As Prophet - Chapter 53



Only Krnovel

Episode 53. Training Center

Dalcheon’s arrival in the afternoon was unexpected. He came in quietly while the people who had come early were going home and making a mess. People noticed when three unidentified people came in after him. People hurriedly made way for the large, black, and rough group that came in.

Dalcheon greeted him with a smile, went to the seat of the older man, bowed deeply, thanked him for his consideration, and bowed deeply to wish him a long life.

The old man stood up, took Dalcheon’s hand, and introduced him to the Baek family. He added that he was a hero of the Imjin War and that he was grateful for helping Baek Sa-ban.

As soon as I turned around, Baek Yi-hyung clung to me.

“No, you must be busy. How can you?”

“Even if you’re busy, you have to do your duty as a human being. How many times have you taken my side, sir?”

“Well, the old man is on your side!”

“The children finished their studies a little early and came running.”

“Heh heh, this guy.”

Baek Ui-hyeong took Dal-cheon to Baek Sa-ban. They exchanged pleasantries. They talked about the special exam and asked about the school’s preparations. He asked about the efforts to pass the special exam and what he could do to help with all of this. It felt like a warm feeling of homecoming.

“I’m surprised you’re running the academy.”

“There are many things I lack. I also regret rushing into it without knowing the topic.”

“Is there too much work?”

“Yes.”

“There are a lot of people around you.”

“Congratulations on your performance. Since I have no experience, each and every task is not easy. After finishing a day’s work, the sky is bright yellow.”

“Hahaha. Isn’t that also a form of learning through observation?”

“There is a sense of accomplishment when teaching children. It is truly great to see changes and to see them progress.”

“I admire you.”

“If all four of you pass the military service examination this time, the students will be more scared. We are preparing on a large scale.”

“Oh, oh, oh. But there has to be a garden. It shouldn’t be a place that just anyone can go, Yangju Academy.”

“I hope you will give me lots of guidance and advice, sir.”

Baek Sa-ban changed the subject.

“We are currently pushing forward with changing the military system as you mentioned earlier.”

“It won’t be easy.”

“I couldn’t just sit by and watch this reality where there were no soldiers to mobilize for war.”

“It will be okay.”

“We must first correct the corruption in military administration… … .”

There is a deep furrow in Baek Sa-ban’s forehead. There will be a lot of backlash. So, you should not bring work home.

“It will be okay.”

“If things go well, you should take a look.”

“No. What do I know? I don’t know anything about systems, regulations, principles, or practices.”

“The problems of the Joseon military system seen through the eyes of an unmanned person were truly shocking.”

“I regret that I was being too harsh. I was being too harsh.”

Baek Sa-ban changed the subject again.

“I’ll stop by sometime soon.”

“I know you’re busy, but I appreciate your interest.”

“I have something to say.”

“thank you.”

Dalcheon turned his gaze outside. Dalcheon greeted Baek Ui-hyeong without further delay and then dragged Baek Ui-hyeong back to Yangju. It seemed as if he had come to take Baek Ui-hyeong away.

Did he really stop by to say hello? There was no way that innocent guy had another plan. He came to drag away the students of the school, and he even dragged Baek I-jeong away in addition to the four people.

“Oh my, that guy! He’s quite admirable, but that’s it.”

* * *

Dalcheon quickly left the banquet hall and ran towards Dongdaemun, then turned south. The crowd hurriedly followed him. Baek Ui-hyeong followed closely and asked.

“Where are you going?”

“I have to hurry. I want to get to the training center before the gates close.”

There is a test site at the training center. I want to check the distance and condition. There is a world of difference between hearing about it and seeing it in person.

“He told me to do it, but he ended up coming in a hurry himself.”

“Oh, I have to go and see it before the gate closes.”

“They don’t let just anyone in.”

Dalcheon took out a piece of paper from his bosom and shook it.

“What is that?”

“Elder Baek wrote one for me.”

“When did you get that again?”

“When I greeted you earlier, I asked you to write a word.”

“There was a reason why you came to the banquet.”

“Humble, humble. Hehehe.”

The guards at the training center became tense as six unmanned men rode horses and dismounted.

“Stop!”

He already stopped, but he tells me to stop again. Is it a privilege of the water gatekeeper to say the set words? No, it may be because he can instruct many things with them.

Dalcheon jumped down from his horse and delivered the document.

“This is a letter written by the Minister of War, Yeong-gam.”

The water gate guard pretends to read. He is already discouraged by the sight of six unmanned people.

“But where do you come from?”

“I would like to see the training facilities of the training center as instructed by the great master.”

“Yes. Please wait a moment.”

I turned around to run to the guard, but there was no need to. The guard, surprised by the momentum of the six men, was already out there.

“I want to see the training facility. There is a note written by the great master.”

The water gate guard swallowed hard when he saw the six men. People, no, officers, tend to gauge their inaction first. They use their intuition to figure out whether they can defeat them or not. However, none of them were easy, and even the one woman seemed unmanageable. They were all carrying swords, even though they were only light weapons for self-defense, so if they had met on the streets at night, they might have been scared.

“What’s going on?”

“I would like to see the training center’s facilities.”

Dalcheon spoke first and opened his palm to Baek Elder’s letter. It was a neatly written letter. It wasn’t an order, but it earnestly asked him to guide them.

The reason why there are so many things to do in the Ministry of War is because there are so many things to do. The Ministry of War’s subordinate offices include not only the training center but also the military selection office, the military carriage office, and the military reserve office, so there was a lot of work to do. It was a request from the person in charge of actual work and the person with real power.

“Okay, I’ll show you around.”

“thank you.”

“Talk this way.”

“Can’t you just ride in? We’re a little busy.”

“I’m sorry. You must dismount within the area.”

“Yes, that’s polite.”

When Dalcheon handed over the reins, the first water gate guard who had greeted him grabbed them. A dozen or so errand boys, their eyes wide open, craned their necks to watch the situation, as if they were trying to convey something.

“Please show me around the military service examination hall.”

“I will find out.”

It wasn’t the job of the water gate guard, but he guided them himself. The invisible majesty that Dalcheon gave off was overwhelming to him.

“This is the wet area. The distance is 150 sheets.”

Dalcheon’s eyes sparkled and he looked at the distance.

“That’s where you can see the knights. Run this way and shoot. Don’t go over the red arrows set into the ground.”

“Is the distance the same?”

“No. It’s less than a hundred.”

“How many shots do you shoot?”

“It varies from time to time, but you shoot from three to six times. I’ll show you this way. It’s a spear. It changes a little bit, but you just have to put the spear in the target’s neck. You can’t cross that line. You run to the shade of the tree over there and hit.”

“So that’s what you do.”

A group of soldiers were training in a wide area where watermelon cultivation was practiced. The sound of their shouts was thunderous, and had the power to make the hearts of those who heard them pound.

The four warriors were nervous because they were shown everything about the military service exam. The school building was built at the same distance, but the training center seemed wider. Most of them had already been there once, but they couldn’t help but feel nervous.

“Ahem. I could make something similar, but I’m not sure if it’ll come out as good.”

Dalcheon looked at the Gichang test site and measured the distance between the scarecrows.

“Should we behead all of them?”

The water gatekeeper smiled brightly.

“It’s difficult. I see how many you can hit, but… … you can’t slow down your speech.”

Dalcheon asked again.

“How many did you knock down, sir?”

I asked him, assuming that he had also taken the military service exam. As expected, he smiled bashfully.

“The officer knocked down three.”

“Ahem. I guess I’ll take the special exam again this time.”

“I have to do that, but I’m worried. I’ve already been separated twice, so I’m embarrassed to even look at my family members.”

“It’ll be fine. You know the testing center so well.”

“Still… … Phew.”

The deep sigh is filled with the colors of the past. Dalcheon glanced at the water gate and made a light suggestion.

“There’s a place called Yangju Hakgwan. They say if you practice there, you’ll get a perfect spot.”

“Yangju Academy?”

Dalcheon gave a simple explanation to the water gate guard who was delighted by the words that he would give it to him, on how to conquer each subject of the exam. Anyone can talk about it, but isn’t the exam actually difficult?

“It’s easy to say, but it’s really hard in practice. It’s also hard to see so many people watching.”

Dalcheon smiled broadly and started promoting Yangju Academy. When he explained it as if he were talking to parents in a village near Yangju, the water gate chief asked.

“Really?”

“All of the people who accompanied me here are the ones who will pass this year. They came back after attending the banquet at the home of the elders. They told us all to go and look carefully.”

“Then, these two… … .”

“These are the people that the old man cherishes. They are people with experience in the government and military, like the stomach of Nari.”

“Oh, I want to study with you too.”

Dalcheon pointed to Yangju’s Bijang Jin Dong-hee and explained his background.

“You have to hurry, because there is not much time left. This person only comes in the morning, but as the day approaches, he sits down with the help of his colleagues and devotes himself to it. He is doing well, but the exam is a different matter. You have to practice accordingly to pass.”

Dalcheon gave me detailed information about the location of Yangju Academy. He wasn’t originally this kind of person…

* * *

The training center’s Dojeong found them as they were looking out into the distance toward the warm sunny south. They had just finished signing the list of requests to the radio station and had sent someone to send them. There were too many items needed for even the smallest things. They had to check and approve everything.

As I looked out to cool my head, I saw a few civilians, not in military uniforms, moving quickly around the training center. It was not a restricted area, but it was a place where civilians rarely entered. The reason why the scenery I was blankly looking at was not peaceful was because it was different from everyday life.

“What are they?”

The officer who had submitted the documents glanced back and answered absentmindedly.

“I’m looking around the training grounds. It looks like there’s something that needs to be repaired.”

“You mean you repair knives? You’re not a licensed professional.”

The chief, who had been trying to ignore irrelevant matters, narrowed his eyes and looked. Yes, they were all carrying swords. Above all, when he looked at them again, the aura they gave off was extraordinary.

“I don’t know. It seems like the water gate guard is guiding you a little way ahead.”

“… … .”

“I’ll ask the water gate captain later.”

I was sweating bullets trying to get a report approved, but I didn’t want to waste my energy now.

“No, it seems like he’s giving directions! Doesn’t it seem like he’s explaining things very politely? He turns around every three steps as he walks, and he’s not usually that friendly. He’s the kind of guy who keeps his mouth shut and stays blank even when I go to work.”

“Is that so?”

“The head is lowered, but the snout is shut tightly as if it were locked.”

“I’ll say something sometime. Let’s gather the judges and housewives and have a military drill.”

“Hmm.”