The Incompetent Hero and Yeomhyeongok
Silence settled over the Moyong clan's compound, still reeling from the Emperor of Yeom's utterly unexpected arrival.
Then again, the reaction was only natural. People curse a president behind his back — which is another way of saying that precious few have the guts to do it to his face. No matter how much the Yeom Kingdom had been forged from the gathering of countless martial sects and great families, the one that bound them all together was unmistakably the Yeom clan itself.
Under the name of the Flame, we are one.
That was the saying that defined the Yeom Kingdom — words every citizen of Yeom carried deep in their hearts.
"You stand before His Majesty the Emperor of Yeom!"
"All of you — lower your weapons and pay your respects to His Majesty!!"
The two bodyguards flanking the Emperor roared loud enough to shake the entire fortress. They must have poured qi into the cry; a faint shockwave rolled outward with their voices and cleanly severed the last lingering threads of combat still hanging in the air.
One by one, the Moyong warriors set down their swords. Steel rang against stone from every direction, and then a far greater sound rose as every martial artist present shouted in unison.
"We greet the Great King of Flame!"
It wasn't only the ordinary warriors and retainers. Even the head of the Moyong clan himself, though he didn't bow as deeply as the rest, still inclined his neck in greeting.
The only two people in that courtyard who did not offer the Emperor a greeting were Baekryeon and me.
The Emperor's bodyguards clearly found that galling; they glared daggers at us both. I met their stares with perfect calm. What were a pair of weaker fighters going to do by glaring at me?
Still, they're strong — no question. Baekryeon and Dan Seollin wouldn't stand a chance. And those two have gotten a lot stronger since I first met them.
Nearly family-head level. Among every Moyong warrior present, the only one who could properly suppress either of those bodyguards was the clan head himself — and that was one-on-one. If the two of them coordinated an assault…
Aside from me, I doubted anyone here could handle them.
"Your Majesty… it has been a long time."
"So it has. The last time I laid eyes on you was at my own coronation."
"Yogyeong is such a remote frontier that I have rarely had the honor of an audience. I beg Your Majesty's understanding."
"I know. I know full well the labor you expend guarding the kingdom's borders from this distant land, and I have no intention of faulting you for it."
The voice, the diction, the measured footsteps — all of it carried the unhurried ease of a true sovereign. He walked slowly inward with his bodyguards at his side.
"However, Your Majesty… about what was said a moment ago…"
"Ah, the investigation? On that point he is correct. Every member of the Moyong clan will submit to investigation."
"…"
The Emperor shrugged as if it were nothing of consequence. Exactly as I had declared. Exactly as he had just confirmed. Every last person of the Moyong clan would undergo investigation by the Yeom military.
"…Your Majesty. That is…"
"What is it? Do you object?"
"…Our Moyong clan takes pride in having never done anything that would shame the Flame. To demand an investigation of us under such circumstances strikes me as excessively harsh treatment of our house."
"Hmm… is that so? Very well, then. You need not submit to it."
…What?
I stared at the Emperor in pure disbelief. Our eyes met, and he gave me a small, amused smile before turning his gaze back to Moyong Muwoong and continuing in that same tranquil, unhurried tone.
"The National Assembly will convene soon, I expect."
"…Indeed."
"I intend to raise the matter there as well… but the Yeom clan means to declare full-scale war upon the Beastman Alliance."
"!"
War with the Beastman Alliance?
That caught even me off guard. I hadn't expected them to move this decisively against the Alliance.
"The Yeom clan cannot wage war against the Beastman Alliance alone. Therefore we shall request the cooperation of every martial sect and great family — under the name of the Flame."
A natural request. The Beastman Alliance was a bomb that could detonate at any moment; the last thing you wanted was extra variables. That meant every available force had to be brought to bear.
"But if that is the case, one thing must be made absolutely clear. Based on the intelligence our forces have gathered, every sect and family even slightly suspected of collusion with the Beastman Alliance will face a thorough investigation commensurate with that suspicion."
"…"
"I wonder whether they will still stand with you when that day comes."
"…Are you threatening me?"
At Moyong Muwoong's question, the Emperor's words cut off. He murmured, in a voice that had gone a shade colder, "A threat, is it…"
Then he began to laugh.
"Hahahahahahahahaha!!!!"
The mad, pealing laughter of a small emperor. No one present dared open their mouth. And when that laughter finally stopped, the Emperor of Yeom unleashed a pressure so razor-sharp it seemed impossible for such a young body to produce — a killing weight that flooded every direction at once.
"Is this a threat? If so, then were the words I spoke earlier not a threat? Are you telling me that the voices of those gathered under the name of the Flame frighten you more than a single word from the one who bears that name!! Moyong Muwoong!!!"
"!!"
A prickling chill raced down my spine.
"Ugh…"
"Hhk…"
"What is this?"
You are under the influence of Emperor's Dignity.
All stats temporarily reduced by 5%.
I could see Baekryeon and Seollin suffering under it — trembling like rabbits before a tiger, barely able to stay on their feet. And they weren't alone. Aside from the clan head and a handful of genuinely skilled warriors, everyone else was reacting the same way.
It had to be the effect of that Emperor's Dignity…
Even I'm taking a five-percent debuff. For everyone else, the stat drop must be massive.
"Answer me! Moyong Muwoong!! What is it that you fear!!! My words — or the voices of the others!!!! Bear in mind that the fate of the Moyong clan will be decided by your answer!!!"
Steel hissed. The bodyguards on either side of him drew their swords. As I'd already noted, both of them were near family-head caliber. If they decided to cut loose in earnest, the people here wouldn't be able to contain them.
"…I misspoke. I beg Your Majesty to set aside your anger."
"…If you wish to insult me personally, I do not care. Call me a half-baked emperor and I will accept it. But… do not insult the name of the Flame that I carry. Moyong Muwoong."
"I will remember Your Majesty's words."
…Yeah, who the hell said the Yeom Kingdom's forces were weak?
He just casually crushed a family head with sheer presence.
"Jaryong's Jang Cheon-woo — hear me."
"!"
"I have words I wish to share with you. Come with me. As for the rest of you — search every corner of the Moyong compound. If there is any circumstance that suggests ties to the Beastman Alliance, find it and bring it to light."
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
"…"
Slurp.
"The tea here is excellent."
After that little rampage, we had claimed an unused wing of the Moyong fortress and settled in for tea. More precisely, the only one drinking tea with any real leisure was the Emperor of Yeom. Seollin kept glancing at him, squirming as if the entire situation made her skin crawl. Baekryeon, fully aware of just how high-ranking their guest was, was reading the room carefully.
And honestly, so was I.
I'd name-dropped Jaryong more than a few times whenever things got inconvenient for me. If I was about to pay the price for that, I couldn't really complain. Well — I did have a few things I could say in my defense. I'd done plenty for the Yeom Kingdom, after all.
"You dislike tea?"
"I'm not in the mood to drink any."
"…You insolent—"
"Show proper respect to His Majesty. Foreign traveler."
Wow.
That was… genuinely terrifying.
The bodyguard behind him half-drew his weapon in a clear attempt at intimidation, but I don't flinch for people weaker than me, so I just gave him a thoroughly irritating look.
"Haha, no need for that. He is, after all, an important guest of state."
"…"
"Hero Leon. Is that correct?"
"You've looked into me, I see."
"I have. If that offends you, I apologize."
Well… it wasn't as if I'd been trying particularly hard to hide it, so I didn't really mind.
"I know the stories of the Heroes. Three beings chosen by the gods of the Western Continent — those who will cut down the demonic and bring a brilliant dawn to the world. That one such as you should be here in this moment… I sense a curious twist of fate in it."
"By 'this moment,' you mean the matter of the Beastman Alliance."
"Precisely."
On the very eve of war with the Beastman Alliance, I — a Hero — had arrived. Amusing fate, if you wanted to call it that.
"I heard of your deeds through Advisor Yang. That you possess formidable skill. That you swept away the pirates who had been such a thorn in our side… and that you crossed blades with Fukhaedaeseong and lived."
"…"
Ah. That one was a black mark on my record.
If I'd just been in better condition, I would have won that fight…
"…And so, for a man such as you — one who has already done so much for the Yeom Kingdom — I have a single request."
"!"
The Emperor of Yeom — the sovereign of that vast and mighty nation — bowed his head as he spoke.
"Help our Yeom Kingdom."