WeTried Translations
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Editor: Abstract
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Episode 42: To the Imperial Palace (4)
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The table was laden with food.
Everyone focused on eating, intent on filling their empty stomachs. Princess Seo, Hong Na-yeon, was no exception.
Only when the dishes were nearly empty and their hunger had eased did conversation begin to flow.
"With the rain coming down this hard, shouldn't we stay at the inn today?"
At Hong Na-yeon's question, Yu Jin-sung looked out the inn window.
- Whoooosh!
As she said, the downpour outside was still so heavy that it was hard to see anything ahead. It looked as though it would continue all day.
Their return to the Imperial Palace would likely be delayed.
'This is troublesome.'
Having Mumu with them was reassuring, but the rain presented two problems.
First, the longer their return to the Imperial Palace was delayed, the more chances their enemies would have to target them. Since the ambush in the valley had failed, those people would resort to every possible method.
'With rain like this, we can't cross the river.'
There was a river not far from there. It was small and not especially wide, so people usually crossed it by ferry or raft.
Yet with this much rain, the water level would rise and the current could make crossing difficult.
'If we can't cross the river, we'll be delayed even longer.'
It was an extremely difficult situation.
"We'll have to assess the situation for now," Yu Jin-sung said.
"The situation?"
"Yes. It's pouring at the moment, so as you said, Your High... no, miss, we should remain at the inn. But if the river rises and the current strengthens, the journey could take even longer."
"Ah..."
"It doesn't look as though the rain will stop today, but if it eases even a little, we may need to hurry across before the river floods or the current grows worse."
"That would be good, but the current must already be strong. Would the people at the ferry landing even send out a raft or boat?"
"..."
Yu Jin-sung had the same concern.
If the current became too strong, the boatmen might refuse to set out. They could be swept downstream while crossing, making a return trip difficult.
Still, continued delay could lead to even greater danger.
Then someone spoke to them.
"If you're willing to pay enough, this old man can lend you a raft."
Their eyes turned toward the next table.
An elderly man who looked to be around seventy, his back bent with age, was drinking from a cup.
Yu Jin-sung cautiously approached him.
"Are you a boatman, perhaps?"
"Hohoho. I am. I operate rafts with my sons upstream."
"Ah! Then you can take us across?"
"Why else would I say so?"
"How?"
"Rivers this narrow sometimes develop strong currents when there is heavy rain like today. To ensure the raft can cross safely, a rope has been tied from this side all the way to the opposite bank."
"Ah!"
So there was such a method.
If a rope had been stretched across the river, they could withstand the stronger current. Yu Jin-sung's face brightened.
"Even if the rain eases, though, the current will still be dangerous, even for experienced boatmen."
"We understand. Since it is dangerous, we will pay whatever fare you ask."
"You're refreshingly straightforward, young friend."
The old man smiled with satisfaction.
As the situation seemed to be improving, the Censorate officials also looked relieved. Yet Hong Na-yeon's gaze toward the old man was filled with suspicion.
After some time, the old man said he was tired and asked them to let him know when the rain lightened, then headed to an inn room.
Only then did she speak.
"Don't you find that suspicious? Even if we're offering a high fare, he's being far too accommodating. And..."
"You were about to say it is too convenient?"
"That's right."
"I know."
"You know?"
Yu Jin-sung nodded.
In truth, Yu Jin-sung had found the old man suspicious from the moment the old man first spoke to them. The offer to send them across in this weather had come as though the old man had been waiting for them.
And more importantly...
"I don't think he is really a boatman."
"What do you mean he isn't a boatman?"
"His skin was too fair for one, and there were no calluses on his left hand."
'!?'
Hong Na-yeon could not hide her surprise.
She was astonished by Yu Jin-sung's keen eye for spotting those suspicious details in such a short time.
As Yu Jin-sung had said, most boatmen working outside all day had darkened skin, even if they wore bamboo hats. They also gripped long poles with both hands to guide their rafts, so calluses naturally formed on both palms.
Yet the old man's left palm was perfectly clean.
Only his right hand bore calluses.
"Judging by the position of the calluses, he appears to have handled a saber for many years."
The location of calluses differed depending on the weapon a person used.
To Yu Jin-sung's eyes, the old man was undoubtedly a saber wielder.
"Ah!"
A gasp escaped her lips.
Yu Jin-sung truly was worthy of being an Inspector Censor of the Censorate, where investigations were the primary duty.
"So you deliberately pretended to fall for it?"
"Yes."
"Then how will you respond?"
Pretending to be deceived was one thing, but if the enemy had laid a trap, they needed a countermeasure.
Yu Jin-sung turned to look at Mumu.
The old man had concealed his ki, making it difficult to judge the extent of his martial prowess, but fortunately, they had Mumu.
* * *
- Whoooosh!
Rain was still falling outside.
Unlike that morning, though, it had clearly weakened, and traveling would not be a problem.
They headed to the river with the unknown old man who had introduced himself as a boatman.
Though it was a narrow river, the earlier downpour had raised the water level considerably, and the current had become fierce.
It was completely different from when they had headed toward Changcheon Martial Academy.
"Oh! There is a rope."
At a Censorate official's words, Yu Jin-sung looked over.
Certain it was a trap, Yu Jin-sung had even thought there might not be any way to cross the river at all. This was unexpected.
Yu Jin-sung inwardly thought it was fortunate.
If the rope was in good condition, they should be able to cross somehow using the rafts moored at the ferry landing.
"Hohoho. Those are my sons over there."
Wearing a bamboo raincoat, the old man pointed at several sturdy men emerging from a plank house near the ferry landing.
Yu Jin-sung grew puzzled at the sight.
They were some distance away, but those men truly appeared to be boatmen. Their dark skin and slightly bent way of walking left little doubt.
'What is this?'
Had the old man recruited ordinary civilians?
As they drew closer, there was no sign that the men had learned Martial Arts. They were ordinary people.
Hong Na-yeon seemed to be thinking the same thing, unable to hide her confusion.
"Inspector Yu, those people..."
"We don't know yet."
Yu Jin-sung shook his head.
They still could not tell whether the men were ordinary people or people hired by the old man, who was concealing his identity.
Still, since the old man had called them his sons, a conversation would surely expose some flaw.
Then the old man turned his head slightly.
"You are martial artists, aren't you?"
"..."
Yu Jin-sung paused.
What was that supposed to mean?
Yu Jin-sung had not expected the old man to say something like that so suddenly.
Yu Jin-sung and Hong Na-yeon drew upon their life energy, their faces filled with caution.
Then...
"Hohoho. You juniors of the martial world are appropriately wary. That is the right instinct. Being cautious even around someone offering kindness is one of the martial world's rules."
A strange light appeared in Yu Jin-sung's eyes.
Calling them juniors meant the old man was revealing himself as a martial artist.
Still suspicious, Yu Jin-sung respectfully offered a Fist-and-palm salute and asked, "Are you a senior, then? Please tell us your name."
The old man smiled.
"It has been a long time since this old man retired. I do not know whether young people like you would recognize me. I am Byeok Ung."
'Byeok Ung?'
Yu Jin-sung's eyes widened.
Dae Ja-gwang, Byeok Ung.
There was no martial artist who did not know his name.
He was a master renowned for peerless saber arts and sound technique using a zither, and one of the former Ten Great Masters of the Force of Justice.
Though he had retired over a decade ago, his reputation remained deeply engraved in martial artists' minds.
Yu Jin-sung once again offered a Fist-and-palm salute.
"How could a junior not know the great name of Elder Byeok Ung? This junior is Yu Jin-sung..."
- Swish!
At that moment, the old man, no, Dae Ja-gwang Byeok Ung, caught Yu Jin-sung's arm as Yu Jin-sung offered the salute and shook his head.
"Shh. My sons will hear."
"What do you mean?"
"This old man retired long ago. I did not reveal myself to receive such grand greetings. Though I have retired, we all walk the same path, so I only wished to help my juniors."
"Ah!"
Yu Jin-sung was inwardly moved by Byeok Ung's words.
Yu Jin-sung had not entirely cast aside their suspicions, but if Byeok Ung was truly helping them out of goodwill toward juniors, he was worthy of deep respect.
Hong Na-yeon also relaxed her guard slightly.
Seeing that, Byeok Ung sneered inwardly.
'Foolish brats.'
From the start, he had noticed Yu Jin-sung examining him from head to toe.
An Inspector Censor of the Censorate, an investigative organization, would naturally possess a sharp eye.
That was why he had revealed his identity first, to make them lower their guard.
'It is bothersome, but deceiving them like this is entertaining in its own way.'
In truth, Byeok Ung had considered killing them at the inn.
Yet because of the message that had arrived beforehand, he decided to follow the orders of the person he served.
The method was also quite interesting.
[Drown them.]
Farther upstream, an embankment had been raised to dam the river.
It was meant to prevent the rising river from overflowing whenever there was heavy rain like this.
But what would happen if that embankment were destroyed?
The river water, held back and accumulated, would surge forward like a massive tidal wave.
"Now then, let us cross."
Byeok Ung turned his head, the corners of his mouth rising.
'This should be quite a sight.'
* * *
There were four rafts in total.
Judging by their size and carrying capacity, each raft was best suited for four horses and four people, excluding the boatman.
So they were divided into groups accordingly.
Mumu, Princess Seo, Kang Mu-i, and one Censorate official would board the first raft.
Protecting Princess Seo was their highest priority.
'Excellent.'
Dae Ja-gwang Byeok Ung was delighted by this.
He only needed to cross with them on the first raft, then destroy the embankment.
Byeok Ung looked at Mumu, who wore one of the fierce-looking Skin Masks.
'Once we have crossed the river, I will take your life.'
Just as he was thinking that, Mumu rubbed his chin with a strange expression as he looked at the party members already aboard the raft.
Then...
- Krrrick!
He turned the adjustment screw on his Ki-Restraining Bracelets.
Byeok Ung watched closely, wondering what Mumu was doing.
At that moment...
- Creak! Crack! Whoosh!
'!?'
Mumu's muscles rapidly swelled, and vapor burst from his body.
Byeok Ung furrowed his brow at the bizarre change.
'What is this?'
In all his decades in the martial world, he had never seen anyone's muscles suddenly grow that large.
Then something completely unexpected happened.
One of the dark-skinned boatmen pulled away the support beam beneath the raft and was about to push it out.
- Whoosh!
At that instant, the raft rose into the air.
"W-what?"
"W-what are you doing?"
Mumu had lifted the raft.
The boatmen and everyone else could not hide their bewilderment at the sight.
With horses and people aboard, the raft had to be enormously heavy. No one had imagined he could lift it so easily.
But what was even more absurd was...
- Creak!
Mumu, holding the raft overhead, bent his knees.
Dae Ja-gwang Byeok Ung stared, hardly daring to believe it.
Then it happened.
- KABOOM!
The ground beneath Mumu caved in, and he, holding the raft, launched into the air and flew across the river.
'!!!!!!'
- Whoooosh! Boom!
In the blink of an eye, Mumu and the raft reached the opposite bank.
Everyone stood with their mouths open, too stunned to speak.
Did that even make sense?
"Is this a dream or reality?"
"Is he really human? How did he carry that thing across the river in one leap?"
"Hey! L-look over there!"
Mumu let the people and horses get off, then lifted the raft again.
It seemed he intended to carry everyone across the river in the same unbelievable way.
Dae Ja-gwang Byeok Ung's pupils shook wildly as he watched.
Footnotes:
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