Chapter 177
Chapter 177
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 177
Chapter Title: The End of Ten Years' Reign
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Time passes relentlessly. There were countless acts of defiance and conspiracies, bandits roamed freely, and uprisings broke out.
I crushed and repelled them all without mercy. Living like this for a lifetime would be impossible, but I succeeded in holding out for about ten years.
And the autumn of the ninth year arrived. Once this season passes, my abdication will be complete.
Soon, Seonheon will face Gonsalok.
"A report from Anhyang. The people are starving, and bandits are rampant nearby. The knight order has been dispatched for suppression."
Seonheon was still clinging to life by a thread. If we liken it to the late Han dynasty or the era of warring states in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, it wasn't impossible.
Even back then, amid armies clashing everywhere, they somehow secured provisions and weapons, mobilizing soldiers from somewhere.
Since nations are made by people, there are many parallels between nations and individuals.
One of them is this: People die unexpectedly easily but also endure far longer than expected. Nations are no different.
On top of that, though I ruled with tyranny, I did not tolerate corruption.
"Hear ye, my subjects."
And this would be the last order I issued.
"Send all grain harvested from every region to the national treasury. The granaries that originally managed relief grain shall provide the bare minimum food for the people to survive the winter."
Rationing system. This was the end of it anyway. Squeeze every last drop of blood and tears from the people until they were utterly wrung dry.
"Your Majesty, the treasury already holds enough provisions to feed the army for five years."
"I know."
I've hoarded without spending, so the stockpile couldn't be small. From the start, I chose sites immune to flooding for the warehouses and handpicked knights of exceptional loyalty to guard them.
"We need more."
At my words, the Central Knight Commander stared at me as if I were truly insane.
"Produce additional catapults and cannons as well, and accelerate production of polearms and arrows."
When this season ended and the merciless general of winter arrived, the people I had exploited would endure agony akin to death amid the cold.
The final moment was drawing near.
"Furthermore, cancel the harvest festival."
I also scrapped the festival held every autumn harvest. The preparations for a decade-long total war were now on the verge of bearing their twisted fruit.
There was still no sign of movement from Gonsalok. Just in case, I had sent agents to hunt for any hints about it, but nothing turned up.
It would probably appear out of nowhere, like aliens pouring from the sky. Prepared doomsdays always struck that way.
No omens, no strange phenomena. Ants don't get advance warning before a human foot crushes them.
"During mining at I-hyeon, the mine collapsed, burying fifteen workers."
"In the An-ri-un region, starving commoners stripped bark to eat, leaving Sera Mountain and I-pung Mountain barren."
"The people are molding mud into cakes for rituals."
The ancient nation of Seonheon, enduring nine centuries, was unmistakably readying itself for the end.
"Today, the first autumn frost fell."
Chusang—the autumn frost.
After the harvest of fully ripened grains concluded, the days grew steadily colder. And today, the first frost arrived. A declaration of war from the general of winter, promising even harsher chill.
"The astronomer calls it a poor omen. An early first frost usually means famine the following year."
"Is that so?"
I replied to the Central Knight Commander that way. It didn't matter to me. Even a prophecy of locust swarms devouring Seonheon's fields next season wouldn't faze me.
In truth, I'd been fortunate. Over those ten years, I'd braced for at least two—maybe five—famines, but none struck during my reign.
The absence of famine during my rule had aided me greatly.
When disaster hits a land, folk are quick to blame the king's lack of virtue.
But with no famine, no matter how outrageously I acted, they could scarcely claim I lacked it.
"You've toiled hard all this time."
I said that and coughed once. With the cooling weather, my deliberately exhausted body worsened by the day. Watching my decline, the knight commander's face grew ever brighter.
He must think the end was near.
"Your Majesty must preserve your sacred health."
Empty words from the heart. In any case, I gave a low chuckle and nodded.
"It seems I shan't live long."
At my words, the knight commander replied in flustered tones.
"Your Majesty, how can you speak so?"
"I know my own condition well. There's something I must entrust to you."
Now was the time to coat some honey for the knight commander.
"When I die, Seonheon will crown a new king. But I simply cannot trust him."
The knight commander, who'd been listening, spoke cautiously.
"Forgive me. My judgment is too shallow to grasp Your Majesty's intent."
"Seonheon needs capable talent. A king cannot always excel. Hoping the next one proves worthy is tantamount to gambling the realm's future on chance."
At that, the knight commander raised his head to meet my gaze. Unless a fool, he'd eagerly await what followed.
"Yet you've proven your worth serving under me."
"N-no... I merely exerted my utmost per Your Majesty's commands."
I nodded.
"And you carried them out splendidly. Your abilities stand proven."
With that, I clasped his hand.
"I am frail, but you remain hale. And serving under me, you know Seonheon's every affair inside out."
I released his hand, then faced the biting wind.
"Look after Seonheon well. If my successor proves able, serve him as you have me. If not, step forth as regent and guide the realm as you do now."
The knight commander's frame trembled faintly. Conviction, no doubt, that his long-sought prize was at hand. Years of submission under me at last rewarded.
"Serving the royal house of Seonheon suffices for me."
"Does it? Soon, I'll issue an edict. Deploying most knight orders and troops to the borders."
I eyed the knight commander.
"Even part of the Central Knight Order to the frontiers. Do you grasp the meaning?"
Many coveted his seat. Though subordinate to me now, its vast authority remained unchanged.
"...Your benevolence overwhelms. I'll select men wisely."
Sending his rivals to the borders for a spell. With threats exiled, none left to curb his power.
He could then entrench his hold. That's what he'd think.
In truth, to me, it was mere pretext.
Come the new year, my reign ended, and Gonsalok would strike. Seonheon's forces must hold the borders, naturally.
My orders served dual purpose: forestalling any treachery from the knight commander before my death, and priming defenses for Gonsalok's assault.
"Your loyalty proved invaluable. Press on for Seonheon. The cold bids me retire."
The knight commander probably rushed home to erect an altar, beseeching my swift demise.
Afterward, he culled knights fit for extraction from Central to the borders and reported. I approved, dispatching them for six months.
Threats enough to worry him, so their skills were assured. They grumbled at first toward me, but unyielding, they bent to the edict.
"Snow's falling."
Autumn frost past, chill deepened. Deep night, fat flakes tumbling from the heavens.
"Fucking endless, really."
Gazing at snow cascading beyond the window, I sipped steaming tea. Tonight past, the new year dawned. My ordained reign's conclusion.
I ground ink, unrolled paper, took brush in hand. And slowly inscribed.
This should do. I set the brush aside. Lumpy clouds vomited snowflakes without cease.
I nursed that last cup of Seonheon tea as languidly as possible.
The moment arrived, and text floated before my eyes. Then my vision gradually blurred.
When sight cleared anew, I wore a dazed expression for a moment. A familiar scene.
Right—the vista from first entering Gonsalok. Ten years already; memory had faded.
Not just me; other hunters gathered here. Names stuck, but faces blurred in recollection.
The throne vanished. A massive screen materialized.
Seonheon now has a chance to avert the fate of ruin.
Averted ruin was averted; failure was failure. What was this "chance has emerged" business?
At this juncture, we evidently had more tasks ahead.