128 – 26. Do you know the Tao?
“……Huh, princess?”
“Please speak.”
“Perhaps the princess is a Taoist monk…”
“What is a Taoist monk?”
“Ah, it’s nothing! It’s the first time I’ve been alone with the princess like this…”
“This is gibberish. How many people can be alone with me?”
“hahahaha, that’s right….”
“Just…”
“……Princess?”
“You were talking about a Taoist monk earlier.”
“Oh, that was my mistake! You can just ignore it!”
“No. I think I can at least say something.”
“Yes…”
“Don’t play tricks on that person.”
“……….”
“Don’t misunderstand, this is──”
“──This is a warning for you.”
*
A decision was made.
‘I cannot tell your Majesty.’
As someone who serves His Majesty the Emperor, it is a serious crime not to report such an important matter, but it happened six years ago.
A great incident in which one of His Majesty’s concubines joined hands with her maternal relatives to assassinate His Majesty.
Fortunately, compared to its scale, the treatment was carried out relatively quietly and did not spread to the public, but His Majesty’s response at that time was truly frightening.
‘There may be bloodshed in the imperial family again.’
And when you think about how the oppressor got caught up in that bloody storm, and how the oppressor even dragged in the shadows……
…… You must remain silent, unconditionally.
Then what should we do?
The final decision was scheduled for tomorrow night. Even if you meet your oppressor now, it is too late.
If you are going to make a decision, do it now. If you are going to act, do it immediately.
The captain, who was worried, nodded his head.
“Lieutenant Colonel Namgoong Min.”
“Please speak.”
“Tell the oppressor… That I will follow his will. However, the blood price from six years ago will have to be paid separately.”
“…I understand.”
Tomorrow night. Unfortunately, it was too fast.
If we only had two days, we would have been able to send someone to the oppressor. Even if we secure His Majesty’s safety and escape now, we will not be at ease tomorrow night.
And of course, if His Majesty leaves the palace at this late hour…… Of course, the seven ministers preparing for the assassination will notice.
You should move as naturally as possible, no later than tomorrow morning.
Until tomorrow night, the oppressors ambush the Seven Ministers.
“…Ah, there’s just one thing I’d like to ask.”
“Say as much as you want.”
“In the end, His Majesty’s foresight…Was astray?”
“……Yes. I think so.”
“I see… I understand.”
The fact that the foresight was wrong.
What effect will that have on the captain’s state of mind?
“Then I’ll just go back.”
“Yes. Give the oppressor a clear answer.”
“Please leave it to me, loyalty!”
“……….”
The captain looked at Namgoong Min’s back as he walked toward the side gate of the imperial castle, still giving a sharp salute.
Eventually, Namgoong Min ran into the shadows of the princess and Jang Min-ji, who were returning this way as if she had finished her walk, and they had a conversation, and then she entered the castle with the princess.
Jang Min-ji’s shadow, looking somewhat dazed, hurriedly ran to the captain’s side.
“Captain, what happened?”
“……Details later. For now, we have a top priority goal.”
“What do you mean by goal…?”
“We will take His Majesty to a safe place sometime tomorrow morning. The palace will be noisy for a while.”
“……!! Okay then, I’ll take my seat too…”
“……No.”
“Captain?”
“Jang Min-ji’s shadow, you… Follow the oppressor.”
“Yes? Are you talking about the oppressor Archon?”
“Yes, even if you are caught, tell them it was my order. If there is anything unusual, I can report it.”
“I understand!”
“……………….”
Please.
I just hope that all these worries are unfounded.
*
“…That was crazy. Namgoong Min.”
“But it was successful, right?”
“I’m not saying that. I could have just blown my head off…!”
The outer corridor of the imperial castle. A corner place that even people don’t use often.
The princess, who walked without hesitation through the maze-like place in preparation for the threat of assassination, scolded Namgoong Min.
This fortune teller, smiling heartily, seemed unaware of how dangerous the situation had just become.
“Shadows are people who are allowed to kill in times of emergency. How dare you fool them like that…”
“High-intensity training is a bonus.”
“…I’m sure you understand that you only follow your father’s orders?”
“To be precise, I only follow orders given by His Majesty.”
“What… Is different?”
“It’s different. It means that even if it goes through someone else, you will follow His Majesty’s orders.”
If the shadows only followed orders directly given by the emperor, it would have been impossible to deceive them like this.
No matter how much I lie, they won’t move, I just have to check with the emperor.
However, they are also the ones who receive orders in the form of ‘agents’ and ‘orders’.
There is a gap to dig into. Well, of course there are loopholes in any organization.
“If I had made a mistake, I would have had my head blown off for insulting the imperial family. No matter how much I am the princess, I cannot stop the shadows.”
“Hmm, princess. Let me ask you one question.”
“…What is it?”
“When deceiving others, what do you think is the first thing to consider?”
“……….”
What should you consider first when deceiving others?
That’s………
“…Mixing truth with lies?”
“Oh, you know something very important.”
“Because that’s what a fortune teller I know always does.”
“That’s a great answer, but there’s something you need to think about before that.”
“That…What is it?”
“When you deceive others, you also have to bear the risk of being caught.”
Like the proverb, a hunter must always be prepared to be hunted.
Scammers, charlatans, and fortune tellers who deceive others must be prepared for their lies to be discovered.
A lie can be deceived as if it were the truth, but…… Because in the end, a lie is just a lie.
It’s like I’m deceiving everyone that my mole is a fake yamae.
“Trick the shadows. If successful, you can enter the imperial castle without any problems and cause internal strife among them… But if you fail, the cost is your life.”
“……….”
“That’s what I know best. I came prepared for that.”
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“…For me?”
“At the same time, it is for my own sake. If this goes well, wouldn’t the prince or princess give me a position?”
“……………….”
At least when it comes to character events, there was never a time when I didn’t risk my life.
If I had treated Liu poorly, I would have been put in trouble.
When dividing the castle with Eileen, we almost lost it because of her job skills.
In the duel where he acted as Lane’s representative, he could have been killed by Hector.
And about Kim Eun-ha…… You are risking your life from the very beginning.
‘How was it possible to overcome an event that originally had to be overcome through numerous game overs…….’
It’s also because I know them so well.
Isn’t it because I attacked with all my might without even thinking about what would happen next?
I only get one chance, so of course I should always do my best.
Well, it is a possible idea because it has been successful so far.
“In the end, isn’t it the result? If you arrived at the imperial castle safely, wouldn’t that be enough?”
“…That’s true too.”
“Aren’t you more curious than that?”
“Yes?”
“The shadows, the oppressors, what happened six years ago… That’s how I know and act all of that.”
“…You say something interesting, Namgoong Min.”
“……….”
“I have already decided to trust you, and now I will not waver in that decision. Above all…”
“More than anything?”
“It’s stupid to ask a fortune teller how he knew that.”
“…Ha, hahahaha. Yes, that’s right.”
Just as it is stupid to ask a fortune teller how he knows the future.
Just as I find it fascinating that a fortune teller, whom I am seeing for the first time, can guess my past.
The princess was telling the That I was okay.
“Perhaps the princess knows more about fortune-telling than I do.”
“Empty words.”
“…Well, are these really empty words?”
“That’s enough nonsense. Where should we go now? To the princess’s palace…?”
“I’m going to go, but there’s a place I have to stop before.”
“Where to go…? Do you know anyone in the castle?”
“This is the person you will get to know now.”
“………?”
*
Knock, knock.
“…Please come in.”
A knock on the door late at night.
There was only a knock on the door, but there was nothing to say who he was, so considering his status, it was a sufficiently rude visit.
The old man who was looking at the documents gave permission to enter the room in a grave voice.
Squeak.
The door, which looked monotonous compared to the material it was made of, opened, and a person entered a room lit only by a single lamp.
As soon as he saw the old man sitting in his seat and looking at documents by the light of the lamp, he lowered his head.
“A lowly shadow meets the oppressor Archon.”
“Skip the unnecessary words and come closer.”
“Yes.”
Tap.
Following the old man’s indifferent hand gestures, he came to the desk where the documents were neatly organized and bowed his head to the old man again.
Only then did the old man, , Raise his head to check on the visitor and then look at the documents again.
“What’s the use of shadows?”
“I have come to convey the captain’s message.”
“Oh, I made a mistake. What’s the use of a fake pretending to be a shadow?”
“What do you mean?”
“Your face, voice, way of speaking, skeleton, and physique all do not match the shadow I know. No matter how much an Disguises himself, there are limits.”
“……………….”
“It’s interesting that you were able to get here safely, so if you have something to say, say it. I’ll listen.”
Sarak, Sarah.
The oppressor who said that just leisurely waved the documents in his hands.
And he was immediately pointed out as a fake.
He opened his mouth as if acknowledging the words of his oppressor.
“Didn’t you talk with His Majesty the Emperor on the first day of Chuseok?”
“Your Majesty and I have a close relationship.”
“Even so, should we even talk about the fact that a wealthy person ran amok in a slum?”
“……….”
“And didn’t you receive our list on the spot?”
“…I was mistaken. Rather than a fake pretending to be a shadow──”
──He is an extremely dangerous person.
Special skill .
In an instant, the sound disappears from the room.
It was originally a quiet room with only the sound of the wind, documents being turned over, and the sound of the two people breathing.
Now I couldn’t hear any sound, to the point where I felt uncomfortable.
“……….”
No, it’s not just sound that has disappeared.
My vision gradually becomes distorted and turns pitch black.
My nose becomes stuffy and it becomes difficult to even breathe.
The tongue shrivels and becomes impossible to move.
I could definitely feel the temperature and wind through my skin, but it felt empty as if all my skin had been torn away.
Stresses the five senses and controls them at will.
Not only that, heart rate, muscle movement, lying, pupil changes, and blood flow are all on the oppressor’s chopping block.
A skill that dismantles a person piece by piece and looks into everything.
That was the power that allowed him to remain as a consul even though he was older than other consuls.
“I’ll loosen your tongue a little, because you won’t be able to speak at all. Now try talking.”
“……………….”
“Anything you want to say is fine, so come on.”
“…Then, let me tell you.”
Sight, hearing, taste, touch, smell.
In a situation where everything played according to the will of the oppressor, he, who could barely move his tongue, struggled to speak.
“The captain…Is planning to flee from the imperial castle with His Majesty.”
“…What?”
“The final decision is tomorrow morning. I heard that Your Majesty will be escorted out of the castle with all the shadows.”
“Why?”
“The captain said he received information from an informant. As the imperial family has been in disarray recently, the incident from six years ago may be repeated.”
“……………….”
“The captain was concerned about him…”
“I’m going to hit the player.”
Click here.
The oppressor, who broke the fountain pen he was holding with just his grip, lowered his voice.
You really seem like a stupid and dull bastard.
Are you going to act like that in order to find your own way in this important situation?
‘Do you really want to repeat what happened 6 years ago?’
He knows it too. Because the one who brought in the shadows six years ago was none other than the oppressor himself.
As a result, all the shadows except the captain died, and I also know that the captain’s elderly mother and his younger brother also died.
But isn’t it ‘at most’ that much pain?
At best, I lost all my family and subordinates.
“No matter what situation you are in, your Majesty must take priority…!!”
Even if the three clans die and the nine clans become extinct, the person who must take priority is His Majesty the Emperor.
Are you planning to threaten and kidnap someone like that?
Did you feel like you could save your life if you did something like that?
It was always very annoying, but I saved my life for His Majesty…… !
“…It’s truly a great achievement to let all of this be known.”
“I just did the obvious thing.”
“But I’m also certain that you are not among the shadows I know.”
“…That’s right.”
“Of course, it’s not my business to know who you are after what I just heard. Everything you said was the truth.”
Special skill, .
A powerful skill that can manipulate the five senses of a desired target and even destroy them all.
It is clear that there is a price to pay, but it is certain that it is a very useful skill, whether in combat or for other purposes.
Especially if Is a useful moment.
Like this, it’s time to talk to someone.
‘No lies at all, all the truth.’
A subject under the influence of Cannot lie.
Even if it is accurate, it is close to being impervious to the oppressor.
Because the oppressor was able to know whether the other person was telling the truth or a lie through .
Sometimes, there were people who tried to destroy this skill by manipulating the mind and believing lies to be the truth, but it was no use.
The label ‘special skill’ is not decoration.
‘…… It’s definitely the truth.’
A lie that can be proven to be Is a lie of an absolute level.
If you believe and say the lie ‘A will go to B’ as the truth in some way, the Skill determines it to be a lie.
The oppressor does not know the criteria for judgment, the reason, or the method.
Because the decision was absolute anyway.
Therefore, there was no need to interrogate the man who called himself Shadow.
As long as all the information was determined to be true, there was no need to hesitate.
“I said the decision would be tomorrow morning.”
“Yes.”
“Then it would be right to hit the player before then. You should be in a safe place.”
“I’m sorry, but is it okay if I go to the princess’s palace?”
“The princess’s palace?……hehehehe, it was His Highness’s person. Are you planning to cause an infighting between me, Shadow, and Your Majesty’s faction?”
“…Yes, that’s right.”
Special skill Decision.
As a result of the judgment, both ‘being the prince’s person’ and ‘inducing internal strife’ are true.
“I see. Well, it doesn’t matter. The enemy inside is more fearful than the enemy outside. I’m even grateful to you for giving me a reason to deal with those who bother me.”
“Thank you.”
“Even if His Highness loses the confrontation with His Majesty, I promise that I will save you. Stay calm in the princess’s palace.”
“Then I will go straight to the princess’s palace.”
Special skill Decision.
As a result of the judgment, the truth is, ‘I will go to the princess’ palace.’
“Okay, hide well.”
The oppressor smiled with satisfaction, and the man who told the information also laughed.
Now.
Because all preparations are completed.