BSA Ch 26

“You don’t have foresight, do you? If possible, make Lee Hwa come herself. I will treat her with utmost hospitality. How do you and Lee Hwa expect to communicate from thousands of miles away?”

“Don’t worry about that. It’s a matter for God and me to handle on our own. What’s important is your obedience. You must blindly trust and obey the orders given by God. Otherwise, you die.”

“If it’s that, it depends on Mukso’s future. If Lee Hwa’s bold prediction hits the mark, I will obey Lee Hwa until I become king.”

Gwanchang stood up abruptly. Lee Hwanmae tapped his shoulder casually with his sword.

“As expected, I like you. The idiots picked up by God were all stubborn as mules and terribly disobedient. Even though God saved their lives several times, instead of being grateful, they indulged in disbelief, even held curse rituals, and blasphemed against the great divinity.”

The gr-, great divinity…?

For some reason, Gwanchang’s hair stood on end at this expression. Could it be that in Lee Hwanmae’s eyes, Lee Hwa actually looks like a real god…? Like the Creator who created heaven and earth in seven days?

“Then follow me. I’ll guide you along the shortcut to your camp.”

Lee Hwanmae walked along, tapping his shoulder with the sword as if keeping time to a song. Gwanchang frowned and kicked the ground. He could only resent Lee Hwa’s secrecy. Of course, the slaughterer right before his eyes was also quite capable as a partner, but for some reason, he was reluctant. He was a guy with a deeply strange vibe. Lee Hwanmae was constantly giving off some sort of uncanny scent.

It was only much later that Gwanchang realized why Lee Hwanmae felt so unsettling. He was an unknowable entity. He simply couldn’t figure out the true nature of the uncanny scent exuding from Lee Hwanmae. A person is a person, but Lee Hwanmae’s body odor didn’t seem human. How on earth should one express this? A monster?

“…Hey, when is that sacrificial new film screening? The people around might recognize my voice, will that be okay?”

Gwanchang asked, forcibly shaking off the monster’s scent.

“Worrying about all sorts of things.”

Lee Hwanmae gave a dry chuckle.

“Don’t you know we’ll naturally handle it ourselves? We’ll manipulate your voice through editing. Once you hear it, even you won’t be able to tell whose voice it is.”

Of course, Gwanchang had guessed that much, too. However, one must think three times and suspect three times in everything. Seizing the opportunity to figure out his partner’s facets, Gwanchang continued to throw questions.

“Then you, do you know how to speak our language?”

“Of course. For work, I studied your standard language.”

“How was it? Wasn’t it hard for a foreigner to study? Especially the writing system.”

“It was cumbersome anyway, since there was a lot to memorize.”

“Still, wasn’t the pronunciation quite nice? Many people say it sounds like the language of Fa-lan-seo (法蘭西).”

“What? If it’s Fa-lan-seo… France?”

Lee Hwanmae burst into a loud laugh.

“Just which deaf person would utter such nonsense… Haha, no way! To the ears of people from our country, French sounds like it’s mumbling bong-bong, and your language sounds like you’re bickering back and forth with jwoe-jwoe. It’s noisy enough to make your ears ring. French, what a…”

With this, Gwanchang figured one thing out. Lee Hwanmae was a fellow who completely lacked the virtue of empty pleasantries. He didn’t care to even the dirt under his fingernails about the feelings of a person whose beloved native language was ruthlessly insulted right to his face.

“That’s just because you haven’t studied our language deeply yet. Once you get used to it, many foreigners agree that there is no language as beautiful and elegant as ours.”

Gwanchang did not show his displeasure and painstakingly emphasized the beauty of his native language. Lee Hwanmae just snorted as if telling him to listen to that.

This bastard!

Gwanchang bit his lip. The impulse to argue more with Lee Hwanmae was overwhelming, but he managed to hold it back. Judging by Lee Hwanmae’s personality, if he argued, Lee Hwanmae would probably counter-argue that the guys from the West (西) are bullshitters after all, acting like the offender turning on the victim.

“Then, how well do you speak our language? Is daily life at a workable level?”

“Well, though I’m clumsy at reading, I’m proficient at listening.”

“Proficient at listening? That sounds an awful lot like saying you’re clumsy at speaking, doesn’t it? Usually, people are good at reading but bad at listening, so you must have studied rather strangely, huh?”

“I intend to live quietly on the continent. I only need to listen.”

With this, Gwanchang figured out yet another thing. The fact that Lee Hwanmae’s conversational skills were extremely clumsy. He had discovered Lee Hwanmae’s weakness faster than expected. Just as Gwanchang was about to fall into a mischievous plot to tease him using this weakness—

“I’ll give you one warning.”

Suddenly, Lee Hwanmae whipped around toward Gwanchang. Gwanchang flinched involuntarily.

“When I’m wronged once, I pay it back with ten times the interest.”

“…”

“It’s a personality trait I really hate in myself, but it can’t be helped. Even when I think to myself that I should just forgive, I find myself paying back the debt once I come to my senses. It’s innate. So if you want to live comfortably, mind your manners. God sent me to make you the king of the snakes. I am God’s messenger. Therefore, respect me even in your heart. Never curse me in your heart either, and politely keep your manners.”

Gwanchang doubted his own ears.

“I’m saying this all for your own good, so take it to heart. If you don’t respect me even in your heart, I can’t guarantee what will happen afterward! There’s a troublemaking third-cousin who curses at me like crazy in his heart, constantly doubts me, and is always absorbed in plots to tease me at every turn, and God thought it was outrageous and frequently struck him with divine punishment! I pleaded for leniency from God multiple times on his behalf, but it was useless. You wouldn’t want to receive divine punishment, would you?”

At those words, Gwanchang reached a clean conclusion. The strange part wasn’t his ears, but Lee Hwanmae’s mental state. What on earth is he saying right now, this bastard?

“Snake, you’ve acquired the ultimate kingmaker. Therefore, it is only proper that you keep your manners toward the kingmaker’s avatar as well. Hey, do you think God fronted the traitor just to provide information about me for no reason? The traitor must have thoroughly pre-trained you on what kind of guy I am, yet you’re so carefree. You don’t know fear at all.”

“…It’s a patriot, not a traitor. No wonder the information he provided had an unusually high number of ghost stories related to you—was that pre-training? Even so, there’s no need for me to fear you. You aren’t Lee Hwa.”

Unable to hold back anymore, Gwanchang said. A faint sneer brushed across Lee Hwanmae’s lips.

Arrogant bastard!

Gwanchang glared at Lee Hwanmae and clenched his fists. Because he’s close to Lee Hwa, does he mistake even himself for Lee Hwa! Daring to spin such absurd threats right in front of me!

“I should have a word, too. I’ve felt like I’ve been listening to a lunatic’s nonsense this whole time. Being God’s messenger, never cursing him even in your heart and respecting him, wanting to be struck by divine punishment—does that make any sense? If you genuinely want to be respected, behaving in a way that deserves respect comes first. It’s not something that will work just by blindly threatening. Learn some humility. There are many talents on the continent. There are many murderers smarter and more proficient than you, too.”

“No way!”

Lee Hwanmae snorted. He looked so confident that Gwanchang was momentarily dumbfounded. Once the absurdity faded, anger surged fiercely. What on earth is he trusting to act so full of himself? This bastard really has no fear of the world!

The impulse to throw a punch right away was overwhelming, but Gwanchang desperately and forcefully suppressed his boiling temper. Yeah, if you get promoted to high ranks early on, it’s bound to happen that you lose sight of the world. Since the path he walked was fundamentally different from this side, who had survived beside the King of Murder relying solely on wit.

With this, Gwanchang figured out one more thing. The fundamental reason Lee Hwa favored Lee Hwanmae.

Lee Hwanmae was cold and cruel while also being extremely childish. Almost on par with a snotty-nosed child. Birds of a feather flock together. Isn’t the person who simultaneously harbors a cold, mature rationality and a childish, childlike malice none other than Lee Hwa? To Lee Hwa, Lee Hwanmae was a kindred spirit. As expected, a subordinate is the mirror of their monarch.

Having sorted things up to this point, Gwanchang let out a barely audible sigh.

Let’s just yield to him. An adult ought to yield a notch to a child.

“Fine, I’ll concede your point. Come to think of it, within the scope of my knowledge, there truly isn’t anyone who surpasses you. But the continent is vast. Once you go there, you’ll know. Take this advice, which I’m giving for your own good, to heart without taking offense.”

“Hmph.”

Lee Hwanmae wore an uncanny smile. Gwanchang casually distorted his face. As expected, the more he looked, the more strange an impression Lee Hwanmae gave off. He was just like a Monet painting. A guy who looked completely different when viewed from afar versus close up.

“Fine, snake.”

Lee Hwanmae tapped Gwanchang’s shoulder with his saber.