Call Of The Spear [EN]: Chapter 388

Nangseon Gi Hwandam – Part 2, Chapter 97

“…Right now?”

“Yes. This very instant.”

It hasn’t even been a few days since I returned to the Water Realm, and now I’m already being told to leave. It’s unsettling.

The Great General’s behavior is also strange, which makes it even more disconcerting.

Something must have happened.

Bum pondered for a moment, then summoned Tamlang and Tamhwa, who were stationed at the Hall of Military Affairs, and packed a few simple belongings.

“You’re not going to ask why?”

“If you’re telling me to leave, there must be a reason. If the Great General is acting like this, wouldn’t it be because of pressure from the Five Great Clans or something? There’s no need to ask.”

‘As expected, he’s a smart man.’

The Great General thought so, but was also puzzled. Such a thought could only arise from deep-seated trust.

“Do you trust me?”

Before she knew it, she had asked the question and felt a pang of regret.

Bum quietly stared at the Great General and nodded.

“I trust you to some extent.”

“To what extent?”

“Based on what you’ve shown me so far. The Great General has always seemed to trust me and has tried to help me. Isn’t that the case now as well?”

“That’s… right.”

“There are many things I want to ask, but it’s not the right time yet.”

There are many things he wants to ask.

Cheon Bum’s life so far has been anything but easy.

That harsh life had instilled caution in him and made him clever.

He has always wondered who she is.

He has always wondered why she treats him so well.

When he thinks about it, there is no apparent reason.

Yet she has always cared for him.

Bum doesn’t particularly like kindness and favors without a clear reason.

Isn’t it the way of the world that causeless favors come at a high price?

So he could have distanced himself.

He could have doubted her.

But in the end, he didn’t.

He didn’t bother to ask.

First, it was his gut feeling, and second, it was a faint hope.

‘There will be a right time.’

When that time comes, he will not hesitate to ask, and ask again.

It’s not the time yet.

“Where should I go?”

“This way. I’ll tell you the rest of the story as we go.”

Bum stared at the Great General’s back and slowly followed her.

* * *

The West Palace of the Great Heaven.

The master of the Great Heavenly Commander’s office sat there with a stern face.

“You’ve finally done it.”

“I knew you would!”

“I didn’t expect the Great General to protect that guy to this extent!”

Beside him, all the heads of the Five Great Clans, except for one vacant seat, were gathered.

The Woo Clan, the Mi Clan, the Ji Clan, and even the Paeng Clan.

They watched the scene unfolding in the incense burner on the table.

The Great General and the Head of the Hall of Military Affairs were secretly moving and boarding a giant flying ship.

The giant flying ship in the incense burner was a specially made type of Dunbo [a type of ship], designed to travel between the Water Realm and the Immortal Realm.

“Are you just going to watch!”

The head of the Woo Clan kept his mouth shut without moving, but the other heads of the clans were not at all the same.

They were all furious at the Great General’s behavior and shouted.

“But they are not committing a crime.”

The clan heads’ anger subsided slightly at the Great Heavenly Commander’s words, which he uttered as if making an excuse.

“Haha, that’s right. It’s not a crime. But didn’t the Great Heavenly Commander say that the Twin Annihilation [a powerful artifact] should be placed under the management of the Water Palace?”

“I agreed.”

“The Great General shouldn’t be unaware of that fact either. But the way he’s trying to sneak away with the Head of the Hall of Military Affairs… could it be that he has other intentions?”

“That’s….”

Looking at the current situation, how can one be sure that it is not so?

The current Great General’s behavior was not a good look in any way.

“I’ve been feeling that someone has been backing him. And now it’s the Great General of the Tongcheon Water Palace. What do you think this fact means? The Great Heavenly Commander, who is known for his wisdom, probably knows it well.”

It was Paeng Jong-yeon, the head of the Paeng Clan.

The Great General intends to keep the Head of the Hall of Military Affairs under his command.

That means nothing less than increasing his influence within the Water Palace.

A Yeonja Jewel [a rare and powerful jewel] that is rare even in the Water Realm.

Among them, the Twin Annihilation is said to be especially powerful.

“Behind the Great General… isn’t that person there? So, we can’t just sit back and watch. Even for the peace and well-being of the Water Realm.”

The Ji Clan head said, looking sharply at the Great Heavenly Commander.

The peace of the Water Realm.

And well-being.

Truly omnipotent words.

“Great Heavenly Commander! Get up now! If they cross the border, we won’t be able to chase them anymore, so we must hurry and catch them!”

The Great Heavenly Commander sighed deeply inwardly.

And he got up from his seat.

“Summon the soldiers of the Water Palace.”

* * *

Meanwhile, Bum, who had arrived at the Water Palace pier, was looking at the giant flying ship carved with dragons and phoenixes.

The bow was carved with a dragon, forming the center of the ship, and on both sides, oars that looked like phoenix wings protruded.

It was a very splendid flying ship, painted in gold and red.

“It’s a Boundary Crossing Ship. Riding this will reduce the distance that takes thousands of years to one-tenth. With this, it will only take about a hundred years to reach the Immortal Realm.”

“It’s different from Chunggye! I especially like the fact that I don’t have to go into the belly of that Wanseon Bloodworm! I think I used to have this too. This is mine! You’re a thief!!”

Tamlang chattered excitedly, but Bum didn’t pay any attention.

Because the Munmu Palace’s Munmu warriors [elite warriors] were already on board the Boundary Crossing Ship.

“The road to the Immortal Realm won’t be easy, but it would be lonely alone. So I called them in advance.”

As if the matter was already settled, they were smiling at Cheon Bum, telling him to come up quickly.

Not only the palace maids and officials of the Munmu Palace, but also his adjutant, Woo-myung, was with them.

He was worried that he would have to leave in a hurry without saying goodbye properly, so he was naturally happy that they were together.

But he couldn’t show it on the outside.

“It will be a harsh road. Do you know what kind of road it will be to follow me?”

He asks because he cares about them.

They might suffer because of him.

They might lose their lives in vain on a difficult road.

That’s why he has to be cold.

“If we couldn’t even figure that out, we wouldn’t have become Immortal Warriors!”

“Even if you’re the Head of the Hall, aren’t you treating us like children too much? You’re ten times younger than me!”

As they shouted, laughter erupted from here and there.

Even Cheon Bum had no choice but to relax his stiff face at their banter.

“Everyone here has decided to be with the Head of the Hall of Military Affairs. After all, the Water Palace without the Head is just full of guys who pick fights with us.”

Woo-myung steps forward to explain.

Bum chuckled and nodded.

Then the atmosphere quickly relaxed, and they gestured for him to board the Boundary Crossing Ship.

Many Immortal Warriors of the Munmu Palace waited for Bum with smiling faces.

‘These people have entrusted their lives to me.’

His heart feels heavy.

It is a blessing to have met these people who follow him so loyally, especially after his experiences in the Mortal Realm, where he never knew when he would be backstabbed.

So the lives they have entrusted to him…

He will never let them go easily.

“Get on. This child will take care of the miscellaneous tasks.”

The Great General gestured to Ju Gyeol-gyeong.

She says that she will be by his side to assist him with everything he needs to do on the Boundary Crossing Ship or when he arrives in the Immortal Realm.

Bum looked at Ju Gyeol-gyeong with a surprised face and answered that he understood.

“Then.”

The moment Bum was about to take a step.

Whoosh.

A sound of cutting through the wind was heard.

With a speed like a ray of light, Bum stepped back slightly.

Thwack!

An arrow is embedded in the floor.

“Where are you going in such a hurry?”

Soon, he feels presences from all directions.

In an instant, hundreds, thousands of presences appear, and arrowheads reflected in the moonlight begin to shine brightly.

And the Great Heavenly Commander and the heads of the four clans belonging to the Five Great Clans appear in the moonlight.

‘We were found out.’

Wondering what to do, he looked at the Great General, but she maintained a composed attitude.

“How did you know to come? Did the Great Heavenly Commander and the heads of the clans also know that today is the day the Head of the Hall of Military Affairs and his Immortal Warriors are leaving for the Immortal Realm?”

The clan heads were dumbfounded by her brazen attitude.

“Great General, is your face so thick because you’re covering it with a veil? I suspect there’s a lump of iron behind that veil instead of skin.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. If you didn’t come to see off the Head of the Hall of Military Affairs on his way to the Immortal Realm, then why did you come with this many soldiers?”

When she asked, the Paeng Clan head stepped forward and shouted.

“Of course, it’s because of the Head of the Hall of Military Affairs, who is holding the Twin Annihilation, and the Great General, who is trying to smuggle him out and cast a shadow over the future of the Water Realm!”

“Did I do that? How can you be so sure? I was just trying to send the Head of the Hall of Military Affairs and his Munmu unit, who are superior to any other Immortal Warrior in the Water Palace, to the Immortal Realm in preparation for the upcoming Immortal Slaughter War.”

The Great General answered confidently as if she had no shame, but the clan heads did not back down either.

“But it is undeniable that the Head of the Hall of Military Affairs is holding the Twin Annihilation! The Twin Annihilation is not a treasure that an individual should hold. It should be used strictly for the sake of the Water Realm, and therefore it is right for the Water Palace to manage it.”

“That’s right! The Ji Clan head has spoken well. Moreover, if the Head of the Hall of Military Affairs, who is heading to the Immortal Realm, suffers an accident there, wouldn’t our treasure be offered to the Immortal Realm!”

“It would be a little better if it were the Immortal Realm. But if it goes to the Pengma [a demonic realm] or the Four Realms….”

The aftermath will not subside easily. If Immortal Warriors face death with the treasures of the Water Realm, there will be no more tragic war than that!

“Why are the clan heads speaking as if the Head of the Hall of Military Affairs is bound to die?”

“That’s not what we mean. But the Head of the Hall of Military Affairs’s level remains at the Immortal Warrior level, and the Immortal Realm is full of dangers. Moreover, what kind of treasure is the Twin Annihilation? Wasn’t it the heirloom of the clan that was the mainstay of the Five Great Clans that formed the Water Palace? As a powerful treasure, it is right for the Water Palace to manage it!”

It is a confrontation without an inch of retreat.

The Great General seemed to be getting angry and began to unleash her energy implicitly, and the other clan heads were the same.

“The Head of the Hall of Military Affairs is a powerful Immortal Warrior to the point that there is no Immortal Warrior in the Tongcheon Water Palace who can match him. You know very well who died at his hands.”

There is a rumor that has spread, though not openly.

When the Hu Clan was destroyed.

That he fought against Hyangseon.

When the Great General brought up that story, the Paeng Clan’s murderous intent subtly leaked out.

They couldn’t open their mouths, but they seemed to be cursing with their eyes.

‘This has become difficult.’

The Great General pondered how to overcome this situation.

The clan heads seemed to have come with their teeth grinding, and the number of soldiers aiming their arrows exceeds a thousand.

Whatever their inner thoughts, it is not a part that can be a problem on the surface. The easiest way is for Bum to hand over the Twin Annihilation, but….

‘What kind of things will unfold in the Immortal Realm….’

The Immortal Realm is a place where any danger may be lurking, as the clan heads say.

So she wanted to have insurance.

If he has the Yeonja Jewel called Twin Annihilation in his hand, he will be able to somehow solve even an enemy that is difficult for him to handle.

That’s how much power the Twin Annihilation has… Soon, the silent confrontation continued.

She desperately racked her brain, but no suitable method came to mind.

‘There’s no choice.’

She can’t think of anything to refute their logic. No matter how strong the Head of the Hall of Military Affairs is, he is still just an Immortal Warrior.

If there is even a rumor that an Immortal Warrior heading to the Immortal Realm is holding the powerful Twin Annihilation among the Yeonja Jewels, unnecessary things may happen.

She decided to think positively. Even if it is under the management of the Water Palace now, she can return it to him later.

After all, it is the Yeonja Jewel of the Hu Clan, and he will not think of it as his own.

“Hoo… then like this….”

But then.

“May I say something?”

Suddenly, Bum opened his mouth.