Chapter 33
Chapter 33
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 33
Chapter Title: Taming
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The next morning, Yi Hwan sought out Paeng Mu-wi once more.
Though Paeng Mu-wi had been summoned repeatedly before, he had no choice but to answer the call.
To him, it was enough to drive him mad with rage.
‘Damn that bastard, why again...’
Paeng Mu-wi stormed into Yi Hwan’s tent with a furious expression. But the moment he entered, he composed his face.
“Are you inside?”
“Yes. Come in.”
Paeng Mu-wi took a quiet breath and stepped inside. The first thing that caught his eye was a teacup with steam rising gently from it.
“You summoned me?”
“Sit.”
Paeng Mu-wi sat across from Yi Hwan.
“I heard quite a few of your people have arrived.”
“Yes. To replenish our lost forces, more warriors were sent from the capital.”
“Do they not know I’m here, or are they ignoring me despite knowing?”
“...Pardon?”
“They should have come to pay their respects first.”
“...”
Paeng Mu-wi recalled Young Ho-chung’s mutterings from the night before.
*It seems they haven’t paid respects to the Great Prince.*
‘No way, is this about that too...?’
A sudden wave of unease surged through Paeng Mu-wi.
He strongly suspected Yi Hwan would use this as an excuse to run rampant.
Hadn’t this man cut off the arms of warriors just for injuring Cha Jung-kyeong?
Paeng Mu-wi lowered his head.
“I apologize. They must have been fatigued from the long journey and forgotten to observe proper etiquette toward the Great Prince. I will reprimand them sternly.”
“Those fatigued men seemed to have enough stamina left to converse with you at length?”
‘How does he know that?’
Paeng Mu-wi flinched.
‘Was he watching our tent?’
“General.”
“Yes, Great Prince.”
“I am a man who considers any who dare ignore me as insulting the imperial family—and by extension, outraging His Majesty.”
“...!”
Paeng Mu-wi’s face stiffened rigidly. Yi Hwan’s demeanor confirmed his uneasy premonition was coming true.
“Deputy General.”
“Yes, Great Prince.”
“What punishment is fitting for those who outrage His Majesty and insult the imperial family?”
At Yi Hwan’s question, Song Hoe replied in a firm tone as if he’d been waiting.
“Depending on the circumstances, execution is possible.”
Yi Hwan nodded silently, then fixed his gaze on Paeng Mu-wi.
“What is that man’s rank in the Golden Imperial Guards?”
“Deputy Overseer.”
“Deputy General.”
“Yes, Great Prince.”
“Can the Golden Imperial Guards’ Deputy Overseer be punished to what extent?”
“Would a mere Deputy Overseer matter? Execution is fully possible depending on the circumstances.”
The two were perfectly in sync.
“...!”
Paeng Mu-wi’s eyes widened in shock.
“Her Majesty the Empress sent him here personally. Though he was rude to the Great Prince, execution would be excessive.”
Yi Hwan’s gaze turned icy cold.
“You mean forgive him because the Empress sent him?”
“I merely spoke in hopes of your leniency. Please do not misconstrue my words, Great Prince.”
Yi Hwan fell silent for a moment.
That time felt like an eternity to Paeng Mu-wi.
“Very well. For the sake of the General’s face, I’ll let it pass this once. But if anything like this happens again, the Left General will bear the responsibility.”
“Thank you, Great Prince. I will ensure it never happens again.”
“And a warning: never mention the Empress or the Second Prince in my presence again. Understood?”
“...I will keep it in mind.”
“You may go.”
* * *
Song Hoe smiled.
“He looked as disciplined as a new recruit. Watching it was truly refreshing for me.”
“It’s the effect of constantly summoning the Left General these past days. Repeated scoldings instill more fear than a single outburst. Of course, the subject doesn’t realize it. In a word, it’s taming.”
“I had no idea that was your intent. By the way, why did they send the Golden Imperial Guards? This isn’t their place.”
“By that logic, the Moon Pavilion is the same. Well, since they sent the Golden Imperial Guards, the Crown Prince’s Palace sent the Moon Pavilion in response. Anyway, have the Deputy General keep a close eye on the Moon Pavilion.”
“Understood.”
“How’s your internal energy?”
“My body feels much lighter, and the power and speed in my sword have improved dramatically. Thank you, Great Prince.”
“It’s too early to be pleased. Don’t slack on the cultivation method until it’s fully yours.”
“Yes, Great Prince.”
At that moment, Song Cheon-mu opened the door and entered.
“Great Prince, the Golden Imperial Guards’ Deputy Overseer requests an audience.”
“Tell him to come back tomorrow.”
“Understood.”
As Song Cheon-mu left, Song Hoe asked,
“Will you tame that one too?”
“I’m debating it. Anyway, isn’t it time for the training grounds?”
“Ah, yes. Then I’ll take my leave.”
Once Song Hoe withdrew, Yi Hwan rose and approached the window. Outside, he saw Mo Jae-hwang of the Golden Imperial Guards heading back to the Paeng family’s tent.
‘No doubt he’s here to report everything happening to the Second Prince. In that case, I need to crush him before Paeng Mu-wi.’
Yi Hwan thought of Second Prince Yi Tae-ji.
‘As long as I’m here, things won’t go your way, Yi Tae-ji.’
* * *
The next day, Mo Jae-hwang of the Golden Imperial Guards came seeking Yi Hwan again. But Yi Hwan sent word through Song Cheon-mu to return tomorrow and didn’t even open the door.
Thus, his taming had begun, just like Paeng Mu-wi’s.
* * *
The Commander’s sudden death.
All were plunged into grief, but one man—the leader of the Blood Ghosts—harbored an odd thought.
‘The Commander’s death even halted the war. The Yeon Kingdom must be no different. Why didn’t I think of this sooner?’
The Commander’s death had inspired him. And that inspiration led to assassination.
The Blood Ghosts’ leader began pondering his target. His already sinister eyes grew even darker.
‘Assassinating Hwang Ho would strike the Yeon Kingdom as hard as us. Then we could seize control of the aftermath.’
His darkened eyes gleamed. In the end, he settled on Hwang Ho as the assassination target.
Yi Hwan had been considered too, but as a prince and Great Prince, his status in the Yeon army was deemed insignificant, so he was excluded early.
Next was the fierce general Jeong Cheon.
But even he didn’t measure up to Hwang Ho.
‘On the day of the Commander’s funeral, kill Hwang Ho.’
* * *
Whoosh!
Dark clouds trapped over the high mountains began pouring rain. Strong winds turned it into a downpour.
Go Mi stood by the window, gazing out in thought.
*-After recovering from the Life-and-Death Realm, he’s changed completely. It seems he’d been hiding his martial prowess all along. At times, he’s extremely arrogant and cruel. Commander Hwang Ho and General Jeong Cheon have begun greatly trusting the Great Prince.*
Information about Yi Hwan filled her mind.
What irked her most was the description of him being extremely arrogant and cruel. The Yi Hwan in her memories was endlessly gentle, frail, and warm.
And one more thing.
‘He was hiding his martial prowess?’
It was the most incomprehensible part.
She’d heard endless rumors about Yi Hwan. Nearly all concerned his incompetence and frailty.
‘If he had skill, he should have established merits and raised his presence. Why hide it?’
Anyone would do so. The world demanded it.
Yet Yi Hwan, despite his skill, had deliberately concealed it, living under the shadows of infamy for incompetence and frailty.
Even an ordinary warrior couldn’t understand it—let alone a prince and Great Prince like Yi Hwan.
It was then.
“Moon Lord.”
At the voice from outside, Go Mi shook off her thoughts and composed her expression.
“Come in.”
A female warrior entered.
“I’m back.”
“How did it go?”
“We confirmed that people presumed to be from the Second Prince’s side are staying at an inn in the nearby city’s market district. All are martial artists.”
“Why presume they’re from the Second Prince?”
“The Golden Imperial Guards made contact with them. And one of them is here.”
“Good work. Go wash up and eat something.”
“Yes.”
As the female warrior left, Go Mi stared toward the Golden Imperial Guards’ tents.
The Paeng family, Young Tiger Clan, and Golden Imperial Guards’ tents were clustered nearby.
‘The Golden Imperial Guards see our Moon Pavilion as a thorn in their side. If we’re gone, it becomes a one-on-one with the East Depot, pressuring the Crown Prince’s Palace—that must be the Empress and Second Prince’s intent.’
“Hmph!”
Go Mi suddenly snorted coldly.
“Who decides that?”
* * *
The next morning, the downpour continued.
The unprecedented rains put the camp on high alert. Tents in steep areas were moved to flat ground due to landslide fears, forcing a complete reconfiguration of the defensive line.
In the pouring rain, the warriors were busy relocating tents.
Oblivious to it all, Yi Hwan slept in late for once.
He’d always slept deeply on rainy days. That was one of the few things he shared with ‘that guy.’
Song Hoe entered.
“Shall I bring morning tea?”
“What’s with all the noise?”
“Due to the downpour, everyone’s frantic moving tents from the slopes. Even the Dragon-Tiger Army has halted training and thrown everyone into the work.”
Whoosh!
Yi Hwan gazed briefly at the fierce rain battering the window, then stepped out onto the veranda.
Cheol Mu-ok and Gong Son-tae, who had been sitting and talking, stood up. Song Cheon-mu was out on work duty.
Whoosh!
Splash!
The fierce rain lashed even to the veranda’s edge. It was so intense the Paeng family tents opposite were shrouded in mist.
Song Hoe said with a grim expression,
“The weather is far from ordinary. We’ve never had this much rain before.”
“The Zhao Kingdom’s camp must be chaos too?”
“Their camp layout is even more vulnerable to heavy rain, so they’re probably in an uproar by now.”
“Good. Let’s eat.”
“Yes.”
Soon after the meal began, after a few bites, Go Mi entered the courtyard in a rain cape.
She bowed toward Yi Hwan, who was eating on the veranda.
“I’ve come to report.”
“Come in first.”
Go Mi stepped inside.
Though wearing a rain cape, the fierce downpour had soaked her armor thoroughly.
“May I request a private audience?”
“It’s fine. These are people I trust.”
Go Mi continued immediately.
“We confirmed that martial artists presumed to be sent by the Second Prince are staying at an inn in the nearby city’s market district. They made contact with one of the Golden Imperial Guards’ warriors here.”
‘She’s already figured this out.’
Yi Hwan was inwardly impressed. He finally understood why the Crown Prince’s Palace had sent the Moon Pavilion.
“Why report to me?”
“I went to General Hwang Ho first, and he told me to report to the Great Prince.”
Yi Hwan silently regarded Go Mi. Meeting his gaze, she slightly lowered her head.
“You must not have eaten if you moved out early this morning.”
“I don’t usually eat much breakfast, so it’s fine.”
“Change that.”
“Pardon?”
“Make it a habit to eat breakfast whenever possible. This is the front lines—anything can happen anytime, anywhere, so always be prepared.”
“Yes. I will.”
“Come eat with us.”
Yi Hwan looked at Gong Son-tae.
“Get something for the Moon Lord too.”
“Yes.”
Go Mi sat beside Yi Hwan. Coincidentally, it was the only spot available.
“Apologize first.”
“Pardon?”
“Truth be told, when your Moon Pavilion arrived, I doubted what help you could provide. But after that report, I’ve changed my mind.”
“I’m glad you’ve changed your mind.”
Go Mi’s expression hardened slightly. Yi Hwan, who missed nothing, noticed.
‘Her temper is no joke.’
He recalled her angrily clashing with the Golden Imperial Guards in the capital and smiled inwardly.
‘Not bad.’