What did Poison King just say?

My head, gone completely white, refused to understand.

Out of nowhere he says I take after my maternal grandfather, and then what? Who?

Jegal Jin...?

At the name of a big shot that had just popped out of nowhere, I couldn’t say a single word.

Did I hear that wrong? I’d rather it were that, but it doesn’t seem so.

...Which would make this even worse.

‘...Jegal Jin, huh.’

That was at least a name that had no business popping up here.

Who is Jegal Jin.

He is the current Clan Head of the Jegal Clan and serves as strategist of the Martial Alliance.

A once-in-an-age genius.

The most outstanding existence in Jegal Clan history.

God of War.

And so on. He owns a whole list of such epithets, but if you had to pick the most famous one—

‘Eyes # Nоvеlight # and Ears of the Sword Saint.’

—it would be that he was called the eyes and ears of Sword Saint Yoo Cheongil.

People praise Yoo Cheongil, who killed Heavenly Demon in the Orthodox-Demonic War, as the greatest martial artist and a hero.

But if you set that aside and ask who had the greatest influence on the battlefield, everyone would pick someone other than Yoo Cheongil.

That someone is Jegal Jin.

No less than Yoo Cheongil, Zenith Under the Heavens himself, flatly stated that without him they could never have won the war against the Heavenly Demon Cult.

Heroes and even Heaven-Beyond-Heaven masters who were not him went so far as to acknowledge that.

The Heavenly Demon Cult knew this as well, so the person they picked as the one they had to eliminate before anyone else was not Yoo Cheongil, but Jegal Jin.

Hundreds of assassination attempts alone.

It’s a famous anecdote that the demonic camp, determined to kill Jegal Jin even if it meant overreaching, once sent out all four of the Cult’s Guardian Protectors at once.

The amazing part—

‘—is that he dealt with that alone.’

It was already during the middle of the war.

All the so-called top elite experts of the era were away from the base.

The story of Jegal Jin single-handedly facing three of the Guardian Protectors and defeating them is something fit to go down in history.

His inherent martial attainment isn’t even that high.

He beat top experts purely with strategy.

That incident is also what led people to start calling Jegal Jin Thousand-Mile True Sight.

A great strategist whose name will remain in Central Plains history.

It’s no exaggeration to say that the Martial Alliance enjoys its current golden age because of him.

After Yoo Cheongil’s death, the person with the greatest influence in today’s Central Plains has likewise been him.

And that Jegal Jin—

“You’re saying he’s my maternal grandfather...?”

My grandfather?

Startled by words I had never even heard hinted at, I asked back, and this time Poison King widened his eyes slightly as he looked at me.

“...You didn’t know?”

“...This is the first I’ve ever heard of it.”

“...Hm.”

“......”

“......”

Silence flowed between us.

I went quiet like something had broken, because I couldn’t think of anything to say.

Poison King, looking at me, seemed to have gone quiet because he was picking his words, as if he found this somewhat troublesome.

After a brief moment like that, Poison King nodded at dazed-out me and spoke.

“Then let’s say you didn’t hear it.”

“...Do you really think that’s possible?”

Like hell that’s going to work, old man.

I stared at Poison King with a look of disbelief. I’d already heard it all; how was I supposed to act like I hadn’t?

Especially when the thing he’d dropped was that kind of bomb.

“This is troublesome.”

Seeing that I wasn’t about to just let it slide, Poison King showed a trace of weariness.

“Clan Head Tang... is it true that my maternal grandfather is Jegal Jin—no, Clan Head Jegal?”

“......”

Poison King didn’t answer. Was he still choosing his words, or did he intend to just keep silent?

If it were the former, I could wait, but judging from the feeling it seemed more like the latter, so there was a need to press him.

I was just about to open my mouth again, looking at Poison King, when—

“Clan Hea—”

“One request.”

Before I could finish, Poison King cut me off.

“I will grant you one more request.”

“...All of a sudden?”

“It will be my way of apologizing for my loose tongue and to Clan Head Bang. I understand Young Master Bang’s feelings, but I would ask you to let it go.”

“......”

He was clearly saying: don’t ask any more and just move past it.

If someone like Poison King was going that far, then it really was a huge slip of the tongue.

Which, if anything, all the more meant—

‘...that my maternal grandfather really is Jegal Jin.’

What kind of messed-up situation was this?

How in the world did things end up that way?

‘What the hell has that crazy bastard been running around doing.’

For Jegal Jin to be my maternal grandfather, my mother would have to be a Jegal. And not just that—direct bloodline of the Clan Head.

‘How did he manage to rope in a woman like that... ah.’

I wondered how my father had managed to reel in a woman like that, and then, stupidly enough, I accepted it right away.

‘Invincible Face.’

If your face is absurdly good, most things do work out.

He’s a man who lives off his face alone; I could believe he’d pull something like that off.

Still, that wasn’t the point right now.

‘A request, huh.’

Right now I needed to focus on Poison King’s words, even for a moment.

He’d said he would grant me a request to take responsibility for his own slip of the tongue.

So then.

“How far does this request go...?”

I was curious what level of request this would cover.

Hearing my question, Poison King narrowed his eyes slightly as he looked at me.

Why?

[He’s exasperated that you’re sitting here measuring how far you can push it in this situation, that’s why.]

Catching on to what I was wondering, Yoo Cheongil answered in his stead.

Ah, so that’s why...?

‘No, even so, I still have to take what I can.’

The story that had gone off like a bomb could sit as it was for now.

If there was something to gain right in front of me, then I had to make sure I took it.

That was what I was thinking when I asked. I had to get what I could.

And after a short pause, Poison King said,

“Young Master Bang, I will grant you a request at a level slightly below the compensation I mentioned to you.”

“Mm.”

Hearing it, it wasn’t bad at all. Even if it wasn’t at the level of a Special-grade weapon or something like that, if it was something I could obtain without being questioned, this was quite a good deal.

‘If it’s a request here...’

What should I ask for? As I was turning that over, suddenly—

‘Ah.’

—something skimmed through my mind.

I’d already had something I wanted to ask Poison King for, and it felt like I could just use that here.

I spoke to Poison King right away.

“Clan Head Tang. There was actually something I wanted to bring up—may I make that my request now?”

“What is it.” 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

“It’s also the original reason I wished to meet you separately...”

This was why I had specifically asked to see him alone after the banquet. Partly because I had a lot to say.

But the most important reason was this.

“Strictly speaking, it isn’t you, Clan Head Tang.”

I—

“—have a request for Tang Yeran.”

I had business with Tang Yeran.

Hearing that, Poison King’s expression visibly twisted.

After finishing our talk, I stepped out of his quarters.

Fortunately or not, the so-called request wasn’t that long, so I was able to finish it fairly quickly.

On top of that....

‘I got his consent, too.’

I had even wrung permission out of Poison King. At first I’d agonized over how I was supposed to handle this, but maybe thanks to his slip of the tongue, things had gone smoothly.

“At this rate...”

It felt like things would go along pretty easily. Thinking that, I walked out wearing a relaxed expression.

[Hmmm......]

A sound came from above.

[Khhmmm. Hmmm?]

It was an extremely displeased-sounding noise.

[Hmmm... Hmmmm.]

“...Why are you doing that?”

I asked at last, unable to hold it in. What the hell was this old man’s problem this time?

When I asked with a sigh mixed in, Yoo Cheongil made a strange face. Hand on his chin, he looked me over this way and that like he was examining me.

[...This brat is really that Jin bastard’s bloodline?]

Ah.

So that was it.

Come to think of it, never mind me—he’d have been close to that man, so it would look even stranger to him.

Then—

[That bastard looks like a rotten tree bark. You don’t resemble him at all. You’re incredibly lucky.]

“...That’s what you were hung up on?”

I was the one left speechless by Yoo Cheongil’s words. I’d wondered why he was staring so intently.

[You have no idea how important this is, you brat. It’s only because you’ve never seen that guy’s mug. The man is all dried up and shriveled, his face just pitifully withered...]

“Hey, still, your grandson’s standing right here. Your words are a bit harsh, don’t you think?”

[Oh, what’s this? Are you trying to stick up for your grandpa now?]

“No, I just said it. It’s not like I’ve ever even seen him.”

It was something I was hearing for the first time in my life, and I’d been shocked in the moment, but I hadn’t thought about it that deeply.

[Why? It’s still a secret of your birth, you know.]

“Birth secret my ass. You can tell at a glance their relationship isn’t exactly rosy.”

If Jegal Jin really was my maternal grandfather, the fact I was only learning it now said enough.

So did the way Poison King had blurted it out and then tried to hush it up.

On top of that....

‘And my father, knowing this, has done nothing?’

Given his personality, he would have latched on and leeched off them ages ago if he could, but the fact he hadn’t was telling.

‘Which means he either got screwed, or knows he will if he tries.’

It was obvious. He couldn’t get tangled up with them even if he wanted to.

What was going to change just because I knew some secret of my birth.

I decided there would be nothing at all.

Ah.

‘No, there was one thing.’

There was one.

‘Martial Alliance.’

The reason I’d even been able to join the Martial Alliance.

I’d always wondered how on earth he’d managed to get me in.

‘No way.’

Did he get help from that side? If so, that would explain it.

Among the current Five Great Clans, the one with the closest ties to the Martial Alliance was the Jegal Clan.

Of course....

‘Considering how I was treated there, maybe not.’

If I’d gone in with a recommendation letter from the Jegal Clan...

At the very least, they shouldn’t have treated me like that there.

Thinking back on everything I’d gone through, it didn’t feel like that was the case.

Well, anyway.

‘I’ve ended up with something to ask my father.’

On this matter, I would have to ask.

Ugh, great. I really don’t like talking to my father.

Just talking to that man a little is enough to drain me dry.

I’d have preferred to avoid dealing with him if at all possible, but for something at this level, there was no helping it.

Tsk.

Clicking my tongue, I was about to move my feet when—

[But hey, kid.]

Yoo Cheongil called out to me.

“Yes.”

[Are you really fine with this?]

“Fine with what?”

[Using your request on something like that.]

“Ah.”

At his words, I smacked my lips a little. It had certainly been a good opportunity.

“What can you do. A good opportunity is a good opportunity in this sense, too.”

It was the best chance I’d have to use that request.

That brief time before the banquet began.

Back then, Yoo Cheongil and Poison Sovereign had told me something.

About Heavenly Demon’s sword that we’d brought out of the storage room.

Calling it a sword was generous; the hilt and everything else was shattered, with only a little bit of blade left, but anyway.

They had told me something in relation to that.

And it was for that that I had just used up this request.

Am I not going to regret that?

As if.

‘It hurts like hell to waste it...’

It made my skin crawl that I’d spent a request that could have benefitted me on those two ghost bastards.

Even so, it wasn’t a complete loss.

“You’d better not forget.”

[Yeah, don’t worry.]

Yoo Cheongil laughed as he answered.

[The treasures in the snack pantry—I’ll give all of them to you.]

The snack pantry Yoo Cheongil had left behind in Blue Moon Sect.

They called it a snack pantry, but in reality it functioned as a storage room.

According to Poison Sovereign, there was space to go even deeper inside.

He’d said that inside there was a mountain of treasure Yoo Cheongil had just left lying there.

If I granted their request, he would hand that over to me.

Yeah.

I am, in fact, blinded by money.

[That much I can give you as much as you want, but... hm.]

Yoo Cheongil trailed off for a moment.

“What is it now?”

What was the problem this time? I asked him with a twinge of unease.

[No, it’s nothing huge.]

“Yes.”

[Setting that Jin brat’s story aside.]

“Yes.”

[Weren’t you originally going there because you had more to say to that Tang fellow? You feel like you came out a bit quick—]

STOP.

“......”

I stopped dead in my tracks at his words.

“Ah, damn.”

Now that I thought about it, he was right. I’d let my soul get sucked out by the Jegal Jin talk and hadn’t said a single thing about my other business.

About the compensation, about Poison Dragon.

About Heaven-Breaking Palace.

I hadn’t asked a single one of the things I’d gone there to ask.

I’d just come out after talking only about some out-of-the-blue maternal grandfather.

“Hahaha.”

Remembering that, a hollow laugh slipped out of me.

Then I looked back at Poison King’s Clan Head’s room that I’d just left.

Was this really a coincidence? Some fluke where I just happened to come out without saying anything?

“...That slick old man?”

I didn’t think so.