Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 776

“……”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, standing on the castle tower and silently surveying the imperial palace, seemed unapproachable.

“Heave-ho! Heave-ho!”

“There! Be careful behind you! The stones are falling!”

“You lot! Can’t you be quiet?! Have you forgotten this is where the Emperor resides!”

“Hah!”

Though it was the outer wall, quite a distance away, Yeon Ho-Jeong could hear every single voice of the workers.

Yeon Ho-Jeong closed his eyes.

Blocking one of his five senses made the other four much clearer.

The sensation of the wind brushing against his skin, the lingering smell of blood, the dry taste in his mouth that felt like nothing, and the voices of the workers.

Whoooosh.

The sky was high, and the wind was desolate.

Yeon Ho-Jeong stood there for a long time.

How much time had passed?

“You knew I was coming, yet you just stand there without a word?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong opened his eyes.

Slowly turning around, he saw Jeagal Ayeon climbing up the tower.

“You’ve come.”

“Yeah.”

Jeagal Ayeon made a sound like an old man with aching knees as she climbed up.

Sitting on a thick stone chair, she frowned.

“The weather in the north is definitely chilly. Even the stones are freezing.”

“I suppose so.”

Jeagal Ayeon looked up at Yeon Ho-Jeong.

He was still looking towards the outer wall with his hands behind his back.

Jeagal Ayeon, gazing at him, spoke in a deliberately cheerful voice.

“Time really flies, doesn’t it?”

“Indeed, it does.”

“It’s already been more than ten days, right?”

“It’s exactly fifteen days today.”

“Oh, really? I’ve been so out of it.”

Pointless small talk passed between them.

Jeagal Ayeon, looking at Yeon Ho-Jeong again, sighed.

“Are you feeling okay?”

“Hmm?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled and raised his arm.

“I’m almost fully recovered.”

“I heard you were hit pretty badly. You’re as tough as ever.”

“I’ve been beaten so much that I recover quickly.”

“You’re funny. Is a human body really made of iron? It breaks and shatters when you hit it, it doesn’t get stronger.”

“Then I guess my body isn’t ordinary.”

Jeagal Ayeon laughed.

Yeon Ho-Jeong didn’t laugh. He still had a calm expression as he stared south.

Jeagal Ayeon scratched her head.

“So, um…”

“Wash it.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t scratch your head, wash it. It’s all greasy.”

Jeagal Ayeon flared up and stood up.

“I wash it almost every day!”

“You wash it every day, but you’re always scratching it.”

“Ugh, you jerk. You should wash! You smell like sweat!”

“It’s the smell of medicine.”

He always had to have the last word.

Jeagal Ayeon, grumbling, sat down and cleared her throat.

“Are you okay?”

“About what?”

“Well… your body, or anything else.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“If you have something to say, say it clearly. It’s unlike you to beat around the bush.”

“Beat around the bush? I’m a very sensitive person.”

“I’m fine.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong rested his arms on the railing.

He seemed to be feeling unsettled as well. His usually indifferent face looked a bit weary.

“Why wouldn’t I be okay? The fight is over, I’m resting well, every meal is a feast, the bedding is all top-quality silk…”

“……”

“And most importantly, my father is okay.”

Yeon Wi’s condition was far from okay.

But Jeagal Ayeon could understand Yeon Ho-Jeong’s feelings.

‘Yes, just the fact that he survived.’

Although he was consumed by madness and failed to properly realize even a single aspect of the Supreme Enlightenment [a state of profound understanding and mastery in martial arts], Gwak Jun’s charge was incredibly threatening.

Especially the Blood Demon Armor, a magical armor that always protected his body, was a problem. Yeon Ho-Jeong and Gok Gyeong’s attacks could inflict damage because each blow contained extreme destructive power, but the Blood Demon Armor was so tough that it could withstand being hit by falling rocks.

To have stopped someone charging at such speed while wearing such a tough magical armor, it was a miracle he was still alive.

Jeagal Ayeon was also worried about Yeon Wi. But no matter how deep her worries were, they couldn’t compare to Yeon Ho-Jeong’s.

“I just visited the Clan Leader again.”

“He’s still unconscious, right?”

“Yeah.”

“It’s not a minor injury, so it’s only natural.”

“His Majesty the Emperor has assigned royal physicians to him. He’s severely injured, but his recovery is very fast. His breathing is much more comfortable than it was just the day before yesterday.”

“I know.”

Jeagal Ayeon’s eyes widened.

“You knew?”

“Of course, how could I not know my father’s condition?”

“I thought you were always outside helping the workers and doing other things, so you didn’t visit him often.”

Of course, Jeagal Ayeon didn’t think Yeon Ho-Jeong was neglecting his father because he was unfilial.

It was normal to stay by his side and care for him if his father was bedridden, even if it was painful. But she thought that the prideful Yeon Ho-Jeong would be agonizing over the fact that his father had stepped forward because of him.

But it seemed that wasn’t the case.

Yeon Ho-Jeong snorted.

“I’m always taking naps next to my father. I come to my room when the royal physicians arrive in the early morning.”

“Oh?”

Jeagal Ayeon giggled.

“Why? You didn’t want to be misunderstood as unfilial? You’re being unnecessarily detailed, aren’t you?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong sighed.

“I don’t want to be misunderstood anymore. In many ways.”

Jeagal Ayeon unconsciously stopped smiling.

‘Misunderstood.’

Looking back at the situation, it wasn’t exactly a misunderstanding.

Yeon Wi had always acknowledged Yeon Ho-Jeong’s strength. And he was always proud that his son had grown into a figure recognized by the world. At least, that’s how it seemed to Jeagal Ayeon.

But he was also very worried. The world knew about his terrifying martial arts skills, so he didn’t think he would be defeated anywhere, but what Yeon Wi was really worried about was Yeon Ho-Jeong’s personality.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was the type to pay back everything he suffered.

Especially when dealing with enemies, he showed no mercy. In other words, he had an unnecessarily intense bloodlust.

‘The Clan Leader was always worried about Ho-Jeong’s bloodlust.’

In fact, Jeagal Ayeon had experienced Yeon Ho-Jeong’s bloodlust several times.

She had never seen the extreme of his bloodlust, but even a part of it was enough for her to understand Yeon Wi’s feelings. If her own child, her own flesh and blood, was traveling the world with such a temper, no parent would be without worry.

‘Of course, that temper is always directed at enemies, so nothing to worry about will happen.’

Still, you never know what might happen. It might seem pointless, but those pointless worries are what parents feel.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s words about being tired of misunderstandings meant that he understood his father’s feelings, but he felt bad that his father seemed to have stepped forward because he was afraid his son would go berserk.

Feeling embarrassed, she cleared her throat.

“He probably didn’t think that far.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled bitterly.

“Whatever he thinks, it’s enough that he’s safe.”

“Yes, that’s what’s important.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Jeagal Ayeon.

“Why?”

“Hey.”

“Why, hey.”

“I’m fine, so don’t worry about me and do what you need to do.”

Jeagal Ayeon frowned.

“Is that what someone who’s fine does, coming here every day to just soak up the wind like an old man?”

“The wind is nice. It’s good for clearing my head.”

“Ugh, you’d rather die than be sick. You shouldn’t be here, you should come down and help with the work.”

“Is there any work left?”

“There is.”

“The casualties have all been taken care of, and all that’s left is for the workers to build the castle, right?”

“I need someone to talk to.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong scrunched up his face and waved his hand.

“I’m not going far. Go away.”

“You’re always so rude.”

Jeagal Ayeon chuckled and turned around.

But only for a moment.

“Hey, Great Hero Yeon Ho-Jeong.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Jeagal Ayeon with a face that looked like he was about to throw up.

“What’s with that creepy title?”

Jeagal Ayeon grinned.

“Congratulations on reaching the Saintly Heaven [a high level of martial arts mastery].”

“……Forget it. It’s not a big deal.”

“You say such terrifying things so easily.”

“It’s much more terrifying to be swayed by the titles people give you. Well, I’ll gratefully accept the congratulations.”

“Tell me some heroic tales later.”

“It’s a boring story.”

“Then, look at my martial arts.”

“I’ll make time for that.”

Jeagal Ayeon smiled and turned around.

The conversation was too simple for the content, but in fact, Jeagal Ayeon was so shocked when she heard that Yeon Ho-Jeong had reached the Saintly Heaven that her heart almost jumped out of her chest.

Becoming a supreme master and reaching the Supreme Enlightenment were worlds apart. If the Supreme Enlightenment was possible with just talent and effort, hundreds of people would have already broken through it.

Yeon Ho-Jeong broke that common sense and reached the Saintly Heaven before he was even thirty.

Jeagal Ayeon sighed inwardly.

‘You’re really moving too fast, you.’

In many ways, Yeon Ho-Jeong was a very fast person.

She sincerely congratulated Yeon Ho-Jeong on what he had achieved. However, she only hoped that Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was so fast in everything, wouldn’t collapse from exhaustion in the future.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face, now alone, turned indifferent again.

‘Thank you.’

To be honest, he had felt a bit lonely. His heart had been heavy for no reason.

But thanks to Jeagal Ayeon, he felt quite relieved. This was why conversation was important for people.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, chuckling, suddenly thought of Yeon Wi.

‘…….’

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s face hardened again.

‘Father.’

He didn’t think it was bad that Yeon Wi was worried about him.

It was natural for parents to worry about their children. It was ridiculous to say whether it was good or bad. It would be nice if he could live a little more comfortably, but he knew that worry couldn’t be stopped, so he didn’t pay much attention to it.

What Yeon Ho-Jeong was really concerned about was the lightning strike sword his father had shown at the end.

‘You called it the Absolute Three Swords.’

It was hard to name, but he was proud of the enlightenment he had achieved, so he roughly called the three sword techniques the Absolute Three Swords.

He didn’t know how many of them he had completed. He had heard from Tang Gwan that he had roughly grasped the framework, but he couldn’t know for sure since he hadn’t seen it properly.

But Yeon Ho-Jeong had seen one of the Absolute Three Swords at that time.

The sight of the lightning-like sword energy pouring out from his father’s long sword when he collided head-on with the crazed Gwak Jun, completely shattering Gwak Jun’s body.

To be precise, it was closer to shattering Gwak Jun’s soul. It had completely destroyed the vessel of magic that made up his body.

To Yeon Ho-Jeong, whose upper dantian [an energy center in the body] was extremely developed, it looked as if Gwak Jun’s very existence had been annihilated.

A trickle of cold sweat ran down Yeon Ho-Jeong’s ear.

‘It’s dangerous.’

The external injuries his father had suffered were because of Gwak Jun.

But the reason his father’s insides were so severely twisted and injured was because of that absolute sword.

‘It’s too dangerous a martial art for my father. No, it’s a martial art that even a master who has reached the Supreme Enlightenment would have difficulty using easily.’

Agitation flickered in Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes.

It was a look mixed with worry and surprise, joy and sadness.

‘The Heart Sword Realm, how much have you suffered to reach that point?’

He hoped his father wouldn’t use the Heart Sword again. Yeon Ho-Jeong truly wished for that.

And he realized that worry didn’t disappear just because you decided not to worry.

Even if his father told him not to worry, he would worry. It was not easy to shake off worry with willpower alone.

Yeon Ho-Jeong sighed deeply.

“Whatever it is, I’m an unfilial son, an unfilial son.”

At that moment, Jeagal Ayeon shouted from below.

“Ho-Jeong! Ho-Jeong! Hey! Great Hero Yeon Ho-Jeong!”

Yeon Ho-Jeong involuntarily yelled.

“Don’t call me that, you jerk!”

“Come down quickly! There’s a message from the imperial court!”

“……Huh?”

Jeagal Ayeon’s voice was extremely urgent.

“H-His Majesty the Emperor wants to see you?!”