Chapter 138
Chapter 138
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 138
Chapter Title: The Strategist's True Face
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After hearing the Great King's story, I asked,
"Who do you mean?"
"The strategist you've been so desperate to find."
"Is he waiting for me?"
I asked in a somewhat agitated voice, and the Great King replied,
"He said figuring out his identity was only a matter of time anyway. So he offered to meet you first."
I pondered for a moment what could have happened, then rage surged up inside me. Thinking it over, he must have realized I was onto him and revealed himself on purpose.
'He's one step ahead again.'
Along with the thought that he was no pushover, my curiosity about his true identity grew even stronger. In fact, I already had a suspect in mind.
"Thank you for giving me this chance to meet him, Your Majesty."
"Handing over the Central Administration Bureau and permitting the expedition—that was his advice."
"And he thought we could hold out even after that?"
"I ran the calculations, and he said we could."
Hearing the Great King speak so calmly, I bowed my head in respect.
"I'll take my leave now."
"Farewell. I hope we won't have to meet like this again."
"I feel the same, Your Majesty."
I put extra emphasis on "Your Majesty" at the end before turning toward the door. I pushed open the narrow door, just wide enough for one person, and stepped outside to find more walls. There was a modest garden, neither too large nor too small, and a single small house. Standing in front of the door—with its red-lacquered gate and window frames—was a man in a gray robe and holding a flat-topped black book. He looked younger than I'd expected, maybe in his early twenties. I'd imagined all sorts of appearances: an old man like National Academy Scholar Lee Mun-jin, or even a child Go Jeong-ui's age. But his pudgy face with its light stubble and droopy eyes didn't look threatening at all. And though I'd wondered, his eyes weren't red—they looked perfectly normal.
'Is that the Great King's new strategist?'
I approached the man who had driven me to the brink of death with his bizarre schemes. He came down the steps and slowly bowed his head before me.
"Meeting the Chief of the Central Armory here."
"Where is this place?"
"It's a secret space behind the Amyeong Hall. They call it the Hidden Garden, since that's what it means. It's usually a residence for women the Great King doesn't want to show others. From outside, it just looks like an extension of the Amyeong Hall wall—no one would know."
He spoke calmly, then glanced at the way I'd entered and added,
"And the only exit is through there."
The thought that this might be a trap crossed my mind just then—and the door to the house he'd been standing in front of swung open.
"Huh?"
Out stepped a short, tattoo-covered man.
"What's this?"
He was hunched over in ragged clothes, but he revealed a sword he'd hidden behind his back.
"What the—?"
I glanced back at my opponent. But his eyes weren't red. Only then did it hit me.
"You've got incredible self-control."
Hearing that, he grinned.
"Do you know what I felt watching you all this time? Confidence."
It wasn't wrong, so I didn't deny it. Coming from the future, I knew what lay ahead. With all sorts of knowledge, I'd invented new weapons. The various abilities given to me by the Celestial Maiden who brought me here had let me avoid dangers. That let me stay one step ahead of everyone else, act boldly, and win hearts by showing mercy. He continued, hands clasped behind his back.
"I don't know where that confidence comes from, but seeing it told me one thing: if I set a trap, you'd walk right into it."
"You failed last time."
"But this time, you fell into the trap."
Again, not wrong, so I couldn't get angry.
"My father won't let this slide. Neither will the leaders of the other divisions."
"If you die, Yeon Gaesomun will lose it in a rage and self-destruct. The other division leaders don't like the Great King either, but they especially don't care for upstarts like the Yeon family from the Eastern Division."
That was true too, so I couldn't argue. Smiling, he added,
"They're curious types as well, so I figured you'd fall into another trap."
Come to think of it, when the Great King told me to come meet him, I'd rushed here without a second thought, excited that I'd finally learn his identity. If I'd had Jumong's spear tip, it might've been different, but I hadn't brought it into the palace.
"Damn it!"
I took a step back and looked around, but walls blocked every direction. Even if I escaped this place, if the Great King had decided to kill me, getting out would be incredibly hard. The Japanese warrior from the house approached, drawing a sword as tall as himself. Seeing it, my opponent laughed.
"He's the one who guarded me in Wa. Like the other Japanese, he's small and plain-looking, but his swordsmanship is top-notch."
"Handling things like this—you'll regret it."
"That's on you. You had chances to kill the Chief of Central Administration or Kim Yu-sin but let them live."
"Killing them wouldn't solve everything."
I said that, but he'd hit a nerve. With Yeon Jeong-du, he just seemed too easy a mark. With Kim Yu-sin, it was partly fanboy admiration. Plus, the thrill of controlling history's great figures had gone to my head.
I'd thought I'd gotten away clean since nothing major happened, but this era had geniuses too—and this one wasn't on my side. The Japanese warrior strode forward. I backed up until my back hit the wall. My opponent smiled faintly. It was so subtle I could barely make it out, but it was definitely the grin of victory. But it didn't last. I smiled back the same way. He tilted his head, puzzled.
"Why are you smiling?"
"My prediction was right."
"Prediction?"
"Yeah. After the first assassination attempt failed, I wondered: what's the best place to take me out? The answer was right here."
"Correct. Outside the palace, there'd be evidence if it failed. After the last attempt, we had to hand over Yeon Jeong-du and the Central Administration Bureau just to cover it up."
"Even that was part of your plan. No matter how dumb someone is, they wouldn't just hand over their right-hand man like that."
The smile vanished from his face. The Japanese warrior beside him finished readying his swing. But my opponent raised a hand to stop him, then asked me,
"You figured out my intent from that?"
"Of course. You give flesh to take the bone—and my prediction was spot on."
"So you didn't fall into the trap—you walked into it on purpose?"
"Now you're getting it. The moment the Great King said the strategist wanted to meet me, I knew. Truth is, I was hoping for it."
He looked confused, unsure if I was just stalling or if I'd seen through it from the start. I eyed the hand he was using to hold back the Japanese warrior. The instant it moved, the warrior would pounce. Noticing my gaze, he smiled again.
"You're buying time."
"No, I'm wondering when to give the signal."
"Signal? This is the palace."
He clicked his tongue and lowered his hand just a bit. A little more, and the warrior would charge like a beast off the leash. I shifted my gaze back to him.
"That's why you showed your face like this. Outside, you never would've stood before me. Right?"
"True enough. So did I fall into the trap?"
I shook my head at his question.
"The one who fell into the trap isn't you—it's the Great King. Imagine the uproar if word got out he tried to kill a division leader's son in the palace."
"The world can't see inside the palace."
"Exactly. That's why I knew you'd set a trap."
"You predicted everything?"
He switched to informal speech in his urgency. This time, I laughed.
"You're not the only one with a brain."
His face showed real shock. But he clenched his teeth again.
"Even if that's true, you can't do much here."
"That's why you showed yourself. Right, chatty villain?"
He looked baffled at my last words.
"Chatty villain?"
"It's a thing."
I grinned wide, and he clicked his tongue.
"Anyway, your bluffing ends here. Farewell. I'll send your father to you soon."
He spoke coldly, stepped back, and dropped his hand. The Japanese warrior lunged, sword aimed at me. But before he took three steps, shuriken rained down from the sky and struck him.
"Urk!"
Too late, he swung his sword to block, but the shuriken were already embedded in his knee and forearm. He knocked them away with his blade and looked up at the sky.
More shuriken poured from the sun. The wounded warrior rolled aside, and shuriken thudded into the spot where he'd been. With the situation flipped in an instant, my opponent froze. I said to him,
"Smile. A true pro smiles in tough times."
"Who the hell are you?"
"They call me Channo. Never met him myself."
"What?"
Behind his shocked question came the warrior's scream—he'd dodged, but a shuriken hit his back. Pinned against the wall, the warrior gasped for breath, eyes darting around in fear. But Channo was nowhere to be seen. My opponent's face hardened at the sudden reversal. Watching him, I smiled.
"Thinking you were the only smart one—that's what dragged you into the trap. Now the royal family will be thoroughly disgraced."
"Can't let that happen."
He answered quickly and drew the sword from his waist. It caught me off guard, but he gripped it backward.
"Hey! What are you doing?!"
Without a word, he plunged it into his own gut.
"Not seppuku too!"
I rushed over and kicked the blade away. The bloodied sword flew off, and he collapsed. Meanwhile, the Japanese warrior toppled over, shuriken bristling from him like a porcupine. He writhed in agony, more embedding with each twist. Finally, he went limp. The man who'd tried to kill himself clutched his abdomen, groaning in pain. I picked up the bloody sword and approached him. Grabbing his collar, I shook him.
"You can't die yet. I'm dragging you before the Great King to have your head chopped off."
"Think that'll make the Great King bat an eye?"
"Then you'll just die like a dog."
"Kill me here!"
"Not a chance. I'll make the Great King weep blood. Prince Gobokdeok."
At the name, he flinched in shock.
"How do you know that name?"
"I know everything."