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236: Side Story (3)
Northwest of Guangxi.
Hocho is a small peaceful village located on the crossing. The village is so small that it consists of just 60 houses.
“Oh my, the Young Lord is here?”
The villagers came out to meet the Young Lord of the Sky Demon Order. These villagers are also members of the cult.
A person was nodding with an awkward smile looking at the people. It was Chun Woo-myung, the Sky Demon Order’s Young Lord.
‘Ahh…’
There was a disappointment in his eyes. On the three days of their trip, they went to three villages and were greeted by their cult members.
‘It shouldn’t be like this….’
The trip he expected wasn’t like this, but an adventure. He wanted to make new friends from other places, meet an enemy, and perhaps even have a hidden lover. However, this situation was very different from what he had imagined.
“I am Baek Woong. The head of the cult branch here.”
“Hehe, please look after me.”
There would always be a branch of the Sky Demon Order wherever he went. As a result, those handling it would come to meet him and give him comfortable places to stay in. His wish for romance and adventure feels unachievable.
‘Ahhh.’
Actually, this was expected.
The present Murim is unified. Him being an adventurous Murim warrior that he imagined would never exist in a world where almost all people are members of their cult!
‘No! this isn’t it!’
“Young Lord?”
Wang-suk, who was there with him, seemed puzzled at the expression he was making.
“Ah—nothing.”
“It cannot be ‘nothing.’ Are you hurt somewhere? If you are ill, I can look after you all night—”
“Absolutely not!”
Chun Woo-myung shook his head at her for being selfless. He didn't know her at the academy, but three days with her taught him all there was to know about her.
‘She is dangerous.’
He knew why Hu Bong was determined to protect him from this girl. Ko Wang-suk was aiming for some alone time with him.
“Ehh. You can just tell me if you’re feeling sick or if you’re hurt, we were schoolmates before.”
Ko Wang-suk was twisting her body which made her muscles bulge.
‘Creepy!’
Chun Woo-myung trembled and looked out.
There, he saw several warriors with swords on them. He wasn’t sure because there was no clan symbol on it, but he was interested as it was his first time seeing something like that ever since they went out.
“Hmm… uncle?”
“Ah, yes?”
He called Hu Bong, who was talking with the branch head, and looked.
“Why don’t we stay at an inn instead for today?”
“Inn? We have a branch here. We would have to pay for staying….”
Hu Bong didn’t end his words. He was the one who raised Chun Woo-myung like a real nephew, so he wasn’t ignorant to Chun Woo-myung’s eyes that were saying he wanted something.
“Aigoo. Shall we enjoy the dinner there?”
“Ahh! Uncle is so nice!”
Chun Woo-myung was at a loss for the agreement. Only Baek Woong was flustered.
‘Huh? Do they not like me?’
The branch head was there because he was assigned to welcome the cult’s leaders. And he had to impress Chun Woo-myung, who would be the next Lord.
“Y-Young Lord, we have invited the best chef here, and we are preparing the dinner—”
[Um, Branch Head.]
Hu Bong sent a message to him. And after a brief talk, he backed down with a sad expression.
Ko Wang-suk, who was puzzled, began to like the idea of staying in the inn.
‘If we won’t be staying in the cult’s branch, there will be more chances for me.’
She was a young girl who was in love with the Young Lord. As a girl, she felt a bit intimidated.
After they separated ways, Chun Woo-myung began to approach the inn.
“From now, we are just a small clan’s people, okay?”
“Yes. Young Lor—Master. hehe”
“Young Master.”
The reason why the request was made was simple. It was to prevent people from approaching them and wasting their time. He was the next Lord of Murim, and they didn’t want the trip to turn into a business trip.
Kik!
“Come in.”
As soon as they entered, the keeper greeted them.
‘They are…’
Chun Woo-myung saw eight warriors sitting at the table with their swords at their side. Looking at their attire, it looked like animal skin and was also colorful.
[They look like rogues.]
Hu Bong informed him. He was pretty aware of the sects, so he could guess who they were at a glance.
‘Uhm. They are those ones.’
Hu Bong’s eyes darkened.
Even though the Murim was unified, not all were happy with it. Some resisted and refused and turned into rogues.
And some had bad feelings for the Sky Demon Order.
Shh!
Just as they looked at the eight warriors, the eight looked at them as well.
Anyone could know that Chun Woo-myung’s party was a party of warriors. In particular, Ko Wang-suk’s build made it obvious.
“Amazing!”
“She to be a master!”
“I don’t think her strength will be normal.”
People were amazed at her. Of course, she was really someone with amazing strength. However, no one saw her as a woman.
Tremble!
She didn’t say it, but she was displeased.
“Guests, please sit here.”
The keeper guided them to the empty seats, and Hu Bong spoke with an excited face.
“Try to fill the table with the best dishes, please!”
“Oh! Are you serious?”
“Yes!”
Hu Bong giggled and waved the pouch in his waist. And the keeper, excited to see that, ran into the kitchen.
“Wasn’t that too much? Uncle.”
“This table seems big, so they should all fit. Young Master.”
But the table wasn’t huge. At best, six dishes would fit on it. The other customers, who were all having simple noodles, looked at them who ordered more.
After a while, the table was filled.
“Kuah. Young Master, let’s eat.”
“Let’s eat, uncle!”
Throughout the meal, Chun Woo-myung turned and looked at others. Based on the books he read, something had to happen, but this inn was quiet.
Even the ones drinking were doing their thing quietly.
‘Ah… this isn’t right.’
But these people didn’t seem interested in them. And Chun Woo-myung thought that Ko Wang-suk was the cause of it.
She looked very dignified while serving them and eating, but she had muscles that made her look intimidating, making people stay far from them.
‘Maybe that is why she IS Ko Wang-suk.’
She was more than a hundred escorts. Chun Woo-myung was depressed. At this rate, his dream of adventure was going to end lackluster.
However, wasn’t there a saying that goes, ‘if you desperately want it, you will get it?’1
Step!
One of the rogues approached them. Currently talking to his companions, Hu Bong slowly looked at the man.
Tak!
The man greeted them.
“Could I ask for a moment? Leader.”
The one he was addressing to wasn’t Hu Bong or Chun Woo-myung but Ko Wang-suk.
“Puah!”
Hu Bong was unable to hold back his laughter.
She was just 18 and still had to go through a lot of experience. Well, in terms of appearance, it did make sense.
Tremble.
Her muscles twitched at it. Despite being shy in front of Chun Woo-myung, she was still someone who graduated earlier than the others and defeated other elders at the age of 17!
“Did you just call me Le—”
“Calm down, Ko Wang-suk.”
“Oh my, Young Master.”
Chun Woo-myung grabbed her shoulder to stop her before she made a move, and with that, her expression changed and calmed down.
“Oh my?”
The rogue felt strange at that word that came from her mouth.
‘What…’
He was perplexed and tried to return to his seat, but Chun Woo-myung stopped him.
“What is it?”
“Ah.. that…”
It seemed like he was thinking of excuses to return.
Clench!
‘!?’
And his eyes looked at the teacup in Ko Wang-suk’s hands that turned into powder.
Her hand was twice the size of an average person’s, making the teacup look small. At that time, Ko Wang-suk raised her right hand and acted like she was slicing her neck as a warning to him.
Wsik!
And that meant.
‘If you… talk… you will die….’
Reading it thoroughly, the man’s thought of escaping disappeared.
“M-may we ask help from the leader?”
‘Help!’
At those words, Chun Woo-myung’s eyes gleamed.
The envoy of the Imperial Family was detained in the Sky Demon Order.
They had been locked in this place for three days now, and their faces were exhausted.
Especially Lee Yun, who has been the center of why they are still here. He was seated apart from others as they tormented him.
‘Ah… I couldn’t take a good look at the Crown Prince. Is this where my life ends?’
He was even thinking of death.
“Alert!”
The voices of the guards outside were heard.
Then, the door opened.
“Lord Chun!”
“Oh, Lord Chun!”
The person who arrived was Chun Yeowun. The officials detained were calling for him as if pleading, worried that he would feel upset if they didn’t.
‘Kuak!’
Lee Yun couldn’t do that. He turned to the wall and sat quietly, and someone grabbed his shoulder. He thought it was one of his people asking him to beg.
“How can you beg for….”
“Oh, really?”
‘Ahit!’
It was Chun Yeowun, and he was thinking about taking back the sentence he attempted to finish saying.
“What are you talking about?!”
“Can’t you apologize to the Lord!”
The officials were asking him harshly.
“Does this make sense? The head of a cult disregards the members of the empire….”
Tak!
Before he could finish, Chun Yeowun grabbed his head.
“W-what are you doing?”
“I guess I will have to meet the Prince who sent you here.”
“Huh?”
Ahh!
As soon as he said that, they disappeared from the room and the other officials looked at the space blankly.
“They are gone!”
“How can that happen?”
At the center of the Imperial City, where the palace was located, there was a building with golden tiles, and inside it was a throne room where the emperor resided.
And the man sitting in the Emperor’s seat, Zhu Tae-gyeom, was urging someone.
“What do you mean you sent a letter to the Sky Demon Order?”
“How could that happen?”
In front of him was a 17-year-old boy.
The boy wearing a red robe with a dragon pattern was the Crown Prince, Zhu Chi-yun.
“Huh. You must have lost your mind. Only I, the Emperor, have the right to talk or act. Are you trying to make me hate you?”
Emperor Zhu Tae-gyeom, who found out that Lee Yun wasn’t there and later knew that the man went for Sky Demon Order, took the situation seriously.
Thud!
Zhu Chi-yun knelt, pleading.
“Father! Father! You are the Supreme Leader of the Empire! Does it make sense to let the Nation’s Religion Holder play such a role?”
Zhu Chi-yun’s words only made Zhu Tae-gyeom turn angrier. He couldn’t understand how his son did such a thing!
He never dreamed that such a thing would happen.
“Prince, you do not know the history of this nation. He is…”
He couldn’t speak. How could he say that the monster was the absolute being for him?
“Father! I just asked for help. If you are worried, you can tell that it was done in your words….”
Sjhh!
The space distorted before he could speak, and someone fell into the throne room.
“Euk!”
Zhu Chi-yun, who saw the people who suddenly appeared, was shocked.
“T-teacher!”
It was Lee Yun. And someone landed very gently next to him. The Emperor got up, surprised.
“L-Lord!”
It was Chun Yeowun. The Crown Prince couldn’t understand how it happened. There were eunuchs and guards around the palace, so how could he enter? And Lee Yun was supposed to be in the Sky Demon Order right now.
“How could Lord come here without a notice….”
“Your Majesty.”
“Y-yes?”
Zhu Tae-gyeom looked at him.
Crown Prince Zhu Chi-yun was angry at the man who came in like this, so he yelled at Chun Yeowun.
“You bastard! How dare you, a mere Religion Holder of the Empire, show disrespect to the Emperor of—”
Bang!
“Kuak!”
Before he could even finish, the Crown Prince was on his knees. His face was in pain, and his knees seemed like they would explode at any moment.
‘W-what energy!’
He was learning martial arts, so he knew what it meant to suppress one.
Step!
At that moment, Chun Yeowun approached him and spoke, looking at the kid with arrogant eyes.
“Who are you to interrupt the adults’ conversation?”
“W-what?”
The original version of this phrase is “간절히 원하면 이루어진다.” Aside from the translation above, it can also be translated as ‘if there’s a will, there’s a way’ or, as my Korean friend says, ‘if you want it super f**king bad enough, it will happen.’ You are supposed to do something and not just wish blindly to achieve it. For our Young Lord here, what he did to fulfill his wish (his Murim adventure) was to disguise themselves as just a group of people of a small sect and stay at an in. The rest of the events should just unfold as he takes the steps of an adventurer. — Angel