Agitation and Fabrication (2)
“Lee Sang-hee, it looks like there is indeed a traitor within Bluesomeone who murdered our Guild Master.”
Silence engulfed the guild’s lobby as I finished speaking. Lee Sang-hee bit her Tips tightly, and Hwang Jeong-yeon, who knew about this in the first place, nodded grimly.
Meanwhile, those who were not involved looked around curiously. On the other hand, Lee Seolho and his followers all wore grim expressions.
I didn’t need to call them traitors directly. My implication was enough.
‘Because it’s true.
Of course, agitation and fabrication wouldn’t be enough to defeat them. The truth was needed as well, but the fabrication would prove to be just the right seasoning.
I, for one, was not a smart person. I just knew how to speak convincingly. It would be easy to know the right things to say by assessing the other person’s disposition. If not, then it would be impossible to achieve the right scenario.
The reality was that ability played a huge role in a scenario such as this. If Lee Seolho were as good as me, then he wouldn’t be facing this kind of situation at all.
The old men were all moving around restlessly.
“Trying to cause trouble… Now is not the right time, Lee Kiyoung.”
“I understand where you’re coming from, young man, but now is not the time to sit around and talk nonsense. Lee Sang-hee, let’s head back and…”
However, Lee Sang-hee spoke firmly.
“No. I think I’d like to listen to what Kiyoung has to say.”
“Ah, but…”
“I want to hear him speak,” she insisted.
Fortunately, Lee Sang-hee was on our side. She was not stupid, either.
Perhaps she felt that something was off with the whole situation when the reinforcements did not arrive; it was obvious that wanted to stay away from the expedition.
She must have felt suspicious of them in the past, too. However, she had chosen to focus on her trust in them rather than the obvious. However…
‘All one needs is some water and fertilizer to let the seed of doubt grow.’
“Some vested interests have a simple behavioral pattern. If they think that they are not benefitting anymore, they will try to take over. Some people like that are in Blue.”
Of course, I didn’t directly pertain to them, but I was sure everyone knew who I was talking about.
‘Lee Seolho.
The one who acts the most suspicious ends up being more hated than the one who openly shows hostility.
For all it was worth, I had a talent for unsettling people. Currently, Seolho’s face was bright red. Still, he had the nerve to discredit me.
“I think your imagination is a little too dramatic, haha…”
“Seolho, we are facing a very different Blue from before. Didn’t you say you gave a huge contribution to Blue in the past? Exactly what contributions were they?”
Lee Seolho fell silent.
“You may have had to make extreme choices for your future and your guild. Perhaps you sought help from other guilds. Perhaps you felt inferior to someone. It is understandable to feel nervous since you’ve successfully led an alliance with a large guild in Lindel.”
“What…”
“But to think you’d have the idea of being in cahoots with a large guild from another city… Nice try. For that, I’ll give you 6 points.”
As I spoke, I incited my magic to raise the report I had received from Lee Jihye into the air, stirring up all the guild members present. It might be a little difficult to read the report’s writings as it was floating in the air, but I knew everyone would be able to read it nonetheless.
On it was information that Lee Seolho had indeed been conspiring with the Japanese. It was also recorded as to how, when, and where they had met in the past. Though they had just met three times, I knew the data was true.
“And what should we do with this data?”
“I’m someone who harbors a lot of doubts, so naturally, I always come prepared.”
“This is fabricated information, Lee Sang-hee.”
“Whether or not it is forged will soon be revealed anyway. My party, led by Kim Hyunsung, and the Black Swan Guild members are trying their best to find out who had attacked Hayan and me.”
“We have nothing to do with who your attackers are! Mr. Kiyoung, your anger is understandable, but it doesn’t mean you can just frame us for something like this.”
“Are you saying that this information is fabricated in full confidence?”
“What are you talking about…”
“Are you confident that this data is not true? The truth is, the truth will be revealed anyway, you stupid and incompetent humans. How would you explain the empty schedules even if you did not meet up with the Japanese
guild?”
There was no denying that they had actually met up with the Yamato Guild. They knew this better than anyone else. However, the more they denied, the more the odds would stack up in my favor.
No matter how much they tried to conceal their actions, the evidence would eventually appear. This was why I wanted them to deny the fact a little more.
It was then that Lee Seolho spoke up.
“It is true that I met them, Lee Sang-hee.”
‘What…’
“But I swear I don’t know anything about the Guild Master’s death and this
raid.”
‘Fuck
I realized that they were playing my game too – adding a dash of truth amidst the forgery. It was true that they had nothing to do with the Guild Master’s death. The other was simply a bluff. Some fessed up while the others continued to deny. Perhaps they still cared about their standing within the guild.
Soon after, I heard a voice confirming my thoughts.
“I just wanted to be a part of the guild…”
“Blue tethered on the edge of being ruined. I had to think of a counterplan in case Lee Sang-hee did not come back. I did it in honor of the Blue Guild that our Guild Master had worked so hard to defend. This was all for Blue’s sake.”
“And you didn’t think you should have told me this in advance?”
“I just wanted to be helpful. This is a guild that I built alongside the Guild Master, after all. No one can ever lose their love for Blue. To say that I killed the Guild Master… That’s absurd, Lee Sang-hee.”
“No… Shut up.”
“Lee Sang-hee.”
“Shut up, Lee Seolho.”
Their attempt was good, but it proved to be insufficient in the end. It was then that I realized that it had not been me who had helped the doubt grow within Lee Sang-hee. It was actually Lee Seolho.
Though Lee Seolho’s next option wasn’t bad, it wasn’t the best, and in the first place, it was true that they indeed formed an agreement with another guild.
“All your excuses for the guild is a bunch of bullshit. Just admit that you conspired with another guild and decided you were the best authority for Blue, you incompetent people.”
“What a pain in the ass! It’s not easy to organize a rescue team within Lindel, so we had to ask for help from external forces! Why are you stirring up so much chaos?!”
“That’s some of the most illogical crap I’ve ever heard. Do you know what you have in common with people who end up destroying countries or groups? You both bring external forces in. I don’t know why you’re so creative with your stories. It’s not us promoting this uproar. It’s you.”
“I was going to tell you everything eventually, Lee Sang-hee.”
“I wouldn’t have spoken up if I didn’t know it was true. Why, then, did you only think of revealing your plan now when I pointed it out? You never really intended to send a rescue party our way, now, didn’t you?”
“I just wanted to make everything perfect…”
“If that’s true, then your incompetence has reached an all-time high. How can you not organize a rescue team within a week? And in the first place, are you even speaking the truth, Lee Seolho? The fact that the schedule was deliberately delayed was found through the investigation of the Black Swans.”
“What bullshit!”
“You are the ones spreading bullshit! Didn’t you chicken out from joining the expedition because you were expecting us to get wiped out?! Lee Sang-hee, this disgusting traitor has been trying to gain Blue’s ownership and hoping that we’d fail to return. Of course, the Guild Master who had stayed behind was also a target that needed to be eliminated.”
“Don’t be ridiculous! You don’t know the bond that the Guild Master and I shared! He was like a younger brother, like family. I had no reason to kill Joo Seung-jun with my own hands.”
“But, your greed is a valid reason, right?”
“You are framing me! I swear to God I have never harmed the Guild Master!”
“So, you say you haven’t done any harm, Lee Seolho. Then, what is this?”
I took out the potion that Lee Jihye had given me. Once again, all eyes strayed in my direction.
“What…”
“Your acting skills are really outstanding, Lee Seolho. Don’t you know what this is?”
As I continued to shake the potion in my hand, the old man began to tremble.
“This was why you tried to kill me in the first place, now, didn’t you?”
“What bullshit are you talking about… Lee Sang-hee! I would never do that…”
“His words are a sham, Lee Sang-hee. This potion was used by Lee Seolho when he killed the Guild Master. It is a type of tranquilizer, a kind of medicine that can help the human body. However, it is lethal for some people. It’s a potion that slowly kills those who are nearing death.”
“I haven’t seen or heard anything like that! How dare you try to frame me!”
“The public indeed does not know about this, but these kinds of potions sometimes leave traces behind. When the plug is opened, fine particles floating in the air stick to the wool. If you can detect an ingredient in the clothes Lee Seolho is wearing, the answer will come out soon. No, you don’t have to do it yourself.”
As I slowly memorized the spell, the potion in my hand began to glow slowly. Likewise, Lee Seolho’s clothes were engulfed in bright light.
As I looked towards Hwang Jeong-yeon, she nodded, confirming that I had not manipulated the spell in any way whatsoever.
“Explain why the same ingredients are on your clothing, Lee Seolho.”
“This is a trap, Lee Sang-hee! Why on earth would I kill the Guild Master?”
Lee Seolho’s embarrassed expression was evident for everyone to see. Even the other old men’s excuses fell on deaf ears.
“These truly are disgusting and incompetent humans. They are vicious, Lee Sang-hee Joo Seung-jun probably died very painfully. And how painful it must have been to feel betrayed by someone they had trusted…”
“Bullshit! Lee Sang-hee, believe in your uncle. Everything that dirty alchemist says is a lie.”
Now, they were desperately making appeals. The scenario was indeed quite the spectacle.
“Since I first came here, I have always considered you and Joo Seung-jun like my own family. I would never do that. Don’t you know this already? Everything that alchemist says is a lie. Jeong-yeon! What do you say… Everyone, this is all a lie!”
“That’s bullshit.”
Lee Seolho was very easy to read. If someone asked me how to describe him in three words, it would be incompetent, greedy, and hot-tempered.
As I resisted the urge to smile, Seolho’s face grew redder.
“The truth always comes out in the end.”
“This guy…”
“The guards of the guild should take that crazy old man away!”
“How dare you say that! You are the real problem! You are the cancer within the guild!”
“Whoever sees us knows that it is you who is the incompetent human in this guild. Actually, I’m glad you were an incompetent being. I was able to find traces of your actions because of it.”
“Are you condemning me, who has kept the Blue going for so long?! Can’t you let go of this? Not everyone believes this crazy man’s words, right? Let go of me! How dare you!”
Watching him struggle against the guild guards was a spectacle. In my moment’s hesitation, he broke away and began to run towards me, his anger palpable.
“This dirty guy! You are the problem, not me!”
This time around, I did not try to avoid Lee Seolho.
This wasn’t because I had Juliana. No, it was because I had Lee Sang-hee.
As if living up to my expectations, Lee Sang-hee, consumed in sadness and anger, opened her mouth wide to shout.
“You are acting like a child who doesn’t even know how to feel embarrassed!”
Bang!
As she spoke, Lee Seolho’s arm was cut off, bouncing towards the wall.
‘Bravo!
This was a scene worth putting into a painting.