Whispers Against the Throne and Midnight Shadows
The merchant who'd actually let those words slip out immediately went wide-eyed and clapped a hand over his mouth. He knew he'd said the wrong thing.
The heavens, huh? I might not know much, but I sure as hell know what that metaphorical jab means.
It's referring to the Son of Heaven—the emperor and the imperial family.
Loosely translated, it's asking how incompetent the imperial house has to be to let scumbag officials like those run wild without a care.
...Of course, the merchant probably just blurted it out without thinking, but the fact that it could be interpreted that way is what matters.
Man, this era really is on its last legs. If the imperial authority was still solid, no one would dare even think crap like that, let alone say it out loud.
But more importantly, I need to gauge the situation. I let out a breath, then tensed up again, sneaking a peek at my boss's face right in front of me.
...She's taking it calmer than I expected?
I'd been a bit worried the commander might flip out over their blasphemy against the throne—end-of-days mutants in a world full of corrupt officials and all—but she showed no sign of it. What a relief.
If anything, she looked lost in thought. Well, she's a bureaucrat; she probably has her own deep insights and circumstances.
The commander, who'd been absently stirring her soup bowl with her spoon while deep in contemplation, hesitated for a moment before speaking up.
"What do you think about the imperial family?"
Her tone sounded casual, like small talk, but the content and her expression were anything but. This is exactly why I hate talking politics.
You can never tell if they genuinely want your honest opinion or if they're just setting you up for a social execution.
'Inspector General, this traitorous dog's head is yours to lop off!' 'Yes, sir!' Slice!
...Yeah, no way that's happening.
"Why do you ask?"
"Just... the world's been like this lately."
"It's full of truly wonderful people, isn't it? Without His Majesty's grace, how could we even be here?"
I shoveled some noodle soup into my mouth while reciting the model answer. She furrowed her brow in response. What? I thought I nailed the textbook response...
...Was it my attitude?
She looked downright dissatisfied.
"...No, drop the formalities. What do you really think?"
Come on, you can speak freely with me. Tell me straight.
—or so her unspoken follow-up seemed to say.
Tricky.
What to do? From her reaction, it seemed like she wouldn't let it go unless I spilled my real guts.
Amid the lively clamor of the inn, I took a moment to collect my thoughts before speaking slowly.
"It's doomed."
"Huh?"
Well, if I have to say it.
Short and clear, without any personal bias. Just laying out plain historical facts.
"I mean, come on. Folks are complaining they can't pay taxes, so officials just seize their land. You scrape together the taxes anyway, and what do you get? No protection—bandits crawling all over the hills, barbarians and pirates treating the borders like their backyard. And those savage martial artists? Can't even control them. Pathetic... uh."
Talking about the murim folks got me heated, and I picked the wrong words.
It could sound like I was including minor sects like the Black Sand Room that even I couldn't rein in.
I stopped mid-sentence from my slip-up and checked her expression. She just gave a wry smile.
"No need to watch your words. It's not wrong."
And she accepted it with a self-deprecating shrug. Seeing her a little downcast like this was a first.
Well, yeah. Someone as loyal to the throne as her must be pissed. No matter how hard she tries, surrounded by trolls everywhere—gotta be frustrating.
She wants to change it but can't; that powerlessness is reality.
Still, I wouldn't dare belittle all her hard work as pointless.
—Even if it all ends with the Ming Dynasty's fall.
"Hypothetically speaking, of course. If there were just a handful of people like you—five, no, ten fingers' worth—things might turn around."
"Huh?"
"I'm nobody special, but since you asked for my opinion..."
"I'm a woman. Can I even do it?"
"What does that matter? If you're competent, smart, and get shit done, that's all that counts."
I mean it. I believe that holds true in any era.
Nothing's worse than half-assed bureaucrats playing number games or incompetents lording over everyone.
I nodded to myself, convinced, when
suddenly,
"...Hmph, flattery like that won't get you anything."
"Nah, you told me to be straight with you."
"..."
Maybe embarrassed, the commander sidled up beside me in no time and started jabbing my side with her hand chop.
Poke! Poke!
"Ow, cut it out!"
"You snuck one of my dumplings, didn't you? That's embezzlement, you know?"
"Uh, you saw that?"
Yeah, I'd snagged it while she was spacing out earlier. Guess she caught me. Damn, my bad.
Only one move left.
"Fine, whatever. I've already died once—grill me, boil me, fry me, do what you want!"
"For real?"
"No... I mean, never mind."
Of course, one word from her and I was shut down cold.
"...Anyway, did you hear the prerequisite? We need like a dozen people like that. One person's not enough."
"Well, now we've got two. You and me."
"Nope."
"You won't?"
Power plays failing, she switched to the wide-eyed puppy-dog stare-up tactic.
"Yeah, no."
Doesn't work on me~ Grateful for the high regard, but I don't wanna be tangled in government crap forever. The Ming's a rotten rope, after all.
"You little— you little!"
Poke! Poke!
"Urk, ow!"
She flipped back to her usual self in an instant.
Damn, seeing this side of her makes the commander seem kinda childish still. Yeah, time for the adult to suck it up.
"...Your smug face is pissing me off."
Whoops, guess my satisfaction showed. She kept at it relentlessly until I surrendered.
.
. . .
With the meal finally over,
"Ugh, wiped out."
Why are meals so exhausting?
Unlike me slumped over, the commander stepped out with lighter steps than when we'd entered the inn. I had no choice but to follow.
"Seriously, nothing you need? Days like today when I'm feeling generous don't come often."
Hard to refuse when she puts it like that. I nodded slowly, accepting her kindness.
Hm, what do I need? Honestly, nothing sprang to mind.
Maybe from my uninhabited island days—any place to lie down is a bed, any spot to sit is a chair.
Clothes just needed to keep out hot and cold; didn't care what. No hobbies like collecting stuff, either.
At best, maintaining and crafting firearms...
"Oh, then can you get me that?"
"What?"
"I'd like a few blacksmith tools."
"Blacksmith tools? Not gold, jewels, or a famous sword?"
A famous sword? Useless if it doesn't suit me—same as trash. And gold, jewels... huh, why didn't I think of that?
But who asks for cash or gold bars as a gift? That's not normal unless you're a total weirdo.
Too late to backtrack now. Plus, my current salary was plenty satisfying.
"Yeah, tools are better."
"Man, you really are different."
Grinning at my answer, the commander promised to get me the best ones—just wait a bit.
Her saying that got me a little excited.
Having achieved her goal of rewarding her hardworking subordinate, Hyejin strolled through the market with a lighter heart.
Before, she'd been browsing for her underling's sake; now she was checking out stalls, commenting "that's cute" or "that looks tasty" like any girl her age.
She really just looks like a regular young woman up close.
"Commander, what are you staring at so intently... hm?"
Curious about what had her so focused, I glanced over. There, on display, was some kind of necklace.
"..."
Oh shit.
Her gaze flicked between the necklace and me—trouble brewing.
Sensing an inexplicable threat to my life, I figured sticking around spelled doom and hurried to urge her back to the garrison.
"I-it's getting dark! Let's head back before it's too late!"
"Huh? It's still bright out."
"Suns set fast these days! Come on, let's go!"
*
"Ughhh, freedom at last."
After wrapping up the outing with the commander, the sky had already darkened. Us introverts need prep time before going out, y'know? The rushed schedule left me beat; I crashed straight onto the bed in my quarters.
Thud.
"Ahhh, perfect."
This is it. Not some modern spring mattress that sinks just right, but cozy and warm enough.
Rolling around, savoring the sensation endlessly, I couldn't help thinking: this is paradise.
Whoooosh.
'?'
But that happy routine was short-lived. A sudden breeze whistling through the room tipped me off to something off.
Did I leave the window open?
Why's there wind inside? Lost in thought, I'd been slow on the uptake. Something was wrong—and I never open windows unless someone's airing the place. Did I leave it open when I left? ...Nah, I distinctly remember it being shut tight while the princess glared from outside last time. And since the last incident, I'd been diligent about locking up.
No one would open it for me in the dead of night, either.
"...Mmph! Mmph! Mm!"
Just as rational thought was about to kick in, someone lunged from behind while I was on the bed.
Like something out of a movie: black-masked thugs in dark clothes, clutching white cloths soaked in some chemical.
...I'm being kidnapped!
What the hell is this? In the face of this life-or-death crisis crashing in out of nowhere, cold sweat poured down me as goosebumps erupted all over.