127 – 26. Do you know the Tao?
“Ah.”
“Sister, is there any problem?”
“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing!”
Just as I was suddenly transported to another space, getting back on the bus was an instant.
As soon as I bowed my head to the agent who waved his colorful hanbok and asked me how I was doing as if nothing had happened, a sound came from the shadow communicator.
[Shadow, respond. Shadow!]
“Captain? What’s going on?”
[Didn’t you and your target just disappear for a few minutes? You must have been hit by something, right?]
“…Ah.”
You disappeared from the bus during that time.
The infiltrated agent suddenly disappeared along with the target, so even the leader would have been embarrassed.
“Don’t worry. It wasn’t a big deal.”
[Wait a minute, aren’t you communicating next to the target? You probably don’t plan on getting caught outright!]
“This is a bit of a long explanation, but the target… Is not someone worth being wary of.”
[…] … Shadow, can I check for brainwashing and mental contamination now?]
“It’s not that kind of trick. The goal is…”
“Um, sister?”
[Shadow? Don’t hang out anymore! There may be skill in the voice──]
“Yes! What’s going on!”
[Shadow!?]
The shadow cut off the captain’s urgent voice and looked at Namgoong Min with a smile.
I glanced at the captain disguised as a bus driver for a moment, but I could only hope that he would understand later.
‘Sorry, Captain!’
But the person in front of you is His Majesty’s representative!
“How long will it take to reach Hwangseong?”
“It will take about 10 minutes!”
“Is that so? Then, I’ll close my eyes for a while, so please invite Eunha to my side. During that time… No matter what you say, I won’t be able to hear it. I’m a bad sleeper.”
“…! I understand! Um, princess…?”
“……I heard the story. I will sit next to the Taoist….”
“Come here, Eunha.”
“…Yes.”
Although somewhat hesitant, the princess who sat next to Namgoong Min obediently followed Namgoong Min’s words and slightly adjusted her posture.
Namgoong Min naturally leaned his face on the princess’s shoulder and closed her eyes in her comfortable position.
“……………….”
Of course, Eunha Kim was shaking from her toes to her head.
The shadow looked at the two for a moment and then moved to the front of the bus, closest to the captain disguised as the driver.
As soon as the shadow sat down, the communicator rang.
[…] … Shadow, can you explain this whole situation?]
“Of course. The target was also considerate enough to allow us to talk.”
[What…… You mean?]
“The target is His Majesty’s representative.”
[…] … !]
Rumbling.
The captain, who seemed so embarrassed that the cruising bus shook for a moment, answered in a strange voice.
[What is the evidence?]
“The target, or rather the agent, already knew that I was a shadow.”
[…] … What?]
“You know everything about my family’s condition and what diseases they have. How could you get that information if you weren’t an agent?”
[…] … ….]
“Now I understand. Your majesty’s prediction was wrong, the mission suddenly changed from assassination to escort, and the princess acting too obediently are all testing us.”
[A test?]
“Isn’t there an uproar within the imperial family due to His Highness’s recent declaration? That’s why he was dispatched by the Who was concerned about His Majesty’s well-being. His Majesty probably wanted to use this opportunity to check whether we are handling the situation well. As far as I know, how many times has something like this happened in the past?”
[…] … Yes, there was one.]
Certainly, as the shadows said, there was a time when the emperor secretly dispatched someone to check the shadows’ loyalty or change of mind.
However, as the captain remembers, the last agent dispatched was six years ago.
The loyalty of the shadows has already been confirmed a long time ago, but they dispatched agents again?
‘…… However, looking at the current state of the imperial family, it is not nonsense. It would be nice if the confrontation between His Highness the Prince and His Majesty ended only politically, but a physical conflict could also occur.’
And above all.
“To be honest, it is true that it is difficult to immediately believe even if he is His Majesty’s representative.”
[Even though you know that, why──]
“But who are you if you are not His Majesty’s representative?”
[…] … What?]
“The target of our investigation, Nam Goong Min, lived in the slums and lived a life completely unrelated to the imperial family. How did he, who was merely a , Find out top-secret information about our existence and family?”
[…] ……….]
“Even if I knew that the shadow existed, accurately pointing out me in disguise and asserting that I was a shadow, and specifically identifying anyone among them, is not something that can be done simply by having information. That requires a certain skill and keen eye. “It’s necessary…And none of it is something Namgoong Min has.”
[…] ……… ….]
“In layman’s terms, did you guess something by guessing?”
He is not an official of the imperial family, nor does he have a job like
Explorer.
What if he, who lived as a
Fortune teller in a slum, knew exactly top-secret information known only to the emperor and his closest associates……
[…] ……….]
“Captain?”
[…] … Okay, I understand what you mean. When I arrive at the imperial castle, I will speak directly to the agent.]
“Okay. Oh, and there was some advice from the agent.”
[What is it?]
“It is said that the Has been in a bad mood recently… And that there may be a conflict in the princess’s palace, which is managed by the seven ministers.”
[…] … Are you talking about a physical collision? Attack?]
“Anyway, I heard that the shadows don’t care about that matter. Even if an explosion occurs in the princess’s palace, don’t get involved…”
[…] …… I get it.]
*
Squeak.
“Um, princess? Master? We’ve arrived!”
“…Master Taoist, they say you have arrived.”
“Umm…Thank you, Eunha.”
“Yes…”
After midnight, in front of the Imperial Castle.
Even though it was late, Seoul and the Imperial Palace were still bright with light.
Namgoong Min entered through the side door instead of the already officially closed front door and got off the bus while being greeted by the princess.
And then, seeing the shadow that followed him and the bus driver, he smiled slightly.
“I guess I was a little rude.”
“Master?”
“There was someone I needed to greet first before speaking to you.”
Namgoong Min gestured with a smile, and as if drawn by him, Eunha Kim and her shadow gathered next to him.
The princess was startled for a moment as even her shadow naturally gathered around her, but she soon bowed her head politely.
“Eunha is taking a walk with her sister.”
“…Yes, Master.”
“Master?”
“Sister, please walk with me. It won’t take long.”
From Noble mtl dot com
At Namgoong Min’s words, the princess and her shadow gradually moved out of sight.
It may have been a more burdensome time for Shadow than ever, but it was a necessary procedure.
…… The fewer people who hear future conversations, the better.
“Bus driver, no…I should call you the leader of the shadows.”
“…I heard that you are His Majesty’s representative.”
“Yes. You’ve already heard everything from her.”
“Do you even know her name?”
“Isn’t that Agent Jang Min-ji? Her younger sister, Jang, is the Who went into the shadows to provide life-sustaining treatment for Miss Seo. Is that wrong?”
“…No, that’s correct.”
Looking through the eyes of an
Searcher, there are no signs that are common when lying, and the heart rate does not particularly beat significantly.
He is just calm as if he is stating an obvious fact.
Furthermore, he immediately realizes that the man disguised as a bus driver is the leader of the shadows, and even knows all the personal details of Jang Min-ji’s shadow.
Any shadow can naturally assume that he is His Majesty’s representative.
‘But it’s strange.’
Jang Min-ji’s shadow said that ‘the sudden change in mission from assassination to escort’ was also part of the test.
The captain clearly remembered the conversation with the emperor.
── I understand. “Captain! I keep hearing that the Heavenly God whispers about the future. What should I do!?” Be quiet, I am in contact with His Majesty. Sorry, Your Majesty. Aiming straight for the target──
── No, wait a minute.
── Your Majesty?
‘Obviously, His Majesty changed his orders after hearing the words of Jang Min-ji’s shadow, who had intervened in the conversation.’
Rather, it was His Majesty the Emperor who had urged the assassination until then.
That command change was part of the test?
It was true that I was somewhat reluctant.
Of course, that doesn’t mean you can’t do whatever you want just out of curiosity.
The captain treated Namgoong Min respectfully as a representative, without giving up any suspicion.
“Is the purpose of this stealth a test for us?”
“That’s right. Your Majesty the Emperor and the Oppressor are very worried…”
“Okay. Then, finally, can you check the certificate?”
“It’s a token.”
“When His Majesty appoints a representative, he always gives a certificate.”
A token of representation issued directly by the emperor.
It is a type of simple artifact made by a blacksmith directly under the imperial family, so it cannot be copied, and the engraved content is different for each agent, making forgery or robbery impossible.
It was truly a unique item that proved the agent’s qualifications.
‘I’m the only one who knows that such a thing exists.’
It’s not really a secret to all of the shadows. Rather, shadows must unconditionally check the agent’s certificate.
Since the last agent was dispatched six years ago, all of the shadows except him, the leader, have been replaced.
‘It would have been better if he had died in the line of duty.’
Because they died after being caught up in the political battles of the imperial family, their families were driven out as well.
After that, the emperor did not dispatch a representative for six years, and naturally forgot about the token.
I just suddenly remembered it because of the agent who suddenly appeared today.
“……………….”
“……………….”
The captain waits for the certificate with a polite attitude, and the agent suddenly becomes silent.
The moment the captain moved his body a little after a rather long silence.
“As expected, you can’t fool the leader of the shadows.”
“…! Yes, this guy, of course──”
“I am Lieutenant Colonel Namgoong Min, belonging to the 1st Platoon, 3rd Company, 2nd Battalion, Korean Army Intelligence Unit.”
“……Hmm?”
“For the glorious Korean Empire. First of all, I apologize for impersonating His Majesty’s representative. I was sent to deliver an urgent message from the oppressor Consul. Loyalty!”
“………Uh, um.”
When even the captain was momentarily speechless due to the sudden change.
Namgoong Min, who went from being a laid-back agent to a captured soldier, opened his mouth while saluting.
“According to his orders, I infiltrated this mission by borrowing the personal information of ‘Namgoong Min’, an innocent academy student. Please forgive my rudeness.”
“Then who is the real Namgoong Min…?”
“Namgoong Min, And academy student, is currently sleeping at the academy. Since he has the same name as Lt. Col. Bon, he was able to easily sneak in under the disguise of .”
From an assassination target to a cult, from a cult to an agent of the emperor, and from an agent to a soldier.
At this point, it was hard to figure out what was real, but the captain glared at Namgoong Min, who had a serious expression on his face.
‘If it is the Korean Army intelligence unit…… Certainly, it is the oppressor’s direct unit.’
A unit that monitors and eliminates internal enemies rather than going into battle.
In fact, they were people who were close to the secret police.
No matter how much he was the leader of the shadows, it was also a place where no one knew much about it because the information on its members was as secret as the shadows.
‘There are only a small number of intelligence units, but their ranks are abnormally high in order to lead other soldiers within the Korean Empire in the event of a civil war or other incidents. I remember the lowest one was a major…….’
This is information that even he, who is under the Emperor’s direct command, barely knows, so if someone else had impersonated an intelligence unit, he would have given a rank such as sergeant or lieutenant.
He proudly talked about the Korean Army Intelligence Unit, which does not officially exist, and from the time he said he belonged to a platoon and had the rank of lieutenant colonel, it is highly likely that he belonged to the intelligence unit.
The problem is that, like the emperor’s agents, intelligence units do not carry anything specifically to prove their affiliation……
‘The salute posture is perfect.’
The soldiers of the Korean Empire, which operates under a volunteer system rather than a conscription system, are naturally professional soldiers, and there are only a few of them who know how to salute properly.
From the perspective of a captain who had seen a rough soldier, Lieutenant Colonel Namgoong Min maintained the posture, salute, and attitude of a well-rounded soldier.
In fact, if he was not a professional soldier, one had to wonder where he learned it.
…… Putting doubts aside, there is something that needs to be addressed first.
“Lieutenant Colonel Namgoong Min, how did you know the information about Jang Minji’s shadow?”
“This is the information contained in the documents provided when this mission was given.”
“Documents?”
“Yes, it had the seal of the oppressor consul. Even if you want to check the document, the original has already been shredded and does not exist.”
“…Yes, of course.”
It had the seal of the oppressor?
Could it be that the oppressor accessed the information of the shadows?
‘That crazy old man again…… !’
Are you planning to put my men in danger again like they did 6 years ago? … !!
…… No, no. Let’s calm down for now.
‘If the oppressor really accessed the documents, it would be natural to hide that fact.’
But you’re sending your subordinates to clearly inform me of that fact? The front and back do not match.
So, it would be better to think that the Lieutenant Colonel Namgoong Min in front of you is a fake……
“I’m sorry for your thoughts, but may I now tell you a message from the Oppressor Archon?”
“…Okay, I’ll have to listen first.”
“I understand. First of all, there is nothing wrong with this message, and I would like to inform you in advance that amnestic procedures will be performed after completing the entire mission.”
“Okay. Tell me.”
“You remember what happened six years ago, Shadow.”
“………!!”
“I know it’s ugly, but I have no choice but to use you in the same way this time.”
“What is that…!”
“The seven ministers are showing disturbing movements. They plan to assassinate His Majesty.”
“…What?”
“The entire intelligence unit is on the move, including Lieutenant Colonel Namgoong Min, who will deliver this message to you. We must strike before the seven ministers do anything.”
“……….”
“Of course, I am not asking you for blood. Just take your Majesty with you and all the shadows and escape from the imperial castle. Something will happen in the princess’s palace.”
“Princess Palace…….”
“It could be dangerous to stay in the imperial castle. I haven’t told your Majesty yet. If I do that, he will try to overthrow the entire imperial family like he did six years ago.”
“……………….”
“The final decision is tomorrow night. Then, no matter what you do, take His Majesty with you. Of course, His Majesty will resist, but I will bear all of his wrath and punishment.”
“Oppressor…….”
“I was sorry about what happened 6 years ago……I will take full responsibility this time. I will leave it to you, Your Majesty.”
“……………….”
“This is the end of the message. Can I say it again?”
“…No, it’s okay. I need to…Think about it for a moment.”
“I understand.”
Behind the captain, who seemed to have a headache and was suffering with his eyes closed.
Namgoong Min maintained his correct posture.
I laughed.
──It was a smile that gave me goosebumps.