I was flustered by what was written in Young Lady Seohyang’s letter.
[Check his shoes.]
Check his shoes?
What was that supposed to mean? But no matter how many times I read it, that was all it said.
The future Young Lady Seohyang saw came only in fragments, so what she wrote could only be fragmentary too.
But those fragments always turned into important clues.
I committed the message to memory, then burned the letter away.
It would be a problem if anyone saw it.
I went back into the cave and sat down.
“Deputy Merchant Lord Eun.”
“Yes.”
Gwon Jik called to me, then respectfully cupped his fist.
“Thanks to you, we were able to confirm our comrades’ deaths and properly mourn them. You have my gratitude.”
“O–oh, it was nothing! It’s not like I did much…”
“If you hadn’t suggested we treat the Maoshan Sect Daoist, we would’ve become faithless men who abandoned our own comrades.”
“…”
“That title of Handsome Young Hero really is well deserved. It was true in Gansu, and it’s true now.”
That hit me so suddenly I nearly choked.
Cough!
“Oh dear, are you all right?”
“Y–yes, I’m fine.”
Of all places, I never expected to hear that title here.
The next morning.
We packed up and set out again.
After several days of riding hard like that, we finally arrived in Wuhan.
Ah…
Home was practically within reach, and I still couldn’t go.
From here in Wuhan, Sunyang County, where the Eunhae Merchant Group’s main branch was located, wasn’t far at all.
If I rode a River-Crossing Horse, I could get there in no time.
I wanted to see my family, and I wanted to see everyone back at the merchant group too…
Come to think of it, Escort Guard Seo Wu and Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am probably missed their families too.
But there wasn’t time for that.
We could see our families whenever we made the time, but the people being held hostage right now could die at any moment.
That meant we had to rescue them as quickly as possible.
Going to the main branch would have to wait for another time.
All of a sudden, it occurred to me that the Emperor had sent me to rescue his son because he trusted me that much.
To be honest, I wasn’t a father, and I hadn’t been one in my previous life either, so I didn’t understand a father’s heart.
But I did know this much – the Emperor was a father too.
And I knew how devastating it would be to lose a son.
In my previous life, when Prince Seongbo captured the Lord of Springview Fortress Fortress alive and brought him back, they said the Emperor ordered an exceptionally cruel and agonizing death, then personally watched him die little by little every single day.
That must’ve been how deep his pain ran.
What must the Emperor be feeling right now?
He was probably spending every day in torment, as if seated on a bed of thorns.
And was it only the Emperor?
Everyone currently being held in Springview Fortress Fortress was someone’s family.
Yeah. We had to save every last one of them.
Of course, no one with us could be injured or killed either.
While we were sitting briefly at an inn, the warriors who had gone to secure a boat returned.
“Securing a boat hasn’t been easy.”
“They say there aren’t any ships heading to Yunnan right now.”
“Then I guess we’ll have to go by land?”
Huh? What? By land?
No, that wouldn’t do.
Going all the way to Yunnan overland was brutal.
“I’ll try getting one myself.”
I rose from my seat at once. It was obvious why they’d failed to find a boat to Yunnan.
They’d probably tried to secure one with the Embroidered Guard’s trademark high-handed attitude, so of course no one would step up.
The river route to Yunnan was rough enough as it was because of the rapids.
In that kind of situation, if people didn’t follow their orders properly and an accident happened, the boat owners would be the ones taking the blame.
Even if they were planning to go, they’d claim they weren’t.
I looked over the boatmen, then approached one group of sailors.
“You’ve all been working hard. I’m looking to charter a ship bound for Yunnan.”
“Yunnan, you say?”
“Huh? But I swear I’ve seen you somewhere before…”
“Ah! Deputy Merchant Lord!”
“It’s Deputy Merchant Lord Eun Seo-ho!”
“Handsome Young Hero? You mean that Handsome Young Hero?”
“…”
Wait, even the boatmen recognized my face?
Sure, this was Hubei, but it was still a decent distance from the Eunhae Merchant Group.
Caught off guard, I leaned toward Palgap and whispered,
“Palgap, was I really that famous?”
“You didn’t know, young master? You’re Hubei’s hero. Of course the boatmen know who you are too.”
“…”
Anyway, I got the boat.
Word would probably spread that I was headed to Yunnan, but that didn’t matter.
I already had a plan.
When I came back with a ship secured, the Embroidered Guard warriors stared at me in shock and asked again,
“Seriously?”
“That fast?”
“How?”
I smiled and answered,
“Trade secret.”
There was no way I could say, ‘I’m pretty famous as Handsome Young Hero, so they just offered to lend me a ship on their own,’ right?
The next day.
We boarded the ship bound for Yunnan.
As I led my River-Crossing Horse onto the ship, I said to it,
“It’ll be cramped on the boat, but stay still. If you start acting up on board, you’re getting scolded!”
— Neigh!
A dissatisfied whinny from the River-Crossing Horse.
Well, couldn’t be helped.
“Want Geumryeong to scold you instead?”
— P–phrr…
At my whisper, the River-Crossing Horse immediately lowered its head. I guess Geumryeong really did scare it that badly.
To me, that little thing was just cute and dependable.
Even if it did cost a fair bit to raise.
Just like that, our whole group boarded the ship.
Six members of the Embroidered Guard, plus me and Palgap, plus six escort guards – fourteen people total.
And with each of us bringing a horse as well, one ship was packed full.
That was why we’d chartered the whole vessel.
“We’re departing!”
“Cast off!”
“Cast off!”
The crew moved busily as they prepared to leave, and soon the ship began to move.
“Even going as fast as possible, it’ll still take more than five days to reach Yunnan.”
At Escort Guard Seo Wu’s words, Gwon Jik nodded.
“Still much faster than going overland.”
“That’s right. And since we don’t know what might happen in Yunnan, you should all get as much rest as possible.”
“Understood.”
“And I’ve been thinking it over. The two who lost their lives were struck down by allies.”
More precisely, by allies they had every reason to trust – allies they knew.
“So from the moment we disembark, I believe you’ll need to hide your identities completely.”
“That makes sense.”
“Then should we pass ourselves off as wandering martial artists?”
At Cheong Ak’s question, I shook my head.
“That is one option, but from what I can tell, it won’t work.”
“We can act like wandering martial artists well enough.”
“Then show me.”
At my request, Cheong Ak gave it a try.
He slung his sword over his shoulder, swaggered around, and said some nonsense, but…
“…Sigh.”
At my sigh, his face turned red.
“I–is it really that bad?”
“Yes.”
“Then let me try!”
After that, the other five Embroidered Guard warriors besides Gwon Jik each took a turn acting like wandering martial artists.
But from where I stood, none of them worked.
“Good grief.”
At my sigh, So Un asked,
“What exactly is the problem?”
“You still have that disciplined military air in your bearing and the way you speak. Did you really think that would pass? No one would buy it. You might even get reported as deserters.”
Was my answer too harsh?
Their faces reddened, and they awkwardly cleared their throats.
“Ahem, ahem…”
Then one of them said in a dissatisfied tone,
“Then let’s see you demonstrate it.”
At that, I turned and called for Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am.
“Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am.”
“Yes.”
“Show them how a wandering martial artist should act.”
“Understood.”
In that instant, Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am’s entire presence changed. Just a moment ago he’d been a crisp, composed escort guard, but now…
“So how much are you paying? This is a job I’m risking my life for, so shouldn’t the money at least be worth it?”
He spoke with his arms folded and a lazy swagger in his stance, but even his eyes were different.
Greedy eyes.
Eyes that looked like they’d do absolutely anything for money.
And at the same time, there was something cold in them too, like a man who’d survived every kind of hardship.
The Embroidered Guard warriors were left speechless by how completely he’d changed in an instant.
“…Will that do, my lord?”
“Yes. Good work.”
Truthfully, Escort Guard Yeo Eung-am had used this chance to say what I’d wanted to say myself.
That line just now had been exactly what I’d been thinking.
How he knew that, I had no idea.
Still, it felt satisfying.
I turned to the Embroidered Guard warriors and said,
“Some wandering martial artists take legitimate jobs and keep to the righteous path, but at their core, whether they’re orthodox mercenaries or unorthodox mercenaries, they’re all people who sell their martial arts for money.”
I continued,
“So their eyes need to show greed and hunger for money. But none of you have that.”
That was only natural. The Embroidered Guard was one of the most prestigious organizations in the entire Empire.
Would men bound together by pride and honor understand greed and hunger for money?
“Your eyes are too upright. That just means you’re filled with loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor, doesn’t it? They say the eyes are the window to the heart.”
At my words, they nodded with satisfied expressions.
The reason I ended with praise for them was for the future.
From what I’d seen, the Embroidered Guard were proud by nature.
And crushing that kind of pride would only hurt me in the end.
Besides, people always said to avoid mad dogs. So I was humoring them.
That way they’d feel favorably toward me, and I could get their help later, couldn’t I?
Right now, we were on our way to rescue the Emperor’s son. And for a mission like this, there was no way the Emperor had sent just anyone.
Which meant these were men the Emperor trusted even among the Embroidered Guard.
That being the case, if I built solid connections with them, wouldn’t that help me, and the Eunhae Merchant Group, later on?
“Hoo… Then what should we do?”
“What identity are we supposed to take?”
I answered with a confident look on my face.
“I believe His Majesty sent me along for exactly this reason.”
“Hm?”
“Have you forgotten? What’s my status?”
“Ah! That’s right, you’re the Eunhae Merchant Group’s Deputy Merchant Lord!”
“That’s right.”
I nodded.
“You can say you’re my escort guards. Then even if you still carry yourselves like men with military training, and even if your eyes are too upright, it won’t seem strange.”
“Mm, that would work.”
“But wouldn’t people find it suspicious if you traveled with that many guards?”
“Is twelve really that many?”
“Isn’t it?”
“No. A small merchant group might travel with only a few guards, but a large merchant group can travel with dozens.”
“Th–that many?”
Suspicion began to creep into their eyes again.
“Even for a large merchant group, isn’t that excessive?”
“The intent behind that seems questionable.”
For heaven’s sake, these warriors really were something!
“As far as I know, the state officially permits private forces up to a certain level for self-defense.”
“That’s true. But do merchants really need that many guards?”
“Exactly. Soldiers are stationed in every county and prefecture.”
Just as I thought. They spent all their time breathing the clean air at the top, so they had no idea what the air down below was actually like.
My escort guards were doing their best to hide how pathetic they found this.
Smiling, I said,
“Have you ever heard the phrase locking the stable door after the horse is gone?”
“What exactly are you trying to say with that?”
“You need defenses before your property is stolen or you’re killed. What’s the point of reporting it to the local office after your goods are gone or after someone’s dead? The stolen property won’t come back, and neither will the dead.”
“…”
“And whether you know it or not… most officials look down on us merchants as lowborn creatures who care only about money and have abandoned the teachings of the sages. They don’t help us. They just tell us to deal with it ourselves.”
At my words, they flinched.
They knew it too. They knew what I was saying was true.
The only reason I could stand here talking with them like this was because the Emperor favored me, and because Warrior Jin Yeong and the others in the Embroidered Guard were friendly toward me.
If that weren’t the case, would I even have been allowed to stand in front of them and hold a conversation like this?
Somehow that made me feel miserable. Damn it.
“You want to know why merchants keep so many guards? Because the Empire does not protect merchants. So what choice do we have? We have to come up with some way to protect ourselves.”
Smiling, I went on,
“So I hope you won’t misunderstand. And really, what could a mere few dozen men even do?”
“Mm, that’s true.”
“That is true.”
They nodded at my words.
Whew, this was exhausting.
I’m going to squeeze every last bit out of the Emperor for this. Seriously.
“Anyway, getting back to the point. Even if I’m traveling with twelve guards, no one will think it’s excessive. And didn’t you say the situation in Yunnan isn’t very good right now? All the more reason I think disguising yourselves as my guard detail is the best option.”
At my suggestion, Gwon Jik nodded.
“I agree. That seems best.”
Then So Un asked,
“Then how should we address you? We have only one lord.”
That made sense. The Embroidered Guard was the Emperor’s personal guard, so they served only one lord – the Emperor.
“You can just call me Deputy Merchant Lord.”
“Ah…”
“R–right…”
Tsk, tsk. They’d really been overthinking something that pointless.
During the trip to Yunnan, we made our preparations as best we could. First, Escort Guard Seo Wu taught them how escort guards were supposed to behave.
And we also put together a rough plan for what to do after arriving in Yunnan.
Since the situation could change at any time, detailed plans were useless.
So the time aboard the ship passed busily, unlike usual, and before we knew it, we had arrived in Yunnan.
“We’ve arrived!”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
“Ha ha, it was nothing.”
Yunnan’s humid air was already rushing over us.
Which meant the operation was finally beginning in earnest.
“My lord, where shall we go?”
“First, let’s head to the Eunhae Merchant Group’s branch.”
Because in Kunming, the provincial capital of Yunnan, the Eunhae Merchant Group had a branch there.
–TL Notes–
Tired of seeing Ads? Then please support me on Patreon! Any tier of subscription will make it so you won’t get any ads!
If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/InsanityTheGame
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt
