This isn’t my fault, right? (2)

“Do you see it?”

“Yes?”

“That over there is the headquarters of the Beggars Sect.”

“Oh!”

The young boy’s eyes sparkled with excitement. The towering pavilion loomed before them, its ancient facade exuding an unfathomable power.

“The history of the Beggars Sect is deeply ingrained within that place. It’s practically synonymous with the history of the Beggars Sect itself.”

“Is that…?”

“Yes. From now on, it’s the place you must illuminate. Can you do it?”

“Yes, Master! I will definitely do it.”

“Good, good. Hehehe.”

As laughter echoed, the boy’s eyes glistened with clarity as he gazed upon the magnificent pavilion…

❀ ❀ ❀

“…”

The old man, clad in rags, stared in bewilderment at the space that had been cleared out so neatly it now seemed wide open. The worn pavilion he had once seen as a child, holding tightly to his master’s hand, was nowhere to be found.

“The headquarters… it’s…”

His cherished memories with his master… No, it wasn’t just that. The headquarters, which encapsulated his entire life as a member of the Beggars Sect, now only proved its existence through the billowing clouds of dust.

“Ugh…”

“Elder!”

“Urrrgh!”

“Ah! Elder! Are you alright? Get a physician! He’s on the verge of collapse!”

“Master…”

“Oh no, Elder! Please stay with us!”

Not only the elder, but all the beggars stood in a daze. It was a truly unbelievable sight.

“What is this…”

“Indeed.”

It was even more bewildering that what remained after the headquarters vanished was a clear, cloudless sky.

Whoooosh.

Soon, a cool breeze swept over the collapsed ruins.

As if to prove that peace and tranquility come after all conflicts have ended, the ruined headquarters was enveloped in the deepest silence.

Thud!

At that moment, a hand suddenly shot up from the debris scattered everywhere.

Thud! Thud!

The trembling hand groped around frantically before grabbing hold of a pile of rubble.

“Ughhhh…”

With great effort, Jo Geol pushed his head up, crawling out of the wreckage with a near-dead expression on his face.

“Wow, damn! I almost really died…”

“Get out of there, you bastard!”

“Don’t stab me! Are you really going to stab me just because I’m slow?”

“Shut up and move quickly!”

“…Soso. I am your Sahyeong.”

Not just inheriting the spirit of Hwasan, but leading it… What a terrifying child.

Soon, as if on cue, the disciples of Hwasan crawled out from the rubble, groaning. The monks of Shaolin, now covered in dust, and the elders of the Beggars Sect also emerged with groans.

“Ughhh…”

“I really thought I was going to die this time…”

“Amitabha… I saw the Pure Land for a moment.”

“Agh, the headquarters…”

Those who narrowly escaped the threat of being buried alive looked around in shock. Even if someone had intentionally demolished it, it couldn’t have collapsed so neatly.

“H-how could this happen…”

“How can we face our ancestors now…”

The elders of the Beggars Sect sat down on the spot like bees returning from gathering nectar only to find their hive gone.

The disciples of Hwasan exchanged peculiar glances.

“…Doesn’t this feel oddly relatable?”

“But they’re still better off than we were, right? Our place was burned down, while they still have some remnants of pillars left.”

“Still, we managed to save a few pavilions, didn’t we? It seems like there’s really nothing left here.”

“…But where’s Chung Myung?”

“Huh? Now that you mention it… Aaaagh!”

Suddenly, Jo Geol leapt to the side, clutching his buttocks. In the spot where he had just been, a sword protruded.

The sword sliced through the air wildly. Moments later, a dust-covered Chung Myung crawled up into the widened space. His face was twisted in annoyance.

“Damn it! Why did you block the exit? Do you want to die?!”

“…Do you really have to swing a sword?”

“Leave him be. At least he stabbed gently. For Chung Myung, that’s being considerate.”

“That’s just being accustomed to it, Sasuk.”

“…Let’s say I adapted.”

Chung Myung, who had climbed up with a grimace, started brushing off the dust and looking around.

“Hmmm.”

The grimace on his face began to soften. An awkward expression replaced his earlier irritation.

“Hmmm. So… well, you know?”

“Yeah?”

Chung Myung’s face looked much like that of a guilty puppy.

“This isn’t my fault, right?”

A heavy silence followed. The disciples of Hwasan sighed deeply.

“Sect Leader.”

“…”

“Sect Leader, you need to pull yourself together now…”

“……”

Pung Yeong Shin Gae, who had been pale as a ghost, finally turned his creaking head to look at Baek Cheon. Baek Cheon coughed awkwardly.

“The shock must be great, but you need to get a grip. It’s just a pavilion, after all.”

“The documents…”

“Yes?”

“The archive where we stored the Beggars Sect’s documents and all the information collected over hundreds of years… all of our knowledge…”

“Ah…”

It’s probably down there. All shredded and crushed.

It was almost as if they could see Pung Yeong Shin Gae’s soul leaving his body.

“I must die. I must die to atone for this sin…”

“Please, Sect Leader! That’s not the solution.”

“Vice Sect Leader…”

“It’s not something that can be resolved by someone dying, is it?”

“…”

For a moment, Pung Yeong Shin Gae’s expression toward Baek Cheon reflected, ‘What kind of idiot is this?’ Although Baek Cheon’s words were meant to be comforting, to Pung Yeong Shin Gae, it sounded like, ‘The sin isn’t something you can atone for with your pathetic life.’

“…Thank you.”

Once this matter is resolved, regardless of whether he steps down as Sect Leader, he will revise every piece of information and evaluation related to Hwasan.

Pung Yeong Shin Gae made a firm decision and turned his head.

“What a mess.”

It was laughable.

Even though a truce had been tentatively reached, it was no easy task for those who had been fiercely fighting just moments ago to wrap things up.

Yet, with the collapse of the headquarters, the troublesome situation had been resolved in one fell swoop. It wasn’t intentional, but the circumstances were remarkably convenient.

Pung Yeong Shin Gae bit his lip.

In the past, the collapse of the headquarters might have driven him to fast for a month. But after experiencing this, he felt a strange sense of relief that it had all come down so cleanly.

“Sect Leader.”

Just then, Ilho Shin Gae approached.

“Sahyeong.”

“We’ve detained the elders for now. It wasn’t easy finding a suitable place to hold them, but we managed.”

“That wasn’t necessary…”

“No.”

Ilho Shin Gae shook his head firmly.

“If we’re going to do it, we should do it right. While you, Sect Leader, have chosen not to hold them accountable, they haven’t completely yielded. At the very least, until a new Sect Leader is elected and authority is delegated, we need to ensure they don’t act rashly.”

There was a hint of bitterness on Ilho Shin Gae’s lips as he spoke. He was the one who had fanned the flames of their discontent and incited their rebellion.

“And… once this is over, I believe I should step down from my position as an elder.”

“Sahyeong, you don’t have to do that.”

“No.”

Ilho Shin Gae shook his head again.

“Not to atone for my sins, but to prevent myself from harboring foolish thoughts again.”

“…Sahyeong.”

“If we had shared our intentions from the start, things wouldn’t have come to this.”

Overwhelmed by bitterness, Pung Yeong Shin Gae also lowered his head. He had followed his master’s will, but ultimately, it was Pung Yeong Shin Gae himself who had distanced himself from the beggars within the Beggars Sect. He believed he was leading the ‘Beggars Sect,’ but in reality, he had only regarded the beggars living within it as mere subordinates to the sect. All the while, he had convinced himself that he was working for their benefit.

“I am truly pathetic.”

“That’s right. That’s why we are beggars, aren’t we?”

Ilho Shin Gae and Pung Yeong Shin Gae both let out faint smiles. As they released what they had been holding onto, all their tension melted away, and the world seemed brighter. A beggar is not someone who clings to possessions, and anyone who holds onto something can never lead the Beggars’ Sect. It was an obvious truth they only fully realized at their age.

“But…”

“Yes, Sahyeong?”

“What do you plan to do?”

“About what?”

“The next Sect Leader. Successor… No, there isn’t even time for a successor. Who will you choose as the next Sect Leader?”

“Well…”

Pung Yeong Shin Gae’s face twisted slightly. He opened and closed his mouth a few times, then glanced to the side.

“Hey, Hwasan Shinryong! What are we going to do about the headquarters?”

“Has this old man lost his mind? Why are you asking me that?”

“Isn’t it because of your reckless antics that things turned out this way?”

“This is ridiculous. If anyone destroyed it, it was those Shaolin bastards. Do you think a few swings of my sword could leave such marks? And… why do you suddenly seem so lively? Are you planning to enjoy yourself before you lose your limbs?”

“Haha!”

Hong Daekwang, upon hearing this, confidently placed his hand on his hip.

“You’re slow to grasp the situation, Hwasan Geomhyeop. Sect Leader has decided to overlook everything that happened today!”

“Really?”

“Of course, everything I said will be disregarded! This is immunity, understand? Immunity! Don’t you know?”

“…Has this old man really lost his mind? Did your head get crushed on the way out?”

As he watched the noisy exchange, Pung Yeong Shin Gae couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh.

“Sahyeong…”

“…Please speak.”

“I think I understand why you acted the way you did.”

“…Do you?”

Rather than passing on the leadership to a person like that, it would be better for Ilho Shin Gae to take the position…

Seeing Hong Daekwang, who seemed to embody the very definition of unreliability, the two old beggars sighed even more deeply.

But only for a moment, as Pung Yeong Shin Gae managed a bitter smile.

“However… despite that, trusting is what we must do.”

“Indeed.”

Both of their gazes focused on one spot. Hong Daekwang was continuously being kicked by Chung Myung.

“Perhaps we just didn’t understand him. We couldn’t trust because we had no intention to trust.”

Ilho Shin Gae nodded in agreement.

Hong Daekwang’s bold declaration lingered vividly in their minds. It encapsulated his unique vision for the Beggars Sect, different from both Ilho Shin Gae and Pung Yeong Shin Gae.

“…We need to prepare for the inauguration ceremony, even though the headquarters is in ruins. Huh…”

Ilho Shin Gae, shaking his head, suddenly seemed to remember something and turned to Pung Yeong Shin Gae.

“Ah, but Sect Leader.”

“Yes, Sahyeong?”

“Where did you put the sacred relic? We’ve searched for so long and couldn’t find it. If I had just had that… No, never mind.”

“The sacred relic?”

Pung Yeong Shin Gae let out a dry chuckle and quickly scanned the area.

“Let’s see… it should be…”

Then, as if he had found something, he walked decisively toward a specific spot.

“Come this way.”

Leading Ilho Shin Gae over the rubble, Pung Yeong Shin Gae suddenly stopped.

“…Sect Leader?”

“Hmmph!”

Reaching out, he pulled something buried out of the debris in one swift motion.

Thud!

Ilho Shin Gae’s eyes widened as he saw the object revealed.

“This is…?”

It was something he knew all too well. It was the desk from the Sect Leader’s office, recognizable by the polished, well-worn surface marked by years of use.

“Why are you bringing this out all of a sudden?”

“Hmm… it’s broken.”

Pung Yeong Shin Gae didn’t respond immediately but clicked his tongue slightly, seemingly disappointed. Then he gathered strength in one hand and struck the desk.

Thud!

The old wooden desk shattered with a single blow. To Ilho Shin Gae’s surprise, a jade-like light suddenly spread out. Reflexively closing his eyes, he quickly opened them again.

Inside the split leg of the desk was a long, jade-colored object emitting a bright light.

“Huh… Haha.”

Momentarily lost in thought, Ilho Shin Gae let out a hollow laugh.

Pieces of the shattered wood fell away, revealing the complete form of the object. It was a rod, about the length of an adult’s forearm, roughly hewn and looking rather crude, as if it were meant for some mundane purpose like beating a stolen dog.

“The Dog-Beating Staff [타구봉(打狗棒) – tagubong]”

The formal name was the Green Jade Cane [녹옥장(綠玉杖) – nokogjang], but everyone called it the Dog-Beating Staff. The name came from a past sentiment that a beggar’s seal was a ridiculous notion, so the naturally formed markings on the end of the staff served as the Sect Leader’s seal for the Beggars Sect.

“Hehe, hahaha…”

That Dog-Beating Staff had been hidden inside the very desk where Ilho Shin Gae always sat.

“Invisibility. Right… it was invisibility. Objects, people, all invisible to my eyes. I only wanted to see the bright side. Hahaha, yes. That’s right! Hahahahaha!”

Ilho Shin Gae’s cheerful laughter echoed brightly over the ruins of the collapsed headquarters.

“Amitabha.”

And above that, an unmistakable serenity embraced it all.