Bachelor Swordsmanship Remastered [EN]: Chapter 175

175. It Was Just a Coincidence, Perhaps

Amidst the sudden shock, noise, and acrid smoke, the bandits were unable to regain their composure.

“Kuaaaak!”

“S-Save me!”

“Uwaaaak! My eyes!”

The official road instantly descended into chaos.

The bandits, who had been holding shields and spears, dropped their weapons and scattered in all directions.

Some screamed, others prostrated themselves on the ground, and still others ran blindly despite their impaired vision. It was utter pandemonium.

Only the instinctive urge to escape this place at all costs dominated them.

“Hold! Hold your positions!”

Even unable to open his eyes, Chaeju shouted, his voice cracking.

But it was no use.

The solid wall of shields and the dense formation of long spears were gone.

And through the completely collapsed ranks, a large white carriage charged with terrifying speed.

Kwagwagwagwak.

Trampling over spear shafts and shields, the carriage passed through without hesitation.

To Chaeju, the sound was like a death sentence.

“I told you to stop it! Stop it now!”

However, no one moved.

Only the sounds of his subordinates, weeping and coughing, could be heard from all directions.

“If we lose them, we’re dead!”

Chaeju shouted desperately, but it was already too late.

Leaving Chaeju’s desperate cries behind, the white *bocha* [a type of carriage] was already disappearing into the distance.

“Wow.”

On the swaying carriage, the Twelfth Palace Lord opened her eyes wide and said.

“What was that just now? Was that a cannon?”

“It’s not a cannon.”

Lowering his body and grabbing the carriage roof with both hands, Jegeul Giho turned around and replied.

Not only had they safely broken through the bandit horde, but those who had been chasing them dared not pursue any further.

Having witnessed the tremendous explosion, they would not recklessly chase after them before assessing the situation.

In the meantime, the group would cross the border and head to Bukhae [Northern Sea, a region or state].

“It just emits a lot of loud noise and smoke. But if used properly, it can yield quite satisfactory results.”

Jegeul Giho replied with a triumphant expression.

The technology related to cannons was strictly controlled by the country, and anyone who leaked or used it without permission would face the destruction of their entire clan.

But a large firecracker was perfectly acceptable.

Especially for the Jegeul family.

Even this was amazing, and the Twelfth Palace Lord could not hide her surprise, her eyes shining.

“It’s amazing. It’s super amazing.”

“Haha, it’s nothing much. Ah, don’t rummage through my luggage. I told you, there’s nothing more.”

Seeing Jegeul Giho stopping the Twelfth Palace Lord, whose curiosity had been piqued, Unhyun smiled.

Unhyun, who was thinking that it was fortunate that they had broken through without any major mishaps, suddenly tilted his head.

“But where did all those bandits come from?”

It was strange to think that they had gathered because of the rumors about the white *bocha*.

When he thought about it, the appearance of the bandits came before the rumors.

However, no one answered Unhyun’s question.

While the Twelfth Palace Lord and Jegeul Giho were having a tug-of-war over the luggage, the large Bukhae carriage sped along the unobstructed official road at full speed.

***

The carriage arrived at a town near the border late in the evening.

Although it was not as famous as Sanhaegwan or Ongmungwan [border fortresses], it was a proper gateway city with a large gate standing guard.

The group unpacked their luggage at the largest inn there.

“Hoo-ah, I feel like I can finally breathe.”

Jegeul Giho put down his chopsticks and smiled contentedly.

The inn was large, and the food was satisfactory.

Perhaps that was why the inn was crowded with all sorts of people.

Soldiers guarding the border, merchants traveling to distant lands, and even suspicious-looking individuals were all present, but no one paid attention to each other.

“Wow, I ate a lot.”

Jegeul Giho frowned at the Twelfth Palace Lord’s exclamation.

“Excuse me, but this isn’t even a lot.”

It might not be for him, but looking at the pile of dishes in front of her, she had definitely eaten a lot.

“And great people have great stomachs, haha haha.”

It was meant as a joke, but the Twelfth Palace Lord tilted her head.

“Great? Great?”

She probably didn’t know the word.

As the atmosphere cooled, Jegeul Giho cleared his throat.

“Ahem, I apologize for my rudeness earlier.”

Jegeul Giho said, looking straight at the Little Palace Lord.

“I am Jegeul Giho, the chief envoy of the Murim Alliance [martial arts alliance] delegation. And this is Secretary Unhyun, the vice-envoy. Well, I suppose you already know that.”

Unhyun bowed his head in greeting.

“And this is the escort, Great Warrior Dokgo Lang. He is a very impressive person with the title of Solitary Guest.”

He said proudly, perhaps because they were in front of the Bukhae people.

The Little Palace Lord, the Twelfth Palace Lord, and even Bingseol and Binghon looked at Dokgo Lang.

But Dokgo Lang didn’t even offer a greeting.

He simply glanced at them once with his unique intense gaze, then slowly raised his teacup.

Jegeul Giho quickly tried to smooth things over.

“Ahem, then may I ask for your introductions?”

“I am the Little Palace Lord of the Ice Palace.”

The Little Palace Lord opened her mouth in a quiet voice.

“This is Binghon, my escort, Bingseol, who assists me, and my sister, the Twelfth Palace Lord.”

“Nice to meet you.”

Only the Twelfth Palace Lord smiled and waved her hand.

Jegeul Giho also smiled and replied.

“Haha, I see. Nice to meet you. By the way, may I ask what the Little Palace Lord’s honorable name is?”

‘*Bangmyeong*’ [beautiful name] meant ‘beautiful name.’

It was Jegeul Giho’s way of complimenting her, but the Little Palace Lord only smiled faintly and said nothing.

The Twelfth Palace Lord was the one who answered.

“We don’t give out our names in Bukhae.”

“Pardon?”

Jegeul Giho asked with a puzzled expression.

“What does that…”

“It means we don’t reveal our names.”

Unhyun quickly added.

He was about to explain in more detail, but Jegeul Giho nodded.

“Ah, I see. I’ve heard that some regions place special significance on names, so Bukhae must be one of those places.”

This time, Unhyun showed interest in those words.

“How do you know about that?”

“I’m just interested in a lot of things. I just overheard it somewhere. Haha.”

Jegeul Giho spoke as if it were nothing, but Unhyun knew that he was more knowledgeable than he appeared.

‘Indeed.’

It was easy to be mistaken because of his plump appearance, but Jegeul Giho’s movements were by no means clumsy.

Even though he always seemed to be smiling foolishly, his insight and observation skills were by no means ordinary.

Unhyun realized once again that he was a member of the Jegeul family.

“Well, that’s that, but about those bandits from earlier…”

Jegeul Giho said with a smiling face.

“What are they after? It can’t be your lives, and it’s not like you’re beauties or possess treasures. Ah, don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying you’re not beautiful, haha haha.”

Jegeul Giho spoke with a playful tone, but the Little Palace Lord’s eyes did not hide her surprise.

“Why did you think it wasn’t our lives?”

Jegeul Giho smiled.

“I wouldn’t expect those kinds of bandits to be able to kill you.”

Jegeul Giho said, tapping the table with his finger.

He was already assuming that there was someone else behind the bandits.

“The rumors about the white *bocha* only started after it was revealed that the bandits were targeting the carriage, so it’s not like they’re after beauties or treasures. And it doesn’t seem like they’re trying to prevent us from joining you…”

Shrugging his shoulders, Jegeul Giho said.

“Is their goal to stall you, perhaps?”

“Stall? Why? Do people here like ankles?”

The Twelfth Palace Lord opened her eyes wide and asked with a puzzled expression.

Jegeul Giho quickly explained.

“It means their goal is to hinder you and make you waste time.”

“Ah.”

Ignoring the Twelfth Palace Lord, who was muttering ‘ankle’ as if she had learned something new, Jegeul Giho looked straight at the Little Palace Lord.

“What’s going on in Bukhae? And who is hindering you?”

The Little Palace Lord smiled faintly.

“I don’t know the exact details yet either.”

Sarak.

The Little Palace Lord continued, touching her teacup.

“But it’s clear that we need to get to Bukhae as soon as possible. And perhaps, it may be difficult to pass through the border.”

Unhyun’s eyes widened.

“What does that mean?”

The Little Palace Lord turned her head and looked straight at Unhyun.

“It means they may have already bribed the officials here.”

“That can’t be. How could the officials who are paid by the country…”

“Scholar.”

A sneer hung on her red lips.

“You’re still so naive.”

Unhyun was momentarily puzzled.

He wondered when he had shown her such a naive side.

But there was no time to think about that.

“Well, the Little Palace Lord’s words are also correct.”

Jegeul Giho said, nodding his head.

“The soldiers and officials in the border regions are mostly not treated well. It’s far from the center, so supervision is lax. Well, it’s said that bribery is openly accepted.”

“That…”

“But don’t worry. I… Ah, did the Little Palace Lord also prepare something separately?”

Jegeul Giho asked as if he had suddenly remembered something.

The Little Palace Lord turned her head and looked at Bingseol.

Bingseol took out a small wooden box from her bosom.

Ttak.

Although it was smaller than the palm of her hand, Jegeul Giho’s expression changed as the wooden box opened.

A single multicolored jewel was placed on a red silk cloth.

But no sooner had the jewel revealed itself than it had to be put away again.

Ttak.

Jegeul Giho, who had already stood up, reached out and closed the wooden box.

Jegeul Giho smiled.

“You don’t want to see a sword fight break out here, do you?”

“Sword fights…”

The Little Palace Lord gestured to Bingseol.

“I’ve already seen plenty.”

Seuk.

The wooden box disappeared back into Bingseol’s bosom.

“How about that? Wouldn’t this be enough to change the gatekeeper’s mind?”

“Well, it is, but…”

Jegeul Giho said, sitting down.

“It would be perfect if there was just one more thing.”

“One more thing? You’re too greedy.”

The Twelfth Palace Lord frowned and said.

Unhyun was wondering where she had learned such a strange way of speaking when Jegeul Giho chuckled.

“That’s not what I mean. I mean it would be perfect if there was just one more thing. A backer that’s so reliable you could eat off of it without getting sick.”

Seeing the Twelfth Palace Lord tilting her head, Jegeul Giho quickly said.

“So, a backer is someone who will take care of you… Uh, here, ‘behind’ refers to something that could lead to future accountability…”

Jegeul Giho, who was talking, sighed as if he thought it would never end.

“A name. It would be perfect if the name ‘Jegeul Family’ was added. No matter how high-ranking an official is, there is no one who can ignore the Jegeul Family.”

Unhyun smiled bitterly.

But Jegeul Giho’s words were correct.

To the officials in the border regions, the Jegeul Family was a name that could not be ignored.

No, perhaps it was even more tangible than the imperial family in those high places.

The saying that the law is far away and the sword is near applied equally to the officials, and they had to know when to turn a blind eye in order to make a living.

Huluk.

Unhyun raised his teacup and drank the tea.

But the bitter aftertaste still did not disappear.

“Ah, come to think of it,” Jegeul Giho suddenly said.

“How did you know to find us where we are?”

Unhyun also thought of that at those words.

Clearly, the Little Palace Lord knew that Unhyun was there from the moment she entered the inn.

As Unhyun looked over, the Twelfth Palace Lord opened her eyes wide and opened her mouth.

“Ah, that’s…”

Sarak.

The Little Palace Lord’s white hand stopped the Twelfth Palace Lord.

The Little Palace Lord said with a stiff expression.

“Who knows? It was just a coincidence, perhaps.”

Unhyun, Jegeul Giho, and the Twelfth Palace Lord all looked at the Little Palace Lord.

The Twelfth Palace Lord flinched at the Little Palace Lord’s glare and turned her head, and the Little Palace Lord picked up her teacup as if nothing had happened.

Huluk.

Jegeul Giho and Unhyun’s expressions were full of suspicion.

But the Little Palace Lord savored the tea without the slightest hesitation.

It was clear that she was avoiding the answer, but even that appearance was as beautiful as a painting.