Chapter 356: v15c6 - Break of Dawn
Volume 15 Chapter 6 – Break of Dawn
Part 6 – Break of Dawn
The Northern Grand General’s Estate.
The inner room.
Eldest Young Master Yeon So-hyeon.
Suddenly, he took his eyes off the documents.
The sight of the oil lamp lighting the desk flickering caught his eye.
“…….”
He tilted the oil pitcher to fill it, and as he looked out the window.
Beyond the torches lighting the Grand General’s Estate, he saw the rough earth of the north stretching out in the darkness.
It was grand, but.
It was a scenery that was desolate to the extreme.
Unlike the grand city of Luoyang, there was no city of nightless splendor that shone brightly while forgetting night and day.
There was no sweet sound of musical instruments that could be heard from afar, nor was there the laughter of those who fell into amusement to forget their worries even for a moment.
“…….”
Instead.
There were sentries with wide-open eyes watching for the dark shadows of the enemy forces that might suddenly appear from the edge of the horizon.
There were the blue-tinted blades of the spears they held tightly, as tense as their anxious minds.
Having lost all their homes.
The makeshift tents and such set up by the refugees who were unable to sleep.
They were also fluttering and swaying in the harsh northern wind.
“…….”
That bleak scenery.
Was the entirety of his wife, Murong Un-jeong.
Because she was born as the child of the Grand General in the Murong Clan.
It was everything she wished to protect.
“…Mmm.”
At the sound of her tossing and turning, Yeon So-hyeon looked back at her.
While sitting in front of his desk.
The sight of her fallen asleep just like that filled his eyes.
To his words, “Please lie down and sleep.”
She had insisted, saying, “No. Since the Eldest Young Master is awake, how could I sleep comfortably alone?”
She was stubborn.
“…….”
Without even being able to take off all her armor.
Sitting in the chair and sleeping while leaning on the sword wedged between her knees.
“…….”
He just watched her silently.
Just.
As if time had stopped.
Even the shadows swaying beyond the flickering oil lamp.
At the moment they held their breath along with him.
“Mmm….”
Murong Un-jeong tossed and turned in her sleep.
With a soft rustling sound.
The mountain of documents that was precariously balanced on the edge of her desk began to slide down.
“…….”
If he were to uselessly rouse his internal energy to stop it, she, who was sensitive to any presence, would wake up.
But if he left it as it was.
At the sound of the papers spilling, she would wake up all the same.
Swoosh.
The wooden floorboards that Yeon So-hyeon stepped on as light as a feather did not make the slightest noise.
The tip of his opposite foot, which he extended long, did not allow even a single sheet of the falling documents to drop to the floor.
Exactly in the same shape as they were on the desk.
All on the tip of his foot.
They were softly stacked up.
“…….”
And then, Yeon So-hyeon gently withdrew his foot.
He settled the pile of documents safely onto the floor.
Off the cuff.
It was an unbelievable feat that no one would believe he had performed without utilizing a single speck of internal energy.
“…….”
Without any emotion on Yeon So-hyeon’s face.
He just checked to see if his former wife had woken up.
“…….”
Fortunately.
Murong Un-jeong tossed and turned once as if the position was uncomfortable, but she seemed to still be asleep.
‘Un-jeong….’
Yeon So-hyeon carefully reached out his hand.
He brushed back several strands of hair that had fallen over her face.
As if his fingertips might touch her face by mistake.
As if he was afraid.
“You must also be feeling it now. You must know it.”
The story he had heard in the past suddenly came to mind.
“The Heavenly Slaughter Star you were born with is a destiny of destruction and death.”
As if, should his fingertips happen to touch her.
His own wicked fate might swallow her up just like in the past.
“You will build mountains with corpses, and make oceans with blood.”
As if his deep guilt, deep regret.
And his unfathomable agony might be transmitted to her.
“Whether you want it. Or not.”
He quietly.
Kept his distance, just like in the old days.
“…….”
However.
Unlike in the past.
He was not doing nothing.
* * *
Murong Un-jeong was dreaming.
“The Acting Grand General?”
The members of the clan were mocking her.
“Absurd.”
“She followed father around, and now, has she misunderstood something greatly?”
“Surely, she is not serious about becoming the patriarch of our clan, is she?”
The men of the clan openly distrusted her.
“Did you see her running around with disheveled hair, covered in mud?”
“Hunting while hanging out with lowly soldiers.”
“She is a child who does not suit our Great Murong Family, which carries the blood of the Yan royal family.”
The women of the clan refused to even associate with her.
The Northern War, at the time.
Gave birth to many heroes.
As a family of Grand Generals defending the north, the Murong Clan also accumulated many achievements, but.
The war ended without victory or defeat.
Only deep wounds remained.
“It was no different from a defeat!”
“Did this not all happen because the Murong Clan failed to properly perform its role as the family of Grand Generals?!”
“Do not speak of achievements!”
“Originally, was it not the work you were supposed to do?!”
From the powerful who wanted to find someone to blame.
The Murong Clan could never be free.
“We might need a new Grand General.”
“In order to protect the rights and interests of our northern tribes, we need someone with enough power and authority to be respected by everyone!”
After her father, the Northern Grand General, fell ill in bed, the noise from the outside only grew.
“Lately, I cannot show my face outside!”
“We must stop the name of our Murong Clan from being tarnished any further!”
“If our clan cannot maintain the position of Grand General…”
On the inside, the discontent of those who did not want to let go of the power they had enjoyed for so long grew.
“Rather…”
“How about we hand-pick and establish a new Northern Grand General ourselves?”
The clan turned its back on her.
Her family abandoned her.
“The Terror King. How about that name?”
“Excellent.”
“In the south, they might mock it as a too-obvious name.”
“In this north, power is order and truth, so that straightforward name will be more effective.”
The name of the Terror King was, thus.
Within the Murong Clan.
First created.
“Are you out of your minds?! The patriarch is alive! Are we to elect a new Grand General ourselves?!”
“Wake up! Does a person who cannot speak and cannot even move look alive in your eyes?!”
Now that the clan was divided and fighting every day.
She was alone.
She was terribly alone.
Standing in the desolate field of midwinter where even the grasslands had dried up.
In her frozen hand, only a single sword caked with blood and snow was precarious.
But she had to endure.
Because there were soldiers of the Grand General’s Estate who believed in and followed her.
So she endured.
Even while the northern wind, which seemed to slice her skin like a blade, blew insanely.
Beyond her ears, which were gradually necrotizing from frostbite, what was heard was…
A single strain of…
She listened closely.
It was a single strain of flute music.
Piercing through the screeching scream of the northern wind rushing madly over the boundless plains, what was heard was.
Unmistakably the sound of a flute.
‘This performance is…’
The one she had heard as a child.
The sound of a flute that caressed the depths of her heart and made her entire body warm.
“…….”
Before she knew it.
The snow cleared.
Looking at the green sprouts blooming all the way to the other side of the field.
She opened her eyes.
“Good morning.”
And there.
Standing by the window where the sun was rising, was a person who wore a smile brighter than the dazzling sunrise.
“Un-jeong.”
On the desk, all the documents she had been struggling with for months were neatly processed and stacked.
Beside it, a teacup with steam rising stood.
The scent of the deeply steeped tea leaves pleasantly tickled the tip of her nose.
“Good morning.”
Therefore.
She could smile brightly even with a half-awake face.
“Eldest Young Master.”
No longer.
Because she was not alone.
* * *
“Waaah!”
At the sudden shout of unknown origin from outside.
Murong Un-jeong, who was holding the warm teacup with both hands, tried to spring up.
“It is fine.”
Yeon So-hyeon, who was standing by the window, smiled and gestured to reassure her.
“What is going on?”
As if she was relieved.
When she slowly put down the teacup and approached him, Yeon So-hyeon pointed outside the window.
“Good news has arrived.”
“…Good news?”
When she looked out the window.
She could see at a glance a long procession of what looked like a merchant group lined up on the street.
Around it.
“Waaah—!”
Crowds of cheering people were swarming in.
“Could it be…?!”
She, who was clever, wore a startled expression.
“Has the food arrived already?!”
Yeon So-hyeon smiled.
* * *
“Now, now! Line up!”
“Keep order!”
Unlike usual.
The expressions of the soldiers maintaining order were also bright.
“There is no need to rush!”
From atop the carriage, the merchant group leader shouted with a bright face.
He was a member of the Path of Life Merchant Group, who had been moving together with the chivalrous fighters of the former Spring of Luoyang.
“We will distribute all the food loaded on the carts, so there is no need to worry!”
The workers of the merchant group, who had crossed the plains overnight, were unpackaging the food with bright faces.
Because they handed out food to the refugees as fast as their hands could grab it.
“(Thank you! Thank you!)” the general on duty, who had managed to squeeze through the refugees with difficulty, shouted to the merchant group leader.
“(Be blessed!)” there was no delay in distribution as was usually the case.
“W-Wait…!”
“If you just distribute it randomly like that, what are we supposed to do…?!”
The crowd was gathered like a swarm of ants, and control already seemed impossible.
“What about the military provisions?! We must leave enough to stockpile in the granary…!”
Just as the merchant group leader was about to say something to the flustered general who did not know what to do.
“No, why were you so late?!”
An Song-gyeong of the Tea Fan Maidens suddenly popped out and snapped.
“I waited all night, and I thought my eyes were going to pop out?!”
“Haha, well. There are circumstances behind it…”
While the two bickered, the general on duty was restless beside them.
“No, first of all. The granary… stockpiling…”
There was someone who patted his shoulder.
“It is fine.”
Looking back, the general on duty showed a startled expression.
“Eldest Young Master?!”
Eldest Young Master Yeon So-hyeon said to reassure him.
“This is only the first procession. Soon, the next processions will arrive. Since I told them to distribute it all to the refugees, rest assured.”
“Do you mean the next procession will arrive soon?!”
As he stepped past the shocked general, the merchant group leader greeted Yeon So-hyeon with a bright face.
“Eldest Young Master!”
He politely clasped his hands and reported.
“I have completed the mission!”
“You worked hard.”
“Thank you!”
As Yeon So-hyeon lightly leaped up beside him and shouted.
“People of the State of Zhongyuan…!”
The gathered crowd cheered for him.
“(Long live the Eldest Young Master!)” he saw the flustered figure of Murong Un-jeong.
“(Long live!)” as Yeon So-hyeon waved his hand to indicate they were wrong.
“(What is it…?)” while the crowd that was chanting his name buzzed in confusion, the Eldest Young Master grinned and spoke, amplifying his voice with internal energy.
“(It is true that I, Eldest Young Master Yeon So-hyeon, procured the food!)” he pointed to one side and shouted.
“(What is the greatest reason you could receive food so abundantly today?)” having followed him out, when everyone’s eyes focused on her.
“(It is because Murong Un-jeong, the Acting Grand General who has protected you until now, exists!)” at that.
A thunderous shout erupted from the crowd.
“(Long live the Grand General!)” the face of her waving with an awkward smile.
“(Long live!)” although she was flustered at first.
“(Long live!)” looked brighter than at any other moment.