Chapter 23
Chapter 23
The Iron Emperor — Chapter 23
Chapter 7: A Place You Cannot Go, a Place You Must Live
Screeeech.
"Meal's here."
"Say, Beron!"
Amid the racket and the smell of food, Beron entered the mud-walled hut where the people brought in that day were being held and handed out meals. In the middle of it, Hawk called out to him.
"Hawk, eat your meal first."
"What's going to happen to us?"
They weren't a subjugation force, but they were still locked up. No matter how well they were being treated, the situation hadn't improved. As if he understood exactly how Hawk felt, Beron let out a small sigh.
"Well... I don't rightly know myself. Still, there's something I wanted to say to you, so I came during my rest time."
"What is it?"
Hawk's eyes lit up at Beron's words, a flicker of hope kindled. And the men around him cautiously gathered closer.
"Earlier, I explained our situation to you."
"You did."
Hawk, too, had understood from what Beron had told him — the choice between being a slave or taking up the sword. Beron shook his head slightly at Hawk's gleaming eyes and spoke again.
"But the person I know is rather... how should I put it... an impulsive man."
"Impulsive?"
The man Beron was talking about was surely Go Jin-cheon. When Hawk echoed the word impulsive, Beron nodded with a wry smile.
"Simply put, it was to see our state of mind. A kind of test, you see. But you can't say his actions are predictable. In any case, his position and ours are different. You know a thing or two about nobles, don't you?"
"Right..."
The word noble made Hawk's face fall. From a noble's standpoint, slash-and-burn farmers like themselves were worth less than serfs. Knowing it all too well, Hawk's expression couldn't help but darken.
"Ha ha ha! But you needn't look like a condemned man."
Beron laughed heartily and clapped him on the shoulder. At that, Hawk lifted his head.
"Of course, it's true. But he's certainly a different sort of noble than the ones we know. I can't say what he means to do, but if he does take you in, the folk from your village will be able to live decent lives. Protected by solid military strength, I mean, with the joy of having a chance to defend your families with your own hands."
"I still don't quite see it."
"Show him what you most earnestly desire. He may seem like a nobleman, but when it comes to judging people, he seems to see sincerity. Don't try to deceive him. And show him what you want most. That is one possibility that might find favor with him."
"A possibility..."
"Well, I'll be going now."
"Take care."
Hawk slowly rose and watched Beron's back as he walked out, unable to say anything more. All he could do was mumble to himself the words that seemed to hold the key.
Screeeech.
Clunk.
"Something earnest. Sincerity and possibility."
They were hungry, but the men trapped in here didn't even think about touching the food, sinking instead into silence.
"And then?"
"And then, determined to at least warn you, I hacked every last one of those pursuers to pieces and ran all the way here."
"And then?"
Before Go Jin-cheon, Ung-sam was reporting everything that had happened, mixing in his own tales of heroism. Whatever the outcome, Ung-sam's actions had been the right ones. It was clear he'd done his best. But the deep furrow between Jin-cheon's brows showed no sign of smoothing out.
"W-well, of course, had I arrived a single day sooner, we could've fought the war more easily, but to do that..."
"And then?"
How could Ung-sam not know that Jin-cheon's mood was foul when he saw the Chinese character for river (川) carved between his brows?
Ung-sam poured out a desperate defense, but Jin-cheon's knitted brow would not relax. In that state, Jin-cheon's mouth slowly opened.
"A mutant monster attacked us..."
"And then?"
"W-well, that is..."
"And so... you abandoned the wagons and came?"
"Huh?"
Ung-sam, who'd been explaining why he was late, rounded his eyes at Jin-cheon's unexpected question.
"You mean you just chucked away everything you bought with the money scraped together over months selling hides and the like?"
"...."
"If you'd done the sensible thing and hidden them well before coming, we could've retrieved them even now."
"Yes."
Jin-cheon... was aggrieved about the goods they'd left behind. Ung-sam, who'd been barking up the wrong tree and giving an earnest explanation, had no choice but to hang his head low. Then he muttered in a voice tinged with resentment.
"If it weren't for that bastard Alvin, or whatever his name is..."
At that muttered remark, Jin-cheon's eyes began to glint.
"Whi."
"Yes."
"Bring the pants-wetter."
"What?"
"The one called Alvin, or whatever."
The arrow of Jin-cheon's fury was aimed squarely at Baron Alvin.
A short while later, the soldiers dragged in the captured Baron Alvin. As time had passed, he seemed to have regained some degree of composure and looked slightly calmer than he had at first.
"Hmm, Risel."
"Yes, go ahead."
"The item."
"...."
Risel had the distinct feeling that the demand frequency for the Interpretation Ring was increasing, but there was nothing to be done about it.
When he gave the ring to Go Jin-cheon, Jin-cheon threaded it onto a cord and hung it around Baron Alvin's neck like a necklace. It seemed that way made it easier to understand on this side.
"Repeat after me. Interpretation."
"......?"
After fastening the translation ring around Baron Alvin's neck, Jin-cheon spoke in a low tone, but Baron Alvin only blinked his eyes.
Thwack!
"Gahk."
"Interpretation."
"I-interpretation!"
Spare the rod and spoil the child.
After one kick, Baron Alvin grasped what Jin-cheon meant. As he shouted the Activation Word aloud, light flared and the ring began functioning.
"What is the meaning of this! How dare you treat a noble of the kingdom this way! Do you not know that international law expressly stipulates that a noble taken prisoner must be treated according to his rank!"
"...."
Here was a man who'd pissed himself in terror on the battlefield, and after one kick he was kicking up a fuss — he seemed to have a poor memory or a poor head. Jin-cheon furrowed his brow, then turned to Risel beside him.
"Is he right?"
"Yes, he is."
"Good. We'll treat him accordingly."
When Jin-cheon nodded, Baron Alvin began to harbor a thread of hope.
"If you return me even now, I shall give you 1,000 Gold as ransom. Furthermore, I shall petition His Majesty the King for autonomous rights over this region."
"1,000 Gold? Autonomous rights?"
"Indeed!"
When Jin-cheon smiled and echoed back, Baron Alvin practically shouted as though he'd give away his own liver. Jin-cheon, having heard about the value of money while coming and going from cities, nodded as if his interest were piqued.
"Hmm. Autonomous rights... We do need a place to settle down comfortably..."
Jin-cheon's self-muttering leaked out. Baron Alvin caught the words and spoke up as if to tempt him.
"As I see it, you all seem to lack affiliation. I am also willing to take you under my wing, of course. And the rewards will be generous indeed... ahem."
"Under your wing? You bastard, anything that falls out of your trap of a mouth counts as words, huh!"
"Ee... eeek!"
"Stick your skull out here! Let's see if I can split it open."
"Wh-why are you doing this?"
When Buru could no longer stand it and began brandishing his great axe, Baron Alvin yelped and collapsed backward. But Jin-cheon quickly raised one arm and checked Buru's action, and only then could Baron Alvin calm his startled heart.
"Don't be rude to Baron Alvin."
"But—!"
"Sit."
When Jin-cheon fixed Buru with a steady glare, as if he were being unjustly wronged and bursting with indignation, Buru could offer no further retort. He simply bowed his head and fumed. Then Jin-cheon once again addressed Baron Alvin, this time in a composed tone, posing a question as if to confirm.
"You said you would take us in?"
"Th-that's right! I'll give you the finest treatment!"
"Hmm."
As Jin-cheon sank into deliberation, color began to return to Baron Alvin's face. If he played this right, the thought that he might not only escape this situation but also get his hands on these elite soldiers began to flash through his mind.
This was an age of upheaval and war. If your military strength was great, you had a chance to rise higher.
The deliberating Jin-cheon raised his head.
"Remove his restraints."
"Huh?"
"I said, remove Baron Alvin's restraints."
Uru, who'd been tilting his head at Jin-cheon's order, undid the bindings. At once, Baron Alvin's face began to brighten.
"Baron Alvin, I apologize for the trouble we've caused you."
"Ha... ha ha ha! Not at all. If it means gaining a man of talent such as yourself, I could endure even greater hardship. Is that not the very virtue of a lord? Ha ha ha ha!"
"I give thanks for your boundless magnanimity. However... there is in truth one thing that concerns me."
"A concern?"
At Jin-cheon's worried expression, Baron Alvin shot back a question with an urgent look.
"What sort of concern? What is it!"
"The truth is, though my subordinates possess outstanding skill, I worry that if we go to Your Lordship's domain they may clash with the existing soldiers."
"Worry not about that! In any case, the domain now has only the Security Unit. Apart from them, there will be no one to antagonize you. Moreover, I personally oversee the Security Unit, so even that will pose no problem."
Jin-cheon's face brightened as he asked Baron Alvin again.
"Is that so? Then what of the soldiers?"
"Soldiers? All you do is conscript the common folk and shove a spear into their hands. How could they dare treat elite warriors such as yourselves carelessly!"
"And if this force arrives suddenly, provisions will also be something of a problem."
"Ha ha ha ha! I told you not to worry. My mansion is fully prepared. If I'm not mistaken, there'll be enough stockpiled to sustain this force for over half a year."
At Baron Alvin's kind explanation, Jin-cheon nodded with a satisfied smile.
"Excellent! Thank you for your words. For now, go and rest."
"Ha ha ha! How about a drink on such a day!"
"Rest today, and let's do so tomorrow."
"Heh heh heh!"
As Baron Alvin's laughter resounded, Jin-cheon smiled back at him and retrieved the translation ring. Then, still wearing a smile, he handed the ring over to Risel and gave Buru a command.
"Escort him to where only the able-bodied men among the confined slash-and-burn farmers are."
"Got it."
"Master! He might get beaten to death."
When Risel spoke up urgently, sensing the situation might blow up, Jin-cheon let out a snicker and spoke.
"Did the slash-and-burn farmers we brought look that bold to you?"
"But still..."
"If he dies, what of it. That's his own lot."
Having grasped Jin-cheon's intent within the exchange with Risel, Buru wore an amused smile.
"Heh heh heh, got it."
"Ha ha ha, fine! (Ha ha ha, well done!)"
Not understanding the back-and-forth conversation, Baron Alvin even waved his hand at Jin-cheon's and Buru's smiles as he was escorted back outside. Once Baron Alvin had gone, Jin-cheon's expression turned icy as he summoned Hwi-garam.
"Whi, we'll set out at dawn the day after tomorrow. Make preparations."
"Yes."
"Master, no — what about the soldiers!"
"What about them."
When Risel grew flustered again, Jin-cheon spoke in a gruff tone.
"We need to collect the principal and interest on the wagons that the Gurajaengi bastard got robbed of. Didn't that wretch himself just say there's no further military force in his domain?"
"Ah!"
Now Risel understood Jin-cheon's actions. In addition, Jin-cheon explained as if appending a note.
"Besides, I've heard the whole country is in an uproar over war preparations. And they're even pulling troops away to sell off to other nations, so they'll have neither the strength nor the occasion to pay any mind to a remote place like this. If that's the case, we can hardly sit still."
"That's right. What's more, if this Alvin fellow managed the Security Unit personally..."
Following the explanation of the current situation, Hwi-garam added as if picking up the thread. Once Hwi-garam's additional remark ended, the left corner of Jin-cheon's mouth crept upward.
"The fun of war is in the plunder."
"...."
Unlike the dazed Risel, Jin-cheon's face transformed into that of a mischievous boy with a grand bit of fun just ahead of him.