Chapter 214
Chapter 214
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 214
Chapter Title: Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors
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After the martial exhibition ended, I said to Mangnyang,
"I have a ton of things to do, but I'm going to see Miho first."
Mangnyang nodded as if it went without saying.
"That would be best."
There was a mountain of work ahead. And once the White Lotus Cult's assault on the imperial palace began, we'd be run off our feet with no time to breathe. Before that, I needed to meet Miho and confirm the black obsidian situation.
Paat!
When I arrived at the imperial palace in Kyoto, I didn't find Miho—instead, there was the emperor, his eyes completely vacant. As the human under the strongest hold of Miho's enchantment, his reason seemed utterly nonfunctional. He sat there blankly, staring at the blue window. More precisely, he resembled a doll that barely reacted to external stimuli.
It was then, as I planned to leave him be and search for Miho.
"...She... is not here right now..."
Unexpectedly, the emperor spoke.
"......!!"
I turned to him in surprise, but the emperor still gazed at the sky with empty eyes. As I stared at him fixedly, light slowly returned to his eyes. After about ten blinks, his expression had fully normalized.
I said to him,
"Emperor?"
"...I no longer deserve that title... Heh heh..."
The emperor gave a bitter laugh. Inside, I was truly shocked.
'This guy still has his consciousness?'
The emperor of Dongyeong was the most crucial figure handling the authority Miho wielded on earth. Without bewitching him, Miho was just another grand yokai, which was why she always maintained her enchantment at full strength. Even I struggled against Miho's full-powered seduction; for an emperor who didn't seem to have trained in any special martial arts, retaining his reason was nearly impossible.
The emperor spoke. His mind now seemed perfectly clear.
"She went to check the black obsidian mines herself. She won't return until tomorrow."
"Do you know who I am?"
"Of course. You're the human she treasures most and loves. Baek Woong, right?"
"......"
What was going on here?
Even if the enchantment had somehow broken, how did he know about me? As I looked at him in bewilderment, the emperor said,
"I regained my sanity about a month ago. Until then, I was a puppet stripped of reason and controlled, but suddenly my mind cleared, and I regained control of my body. Of course, to keep the consort from noticing, I disguised it with a spell passed down through the imperial clan. That way, I could eavesdrop on her stories and information."
A month ago.
Pondering why this had happened, I suddenly recalled what moment that was. It was three months after I'd used black obsidian to share memories with Mangnyang and Miho—right when Miho had suggested we go to the heavenly realm together.
'Miho was deeply shaken by the memories from the black obsidian back then. Could that have affected her enchantment?'
As I pieced it together, the emperor stared at me intently and continued,
"You're probably wondering why I didn't keep up the puppet act and spoke to you directly."
"Yes."
Honestly, if the emperor had continued playing the fool, I wouldn't have noticed a thing. This meeting only happened because he'd risked danger to approach me. As I tried to read his intentions, the emperor said,
"It's because you freed me from her bondage. I'm grateful."
"......"
"By pretending to be an idiot with that spell disguise, I overheard a lot of her mutterings. Most were about you, Baek Woong—her affections, her fondness, her curiosity, and all the adventures you'd shared. Naturally, I ended up learning about your group's circumstances."
"You know what I'm going through?"
"Of course. I know you're a reincarnator."
He knew everything.
Miho must have passed the time muttering to herself about things she'd seen in my memories. The emperor, hiding his restored reason, had pieced together my identity from that. And he'd even deduced ahead of me that I was the reason her enchantment had weakened.
'Miho's spirit was greatly shaken, cracking her enchantment. That's when the emperor regained his mind.'
From what Miho had told me, her enchantment was an innate, advanced spell. If the caster's mental strength wavered, gaps were inevitable.
Having grasped the situation, I said to the emperor,
"I don't get it. Even if the enchantment broke because of me, there's no guarantee I'm sympathetic to you."
The emperor shook his head.
"You're wrong. It's because you're a reincarnator."
"What do you mean?"
"If you're a being who accumulates countless information and experiences through repeated lives, you won't overlook such a peculiar situation lightly. Rather than rashly telling her everything, you'll seek new possibilities. Isn't that right?"
"......"
My mouth fell open.
'He has me pegged exactly.'
Indeed, up until moments ago, I'd been more inclined to talk calmly with him, gather info, and explore options than to subdue him and wait for Miho. From Miho's mutterings alone, the emperor had read my personality that accurately. Even under her thrall, he must have been no ordinary man from the start.
The emperor gave another bitter laugh.
"I have a favor to ask. I'll give you valuable information in return, so please, in your future reincarnations, don't tell her that her enchantment has gaps. I just want to secure a minimum of freedom..."
It was a trade proposal. I rested my chin on my hand, thought it over, then countered,
"You hold no grudge against us? How can I trust the info you're offering?"
The emperor waved his hand at my question.
"Not at all. Truth be told, I didn't mind the puppet life much."
"......?"
"The Warring States era in this Dongyeong ended not long ago. In that massive age of chaos, even powerful daimyo met gruesome ends, so a powerless emperor like me received no respect and lived miserably. Tokugawa treated me like a pet. If I'd stayed quiet, I'd have starved to death."
The emperor gazed at the sky with distant eyes.
"Then suddenly, she—a kitsune—appeared, enchanted me, seized the Kyoto imperial palace, and used political maneuvering to secure the emperor's power and rights. Well, she just solidified her own base, but I survived because of it."
"Doesn't that mean nothing if you were under her enchantment?"
"Heh... Between starving and struggling daily in harsh reality, isn't it better to be her puppet and live carefree? At least as a puppet, I could dream peacefully. Plus, with a grand yokai's mighty protection, my safety was assured. If anything, I was grateful."
"......"
Was it a mindset shift? Or sheer optimism?
The emperor's thinking was quite different from a normal person's. In a way, he was the one properly utilizing Miho. As I stared at him, the emperor continued,
"But from her mutterings, I learned she plans to leave for some heavenly realm with you in a dozen years or so. After that, I'd be left alone to face the Tokugawa shogunate's scrutiny. That's what reignited my will to live."
"Hmm... Let's say there's no grudge. What info do you have for me?"
"First, promise me. Guarantee my personal safety and secrecy."
I thought for a moment, then nodded.
"I promise."
The emperor let out a sigh of relief and said,
"From her mutterings, it seems there are these other races in this world. Thinking it over, I realized where their stronghold on this land is. If you go there, you might find clues to the Seven Jewels you're seeking."
The other races' stronghold!
This was likely info he'd always had but Miho hadn't extracted, only recently deduced from her words. Naturally, it held great value. Curiosity piqued, I asked,
"Where is it?"
"It's called Takamagahara—what you'd think of as a divine realm. But I believe that's precisely the other races' stronghold."
"What's your reasoning?"
"It's a secret handed down only to emperors: Takamagahara isn't a land where gods descended—it's a place and passage sealing ominous beings. Those who came from there wielded great power and ruled this Dongyeong land as gods. I think that's where these other races dwell."
Takamagahara.
I repeated the word in my mind, then asked,
"So where is it?"
"I know the passage to Takamagahara is in the Geochang region of Goryeo. You should find some clue there."
"Thanks."
"Keep your promise..."
Susususu.
Moments later, he reverted to his idiot state. More precisely, it seemed like a spell pulling his consciousness into the subconscious to shield it from the enchantment. Even in that state, his senses remained intact, allowing him to perceive external info.
'An intriguing spell.'
I roused the emperor again.
"Wake up."
"...What is it?"
"Teach me that spell too."
"Hmm, alright. But it's a yin-yang dao spell, so without basics, you won't understand..."
"No problem."
I figured memorizing it now meant I could use it anytime.
The emperor hesitated, then explained the spell's essentials, incantation, and training method. The spell itself was simple—it didn't take long to learn. But as he said, without yin-yang dao knowledge, much of it was incomprehensible.
The emperor said,
"It's called the Hongmong Spell. Please use it well."
This time, he truly seemed to vanish into his subconscious. I thought his fate was truly tumultuous. Born as emperor in chaotic times with misery assured, manipulated by Miho, now hiding his mind to survive. Yet viewed differently, it showed his exceptional talent for enduring manipulation.
'I need to omit memories of the emperor from future black obsidian transfers.'
Miho wouldn't react well if she learned of his current state. She'd probably rage and strengthen the enchantment. For the sake of the Takamagahara info and Hongmong Spell, I'd honor the deal by excluding emperor memories going forward.
Knowing I was a reincarnator, he hadn't made clumsy demands—instead, he'd chosen to earn my goodwill. The emperor had a real talent for reading people.
As instructed, I waited a day in the imperial palace, and Miho returned. Spotting me, she hugged me tightly, delighted.
"Eek~ You're here!"
"Ugh. Hold on..."
My face buried in Miho's ample bosom, I squirmed. She'd transformed into the form of a mature, peerless beauty, of all things.
Later, as we caught up on the past month, Miho said in disbelief,
"So after a month of hellish training, you got nothing out of it?"
"Yeah, pretty much..."
"Hmph, talent's a funny thing. At least you held your own against Jin So-cheong."
"And you spent the month searching for black obsidian mines?"
Miho replied confidently.
"Exactly. Black obsidian comes from near volcanoes, so I checked castles and villages around them. Using my wealth, I bought five mines."
"Five?"
"I don't know how you infuse them with energy, but bigger obsidian holds more memories, right? Better odds for large ones."
"I see..."
"The obsidian from those mines is en route to Kyoto now. At most two months, and we'll have a stockpile."
"Thanks, Miho."
"Hee hee."
After a moment's thought, I said,
"I should check those mines myself. Can't keep burdening you."
Miho pouted, looking a bit hurt.
"Don't you like me working for you?"
"N-No, that's not—"
"Ahaha! Just kidding. Yeah, more efficient."
Stroking my cheek, Miho continued,
"But please, avoid saying 'next time' from now on."
"Got it."
For me, dying and reincarnating into a new life was routine now. But for Miho, the present was just the present. I realized I needed to fix my speech habits.
Miho suddenly piped up as if remembering something.
"Oh! Have you read Miyamoto Musashi's Book of Five Rings?"
"Book of Five Rings? No time..."
"It's from Dongyeong's strongest warrior, so it might have something useful. Good way to improve your martial arts."
"Hmm, yeah."
I nodded and said,
"I'll definitely read it."
Heading to the black obsidian mines with Miho, I thought,
'I'll show the Book of Five Rings to the Sword Demon.'
I was already planning more training under him anyway. Might as well show him the manual and get his insights too.