The Ruler of Darkness

Book 2: Chapter 1

In the dusk of the day, the world seemed to hold its breath for a brief, sacred moment.

This was the zenith of her daily rituals, none other than her treasured bath.

Today, she reclined in a bath carved from unique granite, an indulgence reserved exclusively for her.

Given the significance of the day, when she had finally obtained the token of the Sword House, her bath, signifying the close of the day, had to be the pinnacle of bliss.

Not to mention, she’d shown her might to the ever-annoying Crescent Moon Pavilion’s owner, adding to her satisfaction.

Still, an unsettling thought tugged at a corner of her heart.

‘That Swordless man…’

The eldest heir of Luoyang Sword House, Yeon So-Hyeon.

Meeting him today was something she had not predicted at all.

Thanks to him, she was only able to accomplish half of her planned warning to the owner of the Crescent Moon Pavilion.

If that were all, there would be no reason for her to feel bothered.

As a person who does ‘business’, she knew very well that plans tend to go awry from the moment they are made.

Yet, there was something that bothered her.

It was due to the fact that there was absolutely no mention of the Grand young master’s outing in the information she received from Luoyang Sword House this morning.

Indeed, there was no rationale for the Sword House to share specifics about Yeon So-Hyeon, the esteemed Grand young master, with her.

However,

The person who had entrusted her with the information and the Sword House Bronze Token was well aware that she would be gracing the Crescent Moon Pavilion this very day.

Wasn’t that what they were aiming for?

And yet, why hadn’t they told her about the Grand young master’s outing?

Geumju bit her nails.

Could it be, that even the second prince’s side also did not have access to the information about the Grand young master’s outing plans?

However, the likelihood of that was slim.

Then,

“…did no one anticipate the Grand young master’s movements from the start?”

“Beg your pardon?”

The general with a goat beard, who had been waiting by her side asked, but she did not answer.

Come to think of it, the Grand young master she met today was very different from the Swordless man she had heard of through rumors.

– “What’s up? Let me see that.”

She recalled how he calmly extended his palm towards her, asking for the Sword House Bronze Token.

‘His demeanor was strangely confident.’

Even if the man had a master escorting him, how could he be so nonchalant in a room full of armed men?

Something was telling her that the Grand young master had a secret that she didn’t know…….

‘No, that’s too far-fetched.’

Geumju shook her head as her imagination ran wild. 

That calm demeanor was surely because he was the Grand heir of the Sword House. Knowing full well that nobody in Luoyang would dare cross him, why would he be afraid?

And rumors tend to be exaggerated, so it was right to assume that the rumors about the Swordless One were somewhat embellished.

‘And even after I insulted him so much in front of everyone, he didn’t do anything because he was powerless, right?’

Feeling much lighter after sorting out her thoughts, she said, “…General, the water’s cold.”

The general’s face tensed up for a moment. The maids waiting around the bathtub to serve Geumju struggled to maintain their composure.

Swallowing his frustration, the general yelled outside, “The lady says the water has gone cold!”

The door opened, and members of Geumju’s direct subordinates entered, carrying young girls bound from head to toe.

All of the girls, who appeared to be no older than twelve or thirteen, had gags in their mouths, and their eyes were filled with fear.

“Eek eek!”

The subordinates laid the girls’ upper bodies over the bathtub.

Sensing their fate, the girls tried to resist but were held down roughly by the subordinates.

“Hmm, they seem a bit less fresh…”

At Geumju’s remark, the general replied, trying to hide his discomfort. “…I will ensure a better selection next time.”

With a flick of Geumju’s hand, the girls’ throats were slit in unison. The subordinates caught the lifeless heads just in time to prevent them from sullying the bathtub.

“Sigh, I’ve been getting more wrinkles lately, it’s worrying…”

As the crimson life essence mingled with her bath, warming it, she delicately traced the lines on her face.

‘Crazy woman…,’ the general with the goat beard cursed Geumju internally.

He had seen and been through all sorts of dirty tricks in the back alleys, but he had never witnessed malice greater than his leader’s.

Geumju was, without a doubt, the worst of the wicked women.

“No, not at all. How could that be? Lady Geumju, your skin is finer than silk.”

Of course, what he uttered was completely different. Whether Geumju was wicked or a witch was irrelevant to him. To begin with, hadn’t he too always engaged in acts worthy of criticism and resentment towards himself? If not for that, how could he have thrived and flourished in this wretched world to this extent? It was just that as he aged, he had increasingly become more sentimental.

Suddenly, the door swung open, and a member of the organization tumbled in.

“It’s an urgent report!”

The general’s face turned stiff.

“What is it?”

“One of our meat factories was attacked! It’s been completely destroyed!”

“What did you say?!”

Geumju sprang up.

“I’m not entirely sure about the details. The suppliers found a few of their own kids dead.”

“Who’s behind this?!”

At Geumju’s sharp question, the subordinate shrank back.

“Everyone seems out of their minds and dying quickly…”

The general immediately cut the subordinate’s words off, “Didn’t they say anything?!”

The subordinate hesitated, “They were saying something about seeing an evil spirit, or that it was the work of an evil ghost or a monster…”

The general raised an eyebrow, “Evil spirit? Evil ghost? Monster?”

“Yes, yes. There was also mention of a white mask.”

Amidst the rambling, Geumju inquired, “A white mask?”

“Yes, but they all died too quickly to get a full story…”

Hearing this, she frowned deeply. After a moment of contemplation, she submerged herself back into the bathtub.

It wasn’t yet time to take this seriously.

“It seems like we’ve tangled with some martial arts master.”

The general then responded, “Speaking of which, last year we accidentally crossed a wandering master and lost an entire branch.”

Initially, those born with the ability to manipulate inner energy (qi)  were limited.

Among them, even fewer became martial artists proficient in their craft.

And from those, an even smaller fraction reached the master level.

“…While doing business in this field, it seems we bump into these masters more than we should.”

“Yes, that’s true. It does seem we have that knack.”

Geumju sighed and leaned her head against the tub, “Tell the kids to avoid causing a scene for a while. If we lay low, I’m sure he’ll blow off some steam here and there and then get tired of it and go his own way.”

“As daylight breaks, I’ll also conduct further investigations.”

After her subordinate left, Geumju became agitated.

“Who is this no-good messing things up again? This is why you shouldn’t raise kids on tales of heroic deeds.”

Seeing her growing displeasure, the general urgently signaled the maids. The maids quickly presented wine and poured it, lit incense, and began to play instruments.

“You shouldn’t rush into things that don’t yield money. One should live life smoothly and adapt to the world.”

“Yes, yes. You’re absolutely right.”

The general was trying his best to appease her.

Then, at that moment, Geumju’s escort guard, who was seated to the side, murmured, “An evil ghost…?”

Hearing this, Geumju asked, “What? Do you know something?”

“Uh, well…”

Seeing her escort guard hesitating, she grew annoyed, “What are you dawdling about?! Speak!”

Then the escort guard quickly said to the general, “General, didn’t those contractors we had for the gambling den job go missing a few days ago?”

The general nodded in acknowledgment. “They suddenly disappeared. But there were so many cases of contractors disappearing like that, didn’t we always brush it off?”

“That’s right, but…”

When the escort guard hesitated, the impatient businesswoman, Geumju, urged him to continue. “But what?!”

“Oh, no, it’s just that I’m a regular at that gambling den. I remembered a rumor I heard there…”

“Rumor?”

“Yes, yes. According to the rumor, many people saw ghosts that day. Many even claimed to see evil spirits.” Then, as the escort guard scratched his chin, he continued, “To be honest, I don’t believe in such things, but there were too many people claiming to have seen it to completely dismiss it…”

Geumju became furious. “What does that have to do with our current discussion? Because those dying bast*rds are spouting nonsense, are you also starting with such tales?!”

“I’m, I’m sorry.”

“People in business should have productive discussions! Productive!”

The embarrassed escort guard immediately retreated to his position.

‘Could it be…?’

Yet, despite her anger, anxiety grew in Geumju’s heart. 

‘… Could there be another master-like figure?’

Chills ran down Geumju’s spine thinking of her own master. 

Wasn’t the bizarre old man who taught her an inscrutable martial art was also truly an enigmatic entity?

“Big trouble!”

Just then, a subordinate who had left earlier rushed in.

“What now?!”

“Another branch has been destroyed!”

Geumju’s face darkened.

“The same guy again?”

“Yes, the one with the white mask.”

Geumju held her forehead.

“Whew…”

She rubbed her throbbing temples and muttered,“… I did expect some losses before reining him in.”

“That’s true, but…”

Geumju waved the subordinate away. “Considering how fast we are getting robbed even with martial artists placed in every establishment, that white-masked person must definitely be an expert.”

“That’s right.” The general then continued, “So, as we initially thought, it might be best to just let him alone. The kids, they’ll get replenished quickly even if they die, right?”

Behind the increasingly luxurious streets of Luoyang, there was an explosively growing impoverished population. Most of the children growing up there ended up living in the back alleys. And these children inevitably joined the underworld.

“……Hiring wandering master or one from black path is expensive, that’s why.”

“True.”

Even as he spoke, the bearded man looked pale. Although he knew this world too well, at times he thought it might actually be hell. 

Having collected her thoughts, Geumju dismissed them, “That’s enough, all of you leave. And prepare a masseuse. I need a massage.”

“Yes, then…”

As the general was about to leave.

“Big trouble!”

A door swung open, and an urgent cry was heard.

“No way, again…?”

The situation was much worse than they had anticipated.

Geumju: