WeTried Translations
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Editor: Abstract
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Episode 42: To the Imperial Palace (2)
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Early morning.
Mumu packed his belongings to join the Censorate officials leaving early.
Jin-hyeok also woke early to see Mumu off, and the two stepped outside the dormitory together.
Mo Il-hwa was waiting outside.
"Oh? Il-hwa?"
"What? Did you really think I wouldn't even see you off?"
Mo Il-hwa snorted and clicked her tongue as she looked at Mumu.
She had said the night before that she would skip the farewell, but she had actually risen before Mumu and waited outside for him.
Walking up to Mumu, Mo Il-hwa said,
"Have a safe trip."
"Yeah, thanks."
"Find those people you're looking for in the Imperial Palace."
"Yeah."
"I doubt anything could hurt you, but still, be careful in everything you do."
"Yeah."
"The Imperial Palace isn't like the martial world. It's where the people who rule the country gather, so don't trust someone too easily just because they seem friendly."
"Yeah."
Mo Il-hwa's right eyebrow rose.
"Your answers are way too short."
"Are they?"
-Grip!
Mo Il-hwa seized Mumu by the collar and shook him.
"This older sister is worried about you, so answer like you mean it!"
"O-okay. I got it."
Mumu answered with a broad smile.
No matter what happened, Jin-hyeok and Mo Il-hwa treated him no differently than before.
Even Mumu, whose social awareness was somewhat lacking, knew that unlike the others, they were sincere with him.
That was why he was grateful to them.
"Don't smile. I'm getting attached."
Mo Il-hwa shook her head and released his collar.
Then she handed him a bundle she had set on the ground.
"It's nothing much. I asked the kitchen lady to prepare some jerky and extra clothes."
"Huh? Really?"
"With all those muscles of yours, you don't have any clothes left that aren't torn up, do you?"
"Il-hwa, thank you."
"Hmph. If you're grateful, buy me something like jewelry at the Imperial Palace."
"Yeah. Okay."
Mumu happily accepted the bundle at Mo Il-hwa's thoughtful gesture.
Jin-hyeok let out a soft breath and said to Mumu,
"I doubt there's anyone who can threaten you, but like Miss Mo said, be careful in everything you do. Be especially wary of anyone who tries to use you."
"Yeah."
"You're not a child, and saying more would just sound like nagging. Have a safe trip."
"Was that meant for me to hear?"
"N-no, Miss."
"What do you mean, no!"
This time, Mo Il-hwa grabbed Jin-hyeok by the collar and lifted him.
Mumu smiled at the sight.
"The more I look at you two, the better you seem to suit each other."
"What?"
"W-what are you talking about?"
Mo Il-hwa's face, which had been ready to flare up, turned bright red.
Jin-hyeok, suddenly conscious of Mo Il-hwa, panicked and did not know what to do.
Unbothered by their reactions, Mumu said,
"I'll be back soon. Take care until then, and look after Hae Ryang in the infirmary too. Bye!"
-Tatatatak!
With that, Mumu ran off.
The two watched him go, flustered by their sudden awareness of each other, and sighed.
They were not worried about him getting hurt.
Still, they could not help worrying about what Mumu might get up to at the Imperial Palace.
* * *
Near the lodgings where the Censorate officials were staying.
Three others were waiting for Mumu.
They were Vice-Master Dan Pil-hu, Secret Agent No. 2, and Kang Mu-i, whom they had brought along bound in ropes.
Mumu had said he would take Kang Mu-i with him, so they had waited in advance.
"Oh! Vice-Master!"
Mumu raised a hand in greeting to Dan Pil-hu.
Dan Pil-hu's expression became strange at the sight of Mumu grinning as though he were going on an outing.
'Of all times, he has to visit the Imperial Palace now.'
Dan Pil-hu clicked his tongue inwardly.
Discussions about Mumu were already in full swing within the academy.
Changcheon Martial Academy's usual policy was to grant early graduation to anyone whose martial prowess was so great that even the academy's masters had nothing left to teach.
Yet things were taking an unusual turn.
The most common opinion, naturally, was that they should keep Mumu even if they had to employ him as a special master at the academy.
[Even if he causes problems as a cadet, wouldn't it be a huge loss for the academy to simply let a supreme master at the Grandmaster level or above leave?]
[That's right. We should employ Mumu as a special master at the academy.]
[I agree as well.]
Most of the masters were saying the same thing.
But such a case had never occurred since the academy's founding.
It was not something they could decide easily.
After all, it did not look right to employ Mumu, who was far stronger than even the Academy Director or himself as Vice-Master, as nothing more than a special master.
'What a headache. A real headache.'
In any case, they needed further discussion.
Letting out a sigh, Dan Pil-hu approached Mumu and held out what he was carrying.
It was a flat wooden case.
"What is this?"
At Mumu's question, Dan Pil-hu opened the case.
"It was quite difficult to get on such short notice."
"Oh? This is..."
"That's right. A Skin Mask."
Inside the wooden case was a Skin Mask bearing the face of a bearded middle-aged man.
[Could you obtain a Skin Mask?]
[A Skin Mask?]
[Yes. I think we need to conceal Mumu's identity.]
The person who had made this request was none other than Mumu's older brother, Inspector Censor Yu Jin-sung.
Dan Pil-hu agreed with Yu Jin-sung's request.
Rumors about Mumu were spreading rapidly, and if Mumu entered the Imperial Palace under his true identity, it might invite unnecessary trouble.
[Understood.]
Dan Pil-hu had mobilized all the secret operatives and subordinates under his command to procure the Skin Mask in a hurry.
Although he had obtained it quickly, it was a top-quality Skin Mask.
"It can handle sweat and even changes in expression. I spent quite a bit on it."
He spoke casually, but as Dan Pil-hu said, the Skin Mask had taken considerable effort to acquire.
A shoddy Skin Mask could not release sweat properly, and its expressions would look unnatural, making it easy to expose under close scrutiny.
"If you're grateful, pay me back slowly later."
"Vice-Master, you're the best."
"Ahem."
Dan Pil-hu hoped to strengthen his relationship with Mumu by continuing to help him like this.
He carefully explained how to use and maintain the Skin Mask.
Afterward, Mumu put on the Skin Mask he had received from Dan Pil-hu.
Judging by appearance alone, Mumu had become a middle-aged man with an imposing, rugged look.
'We really did get it too hastily.'
Dan Pil-hu clicked his tongue inwardly at the sight.
Mumu was already taller than ordinary people, and with this face on top of that, he gave off such a fierce and intimidating air that people would find him hard to approach.
"Then, Vice-Master, I'll be going."
"Hm. Mumu."
"Yes?"
"It would be best if you avoided speaking whenever possible."
"Speaking?"
"Yes. Your voice doesn't suit you at all."
The Skin Mask gave Mumu the face of a man who should have had a rough, gravelly voice, while Mumu's voice sounded like that of a seventeen-year-old boy to anyone who heard it.
On top of that, his manner of speaking was more innocent than that of most boys.
"I should keep my mouth shut as much as possible."
Mumu took Dan Pil-hu's advice to heart.
With all preparations complete, Mumu took the bound Kang Mu-i and headed for the Censorate officials preparing to depart.
* * *
The city gates opened, and the procession of Censorate officials led by Inspector Censor Yu Jin-sung emerged from Changcheon Martial Academy.
Someone hid atop the city wall and watched them closely.
'They're finally leaving.'
After quietly confirming that the Censorate procession had passed through the gates and entered the forest road, the unknown figure hurried away.
* * *
'Damn it.'
Kang Mu-i walked bound in ropes, all his Ki Gates sealed.
He glared resentfully at Mumu, who rode ahead on horseback.
If he used the power of the Three Spirit Beasts, one of the Six Great Artifacts, he could expel the Golden Gate Locks sealing his Ki Gates from his body at any time.
But there was no way to escape that monster.
'How did things end up like this?'
Had he not been competing with that bastard for the position of Master?
Yet no matter how much he thought about it, he could not understand how a monster like that had appeared.
-Crunch!
It was miserable.
Once he entered the Imperial Palace like this, that bastard would surely laugh when he saw him.
Though Kang Mu-i did not know how long that laughter would last.
'You'll end up the same way.'
In the end, everything would fall into Mumu's hands.
Mumu had already defeated two of the Four Immortal Masters, whom they had called their long-cherished goal.
As Kang Mu-i let out a sigh, his gaze fell on a woman.
It was Princess Seo, Hong Na-yeon.
'...So that wench was King Jin's daughter.'
It was unexpected.
They had attended the same academy for over two years, yet he had not known her identity.
He had only known her as a female disciple of the Sichuan Bow Emperor, one of the Ten Great Masters of the Force of Justice.
For her to hide that fact until now, she was no ordinary woman.
'What a coincidence.'
King Jin's daughter, who had concealed her identity, was returning to the Imperial Palace.
Kang Mu-i could guess what that meant.
Her existence stood at the center of the vortex where the pillars of power within the Imperial Palace struggled against one another.
And yet Princess Seo was returning to the Imperial Palace,
'Trusting the escort of only ten Censorate officials...'
The journey back would likely not be quiet.
He could roughly guess whose scheme this was.
But even they would not have anticipated one variable.
Kang Mu-i glared at Mumu.
"Yaaawn."
Mumu, who had been dozing on horseback, let out a wide yawn.
Watching him, Princess Seo Hong Na-yeon, who rode beside him, whispered to Yu Jin-sung,
"...That face really doesn't suit him."
"It seems it was obtained in a hurry."
"That's true."
Hong Na-yeon had been told beforehand by Yu Jin-sung that the rugged-looking middle-aged man was Mumu.
Perhaps because of that, she thought Mumu and the Skin Mask were a very poor match.
Yu Jin-sung then said to her,
"But, Ma... no, Miss. Are you truly certain you do not wish to ride in a carriage?"
"Yes. I'm fine."
"But..."
"It wouldn't do us any good to stand out anyway."
Given her status, she should have traveled in a carriage.
But she had insisted on riding a horse, saying they should avoid drawing attention while traveling with only a small escort.
Because of this, the Censorate officials also wore inconspicuous martial uniforms instead of official robes.
At a glance, they did not look like a procession of officials.
That was how it appeared on the surface, but Yu Jin-sung could not shake what Princess Seo Hong Na-yeon had said.
She had stated that people would surely appear to target them on the road back to the Imperial Palace.
'...If Her Highness Princess Seo is right, then we've become entangled in something troublesome.'
Her warning allowed Yu Jin-sung to infer one thing.
If someone was targeting Princess Seo, those people knew her identity.
But that assumption rested on two points.
First, they had to be a force seeking to keep King Jin, Princess Seo's father, in check.
Second, it was highly likely they were not an outside force, but a force within the Imperial Palace.
'Otherwise, it would be difficult for them to know her identity.'
Yu Jin-sung hoped his deductions were unfounded.
If an internal force was behind it, the Censorate itself could be involved.
O Mu-yang, the Left Assistant Censor of the Censorate's fourth rank, had told him this was King Jin's secret order and placed Princess Seo's escort in his hands.
Even if her attendance at the academy had been kept secret, it was hard not to question why an escort of only ten Censorate officials had been assigned to her.
"Hoo..."
Yu Jin-sung could not help sighing.
At least Mumu was part of the escort procession.
'I told Mumu to protect Her Highness Princess Seo above all else, so we should be able to avoid the worst-case scenario, right?'
Mumu had defeated two of the Four Immortal Masters.
Who could possibly target Princess Seo against someone like him?
Of course, they might still make an attempt because Mumu's identity was concealed.
'Since I don't know how they might strike, I can't let my guard down.'
Yu Jin-sung heightened his vigilance.
If he failed to stay alert, there was no telling what might happen.
Several two-hour periods passed.
They had departed early in the morning, but before they knew it, the sun had risen high and was beginning to tilt westward.
* * *
The escort procession traveled along a road beneath a cliffside valley.
A scarred man in tiger-skin clothing watched the procession from high atop the cliff.
The corners of the man's lips curled upward as he stood with his arms crossed.
'They've arrived.'
He had received a message by carrier pigeon and waited for them for quite some time.
The order he had received by carrier pigeon was simple.
[Kill everyone except the woman carrying a bow.]
It was an easy task.
If they ambushed the escort procession from high ground, they could swiftly deal with so few people.
When the man held out his hand, a retainer waiting behind him brought over a massive bow.
Grasping the bow, the man took hold of an arrow almost as long as a pole and drew the string.
He aimed at one of the people at the very front.
'He's sleeping soundly.'
Even from up here, it was obvious that the target was dozing off.
He seemed easy to deal with.
"When the arrow pierces that bastard's head, proceed as planned."
"Yes, chief."
Behind the man stood around forty people dressed like bandits.
They looked like bandits at first glance, but the bulging temples on each of them revealed that they were masters.
-Creak!
The man drew the bowstring to its limit and imbued the arrow with tenth-level Force of ki.
He smirked.
'Looks like I'll frighten them too much from the start.'
He took pride in believing that only a handful of masters in the martial world could detect his arrow flying in from this distance.
The bowstring was drawn taut in the man's grasp.
-Twang!
The instant he released the string, the pole-like arrow tore through the air at tremendous speed toward the back of the head of someone dozing beneath the cliff.
The forty or so men waited for the result.
Then,
-Smack!
'!?'
The eyes of the man and his waiting subordinates widened.
The target he had aimed for had caught the pole-like arrow without even looking.
'...He caught my arrow without even seeing it?'
How had the bastard who had been sleeping just moments ago caught it?
He had even imbued it with tenth-level Force of ki.
As he stood there flustered, the person holding the arrow slowly raised his head and looked directly at him.
-Flinch!
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