vigor.

"Well, we may end up fighting against them. There will be a lot of intermingling. It will be quite complicated."

Duke Fredo was still smiling.

"But I really like that we will be able to do that."

He then added on.

"Of course, it would be great if the Roan Kingdom would quickly bring us underneath its wings."

Fredo was stealthily sharing his desires.

He then continued in a sly voice.

"I heard that the Western continent is currently on alert, being wary of the Roan Kingdom? The Eastern continent has sent more spies for surveillance since learning that you were heading here."

Cale gently shrugged his shoulders.

– Human! The Caro Kingdom keeps calling! I guess the crown prince of the Caro Kingdom wants to talk to you! Should I ignore it again?

From the moment Cale went to the Whipper Kingdom then visited the Paerun Kingdom up north… From the moment it was revealed that he was visiting as an official delegation of the Roan Kingdom…

The atmosphere had oddly changed.

And from the moment Cale stepped foot in the Jungle to the south… Foreign kingdoms started contacting the Roan Kingdom. The crown prince of Caro Kingdom went beyond that and contacted Cale directly.

– Human! I will ignore it as usual since you haven't responded!

And Cale was ignoring those calls.

He looked at Duke Fredo and nonchalantly commented.

"Do you want a mine?"

Blink, blink.

The Vampire Duke blankly blinked his beautiful eyes a few times before asking.

"Huh?"

Cale shrugged his shoulders at that response.

He then thought to himself.

'Everybody should know by the time I return from the Central Plains.'

They would learn what the Roan Kingdom, Cale, and their alliance had gained from this tour.

– Human! Why are you smiling wickedly again?

He let Raon's comments in one ear and out the other.

* * *

"We are now heading to the second world."

The day to leave had arrived.

—
Translator's Comments

Here weeeee goooooo.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]