Beastly and Fearlessly - Chapter 51
Only Noblemtl
Episode 51
A little bit away from Biyeongnok-dong.
“Thank you for accompanying me to Biyungnok-dong. And to Cheolwoongdan as well.”
Dam-myeong got off his horse and expressed his gratitude.
Nok Seung-seo, standing next to him, also nodded.
“It just so happened that I was leaving for a mission.”
Dammu-gun answered bluntly.
But I know.
Now we have to go back quite a long way.
“I just want to ask you one thing.”
Dammu-gun asked Dammyeong, who was about to turn around.
“What did you say to him that he issued a decree with such content?”
“The Beast King only gave us his seal.”
“Hmm? His handwriting was clear?”
You’re sharper than you look.
“Hahaha! Then we will have a nice trip to the Central Plains.”
He turned around with an awkward smile.
All I got from asking the Beast King was a blank piece of paper with a stamp on it.
Is there any need to explain this or that story to him who is waiting for the day of his death?
I filled in the content.
I was a special agent of Salmak.
If you want to trap your target, you should definitely learn how to forge handwriting.
Suddenly I looked back and saw my uncle standing still.
He was looking at my back while riding on a horse.
A blunt man who can’t even say a word to say goodbye.
But why don’t I understand the meaning in his eyes?
I said hello again.
Nok Seung-seo was looking towards Bi-eung-nok-dong for a long time.
His complicated feelings were clearly revealed on his facial expression.
“Is that all you have? Songgol.”
The guy’s behavior is terrible right now.
A worn-out sword and a uniform that looked like it had been worn for several years.
“What else is there to add? Dam-myeong.”
Here’s another man as blunt as my uncle.
So I like it too.
“Take it. The more money the better. It comes from your family, so it’s yours.”
He gave the travel expenses he received from Bi-eung Nok-dong-ju to Nok-seung-seo.
A huge sum of money, twenty nyang.
Nok Seung-seo, who had become rich by chance, looked at the envelope for a moment and then handed it back to me.
“You don’t need this much money. It will cost you a lot of money to go to the Central Plains and back, so keep it and use it where it suits you.”
“The security deposit is sufficient. Then I will entrust this money to a trustworthy investment company in your name.”
The little one will be excited.
“By the way, are we heading straight to the Central Plains?”
“I just stopped by to pick you up today. Let’s go to my house for now.”
Of course, I plan to just say hello as soon as I arrive and then leave.
“It’s my house… … .”
Nok Seung-seo muttered with a complicated expression.
A familiar word, but unfamiliar to some.
Even though you were born and raised like that, you probably couldn’t call it that, or rather, you probably didn’t want to call it that.
* * *
It didn’t take long to get to Namcheon Damdong after spreading out the Cheonseombi and running.
It was also fun to see the expression on Nok Seung-seo’s face as he gritted his teeth and followed along.
“Huh, huh, what kind of divine method is it that makes it so fast? I thought that no one could beat me in divine methods.”
“I’ll tell you later. How can you be slower than me when you’ve received the Songol seal?”
I plan to teach Nok Seung-seo the Thousand-Story Scroll.
It doesn’t matter.
Because I never made a promise to the King of the Islands in the beginning that I wouldn’t tell anyone else.
Besides, am I not destined to gain the power of the White Dragon?
Of course, I’m not sure.
“The place you see over there is Namcheon Damdong. It’s where bear-like warriors gather.”
I learned about it while visiting the same Paldong, Biyeongnok-dong this time.
Namcheon Damdong is a place where real men gather.
“Hey! Here comes Sodongju! Where have you been without practicing?”
“Is that pretty guy next to you your new lover? He’s prettier than the women you brought along so far? Hehe.”
“You should do another fight with me later. I was feeling under the weather last time.”
Those crazy guys.
It seemed like they were acknowledging him as a troublemaker, but now they’re just making jokes.
Still, I like this atmosphere.
Even though they may joke around uselessly, they are comrades who would risk their lives to protect each other when they go out to the battlefield.
“Namcheon Damdong has a free-spirited atmosphere.”
“That’s better. Whether it’s Dongju or Sodongju, once they draw their swords, they’re all just the same warriors.”
He looks awkward in the unfamiliar atmosphere, but his eyes are filled with envy.
My mother came outside at the sound of the warriors talking loudly.
A look so beautiful that it defies age.
Nok Seung-seo couldn’t take his eyes off the lofty and dignified appearance that was hard to find at the southern end of the world.
“Did you have a nice trip?”
“Yes. I had a great trip without any problems.”
Nok Seung-seo nodded and greeted me.
“This is Nok Seung-seo.”
“This is my close friend who will be traveling to Jungwon with me this time.”
At the word ‘close friend,’ Nok Seung-seo glances at me.
Since he’s a guy who’s always been lonely, everything must be awkward for him.
The word ‘friend’ and the warm welcome.
“Welcome. It’s reassuring to have a dependable friend with me on my long journey. Make sure to keep an eye out for this guy to make sure he doesn’t get into trouble.”
“On the contrary, I am receiving a lot of help.”
The mother looked around for a long time, not liking Nok Seung-seo’s outfit.
“I guess I should make a suit of clothes. Fortunately, I have some leftover fabric from Myeong making clothes for him.”
I don’t know if fancy clothes are important, but you should at least wear something neat.
Of all places, it’s the Murim Alliance.
Nok Seung-seo is tall and has a thin build.
Add to that the ever-serious expression on his face, and he looks like a sharp sword.
It means that if you put it on properly, it will make you look good.
While his mother was measuring the measurements, Nok Seung-seo stood frozen, not moving at all.
With a very stiff expression.
“I’ve measured everything now. It’ll only take a few days, so in the meantime, think of it as my home and rest comfortably. You’re my son’s close friend, so you’re like a son to me too.”
Warm words spoken with a warm smile.
Even after his mother left, he still stood in the same spot.
Her eyes were moist, and her face was strangely distorted, as if she was holding back tears.
“Songgol, do as I say.”
He looked at me as if asking what the Nokseungseo meant.
“Open the corners of your mouth wide toward your ears. Feel as if your cheeks are pointing upward. If wrinkles form around your eyes, you’ve done it right.”
Nok Seung-seo asked with a strange expression.
“What the heck is this?”
“It’s a smiling face. When something good or happy happens, you should make that kind of expression.”
Although he was clearly told to smile, Nok Seung-seo made a face as if he was about to cry at any moment.
“It’s still awkward. Practice whenever you have time. You’ll have a lot to laugh about in the future.”
I laughed instead of Nok Seung-seo.
I hope this gloomy guy will smile often in the future.
* * *
The day I headed to Jungwon.
There was no need to prepare anything since the central land would be bright once we crossed Mt. Porang.
It’s such a close and yet far place.
“That’s really cool.”
This is what I say to Nok Seung-seo.
Wearing the new clothes my mother made for me, I look much more stylish than the people in the central plains who walk around with their shoulders hunched over.
He’s also originally a handsome and slick guy.
“Dammyung, you are more awesome.”
It must have been nice to see the two handsome guys wearing new clothes and complimenting each other.
My mother, who had stayed up all night making me new clothes, looked at me with a pleased expression and opened her mouth.
“You’re both really handsome. Just by their looks, you could eat up the Central Plains.”
Oh, mother. Chewing and eating.
No matter how long you have stayed in Namman, weren’t you once the precious daughter of the Namgung family?
“So be more careful. The smile of a beautiful woman is more frightening than the sword in the hands of a master.”
That is absolutely correct.
“I will keep that in mind.”
My mother made me clothes to wear at the Yongbong branch as well as clothes to wear on a daily basis.
A blue-tinged uniform.
I was used to this kind of uniform, but Nok Seung-seo was moving his body around awkwardly.
“I have something to say to Myeong-i before I leave.”
I moved to face my mother.
I could guess what kind of conversation it would be, but her expression was unexpectedly calm.
“My original name is Namgung Seol-hye. My father, the head of the household, gave it to me.”
Namgung Yoo Baek.
He is the head of the Namgung family, the leader of the five great families, and is one of the best masters of Hwagyeong in the Central Plains.
The woman in front of me is his daughter.
He is like my maternal grandfather.
“There were complicated relationships and confusing circumstances, but they are all in the past. It’s none of your business.”
My beloved daughter left with the barbarians of the South.
Namgung Se-ga quickly announced that she had died from an illness.
Each person must have had their own circumstances.
“But blood ties are not easily erased. Just as the blood of Namcheon Damdong flows through you, the blood of Namgung Se-ga also flows through you. The moment you step into the Central Plains, you will somehow become entangled.”
I listened to her quietly.
“But above all, your will is important. No matter what decision you make, I, the mother, will support you.”
This is what was first said when talking about the Namgung Se family’s blood relationship.
Those words that said you could ignore them or use them.
“……thank you.”
I’m serious.
It is because there are people who give unconditional support like this that we can walk a new path.
No matter what dangers lie along the way.
Finally, I found Dongjujeon.
“Don’t make a big mistake.”
Father’s calm words.
That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have accidents.
I guess that means to think about something you can handle.
“I will try.”
I literally intend to try.
Of course, not everything goes as planned.
“Then, stop by a place called Nakseongru in Kunming and find a guy named Umochi. He’ll be the one who can show you the way. You said you were fine with it, but it’s a long way to Hubei where the Murim Alliance is. It’s not an easy place for someone going to the Central Plains for the first time.”
I know the geography of the Central Plains like the back of my hand, but I didn’t want to ignore the kindness of my father who had taken such pains to care for me.
“But who are you?”
“He is the sixth son of Dokgokju Wooryang.”
A song of solitude?
If there is Sacheondangmun in the Central Plains, there is Dokgok in the Southern Plains.
Of course, in Namman, there are Odokmun, Namman Dokrim, and Mandok Palace.
But the best of them all is definitely Dokgok.
They probably think they are the best in the world, not just in Manchuria.
Anyway, they are people who do not easily reveal themselves to the outside world.
But the son of the Dokgokju is in the Central Plains?
Besides, if you’re going to be a guide, doesn’t that mean you’ve been in the Central Plains for a long time?
My father added, perhaps reading my puzzled expression.
“He’s… … just that kind of guy. He’s the only troublemaker for the carefree Dokgoju. He may be a little strange, but he’s not a bad guy, so don’t worry. You probably won’t get bored with him. He’s just a little… … a little noisy.”
“Okay. And… … . I’ll be back soon.”
After saying goodbye to Nosa and wishing her good health, I left Namcheon Damdong.
Now it’s time to start.
A place where I have a lot of debt.
“Songgol, let’s go now. To the central plains.”
* * *
It’s quiet as two taciturn men walk down the street.
I asked while taking a short break near the peak of Mt. Porang.
“Have you been to the Central Plains?”
“It’s my first time. Maybe that’s why I’m a little nervous.”
“Even so, it’s still a place where people live. There are just more bad guys.”
Unlike the Southern Plains, which is ruled solely by the Beast Palace, the Central Plains is a mess of various powers.
The Central Plains is a place where political and social factions, sects and families join hands for each other’s benefit, and sometimes even stab each other in the back.
“Dam-myeong, you speak as if you know the Central Plains very well.”
Do I know the Central Plains well?
I couldn’t answer myself.
In this place where good and evil are ambiguous, I have lived as just one assassin.
In a cruel world where I have to kill or I will die.
What I remember is the sound of insects croaking in the dark shadows of the night.
A drop of blood on my sword.
And only the last expressions of those who were dying.
That’s the kind of place the Jungwon I know is.
Standing on the top of Mt. Porang, I could see the village in the distance.
In my arms, the tofu was poking its head out and looking down with curious eyes.
This guy must be new to Jungwon too.
He answered Nok Seung-seo.
“This is my first time in Jungwon too.”
It’s a new life, so I have to start learning again from now on.
Forget the Central Plains I knew.