Chapter 8
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: The Emperor Tears a Bear Apart with His Bare Hands
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The air in the imperial palace had changed completely in the wake of the tax collection incident.
Before, most people had seen me as just a "lucky kid who caught the emperor's eye and became crown prince."
But now, the eunuchs bowed at perfect right angles when I passed, and the palace maids cleared the way with eyes full of fear and awe. Off in one corner, I even caught a calculating glint—like they were wondering how to get in my good graces. It was a little scary.
This shift wasn't because they feared me yet.
It was the ledger in my hand and the seal at my waist that terrified them. They'd seen firsthand how a single stamp from that seal could ruin a family or condemn three generations to hard labor. And at the root of it all was their fear of the emperor who had granted me that power.
I wasn't some naive kid who might mistake this for my own strength.
But this dramatic change—something I couldn't control and found utterly bewildering—was right in front of me.
"Mother, are you doing well?"
I'd come to visit my mother, Consort Jo, after a long while. It was hard to believe this was the same woman who, just days ago, had clung to my robes sobbing, "We're all dead!"
The room was filled with the faint, luxurious scent of agarwood incense, and Mother was gracefully sipping a tonic personally prepared by the Imperial Physician Director.
"Yes, my crown prince. You've come."
Her skin gleamed smoothly, and her expression overflowed with leisure.
"You're adapting fast. Just a few days ago, you were talking about packing up and running away."
"Ho ho. This is all thanks to you. I knew my womb was a golden one, but I never imagined it to this extent."
Mother set down her teacup and gave a glance to the maids.
Once they had all withdrawn, she stepped down from the couch, took my hand, and led me to a secluded corner. Then she casually lifted the tiger-skin rug on the floor.
Beneath it, the floor tiles had been cunningly loosened.
"Jui-an. Listen well."
Mother's eyes suddenly turned serious.
"The emperor's favor is like the wind. You never know when it might vanish, so fill the granary while the rice is coming in. Now's your chance."
"...Don't tell me, under there?"
"I slipped some activity funds to the head eunuch and used the rest of the budget to buy gold bars and bury them. Even if we're kicked out later, we can live luxuriously for three generations."
I swallowed a hollow laugh.
This ironclad crisis management. This cold realism that trusted nothing—not even the emperor's favor.
It wasn't that the survival skills she'd honed as a lowly maid had vanished. She'd just hidden them after becoming a consort. It almost made me wonder if the crisis management I'd shown wasn't really mine, but hers.
"As expected... you're my mother. I respect you."
"Good. Cause trouble out there if you want, but make sure you've got an escape route first. Got it?"
She was no ordinary consort. This woman was a survival expert in chaotic times.
"Your Highness! It's time for the hunt!"
Before I could savor this touching reunion with my mother, Old Man Ma burst in.
Today was the day the emperor had summoned me, saying, "My body's stiff—let's go loosen up."
The prospect of some real action after so long had Old Man Ma practically bouncing as he hurried me along. He was so thrilled he'd even skipped my training—that said it all.
On the way to the imperial hunting grounds, I surveyed the surroundings from horseback.
The army guarding every inch without a whisper of wind felt on another level from the usual palace guards. Clad in black armor, a silent legion where even the horses made no sound.
These were the imperial elite, the Gold Guard.
"General, the Gold Guard's presence is no joke."
"Of course! They're the Heavenly Army that crossed life and death with His Majesty to found the empire. Every one of them is worth a hundred men."
A sudden curiosity struck me.
"Then why leave the Martial Alliance alone? With forces like these, you could just crush them and collect taxes easily. It's not a lack of power."
At my straightforward question, Ma Cheolsan reined in his horse and shook his head gravely.
"Your Highness. A fight between the army and the martial world isn't war. It's suppression."
"Suppression?"
"They're not a regular army. They won't draw a front line and face you head-on. If we march in with a great host, they'll melt into the mountains or villages and wage guerrilla warfare."
Ma Cheolsan added with a bitter smile.
"You can't fire cannons at shadows. The cost of capture would exceed the damage repairs. Soldiers guard front lines, not play hide-and-seek."
"Ah..."
Now I understood. The emperor tolerated the martial world not for lack of power or efficiency.
The math didn't add up, but more than that, there was no way to distinguish them from the common folk. Armies can't fight without clear enemies.
Besides, like it or not, they managed regions beyond the empire's administrative reach. They were like chicken ribs—useless to touch, yet impossible to discard. Only now did I grasp it.
At the hunting ground entrance, Emperor Juwon awaited.
He'd traded his usual ornate dragon robe for simple leather hunting garb, but his overwhelming presence remained. If anything, out in the wild, he looked even more feral.
"Tough journey. They've got a special one today."
"Special one?"
"You'll see. Follow me."
The emperor spurred his horse. We plunged deep into the grounds, into the forbidden zone off-limits to commoners.
Krrrooo...
The forest air shifted. Birdsong ceased, replaced by the stench of blood and heavy killing intent. The horses grew restless, stamping their hooves.
Kwachik! Woojikkeun!
Enormous trees snapped like toothpicks. The underbrush split wide, and a house-sized shadow burst forth.
"A bear?"
No, not just any bear. Its fur stood rigid like steel bristles, its hide rocky and uneven—a monster.
A spirit beast, the Iron-Armored Bear.
I'd only read about them in books, but seeing one in the flesh was terrifying. Could a human even face this?
"Defensive formation! Protect His Majesty!"
At the Gold Guard captain's shout, the soldiers swiftly formed ranks. Dozens of spears and swords flew at the bear. But...
Kang! Kaang! Chaeng!
Only the clamor of metal clashing.
The Gold Guard's honed blades couldn't pierce the bear's hide—they sparked and bounced off. The Iron-Armored Bear roared, swinging a forepaw, and two elite guards sailed like leaves into the trees.
"Kraaaang!"
The encirclement nearly broke under the beast's roar.
"Damn! Your Majesty, fall back! I'll handle it!"
Ma Cheolsan drew his massive blade and lunged forward. That was when...
"Stand aside."
A low voice, piercing the battlefield din straight to the ear.
The emperor.
He dismounted slowly. No weapon in hand.
"Your Majesty! It's dangerous!"
"Think I don't know? I do. But it has to be at least this much to be the emperor's prey."
The emperor glared at the Gold Guard exchanging blows with the bear, clicking his tongue in disdain.
"Don't mar it with cuts. You'll ruin the value."
"...Pardon?"
As everyone stared blankly, the emperor strode toward the bear.
Utterly defenseless. Bare-handed.
Yet the Iron-Armored Bear sensed something instinctively, ignoring the guards to fixate solely on him.
It raised a massive forepaw. Claws the size of my head glinted menacingly in the sunlight.
"Father!"
As I nearly screamed, the emperor twisted his lips into a grin. Mad, yet utterly confident.
"Perfect. Just right for an emperor's hunt."
Kwaaaang!
A cannon blast echoed—no, the whole forest shook. The emperor's fist smashed the bear's jaw.
No fancy techniques or flourishes. Just pure, overwhelming inner power and brute force—violence incarnate.
Peudeuduk—Puk!
The beast's colossal body lifted into the air before crashing down. Bones said to be harder than steel caved in; its jaw and skull exploded.
Instant death.
The shockwave from his inner power made the rear trees shudder, shedding leaves like screams.
Silence ruled the forest.
The Gold Guard gaped at the emperor. Was that even human? Had he really been idle for five years?
Not a chance.
He could lead a charge right now and rip the enemy general's head off—a famous... no, infamous general.
"You're still in top form! I worried needlessly thinking you'd rusted from rest!"
Only Old Man Ma Cheolsan bellowed a hearty laugh at the sight, proving this was the man he'd always been.
"No, it wasn't clean—been too long."
The emperor dusted his hands and nudged the fallen bear with his foot.
"Still, a rewarding hunt today!"
He inspected the carcass, then shed his killing aura, reverting to his usual lazy yet inscrutably menacing self.
"Jui-an."
"...Yes."
"Look. Aside from the head, not a scratch. Perfect condition."
The emperor beamed like a child.
"Skin this one for northern trade goods. Flawless Iron-Armored Bear hide will fetch at least 1,000 silver taels. Send the gall to the imperial clinic, grind the bones for medicine."
"..."
"Oh, the meat's too tough to eat, so hand it out to the Gold Guard as drinking money for their troubles. Boil it well, and it'll be decent. Good for the body too."
It wasn't that I was too stunned to speak. Having only seen him in the palace, I was electrified by the emperor's true face.
Immense martial prowess. Intimidating pressure, commanding presence. Yet he pondered prices and allocations for the hunted bear like a politician.
'Not just brute strength.'
Now I knew how he'd slaughtered his brothers and claimed the throne.
That mighty force as a tool, wrapped in meticulous calculation.
The emperor was truly an iron-blooded sovereign.
"And this area—good energy here. Get a quote on turning it into a medicinal herb farm. Can't let idle land go to waste."
"...I'll note it down."
I fumbled for my brush, thinking: My father was undoubtedly a great ruler.
But... he was still the worst boss imaginable. How could I respect him like this? Even on a hunt, the approvals never stopped.