At my words, Commander Gwon Jik stared at me in surprise.
“What are you talking about? You’re saying you’ll do it yourself?”
“I was the one who suggested the idea, so naturally, I think I should be the one to carry it out.”
If I put forward an idea, then I should take responsibility for it myself.
Refusing to take responsibility would only mean I was carelessly tossing out suggestions and making decisions without thinking them through.
And that inevitably led to wasted money.
People like that could burn through more money with a single bad decision than a dozen idlers could waste sitting around and eating for free.
And few things irritated me more than watching money get thrown away for nothing.
With that thought, I spoke to Commander Gwon Jik.
“Don’t worry.”
And I genuinely wasn’t worried at all.
Part of it was because I was confident in my own abilities, but more importantly, if Lady Seohyang had seen me in any real danger, she would have sent Palgap.
Besides, I was almost certain that choosing the Bo with the wooden horn was the right answer.
I approached the stone statue and carefully wrapped my hand around its horn.
Then a satisfied smile crept across my face.
Just as I thought.
The horn wasn’t fixed in place. It felt as though it was meant to be pressed.
I cautiously pushed down on it, and the horn smoothly sank inward.
Rrrrrumble.
At the same time, the ground began to tremble, and what looked like an entrance leading underground appeared before us.
“We solved it!”
“We finally solved the riddle!”
“Waaaaah!”
Everyone erupted in cheers, and Commander Gwon Jik turned to me.
“Thank you. We finally solved the riddle thanks to you.”
“It was the result of everyone working together.”
“I knew that was what you’d say. Still, there’s no denying that the credit belongs to you.”
Master Craftsman Cha walked over to me.
“The Commander is right. More importantly, though, the real challenge starts now. You’d better be ready.”
“Of course.”
I nodded and examined the newly revealed entrance leading underground.
There was some kind of inscription carved into the stone door.
“There’s something written here.”
“You can leave everything from here on to us.”
“I’ll be counting on you.”
I obediently stepped back and recalled the inscription I had just read.
[O fated one who has come this far, I find myself wondering who you might be.
Are you our enemy?
A passing traveler?
A friend?
Or perhaps our descendant?
If you revealed this door by pressing Bo’s horn, then you must be either an enemy or a passing traveler.
If you are an enemy, heed this warning and turn back.
Beyond this door lie obstacles so terrible that everything you have faced until now will seem like mere child’s play, and they are far beyond what you can endure.
If you are merely a traveler, you too should turn back.
Nothing within will be of any use to you, and venturing farther will only cost you your life.
To you who have shown proof of friendship and trust and followed Bo’s guidance to this place.
Please aid my descendants.
And to you, my descendant, who followed the path here by spilling your blood.
What has been left within embodies our will. Take it and carry that will into the world.]
I sank into thought.
The inscription itself wasn’t particularly difficult to understand.
It was simply a warning and a final request left behind by whoever had created this Sword Tomb.
Enemies and passing travelers were being told to turn back.
Friends were asked to aid the creator’s descendants, while those descendants were told to carry out the creator’s will.
But there wasn’t any real warning directed at the friends or descendants.
That was what bothered me.
Because that implied that anyone recognized as the creator’s friend or descendant could enter this place without facing any hardship at all.
[Proof of friendship and trust]
And [spilling your blood].
I thought about those words for a long moment before an idea suddenly flashed through my mind.
Could it be that?
I immediately approached Commander Gwon and politely made a request.
“There’s something I’d like to test. So, before we go any farther, how about we head outside, get some rest, and come back in afterward?”
“You want us to leave and then come back?”
“Yes. So could you persuade Master Craftsman Cha for me?”
Master Craftsman Cha was studying the inscription on the stone door with a grave expression.
Commander Gwon looked at him and seemed to fall into thought for a moment.
Just as I was wondering whether I should explain myself further, he gave a faint chuckle and spoke.
“Very well. Master Craftsman Cha!”
“Yes? Did you call for me?”
“Let’s head outside for a while and clear our heads.”
“What? Right now?”
“The Sword Tomb isn’t going anywhere, is it? Besides, the air doesn’t circulate well down here. Staying too long could be dangerous.”
“That is true. Spending too long somewhere with poor ventilation can sometimes make people hallucinate.”
Fortunately, Master Craftsman Cha readily accepted Commander Gwon’s suggestion.
“Stop work! Everyone, we’re heading outside!”
With that, the work came to a halt, and the entire exploration party headed out.
“Ahem. So why did you really want us to take a break?”
Once we were outside, Master Craftsman Cha approached me and quietly asked the question.
“What? Whatever do you mean?”
“Do you really think I’m that oblivious? I didn’t live this long without learning how to read people.”
He really was sharp.
Then again, there was a reason people said old ginger was the spiciest.
I nodded.
“There was something I wanted to test outside. Do you remember what was written on that stone door?”
“Of course I do.”
“That’s the reason. I was wondering whether we might be able to enter without all that trouble if we could show proof that someone was a friend, or prove that someone was a descendant.”
“That makes sense. And I take it you already have something in mind?”
“Yes. I’d like to test it. I also have a personal matter to take care of.”
As I spoke, I glanced back over my shoulder.
By the time we came outside, the sun was already sinking toward the horizon.
It was evening already.
As soon as we emerged, the people who had been waiting outside hurried over and began asking questions.
“What happened?”
“Is the exploration finished?”
Commander Gwon answered them.
“Not yet. We’re going to rest for a while and head back in tomorrow. The air down there is thin, and it’s getting difficult to think clearly.”
“I see.”
“I’d like to get some rest.”
“We’ll make the preparations immediately.”
* * *
Late that night.
Under the cover of darkness, several figures stealthily made their way toward the Sword Tomb.
They were even wearing Fur–Soled Shoes, with animal fur attached to the soles to erase both their footprints and the sound of their steps.
One of them had worked among the laborers, so they had no trouble finding their way.
“Stop!”
A sentry on watch suddenly stepped out and halted them.
“What is it?”
“We left something inside, so we came back to retrieve it.”
“Careless bastards. Go get it and come right back out.”
“Thank you. Ah, by any chance, did anyone else go in before us?”
“There’s no one inside.”
“Thank you for telling us, Great Hero.”
They were allowed into the Sword Tomb without any further interference.
“This is ridiculously convenient now that every Trap Formation has been dismantled! We should’ve spread the rumor much sooner. We could’ve explored the Sword Tomb this easily from the beginning.”
“Exactly. Just thinking about how much trouble we went through trying to find this place makes me sick.”
“Getting the Embroidered Guards stationed here interested in the place was even harder.”
They whispered among themselves as they walked through the Sword Tomb, eventually arriving before the stone door.
“This is it?”
“Yeah.”
The man who had been working among the laborers spoke.
“This is the entrance that appeared after they solved the riddle.”
“Then we should report this to our superiors first. After that, you and I will go inside.”
“No. I think we’d be better off waiting for orders from above. There’s a warning written right here, isn’t there?”
“We could also wait until they excavate everything and steal it once they bring it out.”
That was when it happened.
“WHO DARES DISTURB OUR SLUMBER!”
A terrifying roar suddenly thundered through the darkness.
The men nearly jumped out of their skins.
“W–Where the hell is that voice coming from?”
“Is there someone else in here besides us?”
“They said there was definitely no one inside!”
But the booming voice continued to reverberate through the Sword Tomb.
“THOSE WHO DARE DISTURB OUR SLUMBER SHALL NOT ESCAPE OUR CURSE!”
“Gaaah!”
The Sword Tomb was pitch black and completely empty.
Hearing that voice echo through the darkness, their legs gave out, and they collapsed where they stood.
Human imagination had no limits, and fear born from that imagination could become far more terrifying than anything real.
“Aaaaaagh!”
They barely managed to scramble back to their feet before fleeing the Sword Tomb in a blind panic.
* * *
I watched the terrified men run for their lives and spoke.
“Good work, Escort Guard Yeo.”
“It was nothing.”
The voice that had frightened them belonged to Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am.
Escort Guard Jin Yu was already following them from behind.
There was a reason I hadn’t killed those men here.
I wanted to find out where their superiors were hiding.
I had known who they were from the beginning. I had also known exactly who the man posing as a laborer was.
How could I possibly miss that dense Unorthodox Qi reeking of blood?
Of course, no one else would have been able to sense it.
My companions and I quietly left the Sword Tomb and returned to our quarters.
It was already far too late to do anything else tonight.
.
.
.
As soon as dawn broke, I finished my Breathing Meditation, ate breakfast, and went to see Young Lord Yeon Yu-mun.
It was a little early, but we had arranged this meeting in advance, so it wasn’t a problem.
However, I encountered someone completely unexpected there.
Warrior Seo Im – no, Her Highness the Princess.
She had abandoned her male disguise and was dressed in clothing befitting a princess.
I immediately bowed my head and paid my respects.
“This humble merchant, Eun Seo-ho, greets Your Highness.”
“Raise your head.”
“Yes.”
I looked at her and asked.
“What brings Your Highness here?”
“I’ve been staying here ever since I arrived. I'm married now, so what possible problem could there be?”
“…You’re married?”
“I’ve already consummated the marriage.”
“…”
Damn, that was fast.
Even I couldn’t help being shocked by the sheer speed of it.
This was probably less the Princess’s decision and more the Emperor’s.
Now that they had already consummated the marriage, there was no longer any way to undo it.
“I see. Congratulations, Your Highness.”
“Thank you. But save those congratulations for later. You can give them to me when we hold the formal wedding ceremony.”
“When that day comes, I’ll offer you my formal congratulations as well.”
“Good. If you wait just a little longer, my husband should be out soon.”
A short while later.
Young Lord Yeon Yu-mun emerged after finishing his preparations, and together we headed toward the Sword Tomb.
“Are you enjoying married life?”
“Hahaha. Yes.”
“Just a few days ago, you looked like you were carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. You seem like a completely different man now.”
At my words, he looked up at the sky.
“The one His Majesty is going to work to the bone is the future me, isn’t it? So for now, I’m simply enjoying the present.”
He continued.
“And I’m more than satisfied with my wife. If anything, she’s far too good for someone like me.”
“Everything in life comes with a tradeoff. You could call it the price you pay.”
“…That’s true.”
He nodded with a bitter smile before asking me a question.
“But why did you ask me to come to the Sword Tomb with you?”
“Because there’s something I need to ask of you. Before that, though, I have a question. How long has Springview Fortress been here?”
He thought about it for a moment before answering.
“It’s quite old. I’d say at least several hundred years.”
“Then are you descended from the people who lived here back then?”
“Yes. I’ve heard that my family has lived here for generations. One of our ancestral injunctions, passed down through the family, is that we must never abandon this place.”
“I see.”
Then my guess was almost certainly correct.
We arrived at the entrance to the Sword Tomb, and I took out a needle.
“I apologize for asking this, but would you mind letting me draw a little blood from your hand with this?”
“My blood?”
“Yes. There’s something related to the Sword Tomb that I’d like to test.”
Without hesitation, he held out his hand.
“That’s easy enough.”
I pricked his palm with the needle until blood welled up, then spoke.
“Now place your bleeding hand against the door of the Sword Tomb.”
Following my instructions, he pressed his hand against the door.
The instant he did,
Rrrrrrk.
We heard the grinding sound of some kind of mechanism shifting into place. And then.
Shhk, clunk!
The sound of moving machinery stopped, and the door opened on its own.
I knew it! Just as I thought.
I immediately turned to Escort Guard Seo Wu.
“Go and bring Commander Gwon and Master Craftsman Cha here immediately. Tell them it’s urgent and to hurry.”
“Yes.”
After a brief wait, the two of them came running.
“What happened?”
“What’s so urgent?”
Instead of answering, I pointed toward the Sword Tomb.
“Look over there.”
“Huh?”
“Hmm?”
They quickly noticed what had changed.
There wasn’t so much as a trace of the rubble from the boulder that had fallen across the Sword Tomb’s entrance.
“What in the world happened here?”
I gave them a brief explanation.
“I thought the ‘descendant’ mentioned in that inscription might refer to Young Lord Yeon Yu-mun’s family. His family has lived here in Springview Fortress for several hundred years, generation after generation. So I used his blood to open this door, and this passage appeared.”
I had reached that conclusion from the line I had seen inside the Sword Tomb: [And to you, my descendant, who followed the path here by spilling your blood.]
In other words, blood was the means by which the Sword Tomb recognized someone as the blood descendant of its creator.
In my previous life, everyone who carried the Springview Fortress Lord’s bloodline had died.
Knowing how those people operated, they had probably tried to force their way through the Sword Tomb.
That suddenly made me curious.
Had they actually succeeded in exploring this Sword Tomb?
They had exterminated the Fortress Lord’s entire bloodline before entering the Sword Tomb, destroying the single most important key needed to explore it. Maybe they had read that inscription afterward and realized, far too late, what they had done.
Either way, things were completely different this time.
“Then let’s head inside.”
I asked the Escort Guards to remain at the entrance and keep watch, then went inside.
And all of us exclaimed in astonishment.
“Wow…”
“This is…”
Not one of the traps that had tormented us before was anywhere to be seen.
Not a single one.
There was nothing ahead of us but a perfectly straight, unobstructed path.
And the stone door bearing the inscription, which had taken us a full day and a half to reach before, was now less than fifteen minutes away.
“Whew. Seeing this almost makes all that effort feel pointless.”
You can say that again.
I turned to Young Lord Yeon Yu-mun.
“Then please open this door for us.”
“All right.”
He opened the door.
But everyone except me reacted strangely.
–TL Notes–
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