As Prophet - Chapter 116



Only Krnovel

Episode 116. The Man Who Came to the Mountain

Yuseokdo and Cheolmuwoong climbed the steep mountain path, climbing over the low wall toward the back mountain.

Yuseokdo stopped at a certain line and looked ahead with his eyes half-closed.

“five!”

“The Lord said there were three.”

“That guy is a real liar.”

“No way.”

“Big things are said to be not so big, and important things are said to be insignificant.”

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“I’ve been a victim of my foolishness many times.”

The two arrived at the silver birch forest. Yoo Seok-do opened his eyes wide and looked beyond the forest. What Gwan-ju had already sensed, people like us could only sense when we got closer. There was a noise that was not the sound of the forest, but mixed in occasionally.

“Ambush, aren’t you?”

“What’s the point of doing something like that?”

Soon after, five people with their backs bent down appeared one after another. Even though there were two people right in front of me, I didn’t notice them. That’s because I was focused on the school building that I could see here and there far below. The one in front of me covered his mouth with his hand when I discovered him late.

“Huh.”

“He who comes is not good.”

Yuseokdo drew his large sword and ran out. The five men were positioned in front and behind the tree trunk, and they were men who knew how to fight.

One of them came around the tree and struck Yuseokdo on the side. It was a very strong blow that made his body stagger. Yuseokdo stopped moving forward and turned his upper body to the side to slash the sword. The sword and the person flew backward together and crashed to the ground. The force was unusual. It seemed like the swords clashed, not the axes. The guy who lost his sword and got cut in the waist couldn’t get up.

Two men came around the tree and stood on the left and right of Yuseokdo. Cheolmuwoong belatedly came to his senses and tried to get close, but one of them blocked his way. The other man stood above and looked down, and he seemed to be the commander.

“Haat!”

Cheolmuwoong swung his sword vertically while bursting out in a fit of rage. He stepped closer and blocked the blow by raising his sword upright. After blocking, he swung it to the side and slashed the bastard’s waist horizontally. He didn’t miss the opportunity that arose while blocking. He was a guy who had some experience with swordsmanship.

Cheolmuwoong dodged by stepping back half a step, waited for the sword to pass, and then slashed straight in. The bastard dodged by tilting his forehead back, and then pulled the sword back up from below and slashed diagonally. It was a sword attack that was really ambiguous to dodge. No, if he did dodge, it seemed like there would be no second chance.

Cheolmuwoong didn’t take back the sword he had stabbed with, but instead blocked the sword coming up from below and got close. When the bastard’s face enlarged significantly, he buried his forehead in its face.

bang!

It’s not a sound that can come out of a person’s face. It’s a typical weak point of those who stab others as quietly as a sage. I cut the wrist of the guy who collapsed helplessly.

“Kwaaak!”

I turned around to see him fall down with a scream. It had been a while since I had fought in a real battle, so I couldn’t see the whole situation. I quickly looked at Yooseokdo, and he was standing with his shoulder leaning against a thick tree.

“What are you doing?”

When I looked around, everyone was lying down everywhere. It seems that the position of the chief of the royal guard was not something he just got. While he was taking down one person, he took down the remaining four. I couldn’t even see where or how he was doing it. He was holding his wounds and staggering around like a worm.

“You’ve done it all.”

“Recover the weapons and gather them in one place!”

“yes!”

This is not the Cheolmuwoong who was complaining about personality. In the world of swordsmanship, skill is power. He ran around like a squirrel, retrieved the weapons of the men, and kicked the fallen men to gather them in one place. Most of them were wounded by the sword, but the faces of the men who were hit by Cheolmuwoong were crushed.

Yoo Seok-do asked.

“Why does he look like that?”

“This is what we do these days. Ahem.”

I felt embarrassed so I shrugged my shoulders.

“The governor teaches all sorts of things.”

“I value efficiency.”

Cheolmuwoong is a soldier. He checked their IDs and asked about their identities before starting to interrogate them. They are not the kind of people who would open their mouths even if they were defeated. He did evil things like asking, beating, and pressing on their injured parts, but he didn’t get much out of it.

While Cheolmuwoong was exchanging a few words, Yoo Seokdo leaned against the tree and returned to his usual appearance. He looked back because it didn’t work.

“I won’t answer.”

“Then just kill them. If you kill three or four of them, all the cowards will start to cry.”

“Kill me?”

“hmm.”

“Ugh. Hey, see.”

It’s something I don’t want to do. Cheolmuwoong pressed the sword ring that he had been holding. With a click, the lock was released. One of them was shocked by the sound. I like this kind of guy. I couldn’t say it because of the people I came with, but if you’re scared, you won’t be able to see your surroundings.

Cheolmuwoong brought his sword to the guy’s stomach.

“Who ordered this?”

“The order was given by Jo Dae-gam, the Minister of the Left of Hanseong.”

“Are you a missionary?”

“Oh, oh, no.”

“But by order of the Hanseong Left Magistrate?”

“I am being held in the Jeonokseo*, but they said that if I do this, I will be released.”

* Jeonokseo: A prison during the Joseon Dynasty. As there was no prison sentence at the time, it was a temporary detention center where people were held until they were punished.

“Hmm. But why did you leave the main road and come to the mountain?”

“I told you to find out the attack route.”

“Yeah, is there a way?”

“There is a road coming up from the village on the other side of the mountain, and I looked for the direction while coming down the ridge and found the road.”

“Did you mark it?”

“Yes. I tied a red string.”

Cheolmuwoong looked at the path the guys came down from.

“Are the other guys in the same condition?”

The answer was given by the same guy.

“It’s just me.”

“Ugh, then I have to kill again?”

Cheolmuwoong pushed the guy aside and crouched down in front of the guy who looked like the leader. There was a long, diagonal line of blood running from his shoulder. Something was wrong, and it looked like he was having trouble even sitting on his knees.

“You are the captain.”

“… … .”

Cheolmuwoong looked back with an idiotic face.

“If you don’t even answer, can I kill you?”

“hmm.”

The decision of fate is made in such an absurd way. Cheolmuwoong put his sword on the guy’s neck like a thoughtless guy. He shrugged his shoulders, relaxed his strength, and pulled the sword back in one breath so that he could cut it, but he prepared it in a grand way on purpose.

“Now, answer me. Are you the captain?”

This big, dumb bastard can really take a beating.

“Yes, that’s right.”

The moment the guy opened his mouth, Cheolmuwoong’s expression changed back to that of an official.

“name.”

“This is Kidura.”

“Real name?”

“This is Kidura.”

“What is the role?”

“I am the commander.”

“General? Are you in the military?”

“It is organized.”

“What number?”

“A little less than five hundred.”

“Have you gathered the criminals?”

“They are there too.”

“Your superior. Who ordered you to do this?”

Kidura pointed to the guy who confessed first. It is true that he was persuaded by Hanseongjwayun, but not all of them are like that. The guy’s expression was distorted darkly. He really won’t kill them. He has faith that they won’t do that, but he doesn’t have black eyes. He could accidentally cut them. Whenever he asked questions or showed emotional ups and downs, the knife hanging on his neck would go up and down, digging into his flesh.

“It’s called Il-dae-gye (一大契).”

“Is this the Crown Prince’s protection order?”

“I don’t know much about what’s going on up there. It’s made up of young people who want to fight for their country.”

They talk about the country. Those who don’t think about the country talk about the country, whether in the past or today.

“You’re the commander there?”

“Yes.”

“What should I do? The general was caught in such a vain way.”

“… … I’m embarrassed.”

“Who is the leader of the whole world?”

“I don’t know. People like us who are inferior.”

“Hmm. There must be a name.”

“I only know it as a warning.”

“Whew, this is going to take some time! This is really something.”

“… … .”

“Is the left minister of Hanseongbu that I mentioned earlier also part of Il-dae-gye?”

“I don’t know.”

Cheolmuwoong got up. He approached Yoo Seokdo, who was waiting behind him, and spoke briefly.

“The matter is not simple. We need to interrogate them. There are two things. First, they are trying to open an attack route behind the school. We need to stop this. Second, their organization and size seem to be unusual. They don’t know each other, but their organization is quite large. I don’t know who they are, but they are a large-scale private army. We need to take them down and interrogate them to find out their military strength, and then deliberate on a defense plan.”

“Should we take these bad guys to the school where the kids are?”

“I will take you nearby.”

“Why? You can’t do it with your head.”

Every single word scratches a person’s character.

“Let’s go down.”

Cheolmuwoong tied the prisoners’ hands behind their backs again and put strings around their ankles to prevent them from taking wide strides.

“Get down!”

At Cheolmuwoong’s command, the injured men staggered down. One of them had his lower body soaked wet. A foul smell rose from the water, as if he had been carrying something big.

Cheolmuwoong ran after tying up the five men not far from the school building. Dalcheon came down the auditorium, carrying a load on his back and staggering.

“I have to send the children.”

“Why? Is an attack imminent?”

“That is my judgment.”

Cheolmuwoong started talking incoherently, saying that they had come to breach the rear attack route, that they were a large-scale private military organization with over 500 unmanned personnel, that they were thoroughly organized as a guerrilla organization, and that the leader was someone who was either Yui or Yeoui, but he didn’t know who it was.

“Hmm, this is serious.”

Dalcheon looked around. There were only about twenty people in the school building.

“You’re in your 20s, 500. Hahaha.”

“Shouldn’t we avoid it?”

“Why are you avoiding it? Did you commit a sin?”

“It’s not that, but it’s overkill.”

“Let’s send the kids and have a meeting.”

“Meeting?”

“Then, we should discuss and decide. If I decide on my own and things go wrong, how can I listen to those complaints?”

“No, is it just to avoid resentment when the meeting fails?”

“That’s what I’m saying.”

Dalcheon stood on the steps of the auditorium and dismissed the children. Seeing the expressions of those who wanted to go eat lunch darken, he told them to go to the cafeteria and eat. When he told them that they would be given food if they went, the children from poor families were very happy. They might have come to the school building to eat. No, they might have sent them to the school building to give them one less mouth to eat.

He would go to places where adult students were studying and scold them for not making any progress or for not working hard enough.

* * *

The report obtained from the capture of the liver was brought up. The general summoned the assembly.

– Size: 500 private soldiers.

– People: Including people from the political world, the prosecution, and criminals. Hanseong Left Minister, the nephew of the Left Minister, the Chief of the Royal Guard (suspected), and the Chief of the Royal Guard.

– Chief: A person named Yui or Yeo-ui. It is unknown because he appears wearing a silver mask.

– Armament: When you see a spearman like Kidura, he is armed with a personal weapon like a sword.

– Progress: Confirming the number of troops on the Daegun side by sending an ambusher. Attempting to secure a surprise attack route behind the school building. There is concern about a surprise attack at night.

Dalcheon, who was looking at the short piece of paper that Cheolmuwoong had organized, told him to stick it on the wall so that everyone could see it.

“You see, we only have twenty people.”

Dalcheon looked around at the protesters training outside. Cheolmuwoong answered.

“Yes.”

Dalcheon asked the prince.

“Isn’t there anything else? Something like a secretly hidden private army.”

“I’ve sent letters everywhere asking for help. They will come in time, but for now… … this is all.”

“So you’re saying that he might or might not come?”

“exactly.”

“The power is too weak. Even if we win, isn’t it a problem? How are we going to lead the political situation?”

“… … .”

The Grand Prince sighed without answering. It was because it sounded like a reprimand. No matter how incompetent and dishonest he was, he was not in a position to be reprimanded by a young official.

The silent one raised his hand. It was a custom of the academy. Some soldiers did it when they asked questions, and as the children followed suit, it became an unwritten rule that one had to raise their hand to get the right to speak.

“Go ahead.”

“How about moving to Wonrim? I’m also worried about a rear-end attack. If we go to Wonrim, we can monitor their movements just by watching the ferry crossing the river. It will be difficult to move a lot of troops at once.”

“That makes sense. But I don’t want to leave the school and go somewhere else because it feels like running away.”

The battle, that is, the story of military strategy, was already over. Although he was against running away, he did not say anything more.