Volume 3 Chapter 7 – Arch-Criminal

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Translated by Rain

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Elder Yeom’s daughter, Yeom Baek-ha, was waiting for her father and the Eldest Young Master.

To be a bit more honest on her part, she was waiting for the Eldest Young Master rather than her father.

Perhaps they were talking about things related to her illness.

Although her fate might change because of that conversation, she did not care much.

She was broad-minded.

It was a personality befitting her, who was called the Law Enforcement Lady by Elder Yeom’s subordinates and received their awe.

Rather than that…

“Oh, cute. What is your name?”

The small, white beast, White Tiger, which had been lying at her feet, began to trot and run toward the Fourth Young Master’s maid.

“No, White Tiger, come back!”

White Tiger quietly returned to her feet again.

Sending away the maid who stepped away with regret, Yeom Baek-ha looked down at White Tiger.

“I told you it is dangerous.”

White Tiger fluttered its ears, whined, and looked up at her.

“No means no.”

Just as White Tiger gave up and was about to sit resting its chin, another maid discovered White Tiger.

“Oh, what a cute cat.”

As White Tiger sprang up, Yeom Baek-ha reached out and grabbed White Tiger by the scruff of its neck.

Another maid moved away with regret.

It had been this way since earlier.

Especially today, White Tiger was attracting people who ‘did not know it’.

“Sigh. You troublemaker.”

She played with White Tiger for a moment, tickling its belly.

Since it was a place that smelled of blood, White Tiger’s wild nature seemed to be constantly stimulated.

“Those people are not bad people who need to be punished. So let us behave. Understood?”

As White Tiger nodded with a slightly gloomy expression, she let White Tiger go on the ground again.

“Yes, like that, behave until Father comes.”

At that moment, another voice was heard.

“Heh, you must listen to your master well to be a good child.”

At that, White Tiger sprang up again.

It was White Tiger that wagged its tail with joy toward the owner of the voice and tried to approach.

“Oh, seriously…!”

Yeom Baek-ha’s mouth, which was about to command White Tiger, stopped.

It was because White Tiger raised its tail and stopped right on the spot.

“Heh. Why are you doing that? Come here, tiger.”

The woman squatted on the spot and beckoned to White Tiger.

But White Tiger stood stiffly with its tail raised and did not budge.

‘Tiger? That maid called White Tiger a tiger?’

To anyone, the ‘usual’ White Tiger looked like nothing but a white cat.

Yeom Baek-ha looked with surprised eyes at the woman squatting in front of her.

The woman, who was dressed neatly in the maid uniform of Pavilion of Perfect Enlightenment, was beautiful to the extent that Yeom Baek-ha was surprised.

Peculiarly, the pigment of her eyes was very light, and when reflected in the sunlight, they looked like golden eyes.

“Now, I said come here.”

For a moment, Yeom Baek-ha had the illusion that she saw the woman’s pupils split vertically.

And she was surprised once more by the sight of White Tiger lowering its tail, folding its ears, and quietly approaching the woman.

“D-Dan…!”

But contrary to her thoughts, White Tiger only entrusted its body quietly to the woman’s hand.

“Oh, oh, your fur is indeed soft.”

The woman smiled brightly and tickled White Tiger.

At that, did White Tiger not flip its body over, show its belly, and act cute?

“White Tiger…”

At that moment, Yeom Baek-ha felt both surprise and sadness simultaneously.

“Oh, is this child’s name White Tiger? It is a cool name that suits you well.”

As the woman praised it, White Tiger waved its front paws and acted cute diligently.

The woman smiled at that sight and said,

“You have a nice fur. It would be perfect for making my Lord’s new winter coat.”

White Tiger’s movements stopped.

At that sight, the woman burst out laughing.

“It is a joke, a joke.”

But White Tiger had already fled to Yeom Baek-ha’s feet.

The fellow hid behind Yeom Baek-ha’s skirt, poked its head out, and glared at the woman.

The woman smiled and said to Yeom Baek-ha:

“Since it is a big fellow, feeding it will be difficult.”

At those words, Yeom Baek-ha was flustered.

“Excuse me, do you by any chance recognize our White Tiger?”

“Ah, that is…”

Just as the woman, Jeong-ah, was about to answer.

“You trash-like Sword Family bastards!”

At that single shout, the bustling courtyard fell silent as if dead.

* * *

Everyone’s gaze turned toward the man standing in front of the main gate.

He was a haggard man.

Dressed in rag-like clothes, he was extremely dirty with grease dripping.

Limping, he entered the inner courtyard and shouted:

“Sword Family! You murderous bastards! You cursed bastards!”

The glares of the guarding warriors turned slightly fierce.

“Is he a madman?”

At Yeom Baek-ha’s monologue, Jeong-ah shook her head.

“He is not a madman. He is just…”

Yeom Baek-ha looked at Jeong-ah.

What was she looking at?

Those eyes were locked in sadness.

“The clothes you are wearing! The swords you wear on your waists! If we just sold one of those, this entire village would not have to worry about starving to death for a day! You heaven-cursed bastards!”

The man grabbed a warrior by the collar.

“What? Came to help? Did you bastards not make us this way in the first place?!”

The warrior’s eyes narrowed, and his hand slid toward his sword hilt.

However, at the sight of the Fourth Young Master raising his hand from afar, he swallowed a sigh and crossed his arms.

“Did you bastards not trap us in this land of Luoyang and breed us?! Answer me!”

The man shouted, spitting, but the warrior remained silent.

Limping, the man turned around and pointed fingers at the people of the Sword Family in view.

“You made us like this because you needed cheap labor! How dare you babble about helping or not?!”

According to the Fourth Young Master’s will, his people did not make any response.

When they showed no reaction, the man approached the poor this time.

“You there! My friend! Did your mother not pass away last month? If those bastards had just given a proper prescription, she would have never passed away, would she?!”

At the man’s words, the poor man pointed out turned his head away.

The man bit his lip at the poor man’s reaction, and then turned his head.

“You there! Is that not the aunt from the house below?!”

The woman pointed out by him hid behind the others.

The man limped and approached the woman.

“Why did two of your children die? Is this not all because of those bastards? Why are you quietly accepting what those bastards give you and bowing in gratitude?!”

When the man tried to grab the woman, other poor people restrained the man.

“Hey, why are you doing this, my friend…!”

“Calm down! At this rate, we will get into trouble!”

The man twisted his body violently.

“You are all crippled idiots! Double crippled idiots! The arch-criminals are right before your eyes! The enemies are right before your eyes!”

“Uh-huh! This man!”

As the man’s resistance grew too violent, the poor had no choice but to push the man away.

The man rolled wretchedly on the ground.

He sat on the ground and shouted at the top of his lungs.

He wailed.

“Just as those bastards intend, working to death risking our lives! And yet, unable to even feed one’s own family properly! While accepting what those bastards give and prostrating in gratitude…!”

The man’s throat was torn and hoarse, but he did not stop.

“You are worse than dogs and pigs! That is why you live being treated worse than dogs and pigs!”

He rose unsteadily from his seat.

“I heard a fellow who is the Eldest Young Master of the Sword Family or something is here, I must see his face!”

The Fourth Young Master clicked his tongue.

“They say he lives in a paradise-like place, bathes in tea water, and wipes his feces with gold paper?!”

Now the warriors holding their sword hilts only waited for him to lower his hand.

“Come out! You son of a bitch! You bastard who sells his mother’s name to delude the foolish people!”

The Fourth Young Master’s hand began to lower gradually.

The man had crossed the line.

Even if they did not kill him, it was a point when they had to subdue him.

“I am not afraid of death! You coward! Come out and kill me if you want to…!”

A roaring sound resounded, and white smoke swept in thick clouds.

The warriors drew their swords all at once and formed a wide perimeter.

“A, tiger?!”

“It is White Tiger!”

Amidst the white smoke, it was a tiger that stood lightly pressing the man down with its front paw.

Moreover, it was not an ordinary tiger.

It was a White Tiger the size of a house.

“Ugh, ugh…”

The man grabbed the tiger’s front paw and strained, but there was no way it would work.

Just the tiger growling was enough to make the roof shake and tiles fall.

The poor who had tried to flee in panic all sat down on the spot, and even the warriors felt their knees tremble.

“Really. Although there was Father’s request, I can no longer tolerate and listen to this.”

Surprisingly, on the back of that tiger, there was the figure of a girl.

“Lady Yeom!”

At the Fourth Young Master’s shout, Yeom Baek-ha looked down at him.

“Oh, Fourth Young Master. You were here.”

The girl wore a beautiful smile.

“He is one who dared to defile and insult the Sword Family’s name.”

In her voice, which had been only fragile, there was now a majesty that was hard to approach.

“By the authority held by the Law Enforcement Envoy of the Luoyang Sword Family, I declare the opening of an on-site court in this place.”

As the tiger, White Tiger, opened its mouth, teeth as large as a human palm were ominously revealed inside.

At the declaration of the on-site court, the Fourth Young Master sighed and stepped back.

In any case, it was a time when they had to establish the Sword Family’s prestige in some form.

If the Law Enforcement Lady stepped forward, at least the effect of making an example of one would be certain.

One of the warriors, not taking his eyes off White Tiger, asked the Fourth Young Master:

“Lord. Is that lady truly the Law Enforcement Envoy of the Main Family?”

The Fourth Young Master sighed and nodded.

“Yes. That is correct.”

At his words, all the warriors sheathed their swords and stepped back.

There was no one mad enough in this place to intervene in the Law Enforcement Envoy’s on-site court.

“From now on, this envoy will state your charges. First, you deliberately defiled the name of the Main Family in front of the people, which is…”

The girl’s voice resounded clearly.

“Chilling.”

It was the head maid’s monologue.

“A Law Enforcement Envoy riding a spiritual beast. Is that the true appearance of that Law Enforcement Lady…?”

The plump maid was startled.

“Are you talking about that Law Enforcement Lady? Was she a real person, not a rumor?”

“Yes. She does not conduct public activities due to her illness, so she is just considered a rumor.”

At the sight of the tiger’s mouth slowly approaching, the man wet himself and struggled.

“If she were healthy, there would have been no one among the lower servants of the Main Family who did not know her.”

The plump maid swallowed hard.

A Law Enforcement Envoy riding a White Tiger the size of a house.

Originally, the Law Enforcement Envoy, who was practically a grim reaper, was riding a grim reaper.

“…Up to here are your charges. Is there a refutation?”

What was heard was only the man’s scream.

“I will take that as none.”

Now all that remained was the sentencing.

“Then, by the authority granted to this Law Enforcement Envoy by the Luoyang Sword Family, the ruling…”

“Stop.”

Was there someone who dared to disrupt the Law Enforcement Envoy’s on-site court?

Everyone’s gaze turned toward the owner of that voice.

“Eldest Young Master…?!”

The one who approached Yeom Baek-ha and White Tiger was none other than Yeon So-hyeon.

He raised his hand and slowly brought it to White Tiger’s head.

Surprisingly, White Tiger avoided his touch, lowered its head, and took hesitant steps backward.

Clearly frightened, White Tiger’s eyeballs rolled here and there.

“Withdraw.”

At his low voice, White Tiger returned to the appearance of a small cat along with white smoke.

“Kya!”

Yeom Baek-ha was about to fall on her backside, but a maid flew her body, caught her, and set her down.

It was Il-ryeong, the eldest of the triplet maids.

“T-Thank you.”

“It was nothing.”

At that moment, White Tiger ran and huddled in her arms.

“Hey!”

Despite her shout, White Tiger only buried its head in her arms and trembled.

“White Tiger…?”

It was the first time she had seen White Tiger this frightened.

Even when her father was truly angry, White Tiger would hide behind her and glare back at him.

Holding such a White Tiger, Yeom Baek-ha looked at the Eldest Young Master with a trembling gaze.

Not only her, but everyone was looking at the Eldest Young Master.

The Eldest Young Master was looking down at the man who had barely survived.

Although he had only been pressed down briefly, the man was already covered in blood.

Although there seemed to be no serious wounds, the man could not easily rise.

“You…!”

But surprisingly, the man’s eyes were not dead.

The man’s eyes looking at Yeon So-hyeon were full of venom.

“You are that Yeon family bastard…!”

Being pressed by White Tiger, perhaps his ribs were injured, as the man could not shout properly, but the hatred in his eyes was sincere.

Yeon So-hyeon approached the man.

“Yes.”

His voice was strangely unfamiliar.

“I am the Eldest Young Master, Yeon So-hyeon.”

Looking down at the man, no one could easily read any emotion from Yeon So-hyeon’s eyes.