The Ruler Of Darkness - Chapter 603



Only Noblemtl

Episode 603

Part 3: Identity

“… … .”

Elderly Housekeeper.

The little giant Wang Qiu Jian looked back at the hill he had climbed.

On the hill where the sun was setting, the figures of old people finishing their work in the fields were visible.

“… … .”

Elder Wang Gu-geom met eyes with one of them and gave a small nod.

Although, according to the rules of ‘here’.

I didn’t pretend to know though.

Because the gaze of the elder, Wang Gu-geom, was filled with deep respect, unlike before.

“… … .”

Even the old man, whose face was dirty from working in the fields, gladly greeted him with his eyes.

“This is a senior citizen’s village.”

As before.

Retired warriors from the Special Forces Corps, dressed in old guard uniforms, asked the elders.

“What brings you here?”

“… … .”

Elder Wang Gu-geom took a deep breath, turned around, and answered them.

“At the end of the school year, the king’s mother came to see the head of the senior academy.”

In those words.

Did you feel that the attitude of the elder Wang Gu-geom had changed significantly from before?

This time, even though there was no prior arrangement.

The warriors put their hands together and answered.

“I will guide you.”

No matter where you looked at the small, shabby town hall, there was no hint of the name of this great family’s senate.

however.

Elder Wang Gu-geom stood at the entrance and greeted the people inward with more respect than ever.

“I dare. I would like to meet the elders of the family and ask for their teachings.”

“Come in.”

From inside, a clanging voice acknowledged his entry.

“… … .”

“… … .”

He felt the gazes of the elders passing by as he bowed low and entered respectfully.

The shabby clothes were unsightly, and the room smelled like manure, as if they had just come from a hard day’s work.

“… … .”

Still.

The expression on the face of the elder, Wang Gu-geom, was calm, and he greeted the person standing in the middle.

“Hello, Lord Senator.”

Jjang.

The elder with wavy white hair struck the floor with a cane that looked to have come from an unusual source.

“… It’s changed a lot.”

Her two eyes looking at the elder Wang Gu-geom were still far away.

Deep in those cloudy eyes, there was warmth, unlike before.

“… That much. There were a lot of things going on.”

When the elder lord Wang Gu-geom answered with a bitter smile, the elder lord slowly nodded.

“Everyone knows that learning comes from experience, but actually putting it into practice is different.”

“… It is indeed so.”

Jangrowonju Wang Gugeom raised his eyes and spoke to the elders sitting crowded together in the shabby space.

“Didn’t the elders describe themselves before as mere country bumpkins who had no interest in power, authority, or authority?”

He shook his head.

“The old me. I didn’t understand the elders who had thrown away all their past glory and authority.”

“so.”

Jjang.

The elder asked, smiling as if he was amused by his changed speech and attitude.

“Do you understand now?”

“no.”

Elder Wang Gu-geom answered curtly and shook his head in denial.

“then…?”

He answered with a smile.

“I still don’t quite understand it, but I deeply respect it.”

He continued speaking, looking around the village through the entrance and windows.

“I thought I had seen many people who were obsessed with power and possessions, and who were ruined and twisted. And I thought I knew a lot about them. But… ”

A smirk appeared on his lips.

“No… .”

How ugly can humans become when distorted by desire?

“There is always a deeper bottom beneath the bottom.”

“That was indeed the case. But then… .”

Ummmm-.

Outside the window, several old people were gathered in a barn, looking after a pregnant cow.

When I heard about the reverse position, it seemed like the baby was about to give birth.

like that.

The image of the elders, those who spend the rest of their lives without greed and simply being self-sufficient.

Unlike before, it was creating gentle ripples in the hearts of the elders.

“… I realized how noble these things you are protecting are.”

After a moment of silence.

“Hehehe… .”

Here and there, the innocent laughter of the elders could be heard.

“Hey, from the way you talk, you look like you’re about to ascend to the heavens.”

“There are no empty houses in the village now! If you want to come here, you have to roll around outside for ten years!”

Jangrowonju Wang Gugeom laughed along with the elders’ mischievous yet friendly jokes.

“Well, isn’t ten years too long? I’ll die of old age before then.”

“Oh, listen to what that guy is saying.”

“Hey, man, at your age, I was just flying through the air!”

Jjang.

The elders stopped laughing as the lord struck the ground with his staff once again.

“okay.”

She asked.

“So. What brings you all the way here?”

Let’s get to the main point. Elder Wang Gu-geom opened his mouth with a much more serious attitude.

“The elders, you are well aware that the main house has been in great turmoil recently. In particular, the revelations made by the former chairman of the Supreme Council-.”

“Are you curious about the truth of the exposed content?”

“no.”

Unexpectedly.

Elder Wang Gu-geom shook his head.

“I am also lacking in many ways, but I am a presbyterian pastor in name only. I have personally confirmed that the revelation is true.”

“… Hoo.”

The elders nodded at his words that he had accomplished the most difficult task at this point.

“Your skills are good too.”

“There are sprouts. I told you so.”

“Didn’t you say before that you were definitely a fool from the start?”

Amidst the murmur of elders, the head of the council shrugged and asked.

“So, what are you curious about?”

“I am….”

Elder Wang Gu-geom raised his head and looked at her, opening his mouth.

“Except for the former chairman and Elder Sword Master, we are looking for the three people from the emergency response meeting who are still alive.”

There was a strong conviction in his eyes that the Senate knew the answer he was after.

“Please tell me their identities.”

* * *

“The King of Medicine….”

Through her parched lips, her rough breathing escaped without her knowing it.

“The treatment of the Supreme Lord…?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

The old man fell backwards as if the strength he had been holding up had been lost.

“This mess you guys have created. It was a great smokescreen for that bastard Yeon So-hyeon…”

“… … .”

Knock knock, knock.

The old man continued, coughing as if he was out of breath.

“You, Hee-ga, were wasting your time confronting me with such stupid plans….”

The dull-eyed elder accepted the old man’s words without realizing it.

“… Are you saying that the Supreme Lord regained consciousness in the meantime?”

Coloc.

“okay….”

Knock knock, knock.

When the coughing stopped for a moment, only the old man’s rapid breathing, resembling a rasping sound, filled the bedroom.

“…if so.”

Phew… .

With a long sigh, Elder Hojung said.

“In the end. The reason the Chief of Staff raised the alert level to the highest level is-.”

“It was because of this.”

“okay….”

Just now.

Everything made sense.

Elder Hojung said, holding his forehead.

“… If only the Supreme Lord would regain consciousness and wake up. Everything would be resolved. So he…”

Despite all the administrative paralysis of the court, the government maintains a state of alert as if it were war.

“Director General of the Household… That old man is a fanatic.”

“… … .”

Knock knock, knock knock.

Even this old man, who is about to die, calls the chief of the royal family “old man.”

How old is the Naiwon General, known as the Old Monster of the Luoyang Swordsmanship?

Why did even veteran elders like himself fear him like a monster with great strength from an old tale?

It felt new to me.

“That old man is not loyal to anyone other than the Supreme Lord, Yeongeomun.”

The old man’s eyes looked into space as if recalling something.

“That old man doesn’t even acknowledge that he was pushed out by his luck.”

“… I guess so.”

If it were the past.

Elder Ho-jung himself may not have been able to fully understand the current story.

It was different now that I knew the hidden truth.

“… The Supreme Executive Council of the past pushed the fallen lord to the position of Supreme Lord at their own discretion in order to centralize power.”

and.

During a conversation.

Elder Hojung realized.

“… It really was.”

Elder Ho-jung narrowed his eyes and spoke to the old man who was looking at him as if asking what he was talking about.

“Really. You… . At that time, the thirteen members of the Emergency Response Committee took the swordsmanship away from the Grand Duke.”

Shh.

The old man forced a smile, his expression indistinguishable from a spasm of pain.

“okay.”

for a moment.

In the midst of the sound of coughing, something welled up in Elder Hojung’s chest.

“You’ve been hiding that fact from us all this time, and you’ve done a great job of telling us-!”

“-As expected!”

but.

The old man did not allow it and cut him off mercilessly.

“I should be grateful, right?”

Elder Hojung’s body trembled with anger.

“What are you talking about?”

“I, I, for ten years….”

The old man continued, coughing and breathing heavily, his breath filled with the foul odor of pus, into the empty air.

“You, heard, that thanks to us, we have been able to enjoy the wealth and glory we have today with our enlarged power and authority.”

“… … .”

Elder Hojung swallowed his breath.

Because what the old man said was true.

Although the Executive Council acted as the head of the household, it did not have the same power and authority as the head of the household.

And that much power.

The benefits are being shared by those in power, including the current elders.

“…Aren’t you grateful?”

Gooooooo-.

An irresistible pressure flowed from the old man.

It was so oppressive that it was hard to believe that he was an old man lying in bed about to die.

And that sense of oppression.

Elder Ho-jung could feel once again who the old man in front of him was.

“… I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the elders.”

As Elder Hojung trembled slightly and bowed, the feeling of oppression disappeared as if it had been washed away, and only the sound of coughing filled the empty space.

“however….”

Gulp.

Elder Ho-jung asked, unable to hide the cold sweat running down his forehead.

“How do you know that, sir…?”

The old man’s bloodshot eyes, which had been leaning back, rolled back and turned toward Elder Hojung.

“How can I not know the extent of it?”

* * *

“How can we be sure we know their identities?”

At the words of the elders, the elders’ chieftain Wang Gu-geom smiled bitterly.

“Isn’t there at least one person who knows for sure?”

“I?”

“Yes. When I visited you before, the Lord Senator clearly said this.”

He recalled his memories and repeated exactly what the elder had said.

“The previous head of the council, who claimed to be one of the thirteen members of the emergency response committee, disappeared. You’re going to end up like him.”

The elder said calmly.

“And based on that, I finished the verification.”

“… … .”

The elder brother kept his mouth shut.

Elder Wang Gu-geom looked at her and said.

“The first person is the former head of the presbytery, Wijisanggal.”

* * *

“… How could I doubt the ability of the former head of the Presbyterian Church, Elder Wiji Sanggal?”

Gulp.

Elder Ho-jung’s eyelashes fluttered as he wiped away the pouring cold sweat.

By this point, his sense of smell should have been numbed by the stench that was stinging his nose, but for some reason, this horrible stench still tormented him.

“However, to convince my fellow elders and the Lord of the Outer Court. I need more solid evidence.”

Before he could finish speaking, a cry burst out from the mouth of the former head of the Presbyterian Church, Wi Ji-sang-gal.

“northward…!”

Then a harsh cough followed.

“northward…?”

But the current Ho-jung Elder did not have the patience to wait until the cough stopped.

“You mean the north where there was a war not long ago…? The north where the Archduke returned victorious from the Second Northern War…?”

“General Mo Yong, Cheon-.”

“Are you talking about Northern General Murong Tianzhao? I heard that he woke up from his sickbed.”

“The one who fixed it was-.”

“Yes, we know that much!”

Elder Hojung knew what the old man was trying to say.

“I heard that the Grand Duke and the Medicine King played a big role. But what does that have to do with the treatment of the Supreme Lord?!”

“They fell for the same trick….”

Knock knock, knock knock, knock knock.

A harsh cough followed, followed by several bouts of coughing up blood.

“Same method…?”

For now, this information is sufficient.

Although it was not intentional, I also found out that the revelations made by the former chairman of the district election committee were true.

In addition, we also learned the very important fact that Yeon So-hyeon was trying to cure Tae Sang Ga-ju through Yak-wang.

“Thank you for your time, sir.”

Knock knock, knock…!

With a cough as a farewell, Elder Hojung turned around and bowed.

‘I wish I could find out this fact as soon as possible….’

at that time.

His hasty steps, which had been hurried by his hasty mind, stopped for a moment.

‘hmm…?’

There was something bothering me.

“…Elder?”

Elder Hojung turned around and asked the old man on the bed.

“But how did you know that the Northern General and the Supreme Lord were both victims of the ‘same method’?”