The Duke's Son :Re-Chapter 228

Chapter 228
Given their A-class levels and deep-rooted connections, it was no surprise that the Association's branch managers were considered bigshots in the private sector and assets to the country.
However, things were quiet following their deaths. The world went on as usual, even though twelve of the thirteen branch managers had disappeared from the face of the Earth. From this, Jae-Hyeok knew everything had gone smoothly, with not a trace of what had happened leaking to the public.
Under Jang Baek-San’s control, the Association made no response. And the government remained passive thanks to Shinra Hyeon’s assuaging... Well, the government likely had its own thoughts. He was only a National Treasure candidate, but he had the Thunder Emperor behind him. Short of genuine treason, the government was unlikely to assume a hostile stance.
Jae-Hyeok couldn’t help but sigh, feeling both satisfied and sad.
This is the power of authority: to do what I want without anyone questioning it... It’s only natural that so many people lose their principles after reaching a seat of power.
Will I also be like that someday?
Jae-Hyeok knew his father’s “Yaksha” moniker carried a negative meaning. He couldn’t help but wonder: Was his father’s personality really like a demon’s from the beginning? Or had his father become more violent as his power grew?
No, looking at Kang Dae-Seong, he might’ve been like that from the beginning.
A slight smile spread on Jae-Hyeok’s face as he was reminded of Kang Dae-Seong’s personality. His father and Kang Dae-Seong might seem like ghosts or monsters to some, but as aristocrats and family members, they were wonderful people. Jae-Hyeok couldn’t hate them.
Indeed, although Jae-Hyeok blamed Kang Dae-Seong for his rash actions eight years ago and was still fuming at how days ago, Kang Dae-Seong had left without visiting their father, Jae-Hyeok couldn’t bring himself to resent him—at least, not anymore.
Having spoken with Shinra Hyeon and Seol Su-Ah, Jae-Hyeok had come to understand the feelings of those who’d turned their backs on the Kang family, so how could he ignore the feelings of own family?
Kang Dae-Seong had made many mistakes back then, but Jae-Hyeok could understand his heart. He knew the pain, anger, and desperation Kang Dae-Seong must’ve felt at the time. And he knew Kang Dae-Seong meant well—even if he had ended up creating a disaster.
Kang Hyeon-Ah was no different.
She had also kicked up a disaster back then, but where once Jae-Hyeok felt anger, now he could only shake his head and sigh when he recalled his eldest sister’s cheery smile.
Family was family, after all. If he didn’t help her, who would?
Besides, Elder Sister devoted herself to the military for years. Even if I don’t know all the details, I know she doesn’t deserve to be stepped on and robbed of her techniques by a bunch of crusty generals...
Before Jae-Hyeok could brood further, the arcane limousine reached the end of the road lined with redwood conifers, stopping just before a tollgate, on which a sign read: “No access for unauthorized vehicles.”
Despite there being a connected booth to the side, it was vacant. It seemed there was no way forward. The driver said, “Sir, we’ve arrived at the Icheon Site. What should we do?”
Jae-Hyeok took his eyes off the sign, turning from the window to the driver. He calmly ordered, “Go right through.”
The driver hesitated briefly before stepping on the pedal. With a grinding sound, the limousine bent aside the thin arm of the tollgate and past right through—only to crash through a set of barricades that rose from the ground.
Despite the loud noise, neither Jae-yeok nor the driver felt the impact, and the arcane limousine, which sported the Kang family emblem, had not a scratch on it.
In fact, the vehicle had been a gift from the Shinra family to commemorate their alliance—not only was the limousine an arcane vehicle, but it was a state-of-the-art and top-of-the-line model.
After a short drive, the military prison came into view. But Jae-Hyeok frowned when he saw the heavy, glinting barricades rising from the ground at the end of the road.
Arcane barricades. These bastards are quite blatant.
Frowning, Jae-Hyeok instructed the driver to slow down. He stepped out of the car just as several military vehicles screeched to a stop fifty feet behind the barricade.
“Hey, you drive an expensive car. I thought the Kang family had no more money left?”
An officer got out of the car and whistled.
Jae-Hyeok asked, “Are you blocking visitors without any verification procedures?”
“Do you think I can’t recognize the face of the country’s National Treasure candidate? What type of procedures are needed for someone who is clearly here to visit Kang Hyeon-Ah?”
The office lit a cigarette and inhaled a deep cloud of smoke.
“We can’t allow a visit to a person who committed the treasonous crime of plotting to overthrow the country. Turn back now. By the way, where did you get the money for that car? I heard there was a bloodbath at the Association. Did you rob the place or something?”
“I’m a National Treasure candidate. I have the right to meet any prisoner.”
“Hah.” The officer wearing dark sunglasses looked Jae-Hyeok up and down before laughing. “And what’s so great about a candidate who isn’t even a National Treasure? If you want to be treated as a superior, join the military and get promoted faster than me. However, that’s probably impossible if you are as stupid as your sister.”
“You would mock my status as a National Treasure candidate? Don’t you know? That’s like mocking the country.
Tsk-tsk,
isn’t that plausible intent? Don’t tell me you’re intentionally blocking me because you look down on your country? Could it be... you’ve colluded with outside forces?” Jae-Hyeok let out a big sigh. “I suppose it can’t be helped. As a servant of the country, I’m obligated to punish traitors and investigate on behalf of the Korean government's interests.”
Jae-Hyeok placed his hand on the heavy, metal barrier blocking the road.
“What nonsense—”
The officer was scoffing, only for his eyes widened when the barrier before Jae-Hyeok flew down the road like a cannonball.
The officer dove to the ground. The barrier screamed through the air, passing the officer overhead before punching into his jeep with a
boom!
The vehicle went up in a fireball, and debris pinged dangerously close to the officer’s head.
Am I seeing this? He actually uprooted an arcane barricade?
After the National Treasure candidate examination, a team of military experts had thoroughly analyzed Jae-Hyeok’s combat recording, producing an estimate of his stats with a relative error of less than one percent.
However, the strength Jae-Hyeok displayed now exceeded the military’s predictions. His Strength alone seemed incomparable to what Jae-Hyeok had shown during his candidate exam.
Was he hiding his power?
Before the officer could think further, his mind went blank as he watched Jae-Hyeok take three steps forward and place his hand on the next barricade.
“Lower them,” Jae-Hyeok commanded.
“T-that—”
“You don’t want to?”
Baaaaaang!
“Hiiiiiiik!”
The officer screamed.
He saw it clearly that time. Jae-Hyeok hadn’t wound up at all. With just a light flick of his wrist, the thick pillar that was the arcane barrier had flown down the street.
Baaaaang!
The second arcane barrier crushed a military vehicle into thin scrap metal, the soldiers within having barely dove out in time.
The road was shredded and littered with debris, while soldiers and officers were scrambling like headless chickens. If someone didn’t know better, they would’ve thought a gate had just appeared.
Jae-Hyeok’s gentle voice reached the soldiers’ ears.
“If this keeps up, not only will visitors be unable to enter, but staff won’t be able to get to work either. No. Maybe using a helicopter is the only method?”
“T-that would cost too much in fuel!” the officer shouted. Seeing Jae-Hyeok seriously scanning the prison’s rooftop for a helipad, rage and fear twisted the officer’s face into something unreadable. When Jae-Hyeok’s wandering gaze returned to him, the officer trembled, slipped his hand into his pocket, and pressed a button.
Beep.
Thump!
Thump!
The dozens of barricades blocking the road simultaneously retracted underground.
“L-let him through!”
Few groups were as inflexible as the military, but the officer’s superiors were also especially sensitive when it came to losing money.
I-in this situation, a tactical defeat is called for...
In any case, Jae-Hyeok had already ruined two state-of-the-art arcane road-barriers and partially destroyed the road. The officer knew he was in for a long reprimand.
Jae-Hyeok watched the officer’s pale expression with amusement and smiled.
“Thanks. However...”
Jae-Hyeok touched the sword at his waist, his hand blurred, and a column of red light raced down the road, leaving a smooth-edged ravine in its wake. What followed was a series of muffled explosions, as a dozen arcane barriers and the machinery that operated them all exploded.
The officer’s face turned blue. “Y-you...” His mouth repeatedly opened and closed, but he struggled to find the words. One, all-consuming thought filled his mind:
Fuck.
“You even insulted my sister. Naturally, there’s a price.”
With that, Jae-Hyeok turned on his heel, returned to his limousine, and carried on with the drive down the road.
Only once the limousine disappeared far behind did the officer breathe a sigh and plop down in relief. Days prior, Jae-Hyeok had not hesitated to kill the master of one of the five major guilds, the sword demons of the Association, and even Ji Cheon-Myeong himself. Despite his young appearance, this new National Treasure candidate was not soft.
I would’ve been killed if I crossed the line a bit further. Even so...
The officer clenched his fist and sneered.
Kang Jae-Hyeok, this time, you’re walking to your death.
Different from the Association, the military was larger, more systematic, and equipped with a diverse range of advanced weapons. And because it was an armed organization dedicated to national security, the military openly prioritized the adoption of the latest technologies for killing. Furthermore, as a branch of the government, the military’s influence was not directly tied to public sentiment, and it ran its own internal investigations.
This meant they could be more radical.
Baaaaang!
Baang!
Bang bang bang bang!
After the limousine smashed past the prison’s gate, a cacophony of exploding landmines and gunfire filled the air.
The officer smiled grimly
.
As expected, the military’s defense systems aren’t just for show.
***
How many years had passed? Kang Hyeon-Ah had long since given up on keeping track of the days. She belonged to the lineage of one of the three major ducal families of Korea, yet here she was, confined to a solitary cell that had no TV, no clock, no calendar, and not even a window. It was challenging to distinguish between day and night, let alone knowing the actual date.
The irregular meals only further disoriented her senses.
“Mealtime,” a guard announced as a food plate emerged through the slot in the thick iron door.
It was a bowl of soup with radish and minced meat floating on top.
“Can’t you give me some kimchi?” Kang Hyeon-Ah asked weakly.
Her voice was barely audible, too quiet to reach the guard beyond the iron door. Not that it mattered. She would have been ignored either way, just as she had been thousands of times before.
Still, she felt the guards had come at a decent time. Most of the time, they served the food when she was either extremely hungry or still full. Having received a meal just as her hunger set in, Kang Hyeon-Ah felt it could be considered a good day, or night—whichever it was.
Kang Hyeon-Ah chewed thoroughly until she detected a hint of sweetness in the bland soup, causing her to hum softly. Her expression froze then, before turning ugly.
“This is just like feeding pigs and dogs.”
Kang Hyeon-Ah set down her spoon.
I am the daughter of the Yaksha. I will never, never bow, never thank my enemies. And I will never forget the humiliation those bastards put my family through.
Standing up, she adjusted her breathing in the dim room that let in no light. There was only one thing Kang Hyeon-Ah could do here: practice the martial arts of the Kang family, which she had learned directly from her father, in order to remain connected to her identity.
From the corner of the cell, a thermal surveillance camera watched quietly.
***
“... She is getting rusty.”
Four stars—that was the rank of Cha Seung-Min, who’d personally visited Kang Hyeon-Ah’s cell. He was one of only nine such generals in the entire military.
“It’s not even worth watching her anymore.” Cha Seung-Min rose from his seat with a bitter expression and looked out the window, where a top-grade limousine was smashing through the front gate like a tank.
The defense system automatically activated.
“He’s the most reckless of the siblings.”
Cha Seung-Min clicked his tongue, but soon smiled.
Now that Kang Hyeon-Ah’s usefulness has run out, Kang Jae-Hyeok is the perfect replacement.
Now that he had mastered the Kang family’s martial arts, it was time for their sword-drawing techniques. Cha Seung-Min controlled his expression and issued an order to the prison warden, who was staring wide-eyed out the window.
“Go arrest him. There are fourteen charges... No, maybe up to twenty-one can be applied.”
“Yes!”
In no time, hundreds of military police, composed of the elites from each military department, poured into the front lot of the prison.