Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 266

Whish! Whish!

The blizzard raged.

Judging by its intensity, it looked like it would continue until tomorrow. As time passed, the snow became more violent, making it difficult to see ahead.

Tap! Tap!

The window kept shaking.

Thinking that he wouldn’t get any sleep tonight, Yeon Ho-Jeong stroked the Black Dragon Unit’s badge.

Woo-oong.

As if understanding its master’s heart, the Black Dragon Unit let out a strange cry.

How much time had passed?

“Are you sleeping?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong put down the Black Dragon Unit and stood up.

“No, I’m not.”

“Then, I’ll come in.”

“Yes.”

The door opened, and Yeon Wi entered.

After looking around the room for a moment, he spoke in a rather subdued voice.

“It doesn’t seem like you went to the dining hall. And it doesn’t look like you ate in here either.”

“Yes.”

Yeon Wi raised his hand. In his hand was a heavy bundle.

“I figured as much, so I brought some food.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“You’re the only one, Father.”

“What about Bia?”

“It seems she doesn’t feel like eating. She said she’s going straight to bed.”

“Is that so?”

Yeon Wi nodded.

“Then let’s eat just us. I’m feeling hungry too.”

He unwrapped the bundle on the table.

Boiled pork and well-cut chicken appeared. It had all cooled down because of the cold weather, but a subtle aroma still lingered.

“Do you have any alcohol?”

“Yes.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong brought out alcohol and two cups from a corner shelf.

Yeon Wi held out his cup.

“Pour me a drink.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong politely filled the cup.

Yeon Wi, who had been staring at the cup, emptied it in one go.

It was rare for Yeon Wi to empty his cup in one go. Unless he was in a good mood, he always drank it in two sips.

“It’s quite strong.”

“It’s baijiu [a strong Chinese liquor].”

“You have a drink too.”

“Thank you.”

Yeon Wi filled Yeon Ho-Jeong’s cup. Yeon Ho-Jeong, having received the cup, also emptied it in one go.

Drinking on an empty stomach made his esophagus and stomach feel hot instantly. A moment of intoxication rushed over him, but he quickly returned to normal.

“……”

The two looked at each other in silence.

Yeon Wi, who had been quietly looking at Yeon Ho-Jeong, opened his mouth.

“It seems Military Advisor Jeagal was quite surprised.”

“I’m sure he was.”

“To think there was such a force in the outer regions, it’s truly astonishing. Moreover, even one of them has the power to overturn the Central Plains… It’s a chilling thought.”

“Having power itself isn’t the problem. The important thing is how that power is used.”

“How it’s used… Yes, that’s right.”

The existence of the Fanatical Three Teachings was a huge shock to Yeon Wi as well.

The Sanguine Teachings, the Divine Transformation Teachings, and the Blood Frenzy Teachings.

To think that the Sanguine Teachings were supporting the Black Dragon Unit, this is why one should never let their guard down, even with good intelligence. Who would have imagined that they would bypass the northern part of the Central Plains and extend their reach to the south?

And their financial power.

If they had the financial power to support a massive organization like the Black Dragon Unit, it was no exaggeration to say that it rivaled the financial power of the Martial Alliance.

“Although I knew it.”

Yeon Wi said with a bitter smile.

“Seeing this, I realize once again that eternal peace will never come.”

“It depends on what you consider peace.”

“Of course, it would.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong knew. What his father really wanted to talk about wasn’t the Fanatical Three Teachings.

It was about him.

“I could tell it wasn’t a joke.”

Yeon Wi’s eyes deepened.

His eyes, filled with confusion and agitation, were still clear and profound.

“The words you confessed… that you had lived a long life and returned.”

“……”

“At least, I didn’t feel any falsehood in those words. You didn’t lie to your father, or to Bia.”

“……”

“Nevertheless, I couldn’t help but worry. I wondered if my son had hit his head somewhere, or if… he was playing a cruel joke.”

“I understand.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled bitterly.

“That’s one of the reasons why I didn’t want to tell you until now.”

Yeon Wi felt momentarily speechless.

His heart ached at his son’s bitter smile and the emptiness in his voice.

‘I wasn’t ready.’

Yeon Wi looked up at the ceiling.

‘I wasn’t ready. I hurt my son again with useless words.’

My eldest is narrow-minded. At least towards his enemies.

My eldest is broad-minded. At least towards his people.

It wouldn’t happen, but even if his father betrayed him, he would never hate him. Rather, he would try to understand him, and in the end, he would understand.

Yeon Wi sighed.

‘Am I still lacking faith in Ho-Jeong?’

That wasn’t it.

He trusted his eldest son. Not only his eldest son, but also his second son, and Muk Bi.

If there was a degree to that trust, he trusted his eldest son more strongly. He wouldn’t give anyone in the world the same level of trust he gave his eldest son.

But…

‘Honestly.’

He still couldn’t believe it.

That this era, this vivid reality, was the past for his son? That the world wasn’t supposed to flow this way?

That according to the original history, the Nine Great Families and the Moyong Clan would join forces to destroy the Yeon Family?

It was truly unbelievable. It was a mysterious story that was hard to find even in folklore.

‘No matter how much I trust my son, this kind of story…’

It wasn’t easy to accept.

‘Come to think of it.’

Suddenly, Yeon Wi recalled a scene from the past.

The scene of his eldest son hugging his younger brother, who he didn’t get along with, during the ancestral rites.

And the scene of his eldest son, with trembling eyes, walking towards him step by step.

His heart suddenly welled up.

The image of his eldest son at that time was still vivid. Perhaps there would be no other moment in Yeon Wi’s life as surprising as that.

‘My eldest son, who always avoided me, looked at me with such eyes.’

The trembling eyes of his eldest son were filled with every imaginable emotion.

Joy, sorrow, anger, despair, pity, love, and so on.

The emotions in his eyes were the sum of all imaginable emotions, but it was hard to imagine an experience that could contain all those emotions at once.

His son was saying that he had returned to the past after going through that unimaginable experience.

‘And even then.’

After the ancestral rites, his eldest son showed a completely different side of himself.

He was no longer afraid of him, and instead showed an understanding similar to his deceased wife. His martial arts achievements increased exponentially, and he began to read the big picture with an incredible insight that was hard to learn anywhere.

‘That kind of insight can’t be learned from books.’

Of course. Even the insight of an old martial artist who had spent his whole life in the martial world wouldn’t be that deep and sharp.

It was truly strange when he thought about it.

That the insight of a young man who hadn’t even reached adulthood was so sharp?

It was naturally suspicious. But he didn’t doubt his son.

It was easier to believe, so why should he doubt? Doubting someone was also very tiring. Yeon Wi didn’t want to feel tired, doubt, or analyze his son.

That’s right. He didn’t want to treat his son like a stranger.

He just wanted to believe in his son. So he believed.

Even though it was an extremely unnatural thing to do.

Yeon Wi closed his eyes.

“Your mastery of the Flying Swallow Heart Method increased explosively.”

“……Yes.”

“You also said that you had memorized all the formulas of the main family’s Five Great Divine Arts since you were young.”

“That’s right.”

“You also said that you would shake the Myeong Family from its roots while capturing Tae-Gyeong, that traitor. And you actually did it.”

Yeon Wi opened his eyes again and looked at Yeon Ho-Jeong.

“Was it because you knew the Myeong Family would attack the main family?”

“I knew they would attack, and they were also the target of my revenge.”

“……”

“From a different perspective, the Myeong Family are even more deserving of death than the Fanatical Three Teachings. Because of them… I lost everything.”

Yeon Wi sighed again.

His son said he had lost everything. And that everything would be his family.

‘This kid.’

Yeon Wi blamed himself.

‘Was it so hard to believe that one thing?’

His son was speaking the truth, his sincerity.

He was talking about the lives of his family, wasn’t he? The son he knew wasn’t the kind of person who would joke about his family.

But why couldn’t he understand the sincerity that his son had struggled to express?

Like before, when he saw his son’s divine insight and explosively grown martial arts, he believed that his innate talent was finally blossoming.

Why was he questioning his son like this when he could just believe him like he did back then?

“……Hehehe.”

Yeon Wi let out a hollow laugh.

“I’ve lived in vain. I’ve truly lived in vain.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong lowered his head.

“I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? What do you have to be sorry for?”

“……I always wanted to tell you. But now that I think about it, it was me who didn’t trust you, Father. That’s why I’m telling you now.”

“……”

“It’s not your problem, Father, it’s mine. There’s no need to blame yourself…”

“No, I’ve lived in vain.”

A great tremor appeared in the father’s eyes as he looked at his son.

“I’ve lived in vain. Like before, if I just believed you like I believed what you said earlier, that would be the end of it, but why was I agonizing over such a small thing?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong looked at Yeon Wi with surprised eyes.

“Father.”

“Come to think of it… yes, when I think about your actions, I should have understood you even more. The martial arts and insight you’ve shown are truly not at a level that someone your age should be able to show.”

“……”

“And the fact that you lived a long life and returned, it wasn’t something to believe or not believe.”

“Father.”

Yeon Wi took Yeon Ho-Jeong’s hand.

“Ho-Jeong.”

“……Yes.”

“You’ve been through a lot.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes shook greatly.

“After the main family was destroyed and you went out into the world alone, how much you must have suffered, gritting your teeth and enduring among those ruthless thugs of the underworld. It must have been a series of hardships that your father can’t even imagine.”

“……!”

“In your memories, I must have been a terrible father, not worthy of being called a parent. It wouldn’t have been easy to come back to the past and understand such a father, one by one.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong lowered his head. For some reason, it was hard to look his father in the eye.

“When I think about how much you must have worried and struggled to say these words, I really feel like gouging out my own eyes. I thought I finally understood my son, but I still couldn’t see what I needed to see.”

“It’s not true.”

“Ho-Jeong.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong raised his head.

Admiration appeared on Yeon Wi’s face.

“You’ve come back well. You’ve truly been through a lot.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes shook greatly.

Even the most evil person in the world, who makes even the most terrifying people tremble in fear, is ultimately just a weak human being in the face of family affection.

Yeon Ho-Jeong lowered his head again.

A single transparent drop of water fell onto the table.

“I’m back, Father.”

“Yes.”