The Ruler Of Darkness - Chapter 624



Only Noblemtl

Episode 624

Part 24: Conjectures and Predictions

Rattling…!

The secretary general of the Royal House opened the door and came in urgently.

“Excuse me, but given the circumstances, huh?!”

He froze in shock when he saw Yeon So-hyeon inside.

“W, how on earth did you get here…?!”

A little while ago.

When Yeon So-hyeon opened the door calmly and came in.

It was amazing that the Director-General of the Household faced him so casually, but the reaction of the Secretary-General was extremely normal.

“There was no report at all… ?!”

The fact that Yeon So-hyeon was here without any news meant that the strict security of the inner palace had been completely breached.

Besides, this isn’t the front yard, but the deep part where the Taesanggaju Yeongeomun is located.

“Huh huhu… .”

Yeon So-hyeon smiled at the secretary general with a playful expression on her face.

“Do you want to know how I got here, Secretary General?”

“Uh, how-?”

As the Secretary General was about to fall for Yeon So-hyeon’s actions, the voice of the Chief of Staff was heard from the bedroom where Taesanggaju Yeon Geum-un was lying.

“Don’t worry about the method.”

Knock, knock.

The Chief of Staff, who came out of the bedroom and closed the door, spoke to the Secretary of the General Staff.

“Even when the Archduke was six or seven years old, he would go wherever he wanted to go like a ghost.”

“…Wherever?”

At the reaction of the secretary general who had become more flustered, the chief secretary frowned as usual.

“Didn’t you come here because you had something urgent to report?”

“ah…!”

Only then did the Secretary General come to his senses and report urgently.

“It is said that Kaifeng is under attack by unidentified enemies…!”

“It’s opening?”

Yeon So-hyeon stepped forward.

“Is this the Gaebong horse of Henan Province?”

“that….”

As the Secretary General hesitated whether to answer or not, the Chief of Staff nodded in agreement.

“Yes, that’s the opening.”

The secretary general took the note he had brought and reported its contents accurately.

“Emergency communication via signal fire. Three plumes of smoke are rising, signaling a large-scale enemy attack.”

“It’s opening… .”

Yeon So-hyeon stroked her chin for a moment, then quickly waved her hand away.

“Although it is close to our Luoyang, there is a family called Kaifeng Yuanjia in Kaifeng.”

The Gaebongyeon family is one of the most powerful collateral families of the Luoyang Sword Family.

It was also the hometown of Yeon Ha-eung, the man with the reputation of having legs.

“If it’s a release date, I think it can be taken care of.”

“But Your Highness…!”

The secretary general raised his voice.

“There are three pillars of smoke from the beacon fire…!”

Three streams of smoke indicate a large-scale enemy attack.

It meant that it was incomparable to a simple popular uprising.

“I also know very well what the three streams of smoke mean, Secretary General.”

Yeon So-hyeon shrugged her shoulders.

“But, from the opening ceremony, didn’t we receive an official request for support?”

“But according to emergency rules-!”

“-The emergency rules are only for the benefit of the household members. The acting head of the household can decide at his own discretion.”

“… … !”

The Secretary General’s eyes trembled.

“… Are you now claiming that your Highness is the acting head of the Luoyang Sword Family?”

Then, as if trying to confirm the intention of the Chief of Staff, he turned his head to look at him, but Yeon So-hyeon responded quickly.

“The head of this Luoyang Sword Family is currently being represented by the Supreme Management Council, and they follow my orders.”

“… … !”

“Well, these days, there’s something like an opposition movement centered around the foreign faction, but what?!”

Yeon So-hyeon, who had been talking up to that point, asked the secretary general with an exaggerated expression.

“Surely you aren’t a member of the Oewonju faction either?”

“……yes?”

He is a key figure in the inner circle and the closest associate of the inner circle commander, so he is a member of the outer circle faction.

The Secretary General was left speechless by the absurd speculation.

“Well, don’t worry about it.”

Yeon So-hyeon raised her hand to her mouth as if there was no Chief Secretary next to her, and whispered to the Chief Secretary.

“Director Naewon, I will keep it a complete secret from that old man.”

“No, what the…?!”

The Secretary General looked at the Chief of Staff with an expression that seemed to indicate that he did not know what to say.

“… … .”

but.

The chief of the royal family was just leaning on his cane and, as always, making an expression on his face that looked like he wouldn’t bleed even if he were pricked with a needle.

“Ah, that, that…!”

The secretary general, who was looking back and forth between Yeon So-hyeon and General Nae-won, trying to find something to say, soon.

“Haa… Anyway.”

I sighed, gave up, and returned to the main topic.

“Whether or not the Supreme Council follows His Highness’s orders, there will need to be a very good reason not to help the collateral branches.”

The general secretary gave Yeon So-hyeon a warning that was almost like advice.

“As you know, many vassal families and collateral families are now joining hands with the Sixteen Imperial Household Clans rather than the Grand Duke.”

“That’s why….”

Yeon So-hyeon pretended to take his advice, stroking her chin before shrugging her shoulders.

“Hmm, there’s a very good reason.”

The secretary general, who could not have been unaware of the situation, narrowed his eyes.

“Would you mind if I asked you what that excellent reason is…?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Yeon So-hyeon answered.

“Because there was no formal request for support.”

like that.

When Yeon So-hyeon repeated the story, the secretary general beat his chest as if he was frustrated.

“Euuuu…!”

But Yeon So-hyeon continued speaking without paying any attention to such reactions.

“Gaebong and Luoyang are close. If you needed support, you could have sent a carrier pigeon, a carrier hawk, a pickaxe, or someone would have come running to you directly. Don’t worry about it.”

at that time.

“Is anyone inside?! Secretary General?! Director General?! Urgent news…!”

Someone’s urgent voice was heard from outside.

“An emergency assistance request has arrived from Gaebongyeonga…!”

As soon as he heard that, Yeon So-hyeon smacked her lips, and the secretary general looked back at Yeon So-hyeon with a somewhat proud expression.

“The formal request for support that the Archduke was talking about has arrived. Will you be sending support now?”

Yeon So-hyeon asked a question instead of answering it.

“Who is the enemy?”

“It doesn’t seem to have been clearly determined yet.”

“Or, it could be someone I can’t identify because it’s the first time I’ve seen them-.”

“-Your Highness.”

The Secretary General spoke to Yeon So-hyeon again.

“This is a formal request for support.”

however.

This time, before the Secretary General heard the answer he wanted from Yeon Soo-hyun.

“… Something feels strange.”

The chief of staff spoke first.

Then, the Secretary General, who took his gaze off Yeon So-hyeon with a small sigh, asked the Chief of Staff Naewon.

“What is strange?”

“Even if the opening ceremony is hard, as you know, they don’t ask for support easily.”

“Because of the nature of collateral branches, the more support they receive from the main family, the weaker their voice becomes.”

The Secretary General spread out both his hands.

“Isn’t the situation so serious that we should ignore that?”

“No, that’s not the only thing that’s strange.”

The chief of staff shook his head.

“It’s not anywhere else, it’s Gaebong, Gaebong. Gaebong Yeon-ga is the largest ronin market in the Central Plains, where you can directly hire ronin at any time-.”

The chief of staff, who had been talking up to that point, found the answer himself.

“-Yongbongjihoe (Dragon and Phoenix Association).”

“Yongbongjihoe, you mean…?”

The interpretation of those words came from Yeon So-hyeon, not from the Chief of Staff.

“Most ronin have no background or foundation, but they live off the sword. That means they are more interested in martial arts than anyone else, and that means….”

As Yeon So-hyeon spoke, she looked at the Secretary General, and he nodded as if he understood.

“That means that many of those Gaebong Ronin are now here at the Yongbong Branch in Luoyang.”

“That’s why the market for ronin in Gaepoong was empty.”

“So Gaebongyeon-ga had no choice but to ask for support from the main family…?”

“That is correct.”

Yeon So-hyeon pretended to applaud.

“no…!”

The secretary-general shook his head and walked toward the door as if he was about to run out at any moment.

“Then, support from the main family is even more urgent. I will immediately urge the top management to provide support.”

“no.”

His steps stopped at Yeon So-hyeon’s voice.

“Still, there is no support.”

“… … .”

That’s it.

The Secretary General could definitely sense something strange about Yeon So-hyeon’s reaction.

“…no way.”

He let go of the doorknob he was holding, slowly turned around, and asked Yeon So-hyeon.

“Do you wish for Gaebongyeonga to be destroyed by enemies on this occasion?”

“Me? Why?”

Although Yeon So-hyeon asked calmly, the secretary general’s eyes did not disappear with suspicion.

“Right now, the vice-head of the Gaebongyeon family is in Luoyang. And he is one of the big shots supporting the lineage of the Lord of the Outer Circle.”

“What are you talking about?”

Yeon So-hyeon raised both hands as if she didn’t understand what he was saying.

“You must know that the foreign lord and the domestic general you serve are in cahoots, right?”

“But that’s also just to find and root out the dark entities that have taken root deep within the sword. And!”

He pointed to Yeonseonhyeon.

“The Gaebongyeon family is the main family, especially the Grand Duke. They are also a representative collateral family that goes against you.”

The Secretary General’s gaze became very fierce.

“Your Highness, you don’t plan on using this as an opportunity to destroy the Gaebongyeon family and treat it as a warning to everyone, do you?”

His voice became softer.

“Although Gaebongyeon-ga is rotten, there are countless innocent families there.”

“Do you think so?”

Yeon So-hyeon deeply stabbed her words into the General Secretary.

“If it’s for the sake of maintaining the organization. You, the core figure of the organization, who sees all members as mere replaceable parts?”

“… … !”

The Secretary General’s eyes widened.

“but….”

but.

Instead of pushing him further, Yeon So-hyeon just laughed self-deprecatingly.

“It’s understandable that I would want to kill them all. I was born under the Heavenly Killer Star, and I’m also a half-madman who controls magic energy.”

“that….”

The secretary general, who was about to refute something, lowered his head.

“… … .”

Although.

It was not only because Yeon So-hyeon kept pushing him and provoking him that he resisted, but also because he had not had such thoughts at all.

at that time.

“You are kind and honest. And you are very smart too.”

Yeon So-hyeon spoke to the chief of staff as if nothing had happened.

“You have found a good successor, General Naewon. Congratulations.”

“… He is very lacking. He is still only a candidate.”

The chief of the royal family turned his head away from Yeon So-hyeon’s praise and responded like this.

“It’s embarrassing.”

Yeon So-hyeon burst into laughter at the sight and looked at the secretary general.

“… … ?”

He looked between Yeon So-hyeon and Nae-won-gun with a dumbfounded expression and then asked.

“Are you testing me…?”

“If you are the closest aide to the Prime Minister, then I should know about it.”

“then….”

Yeon So-hyeon shrugged her shoulders slightly, and the secretary general asked as if he was doubtful about her thoughts.

“Are you sending support for the opening ceremony…?”

Yeon So-hyeon answered that question.

“no.”

This time again, he shook his head firmly.

“I won’t send it.”

“… … .”

but.

This time, the Secretary General calmly guessed the reason.

“…Do you think this is some kind of diversionary operation?”

“You haven’t heard yet, but… .”

Yeon So-hyeon smiled playfully.

“There is news that all the walls in the world may soon collapse.”

“Do you mean ‘soon’ now…?”

“I don’t know yet.”

Yeon So-hyeon shrugged her shoulders.

“but….”

Yeon So-hyeon, who had been silent for a moment, continued speaking in a much more heavy voice.

“If this is really a bucket. If the enemies attacking Gaebongyeon-ga are so powerful that they can attack other places at the same time… .”

When Yeon So-hyeon sensed the presence, he kept his words low and looked outside, and everyone turned their heads to follow him.

“Urgent news…!”

This time the voice is.

It was much more urgent than before.

“I have been informed that the Jeongju (鄭州) vassal family and Heo Chang’s (許昌) branch office are under attack…!”

Not just one place.

The Luoyang Sword Master’s forces located in two different cities were additionally attacked.

“… … .”

The secretary general’s hair stood on end, he swallowed dry saliva, and looked back at Yeon So-hyeon.

“As Your Highness said, are all the walls collapsing…?”

Yeon So-hyeon answered with a sly smile.

“Maybe not.”

“yes…?”

Okay then.

The chief of staff, who had kept his mouth shut until now, answered instead.

“Someone. It could mean they want us to believe that the walls are coming down.”