“You are acting like a child who doesn’t even know how to feel embarrassed!”
“Ahhhhhh!”
Lee Seolho screamed as he cradled the stump where his arm had been just moments ago. Even the guild’s guides were screaming, blood scattering all over the ground. The old man was breathing harshly and rolling onto the ground, at a loss for words from the excruciating pain.
The dangerous look in Lee Sang-hee’s eyes did not match her natural disposition, but I knew it was normal for her to feel that way.
After all, the murderer responsible for the death of her loved one was right in front of her.
That wasn’t the only reason. She had chosen to believe in Lee Seolho, and look where that had gotten her.
Nevertheless, her patience explained what she had been thinking of Lee Seolho.
“Hah… Hah… Hah…”
“Ahhhhhhhhh! I… did not kill him! Lee Sang-hee, trust your uncle. You are the one who knows best that I will never commit such a sin!”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I trusted you! That… The result of that trust… Is this it?”
“No, I am being framed…”
Lee Seolho had become a parrot crying out for compassion. Of course, I did not feel any compassion.
I found it ridiculous seeing this old man beg for everything he had lost, but at the same time, the image of a wounded Jung Hayan kept replaying itself in my head.
“I am being framed! I didn’t kill anybody! Jeong-yeon, say something! There is no way I can kill Seung-jun!”
“Stop speaking, Lee Seolho! You really are…”
“No, no, I would never kill the Guild Master!”
“You’re a piece of sh*t. The Guild Master did so much for you… How could you do this?”
“I didn’t kill him! Ugh…”
Meanwhile, the old men around Lee Seolho were trembling. Some were already preparing to change sides, but their struggles were useless.
“We really didn’t know about this.”
“Kwan, this is irrelevant.”
“Catch everyone. There will be no exceptions. Put them all in jail.”
“It was all done by Lee Seolho! Lee Sang-hee! It was Lee Seolho’s idea to attract Japanese guilds! Other than that, I didn’t know about anything else!”
“I really didn’t know about the Guild Master’s death. Please believe me, please… It’s all done by that old man!”
“Can you not hear me?! Catch them all.”
At her order, the guards raised their spears and began to capture all the old men, who continued to scream for mercy.
“We are being framed!”
“It’s a lie! Lee Sang-hee! Please believe us… Ahhhh!”
The most ridiculous thing was that those grandparents also thought that Lee Seolho had killed the Guild Master. Of course, this only happened because I had been able to present solid evidence, but I still couldn’t believe that they would just accept that fact so easily.
“We didn’t know that Lee Seolho would kill the Guild Master, Lee Sang-hee! Please believe us…”
It was no wonder that Lee Sang-hee’s expression looked complicated. In an instant, the inner system of Blue had been shattered. No matter how much purified water one would put in the tank, it would be impossible to clean it, as rotten, stagnant water had already infiltrated the area.
Therefore, putting them all away would be the best option. It might be a little confusing and unsettling to do so, but this would be all they can do for the time being.
As I tried my hardest not to smile, a familiar voice began to shout once more. It was Lee Seolho.
“That dirty alchemist! You’ve tricked everyone in Blue with your disgusting tongue!”
“You are the one who sold Blue out, you disgusting traitor.”
“I didn’t kill anyone! You framed me!”
“It’s funny how you choose to make excuses until the end. How about you admit to breaking the trust of everyone who decided to put their faith in you?”
“I didn’t kill…”
“All criminals say that. But in the end, you are supposed to confess with your mouth. Your denial in the face of solid evidence is really embarrassing. If you had just decided to confess, there might have been some consideration for you.
“Sang-hee, just please trust me… just one more time.”
“Lee Sang-hee, haven’t you already given him a lot of faith?”
“He is framing me. That dirty alchemist is cancerous. You have to kill him, or to lock him up! He will soon become a monster that will eat Blue up.”
“You talk big, Lee Seolho. You seem obsessed about your contributions to Blue, but you’re not the guild owner. You don’t even deserve to comment on Blue since you’ve been in cahoots with other guilds, hiring assassins to kill new guild members, as well as killing the Guild Master.”
“This guy!”
“You are the one promoting trouble here. By nature, it is common for people to try to solve a crisis together. However, humans like you don’t do that at all. You can’t because people like you value your own interests above everything else.”
Lee Seolho was that kind of person.
Though he continued to make appeals to Lee Sang-hee, the woman in question refused to acknowledge him and stared into the air instead.
Although I was worried about her mentality, I knew she would recover from this eventually.
‘Hyunsung will take good care of her.’
I knew Kim Hyunsung could make her feel better once he got back.
Anyway, Lee Sang-hee simply refused to look at Seolho. Perhaps this was the only way she could rein in her anger. The rest of the old men were being dragged away to be locked up by the guild’s guards. Their screams were like music to my ears.
With almost everything in order, I slowly stepped in. This was simply to confirm our current status. The guild now felt cleaner, as we were successful in removing the rotten members off the roster.
As I made my way underground, the screams became more vivid once again. It felt pleasing to watch as the guild’s guards subdue the struggling old men, all of whom were shedding tears. As I kept looking around, a voice rang out.
“Lee Kiyoung. How will we deal with the criminals?”
I was surprised to see that it was a female guard. However, upon checking her stats, I knew she was more than capable of managing the prison.
“Just keep them intact until the Vice Guild Master decides what to do with them. In the meantime, just supply them with enough food and water to keep them alive.”
“Okay, will do.”
“Also, I would like you to go outside for a minute. I have something to ask the criminals.”
“Do you have anything to ask them separately?”
“Yes, of course. Ah! I would like you to wait at the entrance, in case you didn’t know.”
“Sure.”
“The underground prison is quite large. You’ve done a great job taking care of the place.”
“Thank you.”
“I’ll borrow one of the chairs here.”
“Of course, Lee Kiyoung.” At this, the guard hurriedly stepped away.
As I slowly entered the prison, the eyes of those old geezers rested on me, looking for salvation. Then, various voices exploded at once.
Some swore at me, and some tried to appeal to me. However, they were not the ones I came here for. I only had business with Lee Seolho.
After settling down on my seat, Seolho stared at me in an agitated manner, cradling his severed stump.
“You motherfucker! This isn’t the end, you piece of sh*t!”
“Thank you for telling me what I wished to say, you delusional old man.”
As I said this, I slowly built up a magical barrier around Seolho and me. It was only a small amount, but it was enough to host a conversation with him safely.
“What are you saying…”
“Don’t you dare think that this is the end. I am stronger than you think, and I won’t spare you any mercy. You really made me mad…”
“What…”
“You won’t be left with anything when you leave this guild, Seolho.”
“What bullsh*t are you talking about?”
“The Japanese guild you’ve been communicating with will take you out of the dungeon.”
“What?”
“The story will go like this. The killer who murdered the guild master, Lee Seolho, the Blue criminal who betrayed the expectations of the Vice Guild Master Lee Sang-hee, officially escaped the dungeon. Of course, unofficially, you will go to the Red Mercenaries’ underground torture room. A priest know very well will take care of you. She’s looking forward to meeting you. You will feel how strong a priest serving God is.”
“This… This motherfucker!”
“You and all of the old people here will be killed and abandoned somewhere. Of course, everyone else will think that the Japanese have taken you, leaving no evidence. Fuhaha. The media will talk about you as a traitor, and all the humans in Lindel will call you trash. Blue will try to forget your name, and your name will slowly fade away before only half a year has passed.”
His face went pale.
“Your death, the things you have contributed to the Blue, and the things you have accomplished so far, one by one… Gone. It’s as if you never existed. You will die without leaving anything behind.”
“You… You!”
“You don’t have to worry too much, old man. I will remember you. While the priest takes care of you, I will watch from the sidelines. From your screaming, your distorted expression to your pain, and your voice calling for help, I will inscribe everything to my memory. Until the whole process is over… I will be looking at you.”
“You can’t do that! You… You!”
“I will dedicate your face, distorted by pain, for my dear one who risked death for me. Your voice will always resonate in my mind as a reminder of what an old man who made a moment’s wrong choice. You will become a stepping stone in my growth, and there is nothing you can do about it.”
Only
At this, Lee Seolho fell silent, the expression on his face fading.
“Look… Kiyoung…”
“Would you like to do business with me?”
“No matter how badly we got along… isn’t this too disgraceful of a death?”
“I can’t die like this… Ugh…”
He began to talk consecutively. I could feel the heartbreak in his voice, his fear of the inevitable torture that would soon come his way. I didn’t dare to respond.
However, I looked at him right in the eye, as if to rehearse for the moment where I would finally get to witness his pain.
Everything went silent.