We made it safely to my mother’s family home.
My grandparents and uncle warmly welcomed us back.
“Reporting in. The Raging Wind Squad’s full headcount is twenty. Every one of us returned safely.”
I smiled and added,
“I made it back in one piece.”
“Good, good! Thank heavens you’re safe! Thank heavens!”
Grandfather even teared up as he pulled me into a hug.
He really was the kind of person who never hid what he felt.
I hadn’t realized he’d been this worried about me.
Just then, Uncle came back after praising the Raging Wind Squad for all their hard work and gave my shoulder a firm pat.
“You’ve done well.”
“It was nothing. This is the Yeongseon Min Clan, my mother’s family home. I only did what I should’ve done.”
“That only makes me more grateful to hear.”
Then Grandmother patted my back and said,
“There, there, let’s get inside. I made hoeduja for you.”
Just as I was about to head in with them,
“Young Lord Eun Seo-ho.”
“…?”
I turned at the sound of someone calling me, only to see the Raging Wind Squad standing there.
What was this about?
I was still wondering that when they all cupped their fists toward me at once and bowed their heads.
Thunk!
Then the Raging Wind Squad Leader spoke for all of them.
“The only reason all of us made it back safely is because of you, Young Lord. We’ll never forget this debt for as long as we live.”
That was… a little embarrassing.
.
.
.
That evening.
I bathed in the medicine Escort Guard Lee Pil prepared to wash away the Tracking Incense.
“Mm. The Tracking Incense is gone now.”
At Escort Guard Lee Pil’s words, Palgap nodded too.
“It’s definitely gone.”
Then Escort Guard Lee Pil turned to Palgap and asked,
“But how exactly did you notice that Tracking Incense, Palgap?”
“Huh?”
Palgap tilted his head and answered,
“I just… smelled something.”
“As I said before, detecting that Tracking Incense requires special training. But somehow you could smell it…”
The one who answered that question was Escort Guard Seo Wu.
“I’ve heard that some people with extremely sharp senses can pick up special scents even without that kind of training. Maybe Palgap’s one of them.”
Come to think of it, Palgap really did hate fermented food. Fermentation and decay were only a hair apart, after all.
That thought made me snort inwardly.
I had a pretty good idea why he could do it.
It was simple.
He was basically a bear.
Maybe it was more accurate to say his wild instincts were still alive and well.
Honestly, calling it the King of Assassins’ talent was just the flattering version. In a broader sense, that too was just wild instinct.
The instinct to hunt, maybe?
Palgap’s had simply been redirected into serving me instead.
“All right, then. It’s about time we turned in.”
At my words, everyone headed off to their own quarters.
After Palgap saw to my bedding, he left for the room next door.
The moment I lay down, I could sense Escort Guard Seo Wu and Escort Guard Myeong Jong standing outside at a measured distance from the door.
Unless I called for them, they wouldn’t come in.
Which meant now was the time.
I took out the things Blood Staff Star Monk had left behind in the storage shed.
First, I had to confirm whether that wrapping cloth was really an artifact.
I was checking it in secret here in my room because I was the only one who knew anything about it.
And because explaining it all sounded like a pain.
I put the books and letters back into the box, then took out the cloth and spread it across the tea table.
That vivid red color… wait.
Only then did something strike me as strange.
This cloth had wrapped those books and letters for more than five hundred years.
Those books and letters had aged badly over all that time, so how was the cloth still this clean and bright?
One of the main goods our merchant group dealt in was silk, so I knew what I was talking about. There was no silk in existence that could stay in this kind of condition for five hundred years.
Then was this really an artifact?
I distinctly remembered hearing that if you wrote the place you wanted to go on top of the cloth, it would guide you somewhere safe.
The place I wanted to go, huh?
If I wanted to test it, then I needed to write down a place I knew well.
I picked up a brush and wrote Eunhae Merchant Group’s Beijing Branch on the cloth.
“…!”
The next instant, I couldn’t help but freeze in shock.
The words I’d written with the brush vanished, and a black image began to appear across the cloth.
A map.
And not just any map, but a map of the entire Empire.
From this house all the way to the Eunhae Merchant Group’s Beijing Branch, a winding golden line stretched out across it.
Gasp!
I immediately clapped both hands over my mouth.
If I hadn’t, I might’ve actually shouted.
It was real. It was a real artifact.
I carefully studied the route.
If I wanted to go to the Beijing Branch, the golden line followed a river partway through, as if it were telling me to travel by boat.
“Mm. I’d rather go by land, though. I’ve got River-Crossing Horses.”
The moment I muttered that under my breath, sounding disappointed, the golden line vanished and began drawing itself again.
This time, it showed a path that stayed entirely on land, with no boat involved.
This thing was incredible.
Honestly, if this artifact had tried to force a specific route on me all the way to my destination, I would’ve been suspicious.
I’d heard there were artifacts that brainwashed their users, or even corrupted them with evil.
But since the route changed according to what I wanted, that didn’t seem to be the case here.
After committing the path firmly to memory, I neatly folded the cloth back up.
Good. Should I test it this time and see whether it really shows a safe route?
If this really is an artifact that points out a safe path?
Then there’s nothing to think about.
Obviously I’m keeping it for myself.
Mine, mine.
.
.
.
Morning came.
And today was the day we were leaving for Beijing.
“Can’t you stay a little longer?”
At Grandmother’s words, I answered with a smile.
“Of course I want to. But I’ve got too much to do.”
I said that as I hugged her. Grandmother patted my back and replied,
“It’s a shame, but I know it can’t be helped. Come see us again next time.”
“I will.”
“Take care of yourself.”
After Grandfather, Uncle also spoke to me.
“We’ll have another chance to meet later. Until then, stay healthy.”
“Yes, Uncle.”
“And take good care of Little Seon.”
His voice was full of affection for my mother.
Still, I was leaving without seeing my second uncle.
I should probably come visit him again in four or five years, before he dies from Qi Deviation.
If I could stop his death, then I should.
With everyone seeing us off, we left the Yeongseon Min Clan behind.
“Which way should we go?”
At Escort Guard Seo Wu’s question, I raised a hand and pointed.
“We’ll head this way.”
“Understood.”
And with that, we started riding toward Beijing.
The road I was taking now was the one the cloth artifact had shown me.
The River-Crossing Horses ran without hesitation.
“Mm, turn left here.”
“Hiiing!”
From time to time, I gave directions to the group and tugged the reins to turn my horse.
To be honest, when we traveled from Beijing to Lanzhou, we crossed through mountain ranges the whole way.
But on the route we were taking now, there was nothing but open plains in sight, not a harsh mountain range anywhere.
So even though it looked like we were taking a longer way around, it was actually faster.
Riding across open ground with no obstacles was far quicker than weaving around mountain barriers the whole way.
Thanks to that, we reached the outskirts of Beijing a full day earlier than expected.
By then, it was already getting dark.
“Let’s stop here and rest for the night.”
At my words, Palgap tilted his head.
“What do you mean by that? Beijing’s only another hour or two away.”
“I know.”
“Mm, if you’re willing to give up sleeping comfortably in a real bed, Young Master, then this must be something important.”
“That’s right. So go ahead and prepare camp for the night.”
“Understood.”
Palgap and the escort guards set about preparing our campsite.
Soon enough, we sat around the campfire, ate, and drank tea.
All right. Everyone was ready to hear it now.
“Before we left, I told you what kind of order I’d received from His Majesty, didn’t I?”
At my question, everyone nodded.
“To get straight to the point, this order was a test. A test for me.”
“A test… what do you mean?”
At Escort Guard Seo Wu’s question, I let out a sigh and continued.
“Exactly what it sounds like. His Majesty gave me this assignment because he wanted to see whether I was fit to be entrusted with greater responsibility going forward.”
Only then did something seem to click for Escort Guard Lee Pil.
“Was the Tracking Incense part of that as well?”
“Probably.”
“Damn it! I should’ve told you sooner.”
“There’s no need to blame yourself. Just… next time, if something feels suspicious, tell me no matter what it is.”
“Understood.”
Then Palgap spoke up.
“But hold on. If they plan to make greater use of you, that means you’ll be even busier than you are now… is that even possible?”
It was a perfectly fair question.
I was already so busy it was hard to imagine getting any busier than this.
If not for Young Lady Seohyang helping me, I’d be done for…
Everyone looked at me like they agreed.
“Honestly, I don’t think I can get much busier than I already am.”
“That’s true. My lord is already sleep-deprived.”
“And lack of sleep will also hinder your growth and development.”
Who said that last one?
Ah, Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am.
Though, uh… I’m pretty sure I’m already done growing.
I continued,
“I agree. Which is why…”
I slowly laid out my plan for them, and they nodded along in agreement.
Honestly, the moment I realized this whole test meant the Emperor intended to use me more heavily, all my thoughts of landing a blow on him disappeared.
But I guess I really couldn’t hide my true nature.
Because even so, the urge to get one over on the Emperor still hadn’t quite left my mind.
The Emperor was reading a report.
It had come from the men he’d ordered to test Eun Seo-ho.
Thanks to the Carrier Hawk, it had reached him far sooner than Eun Seo-ho himself ever could.
“Mm… just as expected from the talent I chose.”
As the Emperor read the report, a satisfied smile spread across his face.
Not only had Eun Seo-ho handled everything related to Blood Staff Star Monk’s Sword Tomb with remarkable clean precision, he had also carried out the Emperor’s instructions quite well.
“So now only the final stage of the test remains?”
At that question, the Emperor turned his head to the side. Sitting beside him was his eldest son and the current Crown Prince.
His eyes looked so much like his father’s that people said seeing him was like seeing the Emperor in his youth.
“That’s right. If he clearly reveals the full truth of this matter in front of me, then he passes. And I’ll finally be able to place someone trustworthy at your side.”
“I’m very much looking forward to that.”
The Crown Prince didn’t look displeased in the slightest, even at the thought of a merchant being placed at his side.
Because he knew very well.
The people who acted lofty and spotless were often the filthiest underneath.
“Still, someone trustworthy… I have to admit, that sounds almost too good to be true.”
There was a faint edge of mockery in his voice.
Only two days ago, the man responsible for checking his food had died. The fifth one already.
Worse, the culprit had been someone the Crown Prince had considered a close friend, which made the shock even greater.
It had forced him to realize just how hollow trust could be.
Maybe that was why his gaze had grown deeper. But he was still young, and that bitterness had slipped into his voice before he even realized it.
“Tsk, tsk. It’s not as though I don’t understand how you feel.”
“I beg your forgiveness. I spoke disgracefully.”
“Be more careful from now on.”
“Yes, Father.”
“Well, I won’t demand that you trust my judgment. But if you can’t bring yourself to trust this father of yours, then think of it as being for the sake of this Empire.”
“…”
That made the Crown Prince pause in surprise.
He’d heard about Eun Seo-ho until his ears hurt, directly from the Emperor, and he’d also investigated him personally, so he knew a fair amount already.
He knew Eun Seo-ho was the the Eunhae Merchant Group’s Deputy Merchant Lord, and a man who had been making astonishing moves one after another.
But he still couldn’t understand why his father, the Emperor, trusted him that deeply.
Wasn’t the Emperor far more aware than anyone how hollow trust could be?
‘What in the world made Father place that much trust in him?’
As that question lingered in his mind, the Emperor called to him.
“Crown Prince.”
“Yes, Father.”
“You can’t trust people, can you?”
“…”
“But if you cannot trust people, you cannot rule this Empire. The ones who betray me are people, yes, but the ones who protect me are people too.”
“But I still can’t tell who’ll betray me and who’ll protect me, and that’s what frightens me. I don’t have that kind of discernment.”
“People are deeper than water itself, so how could I possibly know that for certain either?”
“What?”
The unexpected answer made the Crown Prince blink.
“That’s why I’m assigning that boy to you. Spend time with him, and you’ll find your answer.”
Just then,
“Your Majesty. Warrior Jin Yeong has arrived.”
At the eunuch’s announcement, the Emperor said,
“Send him in.”
A moment later, the doors opened, and Jin Yeong entered. He dropped before the Emperor and offered the highest formal bow.
“But why are you alone? Wasn’t he supposed to have arrived at the Beijing Branch today?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. That part is true. However, a problem came up…”
“What problem?”
At the Emperor’s question, Jin Yeong continued with an awkward expression.
“It seems the trip to Lanzhou was too much for him on top of his already busy schedule. His strength has been badly depleted, and he’s now bedridden. Even so, he insisted on forcing himself up so he could enter the palace with me, but he pushed too hard and ended up collapsing unconscious.”
“…”
–TL Notes–
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