Chapter 278
Chapter 278
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 278
>Chapter Title: The 31st Horse Overturns the Game Board
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Kang Seol, dressed in black, stood in stark contrast to Chiwoo with his golden hair.
The two had extraordinary presences.
Unlike Kang Seol, who concealed his aura, Chiwoo revealed at least some of his power.
Because of this, the lined-up soldiers stirred.
“Is that blond guy Yongseok?”
“Eoduksini? The one who took him down single-handedly?”
“You believe that? Bunch of idiots….”
The staff officer commanding Songjo’s garrison welcomed Seolhong and her group.
“Lord Chiwoo, you’ve come as well. I’d heard the news, but meeting you in person like this is truly moving.”
“Moving?”
“You stepped forward personally for the empire’s people even after giving up on Yongjaeng….”
Chiwoo glanced around at the onlookers before replying.
“The fragrance of the Dragon Flower is for all the people alone.”
That single phrase captivated everyone in an instant. An aura exceeding expectations, and solemn words.
“…….”
“Wow….”
- Don’t fall for it!
- I’m just here following Seolhong, okay?
- Huh? I just came along lol
- Gotta play along for now kek
The staff officer nodded vigorously, deeply moved.
“Truly courageous. With both Lord Seolhong and Lord Chiwoo here, Songjo surely won’t fall like this. As for the schedule going forward….”
Seolhong cut off the staff officer and stated the plan she had already prepared.
“We’ll patrol the city on the first day of deployment, so no need to follow us.”
“…That won’t do. Since Lord Yonghwa has been dispatched to Songjo, you are the city’s supreme commander. If anything happens to you, it puts us in a difficult position. In the worst case, we could face punishment beyond just taking the blame.”
A stern-faced soldier looked down at Seolhong.
His aura was overbearing, but it didn’t seem like an impure intent to threaten her.
It was simply the vibe ingrained in a soldier’s body.
“…I like your honesty. Saying outright you don’t want trouble because of me….”
“Honesty is my strength.”
“How many personnel will join the patrol?”
“We’ve planned for a small squad.”
“Let’s reduce it to three.”
“That’s….”
“Having a horde follow defeats the purpose of a patrol. That’s my suggestion. The hassle can be dealt with later.”
“Well… um… Understood.”
The staff officer turned his head back and bellowed.
“Banyul, Juo, Biran!”
“Yes!”
“Step forward.”
“Yes!”
The staff officer addressed the three soldiers who advanced—two men and one woman.
“These are Lord Seolhong and Lord Chiwoo, who graciously came all the way from distant Hongyeon to deploy here. Serve them well by their side.”
“We’ll keep it in mind, and keep it in mind again!”
“Then, if there’s any inconvenience, please relay it through them, and we’ll correct it immediately.”
“Got it, then.”
“One moment, may I say one more thing?”
“…Let’s hear it.”
The staff officer hesitated, then spoke to Kang Seol, who was looking around the camp.
“By any chance, are you Black Obsidian Kang Seol?”
Seolhong tilted her head.
“Yes. But why do you ask….”
“I-I’ve heard rumors that you possess skills on par with Lord Jangdu. Is that true? And the rumor that you single-handedly subdued the resurrected Eoduksini?”
- Huh? Jangdu?
- I collected his gambling debts for him kek kek
- Jangdu suffering eternally…
- Now he’s just a combat power meter?
Kang Seol pondered his response before choosing an appropriate one.
“To some extent?”
The soldiers standing farthest back kicked at the ground with their feet and muttered.
“Bullshit….”
“Dragon Palace guys and their boasts, as always….”
“But he looks confident, that’s good.”
“That baseless confidence has ruined cities before. If you indulge it from the side, there’s no end to it.”
Seolhong’s group, with their sharp ears, immediately glared daggers at the soldiers, but Kang Seol continued the conversation dryly.
“That’s a relief. Truth be told, Songjo has a bit of a headache lately.”
“Headache?”
“Yes, and I’d like to ask for your help regarding that.”
The staff officer spoke quietly.
“Today, along with reorganizing the troops, there’s combat training scheduled. I’d like Kang Seol to observe it.”
* * *
Seolhong’s group left the camp and immediately began patrolling the city. Seolhong and Chiwoo were accompanied by Kang Seol and the soldiers Banyul and Juo.
However, there was one odd thing.
Throughout the patrol, Kang Seol didn’t exchange a single word with them and simply followed silently behind.
‘This isn’t as hard as I thought.’
The reason was that the Kang Seol moving with Seolhong now wasn’t his real body.
Integrated Clone.
This clone, moving by Kang Seol’s will, shared all sensations while taking his form.
The Kang Seol with Seolhong was precisely that clone.
Meanwhile.
Whew…
“What are you doing right now?”
“…Nothing. And could you do something about that wind in my ear….”
“Sorry. Think of it as my breathing being richer than most.”
By the real Kang Seol’s side was the soldier Biran.
Biran was a soldier who sometimes seemed cheerful and other times bored.
The reason only she and Kang Seol had split from Seolhong’s group to patrol separately was efficiency.
No matter how small Songjo was, a thorough walking patrol couldn’t be done in a single day. So they had divided the areas for multiple patrols.
And to prepare for any contingencies, he had left the clone by Seolhong’s side.
Shortly after Kang Seol and Biran set out on patrol, Songjo’s true face revealed itself.
Elderly people collapsing listlessly to the ground and falling asleep right there, or folks sitting blankly staring into space.
“Probably victims of the monster raids. Lost family or their livelihoods, that sort of thing.”
“They look hopeless.”
“Hope? That doesn’t take responsibility for our lives. Most people aren’t chosen by such values anyway.”
“Pessimistic, aren’t you.”
“Better than being optimistic, at least in wartime. Don’t you think?”
“Have you always been with Songjo?”
“Ah, I’m from the central army. Got deployed before the first raid. Lucky to still be alive.”
Kang Seol took a liking to this woman named Biran. Because she spoke so frankly, he could hear everything, even things she could’ve hidden.
“The whole city seems tense. Because of the raids?”
“Well… Actually, there were heavy casualties while repelling the attacks, but besides the monsters, while everyone was focused on them, there were groups engaging in looting.”
“Hm….”
“Rumors say they’re transmigrators, or thieves who sneaked into the city… Anyway, the atmosphere is pretty bad. Human distrust has reached its peak, I guess?”
People are always the scariest.
Biran led Kang Seol into a back alley. She passed several shops and entered one that looked quiet.
The shopkeeper seemed to know Biran.
“Skipping work again to slack off?”
“No, just thirsty. And I brought the newly deployed Yongseok with me.”
“What? Y-Yongseok? Lady Seolhong’s? No, more than that, why bring Yongseok here!”
“Why? To sell him, obviously.”
“Sigh….”
The shopkeeper was a woman, and she seemed to know Biran.
Biran stared blankly at Kang Seol before getting straight to the point.
“Uh, well… Look, it’s sunny today, so treat us to a drink.”
“…So suddenly? Were we acquainted before?”
“If I bought it, wouldn’t that hurt your pride? Is that what you want? My consideration….”
Pfft…
Kang Seol found Biran’s behavior quite amusing.
He was checking on the other soldiers’ stiff attitudes through the clone, so her contrasting actions stood out more.
Ting-!
Kang Seol flicked a silver coin to Biran.
“What’s your taste?”
“Something decent.”
“Great! We seem compatible. You’re not as uptight as you look? But there’ll be change left over….”
“Put it on tab and drink it alone next time.”
“Sir! I’ll devote myself fully to achieving the goal!”
Glug glug…
The disposable cup was filled with beverage and ice.
Kang Seol narrowed his eyes to inspect it, but there was no sinister aura.
Checking so meticulously had become routine, like an illness.
Gulp… Gulp…
“Kyaah….”
Biran chugged the drink and wiped her mouth.
“Didn’t you just cry out like a monster?”
“Try it once and you’ll see. It’s amazing.”
Gulp…
Kang Seol’s brow twitched.
“A bit of alcohol mixed in. Is this okay during duty?”
“We’re already drinking together, so discipline me later. And I’ll definitely mention Yongseok bought it, so please don’t chew me out too hard.”
“I won’t make an issue of it.”
“Haha… But no choice. It’s the best tasting one.”
Kang Seol sipped the sweet beverage as they walked. Amid various talks, he recalled the earlier camp conversation and brought it up.
“By the way, about that headache you mentioned.”
“Ah! The staff officer’s thing?”
“Yes.”
“That’s the transmigrator problem. Sigh….”
“Hm… You don’t trust transmigrators, do you.”
Biran blinked for a moment, then leaned in close and whispered.
Whew…
“Excuse me… but are you a transmigrator?”
“Don’t blow in my ear. But why do you ask suddenly?”
“I’m about to badmouth transmigrators from now on, so if you’re one, I’d be in quite a bind.”
“I’m a transmigrator.”
“Good thing I held back on the badmouthing.”
Biran sipped her drink and said.
“As expected. Actually, besides the commander, other officers were deployed here, but as you know, there weren’t many troops worth sending to Songjo. Harsh to say, but the deployed officers weren’t that high-level either.”
“Did the officers die during the major offensive?”
“Correct. Died pretty gruesomely. The problem is, even they were pretty high-class personnel on our side, the central army. At least far more reliable and stronger than average transmigrators. And they’re devoted to the nation, right?”
The officers’ vacancies.
Plus the massive disaster that struck the city.
Add in transmigrators whose lives as wanderers were instinctual, and a perfect storm brews.
“What does the central army want?”
“To control the transmigrators staying in Songjo.”
“Control?”
“That’s a euphemism. In reality, their unclear attitudes are causing a lot of issues for future operations.”
“For example?”
“Not knowing when transmigrators might turn to looting, refusing to cooperate with the central army, so ideally we’d just kick all transmigrators out of Songjo… Of course, we’re doing that too.”
“What method did you choose?”
“We’re incorporating transmigrators into the ranks and luring them with decent rewards. And we’ve declared that transmigrators who don’t comply will be expelled from Songjo.”
“If you won’t help, then leave… Hm, any backlash?”
“Of course. But sensing things aren’t looking good, some transmigrators are complying with the ranks, while others are inciting even more transmigrators to pick fights with the army.”
“The latter seem problematic….”
“Spot on. Those guys. They say Songjo’s done for and stir others up, won’t help at all, their conduct is a mess, so they could turn to looting anytime. What do you think is the root cause allowing these scoundrels to act this way?”
Kang Seol thought for a moment before answering.
Ultimately, all root causes boiled down to one.
“The central army lacks power.”
“Yes! We lost the force to suppress them in the raids, so they can act up. I’d love to give them a good whack….”
“But?”
“Sadly, I’ve only got one life… Some of them are pretty violent.”
“Hm….”
“…If you’re too worried, just signal me. They’ll pick a fight during this observation too. If you’re not confident, I’ll step in without bruising your pride.”
Kang Seol smiled.
* * *
The first day’s patrol ended.
Seolhong and Chiwoo were talking with the staff, while Kang Seol observed the combat training as scheduled.
And it was chaos, utter chaos.
“So, just show your face, whether you’re Seolhong or Seolpyo!”
“Obvious. Won’t even poke their head out, just planning to throw transmigrators into the meat grinder?”
“Kahn’s petty tricks are always like that.”
Even Kang Seol, there to observe, furrowed his brow at the shouting and curses.
Especially since they were venting their dissatisfaction at innocent Seolhong.
The combat training was just a pretext; it was the central army’s scheme to tame the transmigrators, but the transmigrators weren’t pushovers either.
“Why are we doing this pointless crap?”
“If you want to stay in Songjo, follow Songjo’s rules. Not hard. Fight when there’s need, otherwise retreat from danger.”
That seemed to be the central army’s policy toward transmigrators who could become internal threats. The differing atmospheres between the south and east were intriguing.
‘Means the empire’s power is that strong. But this way….’
As a transmigrator himself, Kang Seol knew their mindset well.
They’d rise like feral dogs and bite at anything suppressing them.
“Kotaro, hear that bastard?”
“Yeah. Trying to tighten the leash now that it’s time….”
Smack-!
A vicious-looking man named Kotaro grabbed a central army soldier by the collar.
“Doesn’t sit right with me?”
“L-Let go… This could cause problems later.”
“Not letting go! Transmigrator!”
“Transmigrator this, transmigrator that… Is it a problem we’re staying in Songjo?”
Frustrated, even Biran stepped up.
“Acting so disorderly, no one welcomes it. The city folk want you troublemakers gone! If another raid hits, you gonna fight for the city? If you don’t revert to looting like last time, it’s a miracle! During the previous raid, you guys….”
“Biran, don’t provoke them.”
“But these bastards right now….”
Suddenly, transmigrators swarmed around Kotaro.
“Ha… These punks really don’t get the situation….”
“Kotaro, what now?”
“Wait.”
Kotaro released the other soldier’s collar and strode up to Biran.
“D-Don’t come closer.”
“You’re mistaken. What do you think you’ll do with just this handful of troops, trying to lord over transmigrators?”
“Not lording, cooperating….”
“Fuck… Don’t you know who’s above who?”
“If you won’t fight, leave! Hiding in the city ’cause you’re scared of monsters… Nowhere during raids, now stirring shit….”
Kotaro finally exploded.
His hand went to the sword sheath at his waist.
Everyone knew drawing the sword would cause a major incident, but his followers didn’t seem panicked, suggesting it was premeditated to some degree.
Clack…
“…What’s this hand.”
In the end, Kotaro’s sword didn’t come out.
Kang Seol’s palm was pressing down on the sword hilt.
“You….”
Kotaro met Kang Seol’s eyes and froze for a moment. Kang Seol whispered calmly, as if soothing a child.
“…Above.”
“What?”
Even smaller this time.
“This side is above.”
He should have refuted and drawn his sword.
Toward Kang Seol, who was pressing down his blade.
“…Kotaro?”
Yet somehow, Kotaro stood there like a statue, unable to move.