First Day of Work -1
"Good heavens, congratulations!"
Hyeok Gi-rin congratulated Heukmyo with a beaming smile across her entire face. I, too, showed my surprise and clapped. At our praise, Heukmyo's shoulders rose a full inch.
"Hmph. This is all the fruit of my training!"
I gave a bitter smile as I watched Heukmyo lift her nose three inches high. Well, she had been standing right at the threshold of the next realm ever since our days at the Jeomchang Sect... Heukmyo had fretted over it quite a bit, after all.
I, too, let out a long sigh of relief.
Since Heukmyo had reached the Super-Peak Realm under her own power, her ascent to the Transformation Realm could be considered all but certain. Even if her limit was Super-Peak, once she gained enlightenment she could still rise to Transformation.
Of course, whether the real enlightenment for Heukmyo even existed inside the enlightenment database was another question entirely...
"Hmm... By the way, was Hyeok Gi-rin the Great Hero always this strong? Or have my eyes opened now that my realm has risen...?"
"Heh heh. Who knows?"
"Hmph! Well, it doesn't matter either way!"
Heukmyo dashed over to Hyeok Gi-rin and rubbed her cheek against hers. Having spent a little over a week alone, Heukmyo seemed simply delighted to be with Hyeok Gi-rin again.
"It's all finished now, right? Starting tomorrow, let's go sightseeing around Luoyang!"
"Mm... About that, I have something to say."
Just as I was about to tell Heukmyo that I had become an external advisor to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Hyeok Gi-rin cut in.
"There is a fact I must confide to Heukmyo."
"Hmm?"
Hyeok Gi-rin spoke of everything that had happened at the Imperial Palace. That she was of the imperial bloodline and a sibling to Dujak. That Dujak had gone berserk, what had transpired between him and Ho Cheon-an as a result, the sibling quarrel that followed, and how she had gained enlightenment from it. Then her words of gratitude, and how she had arranged for me to become an external advisor to the Embroidered Uniform Guard in order to suppress the rumors about me.
That Dujak was the Emperor and she herself a princess—aside from that single point, Hyeok Gi-rin told of every last thing that had occurred in the Imperial Palace.
"So Hyeok Gi-rin the Great Hero is actually of imperial blood..."
"Yes. That is so. I am sorry for deceiving you."
"It's fine. Ever since I learned you were a woman cross-dressing as a man, I had guessed there must be some story behind it. And a smokescreen personally arranged by the imperial family... Not bad at all."
Having muttered that, Heukmyo immediately turned to scold me.
"Senior! Honestly! I can't take my eyes off you for a second! Even after causing that huge incident at the Jeomchang Sect, your mouth starts itching again the moment I'm not looking... Ugh!"
Heukmyo raised her voice.
"But since you gave it to Hyeok Gi-rin the Great Hero, I'll let it slide!"
"Heh heh heh, thank you, Miss Heukmyo."
Heukmyo clung tightly to Hyeok Gi-rin and asked,
"So when does the Embroidered Uniform Guard external advisor work start?"
"I suppose I should show my face starting tomorrow."
As a mere wandering warrior who had received an imperial decree, it was only right to begin at once.
"When does Hyeok Gi-rin the Great Hero plan to pretend to enter closed-door training?"
"I intend to enter once we have finished a certain amount of sightseeing in Luoyang."
"Ugh~ I don't want to part~"
Heukmyo squeezed Hyeok Gi-rin in a tight hug. Hyeok Gi-rin, looking troubled and apologetic, patted Heukmyo's back.
"Please understand. The time has come to repay the debts I have long turned a blind eye to."
"...Ugh. Then while we're sightseeing in Luoyang, we're going to have a blast."
"Heh heh, yes. I promise. And... there is something else I must say..."
"Mm?"
"Ah, no. First, shall we draw up our plans for today?"
"Great! Senior Ho will join after he gets off work, and the two of us will run around from the crack of dawn!"
Hyeok Gi-rin's expression seemed to cloud for a moment, but at the sight of Heukmyo's excited face she soon smiled again.
"Ah, and there's something I'd like the two of you to confirm for me."
Suddenly Heukmyo closed her eyes and began to concentrate.
After watching her for a moment, my eyes met Hyeok Gi-rin's. She had been looking at Heukmyo with a somewhat apologetic expression; when our faces met, she gave a bitter smile.
Hmm.
In so many ways, my soul is being sucked dry. In the week we were apart, both the palace side and Heukmyo's side had so many major events that we have to convey the facts of those incidents, resolve our reunion, go sightseeing—it's complete chaos.
"Senior, which part of my attire is the most suspicious?"
"Mm..."
Honestly, from head to toe she's pure suspicion itself—it's just that her looks provide the narrative justification. If I went around like that, people would treat me as a suspicious character and wouldn't even give me the time of day. But because Heukmyo's appearance is so outstanding, people just assume she's covering up for some reason.
"Well, covering the entire face is a bit much, I suppose."
Even when wearing a face veil, people usually leave the eyes open. Naturally, to secure their field of vision. When going out, Heukmyo's face veil was typically attached to a hat and used to cover the entire face, but of course that was not the ordinary way of wearing it.
"Yes, that's right. After all, my 'eyes' were the biggest problem."
Heukmyo removed her face veil. It had been a long time since I had seen her bare face—not since the underwater cave. I had thought I had grown used to it there, but after some time had passed, it felt fresh all over again.
"This is..."
Hyeok Gi-rin let out a mix of admiration and surprise as she fixed her gaze on Heukmyo. Was this the first time she was seeing Heukmyo's bare face?
"You two already have a certain degree of resistance to my aura. You'll make suitable test subjects."
Heukmyo opened both eyes. Hyeok Gi-rin's mouth fell open as she observed Heukmyo's face. It was a shocking appearance, after all.
I, too, appreciated—no, observed—Heukmyo's appearance after so long.
"Mm..."
It was an appearance that always felt new no matter how many times I saw it, so after suppressing the heart that had begun to race on its own, I observed Heukmyo.
My eyes met Heukmyo's clear pupils.
And in that moment, I could truly feel the change in her.
I don't know if this is the right way to put it... but when I first saw Heukmyo's bare face on Mount Jeongnam, and every time our eyes met while we lived together in the underwater cave, there was something I always felt.
Every time I met Heukmyo's eyes, I saw a night sky filled with stars in them.
Of course, it was a metaphor.
If I forced it to fit with knowledge, the pupils in which the energy of the Greater Yin nature had manifested naturally showed me something I found beautiful. Like how a formation shows an illusion.
"Oh."
But today, I only saw about as many as the Big Dipper.
"Is this the result of reaching Super-Peak?"
"How would you evaluate it, Senior?"
"It's definitely reduced. But I'm not sure if it's okay to leave the eyes exposed."
"It's fine! Just knowing that I can control this energy is already an achievement. I'm curious how long I can maintain this state, so I'll stay like this."
"Alright."
Hyeok Gi-rin, who had been staring blankly at Heukmyo for a while, finally came to her senses and opened her mouth.
"Truly... astonishing. I had guessed she was a beauty, but..."
"Heh heh! I really wanted to show my face to Hyeok Gi-rin the Great Hero as well! No matter what, we should at least know each other's faces!"
"Of course. It is a countenance that makes it understandable why she covers it in everyday life."
Then Hyeok Gi-rin looked my way and asked,
"Wanderer Ho, it seems you have seen Heukmyo's face before?"
"Yes. Well, I had a few opportunities to see it."
"...And yet you still haven't fallen?"
"Pardon?"
"Ah, nothing. Haa..."
Hyeok Gi-rin looked at me with an expression as if she had hit a wall, then looked at Heukmyo, then back at me, and sighed once more. Just as question marks were about to float above Heukmyo's and my heads, Hyeok Gi-rin gave a bitter smile.
"I simply thought that both Wanderer Ho and Miss Heukmyo... are not easy people—rather unique ones."
At that sight of Hyeok Gi-rin, the two of us could only exchange bewildered looks with each other.
The first day of work at the Embroidered Uniform Guard dawned.
"Senior! If you get off early, come join us!"
"Have a good day."
"Yes. Please take good care of Heukmyo."
Heukmyo energetically dragged Hyeok Gi-rin away and disappeared. Inside the carriage, Hyeok Gi-rin had either been smiling suspiciously or looking strangely drained after seeing Heukmyo's face.
Even so, after that she seemed to recover her energy while making sightseeing plans for Luoyang with Heukmyo, and this morning she had fully recovered and shown a pure, clear smile.
With Hyeok Gi-rin back to normal, there was now someone to hold the reins of that overflowing energy of Heukmyo's. With this much, I could probably go to work with peace of mind.
Looking at the two figures growing distant, they seemed to be chatting lively. Well, that much should be fine.
I, too, set my steps toward the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters.
"A moment for inspection, please."
Wearing not an official uniform but just ordinary martial attire, I was stopped right at the entrance leading to the official compound. To the two imperial soldiers looking at me with sharp eyes, I showed the token in my breast.
"Ah, you are the Embroidered Uniform Guard's external advisor. Our apologies."
It seemed the position of Embroidered Uniform Guard external advisor was higher than I had thought.
Passing the two imperial soldiers who had become polite in an instant, I sought out the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters. I was not familiar with the geography of the official compound, but finding the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters was not particularly difficult.
Wherever one went in the official compound, one could see the imperial guards, and it was enough to ask them for directions. Arriving at the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters and showing my token, I was able to meet the Admiral of the Embroidered Uniform Guard at once.
"A pleasure! I am Song Chang-sik, Admiral of the Embroidered Uniform Guard! You must have at least heard my voice."
"I am Ho Cheon-an, the Sichuan Wanderer. It is an honor to meet the Admiral."
Song Chang-sik, Admiral of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, was a man who could be expressed in a single phrase.
A man like Zhang Fei.
A massive build, bulging eyes, and even a mane of beard and hair grown wild as he pleased.
"I heard a rough explanation from that fellow. You grasp the circumstances as well, I take it?"
"Yes. That is so."
"Good. Do you know how new personnel for the Embroidered Uniform Guard are filled?"
"I do not know well."
"There are various ways one can become part of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, but the most common is selecting elite personnel from among the imperial troops across the nation. You will become an instructor who educates one company among those Embroidered Uniform Guard candidates."
"Hmm... That is..."
This identity as Embroidered Uniform Guard external advisor was meant to conceal the fact that I could grant enlightenment. So I had thought I would just kill time appropriately and then get kicked out, but it was more serious than expected.
Above all, if I took charge of the education, those Embroidered Uniform Guard candidates would be left holding a bomb...
"Yes. I know what you're thinking. You wonder if you'll be trampling the lives of youths who want to become Embroidered Uniform Guards. But the candidate company you will take charge of are people who already have problems and have no chance of passing into the Embroidered Uniform Guard."
"Is that so."
Seeing the unease still clear on my face, Song Chang-sik laughed and added to the story.
"Unfortunately, due to clear disqualifying reasons such as origin, martial arts realm, personality, and so on, they are people unsuited for the Embroidered Uniform Guard. It's just that, since the local officials went to the trouble of recommending them, we let them receive training and take the exam."
In other words, for people who should originally have been eliminated, there were spots left in the training camp, so they were allowed to receive training at least.
The unease lessened a little.
"Well then, today just take a look at the candidates' faces and go home."