Episode 219
“······?”
I stared at the man in black with narrowed eyes.
I couldn’t understand why they suddenly declared surrender.
Although he was somewhat injured, his physical condition was not so bad that he could no longer fight.
‘If you came here under the command of Dokgokju, you wouldn’t have known that the next palace lord could be decided based on the results of the competition.’
Dokgokju was trying to enshrine his maternal granddaughter, Woo Hwa-yeon, in the royal palace.
It did not occur to me that he, who was pushing ahead with his work even while ignoring the wishes of the parties involved, would tolerate something like surrender.
“Are you surprised?”
“······.”
“There’s nothing strange about it. “It was a decision made based on extremely rational judgment.”
“What does it mean.”
“I felt it while dealing with it in person. “You still have room.”
“······.”
The man in black sighed and brushed the dust off his face.
“I was confident in the fight so far. Even if I fight further here, I won’t be able to defeat you. Even if I win by a fluke, I won’t be able to get my body back in perfect condition until the next match.”
Only after hearing the explanation was I able to understand the black-clothed man’s intentions to some extent.
In some ways, I didn’t know if it was a wise decision.
Even if the fight was dramatically reversed and the man in black was victorious, the chances of him winning the championship were extremely low.
There are two masters of Hwagyeong that I have to deal with later.
My bad luck meant that the person in black had bad luck.
“If you are going to lose anyway, it would be better to allow you to advance to the next match with your strength intact.”
The best has passed the water.
If so, we must at least avoid the worst.
It seemed like the man in black had made that decision.
In a way, it could be said to be in a similar context to the case where the messenger came forward to help me.
I licked my lips with regret and returned the sword to its sheath.
The excitement that was so high has cooled down.
I haven’t yet been able to use everything I practiced against Dang Seo-yeon and Dang Sang-jin.
The man in black handed me a small bottle from his arms and threw it at me.
“Take it.”
“What is this.”
“It is a cure.”
“Cancellation?”
“As you may know, you are currently addicted. “Because I kept inhaling poisonous smoke during the competition.”
“······.”
“If you take it, it will be a great help in detoxification. Of course, you cannot simply trust me…”
“I accept it gratefully. “I will ask the Poison King to consider using it after verification.”
“······There was such a method.”
Soon, the palace elder, who took on the role of referee, declared the winner in a voice full of energy.
Perhaps because it was a somewhat disappointing result, some spectators booed.
I packed the medicine bottle in my arms and walked out of the stadium at a leisurely pace.
* * *
The opponent in the fifth match of the finals was an elderly warrior with an average height and a gentle appearance.
He is said to be a warrior commander who leads the warriors of the Daron tribe, but looking at his appearance, he looks closer to a scholar than a warrior.
‘It’s a tribe.’
It was a tribal name that felt familiar.
I had a memory of encountering warriors of that tribe during my journey to the Beast Palace.
‘I accompanied him for a while under the pretext of surveillance.’
Daejeon Prefect Mu Jincheon explained that it was a large tribe in its own way.
“Big…”
To put it simply, the result of the match was my landslide victory.
The palace elder, who played the role of judge, announced the result of the dance in a voice full of knowledge.
“victor! Seogon!”
Wow!
A thunderous roar erupted.
As the number of matches increased, the audience’s interest and support grew.
I was starting to feel a bit of a burden.
At this rate, I was worried that a group might be created to dig up the fictional character Seo Gon.
‘Well, in the worst case scenario, I don’t mind if my identity is discovered.’
The reason he hid his identity in the first place was at the request of the Beast Prince.
It wasn’t because there was a corner on my side.
It’s a bit uncomfortable to reveal the truth to the members of the delegation, but most of them probably have some idea anyway.
“Big.”
The old warrior, who was kneeling on one knee and breathing heavily, shed tears with an angry expression.
He also had outstanding skills befitting his status as a warrior commander, but that was it.
It wasn’t much for me.
I massaged my sore shoulders and turned around to walk away.
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‘There are three remaining matches.’
With just two more games to go, it was the final.
His gaze crossed with Il Confucius, who was watching the match from the audience.
“······.”
Confucius smiled, showing his teeth.
Although he did not speak, his intentions were conveyed through his atmosphere.
‘I will win and advance as I wish, so see you in the finals.’
* * *
All sixteen finals matches have been completed.
A small event was held to introduce the surviving Mencius to the audience and encourage gambling to determine the winner.
It was a sudden event without prior notice.
One by one, the warriors who were dragged out without knowing what was going on expressed their bewilderment.
“Tsk.”
I adjusted my mask and clicked my tongue.
As I was wasting time absent-mindedly under the scorching sun, I started to feel irritated.
I wasn’t the only one feeling dissatisfied with the current situation.
Several warriors, including Prince I, openly expressed their displeasure.
In particular, there was a strong backlash from those who had been injured in previous matches.
‘It’s quite malicious.’
The competition cycle was already short, so there was a lot of pressure on the participants.
I can’t believe I wasted my precious rest time on such useless things.
It was questionable who on earth planned this event.
‘It is unlikely that the military department, already suffering from a labor shortage, would voluntarily increase work.’
Suddenly, the figure of Confucius, looking up at the audience with devouring eyes, came into view.
As I followed his gaze and turned my head, I saw this Confucius fighting with the Il Confucius with a sly expression on his face.
‘Is that so?’
I knew it intuitively.
The person who planned this event was none other than Confucius Lee.
The representative of this Confucius faction did not play a single proper match today.
This was because both opponents were warriors belonging to the same faction.
One person only pretended to fight and then declared surrender, and the other person withdrew from the match without even participating.
‘You do all kinds of things.’
Aren’t they plotting to kidnap the followers of the Sacheon branch, and are they taking away other people’s rest time by holding ridiculous events?
I didn’t like everything I did.
‘The next match was against the representative of this Confucius’ faction.’
I muttered with a cool smile on my face.
I will step on it so gently that it makes a loud noise.
* * *
That night.
While I was resting at my hotel, I was greeted by an unexpected guest.
“Can we talk for a moment?”
I looked up to hear a voice coming from outside the window and felt goosebumps rising on my back.
An old man wearing a black long robe came into view.
The hunched posture and blunt cane gave a strange sense of heterogeneity.
What was surprising was that there was no sign of the old man at all.
It’s definitely there, but I can’t feel it.
There was only one person in all of Nanman who could perform such an absurd feat.
“I didn’t know that Gokju would come visit me in person.”
“Aren’t you the one who said you wanted to see me?”
“I obviously asked you to contact the military, but it was a request I made with the intention of visiting you.”
“You say something interesting. “Are you willing to tell an outsider the location of Poison Valley?”
“but. “That too.”
“How long do you plan to keep guests coming from afar standing outside?”
“Please come in. “I will give you an expensive car brought from Jungwon.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the old man’s new form rose into the air.
It was like seeing a ghost floating around.
He silently settled on the window sill and entered the room and spoke.
“I guess you’re not as cautious as I thought. “Are you not thinking that I might harm you?”
“If you had meant to do that, you would have attacked right away without revealing your presence.”
“That’s right. “I don’t know if it’s bold or reckless.”
“And if something goes wrong with me, wouldn’t Gokju be in trouble too?”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t think you would want Prince I or Prince Lee to occupy the palace grounds.”
Dokgokju let out a chuckle, leaning his cane against the table and resting his butt on the chair.
I put the teaware in the corner of the room down on the table.
He put the leaves in a kettle filled with water, created samadhi evolution, and made tea.
Dokgokju, who was handed a cup filled with tea, smiled and said.
“It’s not a bad scent.”
“This is Yongjeong tea (龍井茶). “I hope you like it.”
“Ask me straight. “What did you talk about with Hwa-yeon?”
“I have a favor to ask.”
“ask?”
“When he finished his mission and returned to the central plains, he asked me to take him with me.”
“······!”
Dokgokju’s face hardened.
I had no intention of hiding what happened at the time.
Because poisonous wine won’t be able to harm me anyway.
‘I feel a bit upset because I feel like I’m suddenly telling you this.’
Although it was an act that put Woo Hwa-yeon in trouble for confessing her true feelings with great determination, I did not feel particularly guilty.
I wasn’t even asked to keep it a secret in the first place.
Even if I had been asked to do so, I had no intention of complying with it.
“So did you accept it?”
“I haven’t decided yet.”
“Can’t decide? “It meant that I didn’t accept it, but I didn’t reject it either.”
“Isn’t it a very attractive story from my perspective as the representative of the delegation? The biological child of Lord Yasugung and the maternal granddaughter of Lord Dokgok. “It would be a great achievement for her to be able to bring someone of that caliber to her side.”
“What a bold guy. “Are you saying that in front of me?”
“I am saying this because it is in front of Lord Gok.”
“What do you mean?”
“I plan to make a different decision depending on how Lord Gok reacts.”
“Hwayeon is my granddaughter. As she is my granddaughter whom I got at a late age, I am very attached to her. Do you think she will let her beloved granddaughter be taken to her midfield?”
“She actually wants to go into exile in the central plains.”
“He’s still young, so he probably feels like he’s wandering.”
“Although you care about your granddaughter, you don’t seem to have much respect for the person’s wishes.”
“Do you want to call me a cruel grandfather?”
Dokgokju’s eyes became sharper.
I tilted my teacup to quench my throat and slowly opened my mouth.
“Actually, I am not very obsessed with taking the princess to the central plain. I wish I could take him with me, but my honest opinion is that even if I can’t, it doesn’t really matter. “No matter how much you want to achieve merit, you won’t be able to get the benefit of losing the favor with Lord Gok.”
“······.”
“I just want to make sure. Gokju’s true intentions.”
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