Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 990

Jeagal Ayeon looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong with surprised eyes.

Moyong Gun was also surprised, but soon nodded as if he had realized something.

Jeagal Mun-Ho smiled and asked,

“Why do you think so?”

“Clan Head Namgoong is a greedy man.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong took a sip of water to moisten his throat before continuing.

“I believe he has enough ability to claim to be the master of a province. He is skilled, comes from a prestigious family, and is even the head of that family. Even in terms of martial prowess alone, he is not lacking compared to the leaders of the Nine Great Sects or other Six Great Clans.”

“So?”

“That in itself, I think, is something that hurts Clan Head Namgoong’s pride.”

“Why is that?”

“Children with great fathers usually fall into one of two paths.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong thought of Tang Gwan.

And he thought of Yeon Wi.

“They are either swallowed by their father’s shadow, feeling inadequate no matter what they do, or they tear through that shadow and soar to a sky equal to or greater than their father’s.”

Yeon Wi was a great clan head.

He was strict and had a clear sense of reward and punishment. In some ways, he was frustratingly rigid, but the fact that he was the head of a traditional righteous martial family and a great swordsman did not change.

He was jealous of his younger brother’s talent and went astray, but in reality, the reason Yeon Ho-Jeong was ruined in his childhood was largely due to Yeon Wi’s shadow. Yeon Ji-Pyeong’s existence was just the starting point; the fundamental cause was the environment itself.

Yeon Ho-Jeong collapsed, and after his family fell, he came out into the world and was able to recover thanks to a master like a divine immortal.

What about Tang Gwan?

Because he was born with a vicious and strong nature, he did not collapse like Yeon Ho-Jeong, but rather fought against his father.

After winning every fight, he finally became the head of the Tang family, but apart from the position he achieved on his own and his confidence in his powerful martial arts, Tang Gwan was also an ordinary person who grew up broken.

However, after experiencing a series of events, his perspective on the world changed, and he looked back at himself. He finally reconciled with his father and grew greatly, finally opening the path to the Supreme [a legendary martial arts realm].

Then, what about Namgoong In?

“Clan Head Namgoong believed that his own talent was lacking, so he gave up on reaching a higher level. Instead, he entrusted his dreams to his children, who were born with greater talent than himself.”

“……”

“The important thing is not that Clan Head Namgoong gave up. It’s about Clan Head Namgoong’s situation itself. That situation is clearly revealing the direction of Clan Head Namgoong’s desires.”

“What do you mean by desires?”

“He wants to be the best.”

How many people in the current martial world want to be the best?

Namgoong In was also one of those people.

“The Namgoong family’s swordsmanship is unparalleled in the martial world. If we only look at swordsmanship, it is no exaggeration to say that they compete for the best in the world. And in fact, a Sword Saint appeared, and they were even called the best sword family in the world.”

“That’s right.”

“However, that reputation has gradually diminished during Namgoong In’s era. It started with the retirement of Sword Saint Senior Noh. In other words, the prestige of Sword Saint Senior Noh alone changed the perception of the martial artists in the world.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho nodded silently.

“Namgoong In, realizing that he could not be as good as his father, urged his children to walk that path. But did he do nothing himself? No, he is the clan head. There are not many people who can silently endure the changing opinions of the world under their rule.”

“So, Namgoong In’s desire is to elevate the Namgoong family’s reputation to the best in the world?”

“Whether it’s the best in the world or the best of all time, Namgoong In wants to be the best. It could be power, or it could be simple fame. He is a person obsessed with being the best.”

“But why is his desire important in this conversation?”

“Because there is a line in desire.”

“A line.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Moyong Gun.

“Why didn’t the Clan Head join hands with the Three Religions?”

He suddenly asked a sensitive and dangerous question.

Moyong Gun readily answered.

“I’d rather give up the position of Martial Alliance Leader than join hands with those bastards.”

“The Clan Head’s desires were immense.”

“They were so immense that my heart still races. When I saw Gong Gong, I almost lashed out without realizing it. Even though there is an unbridgeable gap now, I still desperately want to defeat him and take the leader’s position.”

Moyong Gun smiled bitterly and continued.

“Even though I know it’s not a position that can be obtained by force.”

“Even though it’s a position you want so much, why did you step down?”

“For a very obvious reason. If the Martial Alliance disappears, there will be no more opportunities to become the leader. Even if I become the leader…”

Moyong Gun’s eyes turned cold.

“The Central Plains [the heartland of China] is my home. I’d rather bite the sword and fall than see the Central Plains destroyed by joining hands with those bastards.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong turned his gaze to Jeagal Mun-Ho.

“This is it.”

“Do you think Clan Head Namgoong has a similar mindset?”

“I don’t know. However, if what made Clan Head Moyong not cross the final line was a stronger hatred, what makes Clan Head Namgoong not cross the final line is not emotion, but a person.”

Moyong Gun’s eyes deepened.

“Sword Saint Namgoong Seung.”

“That’s right.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong sighed.

“If Clan Head Tang had not gained enlightenment, he probably would have ignored Senior Noh, the Dark King, and handled things as he pleased. They fought so much that they even declared a severance of ties.”

“……”

“Clan Head Namgoong is different. He hates and is uncomfortable with Sword Saint Senior Noh, but at the same time, he respects him and loves him as a father. It’s literally a love-hate relationship, but the desire to be recognized is much greater than the hatred.”

Jeagal Mun-Ho did not ask how he knew that.

It was a fact that anyone who had ever watched Namgoong In, even if they were just keeping an eye on him, knew. At least, anyone who had analyzed the person himself would know.

“The desire to be the best, at the root of that desire was the struggle of a son who wanted to be recognized by his father…”

“Don’t you know that too, Military Advisor?”

Jeagal Mun-Ho nodded.

“I know that. However, it was just my own thought, so it was difficult to be sure. It’s not a good topic to discuss with others.”

He took a deep breath.

“That’s right. As you said, I saw Clan Head Namgoong as such a person. It’s not an exaggeration to say that Clan Head Namgoong is aiming for the best as much as anyone else, but that is just an expression of his desire for recognition, not a product of pure lust for power.”

In other words, it didn’t make sense that Namgoong In came to Jeagal Mun-Ho at an ungodly hour and made a bombshell declaration that he couldn’t associate with the Black Path and that if a meeting wasn’t held, he would leave the Martial Alliance with those who shared his views.

It wasn’t because Namgoong In knew what was right or knew the line. He was not a person who could even think that far. Not because he was stupid, but because it was something he had never even considered.

Join hands with the Three Religions?

The Bureau of Service had seen many people collapse while joining hands with the Three Religions. Rather, because they were not in the field, they were more likely to look down on the Three Religions. It was because they had been receiving victory reports all along.

If Namgoong In was in his right mind, he would not have joined hands with the Three Religions. Also, he would not have said that he wanted to dissolve the alliance with the Black Path.

Breaking the Black and White alliance was something that could put enormous political pressure on countless Bureau of Service members. It was not only absurd, but it was also a choice that Namgoong In, who desired to be the best, could not and should not make.

In the end, there was only one answer.

“Clan Head Namgoong is being threatened by a spy of the Three Religions, or by some kind of incident related to the Three Religions.”

That was Yeon Ho-Jeong’s conclusion.

His brain, which had immediately thought that far in a short moment, was truly frightening and reassuring.

Jeagal Mun-Ho nodded.

“What the Vice Leader says is right. I think so too.”

“It’s a serious problem. I thought the spies of the Three Religions would make a last-ditch effort.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Moyong Gun.

“Clan Head Moyong, who had been concerned about this point from before, even trained a special unit to catch spies. Everyone had expected that kind of thing.”

It wasn’t just those who hid and stole information who were spies. It was a general term for all people who caused all kinds of disturbances in the enemy’s organization, such as persuasion, threats, and ideological indoctrination.

The current martial world and the extraterritorial forces, led by the Three Religions, were in a state of extreme tension. It was no exaggeration to say that.

It wouldn’t be strange if a war broke out right away. It had been like that before, but now it could be said that they had reached a truly precarious situation.

In such a situation, the tactic that the Three Religions would choose as a last resort was obvious and could only be threatening.

That was the separation of the Martial Alliance.

The pinnacle of strategy and tactics is to fight after winning, and the next best thing is to fight after weakening the enemy.

Since fighting after winning had failed, they were trying to fight after weakening the enemy as much as possible.

Rather, because of that method, Yeon Ho-Jeong was able to understand the Three Religions’ intentions much better than others. In a way, it was because they moved so intelligently that it could be called exemplary.

“Then, the reason why the Military Advisor kept watching was…?”

“That’s right.”

A subtle anger arose in Jeagal Mun-Ho’s eyes.

He maintained his composure, but he couldn’t help but be angry at the situation itself.

“The day after Clan Head Namgoong came, I ordered the informants to pay more attention to the atmosphere within the Alliance. It didn’t take long. From the evening of the next day, complaints about the Black Path began to erupt at various drinking parties.”

It was impossible to stop it from the beginning. Things were happening everywhere without time to take action. Their movements were that fast.

“I thought about making a statement. I also thought about speaking in a roundabout way. But such a statement could be seen as trying to teach them a lesson to a public opinion that had already flared up. It would be different in normal times, but I couldn’t choose such a response right now.”

“I understand.”

“So I chose the middle path.”

The middle path.

It was an unusual word.

“I didn’t release people to make them fight by saying things like, ‘Have you forgotten the Three Religions?’ and raising awareness. Rather, I tried to resolve the situation by saying, ‘Let’s wait and see. We don’t know when the Three Religions will go wild, so let’s endure together until the last moment.'”

Yeon Ho-Jeong and Moyong Gun nodded.

It was an exemplary response.

If they tried to quell those who were burning by spreading opposing opinions, they would only burn even more.

Rather, a response like, ‘I understand you. But isn’t it unavoidable right now? Let’s wait a little longer,’ was much more flexible and stable.

“However, it’s just a stopgap measure.”

“I know that too. But there was no way to do it right now. It sounds like an excuse, but I didn’t have enough time even with twelve hours a day just to handle the affairs within the Alliance. I wanted to solve it as a top priority, but even after thinking about it, I couldn’t come up with a solution.”

At that moment, Jeagal Mun-Ho’s eyes turned cold.

“So I decided to overturn the board.”

“……?”

“Let’s wait for the fire to burn as much as it can. Let’s endure until the moment of explosion.”

His calm voice was filled with strong anger and frustration.

“The war is just around the corner anyway. I don’t think we should try to soothe public opinion with flexible responses anymore. We’ll all really die if we do that.”

“So what have you decided to do?”

“Three out of the forces that are currently in agreement with that atmosphere are sects that have made deals with me.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong and Moyong Gun’s eyes widened.

“Is it a preliminary operation?”

Crack.

The cup that Jeagal Mun-Ho was holding cracked.

“For the first and last time, I intend to rule them with fear.”