WeTried Translations
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Editor: Abstract
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Episode 42: To the Imperial Palace (1)
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The one gripping the head of the strange, unidentified man was Mumu.
“Mumu?”
“Urghhh!”
-Swish! Swish!
The man whose head Mumu held struggled wildly, making bizarre noises as he tried to break free.
A strange light entered Ma Yeon-hwa’s eyes at the sight.
‘He’s handling a monster like this so easily?’
It was astonishing.
She had learned that Mumu’s strength surpassed the Four Immortal Masters, but seeing this made it feel all the more real.
Then Mumu tilted his head and asked,
“What is this, exactly?”
Ma Yeon-hwa shook her head.
“I don’t know. We ran into him here out of nowhere...”
“Is that so? Then I’ll ask him.”
-Swish!
Mumu turned the man’s head to face forward, raised it to eye level, and asked,
“Who are you, sir?”
-Roll, roll!
The man’s eyes, which had been moving independently in such a bizarre way, soon focused precisely on Mumu.
Mumu spoke with interest.
“Your eyes move strangely.”
As if answering him, the man opened his mouth.
“Mu... mu?”
“Do you know me?”
“Found... you!”
‘Found me?’
The unidentified man had suddenly looked at him and said he had found him.
As Mumu wondered what that meant, the man’s body and eyes trembled as if convulsing.
Then...
“Con... firm... it...”
“Confirm? What are you talking abou...”
Before Mumu could finish asking, the man, who had been hanging limply for a moment, suddenly lashed out with a kick.
-Thud! Crack!
The kick struck Mumu squarely in the left side of his neck.
Yet Mumu did not budge.
The man’s foot trembled against neck muscles as thick as pillars.
Even Ma Yeon-hwa, who stood nearby, could tell from the sound alone that the man’s instep had cracked.
Mumu narrowed his eyes and asked,
“What are you doing?”
“Inter... esting...”
“You’re a strange person.”
-Creak, creak!
At that moment, Mumu turned toward the sound near his ear.
It came from the foot that had struck his neck.
‘Hm?’
-Rip!
The cloth around the man’s calf tore apart as his muscles swelled enormously.
The force in his foot immediately doubled.
-Creeeak!
With his increased strength, the man tried to snap Mumu’s neck with his foot.
But...
“Are you trying to break my neck?”
Mumu’s neck did not move in the slightest.
Instead, Mumu let out a faint breath as if this were bothersome.
He had wanted to ask who the man was because he seemed to be fighting Ma Yeon-hwa, Tang So-so, Gu Yang Seo-rin, and the others, but after seeing what he was doing, he no longer cared.
“I think you’d be better off sleeping.”
-Swish!
Mumu curled his thumb and middle finger, aiming them at the man’s forehead.
Ma Yeon-hwa frowned at the sight.
‘A forehead flick?’
Before she could be sure, Mumu lightly flicked his finger.
-Thwack!
In that instant, the man’s forehead snapped backward and his body slammed into the ground.
-Boom! Crash!
The man struck the floor once before bouncing backward.
Ma Yeon-hwa gasped.
Even if Ma Yeon-hwa had not shown her full strength, this was an opponent she herself could not subdue. Yet Mumu had reduced him to that state with a single forehead flick.
“Ah... ugh...”
The man’s forehead was blackened with a bruise and caved inward, and he could do nothing but twitch as he lay sprawled on the ground.
It was truly absurd strength.
Ma Yeon-hwa marveled inwardly, then tried to speak to Mumu shyly.
“Th-thank you for helping...”
-Flinch!
Ma Yeon-hwa abruptly turned her head.
She had suddenly felt an ominous pressure.
Frowning, she looked toward the strange man, who had seemed as if he would faint at any moment.
He was getting back up.
-Crack! Creak!
‘!?’
It was one thing that he could rise again, but what truly shocked her was that the forehead Mumu had caved in was recovering to its original state.
The recovery was frighteningly fast, leaving Tang So-so and Gu Yang Seo-rin equally dumbfounded.
“What is this? Is that really a person?”
“How can broken bones heal that quickly?”
It was recovery beyond all reason.
Yet that was not the end.
-Riiip!
The man’s upper body swelled massively, tearing apart his shirt.
His muscles expanded abnormally, and the sight was remarkably...
‘Huh?’
‘This is...’
He looked very much like Mumu.
The difference was that every part of Mumu’s body had developed densely and evenly, while the man’s muscles had swollen only around specific areas.
It was as though he developed only the muscles he needed.
Mumu frowned at the sight.
‘Is Mumu surprised because that man resembles him?’
Everyone found Mumu’s reaction natural.
The fact that Mumu could freely control his muscles had already spread throughout the academy, and they had seen it several times.
Yet this unknown monster was controlling his muscles freely, just like Mumu.
‘Who in the world is he?’
Was he related to Mumu somehow?
As everyone wondered, Mumu opened his mouth.
“...I don’t like it.”
‘Huh?’
“You’ve developed your muscles far too unevenly.”
‘!?’
Ma Yeon-hwa frowned as she looked at Mumu.
Instead of questioning how that monster could control his muscles freely, was Mumu bothered by the poor shape of his muscles?
Then the monster bent his knees.
-Crunch!
His lower-body strength was so great that the ground split and sank beneath him.
Like an erupting volcano, the monster kicked off the ground and hurled himself toward Mumu.
-Boom!
In the blink of an eye, the monster was right in front of Mumu.
‘Danger...’
-Thud! Boom!
Or so they thought, but the monster had already been driven into the ground.
Mumu stood over him with one palm lowered, as though he had struck him down from above.
‘...What?’
The monster’s shoulder blades looked twisted, as if they had broken.
His muscles had swollen so much, yet he was no match for Mumu at all.
Then the twisted shoulder blades began moving with harsh cracking sounds, returning to their original positions.
“You have an interesting body.”
-Grip!
Mumu grabbed the recovering monster by the head and lifted him up.
Then he casually asked,
“Can you recover even if your head is crushed?”
The monster’s eyes rolled in every direction as he hung limply, focused on recovery.
Then his eyes focused on Mumu once more.
“With... this... body... it won’t... be... enough...”
Mumu tilted his head at those words.
What did he mean, this body would not be enough?
Just as Mumu wondered, the monster curled his lips into a grin and whispered,
“...So you weren’t nothing after all.”
The monster’s voice, which had been stumbling over every word, became heavy and clear.
Mumu stared directly at him.
“What did you mean by that?”
“We’ll meet again, my clone.”
“What?”
-Crack!
As soon as Mumu finished asking, the monster’s head burst apart.
It was not only his head.
-Popopopopop!
The monster’s entire body exploded in an instant, one part after another.
No one could hide their shock.
“W-what?”
“His body just...?”
Who could have imagined that someone perfectly fine would suddenly explode and die?
Fortunately, the blast was not particularly strong, or perhaps Mumu’s body was simply tougher than that. Mumu was unharmed.
Still...
“...”
Mumu’s expression became strange as blood drenched him.
‘My... clone?’
The monster’s final words lingered in Mumu’s mind.
What could he possibly mean?
* * *
Late that night.
At the lodgings where the Censorate officials were staying, Yu Jin-sung, an Inspector Censor and the older brother of Jin-hyeok and Mumu, was packing his belongings.
Early the next morning, the remaining Censorate officials would withdraw from Changcheon Martial Academy.
The mastermind behind the arson had been caught, and Jin-sung had judged that there were no more hidden spies within the academy. He had also informed the academy of his intention to leave.
Now all that remained was to carry out His Highness King Jin’s secret command.
He had already conveyed King Jin’s order to Princess Seo.
Still...
[...Is this truly Father’s order?]
[What do you mean, Your Highness?]
Jin-sung had naturally thought Princess Seo would obey her father’s command.
Yet she had seemed suspicious of King Jin’s order.
When he asked why, she said,
[No. If it truly is Father’s order, then of course I must return. But I need time to prepare for the journey. Please grant me some time.]
For that reason, he had given her three days.
It was the time she had requested.
She was supposed to leave the next morning, but Princess Seo had yet to come looking for him.
Instead of Princess Seo coming to see him, Mumu had unexpectedly come to see him.
‘What a headache.’
Mumu had appeared before him, reeking of blood despite having washed, and made a request.
[Can I go to the Imperial Palace with you?]
Mumu had suddenly asked Jin-sung to take him to the Imperial Palace.
Yet entering the palace was not something Jin-sung could decide on his own.
Even if Mumu was family, Jin-sung had refused, telling him that no one could enter the Imperial Palace without official permission.
Then Mumu provided unexpected information.
[There might be people inside the Imperial Palace who are working with the arsonists that set the dormitory on fire.]
[What? Is that true?]
[Yes.]
Mumu said he had heard it from Kang Mu-i, the spy.
If that was true, it could be a serious matter that could not simply be overlooked.
In the end, Jin-sung decided to take Mumu to the Imperial Palace.
If he could secure permission for Mumu to enter as a witness under the pretext of an investigation, he should be able to get him inside somehow.
‘I don’t know if this is the right thing to do.’
Unlike the academy, the Imperial Palace was not a place for martial artists.
He did not know whether it would be all right to bring Mumu somewhere like that.
If Mumu were only an ordinary academy cadet, people would not think much of it. But Mumu’s circumstances were completely different now.
‘That innocent-looking child defeated two of the Four Immortal Masters.’
Even now, it was difficult to believe.
Jin-sung had also been unable to hide his shock when he first learned the truth.
Who were the Four Immortal Masters?
They were supreme masters of Grandmaster rank, called the peak of the current martial world.
Yet Mumu, who had not even properly learned Martial Arts, had defeated them.
It was nothing short of astounding.
‘...Things could become quite noisy.’
There would surely be people who took an interest in Mumu, as well as those who would seek to contain his tremendous strength after he had defeated even the Four Immortal Masters.
That could lead to a very troublesome situation.
‘Would it be better to hide Mumu’s identity instead?’
Perhaps that would be best.
It was better than revealing it and causing trouble for no reason.
Still, it weighed on Jin-sung’s mind that an official in Imperial service would hide someone’s identity out of such concerns.
As he wrestled with the matter...
-Knock, knock!
Someone knocked on the door.
“Who is it?”
“Inspector Censor.”
Recognizing the familiar voice, Jin-sung hurriedly opened the door.
A graceful, beautiful girl stood before him.
She was Cho Na-yeon, no, Princess Seo, Hong Na-yeon.
“Your Highness, I pay my respe...”
As Jin-sung tried to greet her formally, she waved her hand to say it was unnecessary.
Jin-sung invited her inside and asked,
“Your Highness, have you finished preparing?”
Princess Seo, Hong Na-yeon, hesitated for a moment before speaking.
“Inspector Censor.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can return to the Imperial Palace.”
“What?”
Jin-sung could not hide his bewilderment at her sudden words.
She had asked for three days to prepare, and he had waited. What did she mean she could not return to the Imperial Palace now?
Princess Seo, Hong Na-yeon, spoke to the confused Jin-sung.
“I don’t know whether you’ll believe me, Inspector Censor, but if I try to return to the palace now, Father and I could both be in danger.”
Jin-sung frowned at those words.
He could not understand why she would say such a thing, and after hesitating for a moment, he asked,
“This official cannot understand why Your Highness would say that. Forgive my discourtesy, but may I ask why?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“How can...”
“I cannot reveal the details, but I can tell you this. If you believe that what you received is Father’s secret command, then not only I, but you as well could be in danger.”
“What do you mean, in danger?”
At Jin-sung’s question, Princess Seo, Hong Na-yeon, bit her lip tightly before speaking.
“I mean someone may try to take our lives on the way back to the palace!”
That was what concerned her.
If she went with him, the Inspector Censor could be endangered as well.
Jin-sung let out a low groan.
“Hmm...”
It seemed Princess Seo had circumstances she could not reveal.
If so, there was a high chance this was related to something happening inside the Imperial Palace.
Seeing her so anxious, Jin-sung had no choice.
“If Your Highness fears an attack on the journey back to the palace, there is no need to worry too much. Even if it costs me my life, I will protect you.”
“Inspector Censor... I am also a disciple of the Sichuan Bow Emperor, so I know better than anyone how formidable your Martial Arts are. But you do not know. If those people truly set their minds to it...”
“Whew. It can’t be helped.”
“What?”
“Please keep this to yourself, Your Highness.”
“What do you mean?”
Jin-sung lowered his voice and said,
“You need not worry about an attack.”
“What?”
“My younger brother Mumu will be accompanying us on this journey back to the palace.”
‘!!!!!!’
Footnotes:
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