Chapter 153
Chapter 153
Iron Emperor — Chapter 153
— Weak, yet strong beings.......
The Gold Dragon spoke in a serene voice, like that of a transcendent being, as it watched the Gauri army charge toward it like a colony of ants.
— So those who left this place in ancient times have returned.
The sound of hoofbeats, footfalls, and arrows mingled together, yet the Gold Dragon's voice was clear.
The Gold Dragon gazed at the red Samjoko Flag held in Eulji Buru's hand, its eyes deep and profound.
— The descendants of the Divine Bird...... on the day they return to this land.
At the head of the charge, Go Jin-cheon's eyes met those of the Gold Dragon.
— The wheel of history that has stood still shall turn again.
KABOOM!
With those words, the golden form shot up into the sky. An immense gust swept over everything, and every man charging forward raised his eyes to the Gold Dragon soaring into the heavens.
As if streaking toward the sun, the Gold Dragon continued to climb higher and higher, leaving its final words as a last message for all who stood there.
— Henceforth, the guardianship of the Reganza Mountains I leave to you, Descendants of Han.
* * *
Elder Jang, the Stone Trio, and Haidia, who had come to a halt the moment the Gold Dragon took flight, could not tear their eyes away until the dragon became a speck and vanished.
"You passed the test."
Haidia's inscrutable words snapped them back to their senses. Hwain Stone's face took on the look of a man who'd just been struck on the back of the head, and his voice trembled as he spoke.
"Then the legend......."
The other two dwarves' eyes flew open wide as well. Haidia simply answered them with a quiet smile.
"Tch, lot of work piled up."
Elder Jang paid their astonishment no mind, turned his mount, and headed back toward their dwelling.
"Oh! Master, let me go with you!"
Galling Stone scrambled after Elder Jang, shouting.
* * *
Go Jin-cheon, who had been staring at the spot where that absolute being had disappeared, slowly turned his horse. Tens of thousands of eyes that had been gazing up at the sky lowered their sights one by one and fixed on Jin-cheon.
"Withdraw."
The short command fell. Then the joyful voices of Eulji Uru and Buru roused the men.
"All forces, withdraw!"
"Whoa-aaaaah!"
At that cry, Hailon was the very first to let out a shout of pure joy. He was a mess of tears and snot, a sorry sight, but no one would ever call him a coward now. He was already a small hero. And then a cheer that shook the world erupted.
Amidst the roar of celebration, Jin-cheon rode forward and saw Dae Mu-deok bearing down on him, kicking up an enormous cloud of dust. He could hear Mu-deok's bellowing, too.
"All troops, advance and charge!"
At that voice, Yeon Hwi-garam, his face pale, urged his horse up beside Jin-cheon and tossed out a remark.
"It seems Dae Mu-deok had quite a lot pent up."
Jin-cheon urged Gangsoe forward, snorted a short laugh, and shot Hwi-garam's words right back at him.
"Showed up that late — think he even got a chance to let any of it out?"
"Isn't that a classic case of beating the drum after the war's over?"
"Puhahahaha!"
At Eulji Buru's clowning, everyone's laughter burst out.
Now, they had arrived at their homeland.
Chapter 46 — Homecoming After Ten Thousand Years
As Go Jin-cheon and the soldiers entered the capital, they were swallowed up by the flood of people who poured out to welcome them and erupted into joyful laughter. The survivors locked in embraces with their families, and those who received the keepsakes of the fallen collapsed where they stood, weeping with grief and remorse.
There is no such thing as a war without death.
The voices of welcome and blessing that greeted the returning victors far outweighed any sounds of resentment. On top of that, the men who had faced the Gold Dragon itself and come back unscathed had become the heroes of legend.
"You have returned."
The words came from the wet nurse, who had come out in front of the Yeolje Hall — now nearly fully constructed — to greet Go Jin-cheon. Jin-cheon's gaze drifted toward Eulji, who stood clutching the nurse's finger and staring blankly up at him.
Her jet-black eyes and plump, chubby cheeks were adorable. The nurse gave little Eulji a gentle nudge forward.
She was nearly three years old, but her steps were still a bit unsteady. As Eulji tottered forward, pushed out in front, Jin-cheon dismounted from Gangsoe and slowly approached.
And a short while later, everyone could hear a sound more terrifying than a dragon's roar: the wail of a crying child.
After that disastrous first meeting with Eulji, Jin-cheon sat upon the Throne of Yeolje with a crumpled expression as the commanders who had finished reuniting with their families filed in. But an unfamiliar sight snagged in his eyes.
"Abba."
"Uru-ruru, peek-a-boo!"
"You bastard, why're you calling my name out of nowhere like that, and so careless about it?!"
Eulji Buru was holding a babbling baby, his whole face aglow with laughter, while beside him, Eulji Uru was scolding him even as he gazed tenderly at the child, clearly smitten.
"Keum."
Two deep furrows carved themselves into Jin-cheon's brow.
'Why isn't she crying.'
That was exactly why Jin-cheon's mood was souring. The baby cradled in Buru's arms was beaming an innocent smile, babbling "Abba" over and over.
"Abba?"
Jin-cheon suddenly shot up from the Throne of Yeolje.
Before Go Jin-cheon's eyes appeared Eulji Buru, grinning as though he were the proudest man alive, and beside him, Sara, her head bowed as if in shy embarrassment.
"......."
"Isn't he beautiful? He's the spitting image of me!"
Between Buru's cheeky grin and Sara's bashfulness — two things that did not match at all — Jin-cheon could only remain silent.
"First, let's hold the ceremony we missed."
"Got it!"
Seeing Buru's face spread into a beaming smile, Jin-cheon gestured as if to tell him to go. Buru, showing at least a sliver of tact, paid his respects, then turned to leave. A parting word from Jin-cheon followed at his back.
"Raise him well."
"Thank you."
Buru glanced back over his shoulder just enough to catch the faint smile tugging at the corner of Jin-cheon's mouth. Once he had left, Yeon Hwi-garam approached and spoke.
"Buru seems happy."
"......It's a son, so at least there's that."
"Haha......."
Hwi-garam laughed awkwardly at Jin-cheon's words.
Jin-cheon studied the chuckling Hwi-garam carefully. Even his eyebrows had gone completely white. With his hair beyond mere gray, almost silver in appearance, Jin-cheon wore a bittersweet smile as he opened his mouth.
"Your body?"
"It's fine."
He'd been worried about Hwi-garam's condition.
As if he knew exactly what Jin-cheon was feeling, Hwi-garam answered with the same calm smile as before. Jin-cheon then let out a short laugh and tossed out a joke.
"Overnight, your hair's turned even whiter than Dae Mu-deok's."
"Hoo. Because of this hair, things have been a bit trying for me lately."
"What?"
At Hwi-garam's grumbling, Jin-cheon's eyes widened slightly, a look that asked if some problem had arisen.
But Hwi-garam paid no mind to Jin-cheon's concerned expression and continued.
"This silver-white hair is a rare color even on the continent, so it's become rather popular with the young ladies here — to a degree that it's become quite an inconvenience."
"......."
Crack.
The sound of bones grinding together popped from Jin-cheon's fist. At that, Hwi-garam slowly began to back away and disappeared.
One day had passed since Go Jin-cheon and his army returned.
The shock of the previous day still lingered, but his nature was not one to dwell on such things.
He had not yet received Dae Mu-deok's report and had not been able to look over how the nation was running, but even at a glance, he could feel that it had transformed enormously.
The villages and cities completely encircling Reganza's central lake were gradually taking shape, one by one, and the newly arrived people were rapidly settling in with help from those who had established themselves earlier.
"Your Majesty! I believe you should come see this in person!"
Seeing Dae Mu-deok dash over, his graying hair flying behind him, a look of puzzlement crossed Jin-cheon's eyes. Hadn't they agreed that detailed reports would wait until he'd rested for a while?
"What is it?"
A complex expression was etched onto Mu-deok's face. Which meant there was something too delicate for him to handle on his own. At Jin-cheon's question, Mu-deok caught his breath and began to explain.
"Well, it's......."
After listening to Dae Mu-deok's account, Jin-cheon went inside the main hall, took his seat upon the Throne of Yeolje, and waited for the guests. This place was still unknown to the outside world, which made any visitors who found it all the more extraordinary.
"Hmm."
As the three figures — two women and a man — entered the hall, following behind Mu-deok, a short, involuntary note of interest slipped from Jin-cheon's mouth.
Hair as black as ebony, eyes as black as night.
For the first time since arriving on the continent, he had met a people who, aside from the Gauri themselves, physically resembled them.
The two warriors flanking the woman at their head, as if in attendance, also had black hair and black eyes that did not differ greatly from the Gauri people.
The Northern Mercenaries also had black hair, but whenever their hair was black, their eyes were blue, and whenever their eyes were black, their hair was brown or mixed with yellow.
One might say they gave off the feeling of being mixed-blood. But the three figures who had now arrived before Jin-cheon's eyes did not appear to differ greatly from the Gauri. Not that they could be completely identical, of course.
"Your Majesty, Supreme One of All Heavens, I, Thorn Bird, Saintess of the Sun Tribe, offer my respects."
"Northerners?"
"That is correct."
The woman, who had clearly been tutored in proper etiquette beforehand, prostrated herself with a grace that carried an air of dignity. Hearing the format of her name, Jin-cheon knew at once that she was a Northerner.
The Saintess of the Northerners.
He had thought of the Northerners as people who merely lived as mercenaries. That they had a leader was a startling thing.
Naturally, Jin-cheon was surprised, but so were Risel and Gowin, who had arrived late to the hall. He'd expected Risel and Gowin to know the details, but they were the ones looking shocked instead.
Jin-cheon noticed that the gaze of the being called the Saintess was fixed not on him but on something behind him, and he turned his head. There, the Samjoko Flag — their very symbol — was planted.
Jin-cheon returned his gaze to them and asked.
"You know of the Samjoko?"
At his question, the Saintess nodded to the warrior who had accompanied her as her escort. The Northerner then removed his upper garment and turned around.
On his copper-toned back, a tattoo was etched. The shape differed slightly, but the black bird with three legs was unmistakably a Samjoko.
The sight astonished not only Jin-cheon but also Hwi-garam, Mu-deok, and all the other Gauri present. A guard from behind Jin-cheon dashed over, inspected the tattoo, and spoke in a trembling voice.
"This is clearly not a recently applied tattoo — it appears to have been inked in childhood!"
"How......."
Mu-deok's stunned voice trailed off. Jin-cheon quietly closed his eyes.
"The divine bird Trikan! It was Trikan!"
The voice that suddenly burst out belonged to none other than Risel.
Shock was written across his face, which had been clouded like an invalid's since the day before yesterday. And though no one had asked him, he began to recite quickly.
"In the beginning, the sun's messenger descended and delivered a revelation to humanity, and the god's proxy was a great bird with a black body and three legs. Its name was Trikan! A name that was forgotten when the Ancients were betrayed in this world and departed!"
While Risel stood trembling, Jin-cheon recalled the words the dragon had shouted as it departed.
— The descendants of the Divine Bird...... on the day they return to this land.
— The wheel of history that has stood still shall turn again.
The Gold Dragon's voice echoed once more inside Jin-cheon's mind, his eyes still closed. And the tales of the Ancients he had heard from Risel when they first arrived here....... All of it connected, like one single story.
Jin-cheon's closed eyes opened.
"Not a coincidence, then...... but inevitability."
Though spoken softly, the words were clearly audible in the ears of every person in the hall.
The Saintess, Thorn Bird, knelt before him and spoke in a quiet voice.
"Those who departed beyond the Season of Depravity shall return; the ruined history will find its true form again, and the path that strayed shall be corrected and set right once more. On the day the divine bird returns from the sun, those who were left behind, seek your homeland......."
Hearing her words, Jin-cheon slowly asked in return.
"What is that?"
The Saintess answered Jin-cheon's question in a composed voice.
"It is a passage handed down to the Saintesses through generations. If it is indeed true, then for us who left this place, it will be a homecoming after ten thousand years."
"Return. This land will be your home."
Jin-cheon left those words behind and rose without any further questions. Walking away slowly, he added one more remark without looking back.
"I consider legends to be only legends. From now on, do not chase after the legends left behind — instead, let us make a new history. Here in Gauri."
They were Jin-cheon's final instructions as he vanished outside the hall. And the Saintess and her party remained, bowing their heads deeply in the direction he had disappeared.