Life at the Yamen (2)
"I've heard that story before."
And the other reason was that the cannon master had once heard tales of a blue-eyed child who had slipped into the interior.
The Ami Sect had deep ties with the government office and often exchanged information with them.
According to past recollections, Hendrick's daughter, Lisbet van Demer, who had grabbed the hand of the Ami Sect's secular disciple 'Yuyeon' and fled. He needed to meet her, if only to fulfill his master's dying wish.
However, the Ami Sect was located at Ami Mountain, far south of Chengdu in Sichuan Province.
...That's quite a distance, isn't it?
The Central Plains were vast, after all. Just recalling how he'd nearly died lost in the mountains of a mere district in Zhejiang Province made it clear that going without proper preparation wouldn't cut it.
He'd need to stock up plenty on money, supplies, and information before even thinking about attempting it.
Still, the pay here was pretty damn good, so if he gritted his teeth a bit longer, he might escape this livestock pen soon enough.
"...".
He mulled over these realistic future plans in his head, but his lazy body rebelled, questioning, 'You sure about that?' Yeah, I know, asshole. But I can't just settle down—I have to push forward.
To crush his body's resistance with sheer willpower, he slapped his own cheek with a sharp crack.
"I can't get any lazier!"
He needed to break this chain of bad habits. Time to show his unyielding resolve. With that, he shouted out his battle cry.
"One shot, one kill~~~!"
"You rascal!"
Anyone with even a bit of worldly experience would have found it odd that a civil official like the vice magistrate wasn't handling duties at the provincial yamen—instead, a military officer, the cannon master, was.
No matter how much Joo Hyejin rejected special privileges, basic protocol still needed to be observed.
The situation was awkward because the crown prince faction's vice magistrate, who hated drawing attention, had conveniently stepped aside. Thanks to that, the actual workers had it easier.
However, many administrative staff under the vice magistrate remained at the yamen, maintaining an uneasy coexistence. Because of this, the usually passive and quiet office had become surprisingly dynamic lately.
"Where the hell did that bastard run off to this time?"
Lately, a certain weirdo had been flaunting his presence, chased by the princess herself, who in turn dodged him.
Her status was so immense that common folk wouldn't dare meet her eyes, yet she looked like a small, cute girl. The sight of a beastly brute dodging and hiding from such a girl was hilarious, making it the top entertainment among the officials recently.
Watching the scene unfold, Inspection Captain Wi Eokgi had much on his mind. As an elite among elites from the Imperial Guard, he was one of the few in the palace truly loyal to Princess Hyejin.
He had one long-standing worry: his master herself. The imperial family's forbidden flower, Princess Hyejin, was far too good a person in his eyes.
...If only she'd been born in ordinary circumstances, that is. She was innately compassionate. Of course, that didn't make her a spineless pushover. The problem was how much she'd been hurt and exploited to become who she was.
Countless people had clung to her for their own gain. When he'd seen sleazy ministers treat her noble imperial blood as a pawn for political marriages—or worse, diplomatic tools with foreign powers—Wi Eokgi had wanted to slit their throats, even at the cost of his own head.
If even he, a mere observer, felt this rage, how must she have suffered? It must have been excruciating. Because of it, she struggled to make friends or build a support base, leaving her faction pitifully small despite her grand ambitions.
From what he'd observed, she possessed talents surpassing most royals. She might even be the only heir capable of restoring the declining empire. —But tradition and rules were always rigid and inflexible.
No matter her brilliance, her ascent was limited. That's why she was out here now, toiling to prove herself. It was heartbreaking yet admirable, like a butterfly shedding its cocoon to soar brilliantly. He hoped she'd endure these trials and that many would come to support her later.
And then, a peculiar—no, downright bizarre—weirdo appeared before her.
Yujin—or Pang Yujin with his pre-excommunication surname.
As a military man, Wi Eokgi naturally viewed murim folk with disdain.
From what his old Imperial Guard colleagues had told him, the rumors about this guy were vicious. He'd even delayed reporting to the princess while sorting the details. But after closely monitoring him for so long, Wi Eokgi thought, 'This doesn't add up.'
Simple, brutish, pure, boisterous. How many in the vast Central Plains embodied all those traits? And he had a body and skills strong enough to be called a genius at operating cannons.
With the princess—so discerning with people—trusting and following him like that, he clearly wasn't the monster the rumors painted.
"Cannon Master? ...Ah, that weirdo? I saw him heading to the physician just now."
"Thanks."
Sure enough, the princess, having received the tip, dashed off after him. Wi Eokgi followed quietly to guard her.
"—Argh, why's that shortstack girl so desperate to catch me?!"
There was the rumored weirdo, face-down on the treatment bed, getting worked on by the physician.
"Ugh, if we were the same status, I'd flick her forehead so hard... Argh!"
His monstrous muscles—enough to make even seasoned warriors envious—drew the eye automatically.
—But laced with trash-talk about the princess. Forget her status; as cannon master alone, this was thoroughly her domain. What guts did he have to pull this off? Sometimes Wi Eokgi wanted to peek inside that guy's head to see how his brain worked.
"Hngh—."
The princess stood there, arms crossed, silently watching the weirdo gripe.
Gulp. Tense as ever. Praying the guy wouldn't screw up further, Wi Eokgi simply closed his eyes and observed quietly.
Luckily, his rant didn't drag on. With so many people crammed into the small room, sensing something off was inevitable.
The atmosphere shifted in an instant. The weirdo, spotting the anomaly, realized the subject of his gossip was right there. His face twisted with rough thoughts, anxious eyes—and the princess's sly smile watching it all.
"That wasn't about you, Cannon Master."
"I never asked if it was about me."
"...".
Thinking again, the guy needed to get a bit sharper. Unable to hide his shaky pupils, he marched straight toward doom.
"How much did you hear?"
"Curious? Guess if you dare."
This could turn disastrous; he had to answer right. Furrowing his brow in serious thought, he finally spat out his guess.
"...From the start?"
"Correct!"
That candid bluntness was probably why the princess took a shine to him. It might seem rude, but unlike the palace life of constant scheming and overthinking every gesture, here she could face raw thoughts and emotions head-on—and perhaps welcomed it.
"Physician, twist this traitorous rascal's bones right now!"
"Right away, milady."
...A bit extreme, though.
"Gaaah! S-sorry, I'm sorry!"
"Haha, harder! Kill him! Wait, can't kill him if I wanna use him. Right up to the brink of death!"
Well, as long as she looked happy? Compared to her old stone-faced routine of state affairs, this felt like positive change. Leaning by the door, the inspection captain watched over the princess.