Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 970

With the Guanglong Staff planted beside him, Yeon Ho-Jeong sat in a meditative pose, exuding an aura of dignity that made him difficult to approach.

There was a strange sense of comfort within his dignity. Though it wasn’t easy to strike up a conversation, his presence didn’t make those around him feel uneasy.

“Something…”

Looking at Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was seated beneath a large tree, Oh Gu-mun muttered to himself.

“Something feels different than before.”

He was the disciple whom the peerless master Jongri Baek had chosen and nurtured, setting aside countless other talents. Oh Gu-mun’s own skill was remarkable, but his senses were exceptionally keen.

Oh Gu-mun glanced at Dang Sang-ah.

Dang Sang-ah was whittling a branch with a small dagger.

“Miss Dang.”

“Yes.”

Dang Sang-ah didn’t turn to look at Oh Gu-mun. Yet, it didn’t seem disrespectful. They had grown close through many battles.

“How long have you known Young Master Yeon?”

“A few years. Why?”

“Have you received any teachings from Young Master Yeon?”

The corners of Dang Sang-ah’s lips curved upward.

“I’ve learned more about the wisdom of life and attitude than martial arts.”

“He’s still young.”

“He has a bright future ahead, but having lived this long, I’ve learned that age isn’t everything.”

“Well, that’s true.”

“Why? Do you want to talk to the Young Master?”

Oh Gu-mun clicked his tongue.

“He’s a master who has reached the same level as my teacher. There must be something special about him, but I don’t have the familiarity to easily approach him.”

Dang Sang-ah, having put down the dagger she was using to carve the branch, looked at Oh Gu-mun.

The side profile of Oh Gu-mun, as he looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong, was tinged with clear admiration.

‘This person is truly amazing.’

Having the best martial artist in the Central Plains as his teacher, it wouldn’t be strange if he were filled with pride as the strongest of the younger generation.

Yet, despite seeing a stronger person of similar age, he doesn’t feel jealousy. Instead, he’s wondering if he could learn something by talking to him.

Dang Sang-ah was impressed because she knew it was genuine. If there were more people like him in the brutal martial world, she thought, at least 70% of the local conflicts caused by pride would decrease.

“Go…”

Dang Sang-ah, who was about to speak, closed her mouth.

She was about to tell him to just go and talk, but on second thought, she knew Oh Gu-mun was aware of that.

Dang Sang-ah’s gaze turned to Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, sitting in a meditative pose with his eyes half-open, looked like a stone Buddha carved from rock.

‘He feels somewhat unfamiliar.’

They had even carried out a mission together, infiltrating as spies of the Black Dragon Unit. She hadn’t done much, but that one mission alone had created a strong bond and sense of camaraderie between them.

The Yeon Ho-Jeong of that time, and the Yeon Ho-Jeong she had heard rumors about, were the same. Yeon Ho-Jeong was always Yeon Ho-Jeong.

But now?

‘Is it because he’s been named a Saint of Heaven? He’s not the type to be burdened or swayed by such a title.’

She hadn’t said it, but when she first heard that Yeon Ho-Jeong had ascended to the Saint of Heaven, she was shocked. She couldn’t imagine that someone of a similar age could reach such a level.

Since someone she was quite close to had soared to such a distant place, she felt a sense of awkwardness. Dang Sang-ah smiled wryly and resumed carving the branch.

It was then.

Moyong Woo, who had been standing at the edge of the cliff, observing the enemy’s movements, walked towards Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Those who had been subtly paying attention to Yeon Ho-Jeong were surprised and looked at Moyong Woo. They all felt like he was someone they shouldn’t disturb.

Of course, no one dared to raise their voice to stop Moyong Woo.

“Hup.”

As if he were arriving at a familiar place, Moyong Woo plopped down next to Yeon Ho-Jeong, leaning back on his arms. It was a comfortable posture.

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s half-opened eyes returned to their normal state.

Moyong Woo said calmly.

“Is your condition okay?”

Even if he didn’t know the details, he knew that something was different from usual.

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled and said.

“Honestly, I’m not completely okay, but I’m not bad either.”

“That’s enough.”

Moyong Woo didn’t ask what had happened.

Instead, he blurted out these words.

“There are more people who care about you than you think.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong chuckled.

“I didn’t used to care, but I’ve been feeling it a lot lately. I’m just grateful.”

“It’s okay to feel grateful, but you don’t need to put yourself in a corner because of the worries and expectations of others.”

“Of course, I won’t. I’m actually doing that. I’m naturally a bit of a jerk, aren’t I?”

“Haha.”

“You don’t deny it.”

“…”

Moyong Woo, after clearing his throat, continued calmly.

“My brother has contacted me a few times.”

The brother he was referring to was Moyong Gun.

“Did something happen?”

“No, he said nothing happened. He said he’s having a hard time, but he’s managing well, so I was relieved.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes widened slightly.

“Was it just a check-in?”

“Yes. It was just a check-in.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong was genuinely surprised. He hadn’t imagined that Moyong Gun would send a letter to Moyong Woo simply to check in.

He had only heard that Moyong Gun had changed greatly, but he had never seen it for himself, so it was difficult for him to grasp the extent of Moyong Gun’s transformation.

“People can change this much.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong didn’t speak indirectly just because he was in front of a fellow Moyong. Rather, he knew that if he spoke that way out of consideration, Moyong Woo would feel uncomfortable.

Moyong Woo laughed heartily.

“I know, right? To be honest, at first… I was nervous too. I thought he wanted something from me or had something to ask me to do.”

“If my brother says that, I have nothing to say.”

“But it seems genuine. The first few letters in the letter were slightly trembling. I could tell what kind of heart he had when he wrote it without even looking.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong imagined it. Moyong Gun writing the letter.

He probably hesitated several times, writing the letter with a brush that couldn’t shake off the awkwardness. Then, he would gradually become more accustomed to it, and the unnecessary force would leave his handwriting.

‘People really do change this much.’

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been thinking about Moyong Gun, felt a brief pang of bitterness.

‘I did wish for you to make that choice.’

To be precise, he had hoped that they could join hands and use that wonderful ability to break down the Three Teachings [Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism].

Of course, he was still working towards confronting the Three Teachings in the long run. But if he were with someone like Moyong Gun, the movements of the Martial Alliance would be much sharper.

‘Well, that’s why I could trust him.’

Even if he had changed his mind, he would have been suspicious if he had remained in the Martial Alliance until the end.

But Moyong Gun chose to leave.

In a way, it was a natural choice. He may have wanted to start anew, but as someone who regretted his past, it would have been difficult for him to work in the Martial Alliance due to his pride.

“The last letter also said this. That he would go to the Martial Alliance in a month.”

“… !”

“If you don’t have anything else to do, how about we return to the Alliance together after this battle?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“Yes, I will.”

“Good, you’ve thought well. Ah!”

Moyong Woo’s face, who had remembered something, instantly became serious.

“Did you hear about what happened at the Imperial Palace?”

“I did.”

“That Lord Yeon, Lord Peng, and the Black Dragon Unit Leader went there too?”

“Yes.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s voice was calmer than expected.

Moyong Woo asked without hesitation, unlike Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was weighing things.

“Aren’t you worried about your father?”

“As a son, of course, I’m worried. But…”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked up at the sky.

“Worrying about the warrior Yeon-wi is an insult to him.”

* * *

How long had they walked?

Yeon-wi, who had been heading to his quarters in silence, opened his mouth.

“How is it?”

Yahareuk looked at Yeon-wi.

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a very fortunate thing for us, but as a member of the Cult’s leadership, I think the Cult Leader’s decision could be quite confusing.”

Yahareuk’s eyes deepened.

“It’s not the Cult Leader, it’s the Cult Lord.”

“My apologies. I will call him that.”

Yahareuk looked forward again.

How much time had passed?

“We simply follow.”

“The Cult Lord?”

“That’s right.”

“I see.”

They would follow the word of God.

He didn’t feel the fanaticism that people often talked about. There were many people in the Central Plains who absolutely trusted their leader.

“This is a bit of a sensitive question, but may I ask?”

“…”

“What kind of person is the Young Cult Lord?”

Yahareuk flinched without realizing it. He hadn’t expected Yeon-wi to suddenly ask about the Young Cult Lord.

He looked at him, wondering if this guy knew something.

“No matter how well parents raise their children, parents are the ones who know the least about their children’s true feelings. However, I don’t know how the Cult Lord raised his son, but if he had such ambition, it would have been quite obvious.”

“…”

“Having met the Cult Lord, whom I had only heard rumors about, I can see that he is a master that I cannot even dare to face. Of course, he would be stronger than the Young Cult Lord. Even if he doesn’t know his son’s true feelings, he should be able to see through a warrior’s heart. Before going into seclusion, didn’t he take any measures regarding him?”

Yahareuk’s eyes turned cold.

“As you said, that’s a sensitive topic.”

“I apologize if it was too sensitive to answer. Either way, I thought we could have this kind of conversation if you were going to live here with the Cult Lord.”

“We simply follow. That doesn’t mean we have any intention of forming friendships with the people of this continent.”

“That’s a bit unfortunate.”

“Also, even if I wanted to answer that question, I couldn’t. It’s forbidden to reveal anything about the bloodline of the Divine to outsiders, and I don’t know much about it anyway.”

“I’ve troubled you with unnecessary words. I apologize.”

Yahareuk took a slight deep breath. He had become agitated without realizing it when the topic of the Divine’s bloodline came up.

They continued to move in silence again.

“We’re there.”

Yeon-wi pointed to the east of the Second Palace.

“We’re almost there. It may not be a place for loud laughter and chatter, as it’s the Imperial Palace, but let’s have a simple drink and ease the tension between us.”

There was no response from Yahareuk.

Yeon-wi smiled and nodded to the guards. The guards bowed briefly and disappeared. They were saying they would leave since they had arrived.

As the guards disappeared.

“It’s strange.”

Yeon-wi said, looking at the backs of the guards walking away in the distance.

“We simply follow… the Guardian God said so.”

Yahareuk frowned.

“Is there a problem?”

“I don’t know if it’s a problem, but there’s something strange.”

“What’s strange?”

“Normally, anyone, or even me, with this level of loyalty would have mentioned the Cult Lord directly.”

“…?”

“We simply follow the Cult Lord, I believe in and follow the Cult Lord… wouldn’t that be the normal way to say it?”

“… !”

Yahareuk’s face instantly hardened.

Yeon-wi turned to look at Yahareuk. Because he was facing the moonlight, Yahareuk’s face was not visible, only his piercing eyes.

“Who are you following? What do you want?”

“…”

“Are you following the Divine Cult Lord, or the Young Cult Lord?”

“…”

“Is the object of your devotion a person? Or is it an indescribable will?”