The Incompetent Hero and the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering (2)

"The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering…?"

If it was the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering, wasn't that the thing that always showed up in murim stories—the event where the rising stars of every sect competed to show off their skill?

Why the hell was I supposed to enter that? Wasn't that their own little private festival? Was an outsider like me even allowed to join?

"You look like you have no idea why you should participate."

"That's exactly right."

"Fine. I'll explain. In our Yeom Kingdom there are fourteen major powers."

By "powers" he meant the sects that ruled each region the way provinces did back home—Gyeonggi, Chungcheong, that sort of thing.

Of course there were a ton of them, and for someone like me who only ever skimmed murim novels, memorizing them all was a pain, but roughly…

"The eight major sects—Shaolin, Wudang, Huashan, Emei, Qingcheng, Kunlun, Zhongnan, Diancang, and Kongtong—plus the five great families known as Namgung, Tang, Peng, Zhuge, and Moyong. And finally the Imperial Palace that serves our Emperor of Yeom. That makes fourteen."

"That's a lot. How do you even remember all that?"

"One ought to know the affairs of one's own ancestors, Doryeong."

"All of you shut up! Keep quiet and listen before I cut every last one of your heads off and hang them on poles!!"

The kid huffed and puffed until we finally closed our mouths, then calmed himself, cleared his throat, and continued in the most dignified voice he could manage.

"Each sect and family possesses its own representative martial art. Shaolin's Hundred-Pace Divine Fist, Wudang's Taiji Sword, Huashan's Plum Blossom Swordsmanship, and so on! Yet these ungrateful dogs have forgotten the grace of the first Emperor of Yeom and think only of filling their own bellies. That is why you must enter the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering—to smash those bastards' noses flat."

"…Sorry, but that still doesn't explain a damn thing."

"Hah? So your heads really are that empty."

This guy's brain was clearly missing a few screws.

Just then a handsome young man stepped out from behind him.

"Allow me to explain in his place, Lord Dong-ho."

"Tch. Do so. Their heads seem thoroughly lacking, so make sure you explain it properly."

Seriously, what the hell is wrong with this guy's head?

If this was the commander, his subordinates' suffering was painfully easy to imagine.

Either way, the explanation now shifted from the idiot named Dong-ho to the young man.

"Greetings. I am Yang Jamun. I assist Lord Dong-ho in maintaining order here in Shinhyeon City."

Yang Jamun began with a polite bow. Thankfully, unlike his superior, this one looked like someone you could actually talk to.

"Leon. I came from the central continent of Philgrea… no, from the West."

"This one is called Baekryeon. I come from Jo."

"I see. Miss Baekryeon being from Jo makes sense, of course, but Young Hero Leon speaks the language of Yeom remarkably well for someone from the West."

"My master made me learn it, saying it would come in handy someday."

Yang Jamun nodded in understanding, then drew a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠paper document from his robes and passed it through the bars.

I took the sheet and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠looked it over. It appeared to be some kind of promotional flyer written in the language of Yeom.

"Read it for me."

"Hmm… it seems to be a notice for the Dragon-Phoenix Martial Gathering. I suspect this is the 'Dragon-Phoenix Gathering' that man mentioned."

I glanced at Yang Jamun, silently asking for more. He began his explanation.

"First… the national power of Yeom Kingdom consists of the Yeom Imperial Army—the national forces under the direct command of the Emperor of Yeom—and the various regional sects and families. In recognition of the contributions they made in founding the kingdom, each sect and family was granted autonomy over its territory, and in return they swore loyalty to Yeom. That is the structure."

So feudalism, basically. I already knew the concept.

They couldn't just dissolve the thirteen sects and families that had helped found the country. Even so, if any one of them tried to grab too big a slice of the pie, they would have to face the other twelve at once. So they all compromised. Under the name of Yeom, every sect and family formed a single alliance.

"And?"

"Do you know when Yeom Kingdom was founded?"

"Uh… a thousand years ago?"

"Exactly so. A thousand years ago the first Emperor of Yeom united the sects and families and founded the Nation of Flame—Yeom Kingdom. After that the system functioned normally for a long time. But after a full millennium, the power of each sect and family grew so great that the central authority of Yeom began to weaken."

They say even mountains and rivers change in ten ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠years. A thousand years needed no further comment.

I was starting to get the picture.

"So in that situation you needed a way to display Yeom's prestige to the other sects and families, and the way to do that is by winning the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering?"

"Yes. Precisely. The Dragon-Phoenix Gathering is originally an open martial arts tournament that anyone may enter. Over the long years, however, several unspoken traditions have formed. One of them is that each sect presents its rising stars."

"'Look how talented the kids in our sect are~'—that kind of bragging, roughly?"

"That is correct."

If that was the case, a few questions still bothered me.

"Does the Yeom Imperial Army really have no talented people of its own? If the point is to show how solid the imperial forces are, shouldn't the gifted ones from the army be the ones competing?"

"…Regrettably, that is the case."

"…What?"

For real?

I glanced at Dong-ho. He scowled as if the truth left a bad taste in his mouth and clicked his tongue, but he didn't deny it. So it was true. The imperial army, forced to maintain harmony and balance among the thirteen sects and families, was short on successors, while each individual sect kept growing stronger and more influential…

This country looked a lot more like a ticking time bomb than it first appeared…

No—maybe that was exactly why the Heavenly Demon had been able to sweep through them like a bunch of ragtag rabble. Everyone ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was busy inflating their own size, but the pie was limited. Fighting over that limited pie, both above and below the surface, must have produced endless schemes and mutual checks.

The center that should have mediated all of it had no real influence over the sects, so the conflicts only escalated until, when a powerful enemy like the Heavenly Demon finally appeared, they couldn't cooperate and simply shattered.

Yeah… that pretty much explains why everything went to hell the moment we started receiving support from Yeom in the game.

In the game, Yeom Kingdom never got much focus.

More accurately, there was nothing left to focus on.

Eighty percent of the territory was already ruins crawling with magical beasts and yokai. How much screen time could a place like that even get?

At best it was a hunting ground and a stage for the final battle.

"One more thing. Let's say I enter as a member of the Yeom Imperial Army. With a face like mine I'll be found out in no time, won't I?"

"You need not worry about that. A wig and a human-skin mask will disguise you as a native of Yeom. And since you already speak the language fluently, that works out perfectly."

Thorough bastards.

But a human-skin mask…

If that counted as "equipment," there was a very high chance the effect wouldn't apply…

Whether because of some error that occurred when the save file was loaded, eight times out of ten any item I tried to equip or use in this world simply failed to work. That even applied to the Holy Sword—it was just a sturdy blade that happened to work well against undead.

…Though the Holy Sword feels a little different somehow.

Not something I could solve right now, anyway.

"Even if I help you paper over the problem for now, that still won't fix the root cause. What are you going to do about that?"

"…That is none of your concern."

Dong-ho, who had stepped back and left the explaining to Yang Jamun, spoke with clear displeasure.

…Well, I wasn't going to stay here long. Once I got the Geogeonhwan and, while I was at it, beat the Heavenly Demon into the ground, I was heading home. No need to get too involved.

"Fine. It's not like we have any choice other than accepting anyway."

"Hmph. Wise decision. As I said, the Dragon-Phoenix Gathering is in two weeks. And since you might try to run, one of you will remain here."

Dong-ho spoke with arrogant satisfaction, as if he had expected exactly that.

Leaving one person behind was reasonable enough, so I looked at Baekryeon.

"Who's going?"

"Doryeong should go. This one is fine. More than that—if it is Doryeong, there is no opponent he could possibly lose to."

"…Alright. Got it."

I nodded at Baekryeon's bright smile.

Having roughly guessed who would leave, Yang Jamun took a key from his robes and moved to open the bars and remove our manacles.

Crack. Thud.

But before he even stepped inside the cell, I casually tore off the manacles they had put on me and stood up.

Apparently the cuffs had been tougher than expected and not easy to remove. Watching me simply crush them with raw strength made both Dong-ho and Yang Jamun's eyes go round.

"H-how did you break those bare-handed…"

"His internal energy should have been disrupted so he couldn't use qi… could it be external martial arts?"

"Hey."

I crushed the manacles on Baekryeon's wrists the same way, then turned back to them.

"There's a saying that when you go to another country you follow its laws. If searching for the Geogeonhwan is as big a crime as you claim, then of course we should pay for it the way you say. That's why we've been quiet until now and didn't refuse your request… but if you so much as lay a finger on my companion while I'm gone, this entire place will be reduced to rubble. Keep that in mind."

"Y-you bastard! How dare you threaten—"

The Sword King's Overwhelming Presence—an aura that dominated everyone of lesser caliber.

As if proving the claim that the Yeom Imperial Army had no real talent, not a single person withstood even the mild pressure I released.

Only Yang Jamun managed to stay conscious, though his legs gave out and he sank to the floor. Dong-ho and the soldiers behind him foamed at the mouth and collapsed in an undignified heap.

"Ugh…"

"Don't worry. Baekryeon will stay here quietly, and I'll enter that Dragon-Phoenix Gathering of yours exactly as you asked, smash every last one of them, and take first place. So remember this well. If you lay even a finger on my companion, I will reduce everything here—the entire city of Shinhyeon—to ashes. Keep that in mind."

Yang Jamun nodded frantically.

Satisfied, I turned my gaze to Baekryeon.

"If these guys try anything weird, just walk out."

"Heh. Are you worried?"

"Having a companion messed with leaves a bad aftertaste."

"Understood. This one shall leave at once if necessary."

After confirming Baekryeon's smiling nod, I roughly hauled the unconscious men along and walked out of the prison with Yang Jamun. Then I reclaimed my sword from him and left the government office.