That thought suddenly crossed my mind, but there was no way I could let it show in front of Gwon Jik.
“I see. What a remarkable treasure. No wonder it was something His Majesty would bestow.”
“Exactly.”
By the time that conversation ended, our break was over.
We headed back to our respective spots and started digging again.
Still, was that red wrapping cloth from the box I found, the one that had been used to bundle the books and letters, really that artifact?
Geumryeong reacted to it, but there was no way to tell whether it had reacted to the gold bars, the books, or the cloth artifact itself.
Maybe it reacted to all three.
I wanted to test whether that cloth really was an artifact, but if I used it here and now, I might get caught, so I had no choice but to put it off.
Time passed, and at long last, the excavation came to an end.
We worked ourselves to the bone, but in the end, nobody walked away with anything in hand.
Well, unless you counted the true nature of Blood Staff Star Monk’s Sword Tomb.
Or maybe a drinking story for later, something to talk about over a cup once the Prohibition Decree was lifted.
But no one looked regretful.
Because through the excavation, we had all learned exactly what would’ve happened if we’d actually gone inside, and we’d learned it so thoroughly we were sick of it.
Just getting out of this place alive was enough to make us feel relieved.
The first ones to leave were the Demonic Cult people.
They didn’t even announce they were going. We went to sleep, and by the time we woke up, they were already gone.
Then the Unorthodox Sect group left too, leaving only the Murim Alliance and the Orthodox Sect forces behind.
After a simple lunch of dumplings, we held a meeting.
It was about what we should do next.
“For now, our side will be withdrawing tomorrow.”
Elder Gyeong Sanja looked around at everyone before continuing.
“I will make sure to tell the Alliance Leader about the unstinting support everyone gathered here has given us.”
“What are you planning to do with Venerable Blood Staff Star Monk’s remains?”
“For now, we’ll take them back to the Murim Alliance, and from there, hand them over to the Shaolin Temple.”
In other words, they’d carry Venerable Blood Staff Star Monk’s remains as far as the Murim Alliance, and after that, leave the rest to Shaolin.
“You’ve all worked hard.”
The next morning.
As soon as we finished breakfast, our Yeongseon Min Family group said our goodbyes to Elder Gyeong Sanja and the others.
“I thought you’d be coming to the Murim Alliance with us. That’s a shame.”
“In my heart, I’d like that as well, but I’m in a position where I have to lead the Yeongseon Min Family, so I ask for your understanding.”
“It can’t be helped. Travel safely.”
After exchanging our farewells, we headed down Yanzhi Mountain.
And with that, everything connected to Blood Staff Star Monk’s Sword Tomb came to an end.
Well, everything except my personal business, which was still very much ongoing.
As we descended, I sank into thought.
What exactly was I supposed to do about those two warriors from the Embroidered Guard?
If I reported everything exactly as it happened, it was obvious what would happen to them.
But what if I didn’t tell the Emperor?
That was impossible.
His Majesty was more than perceptive enough to realize I’d deliberately kept quiet.
I could already hear it.
— So you’re saying you truly uncovered nothing? I know what you’re capable of. If you really know nothing, then I must’ve overestimated you. Fine… in that case, perhaps I should start by reclaiming your rights to the Windcraft Fan.
Just imagining it was horrifying.
“Ugh…”
When I shuddered, Escort Guard Seo Wu asked,
“Are you feeling unwell?”
“I’m fine. It’s nothing, so you don’t need to worry.”
I said that and urged my horse forward.
Yeah, if it were the Emperor, he’d absolutely do that.
Sigh. Well, there was nothing for it.
They made their move fully aware that discovery meant death, and they knew perfectly well that treason was punished by execution.
So even if they died for it, they wouldn’t exactly have room to call it unfair.
Still, something about reporting it all straight and plain didn’t sit right with me.
In my previous life’s memories, there hadn’t been any rebellion among the imperial family around this time.
Then again, with the Emperor keeping the imperial relatives on such a tight leash, how could there be?
In a situation like that, if someone still managed to start a rebellion, I’d have to applaud them with full sincerity. Really, that would be impressive.
This time, with Geumryeong’s guidance, Escort Guard Jin Yu tracked down where the carrier pigeon’s message had been delivered and reported it to me.
It was Prince Changseong’s residence in the Central Capital.
That was strange too.
Prince Changseong was the Emperor’s son, and in the end, he’d remained loyal to both his father and his older brother.
Then… ah!
That sly old snake!
I nearly cursed the Emperor out loud without even realizing it.
Thankfully, I stopped short of actually committing that kind of disrespect.
This was a test from the Emperor.
A test of my abilities, yes, but also of whether I could be trusted.
And apparently, he wanted to see how I handled things too.
Wow…
If I hadn’t had the memories from my past life, I really would’ve fallen for it completely.
Terrifying. Absolutely terrifying.
How could he fool me that perfectly?
The Embroidered Guard truly lived up to its name.
Now that I thought about it, there had been several things that didn’t quite add up.
For one, Gwon Jik had told me about the artifact surprisingly easily, and I hadn’t seen a shred of greed in him.
People who risk their lives to commit treason usually want something badly enough to do it.
They all put up a grand banner about righteous cause and greater purpose, but most of them are driven by their own greed.
But there was one more thing that bothered me.
That muttered line from Gwon Jik.
“Why are they searching so desperately for that artifact… It’s not as if having it would put anyone on the throne.”
If this really was a test, then Gwon Jik had muttered that on purpose, knowing I was there.
But my realm was far above his, so he shouldn’t have been able to detect me.
“Young Master.”
At that moment, Palgap called out to me.
“What is it?”
“I’m a little embarrassed to ask something like this right now, but… you haven’t taken a liking to someone, have you?”
“Taken a liking to someone? What are you talking about?”
“For the past few days, you’ve had this pleasant scent on you, Young Master. It’s definitely the kind of fragrance women like. And if you smell like this, that can only mean one thing. A Young Lady you met on Yanzhi Mountain gave you a fragrance pouch! So please confess honestly!”
I stared at him like he’d lost his mind.
“You’ve got it completely wrong. Did it look like I had time for some sweet little romantic encounter this trip?”
Palgap immediately turned his head away, sounding awkward.
“…That’s true.”
Beside us, Escort Guard Seo Wu tilted his head and asked,
“But then why would you make such a ridiculous assumption about some scent coming from my lord?”
“You smell the same as always to me.”
The other guards chimed in with their agreement.
What was this? Did Palgap notice a scent that neither I nor the other guards could detect?
“I did think it smelled strangely familiar…”
Escort Guard Lee Pil, the only one among the guards who hadn’t agreed, finally spoke.
“That scent started clinging to my lord about two days after we arrived. It’s a scent only people who’ve undergone special training can detect.”
“Don’t tell me… Tracking Incense?”
“That’s right. And among the people there, there was one more person carrying the same scent. A man named Gwon Jik.”
“…”
“What I can’t understand is how he got his hands on it. That Tracking Incense isn’t allowed to leave its source.”
If Escort Guard Lee Pil recognized it, then it had to be the Sichuan Tang Clan’s Tracking Incense.
Even if it wasn’t supposed to be taken outside, the other party was the Emperor. If the Emperor told them to hand it over, they’d have no choice.
“To be honest, I considered telling you, but I wasn’t certain, so I kept holding back. My apologies.”
“It’s fine.”
Whew. So that was how he knew.
Gwon Jik had realized I was nearby through the Tracking Incense and muttered that line on purpose.
No wonder he’d said it loud enough for me to hear…
“But what was the point of doing that?”
“I guess he just liked me. More importantly, how do I get rid of this scent?”
“It’ll fade on its own in about a month, but if you want to remove it immediately, we’ll need a few medicinal ingredients. None of them are especially rare, so we should be able to find them in Lanzhou.”
“Please take care of it.”
“Understood.”
But was this really the Tang Clan’s Tracking Incense?
Didn’t the Sichuan Tang Clan send support this time too?
Had they noticed the Tracking Incense on me as well?
When I quietly asked Escort Guard Lee Pil about it, he shook his head.
“The current version of the Tracking Incense is detectable only by the direct line. Since no one from the direct line came from the Sichuan Tang Clan this time, no one would’ve noticed.”
That was a relief, but…
I let out a breath of relief, then tilted my head.
Hadn’t he just said this Tracking Incense could only be detected by someone from the Tang Clan’s direct line, and only someone who’d undergone special training at that?
Then… how exactly had Palgap noticed it?
With that question in mind, I looked at Palgap.
“I, I just guessed wrong, that’s all. Don’t look at me like that. It’s embarrassing.”
Of course. He had no awareness of it at all.
That aside…
Would they happen to know I was the one who blew up the Sword Tomb?
I thought about it for a moment, but it didn’t seem likely.
At that time, they would’ve been escorting the people who’d gone to fetch water.
Still, testing me like this…
The Emperor wouldn’t have suddenly decided to test me for no reason.
I felt like I’d heard that he did this sort of thing before entrusting someone with an important position…
“…!”
Only then did the Emperor’s real aim start to come into focus.
He wanted to make greater use of me after this.
The moment that thought hit me, any idea of landing a blow on the Emperor flew far, far away.
Alarm bells were going off in my head.
Should I run?
I seriously, desperately, with all my heart, truly, deeply, painfully wanted to run.
But…
Why did I suddenly feel like I’d forgotten something back there?
After Eun Seo-ho and the Yeongseon Min Family group left, the others also started departing one by one.
“We’re ready to leave as well.”
Gwon Jik told the man who had come to report to wait for a moment.
“Wait a bit. We’ll take our time leaving.”
“Yes, sir.”
The man headed back to the rest of the group, and Gwon Eul approached Gwon Jik.
“What are you thinking about?”
At the question, Gwon Jik let out a faint chuckle and answered,
“I was thinking about Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho.”
“Ah… so you took a liking to him.”
“What makes you say that?”
“Aren’t you smiling?”
At that, Gwon Jik lifted a hand and touched the corner of his mouth. Just as Gwon Eul had said, he was smiling.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you smile, Brother.”
“He’s an interesting one.”
To be honest, he hadn’t understood why the Emperor trusted Eun Seo-ho so much and kept him so close.
‘I’m grateful he saved Warrior Jin Yeong and the other Embroidered Guards, of course.’
So when the Emperor told him to test Eun Seo-ho, Gwon Jik had made up his mind.
He would use this chance to test him thoroughly.
Eun Seo-ho had better be ready.
He had no intention of going easy on him.
But the Eun Seo-ho he observed from up close… was exactly the kind of talent the Emperor would place his trust in.
When that immature young lord from the Seoryunhae Family insulted Eun Seo-ho and his mother’s family, Gwon Jik had honestly expected him to beat the brat senseless.
But Eun Seo-ho didn’t do that. Instead, he made him train while wearing practice weight.
And somehow, he even got Young Lord Hae Jun’s uncle involved to the point that the man personally supervised the training.
A few punches would’ve been easier. That kind of training was the sort of thing that made you wish you were dead.
And then there was the meeting that nearly spiraled into a pointless war of attrition. Eun Seo-ho proposed dividing the territory into three equal sections, and he saw it through.
And that wasn’t all.
Wherever trouble seemed likely to break out, Eun Seo-ho unfailingly appeared at exactly the right time and made sure things were resolved smoothly.
If not for Eun Seo-ho, Gwon Jik wouldn’t have even dreamed of preparing to leave this soon.
In truth, a few days ago, when he went down Yanzhi Mountain under the pretense of escorting those fetching water, his heart had nearly dropped.
He could clearly smell the Tracking Incense bestowed by the Emperor, yet he couldn’t sense Eun Seo-ho’s presence anywhere.
That meant only one thing.
Eun Seo-ho was stronger than he was.
There had been a reason the Emperor had given him that Tracking Incense.
‘If he reports the true mastermind behind this incident to His Majesty, then I’ll likely be seeing him often.’
As he was thinking that, a young boy passed by him.
Hm?
When he turned his head, he saw that it was Young Lord Hae Jun of the Seoryunhae Family.
The boy was running around the camp, panting hard. Iron weights were still strapped to his arms and legs.
“Come on, only three more laps!”
His uncle shouted encouragement from behind, while Young Lord Hae Jun looked like he was about to die.
‘He’s certainly working hard.’
Still, that artifact really hadn’t remained here after all.
What he’d told Eun Seo-ho about the cloth artifact had been the truth.
That was why he’d judged there was a strong possibility the artifact had been left here.
Looking at things now, it was almost a blessing that the Sword Tomb had collapsed and become inaccessible.
‘Still, for that Sword Tomb to collapse so suddenly…’
For a moment, it seemed possible that Eun Seo-ho had expected the Sword Tomb to collapse.
That would explain why he’d been the only one wearing such a calm expression while everyone else panicked.
‘Don’t tell me he brought it down…’
But Gwon Jik soon shook his head and dismissed the thought.
‘How could he possibly have collapsed the Sword Tomb? What a ridiculous idea.’
Before he knew it, Young Lord Hae Jun had completed another lap and ran past him again.
Then, suddenly, a thought occurred to him.
‘Come to think of it, Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho never told that young lord he could stop now.’
Whether he forgot to say it, or chose not to on purpose.
Only Eun Seo-ho himself would know.
‘Well, that training will help him anyway, so I suppose it doesn’t matter.’
–TL Notes–
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