The Weight of the Crown
The city of Luoyang was bisected by the Luo River. Before the Murim Alliance established its headquarters there, however, the name Luoyang referred only to the northern bank. It had been little more than a modest county seat, with its ferry dock standing apart from the main settlement. Now, both the new Luoyang south of the river—rebuilt and expanded by the Murim Alliance—and the old Luoyang to the north had grown into thriving metropolises.
Among the most prominent landmarks on the northern side was the Prince Yi’s Mansion, granted to the royal family as a fief by the imperial court. The previous Prince Yi had struck a pact of coexistence with the Murim Alliance. He had drawn tax revenue from the flourishing southern districts to fund the redevelopment of the older northern quarter, achieving remarkable success. Yet for all his political talent, he had been utterly hopeless at producing heirs. Dying without a son, the title passed to his younger brother.
That brother was Ju Si-yeol, who had been enfeoffed as the fourth Prince Yi just three years earlier. His grandfather, the second Prince Yi, had been incompetent and tyrannical. His older brother, the third Prince Yi, had been wise and capable. Now Ju Si-yeol bore the weight of the crown with considerable pressure. Today, however, his face was bright with uncharacteristic joy.
He had even come out to the main gate of the mansion and was pacing restlessly. The moment he sensed people approaching from beyond the gate, his smile widened and he called out loudly.
Forgetting all decorum befitting a feudal prince, Ju Si-yeol urged the servants to open the gates at once. As the doors swung wide, he saw the visitors who had been clearing their throats, preparing to announce their arrival.
It was Ju I-hyang, who had fled the capital after unilaterally declaring her departure from the imperial family, and the poor young Yang Se-rim, whom she had half-dragged along by force.
"Uncle!"
The instant Ju I-hyang saw Ju Si-yeol waiting to greet her, her face lit up and she ran straight to him.
"How long has it been!"
"Since I became Prince Yi, so… about three years now."
"Ugh… already? But Uncle, why do you look so thin? Doesn’t the mansion serve proper meals? Aren’t you training in martial arts? You used to be so excited about going to the Martial Fragrance District."
Ju Si-yeol gave a bittersweet smile as he recalled himself from three years ago. Yes, there had been such a time. Back then he had been a carefree royal who didn’t yet understand the true burden of the crown. He had simply devoted himself to the martial arts he loved. He had even thought it would be easy to lose himself in martial pursuits once he reached Luoyang, the so-called Martial Fragrance. How had things turned out like this?
"Being a prince is no easy task."
A member of the imperial family without a princely title was nothing more than a wealthy idler. He could not take an official post, and his only hobby was martial training. It was that shared passion for martial arts that had first brought Ju I-hyang and Ju Si-yeol close. Moreover, at twenty-four years old, Ju Si-yeol was not so much older than her that the gap felt distant. Despite their respective titles as Prince Yi and Princess Gasang, the two addressed each other warmly as “Uncle” and “I-hyang,” like close family. Though they were technically ninth cousins once removed, they were closer than most third cousins.
Even though Ju I-hyang was the fearless youngest sister of the Emperor, she had not fled the capital completely unprepared. The Prince Yi who ruled Luoyang—Ju Si-yeol himself—was the very pillar of support that had allowed her to run straight from Beijing to Luoyang.
"Anyway, let’s continue our reunion inside."
"Yes, Uncle!"
After finishing his first greeting with Ju I-hyang, Ju Si-yeol turned his attention to Yang Se-rim standing behind her.
"Se-rim, you’ve come as well. Is the Divine Spear in good health?"
Despite his status as a prince, Ju Si-yeol addressed Yang Se-rim’s father with the respectful title of “Divine Spear.” It was a habit that revealed he still felt more comfortable as a martial artist than as royalty.
"Y-yes, Your Highness. He is well. He is currently in Beijing."
"I see… With the Marquis of Gangyong gone, the Divine Spear must remain to guard the capital. Ah, I’ve gone on too long again. It seems the only thing that has improved since becoming Prince Yi is my tendency to ramble."
With a self-deprecating sigh, Ju Si-yeol led Ju I-hyang and Yang Se-rim toward the inner palace. For ordinary guests he might have hesitated, but since she was the Emperor’s youngest sister and the royal he was closest to, he intended to give her rooms in the inner quarters.
"Ah, and after receiving your letter, I sent my own messenger to Beijing. No matter what, you should have at least informed them properly. The Grand Madam of the East Sea seems quite worried."
"Ugh… When I go back, Grandmother might beat me to death."
When Ju I-hyang shrank her neck like a frightened turtle and let out a groan, Ju Si-yeol burst into cheerful laughter.
"…That’s why I said you should have gone back when I told you…"
"Hmm? Who was the one who was so excited earlier, saying how amazing the Martial Fragrance District is~?"
"Did something happen on the way here?"
"Ah, I got lost and got separated from Se-rim. She found me with the help of a martial artist. She said she followed my aura. Isn’t that at least at the level of a division leader in the Eight Guardians?"
"Hm… Even division leaders would find that difficult. Perhaps if it were the Wind Chaser Division Leader who specializes in detection… but the Wind Chaser Division isn’t in Luoyang right now. By the way, the main tournament of the martial assembly begins in a few days. Since you said you were coming, I specially reserved seats for you."
"Ehh~ You didn’t have to do that. Uncle, Se-rim and I can just watch like normal people."
"This uncle of yours will be lonely watching by himself. Won’t you keep me company?"
"Well… if you put it that way, I suppose we have no choice."
The Prince Yi’s Mansion, which had been busy with the succession of the princely title and the new prince’s adjustment, was finally stretching its limbs outward after a long time.
In the annex of the Changmu Guesthouse, where the entire group had gathered after Namgung Woo arrived last, they shared a slightly late dinner and chatted about the day’s results.
"No, but I really never dreamed that only the young lady would make it to the main tournament… I mean, that’s not saying the young lady’s skills are lacking or anything…."
"Stop pretending. When you first heard, you said it had to be a lie."
"Ehehe~ That was just filler! An exclamation!"
Yang Kvae protested, but no one believed him. After all, it was true that among them, Namgung Sol’s martial prowess was the lowest.
"Still, Geumsin getting eliminated is honestly a bit shocking."
Even Namgung Woo said so; Geumsin’s elimination in the preliminaries had been completely unexpected. Within the Changcheon Squad, Geumsin’s strength came right after Namgung Woo’s. The gap between them was enormous, but he was still effectively the second strongest. With Geumsin out, their plan of having multiple squad members advance to the main stage and raise the Changcheon Squad’s fame had essentially collapsed.
"Is it really not the Holy Half-Body Nun? Among the young female experts who could defeat Monk Geumsin, I can’t think of anyone else. She even wears a face veil like her…."
"It’s not her. I have met the Holy Half-Body Nun before."
"You’ve met the Holy Half-Body Nun? Well… she is from the Emei Sect, so it makes sense that you would have some acquaintance."
Mount Emei, where the Emei Sect was located, was counted among the Four Great Sacred Mountains of Buddhism alongside Mount Guhua, where Hwaseong Temple once stood. Just as the Five Great Sword Sects based on the Five Sacred Peaks of the Central Plains felt a certain kinship, the sects of the Four Sacred Mountains maintained various exchanges based on their shared Buddhist faith.
"It’s unfortunate for Brother Geumsin, but at least the young lady advanced. Isn’t that rather fortunate? Actually, it might be better this way since the young lady is more… um."
Yang Jeong trailed off and glanced toward Jegal Seon-a. There was no way a Peak Realm expert like Jegal Seon-a would miss that look. Without even needing her resonance ability, she could feel the invisible wall that stood between herself and the Changcheon Squad.
"Ugh…!"
Beneath the table where no one could see, Jegal Seon-a clenched both fists tightly. They had gone through the battlefield together, yet she was still excluded from the boundary they refused to let her cross. A strong sense of alienation washed over her.
"Ahem, a-anyway, what title do you think our dear younger sister will receive? Making it to the main tournament at twenty—since the title of Phoenix is already taken…."
Paeng Ha-ryeong quickly changed the subject upon noticing Jegal Seon-a’s reaction. As her close friend, she wanted to comfort her, but the secret of the Namgung Family that the Changcheon Squad shared could only be revealed by Namgung Woo himself. The best Paeng Ha-ryeong could do was steer the conversation away from that topic and prevent Jegal Seon-a from feeling ostracized.
The others noticed Paeng Ha-ryeong’s effort and immediately played along. A lively discussion about Namgung Sol’s future title unfolded, much like the naming debate they had once had for the Banyeongeom. However, there was one person who did not participate.
It was not Jegal Seon-a.
It was Namgung Woo.
"Squad Leader, you seem to have a lot on your mind. Did something happen? You also arrived quite late by yourself."
"Mm… well."
Myo-rin narrowed her eyes at Namgung Woo’s reaction. He had always shown concern for the future as the descendant of the Namgung Family, but right now his mind seemed to be elsewhere entirely.
Namgung Woo answered Myo-rin’s question through a transmission.
Even after securing Myo-rin’s cooperation, an uneasy feeling refused to leave Namgung Woo. The timing was far too coincidental. The martial assembly was underway in Luoyang, and now someone with an aura similar to Lee Ja-ryong had appeared. In this situation, what role was destiny preparing for him?
I’ll have to find that out starting now.
But the current of events aimed itself at him far faster than Namgung Woo had anticipated.
The next day, Deung Jong-yu arrived with the Jinroe Squad to find him.