Chapter 254
Chapter 254
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 254
Chapter Title: Brother-in-Law's Rescue (5)
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“……”
This prison should be holding at least fifty people. But there was no one inside.
‘What in the world happened?’
Something was clearly, deeply wrong, but I had no time to figure out the situation.
It was almost time for Yi Mu-cheong to leave his office.
If I wasn't back in time, I would surely arouse suspicion.
‘Damn it.’
As I quickly exited, the military officer I had seen earlier approached and offered a fist-and-palm salute.
No matter how rushed I was, acting hastily could raise suspicion. I, too, bowed my head and returned the salute.
“Have you finished your business?”
“Thank you for allowing me to check. If the opportunity arises, I will mention your consideration to the Left Area Commander.”
At the words ‘Left Area Commander,’ the officer’s face lit up.
“Haha, not at all. Isn’t this all for the sake of public duty? I’m not sure if you’ve familiarized yourself enough with the layout.”
“Thanks to you, I’ve managed to get a rough idea. However, I regret not being able to examine it more closely due to time constraints. Such matters, as you know, become more perfect the more one worries over them.”
“This escort is much more cautious than the others. Hmm… I understand. I’ll be on duty here the day after tomorrow, so if you come then, I will guide you myself.”
“Oh! If you would do that, I would be grateful, but I worry about imposing on someone so busy.”
“It’s no trouble, so please don’t refuse. If it truly bothers you, just bring a good bottle of wine.”
“Is that so? Hahaha.”
As we exchanged these pointless pleasantries, I thought to myself.
‘What a chatterbox…’
* * *
A short while later.
I hurried back to find the escort team gathered at the main gate of the Area Command.
They all looked at me as if to ask where I’d been, but I lightly ignored them and sent a mental message about what I had just discovered.
A twitch.
The two who heard the news furrowed their brows slightly.
With so many eyes on us, they didn't show a big reaction, but they must have been greatly alarmed.
[…In that case, what do you plan to do?]
[He must be somewhere within the capital police headquarters, so we have to find him somehow.]
[Hmm… that won’t be easy.]
[Is there any other way?]
As we continued our discussion, I saw Yi Mu-cheong walking out.
“To the Imperial Palace.”
“Yes, sir.”
The Imperial Palace, of all places. And on the very first day. A sense of unease washed over me.
‘Nothing is going right.’
It went without saying, but as the Hall Master of the War Dragon Hall and the sole disciple of the Lord of Nine Dragons, I was quite the celebrity within the Nine Dragons Fortress.
Woo Je-jun and Sima Heun were also somewhat well-known.
The reason we could still walk around with our faces exposed was simple.
In a world without social media, let alone cameras, it was rare for one’s face to become widely known.
There were such things as wanted posters, but how accurate could a drawing hastily sketched with a brush, not even a pencil, truly be?
However, there was one concerning possibility—the chance of running into someone who had actually seen me…
‘Well, it’s a distance of eight thousand li…’
I decided to put my faith in the absurdly vast world of this martial arts setting.
Besides, what other choice did I have?
To avoid suspicion, I had to follow.
Steeling myself, I followed behind Yi Mu-cheong.
“Hm? Why are you grimacing like that? You look like you’re in pain…”
“Quiet. Don’t embarrass me, you punk…”
* * *
The Left Area Command, located right next to the buildings of the Six Ministries, was so close to the Imperial Palace that you could hit it with a stone.
However, the palace itself was so immense that even after passing through the entrance and walking for a good while, we still hadn’t reached the Grand Hall where the emperor resided.
We couldn't run, either. This was the Imperial Palace, the emperor’s home.
I walked with the Left Area Commander’s procession, surveying our surroundings.
I was hoping to find any trace of the missing people.
Naturally, traces aren’t just left on objects.
The palace maids carrying food, the military officers changing shifts, the eunuchs scurrying through the palace—they could all be traces of a sort.
‘Where are those officers heading?’
‘Where are the eunuchs going?’
As I restlessly scanned the area, we arrived at the Grand Hall.
I was disappointed that I hadn't found anything definite yet.
A high-ranking eunuch emerged from the Grand Hall and greeted Yi Mu-cheong.
“Ohoho, Left Area Commander.”
“It’s been a while, Grand Eunuch Yang.”
“Ohoho, how long has it been? You should visit more often. I’m about to forget your face.”
“Hahaha, it was precisely because I missed your face, Grand Eunuch Yang, that I came to visit.”
“Ohoho, I’m so glad you haven’t forgotten me.”
“Since we’ve met like this, how about a drink after you leave the office?”
“Ohoho, is that so? Please, come inside. His Majesty the Emperor must be waiting.”
“Oh my, I cannot possibly keep His Majesty waiting. Let’s go in.”
Yi Mu-cheong glanced back at us.
“Wait here.”
“Yes, sir.”
He and the ohoho-ing fellow walked into the Grand Hall.
Meanwhile, watching them, I couldn't help but feel a surge of frustration.
‘Seriously.’
He expected us to stand still in a place with no shade?
And here I was, needing to find a trace of Myo San as quickly as possible.
‘This damned martial world, one of these days I’m going to have to turn it upside down…’
As I was lamenting the poor labor rights in the martial world, I saw another procession approaching the Grand Hall from a distance.
“The Right Area Commander…!”
From the murmurs of the original escort members, I gathered that this was likely Yi Mu-cheong’s rival, Right Area Commander Jo San-myeong.
And the moment I saw his face as he climbed the stairs, I was utterly shocked.
‘No way…?’
The scar etched across his face, his sharp gaze—his face reminded me of a wolf that latches onto its prey’s weakness, its neck, and never lets go.
That’s right.
The face of the approaching Right Area Commander, Jo San-myeong, was the very picture of a traitor.
‘He’s definitely the culprit.’
This man, who looked like the leader of some vile unorthodox faction, had to be the key figure in this fabricated incident.
There was no other explanation. How else could Myo San, who had harbored the goal of passing the civil service exam and setting the empire right since childhood, have become involved in a rebellion?
*Clack.*
The military officer accompanying Yi Mu-cheong knelt before him and offered a fist-and-palm salute.
Even if their superiors were different, the military was still the military, so it was only natural to show respect to the Right Area Commander, who was of a four-star general’s rank.
“Has the Left Area Commander gone inside?”
“Yes, Commander.”
“I see.”
He turned around and headed into the Grand Hall.
His retinue of several dozen, including his escorts, entered an indefinite standby, just like us.
As I observed them with a sense of camaraderie, I spotted a familiar face.
‘That guy?’
The young man who had reprimanded the officer trying to take Whitey was standing at the very back of Jo San-myeong’s procession.
When our eyes met, I once again felt a lion-like presence from him.
He, too, seemed quite surprised to see me, his eyes widening.
And then.
[…What brings the Young Lord of the Nine Dragons Fortress here?]
He recognized my identity in an instant.
* * *
In a dark basement.
*Chatter, chatter.*
Myo San shivered, his teeth chattering.
It wasn't out of fear. He was a man who believed his life was a small price to pay if it meant setting the nation right.
But the encroaching cold inflicted cruel torment upon his body, which had never learned a single martial art.
*Rattle. Thud.*
The white puff of his breath scattered in the air.
Just then, several chunks of ice, each the size of a human torso, were pushed through the bars of his cell.
The guards had shoved them in to torment them.
“Damn it…”
Myo San swallowed the curses rising in his throat and forced himself to move.
If he stayed still, he felt he would freeze to death.
“Hey. San-cheong. Are you alright?”
Hearing his courtesy name called from the next cell, Myo San replied softly.
“I’m fine. Are you alright, Grand Scholar?”
“Am I not a half-martial artist who has learned the martial arts of the Bamboo Grove? I can endure far longer than you, so do not worry.”
“That is a relief.”
“Just hold on a little longer. He will come to rescue us.”
“……Yes.”
Though he answered in the affirmative, Myo San thought it was impossible.
The heads of the Six Ministries and the Left Area Commander had joined forces to kill the scholars of the Hallim Academy who spoke the truth.
Even His Majesty the Emperor couldn't intervene, so what could *he* possibly do? No, in fact, he shouldn't get involved.
The only reason those bastards were keeping the scholars of the Hallim Academy alive was to lure him in.
It was a despicable trap.
If he couldn't hold back and drew his sword, half the Imperial Guard in the capital and the fifty members of the Golden Shadow Guard would surely be mobilized under the pretext of him joining a rebellion.
It was a truly hopeless situation.
‘Ah…’
A sudden sense of futility washed over him, and Myo San’s mouth fell slack.
The pale wisp of breath escaping his lips seemed to reflect his own predicament.
‘This is the end…’
What was the point of all that hardship to pass the exam?
He was about to die without having accomplished a single thing.
“Hoo…”
Sighing, Myo San stared at a corner with a hardened gaze.
There lay a small stone knife he had made by grinding a rock.
It was crudely made and not properly sharpened, but if he plunged it into his neck with all his might, it would surely be enough to end a life.
“Ho Ye-rang, Un Hu-myeong, Lee Du-i, Bang Ji-san, Yuk Mu-han, Sang-gwan Hwang-yeong… and Yi Mu-cheong.”
The names of the corrupt officials ruining the country.
No, even calling them corrupt was too generous.
They were the culprits dragging down a nation trying to get back on its feet; it wouldn't be wrong to call them villains.
If not for them, the empire would have built its strength with the vast resources from Jiangxi and Zhejiang and begun preparations to reclaim the world.
“I’ll take at least one of them with me.”
Those bastards came once a day to persuade the scholars.
If he pretended to surrender, an opportunity might arise.
Having resolved to die, Myo San looked into the air with regretful eyes.
‘Sister.’
Now that he was about to die, he thought of Myo Hyang, his only blood relative.
‘Life ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. No matter how hard it gets, if you never give up, you can achieve your dream one day. Because you’re not a coward!’
‘No, where on earth did you hear such a profound saying…’
‘Young Master Jin, whom I’m in charge of, told me. Isn’t it so cool? He’s so young, but he’s more manly than most adults, you know? He’s just a kid now, but I’m already excited to see how handsome he’ll be when he grows up. And you should see how much he eats…’
‘……’
She was the sister who had told him never to give up, who had sacrificed her entire youth to support his studies.
He had even heard that she had been forced to work as an entertainer in a gisaeng house, playing the zither, to fund his education abroad.
If Jin Mujeon, whom she had known since his time at the Heaven-Ascending Pavilion, hadn't stepped in, his sister would have been trapped as a courtesan.
He had finally become an official through her sacrifices, yet he couldn't even provide her with a comfortable life.
What a truly empty and pointless life it had been.
As Myo San reflected on his life, he suddenly heard the sound of a door opening.
*Clang.*
‘They’re here.’
Myo San gripped the stone knife, his hand tightening.
And then.
“Found you.”
He came face to face with a figure from his past.
“Jin… Mujeon?”