Beastly and Fearlessly - Chapter 45
Only Noblemtl
Episode 45
Yeonghomun-dong Dongjujeon.
“Do, Dongju. I just got word that Namcheon Damdongju is coming here. But… … .”
My commander-in-chief was fidgeting.
“No, why him?”
“It’s not coming alone, it’s coming with the Iron Ring. And isn’t that guy here? The Black Ark who used to come and go from this building.”
Black Ark Galdukyeong.
Why is his name mentioned?
For a moment, a chill ran down my spine.
no way?
“I, I’m being dragged away by the iron guards right now. My face is covered in blood so I can’t even recognize it… … .”
thud.
Yeonghomundongju stood up abruptly, slamming his desk down.
“What, what is this… … .”
I heard that the assassination attempt that Salmak had been so confident of had failed.
Still, I wasn’t worried because there was no connection to myself.
But the person who should be in the Central Plains is being dragged in like a blood clot.
Being together all the way to Cheolyeongdae means that you already know all the facts.
“So, Sodongju? Is he coming with you too?”
My commander nodded.
“This is ridiculous… … .”
After failing to kill, it was he who called in the nearby bandits.
Even though they were bandits, they were guys with certain skills.
There are more than twenty people.
But how… … .
Where did it go wrong?
Cold sweat ran down the side of his white hair.
“Hey, how far are you? How long do you think it’ll take to get there?”
The moment when Yonghomun Dongju asks urgently.
Boom!
A loud noise was heard from far away.
The sound of the iron fence smashing down the outer gate.
Or it could be the sound of Namcheon Damdongju, very angry, breaking down a wall.
“Ahh. This fucking… … .”
There is only one way left.
First, we need to run away and buy some time.
I ran to the left wall of Dongjujeon.
A blank wall with nothing on it.
With trembling hands, I pressed down on a flat spot about an inch or two from the floor.
Ki-ki-ki-ki.
A small space appeared within it, accompanied by the sound of stone scraping.
A secret space known only to you.
Inside was a small incense burner and a bundle of vouchers commonly used in the Central Plains.
I took them all out and put them in my bosom.
“Ah. If only I could have obtained this power… … .”
The power that was in your hand but you couldn’t have.
Something you’ve wanted all your life, but never been granted.
He headed towards the secret passageway, carrying that secret power in his arms.
Suddenly he turned around again and stopped.
The magnificently decorated Dongjujeon Hall in Yeonghomun-dong caught my eye.
On the wall was a painting of the first Beast King, Nam Ji-ak, charging at his enemies while swinging a sword engulfed in flames.
Flames rising to the sky.
It looks like it might burst through the wall at any moment.
“Ahh… … . I, I should have ended up like that. It was going to happen soon… … .”
I gritted my teeth and ran through the secret passageway underground.
It is a road that no one knows about that leads to a small mountain outside the outer wall of Yonghomun-dong.
It’s come to this, but it’s not over yet.
As long as this power is in my hands.
“It’s not over yet. For now, just run away to the Central Plains. I’m sure you’ll find a way to awaken this power.”
There is ample money and time.
After you have obtained the power of the Red Dragon in this incense burner in the Central Plains, just return.
Become the strongest in the South.
Because the Beast Palace is a place where power rules.
“Gasp gasp.”
I gritted my teeth and ran through the dark secret passage.
The end of the road was visible in the distance.
By now, you’re probably searching the manor trying to find yourself.
That’s right.
I pushed away the small rock blocking the entrance and went outside.
I was dazzled by the sudden, bright light.
My pupils constricted and the surrounding scenery began to come in little by little.
Green trees surrounding all sides.
Grasses blooming haphazardly.
And there, a man is looking at himself.
“Dear sir, a guest has arrived, but the host is away. Where are you going?”
Dam-myeong, the son of Namcheon Dam-dong, looking down at himself and smiling.
And behind him stood a line of iron guards draped in black robes.
* * *
Before leaving for Yonghomun-dong.
After promising to meet in Yunnan next spring, the boy was sent back to Central Plains.
He saw his father’s serious look in his eyes and left after telling him to be careful.
All the way to Yonghomun-dong, my father’s expression was stiff.
In any case, it belongs to the Beast Palace.
The road to destroying the clan with your own hands will not be pleasant.
“But what does he gain by killing me?”
“Yeonghomundong is a family that belonged to Paldong when the Beast Palace was first created. They fought alongside the first Beast King. So they probably wanted to regain their past glory.”
It is said that he tried to erase Namcheon Damdong’s successor and take Paldong’s place.
It is the nature of people to have greater regrets about things they have and then lose.
But the look in his eyes that I saw was one of greed that went beyond his arm.
A desire that is left unfulfilled for a long time tends to grow bigger and bigger.
I stood on a small hill overlooking Yonghomun-dong.
The news that Namcheon Damdongju, who was very angry, was coming with the iron sword must have reached them already, as the garden was in chaos with all sorts of movements.
“Is that Dongjujeon?”
He asked, pointing to the large pavilion in the far corner.
“Yes. That place, which is decorated more extravagantly than the Beast Palace, is the Dongjujeon.”
A pavilion painted entirely in red at the innermost part of the garden.
A little higher ground than other places.
And the small mountain seen behind is densely covered with trees.
“hmm…….”
With that kind of structure and location, it wouldn’t be strange if there was an escape route underground.
“I’m going to take a look around.”
My father answered as if he had read my thoughts.
“Go with Cheolyeongdae. I will go in through the main gate.”
“Are you okay alone?”
“You dare worry about me?”
By the way, I heard that my father’s nickname in the past was Pacheon Gwangung (破天狂熊).
I heard that, as his nickname, Mad Bear, suggests, when he gets really angry, no one can stop him.
And now my father is very angry.
I ran to the back mountain of Dongjujeon with the Cheolwoongdan.
Those who are dirty always find a way to survive.
The most common is escape.
I’ve seen guys run away through underground secret passages many times.
Boom!
I turned around at the loud noise I heard.
The large main gate of Yonghomun-dong, which boasted hundreds of years of history, was flying into the air along with a cloud of dust.
Of course, in pieces.
You must be very angry.
I continued running along the mountain path and then stopped for a moment.
“for a moment…….”
At my small word, the entire iron fence running on the tree stopped silently.
As if Dongju had given an order.
The trees and grass planted by people bear a mark.
This is especially true in uninhabited mountains like this.
An awkwardly placed rock caught my eye.
“Let’s wait here.”
Fortunately, there is still no trace of escape.
Did you wait that long?
That’s right.
The rock slowly moved away, revealing a small hole beneath it.
And just as I expected, Yonghomun Dongju crawled out from there.
Like a burr.
* * *
“Dear sir, a guest has arrived, but the host is away. Where are you going?”
At first glance, his dignified face, like that of a noble bachelor, was drenched in sweat.
“… … .”
I ran away, abandoning my family that had lasted for hundreds of years, saying I would live alone, and now that I’ve come across this, I have nothing to say.
“… … How did you know about this place?”
I don’t know if he’s asking why I came to Yonghomun-dong or how I found my secret passage.
Surprisingly, the voice was calm.
“So what are you going to do? The guy who is the Black Ark or something has confessed. The bandit who attacked me has also been caught.”
“… … I am the head of Yonghomun-dong. Therefore, I will accept the disposal of the Beast Palace.”
An effort to somehow buy time.
What can we expect now that it’s all over?
“That’ll probably be difficult. Your father said he’d peel you off. You know what? He’s the kind of person who does things when he has to.”
Yonghomun Dongju closed his eyes for a moment as if lost in thought.
After a while, as if he had made up his mind, he opened his eyes wide and put his hands on his waist.
Sling.
A sword with an ornate handle is aimed at me.
“You thought well. You too were once a warrior of the Beast Palace, so you should at least struggle.”
Yonghomun Dongju’s hands were trembling with humiliation.
He said, looking back.
“Don’t come out of the iron gate.”
This is the order of Namcheon Damdong Sodongju.
The twenty peak masters lost their momentum and took a step back.
I looked at Yeonghomun Dongju, who was raising his spirits in front of me.
He claims to be a member of the Beast Palace family and is involved in kidnapping women from the South.
You little worm.
There is no reason to keep him alive.
Sling.
I pulled out the rock salt.
A huge sword made of heavy iron.
And he raised the spirit of the Red Dragon.
The black sword’s blade glowed red.
Yeongho Moon-dongju’s eyes, who were watching the scene, shook like candles.
“Yes, how did you get that power… … .”
The question is, how can someone with the Black Dragon’s seal draw out the Red Dragon’s energy?
His trembling left hand reached into his bosom and took out something small.
A small, red incense burner.
A detailed carved red dragon supporting the sky.
A little light inside it.
Something small, invisible unless you looked closely, was emitting a faint red light.
And the light was flowing towards me like fog.
Yonghomun Dongju stared at the sight with a blank expression.
The hand holding the incense burner was trembling.
Already his two eyes had lost focus, like a corpse.
And he muttered in a small voice.
“No. This can’t be happening. This is mine. This is the power I’m supposed to have. But how could someone like that… … .”
Eyes that have already lost their fighting spirit.
Even swinging a sword is too much for an opponent like that.
“It’s all over now. So stop now… … .”
But he couldn’t hear my voice anymore.
The empty eyes were looking up at the sky and muttering.
“Why, why not me? I waited for so long, I wanted it so bad, why is it not mine… …!”
In an instant, energy exploded from his entire body.
And then he rushed towards me and screamed.
“Why would you do it to someone like you and not me… …!”
A cool aura on his sword.
Black ink.
Shaeeeeek.
A sword that exploded all of its power as if it could only close its eyes after killing me.
Behind the bursting energy, his angry eyes were visible.
He swung the rock salt towards his sword.
Ugh.
Denggang.
His sword fell to the grass with a thud.
Half of the sword, to be exact.
The other half was still in his hands.
A stream of blood was flowing from his neck.
“Ugh… … .”
Yonghomun Dongju holding his neck with blood spurting out with an expression of disbelief.
I approached him slowly.
In his left hand, he holds a small incense burner as if it were the most precious thing in the world.
He accepted the red incense burner, still holding it tightly with trembling hands.
“Is this all you’ve got? What’s with this little incense burner…?”
“Ugh… … .”
He collapsed with a final groan.
Until the last moment when he closed his eyes, his gaze was directed at the incense burner in my hand.
In this way, Dongju of Yeonghomundong, one of the first Paldong, died.
* * *
Various pieces of evidence were found in the underground secret space of Yeonghomun-dong.
Those sent from the palace have arrived just in time, so they will take care of the rest.
Father looked down at Yeonghomun Dongju’s body for a while in silence.
His expression wasn’t very bright.
“… … We need a new king.”
With those words, my father turned around.
On the way back, no one spoke a word.
He deserves to die because he kidnapped Namman women and tried to kill So Dong-ju of Pal-dong.
So this heavy atmosphere is not because of his death.
A family that had protected the South for hundreds of years joined forces with the Black Sword Sect of the Central Plains.
He kidnapped the women of Namman and attempted to assassinate So Dong-ju of Paldong.
The influence of the Beast Palace has weakened.
The law and dignity have collapsed.
Something that would never have happened if the Beast King were still alive.
When I returned to Namcheon Damdong, Bang Yak-ran was waiting for me.
Inside the arms is a small, white, dark incense stick.
It’s because of that guy, but anyway, he’s a guest who followed me.
Gwisoo Bangdongju is also the only daughter he wouldn’t trade for the world.
But he left me alone, saying he was going to make a sword.
As soon as I got back, I left for Yeonghomun-dong again.
I also felt a little sorry.
I think it’s time to go home now.
I never thought I would be staying this long as a guest of another family.
“If Namcheon Damdong is this good, should we call it Damyakran instead of Bangyakran?”
It was a joke I made out of regret, but I guess it wasn’t very funny.
Don’t laugh.
I feel even more sorry.
No, why are tears welling up in my eyes?
Is the joke about changing your last name that sad?
“I was joking. I’m sorry if I offended you.”
“It doesn’t matter since I followed on my own. Everyone else, except you, has been very kind to me. I’m especially grateful to my mother for being so warm to me.”
“But why do you look like you’re about to cry?”
She held out the thing she had been holding preciously in her arms without answering.
“Here, take it.”
I happened to receive the dark incense stick.
A small and cute guy who fits perfectly into my big hands.
Gyarrur.
It looks like a kitten, waggling its tail as if it has met its owner.
“Do you know how much this guy cried every night while you were gone? He was so angry that he tried to hold him back from running away at any moment.”
“So you’re sending it to me?”
“It’s not just because of that. I suddenly had this thought. Why did I want this child? Was it just because it was small and cute and I wanted to keep it by my side?”
“It’s cute, isn’t it?”
“But this guy is a spirit.”
“I heard that.”
“Then it would be right to send it to someone who would do something greater than me. Someone like Sodongju. This child also happens to want it.”
Tears that had been held back flowed from Bang Yak-ran’s large eyes.
What should I say in this situation?
It is harder to comfort a woman crying in front of me than to fight the entire Twelve Apostles.
So I just said what I had to say.
“I’ll take good care of him. I don’t know if he’ll take care of me.”
“… … .”
I guess that was the answer I wanted to hear.
He wiped away his tears, took a deep breath, and opened his mouth.
“I will return to our family tomorrow. If you miss me, come to Gwisubangdong.”
I?
Why on earth?
I wanted to answer, but I held back.
Because I can’t let the tears that have just barely stopped flow again.
* * *
That night.
Dawn when everyone is asleep.
The only thing awake right now is this little white ball of fur looking at me from the side.
Stick to my side and don’t leave.
But isn’t it fortunate that nothing bothers you?
He took the items out of his pocket and placed them on the table.
A small red incense burner.
An object that Yeonghomundongju never let go of until the moment he died.
What on earth could it be that you’re so obsessed with?
There was something written on the surface, but I couldn’t read it because it seemed to be a language used in the old Nanman region.
Red mist gently seeping out from inside the incense burner.
When I put my hand on it, it shakes like a candle, as if it resonates with me.
It feels like the dragon tattoo on my arm is also reacting.
I brought my face close and looked into the incense burner.
Something that emits a brilliant red light.
It’s so hot, it’s like a red dragon is staring at me.
Hey, what is this?
And I muttered without realizing it.
“Is this… a bead?”