Chapter: 768
“Your Majesty!”
“Your Majesty!! Please just look at this once!!”
“Eek! You really looked! Your eyes are scary!”
“…”
The sting of the noise mixed with all the ruckus was becoming a headache.
“Your Majesty!!”
“Your Majesty—!! Please hold my hand just once!”
People surrounded me from all sides. Full of energy, they encircled me and continued cheering.
The level of cheering was quite intense, to say the least.
“Your Majesty—!!”
“No, no, I need to pass through, so could you please step aside…?”
“Our hero!”
“Damn.”
Though I wasn’t directly touching them, the crowd was so massive I couldn’t move forward.
At this rate, I had no idea how long it would take to reach Blind.
Should I just push through with some force or shake them off and fly away? For a fleeting moment, such thoughts crossed my mind.
“Your Majesty…!! I’m truly grateful for that time!”
“Thanks to you, I was able to save my mother…! Really, thank you so, so much….”
“…”
As I watched those thanking me approach, my hands felt paralyzed.
Tsk.
What should I do? Just as I was contemplating deeply,
“Brother King!”
Brother…?
At the unexpected title, I shifted my gaze and spotted a small girl waving at me from nearby.
She was riding on what appeared to be her father’s shoulders.
“Hello, brother!”
“This kid…! What kind of rude thing is that to say to the Holy King…!”
The father, startled by the girl’s words, tried to stop her, but the girl just smiled, radiating the brightness typical of her age.
Who was she, again?
Oh, it came back to me.
She was the little girl I saved while passing by.
It lingered in my memory.
Recalling the moment, I chuckled and said, “Hey, are you listening to your dad?”
“Yes!”
“Good, make sure you continue to listen and live well.”
I certainly hadn’t listened myself, but that’s beside the point.
Since she was close enough, I reached out, placed my hand on her small head, and gave it a few gentle pats.
This is really something!
“I never thought I’d meet a child who wouldn’t cry seeing me.”
Normally, little ones would start crying the moment they locked eyes with me, but this one seemed different.
The way she calmly accepted my touch reminded me of someone.
It was like looking at Wi Seol-ah when she was little.
‘She’s younger than back then…’
As I patted her a few more times, seemingly without care, her father spoke up.
“I was truly… grateful back then. Holy King Daehyeop.”
“Umm… yeah….”
I chuckled awkwardly. That damn nickname still hadn’t settled in my ears.
I figured I’d probably never get used to it.
The same went for Jinryongdo and Soyeomra too.
“… Thank you. If it weren’t for the Great Swordsman, my daughter and I would…”
“It’s fine. I was just passing by, that’s all.”
I’d had to extend my senses to wrangle a multitude of people.
As I said before, it wasn’t about saving; it was about dealing with what I had stirred up.
“No, it’s not just that you saved us, you even remembered us.”
I couldn’t help but chuckle at the man’s words.
“What’s so hard about remembering?”
As soon as I spoke, I pointed at someone with my hand.
An elderly man covered in wrinkles.
“That’s the old man from the pharmacy window, right?”
“Yes…? Oh, yes… that’s correct, yes.”
The old man looked shocked when I pointed him out, confirming it with wide eyes.
Upon hearing that response, I pointed at someone else.
“That over there is… the lady who was at the bottom of the building next to the store. Next to her is the guy I saw at the Pungwon Blacksmith Shop… and…”
One by one, I identified folks as best I remembered.
“That old man…”
I hesitated mid-sentence as a strange atmosphere began to form.
“…What’s going on? What’s happening?”
Why do they all have that kind of expression?
“… You remember everything, don’t you?”
Faces appeared moved by something.
Sweat began to bead down my back as I observed them.
Seriously, what was that about?
‘I remember because I saw it.’
I may not have remembered everything in detail, but I’d only pointed out a few familiar faces. Was that really enough to elicit such a reaction?
“… As expected… the Great Swordsman.”
With expressions reflecting emotions, they seemed eager to express more.
“Ah, enough of that…! Everyone looks well, so please clear the way. I need to go…”
“The Great Hyup is our hope…!”
“Your Majesty…!!”
“This is truly ridiculous.”
It seemed like this ordeal would never end.
Thus, I ended up needing to use just a tad of force to get out of here.
‘And I’m not even feeling well.’
Tsk! Just as I clicked my tongue and prepared to leap,
“Make way—!”
Suddenly, a loud voice boomed from behind.
“Everyone, step aside!”
All attention turned to that voice.
“Ugh!”
As if pushed by sheer force, the crowd began to part, and a group emerged from the gap that had been created.
Dressed in sky-blue uniforms with white embroidery, their attire signified they were from the Murim Alliance.
Normally, the crowd would have made way or expressed some form of delight at their presence.
“… Isn’t that the Alliance?”
“They’re members of the Murim Alliance.”
The expressions of those making way for the martial artists were far from pleasant.
Some carried hints of resentment or contempt, but most appeared openly disdainful.
Seeing this, I nodded in understanding.
‘This seems worse than I thought.’
I had hoped for a healthy dose of skepticism, but the level of distrust certainly exceeded my expectations.
Perhaps the members of the Alliance sensed the atmosphere, as they frowned and shouted at the crowd.
“Currently, this area is scheduled for restoration. I announced that civilians are prohibited from entering here! Why are you gathered here?”
I looked around and found it to be just as the man stated—a total mess.
I had hastily stepped out to investigate, only to find buildings collapsed and debris everywhere.
It was indeed odd that so many people congregated in a situation like this.
Why are there so many people, anyway?
Just as I began to harbor such doubts, someone shouted back at the martial artist.
“Is all of Hanam the Alliance’s property!?”
“…What?”
The martial artist frowned at the outburst. He had a look as if someone dared raise their voice against him.
Certain individuals, regardless of the martial artist’s expression, began to voice their opinions.
“What gives you the right to ban us from coming and going without permission?”
“Exactly! If restoration is needed, we’ll handle it ourselves! You’re not going to help us properly anyway.”
And it clicked for me.
What were we all gathered for?
‘Were they really trying to handle restoration themselves?’
What were they even planning to do amidst this chaos?
While I didn’t quite grasp the depth of it, one thing was crystal clear.
‘Trust in the Alliance has notably diminished.’
Whether due to the incident fallout or not, it seemed the public’s perception of the Alliance in Hanam had soured considerably.
“Th…!”
Now the martial artist appeared ready to unleash his anger.
“What’s your business here?”
Before he could, I addressed the man directly.
“What do you want…?!”
The man immediately attempted to shout in my direction, but upon meeting my gaze, he promptly sealed his lips.
He apparently knew exactly who I was.
This meant.
“It seems you must have some business with me. Am I correct?”
Nodding while speaking allowed the man to cautiously tread the path created by the crowd.
Even as he approached, the fierce glares directed at him from the crowd were palpable.
The man, now close enough to me, bowed his head slightly as he spoke.
“…The leader of Cheongryongdae, Kim Moon-seok, one of the Seven Seats. I greet the Holy King.”
The deeply bowing head.
While it reeked of dissatisfaction, he maintained the formality.
So I looked at Kim Moon-seok’s head and answered him.
“Okay.”
“…!”
His reaction was unexpected as he raised his head, surprise flooding his features.
He seemed utterly astonished. I confirmed by flashing him a smile.
“I was joking. Haha. You looked so stiff I thought I’d lighten the mood. If I offended you, I apologize.”
“…N-no it’s fine…”
Though there was a clear vexation in his demeanor, Kim Moon-seok just lowered his head, unable to voice any further remarks.
Observing that, a thought crossed my mind.
‘Kim Moon-seok.’
Who on earth was he? That name sounded so familiar.
I struggled to recall any details but found nothing instantly recognizable.
Anyway.
“What brings you to me?”
I asked Kim Moon-seok, and only then did he raise his head.
“I came to escort you.”
“Me?”
“Yes… I sent a prior notice via letter. Perhaps you didn’t receive it?”
“Hmm?”
Upon hearing that, I retrieved a letter from my pocket.
Unfolding it once more to verify.
“Oh, there it is.”
It was indeed written clearly.
He stated he would personally come to pick me up today around this time.
I hadn’t known that.
‘Had I known, I wouldn’t have rushed out like this.’
The situation had been so urgent that I just darted out without hesitation, only to discover later that there had been no haste necessary.
‘To be fair, it was a little odd.’
While the Maeng had requested my visit, telling me to walk there felt strangely insincere.
‘I thought it was some kind of prank since you even gave me a nickname and treated me like garbage.’
It looked as if they genuinely intended to take care of things for once.
Thus, I found myself lamenting.
‘That takes away one more reason to cause a ruckus.’
I considered stirring some trouble, but regrettably, the Alliance, despite its incompetence, didn’t push things too far.
“…Regardless, we will ensure the Holy King’s itinerary for this trip is flawlessly managed.”
“Hmm.”
I paused for a moment, then nodded.
Truth be told, there hadn’t been much to deliberate.
It was something I had to do anyway and having them come to pick me up made it more convenient.
Actually, that was a plus.
I had been trying to figure out how to escape this mess.
“Yes, then let’s go.”
When I announced my departure, those around me appeared somewhat forlorn.
I genuinely wondered why they appeared so disappointed, but… it couldn’t be helped.
To put it lightly, my reason for attending that gathering was none other than.
The Alliance had sent an official request for an investigation regarding the recent attack.
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