212 – 41. Kim Ha-neul and Kim Ha-neul
A quiet but busy dawn.
As you walk down the street, the numerous lights and sounds that illuminate the Hwangseong Fortress and Seoul seem to indicate its busyness.
Some people move around busily, while others sleep peacefully.
In some ways, it is a normal dawn, no different from any other day.
That made me feel even more uncomfortable.
On such an ordinary day, in the corner of the imperial castle…… That such a terrible thing is happening.
“……Princess Palace.”
As I look toward the princess’s palace that begins to appear in the distance, the events of that day suddenly come to mind.
At that time, I walked this path with Eunha, and in the dungeon of the princess’s palace, I died several times, many times, through
Numerology.
…… It was really close. I was lucky that Eunha had instilled self-control in me when I was almost at my limit, otherwise I would have gone crazy.
I didn’t feel like thinking about such terrible ifs, so I quickly put them out of my head. As I was thinking about trivial things, I was already standing in front of the princess’s palace.
Has there been no particular management or effort? There is a garden that is no different from that day and a painting that immediately welcomes me when I open the front door.
Portrait of Kim Ha-neul, empress of the Korean Empire.
“……………….”
Looking at that picture, Eunha recalled memories with her mother…… In fact, she was the fundamental cause of Eunha’s pain and .
The emperor committed all kinds of taboos to bring back the woman in that picture, and now that he is cornered, he is literally trying to squeeze everything out.
‘What the emperor wanted…… Was it time to bring Kim Ha-neul back to life?’
After losing the political battle with Kim Seong-il, when he had a face-to-face conversation with me.
The emperor would give everything, but he maintained the attitude of completely hiding his purpose and secrets.
At the time, I was anxious about what he was thinking and why he was doing it like that, but now that the purpose has been revealed, I only have vague thoughts.
It is truly ambiguous and complicated.
So…… Something to check.
After looking at the portrait for a moment, I soon walked towards the dungeon.
Because she had to finish the job before Kim Ha-neul, who was still coming, or Eunha, who might have followed her.
After making up my mind, I go down to the basement.
*
“……After.”
The dungeon beneath the princess’s palace.
At the very end of the cold dungeon, a small room that still retains some warmth.
The emperor, who created the ceremony hall right there, threw the corpses, covered in blood, into the circle.
Anyway, it just needs to be inside the circle. Since they were already corpses, I didn’t care if they got tangled up or broke somewhere.
“……………….”
However, there is still one person who is difficult to deal with.
The emperor’s expression as he looked down at that person suddenly changed.
From Noble mtl dot com
“Finally…”
There you are.
Squeak.
When you open the door to a small room filled with the smell of corpses and blood and go out, someone walks down the hallway of the dungeon from afar.
A fortune teller wearing a unique outfit: a black suit, red shirt, and white gloves.
“Nam Goong Min.”
“Your Majesty the Emperor.”
Nam Goong Min. Namgoong Min. Namgoong Min.
How much trouble did you have because of that fortune teller?
The prophecy that he would come to the Korean Empire during Chuseok went astray, causing internal discipline to shake, and conversely, he tried to use that to infiltrate the imperial family with the princess and control .
In the end, he even helped his son to virtually take him down from the throne.
If I were not careful, I would not have been able to collect the offering satisfactorily this time. No, wasn’t that fortuneteller the one who reduced the many opportunities left in the first place to this one time?
“Namgoong Min, I really hate you. I actually hate you.”
“It’s fascinating. I feel the same way. It looks like a cub wearing your majesty’s sword is standing there.”
“…You still have amazing speaking skills.”
“Well, killing the living and trying to save the dead is something only cubs do.”
“Still, you’re still using some respectful language.”
“Finally…I have something to ask you.”
“What is it? I can’t hear it.”
The emperor has the advantage if he gains time.
The emperor, who did not need to stop Namgoong Min from asking questions, nodded, and Namgoong Min seemed to hesitate for a moment before opening his mouth.
“Is it…Worth it?”
“Hmm.”
“I came to hear the oppressor’s request. He asked me to save his grandson. Even if you kill someone’s grandson to save a loved one, you will be worried, but in that small room… There are dozens of corpses tangled together.”
Beyond the door of a small room that is not completely closed.
You can see dead people with pale expressions.
Everyone…… I don’t think it was an expression of loyalty.
“Is saving the lives of your Majesty’s loved ones worth the loss of so many lives?”
“There is.”
“…Your Majesty, have you ever saved someone’s life?”
“Of course. I am the emperor of this country. Every action I do means saving or killing someone.”
“No, I’m not saying that.”
General skill .
Namgoong Min’s expression when he says that.
There was no more hesitation or ambiguity, especially the pupil of the right eye was dilated.
Little by little…… While shedding bloody tears.
“Have you ever faced a person’s life fully? Have you ever experienced that person’s pain, past, thoughts, experiences, and future? I praise myself that I have saved several people. Their “We faced life head on, had enough conversations, thought about all kinds of options, and didn’t give up even when we were hurt.”
“……………….”
“I saved less than ten people that way. I can proudly say that I worked harder than anyone else over the past year, but I couldn’t even fill my fingers.”
“…Something I want to say.”
“But there are several times as many corpses piled up there as the people I saved.”
“Yeah, didn’t you say that too? It’s difficult to save someone’s life.”
“Did you tell them that you were going to die soon?”
“If that were the case, they would have run away a long time ago. Loyalty is something that can only be achieved if one remains alive.”
“…Are you going to give appropriate compensation to the remaining people?”
“If Haneul were to come back to life today, I would have to spend all my time with her, but would I have time for that?”
“……Is there anyone among them who is without sin?”
“Didn’t you tell me earlier that the oppressor asked for his grandson’s life? The grandfather had many sins, but the grandson was as pure as the grandson.”
“After…”
With that, the question is over.
But the bloody tears did not stop.
Namgoong Min opened her eyes wide.
“I tried to avoid saying this as much as possible because it stings me.”
“Hmm?”
“Such a pseudo-bastard.”
……… Even if it’s a bastard, it’s a cult?
It’s an insult, but why do you say that?
“What does it mean?”
“To me, this is the best insult. You pseudo bastard…!!”
Tadat!
Namgoong Min placed his lips on the ring on her right hand, leapt in an instant and swung her fist at the emperor.
He had been dodging her casually, as if he knew she would attack him like that, but he couldn’t help but be surprised by the way she threw out her fists and at the same time walked her feet.
‘It’s definitely a .’
Namgoong Min jumped up lightly to avoid the approaching feet, but Namgoong Min immediately adjusted his stance and continued to approach roughly.
That speed and power.
He may have studied a martial art such as Judo, but although he takes the form of Jujutsu, his physical abilities are comparable to those of a combat profession.
As the emperor, he could not help but be embarrassed.
‘Now that I think about it, did I just kiss the ring?’
The ring on my right hand…… The shape is ordinary, but is it an artifact of some kind?
If you want to break it, you can break it. But the emperor soon relented.
You can just aim for the head anyway, there is no need to aim for the ring.
“It’s a pretty good skill, but…”
“Ugh!?”
Kwaang!!
The emperor, who countered Namgoong Min’s onslaught with a light gesture, glared at the fortune teller pinned against the wall with a cold expression.
One arm was hanging down, and although it didn’t feel like it was touched, it looked like it was broken.
Actually, it was a natural thing.
“I am also Like my children.”
In terms of physical ability, she is defeated by the princess who not only has But also And , And since she has long since retired from active duty, it will be difficult to gain the upper hand even against the prince.
Nevertheless, the emperor was
An imperial family member.
Even if you don’t have any skills, it’s completely unfair to lightly trample on any combat job.
Until now, I just watched without counterattacking just in case.
“Fortune teller, if this is all you have…”
Okay.
“Keuuu…!!”
“I’m going to die here.”
I step on Namgoong Min’s shoulder as he falls against the wall. If I applied a little more force, I could have crushed the bone, but I deliberately stopped at maximizing the pain.
Despite the overwhelming superiority, the emperor was afraid because he could not know the fortuneteller’s thoughts.
‘I never thought I would win in a 1-1 match. Still, if you came alone…… ‘I’m sure there are other ideas.’
The emperor knows a fortune teller named Namgoong Min. He had been treated so harshly that he had no choice but to know.
That young fortuneteller is by no means someone who moves with recklessness or boldness.
It’s meticulous, and it just traps the opponent, as if seeing the future through divination.
So.
‘…… After all, is killing people as quickly as possible the right answer?’
If you are cautious about possible intentions and deal vaguely with them, it will be much easier to end the fortune teller’s life altogether.
It was clear that Namgoong Min would be a much more valuable sacrifice than the corpses piled up in that room.
The moment the emperor, who had made a decision, first tried to apply force to his foot to crush his shoulder.
General skill .
“What…?”
Thump.
Suddenly, Namgoong Min disappeared from under his feet, and his unexpected kicks only echoed on the dungeon floor.
What kind of skill is this? Or an artifact? Did you leave something behind for escape? If not, is there an accomplice?
How on earth──
“………!!”
The emperor, who was looking around to find Namgoong Min, who had disappeared somewhere, quickly turned his head at the sudden eerie feeling.
There was Namgoong Min, who looked like he had just woken up.
‘A space! I had escaped into subspace…… !!’
It was a surprise attack with perfect timing, but we still don’t know.
Since one arm is broken, there must be a certain direction in which she can swing her fist. Moreover, since it is targeting the face, it will be easier to block.
If you can somehow avoid or block that place…… ?
‘……… What?’
I quickly raised my guard in the direction the fist was coming from.
The fist swung and then stopped.
It’s as if he didn’t even have any intention of swinging in that direction from the beginning.
The emperor realized that it was just a fake to attract attention and quickly looked in the other direction.
‘It was definitely broken──’
No way.
“Did you mean acting…!!”
“Ha, I’m that pseudo bastard…”
“I wanted to hit you like this.”
Wow!
A perfect surprise attack, an emperor who could not be blocked, a fist with the right strength and posture.
What’s more, the attack was strengthened by And went right into the most lethal part identified by .
It was a smaller sound than the one the emperor made, but it was still powerful enough.
“Ugh!?”
Woodangtang, bang!!
The emperor was hit in the face with a fierce fist, rolling awkwardly on the floor and crashing into the wall.
The inside of the mouth seemed to have burst, and blood was vomited out, including several teeth.
The emperor, who was unable to stand up properly as not only his mouth but also his brain was shaken, suddenly burst into laughter.
“Heh, heh. Heh heh.”
“……….”
“hahahaha! hehehehe, hahahaha!!”
Laugh, laugh and laugh again.
Sporadic, maddened eyes with flashes of light.
With a mouth dripping blood.
He threw away what little dignity and pride he had.
Now, he is not even an emperor and has been reduced to a mere beast.
But he already knew.
From the time he lost his wife to his daughter.
I gave up on being a person a long time ago.
“It hurts, it hurts.”
“…Someone who knows that.”
“But…It’s worse than the pain of losing Haneul.”
I sat down and leaned against the wall, giving up even the thought of getting up any time soon.
I looked at the small room with faint eyes.
“Heaven… Just wait a little while… I, I will soon take you…”
“……….”
“I’m going to meet you.”