WeTried Translations

Translator: ZERO_SUGAR

Editor: Abstract

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Episode 49: Great Dharma Protector (3)

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It was a tale from long ago, one now fading into the past.

Back when the Mighty Conqueror Council stood at the height of its power and sought to conquer the world.

-Thud!

A warrior bearing urgent news dropped to one knee and reported to him.

“Reporting to the Grand Guardian. The Spirit Ring Faction in Nancheng, Jiangxi, has surrendered.”

The Spirit Ring Faction was one of Jiangxi's distinguished force of justice factions, with more than a thousand members under its command.

Their fall meant that one-fifth of Jiangxi had now fallen into the council's hands, yet Grand Guardian Seo Yong-chu did not look pleased.

“Grand Guardian?”

“It's nothing. You may withdraw.”

The reporting warrior cupped a fist in salute and withdrew.

Watching the warrior depart, Grand Guardian Seo Yong-chu let out a sigh.

This was certainly good news for the Mighty Conqueror Council.

Yet lately, he had been plagued by deep doubts.

“Haa...”

Seo Yong-chu looked at the scroll on his desk, marked Secret.

As he stared at it, his first meeting with his lord came to mind.

“Will you become my right hand and conquer the world with me?”

He had been captivated by that man's bold spirit.

So he abandoned his master's final wishes and declared himself his lord's right hand.

Everyone feared the man and called him cruel and arrogant, but Seo Yong-chu had liked that side of him. He had enjoyed walking the tyrant's road.

At some point, though, the things his lord did had drifted far from that path.

-Shffft!

Seo Yong-chu's eyes darkened as he unrolled the scroll.

As expected, it was another assignment concerning that matter.

‘Womb...’

Womb.

At some point, his lord had begun calling it the Martial God Ultimate Plan.

It had nothing to do with their great cause.

After hearing rumors that the Crimson Profound Sacred Cult possessed a secret art of immortality, his lord had gradually changed. In the end, he murdered the Crimson Profound Sacred Cult's lord, who had once been favorable to them, and even exterminated the cult to seize its great art.

‘...Is this truly immortality?’

It was a secret art that transferred a soul into the bodies of blood relatives.

No matter how he thought about it, it was far from normal.

“My immortality means the immortality of the Mighty Conqueror Council.”

With those words, his lord had forced through the Martial God Ultimate Plan.

Only a handful of people knew about it, and Grand Guardian Seo Yong-chu was among them.

There was no avoiding it. As the Overlord of Blood and Slaughter's right hand and the sword that protected him, Seo Yong-chu was in a position where he had to know.

At first, he had reluctantly convinced himself to support the plan, believing his lord's immortality would mean the Mighty Conqueror Council endured forever.

But lately, his doubts had only grown.

Unpleasant rumors had already begun circulating within the council.

“Again?”

“I heard they brought in the women from the faction they exterminated.”

“You think that's all? They even gathered up every desirable woman they found among the common folk.”

“There must be more than two hundred by now.”

“Is the Council Head planning to build an Epang Palace[1] or something?”

He did not need to look far. Raising his senses as he walked through the fortress, he could hear whispers everywhere.

There were exactly 215 women within the fortress who had been selected as wombs, and they had borne more than four hundred vessels.

Of those, 104 had become malformed children due to failed spells.

Two hundred and forty-six had been born ordinary.

Forty had died through the great art of transferring souls.

“Haa...”

Seo Yong-chu could not help feeling overwhelmed by doubt and exhausted by the situation.

This was not the Overlord of Blood and Slaughter he had hoped for, nor was it the future he had envisioned for the Mighty Conqueror Council.

The man might have been cruel, but this was not something a human being should do.

Seo Yong-chu ground his teeth.

Despite his repeated disappointment, Grand Guardian Seo Yong-chu was not a man who easily broke promises or withdrew his loyalty.

Still, he could do nothing about the gnawing doubts within him.

After reviewing the contents of the secret missive, Seo Yong-chu headed somewhere.

Not far from the Mighty Conqueror Council's fortress, a black carriage had arrived.

“You have come.”

Someone wearing a bamboo hat and a mask greeted him.

The figure pointed to the carriage.

“They are new wombs. You received the report beforehand, but they belong to a family with an unusual bloodline, the family he expects the most from.”

The figure opened the carriage door.

Two women stepped down from inside.

An involuntary exclamation escaped Grand Guardian Seo Yong-chu's lips.

Both were beautiful, but one of them was so breathtaking that calling her a peerless beauty would not have been an exaggeration.

“To think a woman like this is regarded as nothing but a womb...”

It was enough to make him feel sorry for her.

Then the peerless beauty raised an eyebrow.

“I am disappointed.”

‘!?’

“You see your lord's woman and do not even show proper courtesy. Is this how the Mighty Conqueror Council conducts itself?”

Seo Yong-chu frowned at her words.

Did she not understand why she had been brought here?

There were occasionally women like that among the selected ones, but...

The beautiful woman suddenly smiled brightly.

“What? Are you nervous? It was a joke. A joke.”

“Pardon?”

“You really are as big as a mountain. A giant, even. Yet a joke from a tiny, dainty woman like me has you nervous.”

“...”

“I am Hae Ha-rang of the Ha Family in Datong, Shanxi Province. This is my younger sibling. She is pretty too, isn't she? Do not fall for her, though.”

That was his first meeting with Hae Ha-rang.

She was a truly unusual woman.

He had heard that she had come here of her own accord after seeing the Overlord of Blood and Slaughter.

At first, Seo Yong-chu thought perhaps she had not known why she was coming here.

But she had known.

“I know. He told me he wanted me to bear a child to his liking. Hearing him spout that nonsense from our very first meeting stirred my defiance.”

“Defiance?”

“I'll make that man fall for me, then make a proper man of him.”

She had come here to turn that cruel and arrogant man into a proper human being.

Her boldness and strange nature made Grand Guardian Seo Yong-chu laugh for the first time in a long while.

Perhaps her boldness might change his lord.

And in truth, there were times when even his lord showed signs of being flustered by her.

“How could you not come see me after only spending one night with me?”

“...Do not be a nuisance.”

“How can you call me a nuisance when you have a wife as beautiful as me? Come and play with me already.”

“You...”

“You? What?”

“...Nothing.”

Everyone feared his lord.

The women selected as wombs feared him most of all.

Yet she did not fear him. Instead, she pressed forward with her boldness.

At first, his lord had seemed annoyed, but perhaps he did not dislike her behavior as much as he claimed. He had never even shared a meal with those he regarded as wombs, yet he occasionally ate and spoke with her.

Perhaps... perhaps she really could change him.

But then...

“Pardon? My lord, what did you say?”

“I said to discard everything except Extreme.”

“B-but, my lord. Young Master Extreme is in the fortress...”

“Not Young Master. That is my new vessel.”

“My lord...”

“If the one chance in ten thousand occurs, discard everything but Extreme. You are my sword. All you need to do is obey my command.”

It was the final command the Overlord of Blood and Slaughter had issued while inhabiting the body he had at the time, before departing for Mount Song, the sacred ground of the force of justice, for what would later be called the final battle.

Seo Yong-chu could not understand the order at all.

All the force of justice's strength, including the Four Immortal Masters, had gathered at Mount Song.

He could understand why even that arrogant man would prepare for the worst.

But in the fortress were countless children of his blood, whom he called vessels, and Hae Ha-rang, the only woman who treated him as a person, as a man.

‘...He intends to abandon even her.’

Grand Guardian Seo Yong-chu understood then.

His lord would not change.

The time he had spent with her had only been another one of his passing whims.

To his lord, she had been...

Nothing more than a womb.

‘Aaah...’

At that point, Seo Yong-chu could only hope his lord would win the final battle at Mount Song.

Yet the one chance in ten thousand came to pass.

The man called the Martial God was defeated by the Four Immortal Masters.

Upon receiving the urgent news, Grand Guardian Seo Yong-chu could not contain his grief and rage at the death of the lord to whom he had sworn loyalty, regardless of his doubts and disappointment.

Whatever else he was, his lord was still his lord.

Enraged, Seo Yong-chu wanted to rush to Mount Song and avenge him at once.

But the force of justice had defeated even the Overlord of Blood and Slaughter and the Mighty Conqueror Council. There was no way he could face them alone.

“Save Extreme.”

In the end, Grand Guardian Seo Yong-chu chose to follow his lord's command.

He first took Extreme somewhere safe.

While doing so, he learned that the Four Immortal Masters, leading the victorious force of justice, had attacked the Mighty Conqueror Council's fortress.

‘...’

Grand Guardian Seo Yong-chu was torn by indecision.

He had fulfilled his lord's command.

But she was still in the fortress.

‘Hae Ha-rang.’

She was the woman who had made everyone in the Mighty Conqueror Council's fortress like her.

Seo Yong-chu himself had come to like her, not as a woman but as a person.

“Why do you always look so gloomy? Come on, follow me and smile brightly like this.”

“...”

“I said smile. Like this.”

“...Ahem.”

“That is all? Why are you so self-conscious about smiling? You are huge, so just laugh freely.”

In a place where everyone had lost the ability to smile, she had been the only light.

His lord's command had already been carried out, but Seo Yong-chu could not bring himself to leave her to die.

Risking his life, he headed for the Mighty Conqueror Council's fortress even as the Four Immortal Masters and the force of justice closed in.

-Fwoooosh!

By the time he arrived, it was already too late.

All he could do was stare blankly at the Mighty Conqueror Council's fortress as it burned.

‘...In the end, I could not protect her.’

He had lost his lord, and he could not protect her either.

Even if it meant disobeying his lord's command, he should have taken her with him.

Seo Yong-chu felt more despair and more doubt in himself than he had even at his lord's death.

Then, as he turned to leave, someone appeared before him.

‘!?’

Grand Guardian Seo Yong-chu could not hide his surprise.

It was Hong Hwa-yun, the Southern Blade Imperial Uncle, a member of the imperial family and one of the Four Immortal Masters who had killed his lord through a combined attack.

“Hong Hwa-yun!”

“Towering Giant.”

They recognized each other at once.

Hong Hwa-yun and Grand Guardian Seo Yong-chu were both widely known figures.

Yet something else caught Seo Yong-chu's attention first.

“Hae Ha-rang!”

A woman was slung over Hong Hwa-yun's shoulder.

She was none other than Hae Ha-rang.

“Hong Hwa-yun, you dare!”

It was not enough that Hong Hwa-yun had killed his lord and burned the Mighty Conqueror Council's fortress. Was this member of the imperial family going to prey on Hae Ha-rang, who could be called his lord's woman?

Even if it killed him, Grand Guardian Seo Yong-chu decided he would settle matters with him here.

Then...

“Towering Giant... Stop.”

“What do you mean, stop...?”

“I am trying to save this woman.”

“What?”

Grand Guardian Seo Yong-chu paused as he prepared to fight him with everything he had.

He was trying to save her? What did that mean?

Seeing Seo Yong-chu's confusion, Hong Hwa-yun said,

“...To prevent future trouble in the martial world, I intended to eliminate everything connected to the Overlord of Blood and Slaughter. But I could not bring myself to do so to this woman.”

“What nonsense are you speaking?”

“There is no time. I am risking everything to save her as well. Searches are underway in every direction. The Four Immortal Masters and the Ten Great Masters of the Force of Justice are also moving. This is not the time for us to fight.”

Seo Yong-chu raised his voice.

“Then put her down at once!”

“I cannot.”

“What?”

“I am trying to save her because I was moved by her boundless maternal love. As a father myself, I also committed an unforgivable sin against her.”

“A sin?”

“...Under the pretense of justice, I ended a life that had barely entered the world by throwing it from a cliff. It is a regret I will carry for the rest of my life.”

“You bastard!”

Had he killed Mumu, Hae Ha-rang's child?

Grand Guardian Seo Yong-chu glared at him with unforgiving eyes.

Yet at the same time, he did not understand.

Why would Hong Hwa-yun confess his wrongdoing to an enemy like him?

‘Hong Hwa-yun...’

That half-dead look in his eyes made him seem like someone seeking atonement.

But that was not important now.

“Hand her over at once!”

“I told you, I cannot. Before long, they will slaughter you, the Mighty Conqueror Council, and all its remnants. This woman will not survive either.”

Seo Yong-chu hesitated at those words.

He had taken Extreme somewhere safe according to his lord's command, but with their leader dead, he could not know what would become of the Mighty Conqueror Council's surviving forces.

His voice lowered.

“...How can I trust that you will truly protect her?”

“To atone for my sins, I will risk my life to save this woman.”

The Southern Blade Imperial Uncle spoke firmly.

Seo Yong-chu stared at him.

There was not the slightest wavering in Hong Hwa-yun's eyes.

-Flinch!

At that moment, Seo Yong-chu sensed countless presences drawing near.

Some of them seemed to be supreme masters.

Seo Yong-chu bit his lip.

“Go. I will handle this place.”

“What?”

“...Protect her. No, protect my lady without fail. If you promise me that, I will keep silent about this until the day I die.”

Though his lord had never acknowledged it, Hae Ha-rang was his lord's woman in Seo Yong-chu's eyes.

Hong Hwa-yun could not hide his surprise.

“You will die if you stay here.”

“This is not for you. I am buying time for my lady.”

Seo Yong-chu's words brought a strange light to Hong Hwa-yun's eyes.

Though they were enemies, Hong Hwa-yun seemed moved by Seo Yong-chu's spirit and loyalty.

“...I swear it as well. I will risk everything I have to protect this woman.”

-Flash!

With those words, Hong Hwa-yun left with her.

‘Please survive.’

Watching them depart, Seo Yong-chu prayed earnestly.

After the Southern Blade Imperial Uncle departed, Grand Guardian Seo Yong-chu sensed the approaching presences and tore a strip from his clothes. He bound his hand tightly to the handle of his signature weapon, the Demonic Dragon Crescent Blade.

-Clench!

He did it so he would not let go of it until the moment he died.

Having steeled his resolve, Grand Guardian Seo Yong-chu seemed to remember something. Calmly, he used his left hand to pull both corners of his mouth upward.

It looked awkward, but almost like a bright smile.

[1] Epang Palace: Qin Shi Huang's famously grand palace complex, often invoked as a symbol of extravagant luxury.

Footnotes:

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