Chapter 74
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: The Star Sets at Wuzhang Plains (6)
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Gazing out the window, I mulled over my complicated feelings.
Calling it ungrateful might be a bit much... though I did bear some original sin.
I felt a twinge of guilt toward the Saintess, even when we'd last met and I'd jokingly told her to give it a happy ending.
But still.
What the hell were the other two doing?
I mean, come on, were they protesting for daily updates or something?
I gave them two chapters the day before yesterday.
Three yesterday.
I basically gave them everything!
One chapter today and they're acting like this?
"It's the three-days-full, one-day-empty trick, Kim Yul."
Seeing my stunned expression, Historie peered out the window and delivered her cold assessment.
"No, but Secretary."
"Yes."
"Why the hell is your boss... no, our president out there doing that?"
I could understand the Saintess and Esthea.
But that elf was the president here.
Where in the world does a CEO hold a protest rally in front of their own business?
"Because she's an elf."
"Ha."
I figured I'd never understand elf logic in my lifetime.
The secretary tacked on something about clearly distinguishing right from wrong, droning on in that bizarre way that sounded like elven Juche ideology.
I pretended not to hear and let out a sigh.
You have to know what you can do and what you can't.
"Well, with the president like that, manuscript review's off the table. Please take care of it."
The secretary adjusted her glasses and took the manuscript I handed over.
There was a grim determination on her face.
As if she were the last helmsman on a ship whose captain had already abandoned it.
I doubted those furious citizens would leave the Novelpia headquarters unscathed. Judging by the mood, no way.
So the best move was to jump ship before it sank—
"Oh, did you call in the Buster Call or something?"
Historie, who'd been staring out the window the whole time, let out an exclamation and muttered nonsense.
"What the hell are you talking about, Tin Can?"
I sidled up next to her and looked outside.
From the distance, a horde of soldiers in flashy, glittering armor came charging in.
And at the same time.
"Whoa."
"Amazing, Kim Yul. It's leaving afterimages."
Roselin, spotting the Royal Guard,
slipped away backward in an instant, leaving a trail like she'd used Sandevistan.
Her skirt fluttered slightly from the sheer speed.
"White..."
I caught a glimpse of the pure, saintly coloring befitting her.
An elbow jabbed into my side along with a pathetic glare, but it didn't faze me.
Eros reveals itself in the everyday.
Sacred. So sacred.
Lost in those thoughts as I blankly watched the remaining protesters,
"Ah."
"Gasp."
Historie and I freaked out in unison.
Esthea growled at the Royal Guard trying to stop the protest, baring her teeth, and then horns started sprouting from her head with a pop.
I could smell the crime of obstructing official duties.
"Tin Can, run."
"I'll catch her."
I hurriedly deployed Historie, who these days was practically Esthea's full-time nanny, as an emergency fire suppression team.
Letting her cause an incident would give me nightmares.
Soon enough,
Historie dashed out the front gate, slipped past the Royal Guard's protection, and scooped up Esthea in a flash.
She whispered something into the half-horned Esthea's ear, chirping away.
Like chanting a victory spell.
Esthea's horns receded smoothly, and she obediently trotted back toward headquarters like a well-behaved puppy.
Roselin out.
Esthea out.
And the last one standing.
Our president, Lady Chloe, looked increasingly sullen and vengeful now that her comrades had bailed.
It seemed the other protesters hadn't dared approach the fountain area due to Esthea and the Saintess's intimidating auras.
The stragglers from behind crept forward.
Suddenly, Chloe ended up looking like the protest leader.
Why the awkward passive phrasing? Because...
"Secretary."
"Yes."
"The president's about to get arrested."
"...?"
Great power comes with great responsibility.
Our President Chloe suddenly became the ringleader and got handcuffed by the Royal Guard.
Thinking I was joking, the secretary peeked out,
"Argh, that idiot."
She bolted out, swapping places with Esthea in Historie's arms.
"Woof!"
The opaque Esthea howled in protest.
Even seeing Esthea looking ready to wrap her tail around him any second, Kim Yul remained unfazed.
He had already mastered the art of catering to the whims of the great Gold Dragon through countless encounters.
The Kim Yul secret technique.
"Final chapter."
"Hand it over!"
Manuscript feeding hit Esthea right in the mouth, mewling perfectly.
"Indeed, Kongming is dead. We must seize this chance and pursue to annihilate the Shu forces!"
Sima Yi himself led the vanguard in chasing the Shu army.
....
....
The fleeing Shu army sounded pipes and gongs.
A flag reading "Prime Minister, Marquis Wuzhang, Zhuge Liang" fluttered vigorously in the wind.
"Hmph, what trick is this now...?"
Sima Yi scoffed, but his expression gradually filled with horror.
On a distant cart,
there was Zhuge Liang, holding his white feather fan as usual, wearing his silk turban.
His piercing gaze stabbed through Sima Yi's soul.
"I-Impossibly, Zhuge Liang lives! It's a trap! Kongming's trap!"
At that moment, Sima Yi immediately retreated.
Xiahou Ba, who had followed the frantically fleeing Sima Yi,
"We've retreated far enough. Calm down."
tried to soothe him, though Sima Yi's heart still pounded.
"Is... is my head still properly attached?"
Even then,
Sima Yi couldn't forget the piercing gaze Zhuge Liang had shot from the cart.
....
....
: : So this is the end. : :
Having scattered his remaining soul into the final stratagem prepared by Jiang Wei, Zhuge Liang let out a deep, profound sigh.
He had been the Coiled Dragon groveling on the ground until now.
But now, having cast off all regrets, he took on the duty of the Soaring Dragon overlooking the world.
: : Even in death, no rest for me. : :
Zhuge Liang sighed,
yet took in the myriad sights of the world at a glance.
And in that moment.
"You've done well, Kongming."
A voice he could never forget in his dreams, accompanied by a sturdy hand on his shoulder.
Turning with trembling eyes,
his lord stood there with the same proud smile from their first meeting in the thatched hut at Xinye.
And behind him,
the heroes who had dominated an era smiled gently,
as if waiting just for him.
Blink and look to the heavens: the lofty firmament.
Bow your head to the earth: the vast realm unfolds.
The realm divides after long unity,
and unites after long division.
In that cycle,
men perish,
but heroes live eternal.
Thus, this tale transcends two heroes,
interweaving countless more who etched their convictions upon the land.
And so,
later generations called it
the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
(Thank you for reading up to this point.)
The moment Historie saw the rough draft, she landed a critical hit: "This is a rush ending, isn't it?"
Kim Yul countered with "The Eight Princes arc next?"—it was an ending straight out of a shipped Japanese manga.
"Yay! As expected, Zhuge Liang was kin to the great Gold Dragon!"
Esthea purred in satisfaction.
At her reaction,
Kim Yul exchanged glances with Historie.
'Puppy brain, right?'
'Total puppy brain.'
It was an impudent thought that might have made him feel guilty if Esthea read minds.
Esthea once had the picky palate of a cat, nibbling only at gourmet food.
But over long years and countless stories,
What?! Another hiatus?!
Nooo! A break here?!
her patience threshold had bottomed out.
Esthea thought:
A forced ending beats an indefinite hiatus!
If I hate it, I can just track down the author and beat them up!
If Kim Yul could read her mind, it'd be nightmare fuel—every night strangled by a tail.
.
.
.
Grinning with satisfaction,
"When do the side stories start? Tomorrow? I'm looking forward to Jiang Wei! As Zhuge Liang's disciple, he'll surely lead Shu to victory!"
She left a remark worthy of a dragon without human empathy,
twirling the white feather fan and pulling Historie by the hand as she sauntered out.
Kim Yul breathed a sigh of relief at the ending hovering near 4 on the dice of fate.
Life always regresses to the mean, though.
"Hmph, to think this lady suffers such humiliation—unforgivable...!"
Chloe returned to the president's office at last, grinding her teeth after the secretary's pleas and leveraging her father's status for release.
And after reading Kim Yul's manuscript,
"What the elf...!"
Chloe rolled her eyes back, grabbed Kim Yul's collar, and shook him wildly.
Soon, the Saintess lurking on the street would pounce too.
Kim Yul's day of endless ordeals had only just begun.
Public opinion on the ending of Two Heroes was split down the middle.
Not everyone thought like Esthea.
"Wouldn't it have been better to delve deeper into the tragedy? It feels too half-baked..."
"So what happened to Shu?! Did Jiang Wei win?!"
Those unable to hide their disappointment at the abrupt conclusion.
"With Liu Bei and now Zhuge Liang dead, the driving force of the story is gone. Isn't it more like he bowed out on a high note?"
"The ascension and reunion with Liu Bei at the end wasn't bad..."
Those giving positive marks for putting a period on the characters' lives, even if the war saga continued.
"19th round never finished...! The author needs to write 10 episodes on the Yu Xian production era...!"
"Better than that were Lady Sun’s sticky, love-hate nights."
"No, Cao Cao's married women saga for sure..."
Those just wanting smut.
But there was one point everyone agreed on.
"Still, it was really fun!"
"Crafting a near-ensemble drama with such nuanced characters and empathy for their stories is no easy feat. Excited to see how Ulysses grows."
"A heart-stirring heroic tale I haven't felt in ages..."
Debates raged in salons all night over plot and characters—pure fun was undeniable.
And,
an official ad dropped for the compiled Two Heroes,
soon to be published as One Volume Romance of the Three Kingdoms with its original name restored.
People buzzed with anticipation despite regrets over the world-building's end,
awaiting Yi Palace Dispute,
the leveling of Dong Ae, and the Gaoping Mausoleum Incident.
.
.
.
Around that time.
"Time to head out."
"Why pack the laptop? Why not rest a bit while you're at it?"
"Gotta prep the next work. Still a mountain of stories to tell."
Kim Yul, who had asked Eisen for a trip to the port city Alveris earlier, packed his laptop securely in his travel bag and prepared to depart.