Book 17 Chapter 5

Talks

-Bingham meets Marginals

The Tekken master hasn't had a day off since the Volcano Covenant Conference ended in an arson attack of epic proportions. The entire intelligence network had been working overtime to locate the mastermind of the current incident, a man named Grand Duke Bi, and his alleged accomplices, the Thousand Seventy-Seven Girls, but despite the urgency with which the entire country had been alerted, the fate of the beast remained elusive, as if it had been sucked into the depths of darkness. The Secret Pavilion, the intelligence organization directly under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Martial Academy, was no exception to the overtime and constant night shifts. There were more nights when all the members of the Secret Pavilion below the rank of Dark Pill stayed awake than not. No, by virtue of their position, they had to endure a workload many times greater than that of other intelligence organizations. The sound of a dying tune was becoming tiresome.

It's been months since the Hongmae Fire, when the Hongmae Song of Tianmu Peak was consumed by flames and reduced to ashes. No clues have been found to unravel the conspiracy.

Their preparation and execution of the conspiracy, and their flight and disappearance after the event, were so perfect as to be almost suspicious. Such a thing is absolutely impossible for an organization of any rank. The number of eyes spread across the river is more than anyone can imagine. They are not said to be as numerous as the grains of sand on the shore of a river, but to avoid all of them? Unless they were supported by an unimaginable backdrop, such a clean sweep would be impossible. It wasn't a small world, and there weren't many organizations that could do this (well, not by their own admission, anyway), let alone one that could hide their end like a transparent ice cube in a lake.

Cancerous beings that have been dormant for a hundred years, eating away at the forest. Without them, this eerily smooth finish would not have been possible.

One glimpse of the escape and the cleanup showed how well they had prepared for the conspiracy of the Volcanic Council. If heaven hadn't helped them……. I can only imagine the horrors that followed. Although the two or three hundred years it takes for a tree to become a usable timber is nothing compared to a basic tree, humans also need a lot of time and effort to produce a single excellent talent. However, the girders that support the current martial forest, led by Chen Wusheng, and the young trees that will shape the future of the martial forest, have been engulfed by the cursed red flames and reduced to black charcoal. This was a major crisis, where the present and future of the Jiang Clan could have been destroyed in a single moment. The beasts had committed such a heavenly atrocity in all its splendor, but this side was still chasing after their fading shadows. Nervousness, anxiety, and overwork had worn down both mind and body, and the lack of progress had worn them down.

The Iron Fist Mazinger was wrestling with a mountain of papers on his desk again today. There were thousands of reports on the origin and purpose of the beast that was currently piling up in his office. If all the papers were to collapse, even the most skilled would be overwhelmed and suffocate. In fact, it was more likely that he would be mentally crushed before then. It was clear that the physical strength needed to process documents and the physical strength needed to wield martial arts were two completely different things. It was clear that there were forces at work that had completely different properties, like water and fire. Even when facing dozens of enemies, I could fight for three days and three nights with a clear mind and an overflowing inner qi, but in the fight against the mountainous tomb of documents, I could immediately feel my energy decline after just one day and one night. If I didn't take a break, even for a few moments, the colors of the letters and papers would blend together and turn gray before my eyes. Of course, the contents of the text would be completely incomprehensible as it would be blown away to the other side of the ashen chaos.

To make matters worse, this wasn't all he had to do. As befitted his position, he had to be involved in the day-to-day operations of the Heavenly Martial Academy, and he had to personally oversee and approve certain special details. One of those things was making a long list through his fuzzy head, which hadn't gotten a decent night's sleep in the last two days. On top of that, she wasn't a nanny, and she was supposed to be babysitting and soothing everyone under her. Well, she couldn't help but feel sorry for herself since they were her direct reports.

"Seriously, these days, I want to go on strike-"

The man's rambling voice stopped dead in its tracks.

"Hmm? Looks like we have a visitor."

He could feel the stirring in the air just outside the door. Mazinger marveled inwardly. He could usually sense a person's popularity from ten sheets away. There weren't many people in the Gentian Tiger Vein Heavenly Martial Academy who had the ability to deceive his attention and sneak up on him so that he could detect a person's popularity from just one sheet away, no matter how tired and poor they were.

"Well, that's all subconscious.

For a superlative player like him, it's as natural as breathing. They don't hide because they want to hide, or reveal because they want to reveal. After thousands or tens of thousands of repetitions, the enlightenment that has been gained dissolves into the unconscious mind and manifests itself in every minute action of life. Only then does the samurai become a supreme master, the so-called first class.

"Come in."

Before the other man could even knock on the door, the mazinger spoke. The visitor's hand stopped short of the threshold, leaving a gap the size of a strand of thread.

"Then I will enter, my lord!"

Drat!

The door swung open and a man walked in, his back to the sunlight streaming through the gap. He had silver hair with a hint of blue in it, a silk robe as white as snow, a single, jet-black sword at his waist that resembled its owner, and a gaze as cold and silent as ice, yet as stubborn. The visitor was none other than Grandmaster Ice Sword Guan Chulin. He had just arrived at the Temple of Heaven in response to a summons from Guan Zhu.

"I'm sure you're busy, Master Guan, and I apologize for bothering you."

Iron Fist Maginot, though his status and age were higher than Bing's, never treated him with disrespect. Kwan Chul-Su was a man who deserved respect. Of course, even if he tried to use his social status and age to pressure him, he would be lucky if he was despised. With a single sword, he had become one of the Five Heavenly Swordsmen, and he deserved to be honored.

"Come on, make yourself comfortable."

The majin gestured with one hand to the list he had just been working on. Bowing his head slightly, Bingum's gaze flickered to the list's title.

…Expected list.

It was a list I had seen before.

"At a time like this, do they still want to go ahead with the program?

This was a bit of a surprise to Binggum. It had been assumed that 'the thing' would be canceled. The current situation was not suitable for 'the thing' in many ways, both in terms of timing and environment. There was no point in forcing the issue. And damn it, it was.

Noticing Binggum's questioning gaze, Maginga smiled bitterly.

"Oh, you mean, you know, it's that time of year again, when you can't shirk your responsibilities, and you're wrapping your head around something that's not light enough to pass off to someone else."

Even if it was top secret, Bing'er, with her position in the Ministry, was entitled to see it. Of course, this wasn't even a top-level axis. However, the fate of many people was at stake.

"Wouldn't it be risky, the Volcano Covenant Council has barely gotten its act together. Sending children over there at a time when nothing is clear is……. They're suspicious enough."

Binggum chose his words carefully as he voiced his opinion. This was a matter that could turn into a major diplomatic issue if he got it wrong, and someone of his stature needed to hide his true feelings to a certain extent and choose his words carefully. Diplomacy isn't about showing all of yourself, it's about concealing as much as possible and letting your opponent reveal themselves.

Mazinga nodded in agreement.

"Of course I understand. Frankly, I don't blame them either. But we don't have hard evidence, and until we do, we have no choice but to move forward. Besides… I've been strongly encouraged by them to proceed. We don't want to give the impression that we've caved in to threats."

It was a tradition that had been going on for a hundred years, just like the Volcano Covenant Chapter. You can't break a hundred-year-old tradition out of frustration.

"But what about the children who will be directly at risk?"

That was the counter-question Mazinger wanted. In fact, that's what he'd summoned the ice sword for.

"That's why I'd like you to come with me."

"You mean me?"

"I see. But don't worry. I'll make sure you get someone to help you. He's very trustworthy. And strong!"

"No way……."

Suddenly, I had an ominous feeling.

"I gave you a hard time at the Volcano Covenant, and I'm sorry to have to do it again."

"No, I'm just doing my job."

Sitting at a higher level than others doesn't mean you have more power, it means you have more responsibility and accountability. Power is just a small, secondary price to pay. But most humans neglect their responsibilities and abuse their power. We write "human" and read "scum" to refer to them.

But something has been bothering me for a while now.

"But no way… are the salt and pepper workers coming with you this time?"

Bingum prayed to himself that it wasn't, but as if he'd been expecting it, Mazinger crushed his hopes.

"Of course. You two are the best of friends, aren't you? How can the needle go through the thread and the thread not go through the needle?"

For a moment, Bing'er almost said, "Are you old?" but thought better of it and held her tongue. The illusion was serious enough.

"…or is he doing it on purpose?

Binggum shook his head inwardly. That was too much of a leap.

A tremulous look crossed his usually stoic face. His composure is always shattered when he gets involved with Yeomdo. It's a sign that he's still lacking in training.

"Okay, I realize I can't change what's already been nominated to my personal liking or disliking, but I'll do my best."

"You're welcome, and there's no need to be embarrassed. Friends are good, especially comrades in arms. Isn't that right?"

Majinga laughed and dug into the salting of the ice sword.

"Friend or comrade?

Today, these familiar words sounded very unfamiliar.

Binggum, his bones tingling, decided that as soon as he left the Temple of Heaven, he would send a divine physician here for a checkup. He must. After all, overwork was the enemy of both physical and mental health.

"Take care of yourself."

Binggum advised with concern.

"Uh… uh, thanks."

Mazinger replied, almost reflexively, at the sudden concern, and then snapped back to reality.

"I would trust you two with my children. I'm sure you're just as suspicious of your own side of the skyscraper, aren't you?"

He couldn't help but be concerned about his students, but he couldn't afford to be a nervous wreck in an alcove like an autistic person, either. That would only backfire, so he chose to tackle the problem head-on.

"Actually, yes, and that's not the only place it's suspicious."

Binggum, with a serious face, said in a low voice.

"Anything else suspicious?"

Binggum nodded cautiously, a thoughtful look on his face.

"…Tell me about it."

Maginga's jaw clenched and his face hardened.