Chapter: 787
Some might say,
Now, how much do I have left to fear?
A teenage master. To be precise, this is a point that has reached the upper ranks.
If I were to face off against opponents alone, there were about ten left, including the hidden strong ones above me.
If they aren’t at the level of the Three Lords, I am confident I could escape without dying in any circumstance.
To be honest, I wonder what there is really to be afraid of.
‘… Power isn’t the only thing that induces fear.’
Strategic cunning can be crushed by greater strength, but it is clear that isn’t the case with everything.
People have memories.
Memories that are so well engraved that they can’t be forgotten sometimes manifest as nightmares.
Things that are imprinted so they will never be forgotten for a lifetime.
To give a representative example, my father is like that to me.
Oh, of course, when it comes to sheer force, there’s no sign that we could win yet.
Anyway…
In any case, it means that there is more to what causes fear in humans than just strength.
That includes my father, of course, as well as my family members.
To be specific,
‘I guess that’s all there is to it.’
There are parts I didn’t admit in the past, but I am gradually acknowledging them now.
I was still buried in my memories.
Becoming a dragon has slightly improved some of those feelings.
When I faced Gu Hee-bi, this was likely the reason I could decide to confront her without fear.
However, it would be premature to say that I have completely escaped.
It has just become easier to endure.
I think that’s the right way to say it.
No, it was definitely that way.
Knowing this, I urgently tried to flee.
With my hastily packed belongings, I needed to hide somewhere for now.
As I thought this, I attempted to take off into the air, but—
BOOM-!!
Suddenly, the door outside the place opened violently.
At that moment—
“Hahahahahahahaha—!!”
As soon as I heard the old man’s raucous laughter, I had to tremble.
“Oh my, who is that-! Isn’t that our Holy King’s grandson! Hahahahaha-! Your face is looking quite impressive!”
“…”
Oh, damn.
It seemed I had already missed the mark.
This recalls my childhood.
The time was around the age of thirteen in my previous life.
The situation was a bit excessive, even in my opinion. It was Elder Lee, not my father, who had heard about it first.
Being more arrogant than anyone else, I was just feeling annoyed instead of guilty, as usual.
The setting was on the mountain behind the family estate.
I was led there by Elder Lee’s hand.
A vividly expansive plain was visible.
While it wasn’t entirely maintained, it didn’t look too bad.
[Our grandchild. Do you know that?]
Elder Lee asked me while looking at the scene.
[You didn’t say anything, so how would I know? And, I am not the elder’s grandson.]
I replied, my brow heavily furrowed.
Looking back now, that was indeed a ridiculous response.
‘Am I not still likely to say something like that now?’
If there’s a difference, I had more malevolence back then.
I was always growling.
There was a time when I wouldn’t allow anyone to approach me.
Thus, I didn’t really appreciate Elder Lee trying to pry deeper.
[I see? That’s too bad. Hahaha-!]
The more he laughed like this, the more unbothered Elder Lee appeared.
It was the same back then.
[Why did you bring me here? Get me out of this quickly.]
My body was tightly bound by ropes.
If it were now, I could have easily freed myself, but back then I was just an incompetent child.
I cried and screamed in frustration, but Elder Lee seemed to pay no heed, only gazing at the brightly spread plain.
[…Damn it. I told you to untie me!?]
Eventually, unable to contain my anger, I erupted.
It was only upon hearing that did Elder Lee finally look my way.
Elder Lee’s smile remained unchanged.
One.
I should have picked up on it back then.
That there was a touch of anger mixed within that laughter.
[Yangcheon-ah.]
[Release me right now!]
[Why did you do that?]
[What do you mean “don’t release me right now!?” If you don’t, I’ll kill you all…!]
[Why did you do that, Yangcheon?]
[…Damn…! What did I even do! What did I do—!]
[The child almost died.]
Elder Lee’s words left me momentarily speechless. That was the reason I had been dragged all the way to this mountain.
Yeah, back then I had almost killed someone.
The victim was probably my servant.
I don’t recall the details well, but she seemed to be a woman two or three years older than me.
She said I knocked her down after hitting her in the head with a piece of pottery. Without proper treatment, she might have died.
[Why did you do that?]
[…]
Elder Lee asked me why.
Why did I do that? That’s right. Why did I do that?
It’s not that I don’t remember. I knew why.
It was only because the food I brought tasted bad.
Purely for that reason did I create chaos, leading to this mess.
[They say the child regained consciousness after receiving treatment. However, she will no longer be able to work. She probably won’t work in our household anymore.]
The clan covered the excessive expenses that arose due to the incident concerning the family member.
He claimed that after receiving treatment, they ensured she could live the rest of her life comfortably.
This is information I later discovered.
[…So?]
I tilted my mouth into a sneer, as if mocking.
[How wonderful! She couldn’t even do her job properly and got paid instead. Guess it’s my doing!]
Heh.
I chuckled while pouring out my derision.
I cannot begin to express how embarrassed and ashamed I felt at that time.
Throwing the pottery was not premeditated either.
I had a fit as usual, but it turned out the pottery was heavier than I thought. I couldn’t control my strength, and it flew off in a wrong direction.
And thus the incident occurred.
Honestly, I thought I was lucky to escape from it alive.
[It’s just one servant gone. Is that really such a big deal?]
The words I spat out did not reflect my true feelings.
[If she had done her job properly, I wouldn’t have done that in the first place. How could someone so incompetent serve me… You can just find me someone better next time—!]
I shouted as if spitting fire.
My voice grew louder and sharper, trying to cover the embarrassment I felt.
That was who I was back then.
[So, release me right now! Just let me go–!!]
I struggled and thrashed around, but the ropes were way too sturdy, showing no signs of loosening.
[Cough-!!]
In the end, I couldn’t control my body and rolled around on the ground.
The rocky ground was painfully rough.
A scenario that could leave me scarred.
[Let… me go!]
Even in such dire circumstances, Elder Lee remained unyielding.
[That’s just a servant.]
The old man nodded, stroking his beard with a hefty hand.
[Yes. To you, she may just be that. But if the child lacks noble blood, that’s true.]
The typical noble mentality. The Gu family was a clan that had risen among the noble ranks. No matter how much it’s hidden, a noble family is still a noble family.
Thus, Elder Lee had some semblance of this mindset.
Only…
[But there’s no reason for you to treat me carelessly just because I’m of lesser value.]
Elder Lee looked at me as if for an altogether different reason and continued speaking.
[So, should I care about that servant?]
[Whether you care or not, that’s on you. Just don’t create any nuisance.]
[A nuisance?]
[Yes. Because of your reckless actions, the clan had to spend a ridiculous amount on that child. This is definitely a loss for the family. If it’s not damage, then what is it?]
Don’t prioritize the life or death of a child over the inconveniences that bring harm to the family, with no justification.
This was Elder Lee’s philosophy.
[…Huh?]
I managed a chuckle at his absurd statement.
[Yangcheon-ah. Do you know why this old man brought you here?]
[How would I know! Let me go right now, you damn old man!]
[It’s simple. This is a punishment.]
Punishment. I lit up at those words like a flame ignited inside me.
[A punishment, for what—! I didn’t do anything wrong! It’s her fault for screwing up her job…!]
[I told you, the issue isn’t you harming the child.]
SWISH.
Elder Lee swung his thick arm and caught me.
I was lifted easily as if he was picking an apple from a tree.
[If there’s something that irritates you, it’s okay not to hold it back, but Yangcheon, you are far too low on that scale. What’s more, you cause trouble for those around you with your shallow temperament. This is why you are being punished.]
[What kind of nonsense is that! I’m a blood relative of the Gu family! Why should I be punished!]
As the embarrassment hit me, my ears turned hot.
Of course, I wasn’t saying that out of any pride about being from the Gu family.
Those were just hollow words spoken because I had to say something.
Just tools used to express my emotions somehow. That’s how it felt.
[You, an old man, think you can punish me? Why should I accept that-! Let go of me! Let go! Right now!]
But I continued to unleash my frustration endlessly.
[Your opinion doesn’t concern me. This is purely a punishment handed down by me.]
Elder Lee threw me aside after completing his sentence.
WHAM!?
I flew away and landed on the ground with a thud, rolling over.
Bound by the ropes, I couldn’t stop myself at all.
After I finally came to a stop,
Ugh…
I slowly lifted my head and looked around.
After rolling for a while, I ended up at the center of that plain.
Since it was a summer afternoon, the heat was intense. The ground was scorching to the point my body felt like it was on fire.
At that time, Gu Yeom-hwa-ryun-gong was barely starting to take shape and had almost zero heat tolerance.
[…What on earth is this… this…?]
Why was I suddenly tossed here? Dazed and confused, I pondered.
[I thought about what punishment I should give you.]
Elder Lee spoke to me from a distance.
[I believe keeping it simple is the best approach.]
[What are you talking about! Let me go right now!]
[At your age, shouldn’t you be doing something by yourself? Try to get free from those ropes!]
[What the—!]
[Alright, I’ll come back in three days. Stay well.]
[What?]
After saying that, Elder Lee immediately turned to leave.
I watched him in shock, shouting in confusion.
[L, let me go! No! Take me with you! What am I supposed to do here—!!]
My body was tightly bound.
The blazing sun. The mountaintop.
No matter how you looked at it, it was a state that was far removed from survival.
Are you really saying you’ll leave me here and come back in three days? That’s a lie, right?
Even staring at him in disbelief, Elder Lee had already vanished from sight.
[Hey, damn it. You old geezer!! Come back right now—!!]
The words I yelled echoed back to me.
Indeed, Elder Lee never showed up again.
And exactly three days later.
As I slowly began to die from thirst and hunger while hiding from wild animals, the elder picked me up again from the grass and said,
[If this happens again, next time it will be seven days instead of three.]
He said it with a laugh, leaving me speechless.
I wanted to cuss him out, but regrettably, I lacked the strength to do so.
It was more akin to abuse rather than punishment.
How could an elder of the clan do such a thing to his own blood relations?
I heard later that Elder Lee faced some consequences for this incident.
Although he didn’t resign from his elder position, his status was pushed back behind that of the three elders or the leader of the clan.
Even for an elder, it meant he couldn’t treat me with such disregard.
He must have known that very well.
That old man’s attitude toward me didn’t change whether he received punishment or not.
Leave it to me, a boy causing trouble, to face penalties.
Then he would come and punish me as well.
The cycle continued.
Because I repeatedly experienced this, I was busy avoiding Elder Lee back then.
He would try to drag me off for training at the slightest opportunity and would scold me if I made a fuss.
Perhaps that elder Lee was even more excessive than Gu Hee-bi.
“This kid! This guy! You didn’t even give me a heads up! Just like that—!! You truly have a knack for startling the old man, hahahahahaha—!!”
Even now, that old man had changed very little.
“…My head… my head is spinning.”
As the elder forcefully stroked my hair, I felt dizzy.
“Hahahaha—!!! You look especially tall! I knew this would happen! How could you not grow tall, being your father’s son? Were you even trying to grow taller? Hah, then you were far too small!”
“…”
My height increased due to molting. Still, I was shorter than Elder Lee, who was nearly eight feet tall.
However, Elder Lee was smiling brightly, as if it was all fine.
Seeing that made my heart ache a little.
‘…It’s thanks to shedding my shell.’
If it hadn’t been for that, I would’ve been far shorter than this.
Especially when the topic of my father, who was a hefty man, came up, it hurt all the more.
“Have you eaten anything?”
“…I tried to, but I had no appetite.”
“Oh dear, it’s bad for a young man to skip meals. You should eat well while you are still growing!”
“…”
Who’s the reason I have no appetite?
Seeing Elder Lee pat my shoulder without understanding my feelings only intensified my vexation.
‘In the end, I couldn’t escape.’
Dammit.
As soon as I heard the news, I hastily tried to slip away, but regrettably, I was unable to.
“It’s pleasant here as well.”
Just as I was about to take off, Elder Lee invaded the place like a ghost.
Thanks to that, I found myself in this state.
“I can stay here too.”
Elder Lee’s words made me grimace involuntarily.
“What kind of awful words are those? I refuse.”
“Refuse, you say? It’s been a while since I last bathed with you, has it not? Huh?”
“Even more so, I refuse. What on earth is that creepy suggestion?”
“This kid? All grown up and acting tough. Look how well we’re bonding and everything… Ah.”
While Elder Lee who spouted nonsensical words… well, nonsense suddenly realized something.
Then he grinned.
‘…Oh, crap.’
A smile filled with some intention.
I could see where this was going.
“Well now, you are a great saint, so of course, you wouldn’t want a bath with someone old like me. I totally understand.”
‘Damn it.’
Sure enough, he brought up the topic of nicknames.
“Hmm, well, if anything, you are a great saint.”
“…That’s not it.”
“A great and splendid king cannot bathe with this insignificant old man.”
“That’s really not the case!”
“A grand, outstanding, and great king like you needs food too, and of course, a bath….”
“…”
Watching him disregard my responses, I covered my forehead with my hand.
‘If that’s how it’s going to be…’
That’s why I attempted to make a break for it in the first place.
‘Damn.’
It was evident that he was going to find something to mock me about.
Moreover, having another person around who could tease me endlessly was only making things worse.
‘Huh…’
Stifling a heavy sigh, I turned to the elder who was still teasing me.
“…So, why have you come here?”
“Huh? For the magnificent and resplendent…”
“Oh, please, spare me that.”
As I scowled, Elder Lee finally stopped his prattle.
He looked somewhat disappointed but fortunately didn’t pursue the matter any further.
“I heard you weren’t planning to come. So why did you go out of your way to come here?”
Currently, there were others from the Gu family who had arrived in Hanam ahead of me.
Yet, I hadn’t heard anything regarding Elder Lee coming.
Originally, Elder Lee didn’t often come out from the clan and certainly never ventured toward Hanam.
Unless it was for a major event, like the Shin dragon-related incident a few years back, he tended not to move at all.
What on earth could have brought him here for such a time?
In that context, I posed my question.
“Why, pray tell? Yangcheon, I heard you encountered a significant incident, so I came.”
I stood there momentarily, dumbfounded by his response.
“I heard you had a massive fight. How’s your body holding up?”
“…Ah.”
Could it really be true that I was the cause?
“You appear to be alright. Though I can’t tell if you’re hurt or not. If you are injured, I hope you’re receiving proper treatment? I heard there’s a healer near you… But don’t place too much trust in him. He’s actually rather inept.”
“…”
The flood of words continued unabated.
While I was aware that the esteemed physician of the Central Plains was being labeled a quack and whatnot, that was one thing to overlook, however.
“…I’m fine.”
Recognizing that much of that anxious tirade was out of concern made me feel odd.
Did he truly come rushing here right after hearing news of me?
‘Hanam isn’t that close from Shanxi, though.’
How many days had it been since the incident? If he received word and rushed over, he would have had to sprint to arrive at that timing.
That seemed probable, but could an elder like him, no matter how spry for his years, run all the way here in one bound?
If that was the case, an uncomfortable sensation surged within me, leaving me irked.
“…Is it really wise for someone of your age to work yourself up like that? You ought to remain at home.”
Thus, I ended up voicing all the things I didn’t really mean.
“Haha, you should have simply said it was hard. You still speak with that same tone.”
“That’s not it.”
“Right, right.”
THUMP.
Nodding, Elder Lee gave my head another affectionate pat.
That roughness still felt awkward, yet I refrained from resisting.
“Oh, by the way, I heard on my way here, Yangcheon.”
“…Yes?”
“I heard you’ve been made the leader of the Meng clan. Is that true?”
“…It just sort of happened.”
Even though I hadn’t yet ventured out properly and had already caused a significant ruckus on the first day.
“Hmmm.”
“Why do you ask?”
Upon hearing my words, Elder Lee hissed in contemplation.
Suddenly, I grew curious about his line of inquiry. It didn’t strike me as being asked just to provoke me.
‘…Oh, could it be.’
Could it be a problem that I accepted the position of leader without notifying the clan elders?
‘Indeed.’
That would definitely be an issue.
Even though I had hastily accepted the conditions and taken the main share, I still had entangled matters to navigate.
Accepting the leadership position here would complicate my return to Sega and impede my opportunity to step into the second-level leadership role.
Because of that, I had previously needed to consult my father and the elders distinctly.
‘…I completely spaced out.’
I had been so busy of late that I forgot about it momentarily.
In that circumstance, Elder Lee might express his discomfort and order me to sidestep the position as a leader.
‘With how things have transpired, I have to wrap up what I’ve started.’
Half a year.
Plans required at least six months, so I contemplated how to persuade them.
In the midst of my anxious pondering, Elder Lee opened his mouth carefully.
“Well, this is quite a predicament.”
It appeared my speculation had proven to be true.
“About that… Elder.”
“If this continues, it would become apparent that I’m being barred from entering Hanam due to the incident I caused.”
“I have my own reasons… What did you say?”
“Huh?”
“Excuse me?”
I momentarily halted, staring at Elder Lee.
A brief silence lapsed.
“Ahh! What a slip of the tongue—!”
THWACK!
Elder Lee playfully thumped his own head with his fist, pretending to be adorable.
“…”
It genuinely wasn’t cute at all.
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