Chapter: 845
After I caused a ruckus at Cheongryongdae, the place I naturally headed to was my quarters.
It was late at night, and to be honest, I wasn’t feeling too great.
Just as I had something to discuss with Song Ho-jeong, I was moving along with some members in tow.
“What’s going on?”
As I was striding along with the team, I noticed something strange.
I looked around, enhancing my senses.
But still, I didn’t pick up anything unusual.
The lamps were lit so it wasn’t too dark, and I could hear the sounds of bugs nearby.
That was it.
So what’s strange about that?
I found this eerie silence unsettling.
“Why is there no one here?”
Just moments ago, there were members stationed at various intersections.
It was time to prepare for the night watch, so I should’ve seen folks here and there. But for some reason, I didn’t see a soul on my path.
Feeling a peculiar instinct, I turned around and asked, “Hey.”
The folks trailing behind flinched at my call. Why were they twitching just because I called them?
I was wondering who to look at and decided to focus on the closest one, Song Ho-jeong.
“Why is there no one?”
“I… I’m not sure… I’ll check right away.”
Song Ho-jeong looked genuinely perplexed, as if he truly didn’t know. I suppose he wouldn’t since he just came out with the guy from Cheongryongdae.
He attempted to move, probably to assess the situation, but I stopped him with a hand gesture.
“What the heck? So where did they all go?”
What on earth were they doing, slacking off at a time like this? I frowned as I walked, assessing this absurd scenario.
As I kept moving toward my quarters…
“…Hmm?”
A presence that I hadn’t felt before suddenly registered. The closer I got to my residence, the sharper my senses became.
‘They’re all gathered together.’
All the presences I had wondered about earlier were now all at my place.
‘What the heck, really.’
What on earth were they up to over there?
And it wasn’t just any place—this was my own quarters.
What in the world were they plotting to create this situation?
‘Please, let it not be anything serious.’
Fear washed over me.
I was scared that something trivial would make me blow up with annoyance.
I walked, taking deep breaths, until I finally reached the front of my residence.
Cautiously, I peeked beyond the door. But…
“Hmm…?”
The sight before me widened my eyes in shock.
It was completely unexpected. I hoped it was nothing serious, yet it turned out to be very serious indeed.
“…What on earth is this?”
It was such a departure from what I anticipated that my surprise eclipsed any annoyance I might’ve felt.
As I suddenly froze in disbelief at the scene, Song Ho-jeong, who had been trailing behind me, approached, curious about what was going on.
“My lord, what is happening… Huh?”
Even he found it hard to articulate after witnessing the chaos inside.
The same went for the other members.
They all sported the same reaction as me.
And it made sense too.
“Why are they doing that?”
“I… don’t know.”
All the people who were supposed to be on guard duty were bowing their heads to the ground in front of my quarters.
The sight of them shaking yet somehow holding their posture was undeniably bizarre.
I approached the weird scene, my breath hitching.
—Huff…
—Aaggh…
They had clearly been in this position for a while, and they didn’t look great. I could hear soft groans here and there, and they were drenched in sweat.
“What are you guys doing?”
When I asked, the guy at the front suddenly shot up.
“Your…!”
“Your what? What is this?”
“We gathered and awaited your command, my lord…!”
Huh?
“Command? What command did I give…?”
I stopped mid-word and scrutinized the face of the one reporting to me.
It looked familiar. Of course, I recognized the face; he was a member of Seongryongdae…
‘…This guy.’
I suddenly recalled him as the one who informed me that Song Ho-jeong had gone to Cheongryongdae.
‘Hold on… So?’
As that thought crossed my mind, a memory flickered in my head. I had indeed given this guy an order back then.
That order was definitely….
‘…Did I tell all the folks outside to gather in front of my place?’
I had said that out of sheer frustration—planning to give them a piece of my mind due to their behavior.
So, what he referred to as a command must mean that….
Then why in the world?
“…Why on earth are you bowing your head?”
What was the reasoning behind smashing their heads into the ground?
If I told them to gather, why not just gather? What sort of absurd situation was this?
With that implication, I gazed at the guy.
“… Um… My lord said last time that if he told us to gather, we should wait like this…”
“…”
I had to rub my forehead at those words laced with just a flicker of indignation.
‘…So that’s what it was.’
I remembered clearly that those were indeed my words.
It was around the time I was coming to Sacheon. That was when the night watch had caused me trouble, and I almost lost my patience.
Back then, I had told the members something along the lines of:
– If you keep screwing up like this and don’t want to catch hell, then next time I say gather, just shove your heads into the dirt. This isn’t just idle chatter—let it sink in.
Seemingly, that growled warning had led to this fiasco.
‘Geez, they sure follow orders well.’
I had even forgotten about it, yet when I thought back, it was entirely my fault.
“Ugh…”
I sighed, adding,
“…Stand up.”
With just that single phrase, the folks who had been face-down sprang to their feet in an instant.
They all seemed thoroughly exhausted, drenched in sweat.
“…So… um.”
I originally intended to have some fun at their expense regarding the military service, but after witnessing this mess, I lost all motivation.
“… Fine. Now that we’ve confirmed it, disperse and get back to your duties.”
“What would you like to say…?”
“Why? Are you so keen to hear it? If you want to listen, then why not just lie back down?”
“… Ah, no…! Your Excellency!”
I waved my hand dismissively, and they all scrambled off.
All that lingered was the thick smell of sweat and the damp floor. And my thoughts had shifted.
‘Next time, I should keep my words a little milder.’
The words I spewed out of anger had come back around, leading to this mess.
Seeing all this, I felt a pressing need to watch my tongue.
The atmosphere had certainly quieted down.
Given the way their presences spread out, it looked like everyone was returning to their posts.
Once I confirmed that, I turned my head and looked at Song Ho-jeong.
“Have the remaining ones return to their positions…”
After I sent off the other team members who followed me,
I spoke to the core members, Song Ho-jeong and Moon Do-hyeok.
“You two, come with me.”
I had a lot more to say.
Once inside my quarters, I sat down, leaving the two guys standing.
I didn’t even offer tea. Just kept one lamp lit and opened my mouth.
“Song Ho-jeong.”
“… Yes, my lord.”
“Explain the situation.”
There was no need for lengthy explanations. He probably understood why I had summoned him.
As if my anticipation was right, Song Ho-jeong spoke calmly.
“Initially… it was a communication from the Cheongryongdae side.”
“Why’s that?”
“They proposed an information-sharing agreement…”
“Share?”
“Yes.”
I nodded at Song Ho-jeong’s words.
Information sharing doesn’t sound too problematic at first glance.
The Blue Dragon Corps is a support unit, and they’re currently carrying out a mission, so it seems less concerning…
“If that was the case, then why on earth did you go to Cheongryongdae?”
That wasn’t quite what I was curious about.
Sure, everything seemed fine. But why did he willingly go there? That was what mattered most to me.
“…”
Song Ho-jeong couldn’t respond. Seeing this, I pressed him for more information.
“You. You were planning to refuse, right?”
“…That’s correct.”
He indeed intended to reject the offer from Cheongryongdae. This was evident from our earlier brief conversation.
Thus, I tugged further at my curiosity.
“But why did you go?”
When I asked nonchalantly, Song Ho-jeong took a long moment before responding.
“…It was to refuse.”
He headed to Cheongryongdae to decline an offer.
That was so ludicrous that I couldn’t help but laugh.
“You’re saying that after they proposed to share information, you took it upon yourself to go and refuse?”
“…Yes.”
“Are you an idiot?”
“…!”
At my clearly rough words, Song Ho-jeong’s eyes widened.
It’s likely he felt deeply insulted, yet I didn’t hold back.
“I’m guessing the Blue Dragons told you they wouldn’t share any information, right?”
“….”
He was not only trembling but also gulping.
That was the indicator I needed—he was indeed correct.
“This isn’t about sharing; it’s more like a donation. Upon realizing this, you obviously felt compelled to refuse; yes or no?”
“That’s right… but.”
“Shut up. I’m still talking.”
As he gulped down, Song Ho-jeong closed his mouth.
“Make excuses later if need be. Understood?”
“…Yes.”
I instinctively frowned.
“Judging by their behavior, the Blue Dragons think they’re superior, and their rank is higher. They must follow orders. I can tell you heard that nonsense before. Sounds like complete trash.”
I could tell without needing to look.
Observing their actions made it clear as day.
“Plus, the fact that they wanted you to come find me… it’s evident they’re ignoring me. Okay, I wasn’t fond of your approach, but whatever. However, do you know what really ticks me off?”
The most infuriating part isn’t what you might think.
“Why am I only finding out about this now? Why did I have to wait until everything blew up before I learned about it? That’s what infuriates me. Do you understand?”
At this point, I, the commander of a battalion, only now grasp the full story.
This was the aspect that left me most baffled and irked.
“Now, go on—explain. Why didn’t you report this to me?”
I shot him a glare, but Song Ho-jeong’s lips quivered as he struggled to respond.
“Make an attempt to explain.”
As I prodded him further, Song Ho-jeong hesitated before finally finding his voice.
“I was offered the proposal just yesterday…”
“Speak clearly. This is a request, not just idle talk.”
“… The request was made the day before when you were away.”
“Right, so?”
“Thus, I thought it would be best for me to handle it first…”
“Hold on.”
I cut off Song Ho-jeong’s excuses; I had to confirm something.
“Why are you handling this on your own? No—why did you make a decision in the first place?”
“Yes?”
“If I was away, you should’ve waited, reported, and consulted me before proceeding. Why go rogue? Are you outranked me?”
“…No.”
“Then you need to report to me first and seek permission. So why on earth did you take matters into your own hands?”
“I’m sorry… At the time, I didn’t think it through. Please punish me.”
“It’s not about punishment… Ha…”
Finally, I pinched the bridge of my nose. Given where the conversation went, it felt like I was circling around to some pivotal point.
“Song Ho-jeong.”
“Yes?”
“It’s not that you were short-sighted. You were fully aware of everything.”
“Oh, no… I truly…”
“Stop your useless babble; it’s simply because you didn’t trust me.”
“…!”
As I spoke, Song Ho-jeong’s eyes bulged like lanterns in shock.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.