It was about time for Warrior Gwon Jik to finish his audience with His Majesty and come back out.
The only reason these men could pick a fight with me right now was because everyone else was busy tending to their own gear, and Warrior Gwon Jik wasn't here.
The fact that they'd come bother me during the time set aside for checking weapons, armor, and everything else told me plenty. Men like these would never rise very high.
Just as I'd expected, I spotted Warrior Gwon coming out, so I deliberately raised my voice.
“What? What are you saying? Why would you Great Heroes volunteer for something so grueling?”
“Huh?”
The two men blinked at me, completely thrown by my sudden outburst.
“No matter how badly you want to prove your loyalty, you can't go that far!”
As expected, Warrior Gwon Jik approached us with a puzzled expression.
“What is going on here?”
“Warrior Gwon. Well…”
Warrior Gwon Jik was the man in overall command of this expedition, and he also held a fairly high rank within the Embroidered Guard, so these men couldn't treat him carelessly.
The Embroidered Guard was essentially a military organization, so its chain of command was absolute.
“Didn't I tell you to address me as Commander until this mission is over?”
“Yes! My apologies.”
“Now, what happened?”
“Commander, it's nothing. There's no need for you to concern yourself.”
They desperately tried to smooth things over, but I wasn't about to let that happen.
We were only getting started.
Apparently sensing the commotion, everyone nearby began turning their attention toward us.
I lowered my head with a flustered expression.
“My apologies, Commander. I was so shocked that I raised my voice without meaning to.”
“Yes, yes. What happened?”
“Well! These two Great Heroes just told me they intend to pull the carts themselves, all the way from here to Springview Fortress, instead of using horses!”
The two Embroidered Guards who had picked a fight with me opened their mouths in alarm, but I gave them no chance to speak.
“When I asked them why, they said they felt their devotion to His Majesty had grown lax, so they wanted to put themselves through hardship and reaffirm their loyalty.”
“I see. So that was it.”
The workers around us all belonged to the Eunhae Merchant Group.
They were on my side, not theirs.
The very thing that had made it convenient for those men to secretly harass me was now working against them.
Warrior Gwon – no, Commander Gwon – looked at the two men and spoke.
“I had no idea your loyalty ran so deep. To think you would willingly endure such hardship because you refuse to let your devotion waver. I'm moved.”
“Th-that's…”
“We…”
After being praised so openly, they couldn't exactly deny it. The two men stood there at a complete loss.
Then someone behind us spoke.
“If they want it that badly, I don't believe it would be right to refuse them.”
It was Warrior Seo Im.
If my guess was right, he… no, she was Her Highness the Princess.
But since she was posing as an Embroidered Guard, I had to play along.
Commander Gwon, however, knew who she really was, so he couldn't simply ignore what she'd said.
“I agree. They must know better than anyone how difficult it will be. If they're still asking for this despite that, then their resolve must be firm. Deputy Merchant Lord Eun, please allow them this opportunity to demonstrate their loyalty.”
“Whew. If you put it that way, I suppose I have no choice. Very well.”
I gave the two warriors a fist-and-palm salute.
“I'll be counting on you all the way to Springview Fortress.”
“…”
The whole thing had unfolded so quickly that they could only gape at me in stunned disbelief.
“We need to hold a meeting before we depart, so everyone gather together.”
Commander Gwon left first for the meeting, with Warrior Seo Im following behind him.
A moment later, the two warriors finally realized exactly what had just happened and growled at me.
“I won't forget what you did today.”
“You'd better be ready.”
Funny. Of all the people who had ever told me to be ready, not one had ever managed to give me anything worth preparing for.
As I watched them walk away, Palgap quietly muttered beside me.
“I think pouring oil over myself and jumping into a fire would be better than making you angry, Young Master.”
“What is that supposed to mean?”
“It means exactly what it sounds like, Young Master.”
Palgap, honestly…
“I'm not a frightening person…”
“…”
No one answered.
“As long as nobody provokes you, Young Master.”
“That part is true.”
– Kui?
Right. You think so too.
I turned toward Lady Seohyang.
“That must have startled you. I'm sorry you were dragged into something like this.”
“I'm fine. I felt safe standing behind you, Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“I'm glad I'm someone who makes you feel safe.”
I smiled at her words.
Not everyone in the world could like me.
I'd learned in my previous life that no matter how hard I struggled, there was no point trying to make people who hated me suddenly start liking me.
People like that were best ignored.
I was already busy enough caring for the people who loved me and treasured me. Why waste my attention on anyone else?
But what if those people deliberately got on my nerves and picked a fight with me?
The answer was simple.
Make sure they were no longer in any condition to pick one.
Pulling a cart all the way from Beijing to Yunnan was genuinely brutal.
By the end of each day's travel, they'd be too exhausted to do anything but collapse.
If they still found enough strength to scheme against me after all that, I'd at least have to respect their determination.
People only got up to pointless nonsense when they had too much time and energy to spare.
.
.
.
After a brief meeting, we departed for Springview Fortress.
There were a hundred of us.
And I wasn't under the expedition group's direct command.
In other words, I had a considerable amount of freedom.
“Huff, huff…”
I rode in the carriage and looked through the window at the two warriors behind us, hauling a cart in place of horses.
Their names were Jang Gal and Song Cheong.
I made sure to learn them in advance, just in case something happened later.
Both had reached the First-rate realm, so pulling the cart itself wasn't beyond them, but covering this kind of distance was another matter entirely.
Ah! Serves them right!
Why is this so satisfying?
Some people might think I was going too far, but I was no gentleman.
The other workers weren't looking at them with sympathy either.
They'd all seen those men insult me right in front of them.
Judging from the satisfied looks on their faces, those two probably hadn't been particularly pleasant people even before this.
We had departed as soon as 5:00 a.m. arrived, traveled for roughly six hours, then stopped for lunch and a short rest.
“We depart again in fifteen minutes!”
“Yes!”
At those words, the eyes of Warrior Jang Gal and Warrior Song Cheong trembled as they lay sprawled on the ground in exhaustion.
We'd only traveled for about six hours so far, yet the road ahead must already have felt endless.
Then again, whose fault was it for picking a fight with me…?
Still, I couldn't let myself soften just because they looked miserable.
I'd dealt with plenty of men like them before.
At this stage, all I'd accomplish was filling them with resentment and hatred.
If I wanted this to work, I had to break them thoroughly enough that they wouldn't even have the energy to harbor those thoughts.
With a group this large, reaching Springview Fortress in Yunnan Province would take nearly a month.
We were traveling with a massive party, and it wasn't as though everyone could simply mount a horse and gallop the entire way, so the journey was bound to take time.
On top of that, all our supplies had to be transported by cart.
That was why I'd been allowed to ride in a carriage. I needed to manage our supplies while we traveled and make arrangements for resupply along the way.
Before long, we reached the vicinity of Hubei Province.
The Eunhae Merchant Group's Headquarters was located here, and this was also roughly the halfway point of our journey.
From this point onward, the climate would change noticeably as well.
So we'd decided to leave behind the fur clothing we'd been wearing and continue on without it.
I'd sent Father a letter ahead of our arrival.
“This humble merchant, Eun Gil-sang, greets the Commander and the Great Heroes.”
And after receiving word of our approach, Father personally came out to welcome our party.
“I am Gwon Jik, Commander of the expedition group. Thank you for your generous welcome, Merchant Lord.”
“It is only proper when receiving men engaged in such important work for the empire. Please, come inside.”
Deputy Im Man led Commander Gwon and the rest of the expedition group toward the guest hall.
“It's been a while.”
“Yes, Father.”
Lady Seohyang removed her veil and greeted him.
“This daughter greets the Merchant Lord.”
“No.”
“Pardon?”
“You shouldn't be calling me Merchant Lord anymore. You should call me Father now, my dear daughter-in-law.”
At Father's words, both of Lady Seohyang's cheeks turned red.
“Yes, Father.”
That meant the matter he'd gone to Guizhou Province to handle this time had gone well.
I headed toward my detached residence with the others.
There was a banquet scheduled for the evening to welcome and encourage the expedition group, and I couldn't exactly skip it.
Given the choice, I would've rather missed the whole thing and gotten a proper night's sleep.
After washing and changing clothes, I immediately went to greet the rest of the family.
Then Lady Seohyang and I went to see Father.
We couldn't stay here long, so there was no time to waste.
“Father, we're here.”
“Come in.”
Lady Seohyang and I entered Father's office. He gestured for us to sit and poured tea for us himself.
“Thank you.”
“Thank you, Father.”
“Haha! That certainly sounds pleasant to hear.”
Father laughed heartily, then took a sip of his tea.
He was probably gathering his thoughts.
Tap.
“I think autumn would be best for the wedding.”
“Autumn sounds fine to me as well. What do you think, Deputy Gwak?”
“I like it too.”
“Your mother says she'll handle the preparations, so if there's anything either of you wants, tell her directly.”
“Yes. Understood.”
Since I was so busy, it seemed Mother had decided to take charge of the preparations herself.
“And I'll personally send a letter to Escort Chief Gwak Myeong-hyeon and ask him to represent the bride's family at the wedding.”
“Thank you.”
“If there are others you wish to invite, give me a list. Is there anyone you intend to invite personally?”
“Yes. There is.”
“Very well. Then I'll leave those invitations to you.”
Once our discussion about the marriage was finished, we moved on to other matters.
Father had already finished speaking with the Provincial Administration Commissioner of Guizhou Province, so there wasn't actually much left for us to discuss on that front.
“First, Father. His Majesty designated the Eunhae Merchant Group as the expedition group's official supplier, so…”
I explained the general circumstances surrounding the expedition and the profits the Eunhae Merchant Group stood to make from it.
“That seems reasonable enough. But you aren't planning to enter the Sword Tomb yourself, are you?”
“Pardon?”
“The Sword Tomb is dangerous.”
“I know.”
But Father, even knowing how dangerous it is, I have no choice but to go inside.
Not only for my revenge, but for the Eunhae Merchant Group's future as well.
“Father. I'll be careful. So please don't worry too much.”
“You didn't say you wouldn't enter the Sword Tomb.”
“I can at least protect myself.”
“Whew. Fine. How could I possibly stop you once you've made up your mind? At this point, I doubt anything you do could surprise me anymore.”
“Hahaha.”
Why did Father's words prick my conscience so badly?
“We received word from the Luoyang Branch recently. Apparently the physician you recruited identified the Branch Manager's illness and has begun treating him.”
“Yes. That's right.”
“They also interrogated the physician who had knowingly pretended there was nothing wrong with him and obtained a confession. The Branch Manager sent his thanks, saying the matter was resolved safely because of you.”
“That's embarrassing.”
“I'm grateful as well. If it hadn't been for you, the situation could have become quite serious.”
“I suppose the Branch Manager was simply fated to survive.”
“So that's how you want to leave it. Very well.”
My conversation with Father went on for quite some time. We had several other matters to discuss as well.
Once we were finished, I headed to the banquet.
Since the banquet was being held for nearly a hundred people, it had been set up outdoors.
It was a little chilly here, but nowhere near cold enough to keep anyone from enjoying themselves.
“Thank you for preparing such a generous banquet for us.”
“Think nothing of it. I only hope this gives some small measure of comfort to those laboring on behalf of the empire. Please, enjoy yourselves tonight.”
Father turned to the musicians and performers.
“Begin the music.”
“Yes.”
Lively music soon filled the air, and everyone began eating.
The Prohibition Decree still hadn't been lifted, so there was no alcohol, but the atmosphere was pleasant enough.
After all, it was a rare opportunity to relax, enjoy good food, and recover some of the strength we'd spent on the journey.
I quietly snickered to myself.
Up ahead, Warrior Jang Gal and Warrior Song Cheong were sitting with chopsticks in their hands, nodding off over their meals.
“Of all the people they could've picked a fight with, they chose you. Tsk, tsk.”
At Commander Gwon Jik's voice beside me, I feigned ignorance and looked back at him.
“Pardon? What do you mean?”
“There's no need to pretend. I've already heard what happened from the others. Those men picked a fight with you and even made lewd remarks toward the woman you're going to marry.”
“…”
“Allow me to apologize on their behalf.”
If he was going to say that much, there was no point pretending ignorance any longer.
“There's no need.”
I shook my head and spoke gently.
“A man should pay the price for his own mistakes. They're adults, not children. They need to take responsibility for what they do.”
“…”
“But what I did was partly for their own sake as well. They came to bother me during the time set aside for personal maintenance. I thought leaving men like that unchecked might eventually bring disgrace upon the Embroidered Guard.”
I continued.
“I've received a great deal of help from the Embroidered Guard over the years. I know it was presumptuous of me, but I couldn't simply stand by and ignore it. That's why I deliberately arranged for them to pull the carts. I thought it would serve as useful personal training. On the return journey, we could load the carts with even more cargo to improve the training further.”
Commander Gwon looked genuinely moved by my words.
“How can a man be so upright? I see once again that your title as the Handsome Young Hero is no empty praise. Even after being personally insulted, your first concern was still the Embroidered Guard!”
I scratched the back of my neck.
I only wanted to make those bastards suffer, but it seemed I'd gotten a little too good at talking my way out of things.
Commander Gwon Jik continued.
“Just as you suggested, we’ll add a little more weight to the carts they’re pulling on the way back.”
I grinned inwardly at that.
They’ve probably gotten somewhat used to it by now, but what a shame… The trip back is going to be hell.
The banquet did not continue particularly late into the night.
Since we had to depart tomorrow morning, everyone wanted to turn in early and get some sleep.
–TL Notes–
Tired of seeing Ads? Then please support me on Patreon! Any tier of subscription will make it so you won't get any ads!
If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/InsanityTheGame
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt