Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 445

The Statue (1)

“What are you talking about all of a sudden?”

Marriage?

I was causing a ruckus with illusions just moments ago, but now she’s talking about marriage. It’s absurd.

The barrier around the gazebo had vanished, and the soldiers of Man’gakjeong who had gathered around were dumbfounded.

“It’s exactly what it sounds like. I think you’d be perfect as my partner. What do you say?”

Judging by her glib tone, it didn’t seem like she was just saying things because she was captivated by me.

“I have no reason to marry you.”

“Don’t you want to find your friend? From what I saw a moment ago, you seemed like you would do anything to save your friend. Or am I wrong?”

I wanted to punch her for being so annoying, but this was Princess Hwayang.

Perhaps it was because of her flower-like beauty, but if I relaxed my guard even a little, I felt like I would just say ‘Yes’ to whatever she said.

‘They say a woman who is born beautiful has already achieved a great path….’

I think I now roughly understand what the joke I once heard meant.

I had heard that there were people who used their beauty to cast spells.

I heard that if you were skilled in both natural looks and eloquence, the beauty spell was more powerful than any divine power, and Cheonbeom wondered for a moment if Hwayang had used a beauty spell.

Her beauty was enough to stir something in a man.

“Great General, no! That woman is being courted by Okbyeolcheonwang [One of the Four Heavenly Kings], one of the Sangcheonhaewol [powerful celestial beings]! If you marry her, you will surely become enemies with Okbyeolcheonwang, and there will definitely be repercussions!”

It was Huhae.

He was being held by the Man’gakjeong soldiers.

“Is that true?”

When I asked, Princess Hwayang smiled mysteriously and swept her hair back.

“There’s an old saying: the brave win the beauty.”

She didn’t deny it, so it seemed to be true.

Then there was no need to hear more.

“I refuse. I already have a partner. If you have any other conditions besides that, I’m willing to listen, so let’s do something else.”

“You’re more cowardly than you look?”

It was a provocation to see if I was afraid of Okbyeolcheonwang, but Beom shook his head.

“I already have a woman in my heart, so there’s no room for you.”

Then Hwayang’s eyelashes fluttered. Soon, her face flushed slightly, and she bit her lip.

“Everyone, step back.”

“Princess, but….”

“Step back!”

Seeing Hwayang shouting for the first time, Beom felt relieved.

She must have been very upset to be rejected by me.

‘Now is not the time to be happy.’

It’s too early to be happy.

Nothing has been resolved yet.

‘Following Man’gakbyeonwang, now Okbyeolcheonwang….’

I only know that they are the leaders of the Four Realms and are very cruel.

The ones belonging to Sangcheonhaewol are the most famous among the leaders, so I only know that they are the overlords of a realm.

‘It’s better not to get involved.’

I really want to knock down Princess Hwayang and quickly take Saha out and run away.

But if I did that, I might create unnecessary resentment, so I’m trying to resolve it amicably.

It’s not that I’m afraid of her, but I just don’t want to get involved with Man’gakbyeonwang, who cherishes her.

“Since you’ve dismissed the soldiers, you should leave too. I didn’t know you were such a heartless man to reject a woman’s confession. Thanks to you, I’ve been greatly humiliated in front of the soldiers, so I can’t get married now.”

At Hwayang’s sarcastic words, Cheonbeom summoned Ran and Tamhwa.

Ran disappeared into flower petals, and Tamhwa turned into a small oryong [a small dragon] and went into Beom’s sleeve.

“You had a wife?”

“I also have a granddaughter. Her name is Socheong, and she’s so cute….”

Beom, embarrassed that he had unknowingly talked about his granddaughter, cleared his throat.

Hwayang, who looked at him in disbelief, laughed and covered her mouth with her sleeve.

“It’s better that way.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean the marriage with me.”

“Are you still talking about that?”

I had made it clear that I had no intention, but the princess did not seem to have any intention of withdrawing her statement.

“You must be mistaken, but it’s not that I like Seonsa [a Taoist immortal] and want to get married. Rather, seeing you refuse makes me even more determined to marry you.”

“What are you talking about?”

When asked, Princess Hwayang got up from her seat and slowly walked around the garden next to the gazebo.

“I have received proposals from many men since I reached Hyangseon [a stage of cultivation]. I rejected most of them, but as the story about me spread, there were those who I couldn’t refuse.”

She must be referring to Okbyeolcheonwang, who is in the late stages of Hyangseon or a Wonseontaesain [an even higher stage of cultivation].

“Everyone said that being born a woman and becoming a man’s other half is natural for any woman.”

Hwayang plucked a flower that was blooming in the garden and dropped it.

The fallen flower instantly crumbled and disappeared.

“But I don’t want to live like that. I want to live doing what I want and as I want, not as someone’s part.”

However, Okbyeolcheonwang forced the marriage more and more as the years passed, and his friend Man’gakbyeonwang also found it increasingly difficult to refuse his steadfast attitude.

Even if he was a close friend, there was no point in being on bad terms with him, who was the overlord of the Four Realms.

“Soon, the Four Realms will bring a large number of Salseoks [powerful weapons], which sealed the Salsuns [evil spirits], and deploy them to the Seonsal War [a war between immortals and evil spirits] to wage a massive war. Even a Nangseon [a lower-level immortal] would know that much, right?”

“I’ve heard roughly.”

The Gwisen [powerful immortals] of the Four Realms gather those Salseoks and go to the battlefield.

And before the war takes place.

“I will get married.”

She seems to hate it terribly.

“Okbyeolcheonwang is said to be an ugly ghost with half of his body left as bones. Moreover, his personality is so cruel that even the Gwisen fear him….”

I can never hope for happiness by marrying him.

“He already has dozens of wives, but he is still greedy. At first, I tried to refuse the marriage using that as an excuse, but after thousands of years of forcing it, my father said that it is now difficult to refuse.”

So.

“You’re asking me to marry you?”

“Yes!”

Hwayang held Beom’s hands.

“Why me?”

“I was convinced after talking to you a few times. Of course, you are not tempted by my appearance, and if you, Yoo Seonsa, already have a beloved wife, you wouldn’t care about me even if you married me.”

“You mean….”

“Yes! I want a marriage in name only! If I am a woman who is already married, Okbyeolcheonwang will not be able to force it anymore!”

If she is a woman who has a married partner, Man’gakbyeonwang will have a reason to refuse even if Okbyeolcheonwang insists.

What Princess Hwayang wants is justification.

And freedom.

“If it’s just that, there must be many other men besides me….”

“The Gwisen of the Four Realms are all afraid of Okbyeolcheonwang. They are only afraid of dying without a sound if they marry me.”

But Beom is different.

As far as she knows, Beom is a Nangseon and not a Gwisen of the Four Realms.

And he is a man with some courage and excellent skills, so he is perfect for a fake marriage.

“Are you also afraid of Okbyeolcheonwang?”

“I’m not such a coward that I’m afraid of someone I’ve never even met. I just don’t want to make enemies unnecessarily.”

“That’s enough. You are a strong man and, above all, wise. After marrying me, you probably won’t come near the Four Realms.”

“That’s….”

I think that’s probably right.

If it wasn’t for Saha, I wouldn’t have come to this place adjacent to the Four Realms.

“If you just marry me, I’ll do whatever you want. Man’gakjeong has more potential than you think. I don’t know who Seonsa’s friend is, but if they are here, I will release them, and I can give you many treasures as a dowry, so please don’t refuse my request.”

The hands holding each other trembled.

I could see how desperate she was.

‘Well….’

If I were born with such a beautiful appearance, countless men would not have left her alone.

That alone would be enough to make me feel disillusioned, but Okbyeolcheonwang, one of the overlords of the Four Realms, is pushing for the marriage, so how anxious must she have been?

But that doesn’t mean it’s a light story that I can easily accept out of sympathy.

Even if the Four Realms and I have nothing to do with each other, once a relationship is formed, it can unexpectedly lead to other relationships.

Whether it’s good or bad.

“I want to see my friend first.”

I wanted to check first if he was definitely here.

It wouldn’t be too late to decide after confirming that he was safe.

But when I said that, Princess Hwayang’s eyebrows narrowed and then relaxed.

“Yes, that would be the right order. Would you like to see him now?”

“If possible.”

“Then this way.”

After passing through the garden and entering a building, a teleportation circle was drawn.

Princess Hwayang placed a large circle and moved her lips, and as soon as the teleportation circle was activated, Beom and she crossed space and arrived somewhere.

A dim underground space with reddish, weak lights spreading softly.

Beom, who quickly grasped the surrounding space in an instant, was surprised to realize that the underground had a vast range and was subject to all kinds of restrictions.

“This is Mangyeonggo, which can only be entered by those who inherit the blood of Manbyeongakgwi even in Man’gakjeong. The friend that Yoo Seonsa is looking for is probably here too.”

A vault filled with all kinds of treasures and restricted by various energies.

Mangyeonggo.

But how can she be sure that Saha is here?

Beom was a little suspicious, but he followed her lead for now.

“Seonsa’s friend is a Suseon [water immortal] of Sugye [water realm], right?”

“That’s right. Since it’s the right time….”

“You must have come near the Four Realms for preparations for the Seonsal War or some kind of operation.”

She says it as if she knows.

It ended up like this, but the relationship between her and Beom was truly ambiguous.

I told her that Beom was a Nangseon, but she probably doesn’t believe it’s true.

Moreover, since they are Suseon of Sugye and Sagye [earth realm], it was strange to have a conversation like this in the first place.

This is because the Seonsal War is not the only reason for their hostile relationship, but the Seonsal War has not only broken out this time.

Sugye and Sagye have always had a bad relationship.

Originally, they should kill each other and find out about each other’s circumstances.

‘But marriage….’

Even if I do, I don’t know if Man’gakbyeonwang will allow it.

“Perhaps Seonsa’s friend is here.”

She pushed aside a stone wall and revealed another cavity.

There was a large statue slowly rotating there, and powder was being generated from it.

And there were hundreds, thousands of statues around it, each with different appearances.

Some were in the shape of humans, some were of mythical creatures, and some were giant fans or swords.

Or various weapons and objects were carved.

One of them was not a sculpture but a treasure emitting a subtle light.

‘Yeon…Jabo, huh.’

It seems to be a place that is classified separately, but if there is an energy that feels like Yeonjabo [a mystical artifact], I wonder what it is.

“What is this?”

“If I tell you, Seonsa will have to marry me.”

It seems to be a family secret.

But it doesn’t seem like she’s planning to hide it on purpose, so it seems like she’s telling me to figure it out on my own….

‘I don’t know what it is.’

Hundreds, no, thousands of sculptures and several treasures are in place.

And Yeonjabo, which is not commonly seen.

The energy is too murky, but I can feel the unique energy of Yeonjabo.

It was then.

Suddenly, Cheonbeom’s nose twitched.

It’s a familiar smell.

A faint but familiar smell of fire is subtly smelled.

“Could it be….”

As if possessed, I hurried my steps and stood in front of a statue.

It is a statue of a woman wearing armor.

It was a statue of a woman holding a fan in one hand, and Beom smelled a familiar scent of Jeokhwa [red flower fire] from her.

“I heard that the Suseon of Sugye are good at smelling, is that true?”

Cheonbeom’s Adam’s apple moved up and down.

The powder in the atmosphere emitted by the huge statue in the center.

And a huge number of statues.

Strange Yeonjabo.

The familiar smell of her from one statue. When you combine them, there is only one thing you can infer.

“Saha.”

The statue in front of me was Saha.