Monochrome Sovereign [EN]: Chapter 984

A heavy silence settled between the two brothers, the teacups on the table between them doing little to break the tension.

Moyong Gun, who had been so outspoken in front of Gong Gong Daesa, now found it difficult to speak freely in front of his younger brother.

They had exchanged many letters, so there was no logical reason for this awkwardness. Yet, the heavy atmosphere was entirely of Moyong Gun’s making.

He had relentlessly pursued his ambitions, only to experience a sudden epiphany. He had relinquished everything, left the Alliance, and forged his own path.

Even the world he had created was not for personal gain. It was to contribute to the greater good, to help win the war.

In essence, he was unsure how Moyong Woo would perceive his actions, which could be seen as a radical transformation. This uncertainty was the root of his unease.

Of course, they had met a few times before he left the Alliance, but considering the time they had spent apart, a degree of awkwardness was inevitable.

Still, it was Moyong Gun who spoke first.

“Have you been well?”

“Yes. I’m glad to see you look healthy, Brother.”

In truth, Moyong Woo was also feeling somewhat awkward.

He knew how much effort Moyong Gun had invested in becoming the Alliance Leader. He had tried to dissuade him, alongside Yeon Ho-Jeong, due to the ethical concerns involved. Yet, Moyong Gun’s dream had been to lead the Alliance.

Even if he had changed his mind, he couldn’t be without some lingering attachments. Moyong Woo was certain that while he didn’t regret his choice, he couldn’t be completely free of those feelings.

And now, he had become a candidate for the Alliance Leader.

The person who had vowed to change the Moyong family by becoming its head was now a candidate for the Alliance Leader, while the one who had abandoned the family to become the Alliance Leader had let go of everything and gone south of the Yangtze River to create a new power.

‘Fate is truly…’

Moyong Woo sighed inwardly.

Moyong Gun had failed to become the Alliance Leader. However, he had ultimately achieved what he wanted, so that was fortunate.

But Moyong Gun had given up his dream and was now working for the sake of the world.

And here was his younger brother, a candidate for the next Alliance Leader, a person who might still harbor some lingering ambitions.

It was only natural that they would feel awkward.

Moyong Gun, who had been quietly observing Moyong Woo’s face, chuckled.

“Do you want to be the head of the family, or do you want to be the Alliance Leader?”

Moyong Woo’s eyes flickered.

“I…”

“Yes?”

“…”

“You fool, why are you so stiff, like someone caught doing something wrong? Has our relationship become so strained that you can’t even answer a simple question like this?”

“I…”

“I heard that you and several other promising individuals have become candidates for the Alliance Leader.”

Moyong Gun took a sip of his tea and continued.

“You wouldn’t have become candidates simply because you desired the position. It must have been the will of Gong Gong Daesa and the military advisor that allowed you to rise to the position of candidate.”

“…”

“In my view, Gong Gong Daesa is pursuing the bare minimum. He’s running things with the bare minimum. In other words, he’s thinking of laying the groundwork for the next generation and then stepping aside cleanly.”

Moyong Woo couldn’t help but agree with Moyong Gun’s words.

That was how it seemed to him, and even Gong Gong Daesa himself had said as much.

Others called Gong Gong Daesa the first Alliance Leader of the Martial Alliance, but Gong Gong Daesa himself said he was not the first but an interim leader.

That statement itself undermined the power of the Alliance Leader. Gong Gong Daesa himself knew that.

Yet, the fact that he maintained his stance to the end showed how much he expected from the next generation and that he was willing to sacrifice his own position for their sake.

“Sacrificing himself for the next Alliance Leader, that in itself is a great thing. It’s not something anyone can do.”

“I think so too.”

“In other words, the fact that this selfless person, who doesn’t even want to be the Alliance Leader, is taking the position to lay the groundwork shows a quiet determination to give the next Alliance Leader a powerful foundation.”

He had never considered it from that perspective.

Moyong Woo, realizing that his brother’s insight was indeed different, said,

“But if things continue like this, the Alliance could be destabilized.”

He shook off his awkwardness and asked out of genuine curiosity.

Moyong Gun smiled faintly.

“I heard that the atmosphere in the Alliance has been quite turbulent lately. You, who went out on a mission and only returned today, wouldn’t have heard about it.”

“…?”

“I think I now understand why the military advisor has been observing this situation unfold.”

“Yes?”

“So, what do you think?”

Moyong Gun changed the subject abruptly.

Moyong Woo, who had been quietly looking at Moyong Gun, spoke as if he had made up his mind.

“I’m thinking of seriously aiming for it.”

“…”

There was no lengthy explanation. He simply expressed his feelings concisely.

Moyong Gun nodded silently.

Moyong Woo also fell silent after that. He didn’t even drink his tea. He just watched Moyong Gun’s expression.

How much time had passed?

“Do you know what I thought when I first heard that you had become a candidate for the Alliance Leader?”

“I have no idea. But I think you must have been angry.”

“Yes, I was angry.”

“…Yes.”

Moyong Gun shook his head.

“You seem to think that I was angry out of jealousy because I gave up the Alliance Leader position and my younger brother became a candidate, but that’s not it.”

“…”

“It was anger at myself.”

“Yes?”

Moyong Gun leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling.

It was unclear whether he was looking at the ceiling or wanting to see the sky beyond it.

“There’s a saying that only when you let go of your desires can you get what you want.”

“…”

“Isn’t that a truly absurd saying? Trying to get what you want means that desire is the driving force, but if you can’t let go of that desire, you can’t achieve your goal? What kind of ridiculous wordplay is that?”

“…”

“I didn’t accept that saying. I couldn’t accept it. If what you wanted only comes to those who give up their desires and seek a different path, then isn’t that the heavens trying to deceive people?”

Moyong Woo nodded silently.

Moyong Gun smiled.

“So I didn’t believe it. And I proved it. I wanted to be the head of the family, and in the process, I committed all sorts of questionable acts. In the end, I became the head of the family.”

“…”

“But I couldn’t become the Alliance Leader.”

“…”

“Even if I had continued to try in that state, I wouldn’t have become the Alliance Leader. I would have been more likely to be undermined by my rivals and buried in the martial world.”

Moyong Gun lowered his gaze to Moyong Woo.

“The amazing thing is that I never even considered that possibility until I let go of my desires.”

“…”

“Even though I’m not good enough to discuss the best in the world, I’m not someone who would be called stupid anywhere. Yet, I, who had been through so much in the martial world, ignored and dismissed something that even young people who didn’t know the world would know.”

“…”

“Do you know why?”

“I don’t know.”

“Because the direction of my efforts was wrong.”

Moyong Woo’s eyes wavered.

It wasn’t that he shouldn’t have been ambitious, but that the direction of his efforts was misguided.

It was something that Moyong Gun would never have said before. He had sensed it many times, but he never imagined that his brother would change this much.

“It’s not that only virtuous people should become the Alliance Leader. Rather, in this era, a decisive Alliance Leader who can show a strong and sometimes ruthless side is better. If it’s an unavoidable situation… we need someone who can lead the world, even if it means making difficult choices.”

“…”

“But I went in the opposite direction. I tried to become the Alliance Leader by accumulating petty and vicious acts. And after becoming the Alliance Leader? I wanted to be a good person. I wanted to lead everyone and transform the world.”

“…!”

Moyong Woo swallowed involuntarily.

Moyong Gun sighed.

“If we limit it to the goal of achieving my objective, there will definitely be someone who can reach the top with my method. But that method was not right for me.”

“…”

“That’s why I felt anger at myself. I couldn’t bear the fact that I, who had risked my life for the goal of a lifetime, was making decisions every day that were taking me further and further away from the starting line.”

“…I see.”

“I still don’t like the saying that you can only get what you want by letting go of your desires. I don’t think it’s right. I think that saying is closer to self-justification for those who tried to reach the unreachable, or whose efforts were in the wrong direction, or who didn’t even try properly.”

“…”

“I failed. But I won’t use my failure as an excuse, saying that it couldn’t be helped, or that the world wasn’t ready to accept me, or blame it. I don’t have the right to do that.”

Moyong Gun smiled bitterly.

“In the end, my goal was bound to be distant because I was wrong. When I heard that you had become a candidate for the Alliance Leader, I completely realized my mistake.”

“Brother.”

“Congratulations.”

“…!”

“I was angry at myself, but when I think of you, I think it’s a good thing.”

Moyong Woo’s eyes wavered. He never expected that Moyong Gun would support him.

“You are a capable man. A talented individual. Yet, you couldn’t fully display your talents and wasted your time in the Zhejiang branch. It was me and the Moyong family that made you that way.”

“Brother.”

“You want to change the main family? That’s good too. But I don’t think it’s bad to aim for the Alliance Leader position either. Rather, for you, who have not been able to fulfill your ambitions due to long patience, isn’t that position an opportunity to resolve your resentment and soar higher?”

At that moment, Moyong Woo felt something that had been stuck in his heart completely shatter.

‘Resentment.’

Was there resentment?

Was there regret and frustration in my heart for not being able to display my abilities to the world?

Moyong Woo honestly looked back at himself.

The answer came immediately.

‘There is.’

He had resentment.

He had entered the Martial Alliance, received Moyong Gun’s support, and became the leader of the Tangma and Uijeong units, leading the strongest elite forces of the Martial Alliance.

That alone was a valuable experience. No, it was more than an experience; he was able to perceive a new world.

Thanks to that, he made many comrades and found ways to further develop himself.

‘Was it not enough?’

He had told Yeon Ho-Jeong that he would never become the Alliance Leader, that he didn’t have the ability and didn’t want to.

Those words were sincere. He sincerely thought that he was not suitable for that position. He thought he didn’t have the ability.

However.

As time passed, he made many friends, his perspective on the world changed, and a seed of desire sprouted in Moyong Woo’s heart.

‘I want to try it.’

The desire to become the Alliance Leader?

Yes, it was there. To be precise, his desire was not limited to the Alliance Leader.

He wanted to try everything.

As a swordsman born in the martial world, he wanted to live countless lives that he had never experienced before, including becoming the Alliance Leader.

He wanted to enjoy responsible freedom, day by day, until the moment his life ended.

Looking at Moyong Woo, who was staring blankly at the ceiling, Moyong Gun smiled bitterly.

“I couldn’t have the right desires like you. But it’s enough that you have risen up correctly. I will find my own path, so you just need to find your own path.”

“…”

“Haha, you can’t change the nature that’s in your blood. You’re a Moyong after all.”