Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 824

Yeon-wi’s eyes wavered.

Moyong Gun emptied his glass again.

“Kuh, this is really strong. But it seems like I’m getting used to it as I drink.”

Moyong Gun smacked his lips a few times and gave a bitter smile.

“If there’s another time we’re drinking baijiu [a strong Chinese liquor], please prepare some snacks. It would be much better then.”

“…Why did your mind change?”

“Hmm?”

“How could someone whose dream was to become the Martial Alliance Leader change their mind?”

Moyong Gun shook his head.

“My desire to become the Martial Alliance Leader is still there. Perhaps, unless I achieve that dream, I won’t be able to let go of my lingering attachment until I die.”

Yeon-wi’s eyes deepened.

“You said you don’t want to become the leader of the current Martial Alliance?”

“That’s right.”

“That’s strange. I didn’t think that the Moyong Clan Head would give up his dream, no matter what state the Martial Alliance was in. Rather, I thought you were the type to clench your fists and move forward, determined to transform an organization that didn’t suit you into one that did.”

Judging the position of leader based on the state of the organization.

If it were the vague longing of a foolish person, that would be understandable.

However, Moyong Gun was a considerable realist. He was a man with sharp insight and wisdom, and he was just as ambitious, with outstanding abilities to back up that ambition.

Even if the Martial Alliance were completely dismantled and in shambles, he was the type of person who would rise up and become the leader to make the organization the best in the world. So, for him to give up the position of leader because it didn’t suit him?

“Don’t misunderstand. I only said I don’t want to take the position, not that I’ve completely given up on my dream of becoming the leader.”

“They sound different, but ultimately, it’s the same thing. I don’t know how the current Martial Alliance looks in your eyes, but at this point, with the election of the leader just around the corner, not burning with the will to take the position means you’re not going to run for it…”

“If I were to run for the position of leader, would these many dedicated members even support me?”

“…”

“Becoming the leader is a realm that cannot be achieved with just power or wisdom.”

Moyong Gun refilled his glass again.

Yeon-wi, who had been quietly watching him, emptied his glass and said,

“Cannot be achieved with power or wisdom?”

“It’s different from before.”

“…?”

“I’m talking about the current Martial Alliance.”

Moyong Gun chuckled.

“The previous Martial Alliance, to put it bluntly, had a very open door, where you could somehow take the leader’s position if you used any means necessary, such as vicious political maneuvering, bribery, and public opinion manipulation.”

“…”

“But what about now? Do you really think the previous Martial Alliance and the current Martial Alliance are the same?”

“They look the same to me.”

“They’re the same, but different. However, I can’t criticize you for having a different perspective than me. What looks different to me might look the same to you.”

It wasn’t a statement implying that he saw something others couldn’t.

It meant that their perspectives on the world were different, and that Moyong Gun recognized Yeon-wi as a martial artist.

“Clan Leader Yeon. There has always been an ideal in the place you look towards.”

“…”

“Ignorant pessimists might think it’s the desperate struggle of a commoner chasing an unattainable illusion, but I’m different. Although we walk different paths, I know that the ideal you see is not worthless.”

“No one’s ideal in this world is worthless.”

“Of course not. It has value. It’s just different from the values of others.”

“There’s also the matter of right and wrong.”

Moyong Gun smiled.

It was a truly strange smile, filled with both bitterness and anticipation.

“Have you ever thought about why I’m so desperate for the position of Martial Alliance Leader?”

“…”

“You probably haven’t. Or, if you have, it would have ended at a superficial level. You probably thought of me as a corrupt politician, blinded by the desire for power.”

Yeon-wi didn’t bother to deny his words.

Moyong Gun refilled Yeon-wi’s glass and continued.

“I don’t care at all how others see me. In a world where it’s hard enough to take care of my own people, why should I care about what others think? If I worry about such things, it will only become an obstacle on the path I need to take.”

“…”

“I have never hesitated in the path I have chosen. I didn’t care about the opinions of those around me, nor the limits of morality.”

Yeon-wi’s eyes turned cold.

The limits of morality that Moyong Gun spoke of had many implications.

Perhaps many people had suffered because of the various things he had done to achieve his political standing. Many would have been directly involved and died, and many families would have been destroyed.

For the sake of one person’s dream, countless innocent people were sacrificed.

They were, in the end, powerless commoners.

“I wanted to become the Martial Alliance Leader and make the White Path Martial Alliance the best force in the world.”

“Are you referring to being the best in an area enforced by power?”

“Of course, power is necessary. I wanted to make it the best force in all areas, including practical martial strength, intelligence, and financial power, where no one could raise an objection.”

“That is…”

“Don’t misunderstand. It’s not for the sake of the Martial Alliance, but for my own sake. As many people evaluate, this person is the type who would rather take his own life than live a life without power.”

“…”

“However.”

Moyong Gun, turning the glass in his hand and looking at the lamp, had eyes that were quite different from the Moyong Gun that Yeon-wi remembered.

“I cannot deny that I haven’t looked back at the reason why I set this goal, and that the work for it has become too lax.”

“…”

“The best force in the world, the owner of that force, the one who holds the greatest power in the Central Plains. An ambitious man who wants to rule the world with that power.”

“…”

“But that ambitious man had no ‘next’.”

“Next?”

“After becoming the leader, after becoming the best in the world.”

“…!!”

“What will I do then? Will I be satisfied with that position? Or will I try to force reforms and ruin the world?”

Surprisingly, his thoughts were very similar to the concerns of Yang Cheon, who had heard Yeon Ho-Jeong’s direct words.

The difference was that Yang Cheon hadn’t realized it until he heard someone else’s words, while Moyong Gun had reflected through his own anguish.

In this case, there was no value in determining who was greater. What mattered was the result, and if Moyong Gun had reached a similar conclusion as Yang Cheon, he could show a different path than before, just like Yang Cheon.

Yeon-wi, who had been quietly looking at Moyong Gun, emptied his glass once more.

It was a particularly bitter glass.

“Why are you telling this to me?”

“I don’t know.”

“…?”

Moyong Gun smacked his lips.

“I really don’t know. I just felt like I wanted to talk to you about this. Maybe it’s because you’re the father of that guy Yeon Ho-Jeong, or maybe it’s because I was greatly shocked by your martial prowess at the meeting and suddenly thought of it.”

“…”

“If you think I came with a clear intention, I won’t bother telling you to stop doubting me.”

He had changed.

Yeon-wi thought. Moyong Gun had changed.

It wasn’t that his tone or personality had changed as if he had become a completely different person. This person was still Moyong Gun, no matter what anyone said. He spoke and acted like Moyong Gun, and the passion and confidence that filled his eyes were still there.

However, this current composure was definitely something that hadn’t been seen before, and there must be a reason why he had appeared with that composure.

“It’s a bit late, but congratulations.”

“…?”

“I’m talking about Ho-Jeong. He made it to the Saintly Celestial list [a list of the most powerful martial artists].”

Yeon-wi smiled bitterly.

“It’s not something for parents to be congratulated for. He earned that reputation because he’s good. And I’m not sure if a high reputation is necessarily a good thing.”

“For a martial artist, reputation is life. They’re the kind of people who live and die by their reputation.”

Moyong Gun let out a hollow laugh.

“Even so, I didn’t expect him to make it to the Saintly Celestial list at that age. Just opening the gate of the Supreme [a high level of martial arts mastery] was something that had never happened before in history.”

“…”

“Honestly, even after I thought I had shaken off all the trivial worries, I was stunned for a moment when I heard that news. I thought I had improved a bit, but that guy didn’t just improve, he had reached the pinnacle of the Central Plains.”

Moyong Gun recognized Yeon-wi as a person and as a martial artist.

Yeon Ho-Jeong was different. He recognized Yeon Ho-Jeong as a competitor before being a martial artist. And as a competitor who was even better than himself.

But that competitor had made it to the Saintly Celestial Thirteen Seats, which were revered as legends, so it was inevitable that he would feel bitter, unless he was a saint.

Looking at Moyong Gun’s honest and straightforward appearance, Yeon-wi said,

“How about letting go?”

“Hmm?”

“Personal ambition is something that others cannot interfere with, so I don’t have the right to judge whether your dream is right or wrong. However…”

“Let’s put aside our ambitions and unite to defeat the Three Teachings [a collective term for powerful opposing factions].”

“…”

“That’s what you want to say, right?”

“That’s right.”

As Moyong Gun showed his honesty, Yeon-wi also showed his honesty. As always.

“Your strategy and insight have reached a level that I cannot even compare to. It’s such a shame that you’re not using that ability for the sake of the world.”

“A shame…”

“I don’t think that all people of the Central Plains should sacrifice their lives for the peace of the Central Plains. But you, as the head of a prestigious family in the Central Plains…”

“You’re wrong.”

“…What do you mean?”

Flash!

A cold flame flickered in Moyong Gun’s eyes. It was the first time he had shown such a sharp look today.

“If you’re from the Central Plains, you should live as you please, but you should fight with your life on the line against the invasion of foreign enemies.”

“…!!”

“If you were born and raised here, no one can escape that fate. If you can’t risk your life, it’s better to just disappear.”

It was a somewhat extreme statement. In this aspect, he hadn’t changed from before.

“And I, too, am risking my life, even if the method is different. I did before, and I will continue to do so.”

“…”

“I don’t care what you think of this statement either.”

Moyong Gun put down his glass and stood up.

Yeon-wi also stood up from his seat.

“Today was enjoyable. If I stay any longer, I might end up showing you a side of me that could be used against me.”

“You used to show it.”

“My weakness, you mean?”

“That’s right. But I can’t see it well now.”

Moyong Gun chuckled.

“That’s a relief. I hate being caught off guard.”

Moyong Gun turned and headed towards the door.

Before opening the door, Moyong Gun said,

“I have always created my own place.”

“…?”

“What about you?”

“…”

Yeon-wi’s eyes deepened.

Moyong Gun, looking back at him, chuckled.

“You seem to fit in quite well with the current Martial Alliance.”

Thud.

Moyong Gun closed the door and left.

Left alone, Yeon-wi stood silently, looking at the door.

In the windless room, the lamp was swaying slightly.

The next day.

“Clan Leader Yeon.”

“You’re here?”

Jeagal Mun-Ho, who had come early in the morning, looked somewhat excited.

Confusion appeared on Yeon-wi’s face.

“What’s the matter?”

“We received a message from the Mukryong Unit [a special military unit].”

“…?!”

“Ho-Jeong is coming to the Martial Alliance as a Special Envoy.”