WeTried Translations
Translator: ZERO_SUGAR
Editor: Abstract
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Episode 46: Imperial Palace (5)
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The Ministry of War was one of the Six Ministries.
A young man wearing the official robes of a senior fifth-rank Department Head, who led the Inner Palace Administration Department within the Ministry of War's Registrar Office, rested his chin on one hand and silently tapped his fingers against the desk.
Within the Imperial Palace, he was known as Department Head Il Mu-hyeon. Yet his true identity was Hyeon Mu-il, the future Master known as One among the five recipients of Jade Medallions.
It was normally a time when he should have been buried in work, but Hyeon Mu-il found the current situation strange.
‘King Jin entered the palace, so why hasn't there been a report?’
There had been a report, of course.
But it had come from a low-ranking Ministry of War official, not one of his true subordinates.
‘Something's wrong.’
King Jin entering the Imperial Palace practically meant the Flying Horse Brigade had failed its assassination mission.
That much could be explained as an unexpected variable. King Jin might have had hidden forces prepared.
Yet Princess Seo, King Jin's daughter, had entered the palace with him as well.
‘That means not only the Flying Horse Brigade, but the Moak Estate O Mu-yang sent also failed its mission.’
That had to be the case.
Still, there had been no report from O Mu-yang.
O Mu-yang was meticulous in all matters and skilled at scheming. Whenever an unexpected variable arose, O Mu-yang was the sort to react at once.
Why had no word come from O Mu-yang yet?
By now, the situation should have been urgent enough to move either the Emperor or the Flying Horse Brigade. What in the world was O Mu-yang doing?
‘This won't do.’
In the end, Hyeon Mu-il decided to visit the Censorate himself.
As he was about to leave the Inner Palace Administration Department, a lame old eunuch struggled toward the entrance of the hall.
Hyeon Mu-il snorted when he saw him.
“The power of an artifact really is something. You couldn't even walk not long ago.”
“...”
“Don't go poking around and drawing suspicion. Focus on recovering.”
Hyeon Mu-il tried to pass the old eunuch.
Then, as Hyeon Mu-il was about to pass him, the old eunuch spoke in a low voice.
“Are you going to the Censorate?”
Contrary to his appearance, the old eunuch's voice was remarkably young.
Even his eyes brimmed with vitality.
Hyeon Mu-il stopped.
“...What are you trying to say?”
“If you're going to the Censorate, I would advise against it.”
“What?”
Hyeon Mu-il turned, his eyes narrowing.
He glared at the old eunuch.
“I spared and took in a cripple, and now you're getting arrogant?”
“I'm not being arrogant.”
“Then who are you to tell me where I can and can't go?”
The old eunuch lowered his head at Hyeon Mu-il's irritated tone and spoke cautiously.
“How could I ever forget the future Master's kindness? I'm only telling you this to repay that kindness.”
“Repay it?”
“Yes.”
Hyeon Mu-il studied him with a sharp gaze before asking,
“What do you know?”
“Peerless Herculean Strength has entered the Imperial Palace.”
“What?”
Hyeon Mu-il frowned.
What was that supposed to mean?
Peerless Herculean Strength?
“Are you talking about that Mumu brat?”
“Yes.”
“What nonsense is this? That bastard should be at Changcheon Martial Academy...”
“He appeared at the Censorate.”
‘!?’
Hyeon Mu-il's eyes trembled slightly.
O Mu-yang, no, Yang Mu-o, had been responsible for the old eunuch, who had been recovering at the Censorate.
This was not something Hyeon Mu-il could simply dismiss.
He immediately thought he needed to go to the Censorate.
The old eunuch stopped him.
“You mustn't go.”
“Who are you to tell me not to...”
“Please remain calm. Mu O has already been captured by him, and the Moak Estate's heir has betrayed us.”
“What?”
Hyeon Mu-il found the statement absurd.
The Moak Estate had been ordered to capture Yu Jin-sung, the Inspector Censor and older brother of Peerless Herculean Strength. It had betrayed them?
“Don't spout nonsense. The Moak Estate's heir would sooner kill himself than yield to force...”
“He called Mumu Master.”
“Master? What are you...?”
“And Kang Mu-i was with him.”
“Kang Mu-i?”
For a moment, Hyeon Mu-il was thrown into confusion.
Too much unbelievable information had come at him all at once, making it difficult to sort through the situation.
Peerless Herculean Strength had suddenly appeared at the Imperial Palace. Why would the Moak Estate's heir call him Master?
And Kang Mu-i was here too?
Did that mean they were working together?
-Grit!
Hyeon Mu-il ground his teeth.
From what he had heard, it was impossible to know exactly what was happening.
One thing was certain. Events were unfolding one after another, shaking the boundaries he had painstakingly established.
“Damn bastards!”
Hyeon Mu-il wanted to seize them at once and beat them into submission.
As Hyeon Mu-il struggled with his fury, the old eunuch spoke to him.
“Please calm down. The fact that he boldly infiltrated the Imperial Palace and targeted the future Master's retainers may mean he has some hidden plan.”
“Hidden plan or not, it doesn't matter. The heart of the matter is that bastard, Peerless Herculean Strength. If I deal with him, I can reduce the variables.”
It was an accurate judgment, if he could kill Mumu.
But the old eunuch tried to stop Hyeon Mu-il with a sober warning.
“Two of the Four Immortal Masters fell to him. That means he possesses strength equal to a Grandmaster's, or greater.”
“Are you saying I'd lose to a bastard like that?”
-Whoooooosh!
Before he had even finished speaking, Hyeon Mu-il's robes billowed as a powerful aura burst forth.
The nearby bookshelves and ornaments shook violently.
The pressure was so overwhelming that the old eunuch's breathing grew ragged.
“Gasp... gasp...”
Even before his dantian[1] had been destroyed, the old eunuch might not have been able to withstand it.
Hyeon Mu-il's eyes gleamed with killing intent.
“I'll show you his severed head.”
“Gasp... You must... stay calm... Clashing with him... now...”
-Grab!
“Ghk!”
Hyeon Mu-il seized the old eunuch by the throat.
“It seems you want to die first.”
“Even... that person... died... because of carelessness... Ghk... Please... calm... yourself...”
“...”
“Ghhhhh.”
The old eunuch's eyes started to roll back as he struggled to breathe.
Hyeon Mu-il glared at him, then loosened his grip and withdrew his aura.
-Thud!
“Cough! Cough...”
The old eunuch collapsed to the floor and coughed violently.
Hyeon Mu-il stared down at him in displeasure, then slowly calmed his anger.
He had nearly rushed off in a fit of rage, but the old eunuch had a point.
‘Carelessness...’
There was a good chance that Peerless Herculean Strength's outrageous boldness came from some hidden card.
Letting himself be led around by that bastard would be a terrible move.
Hyeon Mu-il looked down at the old eunuch, who was still retching, and asked,
“Then what do you suggest?”
The old eunuch had lowered his head as he coughed, but the corner of his mouth twitched and a strange light flickered in his eyes.
He quickly concealed it before answering.
“Pant... pant... You must... leave the Imperial Palace at once.”
* * *
-Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A forested hill southwest of the imperial capital, roughly eight kilometers away.
Hyeon Mu-il and the five heirs of the House of the Eight Villains under his command used movement skills to move faster than horses.
‘Damn it. How did things become such a mess?’
He had left the Imperial Palace as advised, but it had wounded his pride terribly.
The Grand Plan had progressed without a single hitch until now.
Yet one bastard called Peerless Herculean Strength had thrown everything into disarray.
Hyeon Mu-il glanced back at the old eunuch, who was riding on the back of one of the House of the Eight Villains' heirs.
[I'm not telling you to abandon the Imperial Palace.]
[Isn't leaving the Imperial Palace the same thing?]
[The future Master only needs to disappear for a very short while. Just a very short while.]
In the end, wasn't that the same as avoiding that bastard and hiding?
The situation was deeply humiliating.
He had hurried out with only the heirs of the House of the Eight Villains to evade pursuit and leave as little trace as possible, but he was too ashamed to face them.
[Until now, we have endured every humiliation while biding our time for the reconstruction of the Mighty Conqueror Council and blood revenge. Everything is for the Grand Plan. You must not regard this as humiliation.]
-Grit!
If not for the Grand Plan, he would have fought Peerless Herculean Strength to determine the victor, no matter the outcome.
But if, by any chance, he lost, everything would be over.
So Hyeon Mu-il chose the safer path.
‘Enjoy this moment. You, and even the Four Immortal Masters, will all die by this Mu-il's hand...’
Hyeon Mu-il's eyes narrowed when he spotted someone approaching along their path.
Yet the figure's gait was unlike that of an ordinary person.
Their head hung low as they staggered forward like a puppet suspended from strings. The sight was deeply unnatural.
“Phew.”
Hyeon Mu-il had already been irritated, so this seemed perfect.
-Shing!
He drew the sword at his waist.
He had wanted something to vent his anger on anyway. That thing would do nicely.
Just then,
-Snap!
The strangely staggering figure straightened.
Then they raised their lowered head and stared directly at Hyeon Mu-il.
‘!?’
* * *
“Ahhh...”
The old eunuch knelt with his body bent low, raising his head.
He stared ahead in awe, then gripped the skin around his neck as though it felt constricting and tore it away.
The skin stretched out before peeling off completely.
Beneath the removed skin was a hidden face.
It belonged to Sa Mu-heo, one of the Six Stars of Heaven, who had departed for the imperial capital disguised as a criminal alongside Left Assistant Censor O Mu-yang, no, Yang Mu-o.
-Tremble!
Sa Mu-heo's shaking eyes reflected an astonishing sight.
Hyeon Mu-il was said to possess the greatest talent among the five who had received Jade Medallions and Martial names. His own title was One.
He had a supreme physique, free from crippling side effects such as the Nine Yin Severed Meridians, and an inexhaustible well of internal energy.
Yet he had collapsed and was writhing in agony.
“Cough! Cough!”
He clutched his chest as if suffering a heart attack.
From roughly ten steps away, a grotesque figure with the right half of their upper body blown away staggered toward him.
Even with their upper body in that state, they had somehow survived and continued moving. The sight was chilling beyond measure.
The figure approached, gently stroked Hyeon Mu-il's hair, and spoke.
“At last, I shall reap the harvest, my other self.”
* * *
At roughly the same time, inside the grand hall of Golden Emperor Hall.
Double-Saber Wanderer King Agong and Princess Seo, Hong Na-yeon, were struggling to protect King Jin, Hong Myeong-in, while surrounded by masters from the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Eastern Eunuch corps, and the Western Eunuch corps.
Mumu had dealt with the Imperial Palace's strongest masters, but more than a hundred elite masters still remained, and they were formidable in their own right.
“Haah!”
-Kwaaaang!
The saber ki manifestation swung by Double-Saber Wanderer King Agong tore through the center of the grand hall.
Three Eastern Eunuch corps masters were sliced at the waist by his tyrannical saber ki manifestation and collapsed in two pieces.
Anyone would have been frightened by the sight, but...
“Don't give them an opening!”
“If we subdue King Jin, we can turn this around!”
They were desperate to capture King Jin somehow.
The Imperial Palace's guardians and the Chief Brigade Leader of the Flying Horse Brigade had fallen with ridiculous ease. If they wanted to reverse the situation, they had to capture King Jin.
Only then could they stand against that monster.
‘We have to capture King Jin.’
‘We need to act before His Majesty is harmed.’
They had no way to handle Mumu, that monstrous man.
To protect the Emperor, they believed their only answer was to take King Jin, whose life was worth just as much, as a hostage.
“If you can't get King Jin, capture Princess Seo!”
King Jin's weakness was his daughter, Princess Seo.
Capturing her was another option.
Still, Hong Na-yeon possessed martial prowess that ranked her fifth among Changcheon Martial Academy's third-year cadets.
She only seemed less impressive beside Mumu and Double-Saber Wanderer King Agong. Compared to the Imperial Palace's masters, she held the advantage rather than falling behind them.
“Pant... pant...”
The problem was their numerical disadvantage.
Double-Saber Wanderer King Agong's martial prowess far surpassed theirs, allowing him to hold on, but even his stamina had limits.
Unlike their enemies, they were the side forced to protect King Jin.
‘...Not yet?’
Mumu should not have taken long to capture the Emperor.
Why was he taking longer than expected?
Had something happened?
Just as she was wondering,
-Boom!
The ceiling of the grand hall shattered, and someone landed on the floor.
Everyone stopped fighting and looked over.
One of the Embroidered Uniform Guard masters cried out in a despairing voice.
“Y-Your Majesty!”
Mumu stood there, wearing one of the Skin Masks bearing the face of a vicious-looking middle-aged man.
At his side was Emperor Hong In-se, with Mumu gripping him humiliatingly by the collar.
Despair and emptiness flooded the faces of the Imperial Palace masters who had been trying so hard to capture King Jin.
-Tap!
“Urgh.”
Mumu released the Emperor's collar, and Hong In-se stumbled as he failed to regain his balance.
“Y-you... Insolent...”
“Traitorous bastard! How dare you!”
The eunuchs of the Eastern Eunuch corps and Western Eunuch corps could not contain their rage.
Then they saw the yellow stain on the Emperor's trousers beneath his dragon robe, along with the tears and snot covering his face.
They were struck speechless.
How terrified had he been to end up in such a state?
-Tremble!
An Embroidered Uniform Guard master could not bear it any longer and bellowed,
“You bastard! How dare you treat His Majesty, the Son of Heaven, like...!”
“S-stop!”
Emperor Hong In-se cut him off with a shout of his own.
“Y-Your Majesty?”
“H-how dare you raise your voice when it could endanger my safety!”
The Embroidered Uniform Guard master and the other Imperial Palace masters who had been venting their rage stood dumbfounded at the Emperor's rebuke.
Paying no attention to their reaction, Emperor Hong In-se instead watched Mumu's expression.
“I-it seems they still don't understand how terrifying you are, sir. P-please do not be angered.”
‘Ha!’
They had nothing to say at Emperor Hong In-se's humiliating display.
The Emperor of the Great Empire had been so frightened that he had surrendered to a single man.
Princess Seo, Hong Na-yeon, could not hide her feelings at the sight. The corner of her mouth twitched upward.
[Then if we deal with the Emperor, the problem will go away?]
‘Ahhh.’
She had thought Mumu was only saying that to reassure her.
Yet it had actually happened.
[1] Dantian: the body's core energy center, traditionally located below the navel, where internal energy is cultivated and stored.
Footnotes:
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