Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 982

Fifteen days had passed.

The troops that had gone to Shanxi were now approaching the vicinity of Dabie Mountain in Henan.

Despite their victory in battle, the warriors’ faces were etched with fatigue, a testament to their arduous journey.

Tang Sang-ah glanced at the warriors and remarked,

“You all seem very tired.”

“It was no ordinary fight.”

Even experienced martial artists were not immune to fatigue. In fact, they often suffered more mentally.

This was because, while one could become accustomed to fighting, it was difficult to become accustomed to killing. If one became accustomed to killing, they would become a demon. Those who could overcome the burden of killing with their mental strength could survive another day in the martial world.

“Even if they fight with conviction as members of the unit, people are bound to get tired when they are moving under someone else’s orders. It is the fate of a martial artist to overcome that, and it is the responsibility of the superior to lead them so that they can overcome it well.”

Namgoong Pyo shook his head.

“I don’t think so.”

“Everyone has different thoughts. I don’t want to force my thoughts on you either.”

With that said, there was nothing more to say.

Pang Dae-ho subtly asked,

“What do you think, Brother Namgoong?”

Namgoong Pyo’s performance in this battle was remarkable.

It was not because he had killed many enemy soldiers, but because he had protected his allies so well. Not just anyone could do that.

Moreover, a person with that level of mental strength would have their own clear views and beliefs.

Namgoong Pyo said,

“My focus is not on the unit commander, nor anyone else, but myself. Even if I feel tired from being swept up in the situation, it is up to me to overcome it.”

“Hmm.”

“If I collapse because the situation is not good, it’s over. It would be welcome if someone helped, but in the end, if I can’t get up properly, help is useless.”

Though they seemed different, their words were similar when examined closely.

If it weren’t for his grandfather Namgoong Seung’s teachings, Namgoong Pyo would not have been able to escape his former frivolous and jealous self.

Thinking about it, Moyong Woo was right. Even a small amount of help could guide someone who was about to go astray onto the right path.

However, even if one received help, they would only circle in place if they did not realize it themselves. In the end, what was important was oneself, so in that sense, Namgoong Pyo’s words were also correct.

Namgoong Pyo would be the one who felt his own change the most. His words were based on his own realization.

“Beliefs can always be shaken.”

Jeagal Jun said calmly.

“Whether you receive help or get up on your own, isn’t it enough that you can live? Before enlightenment, you must live to have a chance to fix something. I am afraid of dying before I can grow more.”

It was a very Jeagal Jun-like statement.

Throughout their journey from Shanxi to here, they had such conversations. They exchanged opinions, throwing out topics that did not have a set answer, nor needed one.

It seemed leisurely at first glance, but it was actually a very important conversation. The unit members who listened to their conversations also momentarily forgot their hardships and reflected on the cause and life.

Wouldn’t such conversations, piled up one by one, create great people and a great world in the future?

Yeon Ho-jeong thought as he listened to their conversation.

‘It’s harmony.’

Namgoong Pyo, whom he had been worried about, was also able to accept others’ words well, though his expressions and personality were somewhat sharp.

Growth gained momentum at such times. As they returned from their mission, they had grown another step.

Yeon Ho-jeong was satisfied with that alone. He felt good just watching the people who would become the pillars of the martial world develop quickly, deeply, and correctly.

“What about you, Brother?”

Yeon Ho-jeong tilted his head at Jeagal Jun’s sudden question.

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“What about me?”

“Well, since your martial arts are so different from ours, there’s not much to ask about that. What I’m curious about is how you didn’t lose yourself even while fighting so many battles.”

Everyone looked at Yeon Ho-jeong with interest.

Yeon Ho-jeong stated firmly,

“I lost myself a lot.”

“Huh?”

“I lost myself several times, and I came back to life several times. And the me that came back to life was clearly different from the me before I lost myself.”

“……!”

“Even if it looks the same, the way I see things and the way my mind works changes. That’s how I was. I kept changing.”

“You don’t seem like that at all.”

“Even a sword in its sheath will rust inside after ten years, even if it looks fine on the outside.”

“……”

“The change in people is the same. What you see on the outside is not everything. If your thoughts are different even if your words and actions are the same, then you have changed.”

“……I see.”

“However, there is no need for others to understand it. It is enough if I know myself.”

“……”

“How you overcome frustration and fear is not the issue. Overcoming them is natural. What’s important is not overcoming them, but how the me after overcoming them has changed.”

He was thinking beyond another dimension.

Their worries were just the starting point for Yeon Ho-jeong. For Yeon Ho-jeong, what was important was how to control the changed self, and how to prove the current self with the changed views.

However, it was not that Yeon Ho-jeong was superior to them. It was just a matter of which part he was focusing on more.

However, if such thoughts had supported Yeon Ho-jeong’s life, it would have certainly had a significant impact on his martial arts growth.

People pondered over Yeon Ho-jeong’s words.

Yeon Ho-jeong smiled wryly.

“It’s nothing special, so don’t worry about it. Rather, you all look much more amazing to me.”

Jeagal Jun chuckled.

“Are you serious?”

“I am someone who doesn’t know harmony. I have achieved unintentional harmony, but I have mostly tried to induce coercive unity. That’s my weakness.”

“Hmm.”

“I like these kinds of conversations. However, it’s not about who is right, but how to accept different opinions and develop in my own way. Like a martial artist’s martial arts, like a scholar’s ideology.”

It was a statement that showed flexibility.

Moyong Woo, who had been glancing at those walking while lost in thought, approached Yeon Ho-jeong.

“Don’t you hate these cheesy conversations?”

“Do you admit that it’s a cheesy conversation?”

“It’s cheesy for you. We like it.”

“Then that’s fine.”

Moyong Woo smiled.

“You seem lighter. Than before the fight.”

“Is that so?”

Was it because he had let go of something?

Yeon Ho-jeong didn’t know. He didn’t think he needed to know.

However, as Moyong Woo said, he definitely felt better than before fighting Na Gak-roe.

“I feel like it’s been a long time.”

“What is?”

“Going to the Martial Alliance.”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes were scanning the various peaks of Dabie Mountain.

He couldn’t see it, but he could feel it. That there were many people inside.

The Martial Alliance, which boasted a scale like a small kingdom, was still full of vitality. At least, it was very different from the Shinma Forest, the Mukryong Clan, or the Imperial Palace.

“Come to think of it, it wasn’t that long ago that we left for Qinghai.”

“Are you happy? About going to the Martial Alliance.”

“I didn’t really think much about it before… but now I am.”

Yeon Ho-jeong smiled.

“In fact, isn’t the Martial Alliance a place of harmony? So many people are gathered and moving towards a single goal.”

“There are many who are not.”

“There are many greedy people. There are probably many who are plotting insidious schemes. But it’s fortunate that they are surrounded by such bright light that they can’t dare to raise their heads.”

“I see.”

“So, we must go even more. Because you never know what might happen.”

“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”

“I haven’t lived for hundreds of years, so I can’t be sure, but the current Martial Alliance is emitting a brighter and more energetic power than any Martial Alliance in the past.”

“Hmm.”

“But the void was too big.”

“Void?”

“So far, the Martial Alliance has done many things. They have blocked this and solved that, and they have dispatched warriors to unimaginable areas to somehow reconcile and suppress them.”

“That’s right.”

“We are who we are, but how many warriors have been lost and replenished in that process?”

“It’s hard to count them all. Fortunately, the martial artists of the world have a good view of the main alliance, so it’s a relief that there are so many applicants.”

“It’s a relief, but it’s also a dangerous moment.”

“Dangerous?”

“Spies.”

Moyong Woo’s eyes flashed with a murderous glint.

“Do you think there are spies operating in the Martial Alliance?”

“The void of manpower, the void of time. The Martial Alliance was a void itself. Even now, it’s like that. Two of the six units of the Martial Alliance’s elite forces have been to Shanxi.”

“Don’t other organizations do that too?”

“The problem is that the Martial Alliance has become the center of the martial world. It’s a welcome thing, but there’s no better feast for spies to run rampant.”

Moyong Woo’s face became serious.

“I heard that all the spies were caught before.”

“How could that be?”

“You mean they didn’t catch them all?”

“They caught all the ones they could see, and they just overwhelmed the ones that might have remained so that they couldn’t operate anymore.”

“……!”

“Spies are everywhere.”

“……Another word about spies.”

Yeon Ho-jeong nodded.

“It’s another spy. Unless the war ends, no, even if the surface war ends, spies will be everywhere.”

“Then, you knew all that and just stayed still?”

“Of course not. I told the Alliance Leader and the Military Advisor a long time ago. Of course, they knew it too.”

“I see.”

Moyong Woo sighed.

“We shouldn’t have just dealt with the ones we could see. It wouldn’t have been much help, but I should have considered that as well.”

“You are a great help, Brother. And you don’t have to blame yourself like that. It’s natural that you can’t easily think of an unfamiliar area.”

“No, I should have thought of it. I should have assumed it.”

Moyong Woo looked at Yeon Ho-jeong with calm eyes.

Calm, but at the same time, eyes that shone with determination.

“I’ve decided to run properly.”

“……!”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s eyes wavered.

He decided to run properly? What did that mean?

Since those words came from Moyong Woo, a candidate for the Alliance Leader, there could only be one meaning.

“Brother.”

“I thought it was a position I was forced into by you. And it was true.”

“……”

“But no matter who did it, I kept thinking about how I should move to do my best in my position, and how I should act to live my life.”

Yeon Ho-jeong’s face was filled with emotion.

Moyong Woo smiled.

“I will try to become the next Alliance Leader. If I can’t because I don’t have the ability, then there’s nothing I can do.”

“……”

“But right now, I’m very disappointed in myself. A guy who looks at high places couldn’t see the shadows while only looking at the sunny side.”

“It’s okay.”

Yeon Ho-jeong smiled back.

“You can learn as you go.”

“You’re already acting like you’ve become the Alliance Leader.”

“It can’t be helped if I don’t become one, but there’s no harm in learning, is there?”

“Hahaha! You’re right.”

It was a light conversation, but it was a conversation that Yeon Ho-jeong would never forget.

“But why didn’t you try to catch them before? I don’t understand that either.”

“Because it wasn’t a situation where we could catch them. But the time is slowly ripening.”

Yeon Ho-jeong looked up at the sky.

“Perhaps this incident will start a war.”