Because of this, the prisoner seemed not to have noticed that Yuseong and Danju had actually been in the next room all along, and started speaking rapidly.

“You came when no one is around! There’s so much to explain right now! How should I even make sense of the current situation…”
“Shut up!”

Although he tried to keep his voice low, the shout, unable to conceal his anger, reverberated throughout the corridor walls and into the chamber.

Thud!

“Agh!”

The heavy noise, as if something solid had been kicked to the floor, followed. Yuseong and Danju remained silent, their eyes still locked.

To be precise, Yuseong was studying Danju’s expression with a serious demeanor, while Danju was at a loss for what to do.

“Impossible.”

Danju struggled to hold onto his wits in this unbelievable situation. Being a father, there was no way he wouldn’t recognize his son’s voice.

The intruder in the next room was his… eldest son.

The object that had rolled on the floor seemed to be a prisoner; an unfamiliar voice yelled out in anger.

“What are you doing!”

“That’s my line! You curse even me and then raid my home? You handle matters like this?”

The prisoner and the eldest son began to argue in a heated manner, seemingly unaware of anyone in the next room.

“What? A curse?”

“Yes! You knocked me out and left me in some corner of this building, didn’t you?”

“What are you talking about? You’re the one who sent a letter urging us to raid right now!”

“A letter? When did I send that!”

Both seemed unaware that their voices were getting louder.

With a look of despair, Danju staggered toward where Yuseong was standing. Concerned about Danju’s unhealthy complexion, Yuseong grabbed his arm.

“Are you telling me you’ll deny this to the end? We clearly received a letter! It said the curse on your brother didn’t seem effective, so kill him quickly through ambush!”

However, Yuseong was shocked at this statement. He glanced nervously at Danju while showing his own confusion.

“What? What are you saying!”

“I rushed to gather people because you emphasized the immediate need for a raid! You said you’d handle the warriors inside the house, but even that was a lie! You said the priests of Hwasan are few and young, so it would be easy to gain fame by killing them. Were they just ordinary, young disciples?”

“I never sent such a letter! I’ve been saying, I was unconscious due to the curse! Are you saying that wasn’t your doing?”

“Ha! You’ll continue to claim that? Now I get it!”

The prisoner sneered, spitting out his words in a fury.
“You were the one who hired someone else after promising us! Your father and the shamans of Hwasan said they would interrogate me. Some shaman fought against the disciple of Hwasan and fled, informing us about our Heukcheonmun! Whether he is really a shaman, I’m not sure, but it was confirmed that you ordered him to do so! That’s why you hastily endorsed the attack.”

“What nonsense are you talking about? I never did such a thing.”

“Nonsense? I’m not fooled anymore. I was foolish for believing you, who disappeared for two days. It seems like you’ve come to create some sort of evidence! Do you want me, Heukcheonmun, to be caught in a trap? Whatever happens, things won’t go your way!”

The prisoner was really someone with no relationship to the heretical shamans, and Jangnam knew nothing about that shaman either. There seemed to be some misunderstandings between the two, but that confusion was not important at the moment.

‘He neither denies nor claims it’s a misunderstanding that he tried to kill my brother.’

Calmly thinking, Yuseong slowly let go of Danju’s arm.

Danju also seemed to have already thought of what Yuseong suspected, his face turning pale blue. Watching him for a moment, Yuseong slowly moved toward the corridor, heading to the next room. The silhouettes of the two fighting were visible, even though he forgot to close the door.

Yuseong deliberately made some noise.

“Now that your mouth has opened, there must be much to say.”

Upon hearing the murmur, Jangnam, who had turned around, instantly paled. The prisoner, who had openly declared his affiliation with Heukcheonmun, also seemed briefly flustered but yelled vehemently at Jangnam beside him.

“That’s right! All the letters I’ve exchanged with that guy are kept in our Heukcheonmun’s safe. Even the contracts are intact!”

“Wait, hold on!”

“He asked me to kill my brother… Ah, ah!”

Jangnam rushed to cover the prisoner’s mouth, but the words that needed to come out had essentially already come out.

Yuseong slowly sensed Danju approaching from behind him. The atmosphere, which had suddenly quieted down, was now filled with a cold and heavy air.

From that air, Yuseong could sense how this incident would conclude.