Chapter: 885
As soon as the morning arrived, I stepped outside.
To be precise, it was more like dawn, but that didn’t really matter.
After all, whether it was dawn or morning, being busy was the same either way.
“I see you, my lord!”
I eased my fatigue as the members greeted me.
Having gone several days without sleep, the weariness was starting to catch up to me.
It wasn’t physical exhaustion, but rather a mental fatigue.
‘There’s just too much on my mind.’
Even though I had wrapped up a significant task, quite a bit of work was still left undone. Because of that, my head ached more as the days passed.
At this point, I guess it became a habit to spin my energy around to dispel my headache.
Swish–!!
I circulated my energy, calming the anxiety and pain.
Only then did I feel a bit better.
“Are you doing well at work?”
“Yes—!”
Most of the members were packing their things, likely due to the orders given in the middle of the night.
An urgent command to prepare to return to Hanam the very next day.
It must have been a sudden order, yet they packed without any complaints.
It was only natural.
‘If I complain, I’d just get smacked anyway, right?’
That’s something that had probably already ingrained itself in their heads after months of being together.
If it needed doing, then it had to be done.
‘Not like I have much to pack anyway.’
I had come almost empty-handed.
I had tried to gather food supplies, but most of it was taken care of through hunting.
To begin with, everyone had high enough skills that going a few days without food wasn’t a big deal.
It’d probably be the same this time.
Sure, it might be a tad tiring, but just at the pace to endure. I liked that sort of thing.
‘There’s something gratifying about seeing people endure.’
Those attempts to stave off the seemingly limitless possibilities.
When you endure like that, you’re bound to gain something in the end.
“Can you finish preparing by noon?”
“That’s plenty of time.”
I could sense their confidence.
Should I ask them to do it an hour earlier? I hesitated for a moment but held back.
“Alright, then where’s the deputy commander?”
“Ah, if you mean the deputy commander, he should be in the northern quarters right now. I’ve heard he has something specific to command.”
“Really? Got it.”
Upon hearing that, I started to walk away immediately. But then one of the members grabbed me, looking surprised.
“My lord? That’s south. You need to head to the opposite side where the deputy commander is…”
“I know.”
“Yes?”
“I said I know.”
I was asking if I was supposed to go in the opposite direction.
After yesterday’s happenings, I wasn’t quite comfortable seeing Dang So-yeol and the others just yet.
The destination was the back of the residence.
Just a bit south, there lay an open grassland.
Oh, I really hadn’t aimed to head south on purpose. I was trying to avoid it, but I didn’t come this way with that intention. It just happened that my destination was to the south.
When I arrived at the meadow, someone was already waiting for me.
I looked at him and said, “Have you been waiting long?”
“No, I just got here.”
“You’re lying, aren’t you?”
“Nope.”
A pale, expressionless one-armed man. The Dark King consistently denied it, but I didn’t believe him.
‘How predictable.’
He must have been here long before. He might have even come in the middle of the night.
The Dark King I knew was that kind of person.
Like a shadow, he existed everywhere yet nowhere at all.
And there still were things that I couldn’t quite grasp about him.
‘It’s not easy.’
Even with the spirit I had cultivated through growth, I still couldn’t sense him well.
If I aimed to catch him, I might be able to… But what if the Dark King truly wanted to hide? Could I find him then?
I immediately answered that question confidently.
‘Impossible.’
Not yet. That was my certainty.
But…
‘Not much time left.’
I had a sneaking suspicion it wouldn’t take long to get there.
This wasn’t certainty, just a hunch, but for some reason, I felt that way.
“I have prepared what you requested. It is inside the food wagon. I have set up formations as well, but you must be cautious.”
“Thank you.”
The item the Dark King had stored in the wagon was none other than a wooden box containing the Yeouiju.
‘Even if my schedule gets messed up, I still need to take it.’
I hadn’t even had a proper chance to use it yet.
So far, I’d only used it on Seongyul. I hadn’t been able to use it at all on the kids.
‘Originally, I planned to gather them in two days to feed them…’
But due to issues like what happened yesterday and that sudden letter, I couldn’t do that.
Therefore, I would have to make use of it back in Hanam.
‘I also need to do some research.’
Besides the Yeouiju itself, I had also gathered the water from the underground pond.
I needed to confirm what effects it actually had.
Of course, that wasn’t my job.
‘I’ll leave it to the god.’
Though Shin-ui appeared to have a bad temper, he often granted requests made of him, so I thought this time would be similar.
‘While I’m at it, I might as well learn more.’
Aside from the witchcraft stuff, I needed to know about other things like this too.
‘And, while I’m at it, maybe some sorcery.’
Woosh—! I felt a tightness in my heart. There were four of them.
While it was good to have increased numbers, I didn’t have any particular use for them.
‘My knowledge is still lacking.’
The books the princess offered and the information from the god were fine, but they weren’t enough.
‘Having acquired this, I need to use it effectively.’
Whatever it was, once I obtained it, I had to put it to good use.
Especially.
‘Whatever I try to research, if I can’t pull it off, it’s likely because my knowledge falls short.’
For months, there had been one thing I’d desperately wanted to tackle.
I couldn’t use it in actual practice and had just been trying. But even after several months, there was no progress.
I had to face it.
‘It’s impossible right now.’
Even if Gu Yan Hualun Gong rose to Great Star, it wouldn’t work at this moment. Yet I was confident that someday it would come to pass.
Why?
‘Who knows?’
I didn’t even know myself. It was just a hunch, as always.
Though it felt strange, my instincts were clearly speaking.
As it had been, my intuition was surprisingly accurate.
It’s a pain how bad premonitions seem to be spot on, but that was the way it was.
I need a high level of knowledge of magic to perform what I desire.
I had a feeling that was coming.
“First, let me ask. Are you coming with me?”
“…”
The Dark King remained silent, as I had expected.
“I’m sorry.”
I heard him refuse. Upon hearing that, I pondered.
‘If I gave him an order, would he accompany me?’
Just a fleeting curiosity. If I were to tell the Dark King to come along, would that refusal just vanish? I was genuinely curious about it.
“Alright then.”
I didn’t press the issue further.
It was merely a simple curiosity. I didn’t want to use this to jeopardize my relationship with the Dark King.
Plus.
‘If he reacted this way, it likely meant he genuinely cares.’
The Dark King appeared to have no intention of leaving Sacheon anytime soon.
This was likely due to matters concerning Yeonilcheon.
In this case, I expected he wouldn’t make any moves until something was settled about it.
‘What a pity.’
The Dark King is a massive powerhouse.
In fact, one could say he is the strongest force I possess.
Not to say he was someone who aided me without having to use magic to restore me, making him quite an advantageous ally.
‘There’s no helping it.’
With that in mind, I had to let go of what I must.
‘How will I fill the gap left by the Dark King?’
I contemplated briefly. The answer eluded me.
A being to take the place of the Dark King? If such a thing existed, why would we even need a Dark King?
‘Neither Nahi nor Dang So-yeol could stand in for him.’
Even if they both seriously took on roles, the Dark King could dispatch them with a mere blink if he wished.
They were no match for him, not even close in terms of power or information.
‘I wonder if rotating about five Nahis would be somewhat similar?’
‘Hmm.’
This leads to only one conclusion.
‘I need to let more time pass and struggle more.’
While it’s a pretty foolish conclusion, in my view, it’s the right take.
“Since you’re here, may I ask a favor?”
“Yes.”
There was no hesitation. The Dark King was always like this, and I strangely found comfort in that.
“If you plan to stay in Sacheon, people from Bonmyeong will likely come in a couple of months at the earliest.”
Once the report arrives, of course.
The reason lies with Yeoncheon Bridge, and the investigation of an unknown pond.
For that purpose, Bonmyeong would arrive in Sacheon…
“Please hinder their investigation from proceeding.”
I needed to prevent them from operating effectively.
“If you mean interference, what level are you aiming for?”
“If you could just slow it down a bit… If that’s not feasible, feel free to kill them.”
“Everyone?”
“Hmm.”
I quickly processed through my thoughts and replied.
“Only those worth killing, please.”
“Understood.”
No further explanation was necessary.
Although it was somewhat ambiguous criteria, the Dark King didn’t pry any deeper.
‘Maybe the reason is because…’
Our standards likely resembled one another.
*
Returning to my quarters, preparations were nearly complete.
‘That was fast?’
They claimed they would finish by noon, yet they were well ahead of schedule.
They were skilled. Just as expected…
‘People tend to improve when they’re guided, right?’
If you hit a worn object, it listens; hit a person, and they become competent.
It struck me, reinforcing my certainty once again.
“Eek?”
“What? Why do you look like that?”
“Oh, nothing. I just felt a sudden chill.”
“Aha, I agree. It’s certainly gotten a bit colder already.”
One of the members said while shivering as he finished up. He had good instincts.
Grinning, I scanned the surroundings. As I had mentioned earlier, everything was in the final stages.
Once everything was packed up, we could either leave right away or hold off for a bit before departing. It boiled down to those two choices.
If I could, I’d prefer to leave straight away.
‘If there’s a bit of time left, I’ll chat with the branch manager. Also, it might be worth seeing the King of Poisons one last time.’
I had to get everything sorted before we set off.
Just as that thought formed in my mind, I heard.
“My lord.”
A sweet voice whispered in my ear, mingled with a familiar floral scent.
I turned slightly, my expression stiffened.
First, I spotted the golden hair shining in the sunlight.
It was Wi Seol-ah.
“…uh….”
“All preparations are complete.”
“Oh… really? You’ve worked hard.”
I attempted to speak calmly, but my voice trembled uncontrollably.
It was because of what I’d heard from Dang So-yeol.
Wi Seol-ah showed no wavering when looking at me. Her gaze was direct. It was so piercing that it became difficult to meet.
“My lord? Are you alright?”
“Oh, oh. I’m fine.”
I didn’t glance away, so she probably noticed.
She must have caught on that my pupils wouldn’t stop shaking.
“…My lord…?”
“Oh, crap.”
I blurted out the words I should have kept to myself.
Wi Seol-ah’s eyes widened at my sudden curse.
I’d never once sworn around Wi Seol-ah, but this moment was unavoidable.
Truthfully, it was mainly Wi Seol-ah’s fault.
“You’re astonishingly beautiful today. It’s downright punishing.”
“…yes?”
“…Why are you doing this to me?”
“Oh, no… no… well….”
Unable to hold back my words, Wi Seol-ah faltered. She was already at the age where she realized her beauty.
Of course, she must be hearing it from all directions.
That being the case, how could she be so flustered by just this? Even that made her cute.
‘Damn it.’
With that passing thought, my hand reflexively rose.
I barely managed to resist slapping my own cheek.
‘This is a mess.’
I felt like I’d lost my mind since the last incident. My emotions were spiraling out of control.
It felt as if I needed to grasp that cheek right away.
No, not the cheek, but something else…
Slap—!
In the end, I couldn’t hold back and slapped her.
“Your Highness–!!”
Wi Seol-ah grasped my arm, startled by my actions. Perhaps because of that, her title had changed.
“Why, why are you doing this…!”
“It’s alright! I just needed to pull myself together.”
“What….”
Yes, I had to get a grip.
‘This is ridiculous, really.’
Thump-! Thump-!
The state of my heart beating so fervently was downright unsightly. It felt as though it was urging me to give in.
It was greed. A protest demanding to know why I hesitated in wanting what was mine.
‘I didn’t have these feelings to start with.’
Somehow something felt wrong; chaos kept erupting within me.
I recalled what Dang So-yeol had said.
Did she say I had a possessive nature?
I didn’t want to admit it, but I had to face it. I was indeed possessive. Not just a little, but excessively so.
Suppressing the escalating emotions, I asked Wi Seol-ah.
“…Where have all the kids gone?”
“Ah… Sister Via should be getting ready soon. Sister Soyeol will be here shortly as well.”
Namgung Bi-ah was still in the process of recovering.
We had rushed to leave, making it necessary for her to rest in the carriage, and it seemed Dang So-yeol was wrapping up some tasks elsewhere, just as before.
“Got it.”
I exhaled a sigh as I spoke.
A flicker of heat lingered in my breath.
‘This is dangerous.’
It truly was.
As my cultivation rose, my patience ought to rise alongside it, yet it felt like a mess as if I were in heat.
Heat?
‘Crude as it sounds, the term fits perfectly.’
Yeah, that was exactly the state I was in.
Damn it, my condition was exactly that.
“Your Lordship…?”
Noticing that my expression wasn’t quite right, Wi Seol-ah looked at me with concern.
As always, her eyes were unclouded and enchanting.
Her luscious lips were a bonus.
My hand moved.
Without realizing, I tried to reach for Wi Seol-ah’s lips.
But—
Flap—!!
Out of nowhere, a bird flew in and landed on Wi Seol-ah’s shoulder.
“Huh?”
Wi Seol-ah appeared startled by the contact and looked at the bird; I mirrored her gaze.
‘A carrier pigeon?’
No denying it was a carrier pigeon.
I squinted and examined the bird. When I approached, it pecked the back of my hand with its beak.
I figured it was a signal to not touch.
One amusing detail was that it sat calmly in Wi Seol-ah’s presence.
“There’s a letter tied to its leg…”
Carefully, Wi Seol-ah untied the letter from the bird’s leg and handed it to me.
The moment I laid eyes on it, I frowned.
The emblem on the letter attracted my attention.
There was only one place in the Central Plains that used floral motifs of that particular color.
‘The Baekhwasangdan.’
The Baekhwasangdan led by Mrs. Mi. That was the emblem they used. And also,
‘This is a direct emblem of the leader.’
A letter with the seal signifying it was written solely by Lady Mi.
‘What’s going on?’
All of a sudden, a communication from Baekhwasangdan. I didn’t understand the circumstances.
Nodding slightly, I unfolded the letter.
“…”
Upon seeing what was inscribed within, I felt my body stiffen.
-Your father has committed a crime and has been imprisoned.
The frost that settled in my heart surged up like a volcano.
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