Chapter 81
Chapter 81
Iron Emperor — Chapter 81
Clang!
Even though Dupyo's movements were so fast they were almost impossible to follow with the naked eye, the blade that had surged in had already met his iron staff, throwing off sparks and producing a grating screech. A groan leaked from Dupyo's clenched jaw.
"Kh-hrk!"
But before Dupyo could regain his balance, a powerful kick slammed into his stomach with the sound of a leather drum and sent him flying into a corner.
Wham!
"Kwu-heok!"
Crash!
Dupyo crashed through a table and chairs, yet he sprang up like a nimble cat despite the considerable impact. The motion was so fast it belied his massive frame.
The iron staff was leveled again, and the standoff continued.
Dupyo's mouth opened roughly.
"God damn it. Are you trying to kill someone?!"
"Well, look at that. You've still got something to say?"
The man who'd dealt Dupyo that furious blow was none other than Gye Ung-sam. Unlike the seething Dupyo, Ung-sam had his longsword slung over his shoulder and answered curtly.
"That ain't how you treat a person! No matter how much you hate me, did you really think this Rebellious Sam Dupyo would just say 'Yes sir' and take it when you pull a cheap stunt about food?!"
"Rebellious Sam Dupyo?"
Ung-sam shot the question back at the pouting Dupyo as if the very idea was absurd, then gave a low laugh as he lowered the longsword from his shoulder and pointed its edge at the floor. It was Ung-sam's characteristic attack stance.
"Rebellious, huh. You're a famous screw-up in the unit, Samdopyo."
"Who're you calling a screw-up?!"
"Your own mouth proves it, doesn't it! Ha-yaaah!"
Ssskkt!
Clang!
Ung-sam's longsword rose low from the floor and flew toward Dupyo's waist; Dupyo angled his staff and deflected it obliquely. Even so, the impact shook the entire dining hall.
"Oho! Blocked it, did ya?"
"Hmph! Well, I was about to get cut in half; you think I wouldn't block it?!"
"Right. Good job. Keep blocking. Hup-yaah!"
Shing-shing-shing!
Flowing attacks as smooth as Ung-sam's words split the air toward Dupyo's entire body. Under Ung-sam's razor-sharp assault, Dupyo's hands were forced to move frantically.
"Issa-sa-sa!"
CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!
"Hoh?"
Ung-sam let out a sound that could have been admiration for Dupyo's skill in deflecting his attacks, or maybe mockery. Seizing the moment, Dupyo swung his staff as if to smash Ung-sam to pieces.
Whoosh!
"Up-ya!"
Ung-sam smoothly stepped back and dodged; Dupyo's staff completed a full rotation and then thrust forward in a long lunge.
"Well, well. Now you're attacking?"
"The best defense is a good offense!"
Dupyo's desperate resistance filled Ung-sam's face with delight. And the rest of the party simply watched it all unfold like spectators at a fire across the river.
Rattle!
What broke their standoff was the sound of a door crashing open. The door flew wide and armed knights poured in; the knight at the front shouted as if to stop their fight.
"Cease this!"
"Shut it!"
"......."
But all that came back was a single word from Ung-sam. Whatever thoughts Ung-sam had entertained when he first entered the dining hall had long since flown away; he was fully absorbed in pressing his blade at Dupyo.
When the newcomers kept on fighting as if the knights and him were all fools, a knight in ornate armor yelled, his voice laced with fury.
"Force this rabble to their knees at once!"
Thwack!
Thud.
"Baronet Hymen!"
"Baronet!"
The furious cry was cut off midair as Ung-sam's thrown chair struck its target.
Shing!
"No need to capture them—kill them all!"
A knight who had drawn his sword shouted through gritted teeth, and from all around, swords were drawn and knights began charging. The sparks flew into Ung-sam's and Dupyo's eyes as well. Then the two of them, as if they had planned it, shouted simultaneously.
"Let's break these bastards first!"
The moment the two voices became one—
The dining hall turned into utter chaos.
"What is this guy?"
Over a dozen knights were sprawled across the floor in every direction, and against one wall, the Lord God's priest, Palo II, had been dragged in as a captive. When Gye Ung-sam spoke, irritation plain in his face, Samdopyo, behind him, carefully interjected.
"Uh, whatever he was—some sort of cult, it looked like."
"Hmm."
As Dupyo rubbed his bruised eye and spoke, Ung-sam surveyed the Holy Knights strewn everywhere.
Ornate armor.
Organized bearing. Ung-sam realized it then.
'We're screwed.'
They were supposed to avoid causing any trouble. Yet even a cursory glance told him they had just smashed the place on a massive scale. Leaving aside Dupyo's muttering about cults, this was clearly too big an incident to simply brush off.
"Hey, Yuwol."
"Yes!"
"Go outside and bring back a cart or two."
"What?"
Even after Ung-sam gave the order, Gang Yuwol just blinked, not understanding the meaning. Dupyo shook his head as if exasperated and cut in.
"Ah, can't you tell? He's gonna haul these bastards off and bury 'em!"
"Gah!"
Dupyo's words struck the back of Ung-sam's skull and simultaneously made a warm steam rise from the crotch of the terrified Priest Palo. Wrapping one hand around his throbbing head, Ung-sam added another worry.
'Maybe I should bury this one, too.'
Even if they did bury them, it was supposed to be handled quietly—but now every bystander had heard it, which put him in a bind.
"Bury what! Is this restaurant open or not?!"
"Ah, you meant that?"
"Meant that?"
When Dupyo casually dropped the honorifics, the corners of Ung-sam's eyes began to creep upward again, and Dupyo, who had just been beaten senseless, had no choice but to shut his mouth. After asking some onlookers where a healer was located, they loaded the twenty-odd knights onto two carts and headed up into the hills behind the town.
Was there a healer up in the hills?
Of course there wasn't. Ung-sam had asked purely for the sake of appearances. At least if someone had seen him ask, disposing of the knights would be less likely to be discovered.
Dim evening twilight.
Scrape. Shk-shk. Shk-shk.
The careful sound of metal and earth grinding together echoed through the mountain.
"Hoo."
"Mmph-mmph-mmmph!"
"Ah, the damn bastards are thrashing around."
Twenty-odd sturdy men were buried in the earth up to their necks, gags in their mouths, struggling desperately.
"I told you, hold still. You think being buried here kills you?"
Dupyo grumbled as he tapped their heads with an irritated air. Because it was close to the city, this area saw few monsters or wild beasts. In short, the probability of being rescued was high.
"This feels messy. Wouldn't it be better to just kill them all?"
Gang Yuwol said quietly toward Gye Ung-sam, who was standing to one side. Ung-sam also wore a slightly uneasy expression, but then he shook his head and replied.
"Too many people saw them to kill them....... We just need to buy some time. We only have to get to the capital, do our business, and give Sara enough time anyway."
"Tsk. Feels uneasy."
"If it weren't for that bastard......."
Ung-sam's eyes turned toward Dupyo, who was off to the side hanging Priest Palo from a tree. But Ung-sam's look soon shifted to curiosity.
"What are you doing?"
"Ah, well, if you're gonna do it, you might as well make it fun."
"......."
Chuckling, Dupyo finished stringing Priest Palo up at a suitable height, then pulled a piece of jerky from his shirt. Next he loosened Priest Palo's belt and pulled down his pants, leaving him hanging in a somewhat unsightly state.
"Heh-heh-heh."
"Is that bastard always like this?"
"Sometimes."
Dupyo tied the jerky to Priest Palo's dangling member(?) with a string. Most likely, small wild animals would gather to nibble(?) at the jerky, and Priest Palo, still hanging, would be forced to witness his own symbol dangling precariously. At the sight, Ung-sam shook his head and called the party together.
"We're heading back down now. And all of this is to be kept strictly quiet."
"Yes."
When the party answered quietly, Ung-sam nodded, then looked at the soldier he still couldn't quite trust.
"Dupyo."
"Yes!"
"Once we're back inside, you're getting another round."
"......."
For some reason, Dupyo felt the bruise around his one eye throbbing even more fiercely.
The moment Samdopyo's escape escapade came to an end, the party's departure began. Barely a day and a half after they set out, Gye Ung-sam's group arrived at the capital. They clicked their tongues in wonder at the unexpectedly splendid city. Of course, a city like Pyongyang Fortress possessed greater grandeur, but splendid? Somehow that was different.
There was a difference.
The scenery even produced a sense of alienation from the landscapes they had seen up until now. Taking it all in, they slowly entered the city and took lodging at an inn while the procedures to enter the royal palace were carried out. In any case, only Baron Gowin would be entering the palace, so there was no need for the rest of them to move.
"So I'll grant you free time. Do not—under any circumstances—cause trouble. This is the capital, so be careful. Keep in mind why we're here: gather detailed rumors, news, and information. You're each to conduct your own intelligence collection."
"Yes."
"Especially! You."
"Hmph. Why're you picking on me again?!"
When Ung-sam pointed his finger at him, Dupyo flared his nostrils and bellowed like a man falsely accused.
"So now you've taken up mountaineering?"
"What're you talking about?!"
"I'm saying—where do you get off climbing up like that?"
"......."
Dupyo, chastened by Ung-sam's murderous glare, became the very picture of a meek lamb. Still not fully trusting the result, Ung-sam specifically assigned Gang Yuwol—the most meticulous of the party—to stick with Dupyo. And so their exploration of the Haian Kingdom's capital began.
"Well now, this is different. Way too different."
Gye Ung-sam surveyed the buildings and frowned. Beside him, Mu Handae, who had been following quietly, cautiously spoke up.
"General, what is it that you are referring to......."
"Handae."
"Yes."
"From the outside, they look ornate. But take a closer look."
Ung-sam clicked his tongue and pointed at the surrounding buildings. All of them were splendid, yet within that splendor one could find something awkward.
"The architectural style of the buildings looks somewhat inconsistent."
"Right."
At Handae's words, Ung-sam nodded as if in agreement. Then Handae added one more remark.
"Moreover, they're different from the building styles we've seen during our travels up to now."
"Exactly. In a word, to my eyes, it looks like a country on the path to ruin."
"Pardon?"
When Ung-sam clicked his tongue and said that, Handae turned his head as if he didn't understand. At that, Ung-sam chuckled and began to explain.
"Handae, have you ever seen buildings belonging to the Tang people or the westerners in our Gauri capital? Have you ever even seen buildings from Hwehwa-guk there?"
"No."
"Right. Our Gauri was also a center of trade, but foreign buildings didn't occupy our capital. Various outside influences might come in, but that was because we were in a position of relative strength. But if you're not absorbing those influences—if you've been occupied by them—then it becomes a problem. Look over there. No matter how many foreign influences come in through trade, what kind of state is this? Did they sell off their own country's buildings somewhere and stuff their faces?...... This is practically conquering a country without lifting a finger."
It was a moment when the breadth of Ung-sam's learning—and his wide-ranging view of the world—was fully displayed. A voice full of admiration came from behind at such eloquence.
"It shames me, but you've hit the mark exactly, Sir Gerard."
"Ah? Baron Gowin!"
Standing behind them was Baron Gowin, wearing a bitter smile. No matter how correct the words, a discourtesy was still a discourtesy. Ung-sam laughed awkwardly and began to speak.
"It seems I've said something I shouldn't have."
"No. I, too, have often thought that I wish this country would change."
Looking at the buildings and the people passing by, Baron Gowin continued with a blunt face.
"But this nation—wedged between great powers, unable to do this or that......."
At the sudden shift in atmosphere, Ung-sam quietly studied Baron Gowin. The face of Sir Rainman, who stood at attention behind the baron, had also fallen into a deep gloom.
"Perhaps because I'm getting older, I find my confidence draining away."
"......."
"And now, even the strength to start again......."
The image of Baron Gowin, utterly sapped of strength, was like an eagle with broken wings.
"Hahaha, I've spoken out of turn. I'll go on ahead. Rainman, you escort Sir Gerard and his party and show them around. I'll return to the inn first."
"Yes."
Rainman's quiet reply—and the wing-broken eagle trudging away dejectedly....... Ung-sam's eyes sank deeper than ever before. Whatever the circumstances, the man had been a likable figure. Ung-sam watched Baron Gowin's retreating back, then turned toward Rainman. The knight, still deeply somber, was the only window who could resolve Ung-sam's questions.
"What happened?"
"Kh-hrk."
At Ung-sam's words, the loyal knight Rainman, who had been watching his lord's departing figure, burst into tears. The sudden outburst left Ung-sam—the one who had asked the question—at a loss.
"This won't do. Let's go to that tavern over there."
They took the sobbing Rainman and went inside the tavern, then rented a private room to avoid the eyes of others.