839

 [Chapter 210]

[Life is Like Walking on a Blade's Edge (6)]

He resolved a long-standing worry.

He made Choi Jung-hoon submit.

It felt like a long-standing indigestion had cleared up.

Eun-ha's steps were light.

Although Choi Jung-hoon might become a variable and obstacle to me in the future, he won't be a big danger now.

It would be enough to break Choi Jung-hoon's ambition.

If he worked for Ha Baek-ryeon, Eun-ha had no intention of treating him harshly.

Depending on the situation, he was willing to cooperate with Choi Jung-hoon.

It all depended on Choi Jung-hoon.

"By the way..."

"Kang?"

"Putting a restriction is troublesome. With my current skill, can I only put it on one person?"

Eun-ha looked down at his hand.

Magic that puts a restriction on the heart.

Unfortunately, it wasn't magic he could use freely.

With his current skill, he could only use it on one person.

So to use it on someone else, he would have to remove the restriction on Choi Jung-hoon first and then use it.

Still, it's better than not having it at all...

Later when I improve my skills, the number of times I can use the magic will probably increase too.

He decided not to feel too regretful.

Eun-ha lowered his hand.

Then he decided to quickly return to the clan hall with Kang.

There was someone he particularly wanted to see today.

Eventually returning to the clan hall─

"─Seo-hyeon!"

"You're back? What were you doing after sending only Baek-ryeon back? Hm?"

Eun-ha passed right by the clan members and went straight to meet Han Seo-hyeon.

She was taking care of Noh Yuseong.

She tilted her head looking at him while holding the child.

Eun-ha hugged her tightly.

"Huh?"

"I really made the right choice in marrying, didn't I?"

"You just realized that now?"

"I think about it every day while living."

Han Seo-hyeon didn't seem to know why she was suddenly hugged.

Nevertheless, she was satisfied when Eun-ha embraced her.

Eun-ha spent time hugging her for a long while.

Han Seo-hyeon looked extremely lovable.

So much that─

"─Should we make our second child?"

Such words came out.

Eun-ha was in a very good mood.

"How can you talk about making a second child when it hasn't been long since Ha-yang got pregnant? Do you want one that badly?"

"Pa, pa!"

"It seems Yuseong is saying he'd like a younger sibling too?"

"Oh my."

Han Seo-hyeon didn't seem to dislike it either.

She quietly moved her hand and tickled Eun-ha.

Then her hand stopped.

"Ah, right. I forgot."

"Hm? What?"

Han Seo-hyeon seemed to have recalled something.

She left Eun-ha's embrace and brought documents from the desk.

Eun-ha checked the documents.

Soon his face hardened.

"It's documents Chang-jin oppa submitted. Is this, that?"

"..."

"Don't try to deceive even me."

"...Yes, it is."

'That'.

Eun-ha nodded.

The contents written in the documents were about entering a red dungeon with several people.

On the surface it was dungeon conquest documents, but in reality it was no different from a death list.

"The clan will be in an uproar soon. Then I'll prepare to minimize the commotion."

"Ah... I'll leave it to you."

"Does Ha-yang know?"

"..."

"You can gloss over it for the clan members, but you should tell Ha-yang."

"It's difficult to say now that she's even pregnant."

"Letting Ha-yang infer on her own would be worse. Tell her well."

Han Seo-hyeon scolded sharply.

It was right.

Eun-ha agreed with her words and checked the names written on the document.

There were 6 people participating in the red dungeon conquest:

Lee Cheon-seo, Jang Tae-bin, Jo Su-yeon, and 3 other party members needed for formality.

The 3 were Eun-ha and Han Chang-jin's people, who would play the role of executing them.

Eun-ha and Han Chang-jin not on the document would also enter the red dungeon.

8 years since founding the clan.

Like any clan, the time had come for Eun-ha to decide on a purge.

☆

A red dungeon somewhere in Yongsan-gu.

It was past midnight.

At that hour when people would be asleep, Eun-ha set foot in the red dungeon.

"Ah, Clan Lord."

"You're working hard in the middle of the night."

A building that was said to have been a library long ago.

Eun-ha entered the dungeon full of red books all around and looked for the people who came first.

7 people in total.

3 had swollen faces and were kneeling on the floor.

4 including Han Chang-jin were watching over those kneeling.

Eun-ha greeted the clan members responsible for the clan's darkness and immediately headed to Han Chang-jin's side.

"Why do their faces look like this? I told you to bring them in as clean a state as possible."

"Cheon-seo noticed. He must have felt something was strange when told to subjugate a red dungeon at this hour."

"So he tried to run away with them?"

"And our guys caught them."

"You did well to catch Cheon-seo. He must have been quite troublesome."

"Yongsan-gu is foreigners' front yard. Dominic hyung sent out his guys."

"I should thank him later."

"And Pa-rang and Nam-hoon helped catch Cheon-seo too. The twins also helped."

"So you had an intelligence battle on a party scale just to catch one kid."

"Sorry, it was unexpected. I didn't know Cheon-seo would run away so well."

"He's like a cockroach after all."

The people mentioned while conversing with Han Chang-jin were also people belonging to Eun-ha's darkness.

Of course, no one knew except the sub-lords.

Anyway, after finishing the conversation, Eun-ha knelt on the floor and met eyes with Lee Cheon-seo.

Lee Cheon-seo's body trembled.

"E-Eun-ha..."

"..."

Lee Cheon-seo opened his mouth.

A voice that seemed terrified.

Eun-ha just looked at him silently.

As if telling him to say more.

Eun-ha kept his mouth shut.

Then Lee Cheon-seo trembled even more and prostrated himself on the floor.

"I-I was wrong. I must have gone crazy for a moment! So I ended up selling your information to Samra...!"

"..."

"N-No! Th-That's not it...! Yes, that's right! Actually I was spying to help you guys! The information I was going to hand over to Samra was all fake..."

At first he seemed to be pleading.

Lee Cheon-seo quickly rolled his eyes and made up lies.

It had been 12 years since he joined Eun-ha.

Lee Cheon-seo knew Eun-ha's nature.

So instead of pleading to be spared, he started claiming it was to help Eun-ha.

Of course, no one believed him.

Above all, if Lee Cheon-seo knew Eun-ha's nature well, he should never have lied.

"I was curious what you would say, but all you're doing is lying."

"..."

Eun-ha opened his mouth after a silence.

Lee Cheon-seo's words stopped.

He realized his mistake.

What Eun-ha wanted wasn't excuses.

It wasn't words about being helpful either.

He wanted to hear a sincere story about why he came to betray.

"Th-That is..."

"Enough."

Lee Cheon-seo belatedly tried to reveal his inner thoughts.

Eun-ha immediately stopped his mouth.

He continued speaking.

"I can see you rolling your eyes."

"..."

"You were always this kind of guy. I knew that but still tolerated you, thinking you were helpful."

Until the end, he tries to lie.

Eun-ha knew.

If only he had gotten angry at me.

If he had told me what I did wrong.

Maybe he would have changed his decision to execute Lee Cheon-seo.

But Lee Cheon-seo threw away even his last chance.

"Ah, right. I got a call from Samra Clan Lord earlier. He said he's sorry for not controlling his sub-lord well."

"...!"

"He said they took care of it first on their side."

Eun-ha blurted out.

As Samra Group lost the strength to rise again, Samra Clan also lost its growth engine for the time being.

So Samra Clan couldn't withstand Eun-ha's pressure and accepted.

The evidence and circumstances were clear from the start.

Samra Clan had no choice but to cut off the sub-lord to form an amicable relationship with Pandora Clan.

"It seems there was quite a lot of talk on that side too. I'm not sure if I should believe this, but they said they had no relationship with the sub-lord who joined hands with you. What was that guy's name again? Joo Seok-hyun? They say he was losing power within the clan too, so he planned to raise his position in the clan by joining hands with you."

"..."

"Cheon-seo, what's the point of grabbing a rope if you grab a broken rope?"

Eun-ha chuckled.

Lee Cheon-seo's face turned pale.

Hearing the news of Joo Seok-hyun's death, he seemed to sense his own fate even more clearly.

He banged his head on the floor.

"Eun-ha, I'm begging you like this! Please, please spare my life!"

"..."

"How much have I worked for you all this time!? You can't just throw me away like this!"

"..."

"Please, please I'm begging you. If you just spare my life, I'll really live quietly. I'll go live alone deep in some mountain far away where I won't appear in your sight and die like that. I really did wrong."

"That's right. You tried to sell not only my information but also clan members' information."

"I'm sorry, really. But we were friends since the academy. Please Eun-ha, remember the times we laughed and played back then."

"And among the clan members you sold were the friends you're talking about."

"..."

It wasn't even funny.

But it seems people laugh automatically when they're dumbfounded.

That's exactly how Eun-ha was.

Selling emotions, selling friendship.

Lee Cheon-seo's actions were quite ridiculous.

His desperate struggling to live was just disgusting.

His heart grew colder and colder.

Click

Eun-ha took out a gun.

After pulling the slide, Eun-ha aimed at Lee Cheon-seo's crown.

Lee Cheon-seo, who had his head on the floor, seemed to feel the muzzle aiming at him.

"Y-You're joking, right?"

"Have you ever seen me lie?"

"Eun-ha, we're friends."

"Cheon-seo."

"..."

"If you were going to call me a friend, shouldn't you have not entered the clan from the start?"

"..."

"The others knew back then too. The moment you enter my clan, you can no longer just remain friends. You shouldn't bring private relationships into public matters, right?"

"..."

"Those kids entered my clan even considering that. But it seems you weren't like that?"

Even Kim Min-ji was like that.

She hesitated to enter the clan wondering if she would be helpful.

But because Eun-ha strongly needed her, she didn't enter another clan and entered Pandora Clan.

It was the same for others too.

They didn't enter the clan simply to extend their friendship.

"You should have said such words before entering the clan."

"..."

"Still, as payment for your work until now, I'll send you off painlessly. Stay still. If you don't, you'll get hit wrong and it'll hurt."

Eun-ha sighed.

He was about to pull the trigger.

Just then─

"─Noh─Eun─ha─aaa─!!!"

Lee Cheon-seo suddenly stood up.

After blocking the bullet with a barrier, he struck Eun-ha once.

Then he ran blindly behind Eun-ha to escape the dungeon.

"Get out of the way! Move, you bastards!"

"Clan Lord! Are you alright?"

"Hah..."

Dirty and pathetic to the end.

Eun-ha rubbed his cheek that he deliberately let get hit.

Brushing off a clan member's concern, he walked towards Lee Cheon-seo who was caught by Han Chang-jin.

"Why are you doing this when I said I'd send you off comfortably."

"Hey, you bas-Cough...!"

"I still let myself get hit on purpose. Since I did receive your help until now."

Han Chang-jin kicked Lee Cheon-seo.

Lee Cheon-seo curled up after getting hit in the abdomen.

Eun-ha wasn't fooled.

He drew his sword.

"It's strange for a Guardian to be whimpering after just getting hit like this. Cheon-seo, don't act. If you're going to act─"

──!!

Eun-ha cut off Lee Cheon-seo's hand.

"Aaaaaaaargh!!"

"That's how you should act. Were you looking for a chance to escape again?"

Lee Cheon-seo writhed greatly.

Eun-ha stepped on his arm with his foot.

And he swung his sword again.

The remaining hand fell off too.

".........!!"

Lee Cheon-seo's eyes bulged as if they would pop out.

His arms spurted blood.

Eun-ha focused on the supporter.

"Ye-won."

"Yes, Clan Lord."

"Stop the bleeding so he doesn't die of shock."

"Yes, understood."

The supporter ran over.

He treated Lee Cheon-seo's arms.

He doesn't reattach the hands.

He just stops the wounds.

Tears flowed down Lee Cheon-seo's cheeks after losing both hands.

Now he can't even resist.

Therefore─

"─Just in case, I'll cut them."

Even when Eun-ha cut off his feet.

Lee Cheon-seo screamed in pain but didn't resist much.

The supporter stopped the bleeding on his legs too.

When the bleeding mostly stopped, Eun-ha grabbed Lee Cheon-seo's collar.

Lee Cheon-seo was dragged along.

"Why did you kick away the chance to die comfortably. I didn't want to have you eaten alive by monsters either."

"Ah... uh... uh..."

"Still, out of consideration, I won't use brainwashing magic. Just die."

Soon monsters appeared.

Two 6th rank monsters.

The monsters looked at Eun-ha.

They seemed to sense something.

They just stood still without showing hostility.

Soon Eun-ha lifted Lee Cheon-seo with one hand and threw him to them.

Crunch!

Crack!

It was Lee Cheon-seo's end.

Including the two 6th rank monsters, the low-rank monsters in the dungeon soon rushed over.

They would eat without leaving even a corpse.

Eun-ha returned to his spot without looking back.

""..."

Jang Tae-bin, Jo Su-yeon.

Fear filled the eyes of the two.

They must have tried to resist too.

 But after witnessing Lee Cheon-seo's death, they lost the will to resist.

Eun-ha saw through their feelings.

"You two choose too."

""..."

"Do you want to be eaten alive by those creatures? Or die in one shot and then be eaten by them?"

""..."

There were no other options.

They shed tears.

A puddle formed beneath them.

Excrement leaked out from under their legs as they felt the fear of death.

Eun-ha showed no reaction even seeing this sight.

He just mechanically pulled the slide and aimed at Jang Tae-bin's forehead.

"Don't worry. I won't touch your families. I'll pay proper compensation for your lives, and I can even sponsor your families' futures."

"Th-Thank... y-you..."

"So close your eyes peacefully."

"..."

"See you in hell later."

A bang sound rang out.

Jang Tae-bin collapsed.

Eun-ha moved the gun muzzle.

Jo Su-yeon had already fainted from the gunshot sound next to her.

"I should hear her last words too, so waking her up would be a hassle."

"Clan Lord, we'll do it."

"No, it's fine. I should do it."

The supporter sent mana into the fainted Jo Su-yeon's body.

Her internal mana flowed back.

Jo Su-yeon regained consciousness.

Eun-ha immediately put the gun muzzle to her forehead.

"This is a dream..."

"It's not a dream. If you have any last words, say them. I'll listen."

"..."

Jo Su-yeon soon accepted her death too.

She spoke her last words.

Last words asking to support her family well.

Eun-ha nodded.

"Don't worry. I'll repay you for your work in the clan until now. Go well."

Eun-ha pulled the trigger.

And so Jo Su-yeon died too.