Chapter 39 : First Awakening (2)

Chapter 39: First Awakening (2)

When the Second Prince shouted at the top of his lungs, Wi Yeonho clicked his tongue.

"You know, you sure get worked up over the smallest things. Someone your age really shouldn’t have such wild mood swings... Oh, is it menopause?"

"Uaaaaaagh!"

Mun Yuhwan desperately restrained the Second Prince, who sprang from his seat, ready to lunge at Wi Yeonho.

"Your Highness, please calm down!"

"Do I look like I can calm down right now?!"

"Your Highness, your dignity!"

"Ugh... Who the hell is that brat’s teacher? Who's his father? I just want to see their faces!"

At that very moment, Wi Jeonghan, staying up all night worrying about his son in faraway Guangdong, suddenly shuddered for reasons he couldn’t understand.

But Wi Yeonho remained unfazed.

"If that’s how you feel, that’s a relief. Could’ve been troublesome otherwise."

"Troublesome?"

Wi Yeonho gave a faint smile.

"Well, it’s not like it’s the first time powerful people have broken promises or defaulted on their notes. I have to prepare some kind of backup plan, don’t I?"

"And what kind of plan is that?"

"Oh, it’s nothing, really."

However, Mun Yuhwan had already grasped Wi Yeonho’s intention. The words Wi Yeonho had said earlier still echoed in his mind.

"Because it looked expensive."

'He intended to sell it off.'

If the Second Prince had said even one wrong word just now, the Royal Inspector’s treasured sword, could have ended up on display in some pawnshop stall in the marketplace—a true disaster.

"In any case... well..."

The Second Prince stuttered in anger several times before finally turning his back.

"Do whatever the hell you want with it!"

"Really?"

"But if I hear even a single rumor that you extorted an honest official using that thing, I swear I’ll come after you myself and beat the living hell out of you."

"Tch."

Wi Yeonho clicked his tongue in disappointment.

Thinking realistically, carrying a sacred item of the Royal Inspectorate—especially one belonging to its head and the second most powerful person in the palace—was no small matter. For most things, the authorities wouldn’t even dare interfere. It was practically a license for immunity.

On top of that, if something urgent happened, it was certain that the Imperial Army could be mobilized to some extent.

But to Wi Yeonho, it was nothing more than a flashy piece of junk.

Even if he caused a commotion, what kind of commotion would it be? What could he possibly use this for?

To Wi Yeonho, a golden sword he couldn’t even sell was worth less than a refreshing bamboo fan.

"Anyway, is that all you needed?"

"..."

The Second Prince shook his head with a displeased look, then opened his mouth.

"Where does your family come from?"

"..."

"Your master?"

"..."

"Are you saying you can’t even tell me?"

Wi Yeonho quietly smiled.

"You don’t trust me?"

Wi Yeonho gave a slight nod. Seeing his reaction, the Second Prince’s gaze sank low.

A sense of gravity flowed from him that one would never have imagined from the old man who had been bickering with Wi Yeonho just moments ago.

"Who do you think I am? You know my identity, and yet you still refuse to trust me and insist on hiding yours right in front of me?"

Wi Yeonho shrugged.

"Well, status isn’t the issue here."

"Then what is?"

"The problem is, I simply can’t trust someone who’s clearly putting on an act."

"An act?"

Wi Yeonho smiled.

"How many seconds do you think it’d take you to subdue Nok Mokpung? Five seconds? No—three?"

"..."

At that moment, the Second Prince’s eyes gleamed intensely.

"What are you talking about?"

"No one enjoys playing the fool. Especially when you’ve been made into one unintentionally."

A faint smile appeared at the corner of the Second Prince’s lips.

"You’re saying I made you into a fool?"

"You gave me food and a place to sleep, so I went along with it, but I didn’t particularly enjoy it. It felt like watching a three-year-old threaten an adult—and then stepping in to save that adult. Not exactly a dignified feeling."

The Second Prince lifted the cup on the desk and slowly took a sip of tea.

Then, he set the teacup down gently.

"When did you figure it out?"

"I thought it was odd from the start. Sure, there are people obsessed with Go, but crossing a thousand miles just to play a game? That’s ridiculous. And then suddenly, all these Go fanatics just happened to gather here?"

"..."

"You must’ve already had a plan in place—and I just happened to show up. I became an unexpected game piece. Or maybe a Go stone in this case? Anyway, Nok Mokpung showed up in that scenario, and everything kicked off. At that point, I had to decide—which side to follow."

"Why?"

"The chances were actually higher that what Nok Mokpung said was the truth. Even if the joint petition was fake, someone of the Second Prince’s status laying out smokescreens while secretly gathering powerful figures from all over the world—there’s no way that’s just for friendly socializing."

The Second Prince nodded.

"The most likely conclusion, no matter how you look at it, would be treason."

"Then why did you help us?"

"Because that girl called for me."

"......"

"If I hadn’t been caught, I really was just going to run away. But she really didn’t seem to know anything. So I couldn’t turn away. I didn’t want her to experience the feeling of being betrayed by someone she trusted. My master once told me: ‘Don’t make the mistake of looking up and forgetting to look down.’ He said that ideals and the world both matter, but if you fail to see people, it’s all for nothing."

"So that’s why you acted so suspiciously in the middle—testing my reaction?"

"Because I felt disgusting."

"Hahahahaha!"

The Second Prince burst into hearty laughter.

"Then let me ask one last thing."

"Yes?"

"Why are you telling me all of this?"

"......"

"If what you said is true, and you’d simply left this place without saying a word, you’d have been handsomely rewarded and gained great power. But if you know everything, then the situation changes. In the worst case, you might not even leave here alive. So why say all this now?"

Wi Yeonho let out a sigh before opening his mouth.

"Because I want to sleep with my legs stretched out."

"What are you talking about?"

"I don’t like having anything weighing on me. Makes it hard to sleep. If you let complicated things slide, they come back to torment you several times over. So it’s better to be clear from the start. Let me ask directly—are you plotting treason?"

The Second Prince gazed at Wi Yeonho coldly.

"And if I say I am, what will you do?"

"Then I’ll finally be able to sleep properly."

"Even if I’m committing treason?"

"Should I wish you success?"

"Fufufufu."

The Second Prince laughed as if it were absurd.

"Do you not have any loyalty to the Imperial Family?"

"I haven’t really received anything from His Majesty, so why would I? At least you gave me gold, so I might as well cheer you on, Your Highness."

"Do you realize that what you just said constitutes treason?"

"Then Your Highness would be guilty of treason, too."

"I can escape with the power I have."

"Probably. But you’ll never be able to explain handing over your sacred item to someone committing treason. Wouldn’t you agree?"

Wi Yeonho casually revealed the golden sword hidden in his robe.

The Second Prince stared at the sword for a moment before erupting in laughter.

"Khahahaha! I knew you were sly, but this exceeds all my expectations."

Wi Yeonho clicked his tongue.

"Acting all dignified now won’t have any effect."

"...You think so?"

"Yes."

The Second Prince let out a deep sigh.

"I took the wrong approach. I should’ve shown a bit more authority from the beginning."

"A man’s true nature always shows in the end."

The Second Prince nodded.

"You’re right. Still, I’ll stake my neck on this—we are not plotting treason. We’re merely... gathering a force to oppose that bastard, Nok Gi."

"I see."

"It’s the truth."

"Who’s saying otherwise?"

The Second Prince let out a sigh.

"Just as you said, we were assessing the situation when you appeared. Your extraordinary Go skills became the perfect pretext to move our plan along, so I used that as a reason to gather these people. The problem is, Nok Gi caught on."

"Yeah."

The Second Prince smiled faintly.

"Do you know why Nok Gi sent Nok Mokpung?"

"Not really."

"To have him die by my hand."

The Second Prince sipped his tea, then continued.

"It wasn’t to capture me—he wanted me to kill Nok Mokpung. Or at the very least, to subdue and detain him. Then, Nok Gi could use that as an excuse to accuse me of treason."

"Hmm?"

"The fact that I’ve been hiding my martial arts and gathering all these people would surely come to light in the process. No—he likely already uncovered it. Nok Gi has that kind of capability. So I couldn’t make a move. Nok Gi deliberately struck at that weakness."

"......"

"That’s why I couldn’t stop Nok Mokpung, even at the very last moment. Had I acted in any way, Nok Gi would have used it as justification to accuse me of rebellion. And since I had summoned all these people to this estate, no excuse I offered would have sufficed. That’s when you stepped in."

The Second Prince slowly bowed his head.

"If I offended you, I apologize. I did use you a little, but I had no ill intent. And what you described as a clown show was never intentional. At the very least, both I and Yuhwan here were desperate at that moment."

"I understand."

"Please believe me."

"I said I do."

Wi Yeonho nodded.

He didn’t fully grasp everything, but he understood enough to know that the Second Prince couldn’t have acted in that situation.

"But… what would you have done if I hadn’t stepped in at the last moment?"

"...I would’ve killed Nok Mokpung."

Wi Yeonho sighed.

"And then?"

"There’d have been no choice but for me to shoulder the blame for treason alone and die. Otherwise, everyone gathered here would have been killed."

"Just because you were hiding your martial arts?"

"That’s right."

"And that Nok Gi bastard sent his own son just to create that situation?"

"Yes."

"Is that what the Royal Family is always like?"

"At the very least, it’s not a beautiful place."

Wi Yeonho quietly looked up at the ceiling.

Then, he gave a small nod.

"I get it now."

"Will you take the position of secret inspector?"

"Let me make this clear—I’m never going to go out of my way to look for things to do."

"That doesn’t matter. Even if you don’t want it, the world will never leave you alone."

"Was that a curse?"

"That’s the path of a hero."

"I’ll pass."

"Fate isn’t something you can decline."

"This is the first time I’ve ever been called a hero. I usually get stuff like ‘parasite,’ or ‘bear,’ or ‘snail,’ or ‘turtle.’"

The Second Prince nodded without even realizing it.

Though he had called him a hero, the truth was that words like ‘turtle’ or ‘snail’ indeed seemed to suit Wi Yeonho far more.

"Anyway, I’ll take that as a yes."

"It’s a pain… but you were planning to force it on me either way, right?"

"You’d hate that, wouldn’t you?"

"Ugh."

Wi Yeonho stood up.

"Then I’ll get going."

"Very well. I’m leaving today."

"I sincerely hope I never have to see you again."

"I get the feeling we’ll meet again before long."

Wi Yeonho shuddered as if something dreadful had brushed past him and walked out.

Clack.

As the door closed and a brief silence passed, Mun Yuhwan opened his mouth.

"What do you think?"

"...More than I expected."

In truth, the Second Prince was stunned.

He had expected that Wi Yeonho might be stronger than he appeared—but he hadn’t imagined that Wi Yeonho was skilled enough to perceive even his hidden martial arts.

‘Has there ever been anyone in history who possessed such martial prowess at that age?’

As far as the Second Prince knew, there wasn’t.

Even the head of the Grand General’s Division, known as the greatest warrior in imperial history, would have paled in comparison to Wi Yeonho at that age.

"I thought I had picked up a divine dragon, but I ended up dragging in a full-blown monster. If I’m not careful, I might get eaten alive."

"He’s worth the danger."

"If it were just martial power, maybe. But his insight is far beyond ordinary. Even while grasping the entire situation, he didn’t move until the very end. He’s not just strong. Who in the world raised that monster?"

The Second Prince gave a curious smile.

"Still, thanks to him, we avoided the trap Nok Gi laid. Even if we weren’t accused of treason, the Inspectorate would have suffered a major blow."

"It’s heaven’s blessing."

"Indeed. The heavens are on our side."

But contrary to his words, the Second Prince’s eyes sank low as he stared at the door through which Wi Yeonho had exited.

‘Depending on how that boy moves, not just the Royal Family, but the entire Central Plains could be shaken. In trying to avoid the snake called Nok Gi… I may have invited a wolf instead.’

The Second Prince decided—for now—to trust his instincts.

At the very least, his instincts were telling him that Wi Yeonho was not an evil person.

"If he ever does turn to evil…"

"It’ll be fine."

"Hmm?"

"Even if he does turn evil, he wouldn’t have the will to act on it. Only diligent people have the energy to do bad things."

"...I suppose that’s true."

The Second Prince let out a relieved sigh.

It really was a blessing.

"Either way, investigate everything about that brat. Even if we can’t find his dead master, we must at least uncover what family he comes from. Got it?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"And if possible, I really want to see that brat’s father with my own eyes."

And at that very moment, Wi Yeonho’s father, Wi Jeonghan, finally decided to visit a physician to find out the cause of the persistent chills he had been feeling.

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