As Prophet - Chapter 168



Only Noblemtl

Episode 168. Under the Crescent Moon at Dawn

Cheolmuwoong, who has a quick temper, was about to get up when Mukhyeong stopped him and made another request.

“How about resting at Your Majesty’s side instead of here? If the bandits and the masters are after you as you said, Your Majesty is still in danger. I request that the true man stay at Your Majesty’s side.”

Dalcheon frowned.

“You need to get some rest.”

“Is it difficult even for someone with the best stamina in the world?”

Dalcheon closed his eyes tightly and opened them. He pointed to his chest with his fingertips and then pointed to his head again.

“My body can handle it, but my head won’t listen to me. I’m so tired. When I saw the blood at the end and cleaned up the body, I felt creepy and suddenly felt lonely and had chills. Hmm… … It’s hard to explain, but I need to rest a little.
And can you rest properly by His Majesty’s side as you said? If you are someone who wants to rise, you would want to be together and get close to them, but I am not like that. I just want to finish the work quickly and go back to the mountain. I have shed too much blood. The work here wastes too much of a person’s mental power.

“Lastly, I just glanced over it and there are currently no direct threats near Your Majesty. If anything happens, I will be the first to know, so don’t worry too much.”

Dalcheon divided the roles among the three. Mukhyeong was to protect the king at close range, but he was to accompany those who were big and skilled in swordsmanship. Cheolmuung was to be in charge of the internal and external defense of the palace, but he was to have the best among the royal guards pass the test by forming groups of three and having them occupy major corners and routes and wait. Lastly, Jo Donggil was to set up a human curtain in the yard and wall surrounding the palace to prevent the enemies from sneaking in.

The three men who heard the triple defense felt relieved. Dalcheon prepared for defense, even mentioning specific numbers.

Among the three people leaving, I caught Mukhyeong.

“why?”

“Why, why not? Well, this time we have to switch things up. Someone else will sleep in Your Majesty’s bedroom, and Your Majesty will have to switch places.”

“Hmm, should I? Since it’s the first night, I might want to feel the king’s majesty.”

“Tell him that if he doesn’t listen, I’ll throw him out and leave.”

“Oh my! This isn’t a kid’s game, how can you say something like that?”

Dalcheon hit his chest.

“I am a child.”

“Huh, my goodness… … .”

“Go quickly. I’m tired. Ah! While you’re going, tell Grandpa Yu Seok to come. If there’s an elder in the commandant’s office nearby, tell him to come with you.”

“What about the game auditor, sir?”

“I’m sure you’re handling the accident well. Please come by when you’re done.”

“Loyalty!”

Dalcheon closed his eyes before Mukhyeong left. At first glance, it seemed like a rude gesture, but considering the hard work he had done today, it was understandable. Unlike before, Mukhyeong bowed politely and left.

But he didn’t go. He just sat on the porch outside the door and stuck his head out.

“Should I bring something to eat?”

Dalcheon snickered. It’s really difficult for people to change like this. It’s because it prevents them from treating you the way they used to. A person who was once stiff, cold, and silent and just had a straight face can change so gently… … Dalcheon couldn’t refuse and nodded with his eyes closed.

“Do you know what’s good about the palace?”

“What do you like?”

“There’s so much to eat. Ahaha! All the delicacies of the world are gathered here.”

“Then there will be rice cakes too, right?”

“Well, maybe.”

“Ask them to put in some garaetteok or something. If they don’t have it, then don’t bother.”

“Do you like it with mugwort in it or without it?”

“I don’t really care about that. But if you really have to, it’s better not to go in. Haha.”

Mukhyeong pretends to be silent and then asks again.

“The pot is big. There might be dried scorched rice.”

“It’s fine whether it’s dry or wet.”

“Ahaha.”

People need to be in bright places. Silently changing his personality as if he was trying to compensate for the difficult and hard times he had lived through by making a gloomy expression.

“There is a good noodle restaurant in the back alley of Shijeon Street.”

“Oh my!”

Dalcheon took a deep breath and closed the door without touching it. It was a kind of empty space. The door that was not touched closed with a bang. It would have been embarrassing for a person, but Mukhyeong left, giggling.

Before half a moment had passed, the maids in the kitchen wearing the palace uniforms knocked on the door with something in their hands. They brought in things like nurungji, garaetteok, and gukbap. Dalcheon straightened his posture and bowed his head in response to the unfamiliar reception of the maids. He wanted to have a moment of peace because of the mental fatigue, but it was not possible because of the upcoming work. He could not be alone and immersed in peace.

Dalcheon chewed the half-hardened rice cake. The pure white taste broke in his mouth. If you can’t be calm, doing something is also a good way. If you immerse yourself in something, it may not be the same as calm, but you can exist in a similar time of nirvana.

Dalcheon was so absorbed in eating that the maids who brought him food covered their mouths and laughed. They had heard rumors that he was a fierce and scary warrior, but when they came, they saw that he was just a boy who ate well. His hair was disheveled like a lion, and instead of his usual jacket, he was wearing blood-stained martial arts clothing, but he was a pure and clean boy. The maids of similar age glanced at him and blushed.

He couldn’t finish what he had brought, and only left a little bit of dried scorched rice before putting the bowl away. The eunuchs bowed as if they were greeting a king and left. After they got a little farther away, they started chattering, and of course, it was about Dalcheon.

“He looks so cool, who said he was scary?”

“You’re still young. You look to be only about sixteen years old.”

“Even the best person in the world looks no different from others.”

“Oh, it’s not the same. Look at those bright eyes. How smart you are.”

“You must have starved for several days. You’re eating very well.”

“You’ve been at war for days now. You haven’t been able to sleep at all.”

“He is the person Your Majesty trusts the most.”

As news grows distant, it becomes a distant story of others. The gossip of the distant old ladies was clearly about me, but it seemed like a third party’s story. The story of them being polite and courteous in front of me, but returning to their original selves the moment they turned around, was endearing.

I could tell what the court ladies were curious about. First of all, how scary he must look. Second, their surprise at the young one. Third, the favor of His Majesty… … Dalcheon’s breathing slowed down.

And for a moment, I fell into a dreamless sleep. The thought that the king might be in danger if I fell asleep like this suddenly occurred to me, but I gave myself over to the drowsiness that came rushing in, saying, “Let it be.” Even that is his life and his blessing. I can’t do everything for him. It’s similar to how parents who try to do everything in the name of responsibility and duty ruin their children. It may not have been his intention, but the result is that he creates a half-hearted person who lacks social skills, is dependent, and lacks decision-making power. When I see people rationalizing themselves even while falling asleep, I can see that they are truly terrible animals.

* * *

The crescent moon rising low in the southern sky was slanted low enough to almost touch the ground. Yu Seok-do was walking side by side with the commander-in-chief.

“Thank you for your hard work.”

“Thank you for your hard work, Commander-in-Chief.”

“Why are you calling me?”

“I guess we should discuss what happens next.”

“Next up… … the Northern Army?”

“Yes.”

“Aren’t you taking something that doesn’t even exist too seriously?”

“I sincerely hope so, but it is not an empty rumor.”

The commander glanced up at the sky.

“Then why didn’t we rise up in reverence when the Northern Army came instead of before they came? It was only for a few days. We could have just endured for a few days.”

“It would have been impossible for the Grand Prince to have made the decision first. Everything we had prepared would have been useless.”

“The timing wasn’t right?”

“Yes.”

“If only I had done it a little earlier, things would have been different.”

“It seems like they were not prepared enough. Their forces were strong, but I felt like the connections between units and between superiors and subordinates were weak. How should I put it, it felt like they had been hastily organized?”

“That’s right. But their martial arts skills were truly amazing.”

“Yes. Three or four generals have to pass the training to be able to deal with just one person.”

“We must learn how they were able to raise such unmanned forces. No matter how important archery is, the final battle must be ended with swords and spears. How can an army that is anxious about close combat achieve victory?”

When the two people’s mutterings got closer, Dalcheon opened his eyes. The brief rest was as short as a dream. He exhaled deeply. Sometimes people need to lose themselves in this kind of sleep. He regretted the short but sweet rest and picked at the crumbs of rice cake that Nain had left behind.

“Jinin! This is Yuseokdo.”

“Welcome.”

Yoo Seok-do entered the room, and the commander-in-chief followed him, bowing deeply.

“He asked me to see it.”

Dalcheon blinked his eyes. And after a while, he smiled brightly.

“That’s right. I closed my eyes for a moment and lay down. I fell asleep for a moment because my thoughts were not connected, and I found myself following the water into the mountains. There was a fragrant smell, and I heard a song from somewhere. It felt like the song was being carried down by the water. I passed a stream with apricot blossoms and a land with red faces of peach blossoms.
When I looked at the end where the path was blocked and cut off, I saw water flowing from inside the cave. When I looked closely, I saw flower petals floating on the water. So I was sure that there was something beyond. I picked up the band that seemed to have been tied around the forehead among the flower petals floating on the water, and it smelled like a sweet peach.

Why? So I crawled under the rock where the water was coming out. The inside of the cave was dark. Since I have good eyesight, I went in without much trouble. As I walked a little further, a strange world unfolded before my eyes. All kinds of flowers were in full bloom, and beautiful music flowed out between the flower fields… … .”

Dalcheon swallowed hard. The commander-in-chief did not miss the opportunity to intervene.

“An old man with a white beard came out and asked, ‘Is this your axe?’”

“Child, I’m trying so hard to remember, but why… … .”

“You said the axe didn’t come out?”

“There was a village, so I went in and saw that it was some kind of celebration, and they were eating delicious food, drinking alcohol, and having a good time. The music was coming from there. When they saw me, they beckoned me to come in, offered me a seat, and gave me something to eat… … .”

When Dalcheon stopped talking, this time Yoo Seok-do intervened.

“What, you were grabbing my ankle and demanding my shoe back?”

“Oh, why again? You two only live with such thoughts, so you only dream such dreams.”

“Yeah, what do you mean? Those people over there.”

“Whew. I told you not to stay here too long.”

“Oh, this is the worst story ever. We wish the Lord would stay for a long time and watch over us until this country is firmly established.”

The commander turned his head and laughed in vain.

“How much did you want to leave to have such a dream? Do you hate this place that much?”

“I lost too much blood. I really hate it.”

“Now is not the time to talk about such things. You said that an enemy is coming. You said that the royal family is in danger.”

“Ahem. That’s why I asked you to come. I wanted to discuss it.”

“We plan to train the soldiers, reorganize them, and encourage the production and deployment of weapons. This is our original job, so don’t worry too much.”

Dalcheon took a deep breath and broke a piece of rice cake with his hand.

“But you know you’re going to lose, right?”

The two men shook and then touched the floor with their hands.

“You have to fight by relying on the walls. Then you have a chance of winning.”

Dalcheon shook his head.

“I was going to suggest moving the capital to Ganghwa Island, but I couldn’t get the words out. If you really want to preserve this country, I thought it would be better to move the capital to Ganghwa Island and come back after the bastards have left.”

“Heaven?”