Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 1017

The path to the prison of the Ministry of Punishment.

Jeagal Ayeon, who had been walking silently, suddenly looked around.

The distance from the military headquarters to the Ministry of Punishment wasn’t that far, but because of the situation, quite a few warriors were moving around.

They were warriors of the Martial Alliance, following orders from above, but many of them secretly hated and loathed the Black Faction. Among them were moderates, radicals, and those who didn’t care about the alliance with the Black Faction.

More than thirty percent of the passing warriors were deliberately averting their eyes from Yeon Ho-Jeong. Although their status prevented them from openly siding with the anti-Black Faction, they secretly supported the exclusion of the Black Faction.

It was fortunate for them. If they had acted with the anti-Black Faction, they would have been at a loss in the tense situation.

Still, there was an awkwardness, and they couldn’t bring themselves to look directly at Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Jeagal Ayeon opened her mouth.

“Do people know? That your defection to the Black Faction was a decision made after a fierce struggle for the sake of everyone’s future.”

Jeagal Ayeon’s voice was neither loud nor soft.

However, all the passing warriors could hear her voice. They all possessed first-class inner energy [a form of internal energy cultivation used in martial arts].

Yeon Ho-Jeong answered calmly.

“There’s no one who doesn’t know. But I didn’t defect hoping they would understand.”

“If they know that…”

“People are more influenced by emotions than reason, aren’t they? Knowing isn’t important. Feeling is what matters.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“It doesn’t matter if my name is dragged through the mud. If we can win the war against the Three Teachings [a collective term for three powerful opposing factions] in the future, that’s enough for me.”

“You tend to treat yourself too carelessly.”

“It’s not about treating myself carelessly, but about how much I’m willing to sacrifice for my goal. I’m not the only one like this. Many people within the Martial Alliance live with beliefs like mine, or even stronger.”

“Really?”

“Those people are the truly great ones. I’m nothing compared to them.”

The warriors’ faces darkened.

As Yeon Ho-Jeong said, they knew why the eldest son of the Yeon family had given up his shining honor and joined the Dark Dragon Unit [a military unit within the Black Faction].

Some called it betrayal, but at the time, there were few such voices. The Three Teachings were spreading terror, and so many incidents were occurring throughout the Central Plains [the heartland of the martial world] that many people accepted Yeon Ho-Jeong’s decision as a courageous sacrifice, wondering what else he could have done.

However, the interpretation of the same facts changes depending on the time and situation.

Jeagal Ayeon sighed.

“The world is so fickle.”

It was a self-deprecating remark.

It wasn’t just about Yeon Ho-Jeong’s defection to the Black Faction.

It was a disappointment with the world, where people’s minds change depending on the situation. Even if they have their own opinions and the ability to distinguish right from wrong, they turn away from the truth due to their weak hearts.

“That’s why the world develops.”

“Huh?”

“If the same situation always leads to the same opinions being considered the truth and the only right way, that society won’t grow easily.”

“This case is different.”

“In the grand scheme of things, it’s not that different. The cause is something that can’t be forced. Everyone has their own cause.”

“There are causes that are absolutely shared.”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Wars can break out because of one side’s unilateral wickedness, but they can also break out when causes clash.

In the past, Yeon Ho-Jeong was like Moyong Gun. The destruction of the Three Teachings was an absolute value, and he even thought that those who didn’t follow it were not people of the Central Plains.

However, as time passed, he realized that this issue was not so simple.

‘If life is a choice, then death is also a choice.’

The world doesn’t operate in a binary way.

But in war, there are only enemies and allies.

Whether one becomes an enemy or an ally is up to each individual’s judgment. To win this war, we must increase and preserve our forces as much as possible, and then devise countless strategies.

However, if one is already part of the Martial Alliance, they are governed by the alliance’s laws, and therefore, communication with the enemy is punishable.

That’s what war is like. There are only enemies and allies, but before enemies and allies are divided, one must overcome countless values and causes.

‘Freedom without responsibility is just indulgence. No matter what anyone thinks, I have no choice but to push forward in the direction I believe is right.’

In the end, what Yeon Ho-Jeong could do was limited.

Not only him, but everyone is like that. They live according to their own positions and the justice they share.

If one can accept even death, then the cause of others should also be respected.

At least, that was the case in this situation.

And.

‘I need to make a decision too.’

With that, the two entered the prison of the Ministry of Punishment.

* * *

No one could stop Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had received a direct pass from Jeagal Ayeon, who was acting as a military officer, and Gong Gong.

The two went down to the lowest level of the prison.

‘…!’

Tension filled Jeagal Ayeon’s face.

There were more prisoners in the lowest level of the prison than she had expected. Most of them were unconscious, and those who were conscious were mostly leaning against the walls, staring at the ceiling.

A damp atmosphere permeated the air.

The humidity wasn’t as high as she thought, and the environment was clean, but that made it feel even stranger. Unlike the prisons people imagined, the fact that it was so well-maintained created an unknown fear.

As Jeagal Ayeon walked towards where Hong Ik-Cheon was imprisoned, she was suddenly startled.

“…Namgoong Hyeon.”

Namgoong Hyeon was imprisoned in one of the cells, bound by chains.

He was conscious, but his soul had left him. Seeing him sitting blankly and drooling, Jeagal Ayeon felt a chill run down her spine.

The moment she involuntarily turned her head.

“Look straight.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s firm voice shook Jeagal Ayeon’s heart.

“You belong to the military headquarters. You have a lot to do in the war ahead.”

“…”

“He’s someone you’ve known for a long time, but in the end, he’s the one who tried to kidnap you. Look at him proudly, or even hate him. The one who can’t meet your eyes is him, not you.”

“Ho-Jeong.”

Jeagal Ayeon took a short breath, organized her thoughts, and looked at Namgoong Hyeon.

Namgoong Hyeon, who had been staring blankly at the floor, raised his head at Jeagal Ayeon’s voice.

In that instant, a red aura flickered in Namgoong Hyeon’s eyes, which had been as lifeless as rotten fish eyes.

“Ayeon-ah!”

Clang!

Even though his hands and feet were bound by chains, he crawled to the bars and shouted.

“Ayeon-ah! It’s me! It’s me! It’s your Namgoong older brother!”

“…”

“I don’t know what misunderstanding led to me being imprisoned here, but what you know is different from the truth! Don’t listen to the nonsense of crazy people!”

Jeagal Ayeon’s eyes, which had been filled with confusion, pity, fear, and sadness, gradually calmed down. Rather, Namgoong Hyeon’s appearance helped her regain her composure.

She thought. People can become as hard as steel or as fragile as clouds, depending on their mindset.

At least when she first saw Namgoong Hyeon, he wasn’t such a weak person.

Moreover, she never thought he would become someone who would cross the line so much.

“Ayeon-ah!”

“Prisoner number three hundred and seventy-nine.”

Namgoong Hyeon’s body stiffened as if struck by lightning at Jeagal Ayeon’s cold voice.

Jeagal Ayeon said with a calm face.

“The only thing left for you to do is to earnestly plead that the crimes you committed have nothing to do with your family.”

“…Ayeon-ah?”

“It is said that a mature person takes responsibility for their words and actions. Because of you, your father died, and your grandfather is bedridden with an unrecoverable shock.”

“…?!”

“Don’t talk nonsense and reflect on your actions.”

Her voice was more filled with pity than coldness.

However, for Namgoong Hyeon, it must have felt like the sky was falling. Namgoong Hyeon’s face, which was already gaunt, turned pale.

At that moment, Namgoong Hyeon’s eyes met Yeon Ho-Jeong’s.

Yeon Ho-Jeong, with his hands behind his back, didn’t even look at him. He was just waiting for Jeagal Ayeon to finish speaking.

Murderous intent flared in Namgoong Hyeon’s eyes.

“You bastard!”

Thwack!

Namgoong Hyeon collapsed on the spot. The prison guard who had come with them had swung a wooden staff through the bars.

The prison guard asked in a nonchalant voice.

“Do you have anything more to say to this prisoner?”

“No.”

Jeagal Ayeon, who had been looking at the fallen Namgoong Hyeon, who was trembling, turned her head away.

“No. Nothing.”

“Understood.”

With that, the two walked away again.

Yeon Ho-Jeong asked.

“It’s nothing, right?”

“Yeah.”

Jeagal Ayeon gave a bitter smile.

“It’s nothing.”

She seemed to understand why Yeon Ho-Jeong had brought her along. It was because he didn’t want her to be upset by someone who was so insignificant.

Jeagal Ayeon sighed and said.

“I feel like I’m always in your debt.”

“You can pay off debts. Buy me a drink later.”

“If you have the time.”

“I don’t think I’ll have time to relax until the war is over.”

Swoosh.

Yeon Ho-Jeong stopped walking.

At the very end of the prison, in a cell with particularly thick iron bars, a young man was sitting with his legs stretched out, leaning against the wall.

Like the other prisoners, his hands and feet were bound by chains. But the quality of those chains was on a different level from those of the other prisoners.

They were chains specifically made to block inner energy. Although it wasn’t visible, there were tiny needles inside the chains that pierced the pressure points on his wrists and ankles.

Even if the upper dantian [an energy center in the body] is used as the main dantian, the implementation of the Water Dragon Divine Needle Technique [a martial arts technique] is impossible unless inner energy flows throughout the body. It was even more so because it wasn’t a pure technique.

Moreover, with his eyes covered by a black cloth, there was nothing Hong Ik-Cheon could do.

Nevertheless, Hong Ik-Cheon didn’t seem to be flustered or disturbed in the slightest.

“Yeon Ho-Jeong, it’s you.”

Although he couldn’t see and his senses were gone, he wasn’t deaf.

“I thought you would come to see me at least once.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been quietly watching him, sat cross-legged with the iron bars between them.

The prison guard asked.

“Shall we hit him?”

There was no torture, but if necessary, assault was nothing to them. It was a single sentence that showed how the prisoners on the lowest level of the prison were managed.

When Yeon Ho-Jeong shook his head, the prison guard bowed his head and retreated to the end of the corridor. Then, he covered his ears with a strange object. It was to avoid hearing the conversation.

Hong Ik-Cheon said with a playful voice.

“Thank you. Even in this state, it still hurts.”

“I have something to ask you.”

“Are you asking if what I did is over?”

“No, your work is over.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes deepened.

“What you wanted wasn’t just to cause chaos in the Martial Alliance.”

“…”

“Your goal was me, until the end.”

“…”

“Isn’t that right?”

Hong Ik-Cheon’s lips curled up.

“Have you already reached that point?”

“I knew from the beginning.”

“…You’re amazing. It’s surprising that you can be so calm even knowing that.”

Jeagal Ayeon asked.

“What are you talking about, Ho-Jeong?”

“What do you mean?”

The answer came from Hong Ik-Cheon.

“The young leader, who is the symbol of the Black and White Alliance, is saying that he will officially sever the alliance with the Martial Alliance.”