I Became the Academy’s Genius Shikigami Summoner – Chapter 229

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟐𝟗

“It is a pleasure to see you. It has been a long time.”

Since we had informed him in advance, Hwang Ji-hak welcomed our visit with a delighted expression.

After a brief conversation, he hurriedly left the mansion, asking for our understanding due to his scheduled appointments.

「𝙄𝙩 𝙢𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙗𝙚 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙎𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙣 𝙎𝙚𝙘𝙩.」

Thus, Hwang Hye-yeon, Hwang Ji-hak’s younger sister, explained the situation to us who remained in his residence.

“The atmosphere within the family has been chaotic lately. There are issues related to the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, and recently, there has been a lot of talk due to the friction with the Four Sovereign Sect of China.”

It was as I had thought.

Just like the relationship between the Baek family and the Liu family that I had witnessed at Baekrimjeong last time, the Hwang family and the Four Sovereign Sect have a cooperative relationship with each other.

However, the inside story was a little different from that of the Baek family. While they had an equal cooperative relationship, the Four Sovereign Sect subtly regarded the Hwang family as being beneath them.

Dissatisfaction had gradually accumulated over this.

The 4 Branch Leaders of the Four Sovereign Sect intended to use this opportunity to cause a commotion within the Hwang family and attract the attention of those around them.

「𝙅𝙪𝙙𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙗𝙪𝙨𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙩𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙥𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮, 𝙞𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙎𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙣 𝙎𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙛𝙖𝙧 𝙤𝙛𝙛.」

In that case, I can’t just relax and take it easy either.

After finishing the meal that Hwang Hye-yeon had prepared, I left Arietta at the residence and went to find Hwang Jin-chul.

「𝙁𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙖𝙡𝙡, 𝙄 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙞𝙨 𝙖𝙩 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣.」

And the person most suitable for that role was none other than Hwang Jin-chul.

He has a full cooperative relationship with me, and he is a figure with considerable standing within the family.

Seeing me like that, Hwang Jin-chul seemed to grasp the situation right away and greeted me with a direct question.

“Something important must have happened.”

“Yes. I need your help, Jin-chul.”

It’s no use trying to hide it. Hwang Jin-chul is a trustworthy person, so I told him the exact current situation, excluding only the bare minimum of secrets.

“I see, so the Four Sovereign Sect has another real purpose this time. It’s true that their movements have been a little strange.”

“I don’t know the details, but there must be a reason why they are doing this at this time. It’s not good to let things go the way they want.”

As someone who controls the financial world, Hwang Jin-chul, who is well-versed in politics, immediately nodded in agreement with my words.

“You’re right. They’re a bunch of dirty bastards from the start. I don’t know what they’re up to, but it must be something that will harm the country.”

Then, this is where it gets important. Hwang Jin-chul asked me a question, his eyes gleaming.

“So, from the fact that you told me the situation on purpose, it sounds like you have some kind of plan?”

“That’s right.”

The Four Sovereign Sect intends to attract the attention of the prestigious families, then secretly bring the Demon Desire Jar into Seoul and unseal it.

What I am about to do now could be called the exact opposite of that plan.

「𝘼𝙩𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙎𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙣 𝙎𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙢𝙗𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙆𝙤𝙧𝙚𝙖 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙚𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙚𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙣 𝘿𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙅𝙖𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢.」

And with the help of Xiao Chen, who must be inscribing a teleportation ritual at the Four Sovereign Sect’s headquarters by now, hand over the unsealed Demon Desire Jar to the other side as it is.

The important thing is that there should be no evidence left of all this, as they intended to do.

That’s why I also needed to disrupt their plans and attract as much attention as possible.

“They will try to shake the Hwang family by finding fault with us in any way they can.”

“Hmm.”

At this point in the original work, only the backgrounds of the Baek family and the Cheong family were covered, so I don’t know exactly what happened in the Hwang family.

What is certain is that they will not easily back down until they achieve their goal.

“Come to think of it, I heard some news recently, but it seems it wasn’t just an idle rumor.”

“What is it?”

“There was information that there was a minor friction with a member of the Four Sovereign Sect who visited Korea a few days ago.”

If that is true, it is a perfect excuse to find fault with them.

Perhaps he, too, had most likely manipulated the situation on the Four Sovereign Sect’s side.

「𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙞𝙘𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙬𝙣.」

As I, who had grasped the situation, was lost in thought, a member of the family soon came to deliver a message to Hwang Jin-chul.

“Elder, the family members are ordered to gather in the Guigwangok immediately.”

“I understand. I will go right away.”

It was the summoning signal of none other than the family elders.

What it meant was clear. The full-scale contact with the Four Sovereign Sect was about to begin.

“Will you accompany me?”

“Yes, I will.”

In any case, I need to gather a little more information to take action.

In the Guigwangok where we headed, a young man with a very familiar face was trembling with a frozen expression.

It was Hwang Se-jin, who had also competed with me the other day.

The members of the Four Sovereign Sect were not yet visible, but it seemed that almost all of the Hwang family elders had gathered, except for those who were absent.

Their expressions were also extremely dark.

“Tell me honestly. Did you really touch their people?”

“Ah, Father. That is. . . . . . .”

9th Elder Hwang Il-soo looked at his son, Hwang Se-jin, with cold eyes.

With that one word, I could roughly understand the ins and outs of the situation.

「𝙄𝙩 𝙨𝙚𝙚𝙢𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙃𝙬𝙖𝙣𝙜 𝙎𝙚-𝙟𝙞𝙣 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙞𝙩 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙁𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙎𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙞𝙜𝙣 𝙎𝙚𝙘𝙩.」

It was truly unfortunate for him, but in the end, it was something he brought upon himself.

The responsibility for this incident would probably be much more serious than Hwang Se-jin thought.

“Don’t even think about evading it. Confess honestly, since they are already on their way here.”

“W-Well, it’s true that there was some friction, but it wasn’t that serious. They insulted our family first, and I just used my rightful power to humble them!”

“Huh, so you admit that you laid your hands on them.”

Perhaps there was no lie mixed in Hwang Se-jin’s words.

He, too, is a promising figure with a certain standing in the family. Naturally, he wouldn’t have gone that far.

However, once he had given them an excuse, there was no telling how the other side would twist it.

“This is difficult. Of all times, why now.”

“Even so, what on earth are they thinking? Instead of solidifying their defenses against the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons that will soon arrive, they are deliberately trying to cause friction. . . . . . .”

“I can’t fathom their intentions at all.”

The influential figures of the Hwang family were also each harboring doubts about the Four Sovereign Sect’s movements this time.

However, they would never have imagined that what the Four Sovereign Sect was about to commit from now on was not a mere political struggle or containment, but an atrocious evil far removed from that.

“Anyway, in this case, it is impossible to just drive them away from the gate. It seems that things have become complicated.”

And soon after, Wang Long, the 4th Branch Leader of the Four Sovereign Sect, and his subordinates finally appeared in the Guigwangok.

At Wang Long’s nod, a middle-aged man who stepped forward stroked his thick beard and opened his mouth.

“From the looks on your faces, it seems that you all know what happened last night.”

“. . .Even so, what kind of reckless behavior is this at such a tumultuous time? You could have simply followed the procedures and filed a complaint.”

“Reckless? We are the reckless ones now?”

The Hwang family’s dissatisfaction was not necessarily wrong, but strangely, the Four Sovereign Sect showed no sign of backing down an inch.

And the reason for that was soon revealed through the other party’s mouth.

“I am Wei Zihong, the head of the Youngjindan of the Four Sovereign Sect, to which the victim of this incident belonged. And from the Four Sovereign Sect, there are two people in a coma, and there has been one additional death. Even so, are you talking about common sense?”

“A death, what the. . . . . . .”

At the sudden declaration, the Hwang family frowned, their expressions hardening.

If it was such an urgent matter, there would have been a commotion, but they hadn’t heard anything about it.

9th Elder Hwang Il-soo looked at Hwang Se-jin with eyes asking if it was true, but Hwang Se-jin shook his head urgently.

Judging from his expression, there was no lie. However, there was no way the Four Sovereign Sect would be bluffing about something that would be exposed right away.

That means.

「𝘿𝙞𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙪𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙘𝙪𝙩 𝙤𝙛𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙡 𝙨𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙣𝙤 𝙧𝙤𝙤𝙢 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙪𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩?」

A ruthless act that even sacrifices their own people for their goals.

However, if things have turned out this way, the Hwang family will have no choice but to be manipulated by the Four Sovereign Sect for the time being.

It meant that the situation the bastards had hoped for had been created.

“I heard that the main culprit of the incident is a promising figure that the Hwang family cherishes. How exactly will you take responsibility?”

“. . .Hey, before that, let’s get this straight. It’s different from what we’ve found out.”

Hwang Cheol-ho, the 11th Elder of the Hwang family, slammed the table so loudly that it made a loud noise and glared at him.

“It was said that there was friction, but there was no one who laid their hands on them that excessively. Isn’t there a limit to unreasonable questioning? Where is the evidence that we committed such an act?”

“Huh, with all the results clearly remaining, are you trying to evade it now?”

“Even if it is your claim, the only part that can be considered true is that the parties from both sides had a friction. In the end, you can’t prove anything more than that, can you?”

He seemed unable to contain his anger, but Hwang Cheol-ho’s words unexpectedly dug into the heart of the matter.

Unfortunately, though, they didn’t know.

The fact that continuing to argue and attracting attention in this way was the Four Sovereign Sect’s real purpose.

“There has clearly been a death, and it is completely unacceptable to deny the charges to the end.”

“Of course, I have nothing to say about that part. The Hwang family will also cooperate with the investigation, clarify the exact truth, and take appropriate measures.”

“Do you think the higher-ups of the Four Sovereign Sect will be convinced by that much?”

It is not good to clash with a huge force like the Four Sovereign Sect at a time like this.

Knowing that fact, the Hwang family is in no position to respond strongly against the Four Sovereign Sect.

So, right now was the time for me to step in.

“Elder, I need your help.”

“. . .You’re quite perceptive, but I’ll trust you.”

The moment the atmosphere between the two sides was about to turn sour, Hwang Jin-chul rose from his seat, and everyone’s attention was focused on him.

“Jin-chul? Do you have something to say?”

“Yes, 9th Elder.”

Hwang Jin-chul took a deep breath and, uncharacteristically, opened his mouth with a slightly tense expression, glancing at the members of the Four Sovereign Sect.

“Their words are false. We are not guilty.”

That was the moment when the eerie gazes of Wei Zihong and Wang Long, along with the members of the Four Sovereign Sect, turned solely towards me and Hwang Jin-chul.

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