Chapter 14
Chapter 14
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 14
Chapter Title: Boyhood ~Audience with the Emperor~
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This terrorist incident was ultimately concluded to be the work of external forces.
There were some suspicious elements—like the brigade commander who had tempted Se-hee, or the Yeon Clan servants who knew the layout of the grounds well—but neither the imperial family nor the Yeon Clan could investigate those in detail.
The brigade commander, presumed to be the ringleader, had turned up dead before anyone knew it, and the assassins and servants who carried out the attack died sudden deaths one after another whenever they seemed about to spill any information.
No matter what methods were used, they died the moment they tried to reveal their backers, so all the clan and the imperial family could confirm was that they were under powerful geas.
The imperial family's specialist investigators would probably come down and dig deeper into it, but for now, no conclusions could be drawn.
Meanwhile, my father—who was cooperating in the interrogation of the captured assassins after rooting out the clan's traitors—had strongly denied any connection to them during his audience with the Emperor.
Some of the Emperor's retainers had even pointed to the Yeon Clan as the culprits behind the attack, so Father was doing everything he could to clear our name by showing maximum cooperation.
The Yeon Clan already wielded excessive power for a mere noble house, so the retainers' gazes had never been friendly to begin with. This incident seemed to have completely turned them against us.
The Emperor himself didn't believe the Yeon Clan had cooperated in the attack, but since it happened on our grounds, he couldn't openly protect us either.
The silver lining was that the Emperor was still maintaining a neutral stance.
>
This terrorist act gave our enemies in the imperial court a perfect pretext to turn against us.
The fact that the Emperor hadn't jumped on that bandwagon was a huge relief for the Yeon Clan.
If the imperial family and the Yeon Clan became outright enemies, we'd be the ones suffering the most.
This was where Father's title as Martial Emperor truly shone.
Honestly, without the prestige of being one of the Empire's Ten Emperors, the Emperor would have cast us out long ago.
No harm had come to the Emperor himself from this attack, but the fact that it happened on land under our clan's management was a massive blunder in and of itself.
As a result, the clan had to take responsibility in various ways, including surrendering significant interests to the imperial side.
On top of that, the planned inspection of Yeonju by the Emperor was canceled for security reasons, and rumors swirled that the main reason for the imperial family's visit—the Imperial Dragon Tournament—might be canceled too.
Of course, the rumors about the tournament's cancellation were quickly debunked as baseless.
With less than a week left until the Imperial Dragon Tournament, countless martial artists had already traveled great distances to Yeonju, and many merchants had overextended themselves financially to prepare. Canceling it abruptly would cause too many problems.
Above all, since the Emperor himself had pushed strongly for it, the tournament was rescheduled to be held a week later instead.
The imperial side decided to use that week to bolster security and conduct even more thorough background checks on all participants.
It wasn't certain, but those with unclear identities might even be barred from competing.
Meanwhile, with the decision to hold the tournament, Father became even busier.
According to the servants, he was personally overseeing enhancements to the tournament's security.
With even the Yeonju inspection canceled for security reasons, if another terrorist attack happened at the Imperial Dragon Tournament, it would be catastrophic. Father was preparing meticulously.
On the other hand, the Emperor was spending his time in complete leisure.
The original Yeonju inspection having been scrapped for security left a gaping hole in his schedule.
If this were the imperial palace, he could have filled the time with other duties, but this was the Yeon Clan grounds, not the palace.
No matter how workaholic the Emperor was, he wouldn't have hauled paperwork all the way out here to a remote inspection site. So he was just killing time idly.
During this unexpected vacation, the Emperor enjoyed banquets with the accompanying imperial family members and took ample rest.
He shared lunches with his family, spent time with his children, and went on walks with the consort who had come in place of the Empress.
The Emperor was known for being so devoted to his duties that people joked he was married to his work, so his family greatly welcomed this break.
Consort Lotus Flower's reaction was especially intense. Her initial icy demeanor had vanished, replaced by a sweet, charming beauty that made her almost unrecognizable in her joy.
Was it payback for all the time she rarely got with the Emperor?
Consort Lotus Flower showed goodwill toward the Yeon Clan for handling the Emperor's schedule in the Empress's stead, and since the absent Clan Head wasn't around, she turned her attention to me—his son.
Honestly, it wasn't attention I particularly welcomed...
I wished she'd just keep doting on Mother like before, but unfortunately, she seemed intensely curious about me.
The consort, who got along well with the Empress's children despite being a consort herself, kept asking me about Se-hee every time she visited.
How did I think of Se-hee?
Did I have any girl I liked?
Se-hee was such a kind and pretty girl.
I hoped I'd always get along well with her.
And so on. She talked about Se-hee like the nosy neighbor auntie every single time, to the point of annoyance.
>
Was it because Se-hee kept dropping by every day and Consort Lotus Flower kept popping in whenever she was bored, tormenting me endlessly?
In the end, I gave up on everything and holed up in the training grounds.
What? Dealing with the imperial family? Duties as Young Clan Head?
Don't care. Mother will handle it.
I trust Mother.
More importantly, I needed to push myself to the next level.
Maybe thanks to that fight with the assassins last time, I could faintly sense a wall ahead.
I'd wanted to train right away that day, but I had to handle the imperial family, so no time.
Now that I'd dumped all the nonsense on Mother, I could focus purely on cultivation!
For a moment, I worried Se-hee might track me down here too, but that was probably just paranoia.
I'd slipped out without telling her.
I'd ordered all the servants to keep quiet, so even if she looked, she wouldn't find me.
>
───
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ ──I thought.
"Ooh! So this is your training ground! It's huge!"
I gaped at Se-hee, her eyes sparkling at the training ground entrance.
"H-Huh? How did you get here? I told the servants to keep it secret."
"Hm? There's no way I wouldn't know where you are."
"No, I didn't tell you, and I came alone..."
"Hahaha! It's fine! I just had a hunch."
Are you an animal or something?
"Anyway, how rude of you. To vanish without a word to me!"
"If I vanished without a word, couldn't you just think I had something to do?"
"No!"
Hey, don't look so confident about it.
"So, you train in a place like this?"
"Yeah. It's pretty decent, all things considered."
"I'm no good at this stuff, so I wouldn't know."
Se-hee cautiously eyed the weapons displayed in the corner, then turned back to me.
"So, how long are you planning to stay here?"
"Dunno. Didn't set a time."
"I see."
With that, Se-hee plopped down on the floor and stared at me.
"What?"
"Hm? Oh, don't mind me. Keep training."
"You're gonna stay?"
"Don't worry. I won't bother you."
Her eyes lit up like just watching was the most fun thing ever.
It wouldn't be fun for her to just watch, though.
Whatever. She'll get bored and leave eventually.
Thinking that, I quickly ignored her and focused on training.
>
"Hoo."
Catching my breath, I turned to look behind me.
The view outside the window had gone from evening to near night.
In the corner of the training ground, Se-hee was curled up asleep.
She must have dozed off while watching me train.
"Guess I should have a servant bring some late-night snacks."
If she'd been here the whole time I trained, she probably hadn't eaten dinner.
Twitch—
"Hm?"
The moment I hoisted her onto my back, I felt a movement against it.
"Awake?"
But contrary to expectation, all I heard was steady breathing.
Just my imagination...?
I carried the soundly sleeping Se-hee out of the training ground.
───
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Several days passed since Se-hee found the training ground.
As expected, the imperial family members started visiting the training grounds one by one.
They marveled at the exterior, then again at the interior, and once more at the numerous protective spells enveloping the place.
It seemed even the imperial palace rarely had training grounds like this.
Anyway.
Starting with Se-hee, the first to visit was the Second Imperial Prince, wearing a displeased expression.
He'd come to fetch Se-hee, but upon seeing me inside, he openly scowled.
He'd disliked me from first sight anyway, so it didn't bother me much.
If anything, I felt a bit sorry for him as he slunk away after Se-hee shot him down.
After the Second Prince left dejectedly, the First Imperial Prince came by.
Unlike the Second Prince, who was my age, the First was already middle-school aged, perhaps.
He watched my training from afar, offered some perfunctory praise, and left.
A slippery, inscrutable type.
He might have inherited the Emperor's my-pace personality well.
>
Next came Consort Lotus Flower.
I hadn't expected her to come all the way here.
And sure enough, she only talked about Se-hee before leaving.
Definitely the nosy neighbor auntie type.
Even handing me snacks on the way out was perfect.
Well, up to that point, it was fine.
They were imperial family, but not overly strict on etiquette, and neither Se-hee, Consort Lotus Flower, nor the princes showed any hostility toward me.
If anything, they seemed friendly based on their behavior.
That's why I let my guard down.
Yeah. Big mistake.
I forgot who was at the top of their hierarchy.
I mindlessly permitted entry when notified of a visitor by Attendant Seon-hwa.
"Are you Yeon Je-seong?"
The first voice I heard was a familiar, deep baritone.
A voice that could belong to a famous voice actor addressed me in an unfamiliar tone.
I reflexively turned to face the visitor.
"...My goodness."
Eyes brimming with profound presence.
A sturdy frame honed by every muscle, draped in golden imperial dragon robes.
A sharp sword at his waist, radiating keen aura.
"What a rare sight, a child like you."
The 13th Emperor of the Imperial Empire.
Emperor Yeongnak looked down at me with an inscrutable gaze.
───
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ 'Small.'
Too small.
That was Emperor Yeongnak's first impression upon seeing Yeon Je-seong.
Hardly ten years old, perhaps.
The boy with his slight build wore a mask over his face, but aside from that, he seemed utterly ordinary.
His internal energy felt faint, and his martial prowess seemed negligible.
For such a child to neutralize five seasoned assassins and rescue an imperial princess?
If the princess hadn't reported it directly, even he—the Emperor—might not have believed it easily.
"I see the Empire's sun."
"Yes."
Recognizing him and immediately offering proper respects showed some wit, but it wasn't enough to satisfy the Emperor's discerning eye.
>
'The Yeon Clan Head praised you so highly, and even the princess and crown prince raved about you, so I came in person... but I can't tell from looks alone.'
Still, he wasn't disappointed.
All the true masters he knew were impossible to judge by appearance alone.
This boy hadn't deliberately avoided him—the Emperor—either.
There must be something hidden.
"I hope I'm not interrupting your training."
"Not at all, Your Imperial Majesty. It's an honor that the Empire's sun graces this humble place."
"Hoho, even as a child, you gild my words so finely. I hardly know where to put myself."
To discern true talents, he needed to show behavior befitting an emperor.
With a glint in his eye, the Emperor continued.
"It looks like you were practicing fist arts. If you don't mind, may I take a look?"
"...However."
"Hoho, no need to decline. In my youth, I slew demon kings myself, so no need to worry."
To the hesitant Yeon Je-seong, the Emperor pressed forward with almost reckless enthusiasm.
Meanwhile, Yeon Je-seong—sweating coldly under his mask at the Emperor's words—steadied his trembling voice and nodded with effort.
"Then... please, impart your wisdom to me."
"Good! You there!"
"You called, Your Majesty?"
"I'll spar with this child now. Bring my equipment."
"Right away."
The heavily armored general bowed deeply and exited the training ground.
Soon, he returned cradling a massive shield and a wooden sword.
"Here it is."
"Mm."
Flutter—
The Emperor promptly shed his upper robes, revealing his chiseled torso, then took the giant shield and sword in each hand.
Thud—!
"Even these training tools are infused with considerable power. I'll moderate my strength appropriately, so show me your full ability."
Just setting the shield on the ground caused the earth to crater with a boom.
Unable to bear the immense weight, the training ground's restoration magic activated automatically, scattering green light everywhere.
>
"Ho. Quite the impressive place."
The Emperor watched Yeon Je-seong's movements with keen interest.
After thoroughly warming up, Yeon Je-seong removed his mask, unleashing a sharp aura.
'Ho.'
The Mask of Restraint.
Finally realizing what it was, the Emperor grinned amusedly.
At the same time, he felt the boy's gaze scanning his entire body, followed by a curt declaration.
"Then, I'll go first."
"Good."
Bam—!
"...!"
Before his words fully landed, the Emperor braced his lower body and met the attack.
A massive boom echoed from the shield as Yeon Je-seong's fist burrowed in. With veteran finesse, the Emperor lowered the shield and thrust the sword at his abdomen.
'No internal energy. Let's see your pure skill.'
Curiously observing how Yeon Je-seong would respond, he saw the boy fluidly deflect the sword like flowing water and close in further.
"Excellent!"
"Kgh...!"
But he blocked the advance with the shield and retreated to create distance.
"Fine movement, but obstacles break your flow!"
Simultaneously, he charged with the shield raised.
As the enormous shield bore down with physical force, Yeon Je-seong startled and leaped onto it, springing high.
Twisting in midair, he raised his leg. In response, the Emperor lowered his stance and lifted the shield.
Boom—!!
"Hm, not bad offensive power."
No—astonishing for his age.
"But that's all."
Nothing else noteworthy.
Honestly, if he'd focused purely on evasion, there'd have been no need for this tiring contest of strength.
"No wonder turtles are annoying."
Meanwhile, watching the Emperor effortlessly block his strike, Yeon Je-seong muttered under his breath before wrapping aura around one hand and charging again.
"Hm. The same trick won't work twice."
"We'll see... about that!"
In an instant, his palm opened and collided with the shield.