After passing through the village and going by another two guardian totem poles, the city walls finally came into view.
‘He does not seem particularly fond of corrupt officials himself, so why does he intend to leave them alone?’
Many things had happened after Ghost Gate Messengers appeared, but the weight of Haje’s presence, having held Number One from the beginning of that era until now, could not be diminished.
Yet Haje did not wield his authority, pretending otherwise.
‘Well... perhaps that is why I can at least make a peep around him.’
Though he was often ignored as if he truly were no more than a peep....
After leaving their horses at a relay station, the two slipped Haje’s Messenger plaque to the gate guards and entered the city without incident.
The gate captain merely glanced at Haje and Wonhyeok with mild curiosity. He showed no other reaction.
Wonhyeok asked.
“The Messenger plaque you showed just now seems different from the previous one.”
“Your eyes are good.”
Haje showed Wonhyeok the Messenger plaque.
It was blue glass, clearly a Ghost Gate byproduct, coated with Ghost Jade and engraved with a name and epithet.
But the plaque Haje had shown at first had been strange, shining white jade inscribed in gold and mother-of-pearl.
“This is a Gi Grade Messenger’s plaque. No matter how well I hide my name, a gate captain can recognize a Messenger plaque’s rank at a glance.”
“...!”
So that was why the gate captain had remained calm!
Of course, a Gi Grade Messenger was still of mid-level rank, but not one that would make people’s eyes widen as Gap Grade, Eul Grade, and Byeong Grade Messengers did.
Wonhyeok turned back toward the gate they had passed through and whispered.
“But even so, they do not recognize you? You are dressed so strangely, wrapped entirely in black.”
At that, Haje gave a snort.
“The greater the value of my name, the more people there are who imitate it.”
“That is true. Those who are far away naturally appear impressive....”
“Indeed. ...Wait, that sounds as though I look unimpressive up close.”
“That cannot be.”
Wonhyeok feigned ignorance and hurried his steps.
“You grow bolder by the day, do you not? I do not care about such things, but you should awaken quickly. Once you awaken, I will forgive you even if you become bolder.”
“If awakening were something one could simply wish for, everyone in Joseon would be a Ghost Gate Messenger.”
“No. You were prophesied, remember? I told you the spirit shaman chose you.”
“As I understand it, divinations are not always correct.”
“That divination is one hundred percent correct. No, more importantly, you truly talk too much! Just awaken already. I am tired of matching your walking pace.”
That damned awakening, awakening! He already had dog eyes, so what sort of awakening did Haje expect? And what in the world was “one hundred percent”?
“If nagging could make me awaken, I would have done so already!”
“You never yield a single word! Ah, awaken, awaken, awaken, I said awaken!”
Someone cleared his throat between the two of them.
At that sound, Wonhyeok realized that he was standing before the city gate and felt deeply embarrassed.
Turning around in a hurry with a red face, he saw a man who was clearly one of the local officials.
“I heard that a Ghost Gate Messenger entered the city.”
Haje immediately spoke in a calm tone.
“Mm, I am Gi Grade Messenger So-and-so.”
“Y-your name is... So-and-so?”
“Yes.”
What an incredibly insincere alias!
Wonhyeok saw the official’s mouth tremble beneath his beard.
“Ah, I am the accompanying inspector and recorder, Lee....”
Just as Wonhyeok was about to say, “Lee Wonhyeok,” Haje suddenly interrupted.
“Lee So-and-so.”
“I... I... I am Lee So-and-so, yes.”
Wonhyeok felt as though he might jump in outrage, but he introduced himself in accordance with Haje’s lead for now.
The official’s expression became even stranger.
“I-I see. Messenger So-and-so and Messenger Lee So-and-so. Have you come to inspect the Ghost Gate?”
“Do we have anything else to do in Tanghangseong?”
“Ha ha, of course not. In that case, you should first rest from your journey. I shall guide you to the guest hall. I am Shin Heon-gae, the Revenue Clerk among Tanghangseong’s Six Offices.”
Revenue Clerk Shin led the two of them to the guest hall of the county office.
Wonhyeok glanced sideways at Haje. Whether Haje had looked back at him was impossible to say, but in any case, the two exchanged a rough signal.
‘A Revenue Clerk is a local clerk in charge of taxes, is he not?’
‘Yes, that is right.’
In truth, Wonhyeok had not understood Haje’s eye signal at all, but he went along with it.
In other words, Revenue Clerk Shin standing before them might be the chief culprit responsible for the many poor people in the settlement outside the city.
Wonhyeok wanted to ask, “Are you aware that there are so many poor people outside the city?” at once.
However, Haje immediately dismissed Revenue Clerk Shin, leaving Wonhyeok unable to say anything.
“...We are not going straight to see the Ghost Gate.”
“Well, judging from his relaxed attitude, the lock does not seem to be in danger yet. He is probably planning to tell the other local clerks, ‘Hey, it is an emergency. A Ghost Realm Inspector has suddenly appeared. What should we do?’”
A Ghost Gate lock releasing meant that a tightly sealed Ghost Gate, neglected for too long, suddenly burst open. It would swallow the surrounding area, then spew uncanny powers and wicked spirits back out, devastating everything in every direction.
Terrain and objects drawn in at such times often did not return.
Haje had told Wonhyeok that people who died inside a Ghost Gate usually returned at least as corpses, but those sucked into a Ghost Gate whose lock had released never returned.
Having entered the guest hall, Wonhyeok unpacked his belongings and recorded Tanghangseong’s circumstances while listening to Haje’s explanation.
“But why did you immediately call us So-and-so and Lee So-and-so? It is obvious to anyone listening that we are hiding our real names.”
“Should I use the name Lee Wonhyeok, whose three syllables are already the subject of widespread gossip because Joseon’s Number One Haje marked him and took him as an accompanying inspector? Perhaps that would work in a small village, but a county this large has information flowing everywhere. You would be exposed at once.”
“I see....”
As Wonhyeok wrote, he suddenly narrowed his eyes.
“...? My name has become gossip?”
Propping his chin on one hand, Haje spoke.
“Clerk, you truly know nothing about Ghost Gates. Do young people these days not lose their heads over Ghost Gates and Ghost Gate Messengers?”
The subject had changed in an instant, but Wonhyeok did not notice and replied.
“My parents were strict.... Besides, I only studied at my family home. Why would I ever have shown interest in Ghost Gate Messengers?”
“What do your strict parents have to do with it? Is the parents’ generation different?”
“My parents do not think very highly of Ghost Gates or Ghost Gate Messengers.”
At Wonhyeok’s words, Haje made a soft sound of interest and tilted his head.
“How old are you?”
“I am twenty-six.”
“Then your parents must be at least fifty.... Hmm. They may have reason to feel poorly toward Ghost Gate Messengers.”
Wonhyeok merely replied, “That is true,” and finished his record.
“So when are we going to inspect the Ghost Gate?”
“What are we waiting for? We will go at once.”
“Ah, yes!”
Haje strode out of the room, and Wonhyeok hurriedly followed.
Even so, the blood of a recorder ran strongly in Wonhyeok. The moment the corrupt official was identified, he intended to write it all down in the inspection record.
Once they left the guest hall and entered the county office’s main building, a person who appeared to be the county magistrate spotted them.
“Hey, who are you two?”
Haje stared blankly at the county magistrate, who was dressed in military attire, then spoke.
“Ah, I forgot to announce myself.”
Excuse me, Number One of Joseon.... You are pretending to be a Gi Grade Messenger, not a Gap Grade Messenger.
Wonhyeok steadied his dizzying vision and hurried ahead of Haje, bowing deeply before the county magistrate.
“G-greetings, County Magistrate. We are Ghost Gate Messengers who have entered Tanghangseong to conduct a Ghost Realm Inspection.”
“Ah, no wonder your appearance seemed so strange. I only just heard about you from the Chief Clerk.”
The county magistrate smiled warmly and waved away Wonhyeok’s bow.
“We are both working for the people. Why should you bow to me? Let me see... If you are on a Ghost Realm Inspection, you must be here to inspect the Ghost Gate in our city.”
“Ah, yes, yes.... That is correct.”
Wonhyeok was unintentionally flustered by the county magistrate’s approachable, friendly attitude.
A corrupt official was usually... someone who wore a sinister smile and tried to throw out anyone who said they had come to inspect him, was he not?
The county magistrate had a large build, but she merely seemed warm. Her smiling face was as benevolent as a well-fed cat.
“I am So Cheowon, the county magistrate of Tanghangseong. Please call me Magistrate So.”
“Ah, I am the clerk to the Ghost Realm Inspector, Lee....”
At that moment, Wonhyeok met Haje’s eyes.
Beyond the black veil, he had clearly met those golden eyes....
Wonhyeok swallowed his own name again and spoke.
“I am Lee So-and-so....”
“I am Gi Grade Ghost Gate Messenger So-and-so.”
“I see. It is a pleasure to meet you, Messenger Lee—ah, Messenger So-and-so.”
She believed this?
In place of Wonhyeok, who was still confused as he watched the county magistrate continue smiling benignly, Haje asked.
“Who is responsible for Ghost Gate management?”
“The Military Clerk handles it. According to the reports through recently, it has been well managed.”
“Does the Military Clerk handle the Ghost Gate budget as well?”
“The Revenue Clerk handles that.”
Though Haje spoke to her casually, the county magistrate merely smiled and let it pass with good humor.
Her face seemed to have the words, Ah, glorious Tanghangseong! Our Six Offices work so well! written all over it.
Wonhyeok was beginning to understand.
Who was it that had said the conflict-of-interest avoidance system was good, but also poison?
Since the county magistrate had no ties to Tanghangseong, she did not know the practical work. The Six Offices must have been enriching themselves, saying, “Heh heh, my lady, leave the practical work to us.”
‘It is truly a common pattern of corruption....’
Haje appeared to share Wonhyeok’s opinion, for his black military hat tilted to one side.
However, Haje’s outward voice carried an oddly cheerful tone.
“I see. It appears to be well managed.”
“Of course, of course.”
Did the county magistrate truly know nothing? How much had she neglected her work and stayed only in the inner county office?
Wonhyeok was nearly dumbfounded.
Even if the local clerks had been the ones committing the extortion and embezzling the budget... How could a county magistrate leave everything to the local clerks?
It was lamentable. County Magistrate, this meant you were neglecting your duties as well!
As Wonhyeok secretly sighed at the thought, Haje spoke to the county magistrate.
“Then we should check quickly and finish. Will you guide us?”
“Uh....”
The county magistrate suddenly looked troubled.
At that, Wonhyeok’s suspicions rose sharply.
Then she scratched her cheek with an embarrassed expression.
“I do not quite know where the Ghost Gate is either....”
At those words, even Haje was left speechless.
Wonhyeok saw the government servant sweeping the county office yard shake her head at the county magistrate’s words.
“......”
“Ha ha.... Um, I shall call the Military Clerk and have him guide you to the workshop storehouse first. Someone....”
Faced with the silence of Wonhyeok and Haje, the county magistrate scratched her cheek awkwardly and timidly called for a government bondsman.
Watching that, Wonhyeok could only barely suppress the sigh rising in his chest.