Chapter 14 - The Princess (1)
The Princess (1)
Translator : Elizabeth
After the Emperor left, an awkward silence flowed.
Calling the Emperor 'Royal Father'.
Then, this girl politely clasping her hands next to me right now must be the Princess.
Why did we end up alone in the first place?
Of course, initially, there were two guard warriors by the Princess's side.
'Everyone may return.'
However, for some reason, the Princess dismissed them.
Just how are things turning out?
Honestly, there was no need to be scared. I just need to receive a sword and a few sacks of rice and leave, right?
"Did you say your name was Mumyeong?"
"Yes."
"Then follow me. I will guide you to the Cheon-byeong-gak (Heavenly Weapon Pavilion)."
The Princess started walking one step ahead of me.
I followed her for now.
Hmm, but this is really awkward. I'm not usually a guy who gets nervous in front of women like this, but just because she's a Princess, my body naturally stiffened.
"I heard from Royal Father. That your martial arts are exceptionally outstanding."
"If you just live by the sword, it naturally turns out like this."
"I see."
The Princess nodded faintly and continued walking.
"The weather seems nice today."
"Yes."
The Princess's steps slowed down a little.
I kept following for now.
"The air seems good too."
"Yes."
"..."
Feels like the conversation isn't clicking.
Is she also reluctant about this awkward air?
"Ah, that. Um."
"You don't need to force yourself to talk."
Really, I wish she'd just shut up and walk.
Ah, but since she's a Princess in name, maybe that was too blunt.
Turns out she might be a tsundere character who flares up saying, 'Haa?! How dare you!'
"...Yep."
However, she nodded surprisingly obediently.
Like father, like daughter?
A long silence followed for a while.
But suddenly, the Princess stopped.
"Mumyeong, my legs hurt."
What? Out of the blue?
"It's my first time climbing such rugged terrain."
"Ah, yes. Just endure a bit more. Seems we're almost there."
"..."
The Princess hung her head low.
Is it that painful?
"Do you want a piggyback ride?"
"...N—No! Being held by a grown man is a bit!"
"Not being held, I said I'd give you a piggyback ride."
"...Ah, uh."
Spin, spin—The Princess's pupils were darting around rapidly.
Soon she shook her head quickly.
"I—I'm fine. As Mumyeong said, it seems we'll arrive soon."
"Ah, yes."
The Princess's shoulders slumped.
What, is she emotionally unstable?
Anyway, we arrived at the Golden Dragon Palace and passed through the castle gate.
The treasury called Cheon-byeong-gak was located in a subtly isolated position even within the palace.
Only after passing numerous pavilions and going deep inside did the Princess stop.
"This is the Cheon-byeong-gak."
Cheon-byeong-gak (Heavenly Weapon Pavilion).
The calligraphy hung on the main gate is rough and sharp.
All the other pavilions were plated with brilliant gold, but this place was black as if painted with ink.
Two gatekeepers stood in front of the door.
The gatekeepers were also wearing slightly strange outfits.
Unlike ordinary gatekeepers, they wore black dobok (martial arts uniforms) instead of armor.
More than that, the long sabers they wore on their backs bothered me. Wow, look at that sheen? I want to swing one once.
Soon one gatekeeper approached.
"We greet Her Highness the Princess. Have you been well?"
"Yes."
"I apologize, but did you receive the letter Lord Yang-baek sent the other day?"
"I disposed of them all. Tell him. That I have nothing more to say to you."
"...Understood. Please enter."
But the Princess's expression while talking to him frowned subtly.
Letter?
Well, it's not something to worry about.
I rubbed my hands together as I passed the gatekeeper.
Now, finally time to get the reward.
Martial artists don't rely that much on gear (item-bbal), but that doesn't mean it's not important.
Moreover, look at the sword I have. This is a cheap sword I barely got by haggling in the marketplace. Literally trash.
In other words, a situation where I can't help but be excited.
Entering the Cheon-byeong-gak, the excitement grew even bigger.
Why is it so big? The width of the hallway is enough for 10 people to walk in a line.
Passing the hallway like that, a huge door blocked us again.
It was a giant iron gate.
"Royal Father said to take one of whatever you desire."
One? Stingy. He said he'd give a few swords.
As I pouted my lips, the Princess glanced at me.
"...The armaments in this Cheon-byeong-gak are so precious that just being bestowed one is a lifelong honor for a martial artist. Usually, there isn't even a situation where such a choice is given. So, please do not be too disappointed. Originally, precious armaments are not only here. I heard he would naturally pack other armaments for you too."
"Ah, well. It's not like that."
My disappointment must have been too obvious.
"Then, Mumyeong. Have a safe trip."
Soon the Princess turned her back.
"Aren't you going in together?"
"Beyond this point is permitted only to martial artists, so this girl cannot enter. I will wait outside, so take your time looking around."
The Princess bowed her head quietly and disappeared.
It was awkward anyway, so this worked out well.
I opened the iron gate.
Creeak—The thick door moved slowly.
A circular space. Along its circumference, layers of corridors go up in stacks.
Each floor was full of shiny weapons stuck in place, and meeting the lanterns lighting the room, they shone even more brilliantly.
"Wow, shit."
It's a real spectacle.
There seem to be hundreds of extraordinary weapons.
I couldn't hold back anymore and leaped greatly.
Thanks to planting internal energy in my feet, my body could ascend the floors in an instant.
There was a small nameplate in front of each weapon.
Cheong-roe-geom (Blue Thunder Sword). Wield blue lightning.
Heuk-rin-do (Black Scale Saber). Feed on blood to achieve great deeds.
Baek-ya (White Night). Shine light in the dark curtain.
They all have fucking cool names one by one.
It's not just the names that are grandiose.
I can tell at a glance. The material and sharpness of the sword. These weapons were truly worthy of being called treasures.
Shall I try swinging one?
First, I grabbed the handle of the sword written as Cheong-roe-geom.
Then, Crackle—!
My Danjeon fluctuated.
My body instantly heated up, and the Qi in my blood vessels began to scatter.
In an instant, a vast wilderness unfolded before my eyes.
Black clouds rose, and blue lightning pierced the earth.
"No, fuck."
I withdrew my hand.
Then, the scene I just saw disappeared like a lie.
Heat remained in my hand.
I stood for a long time with blank eyes, then tried grabbing the Heuk-rin-do this time.
Black smoke rose around the saber.
It is dark everywhere.
Perfect Black (Heuk). A world of black with no smell, vision, touch, absolutely nothing.
I faced it there. An eye floating in the void.
The eye was shedding blood. That blood pooled, overlaying red in the world of perfect black.
[Seize Bon-jwa (Me/This Seat).]
"What the?"
I let go of the handle again.
What is this horror movie-like direction?
This time I grabbed the bow called Baek-ya, but nothing happened.
It's the same for other weapons. Nothing like the space suddenly changing happened like with Cheong-roe-geom or Heuk-rin-do.
Eventually, I knew only after touching all the weapons.
Only three weapons among these show me strange scenery.
And, unique Qi flows from each of these weapons.
"Hmm."
I laid the three weapons in front of me and sat down to ponder for a while.
Is it like an Ego Sword in fantasy terms, or a Sword Spirit (Geom-ryeong) in Wuxia terms?
You know, there are sometimes weapons with wills imbued in them.
No, but they said this is a Romance Fantasy world. Why are there things like this?
Putting that aside for now, I had to choose one of these three.
Honestly, I want all three...
However, two of them aren't swords. One is a spear, one is a saber.
Ultimately, the only choice is the Cheong-roe-geom.
Good, decided.
I gripped the Cheong-roe-geom.
Numerous sceneries came and went.
Lightning swirled, rain fell, and the ground cracked.
However, as time passed, this also calmed down.
I tried resting the sword on my shoulder once.
"Heavier than I thought."
And, I swung it.
Swish!
A sharp cutting sound hit my eardrums.
A thrilling sensation made my whole body shiver.
"This is insane, really."
It was a bigger harvest than I thought. To think I would possess a weapon born with Qi.
Humming comes out naturally.
I wore the Cheong-roe-geom at my waist and went outside.
Loyalty that hadn't existed for the Emperor wells up. Seriously, giving something this precious? Just how much is this person giving away?
Humming like that and fiddling with the hilt of the Cheong-roe-geom for no reason, I heard someone quarreling.
"Your Highness the Princess, I am a bit disappointed. Would it hurt to give me a message?"
"...I told you several times that I have nothing more to discuss with you."
"Keeping such fidelity is good, but couldn't you have replied at least once?"
"..."
"Well, it doesn't matter anyway. Since the heavens let us meet again. Ah, right. Let's share some tea while we're at it. My subordinate just happened to get some good tea leaves."
What the hell is that greasy-looking guy?
His eyebrows are curled round, and his lips are red with something smeared on them. And his skin is white, fuck, looking like a total gay (NOTE: Used as a derogatory term in context of the character's appearance).
Can you call that a man looking like that?
The guy grabbed the Princess's wrist.
"...L—Let go. If you do not let go right now—"
"—Your Highness. There are no listening ears here. So what on earth can Your Highness do? Ah, anyway, since everyone in the palace doesn't care about Your Highness, it doesn't matter even if there are listening ears, right?"
"...That is."
"Now, don't be like that and let's go. I have very many stories I want to share with Your Highness."
"..."
The Princess hung her head low.
Eventually, she moves her steps by the guy's hand.
The atmosphere is definitely not a lovers' quarrel.
I took a step.
"Ah, I should have done this from the start. I was too... Who are you?"
Soon I grabbed the guy's wrist.
His gaze became sharp.
The Princess looked at me and opened her eyes wide.
Hmm.
"A guard?"
I improvised for now.