Black Corporation: Joseon [EN]: Chapter 451

451. Prophecy (2)

Enrique answered Hyang’s question immediately.

“They are staying at the inn now.”

“Are they a group?”

To Hyang’s question, Enrique answered firmly without hesitation.

“No. They traveled together, but they are not a group.”

“Is that so? Do you happen to know why they came to Joseon?”

“I heard they are monks who study academics.”

“Ah, is that so? Thank you.”

Having obtained the information she wanted, Hyang lightly expressed her gratitude and stepped back.

Watching Hyang, Enrique’s eyes gleamed.

‘I heard she is extraordinary, and it’s true. She is fluent in Latin without using an interpreter, and she is impossible to read. And…’

Enrique glanced at Sejong, who was sitting on the roof of the shrine. While Hyang was talking to Enrique, Sejong was silently listening to the conversation.

Listening without the interpretation of an interpreter.

Enrique swallowed hard.

‘I swear to God! He isn’t just sitting still because he doesn’t understand! He definitely understands everything! Both father and daughter are dangerous opponents. If I let my guard down even a little, I will be devoured!’

While competing with prominent figures from Europe and the Middle East, Enrique had learned one thing.

‘Foreigners who can converse comfortably are more dangerous than those who cannot!’

If the words of both sides do not match and an interpreter is needed, there is a chance to find out what the other person is hiding or trying to hide.

This was due to the gap that occurred when a third party conveyed his thoughts instead of speaking them directly.

However, if the foreigner he was dealing with was fluent in Portuguese or Latin, he could easily hide his weaknesses and lead the conversation in the wrong direction, leading him into a trap.

Having grasped the situation, Enrique felt goosebumps on his spine.

‘There are monsters living in this East!’

In any case, with the end of the conversation with Hyang, Sejong and Enrique’s talk ended.

“It was truly meaningful to meet the prince of a foreign country. I sincerely hope that both countries will continue to maintain a good relationship in the future.”

After hearing Sejong’s words through an interpreter, Enrique bowed politely and replied.

“I feel the same way.”

“I will have the working-level meeting on trade prepared as soon as possible.”

“Thank you.”

The moment he left Gyeongbokgung Palace after the meeting, Enrique took a long, deep breath.

“Hoo~! He was a more dangerous opponent than anyone else.”

Enrique shook his head lightly and looked back at Pedro and his other close aides.

“We need to prepare for a meeting as soon as we return to the inn. He is a formidable opponent.”

“Understood, Your Highness.”

Prince Enrique’s aides nodded with serious faces at his tense appearance.

That evening, a government official sent from the palace visited the inn.

“What’s going on?”

“It is a royal order for the monks.”

“Is that so? Wait a moment.”

After a while, the monks appeared, following the soldier who had received Enrique’s order.

The official conveyed the royal order, looking at the nervous monks.

“You are to enter the palace tomorrow morning.”

“Understood.”

* * *

The next morning, the monks visited Gyeongbokgung Palace. Surrounded by soldiers in a formation that was more like an encirclement than an escort, the monks moved with frightened faces, looking around.

The monks, moving in a way that was ambiguous whether they were walking or being dragged, stopped in the front yard of Geunjeongjeon Hall.

Sejong, sitting on a chair on the stairs leading up to Geunjeongjeon Hall, was looking at them, and Hyang was standing next to him, looking at them.

“His Majesty the King of this country! Pay your respects!”

At the interpreter’s words, the monks quickly paid their respects.

Sejong, replying with a light wave of his hand, turned to Hyang.

“You go ahead.”

“Yes, Father.”

Hyang, bowing lightly, stepped forward and opened her mouth, looking at the monks.

“Where are you from?”

“I am Giovanni of the Franciscan Order, and these are the people who are with me.”

At Giovanni’s answer, Hyang’s eyes lit up and she asked again.

“Giovanni of the Franciscan Order? Do you know a monk named Angelo?”

“He is my colleague.”

“Hoo….”

Hyang, uttering a light exclamation, asked again.

“Yes. Friar Giovanni. Why did you come to Joseon?”

“I came because Angelo’s letter said it was the best place to study academics and pursue knowledge.”

“Is that all?”

“That….”

“Answer in the name of your God. Of course, since the guy who was said to be the first disciple chosen by the founder immediately denied and even cursed the founder when he was in danger, I don’t really have any faith.”

When Hyang mentioned the anecdote of Peter’s actions on the day Jesus was arrested, Giovanni closed his mouth with a slightly reddened face.

“Why are you silent?”

“To be honest, proselytizing is the priest’s mission.”

“Angelo said the same thing. So, I had a question to convey to the Pope, did you bring the answer?”

Giovanni answered Hyang’s question immediately.

“His Holiness the Pope said that offering ancestral rites is not heresy.”

“Can you swear in the name of the God you believe in that this is the truth?”

“I can swear.”

“Then submit a document officially recording that.”

At Hyang’s order, Giovanni answered with a troubled face.

“There is no document.”

“Why?”

“….”

Giovanni had no choice but to close his mouth at Hyang’s question. This was because the situation in the Vatican was a mess.

* * *

The question Hyang asked through Angelo was still shaking up the religious and academic circles of Europe, even after time had passed.

‘Pope First VS. Ecumenical Council First’, ‘Separation of Church and State VS. Unity of Church and State’.

‘Church Reform VS. Maintaining the Current System VS. Return to Fundamentalism’.

There were constant disputes over many issues, and countless thinkers claimed that their opinions were the correct answers.

It was truly the European version of the ‘Era of a Hundred Schools of Thought Contending’ [a period in Chinese history characterized by intellectual and cultural flourishing].

And the most useful means for these thinkers to assert the legitimacy of their ideas were the questions Hyang had asked.

“The question asked by that foreign prince is a natural point! And the answer to that is my thought!”

“What you said is nonsense! What I said is right!”

Since this kind of mess – verbal battle was basic and bloodshed was a bonus – continued, Pope Eugene IV was in a situation where he could not give an answer in an official document.

* * *

Because of this situation, Giovanni had no choice but to close his mouth when Hyang asked the reason.

Hyang, watching Giovanni’s appearance, came to a conclusion.

“Since there is no official document, I cannot allow proselytizing [attempting to convert someone to one’s religion].”

“But His Holiness the Pope clearly gave an answer.”

“Politics is such that everything can be reversed overnight even if there is a document. But can I trust words that are only conveyed verbally?”

At Hyang’s point, Giovanni closed his mouth again.

Hyang, seeing Giovanni’s appearance, continued in a firm voice.

“To be honest, I am worried about whether or not to accept you even if you only study academics. This is because Joseon is already overflowing with knowledge and people. We have to worry about whether to accept even those who are dedicated to academic research, but do you think there is a need to accept those who have other intentions? So, decide. If you are only going to do academic research, I will allow you to stay in Joseon, but if not, leave Joseon with the Portuguese! After that, I will forcibly deport you!”

Giovanni, who had been contemplating for a long time at Hyang’s firm order, opened his mouth with difficulty.

“I am sorry to ask, but may I decide after meeting my colleague?”

At Giovanni’s request, Hyang turned to report to Sejong.

After a while, Hyang, who received an answer from Sejong, answered Giovanni.

“I allow it. I will attach soldiers to you immediately.”

“Thank you.”

* * *

“Brother! Brother Angelo!”

Angelo, who was wrestling with formulas in the laboratory office, jumped up from his seat when he heard a voice that he never expected to hear here.

Turning his body in the direction of the voice, Angelo spread his arms wide with joy as soon as he saw Giovanni.

“Oh, brother!”

The two men, with joyful faces, hugged each other and soon lightly kissed each other on the cheek.

“Sit here.”

“Thank you.”

Angelo, who had offered Giovanni a seat, asked a question as soon as he sat down opposite him.

“But what brings you to this distant foreign land?”

“That’s the thing….”

* * *

“So that’s what happened….”

Angelo nodded lightly after hearing Hyang’s order from Giovanni.

“Isn’t it too harsh, even if it is a foreign country and they believe in a different religion?”

“There is a reason for that.”

Angelo explained the reason to Giovanni’s complaint.

“This is because the kingdom before this kingdom was ruined because of religion. Of course, it’s not just because of religion, but it can’t be said to be innocent. So, the king and nobles who rule this kingdom now have no choice but to be sensitive to religion.”

“Was that so?”

Nodding lightly, Angelo continued to explain.

“The nobles and intellectuals who lead this country now are essentially atheists. They see religion itself as deceiving the people and unfairly extorting them.”

“That’s extreme.”

“Well, there is a precedent…. In particular, the king who leads this country now has a negative view of religion. I heard that from the beginning of his reign, he abolished monasteries and temples and drastically reduced denominations [recognized autonomous branches of the Christian Church].”

“Heo…. Did the people stay still?”

When Giovanni made an unbelievable expression, Angelo shrugged his shoulders slightly.

“For the people of this country, what the king does is sacrosanct [regarded as too important or valuable to be interfered with].”

“Still….”

“This is something I saw myself, but a few years ago, a cult that believed in a ghost called ‘Dubaksin’ was going around. At that time, the king not only severely punished all the cultists, but also tried to clean up all the existing temples and denominations, as well as the fortune tellers who worshiped ghosts. Of course, the officials dissuaded him from doing that because it was too much, but it failed. To that extent, the powerful people of this country have a great aversion to religion.”

* * *

As Angelo said, when the ‘Dubaksin Incident’ broke out, Sejong’s response was firm.

He not only found and severely punished those who first spread Dubaksin, but also issued an order to arrest all the shamans living in the capital.

He planned to take the Dubaksin Incident as an opportunity to eliminate all the shamans who served Manshin, but he had no choice but to stop because he judged that shamanism was a folk custom and could not be easily eradicated.

However, as a result, several Buddhist events, including the Lantern Festival, and the ancestral rites of Saboksi had to be suspended for a while.

* * *

“Heo…. This is difficult.”

Angelo made an unavoidable expression at Giovanni’s appearance of being truly troubled.

“There is no choice because of the situation in this country. Either bring a definite document, or devote yourself to academic research like me.”

“That’s right.”

Giovanni, nodding his head, looked around and lowered his voice to call Angelo.

“Brother. What is the situation in this country now?”

“What do you mean, what is the situation in Joseon? What do you mean?”

“Do you have any thoughts of advancing to the west, that is, to Europe?”

Angelo, realizing the meaning of Giovanni’s question, looked around with a serious face and lowered his voice to ask back.

“Why? Did something happen in the Vatican?”

“I’ll explain that later. So please answer the question I asked first.”