“Tae Pyeong-ah, co here. I have sothing to tell you.”
“……”
After all the commotion in the palace, when I finally returned to the Hwalseong District late at night, Yeon Ri’s expression was unusually serious.
This wasn’t the first ti I had fallen for this pattern. This Yeon Ri … she was the type who was unfazed when things were genuinely critical, yet more serious than anyone else over trivial matters.
When she adopts this serious deanor under the moonlight, right here in the office, it’s usually when she’s about to say sothing completely ridiculous.
“So, what nonsense are you planning to spout this ti….”
“It seems your trust in has already hit rock bottom….”
“Every ti you try to make it sound serious like this, it always turns out to be nothing.”
“This… this ti, it’s real.”
Yeon Ri’s face showed how wronged she felt and spoke sharply.
“It’s about the Plague Demonic Spirit.”
Good heavens.
It was actually sothing serious this ti.
When I sit alone in the office on a sumr night, the gentle sound of insects outside is surprisingly pleasant.
I often worked at night because I liked to catch occasional glimpses of the landscape outside the wooden windows. But as fall passes and winter creeps in, the landscape begins to feel subtly lonely.
“Are you saying the Plague Demonic Spirit has manifested in the main palace?”
“……”
There was no need for long explanations.
Since this was the first cycle in which Yeon Ri had taken down the White Demonic Spirit directly, she had only now been able to confirm it.
I swallowed hard and looked at her with a serious expression.
“So… you’re saying that the Plague Demonic Spirit witnessed us making all this commotion trying to stop it?”
“At the very least, there’s a high chance that it doesn’t have low status. I’ll need to go through each person who’s been able to monitor the situation at the Heavenly Dragon Hall whenever they wanted.”
“Do you have any ans to check?”
“I’m thinking… but so far, I haven’t found a good thod.”
If the Plague Demonic Spirit was determined to conceal its identity, there wasn’t much we could do from our side.
In fact, even Yeon Ri didn’t recognize the existence of the Plague Demonic Spirit over nurous past cycles. No matter how absent-minded Yeon Ri might be, if there had been soone whose behavior changed with each cycle, she would have sensed the oddness quickly.
It ans this one was deliberately hiding themselves.
“Still, we’re not completely in the dark. Tae Pyeong-ah, think about it. How could this Plague Demonic Spirit possibly have entered the Main Palace?”
“True… it’s not a position one can reach in a day or two. It takes at least a dozen years of investnt to attain a high place in the Main Palace…”
“That’s right. Which ans it’s much more likely that it devoured soone already in a key position in the Main Palace and took on their appearance.”
It’s not as if the Plague Demonic Spirit could have predicted in advance that Yeon Ri would draw the Imperial Capital into a cycle of reincarnation.
The more likely scenario was that it rushed to devour soone within the Main Palace to infiltrate.
To stop Yeon Ri’s cycles of reincarnation without anyone noticing.
“So, we need to find soone whose behavior or policy changed drastically before and after the start of the reincarnation.”
“Yes. And also… soone who seems to ‘recognize’ that the world is reincarnating.”
“…Doesn’t sound easy.”
“Like I said, if they’re truly determined to hide, there’s no way to find them.”
But there were so people who stood out as likely suspects.
From Emperor Woon Sung at the top, down to officials of the third rank and above.
Only those of that level could freely monitor the situation at the Heavenly Dragon Hall and exert aningful influence on the affairs of Cheongdo Palace.
That’s about the limit for individuals the Plague Demonic Spirit could infiltrate.
Yeon Ri returned from the kitchen with freshly brewed tea.
Then she sat down across from my desk, took a sip of the steaming tea, and let out a deep breath.
“I’m a little creeped out, Tae Pyeong-ah.”
“About what?”
“Just… the thought that soone’s been watching this whole ti. Ugh… it’s creepy…”
“I can understand that… but did you do anything worth watching?”
“…….”
Yeon Ri held her breath for a mont, took another sip of tea, and then spoke hesitantly.
“Ta-Tae Pyeong-ah… when you’ve lived a life of endless reincarnation, sotis you just want to try sothing a bit… different.”
“What on earth did you do that’s making you so uneasy?”
“Oh, nothing… I just… surely they didn’t see all of that… right? They couldn’t have…”
“Did you dance your way to the palace or sothing? A little freedom is fine, but let’s keep it under control.”
Still, Yeon Ri’s words were shocking.
If the Plague Demonic Spirit had truly been watching us all this ti, it ant we’d have to be extra cautious with our every move from now on.
Whether it was the Moon Demonic Spirit Yoran, the Sun Demonic Spirit Pyeong Ryang, or even the White Demonic Spirit Ah Hyun, hadn’t we always sohow anticipated their appearances and rushed in to handle them before anyone else?
To the Plague Demonic Spirit, it was clear now that Yeon Ri and I were constantly monitoring the situation and had honed our abilities to handle each threat as it arose.
After all these cycles of reincarnation, I finally understood why whenever managed to defeat the Plague Demonic Spirit.
The battlefield was tilted against us from the beginning.
But this ti, we knew.
If we could pinpoint exactly who the Plague Demonic Spirit’s current form was, we might be able to stop them before the Imperial Capital went up in flas.
“By the way, so rumors from the inner palace reached even Hwalseong District. What in the world did you do to upset the Vermilion Princess like that?”
“The rumors have already reached Hwalseong District?”
“Manager Ha is sharp when it cos to gossip. Your subordinates over there were all in a frenzy worrying about you.”
The aides at Hwalseong District were all loyal and dependable, and knowing I had caused them so concern didn’t sit well with .
“Actually, it’s less about doing sothing wrong and more about strengthening Vermilion Princess’s position. The more influence she gains among the Jeongseon clan, the better it is for too.”
“Sohow… that does make sense.”
Yeon Ri sighed deeply, as if a weight had been lifted from her.
“But even so, it must be complicated for the Vermilion Princess.”
“Complicated?”
“Think about it. The one who killed the uncle she trusted and followed from the Jeongseon clan was none other than Seol Lee Moon. Imagine how complicated it must feel to be relying on the descendant of her sworn enemy.”
“Is… is that so?”
It was true that the Vermilion Princess hadn’t looked well lately.
I had thought it was just lingering sha after her encounter with the White Demonic Spirit, but looking back at things now, there seed to be sothing else weighing on her mind.
Should I have been more sensitive?
Even though her perception of the Huayongseol clan has improved recently, it was still the clan of her enemy.
Pretending everything is fine might even be seen as disrespectful to her deceased uncle.
Considering Vermilion Princess’s commitnt to walking the path of virtue, it’s no wonder this whole situation would feel so conflicting for her.
“The stigma of being a descendant of a treacherous family doesn’t go away easily, huh.”
“Still, you’ve risen to the rank of Vice General. For soone from the Huayongseol clan to achieve that is practically unheard of.”
It was no small feat.
I had stopped Sun Demonic Spirit Pyeong Ryang when it nearly tore down the palace and killed the emperor, and I had also defeated the White Demonic Spirit who sealed off the inner palace and attempted to take over the capital.
Even though I had contributed greatly to the glory of Cheongdo, there were still those who occasionally brought up my Huayongseol clan lineage.
The stigma of a treacherous clan that never goes away no matter how many tis you contributed to saving the country.
Truly, it seed like a burden I might have to carry until the day I died.
“But still, Tae Pyeong-ah, you don’t seem to resent your father Seol Lee Moon, do you?”
“..….”
I had no reason to.
By the ti I ca to this world, I was already an orphan.
The only family I had was Seol Ran who carried the stain of being an illegitimate child from a clan branded as traitors. Just like .
I had never even seen my parents’ faces, and by the ti I was old enough to understand, I was already wandering through the imperial capital on my own.
Wouldn’t it be absurd to resent soone whose very existence was hard to confirm? I had simply accepted my circumstances as they were and lived my life.
I had drifted through life, so what purpose would blaming anyone serve now?
Mine was a life focused on the present.
“Still, it does make curious. I’ve heard he was the most renowned military officer in Cheongdo Palace and the head of the most powerful clan… Why would he suddenly destroy everything and commit treason?”
“No one knows the full story now. But it is strange.”
Yeon Ri rested her chin in her hand and fell deep into thought.
“Even the historical records don’t clearly explain it, and none of the older officials could ever give a definite reason.”
What use was there in digging it up now?
Still, Yeon Ri spoke slowly with an uneasy expression on her face.
“For a man with no reason at all to betray anyone to suddenly lose his mind and start a rebellion… what could possibly have driven him to that?”
Seol Lee Moon was a famous military officer known for his unwavering loyalty to Cheongdo Palace.
One day, he strode into the courtyard of the main palace as if struck by madness. He brandished the Blade of Heaven and Earth like a god of war drunk with blood.
More than a few high-ranking officials still rembered that stormy day as a nightmare.
And yet, even now, no one could explain what had driven him to do it.
“It was as if… he discovered sothing, and overnight, he changed completely. That sudden change doesn’t feel right.”
As she said this, Yeon Ri looked straight in the eyes.
The head of the Huayongseol clan, Seol Lee Moon.
What had he seen back then?
Why had he drawn his sword?
It felt as though the answer to the great mystery we sought lay within that question.
***
When Emperor Woon Sung decreed the creation of the Demonic Spirit Subjugation Unit, a wave of shock rippled through the high officials in the palace.
They argued that it was unacceptable to appoint lowly demonic spirit hunters in large numbers and grant them a significant space at the Truth Insight Terrace.
Rather than integrating them into the regular army with positions at the Truth Insight Terrace, they proposed establishing a separate organization for them at the outer palace. The high officials insisted that they could never allow these butcher-like people to hold positions defending the country.
Emperor Woon Sung dismissed such objections outright.
He rebuked them severely, saying that with the lives of the people hanging by a thread, it was no ti to care about appearances. After ignoring the opposition, he pushed the plan forward.
It was practically no different than inviting butchers into the main palace; considering the tis, this was a remarkably bold policy.
“A letter has arrived from the main palace.”
Early morning at the Hwalseong District.
While I was reviewing the day’s matters with my aides in the office, Bi Cheon entered and announced this.
I instructed him to pause the briefing and took the bamboo slip Bi Cheon handed over.
At any rate, the Jeongseon clan must have put forth Bright Moon General Hwa Il Yong as the commander of the new Demonic Spirit Subjugation Unit.
With the Inbong clan also backing the recomndation, Emperor Woon Sung could hardly ignore their voices.
Such was the ga of politics.
I had never expected that I could remain in this Cheongdo Palace forever as an innocent and pure military officer.
“Well, then… let’s take a look at this appointnt plan….”
With those words, I unrolled the bamboo slip.
– Vice General Seol Tae Pyeong is appointed as the commander of the newly ford Demonic Spirit Subjugation Unit. He is expected to devote himself fully to suppressing the rampaging demonic spirits without neglecting his current duties.
It was a death sentence.
“……”
Personnel officer In Seok Woon of the Jeongseon clan recomnded Bright Moon General Hwa Il Yong as the commander of the Demonic Spirit Subjugation Unit, but His Majesty did not approve.
Ha Wol of the Inbong clan had recomnded Bright Moon General Hwa Il Yong as the commander of the Demonic Spirit Subjugation Unit, but His Majesty did not approve.
The Minister of Justice and chief secretary Wang Han also recomnded Bright Moon General Hwa Il Yong as the commander of the Demonic Spirit Subjugation Unit, but His Majesty again did not approve.
“…….”
The Vermilion Princess was struck with shock as she read the council eting records brought by Headmaid Hyun Dang.
Despite nurous high-ranking officials openly recomnding Hwa Il Yong, Emperor Woon Sung overruled all recomndations and insisted on placing Seol Tae Pyeong in the commander position of the Demonic Spirit Subjugation Unit.
While Emperor Woon Sung seed to act in his own self-interest, his ability to discern character during critical tis was remarkable.
Who would carry out the work best when placed in such a position?
He knew more clearly than anyone that, no matter what others said, the answer was Vice General Seol Tae Pyeong.
“Vermilion Princess….”
“Send him so good dicinal herbs so that the Vice General doesn’t die from overwork….”
She had done all she could on her end, yet it was no use.
With those words, the Vermilion Princess closed her eyes in quiet resignation. Though she had supported Seol Tae Pyeong to the fullest, she couldn’t overco the Emperor’s determination.
Emperor Woon Sung understood all too well.
Positions like this were better given to the person who reluctantly dragged their heels than to one who eagerly clamored for the role.
So he gritted his teeth and appointed Seol Tae Pyeong.
Who asked him to be so capable?
It was as if the Emperor laughed mockingly at the situation.
Either way, it felt like she was only piling up debts on Seol Tae Pyeong.
***
“Ha! Fine! Let’s work ourselves to death! Work until we drop dead!”
That night, Seol Tae Pyeong sat Yeon Ri down on the porch of his house in the Hwalseong District and drank himself nearly to death.
Each glass he raised was brimming with tears.
“…….”
Yeon Ri drank next to him and gave him a sharp look from ti to ti,
In all my life, I’ve never seen soone cry his eyes out just because he got a governnt position.
Of course, she didn’t say it out loud.
For now, she wasn’t the Heavenly Maiden but rely Seol Tae Pyeong’s maid, which ant he had all the authority over her…
Reviews
All reviews (0)