Chapter 113: Chapter 113
* * *
Governor Yeon Ha-sang of Hawaii stared straight ahead with a blank expression. In truth, he was just as devoid of thought as that expression suggested.
Commandant Wi-sang, who was watching him from the side, asked cautiously.
“Um… Governor? Are you alright?”
“Huh? What? Why? Am I alright? Why?”
As if snapping back to his senses at Wi-sang’s words, Governor Yeon turned to look at him with a bewildered expression. Looking at him with sympathetic eyes, Wi-sang spoke.
“Well… you haven’t blinked your eyes for a while now.”
At Wi-sang’s worried tone, Governor Yeon blanked for a moment, then chuckled heartily.
“Come now, man, when one is lost in deep thought, such things can happen… haha. You worry too much.”
Governor Yeon bantered like that and turned his gaze straight ahead once more. The place his gaze was directed toward was the harbor of Hawaii, where a massive imperial sailing ship was currently entering the docks. Commandant Wi-sang was about to speak again seeing the governor turn blank once more, but his colleague Kelani held him back. He slowly shook his head while looking at Wi-sang.
Wi-sang eventually let out a deep sigh and looked around his surroundings.
Except for the berth where the imperial sailing ship would dock, the entire harbor was filled with ships of the Imperial Army. Following orders sent ahead by the newly appointed General Pacifying the East from Chang’an in the Central Plains before their own arrival, they had departed their garrison on the New Continent and assembled here.
The Murim Alliance Leader and the powerholders of the New Continent believed Governor Yeon had gathered the troops under the pretext of tightening the discipline of the Imperial Army, but in truth, he was merely obeying the orders of General Pacifying the East. The assembly order was a command that came from Chang’an.
And currently at the harbor of Hawaii, all the assembled Imperial Army soldiers were prepared for an inspection ceremony to welcome the newly arriving General Pacifying the East. If one called it a grand sight, it was indeed a grand sight. The well-ordered Imperial Army filled the harbor with a solemn atmosphere; it was an orderly and magnificent inspection worthy of being called the army of an empire that had endured for a thousand years.
However, Governor Yeon Ha-sang, who stood at the center of that military review awaiting General Pacifying the East, was currently completely devoid of thoughts.
The princess who had previously come for vacation and fled to the New Continent had clearly been sent back to the Central Plains long before the problem could grow any larger. She had been sent on the fastest and most comfortable ship, and since there had been no special reprimand because of it, that matter had appeared to pass over smoothly.
Yet after that, Chang’an suddenly not only appointed a new General Pacifying the East, but even gathered all the military forces of the New Continent into one place. In Yeon Ha-sang’s view, this meant one of two things.
First, someone among the imperial family who wanted an idle post had received the generalship and merely wished to inspect their own legion. For someone who had lived pampered in glamorous Chang’an, rather than considering the benefits generated by the Imperial Army being stationed across the cities of the New Continent, their temper might only be satisfied by seeing their legion with their own eyes. Although it was a thoughtless and selfish act, this possibility was rather preferable.
Second, just as the title ‘Pacifying the East’ implied, the Emperor was finally seeking to bring the New Continent completely under the empire’s influence. It meant advancing beyond the three major cities of the New Continent to thoroughly occupy the coastal cities, and burning them all down if they resisted. The Emperor’s patience, having waited a hundred years for that desolate wilderness to be cleared and cultivated, was finally coming to fruition.
However, both hypotheses had problems. The first was whether the empire’s discipline had collapsed to the point that such an incompetent fool could receive the rank of General Pacifying the East; at least based on the atmosphere Yeon Ha-sang had felt before leaving Chang’an with his appointment as Governor of Hawaii, that was not the case at all.
The second was why the General Pacifying the East coming from Chang’an did not bring additional troops. Expanding the Han Empire’s influence on the New Continent would encounter resistance almost without fail. Because whether it was the Murim Alliance rooted in the New Continent or the ancient noble clans, even if they showed loyalty to the Emperor on the surface, they would ultimately act for their own interests.
In the end, the Imperial Army would have to build rivers of blood and mountains of corpses to conquer the New Continent, but doing so with only the troops currently stationed on the New Continent and in Hawaii was somewhat unreasonable. The Imperial Army gathered here right now numbered about two thousand, and two-thirds of them were merely infantrymen, foot soldiers.
Of course, they were all men who had passed the Imperial Army entrance examination and subsequently practiced the martial arts of the Imperial Army. Among them were many who hoped to cultivate their skills to become commanders or return to the Central Plains. However, it was also true that their skills were lacking compared to other legions on the mainland of the Central Plains. In the first place, the Imperial Army on the New Continent rarely had occasions to fight, aside from occasional subjugations of demonic practitioners.
Having thought that far, Yeon Ha-sang stopped predicting the situation any further. In the end, the order handed down to him right now was simply to assemble all the Imperial Army in Hawaii, and what came after could not be known until that figure called General Pacifying the East arrived.
Governor Yeon suddenly looked up at the sky and muttered.
“…I wish I could just melt away into this breeze and sunlight. If only I could become a part of this island…”
“Governor…”
Commandant Wi-sang looked at the governor with sympathetic eyes. Regardless of how things had unfolded in Chang’an, it was certain that the princess’s escape had been the trigger. Therefore, one could only view the upcoming disposition of Governor Yeon by General Pacifying the East in a negative light.
At that moment, someone clad in splendid armor leaped down lightly from atop the imperial sailing ship docked at the pier. Even while wearing heavy armor, the figure who descended lightly onto the wharf stood up, brushed back their disheveled hair, and looked all across the assembled Imperial Army. And seeing her face, Governor Yeon and the two commandants opened their eyes wide into circles. It was a familiar face.
Behind her, the gangplank was lowered, and people from the sailing ship began disembarking in crowds. However, without waiting for them, she approached Governor Yeon briskly with unhesitating strides. Governor Yeon called out to her with a blank expression.
“…Princess?”
“It has been a while, Governor Yeon.”
Governor Yeon wore a dumbfounded expression, unable to comprehend Princess Yu Seol’s face and her attire. Looking at him, Yu Seol spoke with a solemn expression.
“I am the newly appointed General Pacifying the East by His Majesty. Shall I show you the letter of appointment?”
Governor Yeon hurriedly bowed his waist and greeted her.
“Well, that is… Governor Yeon Ha-sang greets General Pacifying the East. Welcome to Hawaii, General.”
“We greet the General.”
All the commandants behind him also clasped their hands and bowed deeply, and the other soldiers standing in formation stamped the ground twice, cupped their fists, and shouted.
[We greet the General—!]
The shout let out in unison by two thousand men was a fierce wave that would have weakened the legs of an ordinary person and caused them to collapse. However, Yu Seol gazed calmly at them with the very same solemn expression she had worn from the start. And just as the silence threatened to stretch long, she raised her left hand to answer their greeting.
At that greeting, the Imperial Army all let out a roaring cheer. Having aroused their cheers, Yu Seol approached the bowed Governor Yeon, helped him up, and whispered.
“You seem to have many worries, Governor. Do not fret so. The reason I assembled the Imperial Army of the New Continent was to reorganize its structure.”
“…Reorganize?”
“That is right, reorganize. A reorganization to purge the phantoms who foster treacherous hearts against Imperial Father out of ancient grudges and nurture evil powers.”
Amidst the cheers of the soldiers filling the harbor, Governor Yeon wore a bewildered expression, wondering what on earth that meant, while Yu Seol, who had plunged him into confusion, casually waved her hand toward the soldiers. Bodyguard Jin-ha, who disembarked from the ship belatedly, met eyes with Yu Seol as she approached her.
Yu Seol playfully blinked one eye at Jin-ha as their eyes met, and Jin-ha let out a soft sigh as if worried by that sight.
The sky of Hawaii was clear and radiant today as well.
* * *
“Ah, seriously, I told you I don’t know his name.”
“No, then at least tell us what he looked like.”
“What did he look like? He was manly and handsome. He seemed like he’d be very popular with women.”
San-ho, a patrol officer of the Murim Alliance listening to the testimony of the village chief, clutched his temples. A proper inquiry had failed to continue for a while now.
“No… what I mean is, features… not whether he was handsome or ugly, but didn’t he have distinct features among his facial characteristics?”
“He was more handsome than you.”
San-ho scowled fiercely and shouted.
“Wait, what! I don’t fall behind anyone in looks wherever I go!”
“Tsk tsk, man! It’s wrong to tease an old person. Where could anyone use your face? It looks like a tavern rag.”
“Look here, old sir! If it weren’t for this patrol life, women wanting to marry me would line up on the streets of New Sichuan!”
The village chief wore an expression that said he couldn’t possibly believe it, while San-ho thumped his chest as if dying of injustice and was about to roar again. But before he could, a hand slapped the back of his head.
“Ack! Senior! Why are you hitting me!”
“Did I tell you to conduct an inquiry or brag about your face? What are you doing right now?”
Wearing the most wronged and pitiful expression possible, San-ho looked at Jeok-sein.
“Come on, Senior. Isn’t someone like me prime marriage material? A steady job, solid martial arts, and with a face like this, I don’t fall short, right?”
“At your last blind date, the other party ran away midway saying she didn’t like your face. Whatever else we consider, let’s leave out your face.”
San-ho wore a face filled with shock at her answer.
“H-how did you know that…”
“She was a newcomer who joined this time. Didn’t you know?”
“Then… rumors have already spread throughout the patrol division…”
Setting aside the shock-stricken San-ho, Jeok-sein faced the village chief. The chief, seated at a tavern table for questioning, was looking at the two with a sullen expression.
Jeok-sein spoke.
“So, no name, no identity, merely a young man who is decently handsome… do you truly know nothing else besides that?”
The chief nodded as if that was truly all. Watching him and remaining silent for a moment, Jeok-sein soon spoke with further subdued eyes.
“The Soaring Eagle Unit is one of the strike squads of the Murim Alliance. Formidable warriors formed by selecting only elites from among the countless clans and sects affiliated with the Murim Alliance. Those very men all perished in this village. Do you understand how the Alliance will view this matter?”
“How else would they view it? Even if you call them the Murim Alliance or whatever, they were merely ruffians who ran rampant. The villagers killed by those bastards number three, three! Yet far from apologizing for that, you make threats?”
Jeok-sein let out a small sigh and answered.
“…We visited their families separately to apologize and deliver compensation money. We have also calculated compensation for the damage they inflicted on this village, and later, as a branch is constructed, in the form of subsidy to the village…”
“Bah, I don’t wish to hear any more! What branch! Do you think the villagers will be able to accept that? Just quietly disappear!”
The chief turned his body away completely, as if he had no desire to speak further. Seeing him, Jeok-sein let out a sigh once more, grabbed San-ho—who had still not gathered his wits—and left the tavern. As they exited, only then did the chief exhale deeply and slump over his chair.
Emerging outside the tavern, San-ho snorted upon realizing that the villagers were watching them with wary eyes from the street.
“This isn’t going to be easy.”
“What isn’t.”
San-ho turned to Jeok-sein at her blunt question.
“Finding the culprit. To defeat the Soaring Eagle Unit, wouldn’t he be a tremendous demonic practitioner?”
“He is not a demonic practitioner.”
“…Not a demonic practitioner? When he was a martial artist targeted by the Soaring Eagle Unit?”
Jeok-sein shook her head.
“What the Soaring Eagle Unit was targeting wasn’t that anonymous knight-errant, but a man named Dan Sang-woon who stayed in this village and his family. The villagers tried their best to conceal him, but it seems their stories didn’t completely align.”
“Wait… they targeted just an ordinary farmer? That can’t be right. The Soaring Eagle Unit is one of the strike squads directly under the Alliance Leader.”
At San-ho’s words, Jeok-sein’s expression hardened. And seeing that hardened face, San-ho’s expression began to stiffen as well.
“…Ah, I hate things like this. A power struggle? Could that farmer Dan be an illegitimate child of some elder?”
“It is not certain. Rather than a weakness of the Council of Elders, it might be that he possessed something the Alliance Leader himself desired. What is clear, at least, is that the Alliance Leader failed to obtain what he wanted even after deploying the military power under his command, and that he does not want this matter to be fully exposed.”
“So that’s why only the two of us were sent to an incident where an entire strike squad was wiped out…”
Jeok-sein nodded.
“At the same time, because they want to know how the incident unfolded, they chose the two of us.”
San-ho raised both hands and rubbed his face vigorously.
“Ah… I joined the patrol division because I hated things like this… I thought I could just chase down bandits and raid corrupt branches…”
“As long as you wander the frontiers of the Alliance, it was something you had to encounter sooner or later. You cannot avoid it forever while staying in the Murim Alliance. If you dislike it, you can just wander the wilderness like that anonymous knight-errant.”
“What is with that guy anyway? For the Soaring Eagle Unit to be slaughtered by a nameless person. Their unit leader was, uh, who was it… Jo Sang-ryong?”
Jeok-sein nodded.
“Right. A figure who served as the Alliance Leader’s hands and feet for nearly five years.”
“If he wiped out that gentleman and the entire Soaring Eagle Unit… wouldn’t that be difficult even for the Alliance Leader himself?”
“If they clashed head-on, that would be true. But fighting isn’t done only fairly and squarely. Environment and circumstances cannot be clearly separated. Whatever means he used, he wouldn’t have engaged in a purely frontal contest. That is basic when facing a multitude alone.”
San-ho approached the horse he had hitched with Jeok-sein and continued speaking.
“That’s why they grouped those dozen-plus people into one unit to deal with such situations. Would they live and train as a group for nothing? Regardless, it’s certain he is an incredible master. Which clan’s master could he be?”
“He is someone you know as well.”
Mounting his horse, San-ho was startled.
“…You know who that anonymous knight-errant is?”
“It is that man. Jang Geon.”
San-ho tilted his head.
“…Jang Geon? The person who received the medal?”
“Right. It matches his usual deeds. Standing on the side of the wronged regardless of who the opponent was, and not seeking great rewards after the fight. And that skill. Recently, he is the only such knight-errant.”
While San-ho tilted his head with an expression wondering if that were true, Jeok-sein tugged the reins and turned her horse around. Seeing that, San-ho quickly caught up beside her and asked.
“Wait, then does that mean we have to put a wanted warrant on a person who was even awarded a medal? That’s really…”
“Why issue a warrant? He merely fought for the villagers and farmer Dan. If anything, we should give him another medal; it is not a situation to issue a warrant.”
San-ho looked at Jeok-sein speaking like that with peculiar eyes, then suddenly realized the direction of her horse was eastward and spoke.
“Where are you going? Are we not returning to the Alliance?”
“Since we have a suspect, we must track him down and grasp the exact circumstances. Perhaps we can find a weakness of the Alliance Leader or the Council of Elders. One piece of information among the villagers’ testimonies that aligned completely was that he left westward. So let us head east.”
“…And what will you do once we find him?”
Jeok-sein turned to San-ho, gave a small smile, put on the bamboo hat she had taken off, and spurred her horse forward. Seeing her, San-ho raised his hands to rub his face vigorously again, eventually let out a sigh, and galloped behind her.
The sun leaning westward illuminated the backs of the two galloping figures.
* * *
Jang Geon, who had been dozing with his face covered by a bamboo hat, woke up because Jojo snorted with a huff. Roughly rubbing his eyes and lifting his bamboo hat, he saw that many people were already brushing past around him. Jang Geon tapped Jojo on the nape of his neck and said.
“You should have woken me up earlier.”
Jojo did not react at all, as if finding Jang Geon’s grumbling not even worthy of laughter. Considering that he usually understood human speech, it was the sternest expression he could muster. Jang Geon gave a dry chuckle and continued.
“Alright, buddy. When we enter the inn today, I’ll tell them to pay extra attention to your fodder.”
Only then did the creature let out a snorting sound once more and shake his head. Watching him and chuckling a bit more, Jang Geon raised his head and looked far into the distance. Beyond the mountain pass he had crossed while half out of his senses lay a city. The easternmost city of Central Plains people, a place said to have more New Continent natives than Central Plains people, the first trading post supplying furs, tobacco, timber, and more from the distant eastern natives to the western coast.
It was the bridgehead for advancing east built across lofty mountain ranges and wilderness: Plateau City.
Jang Geon watched the Central Plains and native merchants coming and going beneath the pass, then took out a stick of tobacco from his robes and rolled it. Then, tapping the fire striker box gifted by Dan Sang-woon to spark a flame, he lit the tobacco.
Tucking the fire striker box back into his robes, Jang Geon exhaled a long trail of smoke and looked around. Unfitting for a city called the easternmost outpost, there were many people. In particular, there were many who appeared to be New Continent natives. To one side of the city, it even looked as though they had set up camp like an army.
Watching that, Jang Geon puffed out a long stream of smoke and tilted his head.
“…A native army? What is this now…”