The Protagonist’s Daddy Long Legs – Chapter 43

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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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There’s a saying, “Even if the plan is made by a human, it’s heaven that fulfills it.”

If the creators of Cheon Sang Myeong Wol’s. World were considered “heaven,” then Hongseongmun had already fallen once by heaven’s will.

But back then, no one had orchestrated that downfall.

But now?

With humans, countless humans, scheming and plotting?

How would heaven react?

“Good work.”

“It was nothing. Those bastards… they dared to try and bribe the magistrate with gold, sneering at him! Honestly, typical of those Murim types.”

The magistrate’s subordinate approached me while I was working, giving me a report.

He said that while they were conducting their training exercises, the Gohwadan had approached them, acting arrogantly and even attempting to bribe the magistrate.

The magistrate, angered by their disrespect, had ordered his men to attack, and they had slaughtered the Gohwadan.

I didn’t think the magistrate was the type to go back on his word, but it was still good to know that he had honored our agreement.

“I should express my gratitude to the magistrate later. Those troops were supposed to be fighting the Demonic Cult…”

“Well, they’re currently under the magistrate’s command. He might get reprimanded later, but who would dare to criticize a magistrate for simply doing his job?”

Of course, there were those who would criticize him.

I would have to talk to Cheonilhwa about this later and ask her to smooth things over. After all, those elite troops belonged to the military.

“Very well. You’ve done well.”

“Ahem. I was just doing my duty. Those bastards could have been pretending to attack Hongseongmun, only to attack Seomhwachon village instead. And there were no casualties. A few injuries, but nothing serious.”

“I see. We should reward those who fought bravely. I’ll provide medicine for the injured.”

“Ah, you’re truly a saint, Innkeeper! Thank you. I’ll take my leave then.”

The military officer bowed, a satisfied smile on his face, and left the inn.

I thought back to the countless discussions I had read on the Sayun player forums, discussions I had memorized and analyzed even before entering this world.

[EleventhHongseongmunIsTheBest*: The best way to deal with the Iron Blood Clan and those other insignificant threats is to utilize the power of the government. It’s much more effective than trying to handle everything ourselves. Befriend the magistrate and report any suspicious activity immediately. “Inviolability of government officials”? Like we care about that.]

I hadn’t memorized every single word.

But I remembered the gist of it.

We could find other ways to deal with external threats, leaving the Iron Blood Clan as our primary concern.

That was why I had decided to involve the authorities.

According to my research, neither of those two sword units stood a chance against the troops currently under the magistrate’s command.

Of course, once they reached the second or third stage and fully mastered the Iron Blood Clan’s martial arts, they would easily overwhelm ordinary soldiers trained by the military.

But for now, the heavily armored soldiers, equipped with long spears, thick shields, and new equipment, were more than a match for them, especially since they had experience fighting the Demonic Cult.

My calculations had been correct.

The Gohwadan had been completely annihilated without even killing a single soldier.

“Innkeeper! We’re back! Haha! Guess what we did!”

Two men, their faces flushed with excitement, burst through the doors. It was Gi chajo of the Heavenly Net and Wiyeol of the Seomhwachang.

Wiyeol, unlike the boisterous Gi chajo, remained silent, his brow furrowed.

“…So I said, ‘Let me give you a piece of advice. In the Murim, you should always be wary of women, children, and the elderly.’”

“Good work, you two.”

“Haha! It was nothing. Those bastards… they had no respect for their elders, and they were acting like a bunch of bandits. Imagine the trouble they would’ve caused if they had actually reached Seomhwachon village.”

“Well, you’ve both worked hard. Let me treat you to a feast.”

“Haha! I wasn’t expecting anything, but… alright, I’ll look forward to it.”

Gichajo whistled as he left the inn, and Wi yeol followed him, nodding politely. I thought back to the words of another Sayun player.

[ㅇㅇ(113.63): Wiyeol and Gi chajo are both incredible fighters. If one of them defended the forest, they could easily hold off the Gohwadan and the Jugyeongdae, right? That’s what happened in Yura’s main story. They were both present during Hongseongmun’s downfall. If they had been there to defend the sect, Cheonilhwa wouldn’t have died.]

That was why I had established a connection with the Cheonghoe Merchant Group. It had allowed me to recruit both of them.

I had been confident that they could hold off any forces approaching from the other directions.

And they had.

[Yura’sAssIsAmazing*: Trying to prevent someone using the Shadowless Divine Steps from poisoning the food storage… that’s a risky move. The Iron Blood Clan aren’t idiots… It would be safer to provide alternative food, pretend we ate the poisoned food, and lure them into a trap.]

I had followed the advice of that popular forum post, providing them with the food pills and suggesting a strategy when I sent the letter.

We had come up with countless plans, countless scenarios, analyzing each one meticulously.

We had all contributed, pooling our knowledge and experience.

And now…

It was time to see the results of our efforts.

I stood up and walked out of the inn, Gi chajo’s cheerful singing echoing from the basement.

“Innkeeper! Did you hear?”

“Hear what?”

Chaejin’s voice startled me. She rushed into the inn, her face flushed with excitement.

“Hongseongmun was attacked!” she said, her voice trembling slightly.

“Is anyone hurt? Did anyone die?”

A wave of cold dread washed over me.

What if we had been wrong?

What if I had made a mistake?

What if we had missed something crucial?

My voice was tight with anxiety. Chaejin looked at me with concern, then shook her head.

“…Of course not. They have Geomseong, the Sword Master. No one was hurt. I went there just in case, and they all seemed fine… And I saw Hongryeon. She’s gotten even stronger.”

She might have been trying to sound nonchalant, but I could tell she was relieved. She must have been worried when she heard about the attack on Hongseongmun.

“Anyway, stay here. Don’t go anywhere. I heard they even attacked the soldiers… There might be another attack. I’m going to wash up. Let’s train together today. Yes? Yes?”

She didn’t even wait for my response, her face beaming with excitement as she dashed inside.

I walked to the backyard and sat down on a bench,

Then,

I closed my eyes, savoring the moment.

Our efforts, my efforts…

They had paid off.

“That’s good news,” I said, a genuine smile spreading across my face.

I wanted to go to Hongseongmun, but both Chaejin and Gichajo had been adamant about keeping me here.

I considered suggesting we all go together, but I knew Hongseongmun was probably in chaos right now. And I was sure they would visit the inn once things settled down. So I decided to stay put and focus on other matters.

Chaejin dragged me into a training session, and after that, I spent the rest of the day working in my room. I finally emerged as the sun began to set.

Several soldiers were gathered in front of the inn, their faces lit by lanterns.

“Oh, Innkeeper! We’re here to buy some drinks.”

“I can give you some drinks for free.”

“We couldn’t possibly accept that. You’ve already sent us a pig, and even a cow!”

I remembered sending my servant to the market earlier that day. He had told me there was an old cow for sale. I decided to buy it, as a gesture of gratitude for their service.

“I’m worried it might be too tough, though. It was an old cow.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll be a tonic! A tonic, I tell you. By the way, would you care to join us? Everyone would be thrilled to see you.”

I politely declined their invitation. I could have joined them, of course, but I had customers to attend to. And I was still waiting for someone. Though she might not arrive today.

As I watched the soldiers load the barrels of alcohol onto their cart,

I felt a pang of… contentment. Seeing them so happy…

“Innkeeper!”

A bright voice called out to me.

I turned to see a familiar face.

Sayun.

And Hongryeon.

“Hello! It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

It had been a while since I had last seen Sayun. She had been receiving direct instruction from the Sword Master.

I couldn’t hide my delight at seeing her, her cheerful presence a stark contrast to the tense atmosphere of Sak.

“I heard what happened. Hongseongmun was attacked.”

“Ahahaha… you heard? Yes, but we managed to fend them off.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“It’s all thanks to Master and Senior Sister! And you, Innkeeper… hehehe…”

Sayun’s eyes were bright, her smile genuine.

As an orphan, she had found a new family in Hongseongmun.

She had tasted happiness, only to have it cruelly snatched away.

But now, there was no trace of sorrow or despair in her eyes.

“I’m glad everything worked out. So, what brings you here?”

“Ah, right. The attack caused a lot of damage to the sect… Here’s a list.”

She rummaged through her pockets and pulled out a piece of paper. It was a list of materials needed for repairs.

“Wait here.”

I had most of the items in stock. I summoned my servants and instructed them to gather the materials.

“If it wasn’t for the food pills, I would’ve at least offered you some sweets…”

“It’s fine! Besides, this is helping you, isn’t it?”

“That’s true.”

“Then I’ll do my best.”

I shrugged, her infectious enthusiasm bringing a smile to my face. My servants began loading the materials onto Sayun’s cart.

I turned to Hongryeon, who had remained silent.

“If there’s that much damage to repair, the attack must have been quite intense. Is everyone alright? No injuries?”

“…No, everyone’s fine…”

“Then why do you look so exhausted? Your face is flushed. Are you feverish?”

I took a step closer, and she flinched, her shoulders tensing. Was she poisoned? Or had that Cheolhyeol Suje bastard managed to…?

I stared at her with concern, and she took a deep breath, as if to calm herself. Then, in her usual, somewhat abrasive tone, she said,

“I’m fine. And… thank you.”

“For what?”

“Just… everything. The food pills, the medicine… everything else. If it hadn’t been for you, things might have been much worse.”

She gave me a sheepish smile, avoiding my gaze.

“I’m glad I could help.”

“…Yes. I don’t know how I’ll ever repay you… Haha, just you wait. I’ll find a way to repay this debt.”

“Don’t worry about it. I didn’t do it for a reward.”

“Even so… Oh, and… can I see your sweets?”

“Of course. Follow me.”

I would have invited Sayun as well, but she wanted to supervise the loading of the materials.

Hongryeon followed me inside and looked at the high-quality sweets I had brought back from my previous visit to Hongseongmun.

“These must be expensive.”

“Well, they’re high-quality. Why?”

“Master’s been a bit down lately… I want to cheer her up.”

“I’ll make you some even better sweets once the food pill experiment is over.”

“Really?”

“Everyone loves sweets. Consider it a gift.”

“No, you’ve done so much for us already. I feel bad always taking… Besides, I was going to buy these. I can afford it!”

“It’s a gift. No need to feel burdened. If those attackers had succeeded… do you think they would have stopped with Hongseongmun?”

“Ugh…”

“Think of it as a gift… for everyone else I’ve helped.”

I was genuinely grateful for Geomseong’s presence.

Without her, Hongseongmun would have been destroyed, or at least suffered irreparable damage.

So this was simply a way of showing my gratitude. There was no need for her to feel indebted.

“…I can never win against you, can I?”

Hongryeon chuckled, her cheeks slightly flushed. Sayun waved at us from outside. It seemed they were done loading the cart.

“You should get going. And the food pill experiment is ending soon. Come down to the inn with everyone once it’s over. I’ll throw a feast for you all.”

“Hahaha, okay, thank you! We’ll be going then.”

She left the inn, her usual energy restored. I followed her out to see her off.

She effortlessly lifted the cart, carrying it as if it were a feather. Sayun walked beside her, glancing back at me. Hongryeon also sneaked a glance in my direction.

Our eyes met, and she froze, her face turning red. Then, she gave me an awkward smile.

Sayun also glanced back at me.

But unlike Hongryeon, she just smiled brightly.

There was no trace of…

Unhappiness in their faces.

That… that was what I had wanted to see.

What we had all been fighting for.

I watched them leave, waiting until they were out of sight, then headed to the backyard.

I sat on a bench, lit my pipe, and took a long drag, letting the soothing smoke fill my lungs.

Ah, this was nice.

This feeling… it was almost… sweet.

Maybe I could finally rest…

No.

There was still a long way to go.

Preventing Hongseongmun’s downfall was only the first step.

The Iron Blood Clan’s goal was to destabilize the spiritual energy of Mount Hongryeon and plunge the world into chaos.

They wouldn’t give up so easily. And there were other challenges ahead.

But…

“…We won’t give up either.”

Our goal wasn’t simply to prevent a minor attack in the prologue.

I took another puff of my pipe, the smoke swirling around me as I thought about the discussions on the Sayun player forums.

We had all known that preventing Hongseongmun’s destruction wasn’t the end, that true happiness was still a distant goal.

So even after creating the optimal strategy to counter the attack in the prologue, we had continued our research, developing countless scenarios for what might come next.

And I remembered the most promising one.

“…I need to prevent Seomhwachon village from being destroyed.”

The first step was to prevent the village from being attacked and wiped out, as it had been in Sayun’s main story.

I needed to protect Seomhwachon village, the village that would support Hongseongmun, that would support Sayun.

And to do that…

“I need to visit Cheong Ho.”

A city located a week’s journey from here by carriage.

A city with a vast lake, fertile land, and rich mines.

“Cheong Ho?”

A voice interrupted my thoughts.

I turned and saw Chaejin smiling at me.

“You know Moonwoljeong is in Cheong Ho, right?” she asked, winking.

Of course, I knew.

“I wasn’t planning on going, but… would you like to come with me?”

“Yes.”

She answered so quickly I was taken aback.

“Wait, why?”

I thought she wasn’t going anywhere until she could defeat Hongryeon.

“Because I’d lose to Hongryeon if we fought now. And there are some things I need to take care of. And…”

She grinned, that familiar, confident smirk on her face, and gripped my shoulder.

“I’m your escort, your teacher. Of course I’ll go with you. What kind of question is that?”

She sounded so… reliable.

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