A Night of Jubilation
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Welcome back, seniors!”
As we reached the Imperial Capital, the familiar faces waiting for us were none other than those who had already returned ahead of schedule.
The bickering between the two of them continued as before, yet their reactions toward each other were no longer as sharp as they had been in the past.
“Perhaps it was the bond of old grudges,” Teraden had predicted. While they had been together for the mission, their interactions had grown a little warmer, though only marginally.
“It’s good that everyone came back safely. No trouble during the request, right?”
“Um… yeah.”
“...”
Blanser scratched his head with a sheepish expression, hesitating.
“Was there a problem during the request?”
“I’m truly ashamed, Lord Haru. Actually, the issue had already been resolved before we even arrived, so we came back empty-handed.”
Teraden’s prediction had been spot-on about the mission’s failure.
“We’ll figure out our registration fees before the first stage of the Danju Selection ends. I’ll make sure we manage it somehow.”
“No need to worry about that. The compensation we received from this request is substantial enough that we can cover your share as well. More importantly, have the results of the document screening for the Danju Selection been announced?”
“Yes, they were released a while ago. All of us passed the document screening. And the first stage, the in-person interview, is in three days.”
“Hm, good. Three days.”
If the Danju Selection began the day after tomorrow, and since the venue wasn’t far from here, we could simply take it easy here until the day before and depart in the morning.
Although the difficulty of this request hadn’t left us drained of energy, it was wise to conserve as much strength as possible in preparation for what lay ahead with the Danju Selection.
“If it’s not too much trouble… would you have time for us in two days?”
That evening, after returning to the National Academy, the senior warrior Tantro secretly approached me to ask.
“Two days…?”
“What’s going on all of a sudden?”
“It’s not that. We’re preparing a small celebration to mark the one-year anniversary of Lord Jubern’s service as a Pillar. Lord Lan said he would be happy to attend, so I was hoping you’d be there to brighten the occasion.”
“A celebration for Lord Jubern. Of course I’ll attend. Actually, I’m grateful you gave us the chance to celebrate him.”
“Please, it’s us who should be grateful. Well, I’ll be going now then.”
“I understand. I’ll see you in two days.”
Tantro vanished back into the darkness after obtaining my confirmation, perhaps wary of being overheard by Jubern.
Two days later.
As evening approached while we were enjoying our rest, Tantro sent one warrior to guide us.
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Congratulations on Lord Jubern’s one-year anniversary of service!
Guided by him, we arrived at the banquet hall, greeted by a huge banner hung prominently on the raised platform.
And the warriors bustling about, each drenched in sweat despite the busy atmosphere.
“Tantro-nim.”
“Oh, you’re here.”
Tantro, who had been focused on directing the warriors, didn’t notice our approach until we were right beside him.
“You seem busy. Do you have any tasks we can help with?”
“How could I let the invited guests do any work? That wouldn’t be proper etiquette. Please feel free to sit and wait.”
“It’s not that difficult. We’d be glad to help.”
“No, if others find out they’ll laugh at me. Since everything is almost ready anyway, please bear with me just a little longer.”
“Oh, all right…”
Since Tantro was so adamant, we had no choice but to sit and wait.
After about an hour, all preparations complete, Lan, Wolhyang, and Jubern arrived, and the banquet officially began.
Jubern, the star of the day, blushed as he received everyone’s congratulations, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.
“Lord Jubern, may I serve you a drink?”
Tantro solemnly held up the wine jug.
“Hehe, thank you. It reminds me of our first meeting, and all the things you said to me back then.”
Jubern seemed lost in thought as he recalled that day’s memories, staring into the distant void.
I also remember our first encounter. It was when we left the village we originally lived in and arrived in Seo-Wangdo.
In my memory, there was no way to describe the worst first meeting beyond the word “catastrophe.”
‘What in the world were they doing? Not even a single bell from the temple rang while we were approaching them. Were they even sleeping?’
Tantro, who was on night guard at the city gate, had erupted at the mistake of his colleague, Jubern, shouting that he’d “eat them alive.”
Later it turned out to be the colleague’s error, but at the time Tantro had no idea.
“U-um… Lord Jubern! That, that was…”
Jubern’s face turned pale as he recalled the memory, swallowing hard.
On the other hand, Jubern smiled faintly and took a sip of his drink.
“You called me heartless for asking if I’d slept through it. It was already a year ago. Time really flies, doesn’t it.”
Before Jubern’s words had even finished, the lively atmosphere of the banquet suddenly dropped like cold water had been poured in.
The warriors enjoying the feast all turned their heads toward Tantro at once.
And they hurled words at him one after another.
“Hey, senior, you’ve lost it!”
“This is going too far. How dare you say something like that to the Lord!”
“Go grab that guy and beat him senseless!!”
“Lord!! You committed a grave sin that day!! Forgive us!!”
Despite the cold, Tantro was sweating profusely and finally shouted.
“Haha, no, I was just kidding. I don’t think you’re still mad about that. Well, I must have gone too far. Enjoy the night, everyone.”
Jubern patted Tantro down to quiet the commotion.
Meanwhile, as I watched the scene with amusement, Lan and Wolhyang, who had come to congratulate Jubern earlier, approached us.
“It seems the request was resolved successfully. Good for you.”
“Ah, Lord Lan.”
“The Danju Selection is approaching, and I hope everyone is fully prepared for tomorrow.”
“Yes, we’ve done everything we can.”
“Well, I’d like to tell you a few things about tomorrow’s Danju Selection. Interested?”
“Of course we’re interested, but can you really tell us?”
“The first stage, the interview, and the final stage are already public knowledge, so other participants will know as much as this.”
“Then… please.”
The corner of Lan’s mouth, holding a sip of wine, curved softly.
“In the interview, each of the six Danjus with different backgrounds will personally evaluate you one-on-one.”
“Eh? Lord Lan, so does that mean we have to fight to win?”
Teraden, who had been eating, suddenly chimed in with sparkling eyes.
“No, we won’t set such crude conditions. Even though your growth is fast, you’re not yet ready to face the six Danjus. The other participants are in the same boat.”
“How strong are the six Danjus?”
Lan, setting down his glass, exhaled thoughtfully with a furrowed brow.
“Hmm, the average strength of the six Danjus is probably one or two ranks below Jubern. Even the five Danjus would struggle if they faced him.”
“Ah, really? Hearing that makes me want to fight one….”
“I recall there’s a hot-tempered one among the six Danjus. Teraden-nim might even meet him.”
“Huh? Please, I want to meet him!!”
Teraden hesitated before roaring.
“And among the six Danjus is my younger brother. He might even be the one evaluating Haru-nim.”
“Lord Lan’s… younger brother? You have siblings?”
“Yes. With his meticulous personality, Lord Haru will have a hard time being evaluated by him.”
“I see. Thank you for the information.”
“I hope for a good outcome.”
After speaking, Lan and Wolhyang left Jubern and the other warriors to join them leisurely.
“Eh…?”
Meanwhile, Maru, who had left for a moment and returned humming cheerfully, sat down and suddenly let out a weak sound.
“What’s wrong, Maru?”
Teraden tilted his head curiously when Maru’s body stiffened.
“Um, the chocolate Maru left behind for last is gone.”
“Really? You were saving it for last and it disappeared. Where did the chocolate here go…!”
Teraden scanned the area as he spoke, his gaze locking onto Blanser.
“It’s me.”
“You haven’t said a word yet. How do you know it’s you? And what’s that dark stuff around your mouth?”
Blanser flinched at Teraden’s words, quickly wiping his mouth to avoid his gaze.
“Huh?! Wait, it is me.”
Sniff.
Teraden approached Blanser’s nose, sniffing like an animal and pointing at his own.
“Hey, smell mine. Hah. Wait, no need.”
Teraden’s eyes, after catching the scent, turned fierce, and he began raining down blows.
“The smell is all over your mouth—where did the chocolate go?!”
Slap! Slap!
“Ouch! It hurts! Bro, all the chocolate is gone…!”
“Then just eat something else, or wait for them to refill. Why did you steal it from Maru? And lying on top of that? You wanna die?!”
“No, Maru’s fine…”
“F-fix it! We’ll replace it right away!”
A few warriors rushed over to Maru and pulled Teraden away.
“What? No, no. No need to go through all this trouble. Hey, you. Fill it in.”
“Ah, yes…”
Blanser, shoulders drooping under Teraden’s threat, shuffled out of the hall to get more chocolate.
* * *
While Haru’s party was enjoying the banquet, in Dongwangdo.
“Well, have you organized your thoughts?”
The king asked Ampon, sitting across from him.
“Hmm, not yet?”
“What’s the problem?”
The king’s irritated tone at Ampon’s lukewarm response showed in his expression.
“Killing those Ahrirang tribe members while bypassing the Seven Pillars’ protection. That’s no small feat, is it?”
“Didn’t I tell you I’d gather useful people? It worked out. Let me introduce you to them. Come in.”
Creak. Thud!
Before the king’s words ended, the door swung open with a loud bang.
And several figures, whose identities were hard to guess, entered without hesitation.
“Well? Are these the ones who will help you? Is this enough?”
“...!”
Ampon scanned the people the king had summoned, his eyes slowly lighting up.