GMLS Ch 23

“Heukwol! Block it!!”

Yihwa shouted as he cut down the last warrior. Heukwol ran, becoming a jet-black bird of prey. His outstretched hand reached for the pebble. But it only grazed the tip of Heukwol’s fingernails before it finally fell to the ground and shattered.

Fwoosh!

It was a poisonous mist.

Holding their breath, the two simultaneously retreated back inside the cave. Heukwol, arriving first, lifted Muryun into his arms. Yihwa then turned and swung his sword with all his might.

Whooosh!

With a tremendous roar that tore through the air, a white path was carved from the innermost part of the cave to its entrance. The two men shot out like a ray of light.

They immediately ran to a nearby valley. For days, heavy rain had turned it into a raging torrent of muddy water, but they paid it no mind. Together, the two entered the water with Muryun and came back out.

“Your Highness. Your Highness!”

Muryun’s soaked eyelids fluttered weakly.

“Your Highness, please open your eyes.”

Seeing this, Yihwa grabbed Muryun’s shoulders and shook him. The hand, unable to shake him forcefully, trembled with a myriad of emotions. Whether he had drunk the poison or not. If he had, how much. There was no way to know. Yihwa was burning with anxiety.

“Please. Your Highness……”

Perhaps he heard the plea. Muryun managed to open his eyes.

He’s awake. He’s finally awake. The relief was momentary. Frowning, Muryun blinked and looked around. He shook his head as if dizzy, then blinked again.

“……Yihwa?”

“Yes, Your Highness. I am here.”

His head turned towards Yihwa. But his gaze was vaguely off to the side.

“This is a problem.”

His tone was casual. So casual that Yihwa thought he had misheard the words that followed.

“I cannot see.”

⊹ ࣪ 💮⊹₊

The situation was not good.

There was only one thing they learned about the poison. It infiltrated through the respiratory system, so as long as one didn’t breathe, there was no fear of being poisoned. Beyond that, it was a blank slate. Whether it was permanent or temporary. Whether there was an antidote. There was no way to find out here and now.

While Yihwa stayed by Muryun’s side, Heukwol returned to the cave and brought back Yihwa’s clothes. After rinsing them in the valley water just in case, Yihwa dressed and reported the events so far to Muryun.

“If our location has been discovered, there is no more time to hesitate.”

Yihwa agreed with that statement.

“Monghyul and Wi Junghyuk will be safe. Still, we will give up on joining them. We will head for The Sky Monument as we are. The summit isn’t far anyway.”

He could not agree with the words that followed.

“You mustn’t. It is too dangerous.”

“The Royal Guard and the Secret Shadow Guard are at the summit. The heads of the Three Stars are as well. Especially that man, Yeo Yullyeong; he would have reached it within six days by any means necessary. Therefore, being the first to arrive is the safest path.”

“They will have set up camp along the way. If they have abandoned the rules, we don’t know how large their force might be. It would be better to wait for the Ammukdan to uncover the truth and deal with them. It won’t take that long.”

Yeo Yullyeong was competent. Perhaps he had already noticed and begun to clean up the situation. But despite Yihwa’s persuasion, Muryun shook his head.

“If the 2nd Prince takes advantage of the situation in the meantime, we will lose both our justification and our lives.”

Muryun was certain that the 3rd Prince was the one behind this. He had already been eliminated from the start of the test.

It was too much of a gamble for the 2nd Prince to attempt, who, despite the unfavorable situation, likely believed he had a sufficient chance of winning on his own. In that case, there was only one answer.

‘He must have thought it wouldn’t matter as long as he wasn’t revealed as the master of these forces.’

It was a foolish judgment, truly befitting the 3rd Prince. And the 2nd Prince had probably already noticed this fact as well.

Things had become complicated. Now, the one with the advantage was not them, but the 2nd Prince. If the 2nd Prince touched The Sky Monument, Yihwa might be spared, but Muryun would surely die. Realizing this belatedly, Yihwa’s mind snapped to attention.

Muryun was right. He had been so startled by the new force that he had completely forgotten about the 2nd Prince. This was no time to be afraid of losing his life on the way. Just as Yihwa was about to answer that he would obey the command, Muryun, unable to see the parting of his lips, spoke.

“However, if you are truly afraid of the difficult path of taking me, a blind man, then you may stop here. You have done more than enough.”

A tightly stretched string in Yihwa’s head snapped.

“……Are you telling me now that if I am afraid of dying, I should abandon you?”

Muryun did not answer.

Heukwol, who had been watching Yihwa the whole time, flinched. Yihwa’s enraged face contorted like that of a yaksha. The crown of his head seethed. It was the first time in his life he had ever felt such a fit of rage.

“How could you possibly say that!”

Muryun’s eyes widened. Startled, he called out, ‘Yihwa……?’ but Yihwa didn’t even pretend to hear him.

“If I had been certain that Your Highness’s plan was safe, I would have carried it out even at the cost of my own life. I know. There’s no guarantee of safety in my plan either. But I am a coward, so I was trying to choose a path that would somehow keep you safe. I had simply forgotten about the 2nd Prince, that’s all!”

And yet, and yet how could you say such a thing?

Just as his vision began to blur, tears burst forth like a flood, streaming down his cheeks. He hadn’t intended to cry. But tears were closer to the heart than to the head. And the heart, unlike the head, was not a place one could control by will alone.

Heukwol jumped in surprise. Holding his sword, he warily scanned the surroundings while inching closer, his other hand grabbing the hem of Yihwa’s clothes.

“Are you crying right now?”

“I am not crying.”

“Heukwol, was it? If Yihwa is crying right now, place a hand on my shoulder.”

Yihwa glared fiercely at Heukwol. A crawfish sides with the crab. Heukwol remained motionless, guarding the area, but Muryun was not fooled. He clicked his tongue, certain.

“You are crying.”

“So what if I am? It’s all your fault, so say no more.”

Yihwa said, like a wildcat. A bewildered Muryun closed his mouth. In that time, Yihwa regained his composure.

“We must depart at once.”

“Alright.”

“The moment you lay your hand on the monument, I will give you an earful of nagging as well.”

“Even though I’ll be as good as an emperor once I’ve laid my hand on it?”

“I will do it, even if I am punished for lèse-majesté.”

“Very well. In consideration of your contribution to making me emperor, I shall grant you leniency.”

A smile appeared on Yihwa’s lips.

My eyes are still crying, so I must look quite unsightly.It’s a good thing Muryun can’t see this. That’s what Yihwa thought, but Heukwol, who witnessed it, had a completely different idea.

Heukwol placed a hand on his chest. He felt a piece of his straying heart return home.

“We will go straight to The Sky Monument.”

Yihwa lifted Muryun into his arms.

“Wouldn’t it be better to carry me on your back and tie me with a cloth? This way, both of your hands are tied up.”

“If Your Highness were injured elsewhere, I would have done so, but it is your eyes, is it not? You would be too defenseless and exposed if an arrow or a hidden weapon were to fly at us.”

“Damn it. Of all things, the eyes.”

It wasn’t a matter of ‘of all things.’ The enemy knew this, which is why they used such a poison.

“Do not worry too much. No matter what happens, I will escort you safely to The Sky Monument.”

“I have no face to show you. I ask this of you.”

“Your Highness is a man of supreme nobility. You should not be asking, but commanding.”

“I know. But to you, I wish to ask.”

Yihwa did not answer, but Muryun could tell that the sound of his heart had grown louder than before. Listening to that sound, Muryun thought.

‘I will become the emperor. For no one else but you. I will become a good lord, so much so that after a very long time has passed, you will be able to say that it was rewarding to have been by my side.’

In the distance, the sun was rising over the edge of the Cheontae-baek mountain range. Roughly three and a half days. The torrential downpour that had been ceaseless finally stopped. The final day of the battle for the throne, which would later be recorded as the ‘Eight Days of Fierce Battle,’ had dawned.

⊹ ࣪ 💮⊹₊

“Haa……. Haa.”

They say nothing in the world goes as planned, but surely, not like this. I clicked my tongue inwardly, running until my mouth tasted of copper. Because I couldn’t show any sign of my anxiety.

Just because he couldn’t see, did that mean he was unaware of the situation? There was no way he couldn’t know. So, in consideration of Muryun’s feelings, who knew everything and yet remained silent, I had to remain composed.

“Over there!”

“Don’t let them get away!”

The pursuers were closing in right behind us. Before the sun had even reached its zenith, we encountered the enemy. First-rate warriors in unfamiliar attire. They were the 3rd Prince’s external forces.

I ran up the mountain, avoiding combat as much as possible. We had already reached the midway point, but the steep, cliff-like slope, the rugged terrain, and the thinning air held my feet back.

No. I can do this. Didn’t I swear that no matter what, I would make him the first to lay his hand on the monument? So what is this? Why am I slower than before? Get a grip, Yeo Yihwa. Remember your ‘usefulness.’

The hand of Muryun, who was holding onto me, loosened slightly. It was a change I could perceive because I was as focused on him as he was on me.

“Yihwa.”

“I can’t hear you.”

“You are listening, are you not.”

“I apologize.”

“Why are you apologizing?”

“I am asking for forgiveness in advance because I cannot obey any command you give right now.”

“You said you would become a thing that neither thinks nor judges.”

“Why are you bringing that up now?”

“If not now, when would it come up? When a bonfire with arms and legs is running wild, ignoring its master’s will.”

The more I spoke with Muryun, the more breathless I became. In exchange, my anxious heart calmed down a little. Unknowingly, I tightened my arms, which had grown lax, and looked up at the path ahead.