Chapter 24 - Family Head Meeting (1)

Im Jeong-seok was a worthy opponent to bring out Seo Ji-won's true potential.

I had been curious about Seo Ji-won’s Haewon Sword Style at full power, and now I had a good spectacle to watch.

Kwakakakang!

As sword clashed with sword, the space vibrated violently.

The aura of mana they emitted made my blood boil just by watching.

A self-deprecating laugh escaped me at my own state of reacting to something of this level, but the duel itself was quite interesting.

A typical fight of power versus technique.

When two forces with different qualities meet, the battle of wits becomes all the more fierce.

Im Jeong-seok constantly went on the offensive, trying to overwhelm with power, while Seo Ji-won used softness to turn back the strength.

Hweeeing!

The heavy sword swung by Im Jeong-seok cut through empty space.

It was a picture that had already been repeated several times as Seo Ji-won toyed with him using feints.

The one gaining the upper hand was, as expected, Seo Ji-won.

“You damned loach-like bastard!”

I had never seen a case where someone who uttered this kind of line won.

A typical pattern of power being toyed with by technique and ending in defeat.

If this pattern continued, the expected result was clear.

“Damn it! Just once! If I could just land a proper hit once!”

Of course, there was no way he would willingly take a hit.

“You’ve lost.”

Seueuk!

Before he knew it, Seo Ji-won’s sword drew a soft arc, and blood spurted from Im Jeong-seok’s left shoulder.

“The moment you had such a third-rate thought.”

The words I wanted to say came out of Seo Ji-won’s mouth.

It seemed we had some telepathy, being brothers and all.

“Fuck off! You think you’ve won just by succeeding in this one little thing? You can never beat me by just running away like that!”

“You complain a lot.”

“Shut up! If you’re so confident, try a head-on confrontation!”

This was also a line often heard in a losing pattern.

Just from his tone, Im Jeong-seok had already lost his composure.

“A head-on confrontation, you say.”

It wasn't as if Seo Ji-won was only fighting with technique.

He was just controlling the pace because he knew when to apply force.

If an opportunity arose, Seo Ji-won could also engage in a battle of strength against strength.

Shwaaaak!

Shwaaaaaaak!

And now was that very moment.

Seo Ji-won’s vertical slash cut through the space.

Kwaaaaaang!

Im Jeong-seok, who had hastily raised his sword to block, had his arm jolted by the force.

And Seo Ji-won did not miss that opening.

Seueueuk!

“Heo-eop!”

For the first time, Im Jeong-seok let out a groan.

A long diagonal line drawn across his chest began to turn red.

With this single attack, the tide had completely turned.

“Brother, you know, right? You can’t kill him.”

If Im Jeong-seok died here, his body would disappear along with the dungeon.

I couldn't let the big fish I had painstakingly reeled in get away at this point.

As if in response to the message I sent, Seo Ji-won delivered a very satisfying blow.

Paaak!

A fitting impact sound, not too strong, not too weak.

Im Jeong-seok, hit in the back of the head by a decisive kick, couldn't even let out a groan and collapsed forward.

Teo-eok!

Seeing his eyes roll back, he had really passed out.

“Ho-joong, go and tie him up.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

With this, I would be able to send one of my father’s brothers to his doom.

In fact, I was a bit sensitive about family problems.

I had experienced something similar during my time as Johan Raven.

My biological father, Billion Raven, had also faced all sorts of checks from his relatives after becoming the family's successor.

Things that happened because he wasn't ruthless enough to strongly purge the brothers who showed hostility.

The possibility of such a thing happening to my new father, Seo Joon-wook, was not small.

The fact that Seo Chang-woo had fallen into the trap I dug was already a sign of that.

Starting with this opportunity, if anyone showed even a hint of harboring impure thoughts, I planned to purge them immediately.

I didn't care if my hands got a little bloody in the process.

They weren't my real relatives anyway.

***

The matter of Im Jeong-seok attacking me, and us capturing him, was kept top secret.

For days, the Haewon Sword Family remained as peaceful as usual, and only the emergency summons from the Family Head, Seo Joon-wook, was delivered to the relevant relatives.

I, too, was spending my days as usual.

It was currently dawn. Seo Ji-won's private lesson on the Haewon Sword Style was in progress, and today was the last day.

Learning the Haewon Sword Style was a fresh stimulus for me.

The idea of engraving the memory of swordsmanship into mana was something that didn't exist on the Kalia Continent, and it was a new challenge for me, who sought the ultimate in swordsmanship.

“This concludes all your training with me. You’ve worked hard.”

My relationship with Seo Ji-won also remained the same business-like manner as usual even after that day.

“You worked hard too, brother.”

“I’m curious. Your thoughts on having learned the entire first half of the Haewon Sword Style.”

I could answer this question without hesitation.

“That I want to quickly learn the latter half as well?”

It was a statement born from a pure desire for swordsmanship, but Seo Ji-won seemed to take it a little differently.

Because learning the latter half of the Haewon Sword Style was only permitted to the family's successor.

“This will be interesting. I’ve only ever thought of my eldest brother as my rival until now.”

It meant an unexpected dark horse had appeared.

“Does that mean you acknowledge me as a rival?”

Seo Ji-won nodded at my question.

His perception of me had already changed 180 degrees.

When we first met, Seo Ji-won was someone who thought of me as being on the same level as a passing dog.

“I’m honored.”

“But you don’t have to worry about me harboring a competitive spirit when I’m teaching you the Haewon Sword Style. Just like with my eldest brother, I have a duty to be fair.”

“I know. If you had messed around with the Haewon Sword Style, I wouldn't have just stood by.”

A slight smile appeared on Seo Ji-won's lips at my words.

“You’ve really changed too much. Since when was it? You must have started hiding your strength a very long time ago.”

“No comment. That’s why you should have paid a little more attention to this younger brother of yours.”

Seo Ji-won readily agreed and didn't pry any further.

“By the way, what are you going to do at the Family Head meeting tomorrow?”

“About what?”

“The family relatives attending the meeting, even the elders, will all be focused on your testimony. And a big decision will be made based on your testimony.”

“So?”

“It means you could be in danger in the future. If a punishment is handed down to our uncle, Seo Chang-woo, tomorrow, a faction that holds a grudge might form. If you want to play it safe, you should also consider appointing a proxy instead of yourself. For example, there’s Choi Ho-joong.”

“Do you think Ho-joong’s testimony and my testimony will carry the same weight?”

“Of course not.”

“I set a trap to create a situation with no escape. If I was afraid of revenge, I wouldn't have started this in the first place.”

“So you’re saying you’ll step forward yourself. I knew you would.”

“Then why ask when you already knew?”

“In the hopes that I might be disappointed in you.”

“Sorry to disappoint you. I plan on sending Seo Chang-woo to his grave for sure tomorrow.”

At my words, Seo Ji-won smiled once more, curling the corners of his lips.

***

The Family Head’s summons.

No one had the authority to refuse this stern command.

Failure to comply with the summons without a valid reason would result in immediate excommunication.

The people who received the summons began to gather at the Main Family one by one.

There were a few unusual things about this meeting.

First, the agenda of the meeting was kept confidential until the day of.

It was an unprecedented case, so all sorts of speculation ran rampant.

This was why the attention of not just the Haewon Sword Family but also other sword families was bound to be focused on it.

“Does it make any sense to issue a summons like this out of the blue?”

“It’s too much to call people here and there without even revealing the agenda!”

Voices of complaint were heard from here and there.

But today's agenda remained veiled in secrecy, and the empty seats in the meeting hall continued to be filled.

And finally, today’s main characters appeared.

“Young Master, that is Seo Chang-woo.”

“I know.”

I could see it.

The tension hidden behind Seo Chang-woo’s face, which feigned composure.

His mind must be very complicated.

The disappearance of the trusted Im Jeong-seok.

And the suddenly convened Family Head meeting.

He must have guessed to some extent that these two were not unrelated.

Just by looking at the strange expression he made after meeting my eyes, I could feel his anxiety sufficiently.

Another peculiarity of this Family Head meeting was that the scope of the summons was quite broad.

Not only the key figures of the Main and Branch Families, but also most of the Haewon Sword Family's council of elders were included in this meeting's attendance.

Such a large-scale summons meeting was at a level usually reserved for announcing the family's successor, and this case was said to be particularly exceptional.

In fact, my influence played a large part in this.

Because I wanted to make an example of them by publicly punishing the impure elements of the family.

Seo Chang-woo and Seo Young-joon.

I looked at this father-son duo and showed them a smirk.

Finally, the fact that figures from the Muwon Sword Family were also invited to this meeting also drew public attention.

In truth, the Haewon and Muwon Sword Families had a distant relationship with not much interaction.

People speculated wildly that a new alliance had been formed between the two families, who had another point of contact after the recent Bimu.

The former head of the Muwon Sword Family, Han Byeong-cheol, and his granddaughter, Han Ye-ji, had already appeared in the meeting hall.

Han Ye-ji has been sending glances my way for a while now, but I'm deliberately pretending not to see her.

“Young Master. Doesn’t the back of your head feel prickly?”

“Why? Because of Han Ye-ji?”

“Han Ye-ji is one thing, but isn't the former head of the Muwon Sword Family making an uncomfortable face while looking at you, Young Master?”

“From that old man's perspective, he has no reason to like me. His only granddaughter almost got into a big accident, after all.”

In truth, within the Muwon Sword Family, Han Ye-ji's dungeon trip this time was probably portrayed as being entirely of her own will.

That was the condition for fulfilling the reward from the bet.

I usually made a way out like this in advance.

Because I hated taking the blame.

“About Han Byeong-cheol, sir, his temper is not ordinary.”

“So what if it’s not ordinary? He’s free to dislike me, but if he tries to do anything more than that, it’s just him being senile.”

“Still, Han Byeong-cheol is a master that even our Family Head has to yield to...”

Of course, I could feel that much of an aura.

If he were younger, he would be at a level where he could aim for Sword Master beyond Sword Expert.

He was the greatest master I had sensed since coming to Earth.

Of course, compared to me in my Johan Raven days, his level was laughable.

Before long, the seats in the great meeting hall were filled, and with the appearance of my father at the last moment, the meeting began.

“I will announce the agenda of today's meeting that everyone is curious about.”

In an instant, silence fell over the meeting hall.

People turned all their eyes and ears to my father's mouth.

“The agenda is...”

A moment later, this place was filled with an uproar.

The atmosphere of the meeting hall had practically turned into chaos.

It was something I had expected.

The son of the Main Family’s Head being the target of an assassination attempt in a dungeon was a major incident without precedent.

“This is a fabrication! I cannot understand why my brother, no, the Family Head, is framing me and my son!”

Seo Chang-woo was, for the time being, playing dumb.

Our side had not yet presented any evidence or witnesses.

Therefore, I didn't expect him to confess obediently.

Voices defending Seo Chang-woo immediately followed.

“I too cannot believe it! The initial incident that started this is something that could not have happened. Is it even possible for Seo Ji-han to have met and beaten him in the Abyss?”

“That's right! It's just a one-sided claim with no credibility whatsoever!”

“I agree!”

This kind of reaction was also something I had already expected.

Of course, such questioning was straying from the essence of the problem.

Regardless of the level of my martial prowess, the fact that Seo Young-joon and Seo Chang-woo had each attempted to assassinate me once was a clear fact.

“Family Head Seo Joon-wook! Would you give this old man a chance to say a word?”

Suddenly, an authoritative voice echoed from a corner of the meeting hall.

The voice of a master who had imbued pure mana into his speech.

It was Han Byeong-cheol of the Muwon Sword Family.

“Please speak, former Family Head Han Byeong-cheol.”

As expected, my father was deferential to Han Byeong-cheol, just as I'd heard he would be.

After getting the chance to speak, he continued.

“I also believe this part needs to be clearly addressed. From that child named Seo Ji-han, I can barely feel any aura of mana. May I demand an explanation on this point?”

He must have heard some stories about me from Han Ye-ji. The fact that he was coming out like this meant that whatever his intention was, it wasn't good.

“Then, how should I prove it?”

I immediately stood up from my seat and looked at Han Byeong-cheol.

Unlike my father, I had no intention of being polite.

Because I detested it when someone weaker than me provoked me in this way.