Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 284

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes, it is.”

“Thank you. I almost went the wrong way.”

“Not at all. Since Commander Yeon is in such an important position, his movements are always under observation.”

“Hee, is it that important of a position?”

“Of course. Currently, the Martial Alliance has countless combat units and organizations. And among those organizations, the most free unit is the Yugun unit of the Tangma Myeolsa [a special unit within the Martial Alliance].”

“I see.”

“The Yugun unit itself is an independent unit that is somewhat free from the control of the Alliance. That means it’s a unit that the Alliance can trust and rely on. Commander Yeon is receiving that much trust.”

“That’s amazing. I knew he had a great reputation, but I didn’t know it was to this extent.”

“This might be a bit sudden, and it might be a rude question, but may I ask you one thing?”

“Yes? Ah, of course.”

“You’ll be eighteen after this year, is that correct?”

“That’s right.”

“……”

“Why do you ask?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Then, I’ll also contact the Hobuk branch. We’ve prepared a carriage, so please travel comfortably.”

“Ah, the carriage is fine. I’ll consider it training for my movement technique and run there.”

“T-That far distance?”

“Haha, compared to my brother, I’m nothing. Well then, I’ll leave it in your care.”

“Yes. I hope we can meet again later.”

“I hope so too. Then, I’ll be going.”

Watching the back of the young man who had already run far away, the head of the Beggars’ Union’s Namchang branch in Gangseo Province clicked his tongue.

“At the age of eighteen, doing such unbelievable things… Huhu, both the family head and the young master, the next generation of the martial world will be led by the Yeon family.”

* * *

Two days passed.

“Your external wounds have all healed?”

“That’s right.”

“But the important thing is your internal injuries. Thinking about it now, I was really reckless. Even if it’s an old model, a cannon is still a cannon, and to think you tried to break it head-on.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong snorted.

“If I hadn’t broken them one by one, all of you would have been blown away.”

“I know. That’s why it’s so absurd. To think they’d even use cannons.”

“That’s… Huh? By the way, you seem to know a bit about cannons?”

Muk Bi chuckled.

“Even if I don’t know what’s going on in the world, I know what I need to know. In Gwanil Valley, besides archery, they teach general knowledge about projectile weapons. Except for hidden weapons.”

“Is that so?”

It was a new fact. At least, Muk Bi from the time of the Five Great Generals had never told him this.

Muk Bi’s eyes sparkled.

“By the way, isn’t it strange?”

“What is?”

“Even if it’s a gathering of physicians, using cannons is too much. Aren’t cannons secret weapons that can only be used with the permission of the highest commander in the military?”

“That’s right.”

“If that’s the case, then the Physician’s Society has connections even to the head of the military….”

Yeon Ho-Jeong nodded.

“Physicians aren’t ignorant of the world. They even approached the heads of organizations under the Martial Alliance and told them to abandon their duties.”

“Hmm.”

“It’s hard to do that without a certain amount of audacity. Even if they were a bit arrogant, they must be confident. They believe they can touch the Martial Alliance to that extent. They’re sure they have the power to smooth things over even if problems arise.”

Muk Bi’s eyes wavered.

“Then, is it really…?”

“We don’t know yet. And this isn’t something we need to deal with right now.”

“Huh?”

Yeon Ho-Jeong glanced at the tavern.

“Our mission is to escort the Western Region Divine Maiden. Nothing can take precedence over that.”

“……”

“Unless Huga was by my side, it wouldn’t be easy to investigate anything. We should finish our mission safely first, and then deal with it.”

“And once the mission is complete, you’ll inform the higher-ups of the Martial Alliance about this, so even if it’s Young Master Yeon, it won’t be easy for him to step in and handle it, right?”

“That’s right.”

“So, that’s what you meant by ‘it’s out of our hands.’”

Yeon Ho-Jeong smiled.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Muk Bi, who had been quietly watching Yeon Ho-Jeong, inwardly shook her head.

‘That’s not why.’

She knew Yeon Ho-Jeong well.

Yeon Ho-Jeong never forgave those who crossed him. Especially those who crossed the line for absurd reasons, like the Physician’s Society, he would thoroughly destroy them.

But now, Yeon Ho-Jeong was saying that it wasn’t something he should handle. He was saying that the Martial Alliance should handle this matter.

Was it really because he thought he didn’t need to step in?

‘No, it means there’s something more important. And that is….’

The Western Region Divine Maiden.

Muk Bi, looking at Yeon Ho-Jeong with confused eyes, opened her mouth.

“Young Master Yeon.”

“I don’t know what you want to say, but can we talk about it later if it’s not urgent?”

“Huh? Why? Where are you going?”

“I’m going to see the Western Region Divine Maiden.”

Instantly, tension filled Muk Bi’s face.

“Young Master Yeon.”

“Don’t worry. Nothing will happen.”

“……”

“However, we need to change this uncomfortable atmosphere a bit.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong recalled his conversation with Moyong Gun two days ago.

‘However, since we didn’t meet on the battlefield, I’ll try to find out more about her.’

Moyong Gun hesitated to define the Western Region Divine Maiden as an enemy and act accordingly.

Yeon Ho-Jeong understood Moyong Gun. He had not experienced the war with the Three Cults, nor had he smelled the blood-filled air of the battlefield.

He knew it in his head, but he couldn’t understand it in his heart. That’s why he could be more cautious.

Conversely, it meant that Yeon Ho-Jeong could never be calm about matters related to the Three Cults. He was just trying to be calm.

‘What my brother said wasn’t wrong either.’

There was no harm in being cautious. Besides, even Yeon Ho-Jeong thought that the Western Region Divine Maiden didn’t seem like a bad person by nature.

Of course, as he had said to Moyong Gun, the good or evil of the Three Cults’ people didn’t matter to Yeon Ho-Jeong.

Yeon Ho-Jeong took a deep breath.

“It’s not my style to ruin the atmosphere for no reason. I’ll meet her and decide.”

At that moment, Muk Bi smacked Yeon Ho-Jeong on the back.

Thwack!

“Cough!”

Yeon Ho-Jeong almost rolled onto the floor. It was a fierce blow that brought tears to his eyes. Yeon Ho-Jeong grimaced and growled.

“What the hell was that for, you punk!”

“To take the tension out of your shoulders.”

“What?”

Muk Bi grinned and waved her hand.

“No matter what kind of person she is, Young Master Yeon, you just need to act like yourself, right? Like you always have.”

“……”

“Don’t be burdened like it’s not you, Young Master Yeon, and if you’re going to do something, go and do it coolly.”

Yeon Ho-Jeong, who had been staring at Muk Bi, patted his back.

“When I come back after talking, your back will be on fire.”

“Go train your movement technique more.”

“I have Blood Wing Soaring Heaven [a powerful movement technique].”

“I have a bow, you know?”

“You think I can’t dodge it?”

“You think I can’t hit you?”

“……I’ll kill you.”

“Haa.”

Gi Woo-Hee sighed softly.

‘The Physician’s Society.’

She had been lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling for a long time.

She was exhausted, but her mind was so complicated that she couldn’t fall asleep.

She recalled the words of Jamyeong Ilho.

‘Also, infiltrating the Martial Alliance is not something the Divine Maiden should do. Nevertheless, the reason the Divine Maiden is suffering this ordeal is because of her original sin.’

That’s right.

She had a sin. But that sin was not a sin she had committed of her own free will.

A sin she had been burdened with since birth. Half of the blood flowing through her veins contained a baseness that was unacceptable to ‘them.’

“Base….”

Sadness clouded Gi Woo-Hee’s face.

“What determines nobility and baseness? Is it noble if it’s the bloodline of the rich, and base if it’s the bloodline of the poor? Is it base if the skin color is different, and noble if the skin color is the same?”

Gi Woo-Hee couldn’t understand it at all.

That’s why she had delved into medicine since she was young. She had taken the talk about different blood literally and started studying it with a childish thought of really understanding the structure of the human body.

But as time passed, as she became proficient in medicine and experienced the world, she realized.

That there was no nobility or baseness in this world. It was just the people who divided them.

But.

“……No matter how much I cry out, they won’t even try to understand.”

Tears welled up in Gi Woo-Hee’s eyes.

Perhaps now wasn’t the time to think about such things.

Whether she had a choice or not, the important thing was that she was heading to the Martial Alliance. And the reality was that she had to do what they wanted there.

It was useless to lament that her will and the values of the world were not recognized. The reality would not change.

‘A physician who heals people’s bodies has to become a pawn for an organization and act as a spy.’

Gi Woo-Hee sighed.

‘I never had the right to criticize the Physician’s Society from the beginning. I’m no different from them.’

It was then.

“This is Yeon Ho-Jeong, the Commander of the Myeolsa Army.”

She was startled and hurriedly got up.

“May I come in?”

“Y-Yes?!”

“……”

“……Ah, yes. P-Please, come in.”

“Understood.”

Creak.

The door opened, and Yeon Ho-Jeong entered.

Gi Woo-Hee’s eyes wavered. She felt the atmosphere in the room change as soon as Yeon Ho-Jeong entered.

Confused, Gi Woo-Hee maintained a hesitant posture.

‘This is strange.’

She knew she didn’t need to be like this, but she couldn’t shake off her nervousness.

‘Why am I like this?’

When she faced Yeon Ho-Jeong, or even just heard his voice, her heart pounded.

Was it because she felt an attraction to him? That wasn’t it.

Gi Woo-Hee felt a deep sense of intimidation from Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes and voice. In a way, that intimidation was filled with more hostility than even the protectors of the cult.

Yeon Ho-Jeong shook his head.

“Physician Gi is my escort target. You don’t need to be so nervous.”

“Yes….”

“May I sit down?”

“Yes! Y-Yes, please do.”

Thus, the two sat facing each other at the table.

Yeon Ho-Jeong quietly crossed his arms and stared intently at Gi Woo-Hee. Gi Woo-Hee, feeling burdened by his gaze, lowered her head and fidgeted.

A suffocating silence followed.

It was Yeon Ho-Jeong who broke the silence first.

“You’re nervous.”

“Yes?!”

“There’s no need for you to be so nervous, but you’re being unusually nervous.”

“Ah! T-That’s….”

Yeon Ho-Jeong’s eyes deepened.

Just as he was about to speak again, she spoke.

“Are you… feeling okay?”

“……?”

“Y-Your external wounds seem to have healed, but your internal injuries still seem serious.”

Why was that?

At Gi Woo-Hee’s words, Yeon Ho-Jeong felt a strange sense of anticlimax.

“Well, I’m fine. My stomach is a bit sore, but I’m used to this kind of injury.”

At that moment, Gi Woo-Hee’s eyes flashed. It was such an intense glare that Yeon Ho-Jeong, who was sitting across from her, was surprised.

“That’s not good! If you leave your internal injuries untreated, your organs could be severely damaged in the future…!!”

“…….”

“……It, it could be damaged?”

Gi Woo-Hee, surprised at herself for suddenly shouting, lowered her head again. Her fair skin was already flushed red.

Yeon Ho-Jeong frowned.

What is this person?

He stared at Gi Woo-Hee for a moment and then said with a sigh.

“Damn it, this is really anticlimactic.”

“H-Huh! D-Did I do something terribly wrong…?!!”

“What are you trying to do?”

“……Yes?”

“You came here to spy, didn’t you?”

Gi Woo-Hee was speechless.