“Did you decide to leave too?”
Jae Sang-hae made a surprised face while looking at Kang Chumo-ru, who had mentioned he was leaving the Commander of the Golden Guards position.
“Yeah. I really want to become a general.”
“…Hmm. Then you can’t help but quit. That’s too bad.”
“I need to inform Gwang Jae-ryeon as well… didn’t he go out with you?”
“I think he bumped into an acquaintance and is having a drink.”
“I see.”
Jae Sang-hae stroked his chin, sinking into thought.
“Something’s strange…”
When Jo Ga-ju left the Commander position, Jae Sang-hae brushed it off as typical for him. Jo Ga-ju was a stubborn and inflexible man, often harsh on himself.
‘Senior Ho couldn’t possibly not anticipate this situation…’
It was Ho Cheon-an who originally handed the spear to Jo Ga-ju. And it was common knowledge that Kang Chumo-ru was passionate about strategy and tactics. Did Senior Ho really not know that?
Now that he thought about it, even the words and actions were bizarre. “I won’t concern myself with the outcome,” “unleash your potential,” “walk your own path.”
‘Isn’t it a bit odd to tell us, who have been confirmed to become the Golden Guards, to walk our own path?’
Though he interpreted it as an encouragement to set personal goals and strive, looking at the current situation, it didn’t seem like that was the true meaning.
After contemplating for a while, Jae Sang-hae lifted his head.
“…No way. It can’t be.”
If this were true… Jae Sang-hae shook his head, trying to dismiss the thoughts. It was nothing more than a fleeting hypothesis that had crossed his mind. An absurd hypothesis at that. Yet, he couldn’t shake off the suspicion that had already taken root in his head.
Jae Sang-hae’s expression twisted oddly. If the assumption that had popped into his head turned out to be true, there would surely be some evidence left behind.
‘I need to find out…’
Jae Sang-hae placed a hand on Okryong’s shoulder.
“Susu.”
“Hmm? What’s up?”
“Can I ask you for a favor?”
Jae Sang-hae whispered the request into Okryong’s ear, and Okryong’s expression contorted strangely.
“Well… it seems possible, but is there really a need for this?”
“Please. It’s important.”
Seeing Jae Sang-hae’s serious expression, Okryong nodded. Although it might take a few days of legwork, it wasn’t such a difficult task after all.
After asking Okryong for help, Jae Sang-hae roamed the barracks, seeking assistance from some of his fellow trainees.
*
Mak-yul opened his mouth while looking at the gigantic shadow that completely covered his own smaller shadow.
“Hey! Didn’t I say to come early? I prepped everything alone from dawn!”
“I came as quickly as I could. Today… another comrade of ours has left.”
“Spare me the excuses! Anyway, everything is ready, so start hammering the metal!”
Gwang Jae-ryeon took a look around the workshop. The stuffy air mixed with the smell of burning charcoal filled his lungs, making it hard to breathe.
A familiar forge atmosphere for the artisan.
“It’s been a few months…”
Gwang Jae-ryeon murmured while gripping his tongs. After leaving the workshop, arriving in Nangyang, taking tests, and becoming a trainee for a month, he had been away.
“I’ve stocked up on high-quality iron. After a few months off, I’ve probably lost my touch. Just hit it hard today!”
There was no response.
Mak-yul scowled and turned his head toward Gwang Jae-ryeon. Artisans standing at the forge must be on high alert. All the tools for cutting and refining metal are incredibly dangerous. The furnace nearby radiates heat that could easily burn, and the molten metal spits sparks with every blow. Sharp, dangerous tools for cutting metal are also everywhere.
The artisan, who must handle those tools and smack the metal, must always remain sharp and focused.
‘Has this guy gotten so rusty after a few months?’
“This…”
Cursing under his breath, Mak-yul swallowed the words he had prepared to launch.
Gwang Jae-ryeon was staring intently at the red-hot metal. His expression gave the impression he might stick his head right into the furnace as he consistently opened and closed the tongs.
He wanted to start hammering the metal at once.
Witnessing Gwang Jae-ryeon clearly expressing his feelings, matched only by his usual booming voice, Mak-yul couldn’t help but smile.
Gwang Jae-ryeon’s hands moved.
He placed the completely crimson metal on the anvil.
BAM!!
He immediately began to strike it with a hammer.
BAM! BAM!
‘His skills certainly haven’t rusted away.’
Watching the red-hot iron transform quickly with the crisp sounds, Mak-yul chuckled.
*
The household of the Jae family in Nangyang.
A distinguished family that has served in government for a staggering eight generations.
‘It’s been a long time.’
In a mansion of this level, one would expect valuable items displayed in places, but instead, there were ink paintings and scrolls with writings. Jae Sang-hae felt the refreshing fragrance of paper and ink waft into his nostrils and instinctively raised his arms to sniff the air.
That was because the familiar smell of chicken and widow’s stench from the barracks came to mind.
Surely, that wouldn’t linger around.
“Family head~ your son has arrived.”
Jae Sang-hae stood in front of the room of his father, the Family Head, Jae Moon-seong. Hearing a small sigh from inside, Jae Sang-hae snickered before hardening his expression.
‘If I’m right, it isn’t something to laugh about.’
“…Come in.”
“Right. You left home for a while after declaring you would challenge the Golden Guards trial, and now you’ve finally returned.”
“Yeah~ that’s how it is.”
“Have you finally come to your senses? You’re not getting any younger; it’s about time to find your own path.”
“What do you mean by my path? I can just live like this.”
Wrinkles formed on Jae Moon-seong’s forehead.
“You didn’t come back because you failed the Golden Guards exam, did you? Until now, your talent allowed your frivolous behavior to be tolerated, but that’s no longer the case. If you don’t want to be an official, pack up and leave.”
“Father, aren’t you being too harsh?”
Jae Sang-hae deliberately adjusted his tone as if he had come home expecting lavish praise but was instead being scolded.
Jae Moon-seong, who had been reading, looked up at Jae Sang-hae.
Jae Sang-hae sensed a hint of embarrassment in Jae Moon-seong’s usually unreadable eyes. Over years of working as an official, Jae Moon-seong rarely revealed his inner thoughts, yet Jae Sang-hae was his son. He picked up on the smallest sign of discomfort that others wouldn’t. Without hastily reeling in the fishing line, he decided to put in extra effort.
“Though you’ve disapproved, this is Jae Sang-hae! I’m a first-rate talent! Isn’t that right? Who else could take my spot if I failed this trial to become a Golden Guard? Ridiculous.”
“…So you’re saying you passed?”
Jae Sang-hae, with exaggerated gestures, pulled out the belt he had hidden behind him. Upon seeing the imperial insignia engraved on the belt, Jae Moon-seong’s eyes widened.
“Do you know what this is? This is a gift from Yuya, the princess who visited this year’s Golden Guards selection examination site! Father! You should order a luxurious wall-mounted box from the craftsman for this splendid gift from the princess!”
Jae Sang-hae felt his suspicion evolving into certainty as he noticed the shaking of Jae Moon-seong’s eyes.
“My unit ranked high in the competition! Hahaha! I’ll be a Golden Guard as soon as my training is complete!”
“….”
Watching Jae Moon-seong’s speechless acceptance of the situation, Jae Sang-hae coldly remarked.
“However, Father, why were you so certain that I would fail the Golden Guards?”
“…What do you mean?”
“Surely you know I’m first-rate. Does this family lack talents? Is it because of my looks? Or is it that you thought I wouldn’t pass? Who should be worried about my acceptance into the Golden Guards? An investor with solid finances, perhaps?”
A heavy silence fell over Jae Moon-seong’s room.
“You’re not suited for the military, and thus I simply thought you wouldn’t pass the Golden Guards.”
“Is that so?”
The frozen expression on Jae Sang-hae’s face melted away, replaced with a smile.
“Well, I just stopped by to deliver the princess’s gift and show off a bit. The conditions at the training center are certainly poor, and the storage space is small—storing such gifts can be a hassle. If that luxurious wall-mounted box doesn’t satisfy you, you could always make a hanging shelf and keep it in the reception room.”
“Do that.”
Jae Moon-seong casually shifted his gaze back to the book. After briefly looking at him, Jae Sang-hae turned away naturally.
Exiting the mansion, Jae Sang-hae’s eyes sparkled with excitement.
*
“Hahaha!”
“Hahaha!”
Okryong mingled with trainees from other units.
It was true that the Twelfth Squad had been looked down on by others in the early training stage; however, that didn’t mean the other trainees held any ill will toward them.
If anything, trainees privately wanted to forge friendships with those from the Twelfth Squad. After all, since they would be colleagues once they got their training, cultivating relationships beforehand would be beneficial for everyone.
Moreover, anyone could easily make close friends with Okryong, who was charismatic and amiable, making it easy to laugh and interact with others.
“Wow, time’s passed so quickly. I should head back now!”
“Take care! Let’s make sure to greet each other later!”
“Sure! Haha!”
After bidding farewell to the trainees from another unit, Okryong headed back to the Twelfth Squad barracks.
‘What is Jae Sang-hae trying to figure out?’
He remembered the request made by Jae Sang-hae.
“Have you found out the backgrounds of the members of the Sixth Squad?”
“In such a short time, you’ve managed to gather information on the successful members? I’m glad I asked you.”
“Haha. Well, I enjoy making connections, so it wasn’t that difficult. So, have you collected everything you wanted to know?”
“Yes, indeed. Thank you.”
Seeing Jae Sang-hae’s face darken suddenly, Okryong felt like it might’ve been a mistake to fulfill the request, but there was no point in dwelling on it now.
“Susu.”
“What’s up?”
“What did you think when you saw Jo Ga-ju and Kang Chumo-ru leaving?”
“Hmm… I thought it was cool. They must have a clear life goal if they can toss aside the position of Golden Guard like that.”
“Didn’t you ever wish to be like them?”
“Well, I don’t know.”
After some contemplation, Okryong shook his head.
“Well… I enjoy making friends, but I can do that no matter what I’m doing. I don’t have any grand life goals like those two do.”
“I see.”
“If I become a Golden Guard and gain new experiences, I might set new goals. So for now, I plan to focus on my training. Unfortunately, I wasn’t born with the genius talents of Jo Ga-ju in spear techniques or Kang Chumo-ru in leadership, so I need to choose my path carefully.”
“A genius…”
Okryong, seeing Jae Sang-hae ponder over his own words, realized he had misstepped and needed to backtrack. After all, Jae Sang-hae had a sense of pride in his skills.
“Of course, your talent is remarkable too. I’ve never seen anyone learn anything as quickly as you do.”
“Haha, I’m flattered. Taking time out to help me isn’t something anyone can do easily… I really appreciate it.”
“Sure. Even though I have no clue what you wanted to find out, I hope it helped a bit.”
“It helped a lot. Now it seems I just need to wait.”
Jae Sang-hae’s gaze drifted toward a specific spot.
It was Gwang Jae-ryeon’s usual place, where he went to work at the Gold Iron Workshop every day before dawn and returned late at night.
*
“Have you completed it?”
“Not sure.”
Gwang Jae-ryeon looked down at the blade he had made.
At first, he had crafted a regular blade. However, after throwing the blade, he realized he had miscalculated from the beginning.
‘I struggled to master the blade techniques because of my unusually large hands.’
Due to his gorilla-like arm strength and massive hands, Gwang Jae-ryeon had significant difficulty mastering blade techniques. For him, a blade was simply too small and light.
‘It’s my weapon. I can make it however I want.’
So Gwang Jae-ryeon set out to create a blade that incorporated all his frustrations. Typically, a blade could be small enough to hide within the palm of one’s hand, but what Gwang Jae-ryeon created looked more like a kitchen knife than a blade.
As he practiced throwing his not-really-a-blade, Gwang Jae-ryeon began to realize this.
He had been overly ambitious. While it entertained his heart, this weapon couldn’t even be called a blade; he needed to relearn hidden weapon techniques from square one.
That marked the beginning of Gwang Jae-ryeon’s challenge. He repeated the cycle of crafting and throwing, striving to create a weapon he could wield comfortably while still calling it a blade.
On the third day of crafting blades, he finally looked down at a finished product he could confidently claim as a true blade.
The material was black iron, heavier and denser than ordinary iron. Though the size was just long enough for a regular person to conceal in their hand, the handle held a unique feature. It was thick, and the bottom part of the handle had a broad head like a nail.
Gwang Jae-ryeon took a deep breath, eyed his target, and grabbed the new blade. The thick handle allowed even his large hands to grip it steadily. Gwang Jae-ryeon then executed a standing throw, which he had practiced countless times.
Shaking his shoulder and stretching his arm, he flattened his wrist, directing all his strength into a single point.
The index and ring fingers guided the blade’s trajectory while his middle finger functioned as the final launching pad for the throw.
SWOOSH!
Given his bigger-than-average hands, his fingers often failed to grip the smaller blades correctly, but the thicker handle of this blade allowed him to stabilize his grip effortlessly.
With the broad area of the nail-like head receiving the power from his middle finger, the blade flew straight.
THWACK!!
The blade struck the target dead center, proving the exceptional power packed into it as the target’s head split apart with a piercing crack.
The two present were convinced.
Gwang Jae-ryeon’s unique blade, possessing high power and precise accuracy, was complete.
Gwang Jae-ryeon clenched his fist, while Mak-yul joyfully patted Gwang Jae-ryeon’s shoulder.
“You did it!”
“Hahaha! That’s right, brother! I did it!”
A drinking party sprung up instantly in the workshop. Gwang Jae-ryeon grinned broadly as he gazed at the six blades, raising his drink. These six splendid blades were enough to make anyone’s mouth water!
While watching Gwang Jae-ryeon, Mak-yul made a firm decision.
“Jae-ryeon.”
“What? Why are you speaking so low? It doesn’t suit you.”
“A big investor has appeared, wanting to invest in the Gold Iron Workshop.”
“Oh, I see.”
“As you know, the Gold Iron Workshop receives considerable state funding. Not only for supplying weapons to the Imperial Army but also to the Golden Guards as well.”
“Why repeat things I already know?”
“Therefore, the Gold Iron Workshop cannot receive investments from officials. A few days ago, Master hinted that this person might be willing to invest in the workshop.”
Gwang Jae-ryeon’s drinking action halted.
“…Brother.”
“The Golden Guards? That’s a prestigious position. But look at you right now.”
Mak-yul pointed at the six blades created by Gwang Jae-ryeon.
“A guy crazy enough to drink with blades as snacks? You need to talk to him tomorrow.”
“…Please don’t, brother.”
Gwang Jae-ryeon sighed long and deep.
“A workshop buried in debt after trying to develop a new forging method. Who would invest in such a workshop?”
“Oh come on! Even a big spender might show some interest!”
“Even after you left the workshop, it continued to worsen financially. Still, the past contributions of our predecessors keep those who have debts from taking the workshop, but we can’t stave off accruing interest, and the workshop’s debt has surpassed 100 gold taels.”
“But the Gold Iron Workshop has the new forging method you’re working on, right?”
“Haha. As if a new method for metal forging would come easily! Just by estimating, I think investment costs alone would exceed 100 gold taels. Even if we manage to develop a new forging technique… sigh.”
Developing a new forging technique doesn’t mean money will start coming in immediately. After developing it, iron needs to be sold based on that method before any financial benefit materializes.
SLAP!
“Damn it!”
Mak-yul yelled loudly and smacked Gwang Jae-ryeon on the head with a bottle. Gwang Jae-ryeon, who had been sulking while drinking, clutched his head and tumbled to the floor from the surprise hit.
“Ugh!”
“Did I teach you to give up so easily at the Gold Iron Workshop? You’re acting cocky just because you’ve been in the Golden Guards! I’ll arrange a meeting for tomorrow, so don’t think otherwise!”
“Come on, brother…!”
Seeing Gwang Jae-ryeon about to protest, he flinched at the sight of Mak-yul raising the bottle again.
“Ah, I got it! I’ll go, I will!”
“Immediately! Get lost and prepare to welcome the guest tomorrow! And clean up that beard of yours! Get this wild hair sorted out too!”
“Ugh! This is murder! This is murder!”
Being thrashed by Mak-yul’s bottle, Gwang Jae-ryeon was dragged away from the Gold Iron Workshop. Watching Mak-yul being led away while swinging around the bottle, Gwang Jae-ryeon let out a sigh of relief and heaved another deep sigh.
“…Investment.”
Who would invest in a workshop drowning in debt after trying to develop a new forging method? Gwang Jae-ryeon considered this but felt a thrill in his chest. If only… if only they could receive an investment. Such a miracle was unlikely to happen, but what if it did?
Guided by Mak-yul’s words, Gwang Jae-ryeon wondered if he should tidy up at least his beard.
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