Chapter 78: Troubled Times Part 2

“They say the death toll in the Anhyang region has already exceeded one thousand five hundred. If you include those who are not counted among the dead, the damage is beyond imagination”

The next day, serious discussions were taking place at the emergency meeting.

A higher demonic spirit had appeared in the Anhyang region.

That was the only explanation, but everyone present knew the weight of that short sentence.

A lower demonic spirit can be subdued by an adult male with a weapon.

An intermediate demonic spirit requires professional demonic spirit hunters and some effort to subdue.

But from a higher demonic spirit onward, an army is necessary. This was because a single higher demonic spirit brought along dozens of intermediate demonic spirits.

And those dozens of intermediate demonic spirits, in turn, commanded dozens of lower demonic spirits. Those who witnessed regions visited by a higher demonic spirit often recalled the horrific scenes as if they had glimpsed a piece of hell.

Demonic spirits emerging suddenly from eerie mists to cause chaos was a common occurrence, but a higher demonic spirit was such a huge disaster that each one was recorded in history books.

They were considered major natural disasters, like typhoons, droughts, or earthquakes, that claimed countless lives.

It was said that heroes are born in troubled times.

Those who killed higher demonic spirits were all recognized for their abilities and left their names in history, but the path walked by such a hero was littered with thousands of fallen soldiers who were drenched in blood.

A higher demonic spirit was that kind of being.

“This is a situation where we need to dispatch as many soldiers as possible. Twenty thousand soldiers from the Truth Insight Hall should be sent to the Anhyang region.”

“General Seong Sa Wook who is performing command duties on the outskirts of the imperial capital has been summoned to the palace. When General Seong Sa Wook arrives, it would be better to entrust him with the command.”

Chief Councilor In Seon Rok directly advised Emperor Woon Sung.

Even though Cheongdo was a powerful empire that had conquered the continent, there were not many generals with experience commanding tens of thousands of troops. Most of them were either inspecting the borders or managing standing armies at their garrisons, so it was difficult for them to even see the Emperor’s face.

The Minister of War stood up and bowed his head.

“Your Majesty, General Seong Sa Wook is indeed experienced and skilled, but he has grown old and not be able to handle such a long-distance dispatch. Furthermore, He has been entrusted with the important task of protecting the imperial family, so he cannot be easily sent out of the palace.”

General Seong Sa Wook had already become an indispensable figure within Cheongdo Palace.

He commanded almost all the military officers in Cheongdo Palace and played a direct role in maintaining the Emperor’s authority.

“Moreover, this dispatch is not against enemy soldiers but against demonic spirits… It would be wise to entrust the command to someone with a proven track record of subduing demonic spirits.”

“Minister of War, do you have someone in mind?”

“Vice General Jeong Seo Tae has extensive experience in subduing demonic spirits. It would be best to give him the command and order him to exterminate the higher demonic spirit.”

Vice General Jeong Seo Tae.

By now, there was no one in Cheongdo Palace who did not know his name.

He had patrolled the entire northern border region of Cheongdo Palace and trampled on every intermediate demonic spirit he saw.

Among the people of the border region, the name General Jeong Seo Tae was spoken of more highly than the Emperor himself. His reputation had become so formidable that even Emperor Woon Sung had to take notice of him.

Vice General Jeong Seo Tae’s momentum is sky-high. If he also exterminates the higher demonic spirit, there will truly be no military officer within Cheongdo Palace who can match him.

Emperor Woon rested his chin in his hand and fell into deep thought.

While it was a blessing for his subordinate general to achieve such military success, he was also concerned that General Jeong Seo Tae’s rising influence might challenge the Emperor’s authority.

Those who sat on the throne always had similar worries.

Those with many things in their arms lived only thinking about how to protect them.

However, this might not be the time to worry about such things.

Still, they say even a rotting fish is better than nothing. As the one who stood at the pinnacle of Cheongdo, he didn’t forget his duty to protect it until the end.

Thousands of people had already died.

Power struggles within the court were important, but reducing the number of dying people was much more important.

To do that, the most efficient way would be to hand over the command to Vice General Jeong Seo Tae.

Since this fact was clear, Emperor Woon Sung had no choice.

“Summon Vice General Jeong Seo Tae to the audience chamber.”

***

“It’s time to dispatch the troops. It looks like another long trip.”

When I returned home, I found Vice General Jeong Seo Tae sitting in the guest room and drinking alcohol.

“…….”

My own boss popping out of nowhere with travel documents in hand, what a dreadful thing to see …!

Was such a thing even possible?

In Cheongdo, it was possible, and for Vice General Jeong Seo Tae, it was possible.

“Wow, Seol Tae Pyeong, your house has really improved. I’m so moved that it’s almost overwhelming.”

“Vice General… what brings you all the way to my humble home?”

“You know that a higher demon appeared in Anhyang, right? I took command of the campaign.”

Vice General Jeong Seo Tae burped loudly and examined the bottle of alcohol the maid had brought. It seemed he liked the taste.

“Anyway, there’s no one worth using as a subordinate. I gave Seol Tae Pyeong a government job to use him, but he’s already been promoted to the position of Bright Moon General and his salary has skyrocketed, making him so expensive that it’s hard to keep him around. Meanwhile, Jang Rae is so focused on raising the standards of the Red Palace warrior that he’s holed up in his office day and night, making it hard to see him.”

“.…..”

“Raising people only ends up benefiting others, never oneself.”

It had already been several years since I started working with Vice General Jeong Seo Tae.

In truth, even though he said that, the position of vice general was extremely busy.

It was easy to wonder how someone who spent all his time drinking could work, but Vice General Jeong Seo Tae was undoubtedly extraordinary.

“Seeing the state of the Hwalseong District, it seems impossible to take Seol Tae Pyeong on this campaign.”

A general needed many skills, including wisdom, virtue, and physical strength, to be respected among the martial officers of Cheongdo Palace.

However, Vice General Jeong Seo Tae had reached his position purely through martial strength.

His methods of managing people and surviving the treacherous politics of Cheongdo Palace were skills he developed after becoming a general.

He was famous for being a madman who drank the Bitter Harmony Poison four times.

The Bitter Harmony Poison, which was said to confer extraordinary abilities after a single drink, killed nine out of ten people who consumed it.

However, when he was a young man, he decided that he could handle it and took three more rounds of the poison.

Had his elderly mother not tearfully stopped him when he insisted on taking it ten more times, he would have continued until his death.

Such was his confidence in his abilities and heroic nature.

“It seems that the Inbong clan brought in a lot of their people, and your subordinates haven’t even settled properly yet. I can already foresee how chaotic Hwalseong District will become if you leave now.”

“You’ve been keeping track of my recent progress.”

“Your actions are always so noisy. Anyway, there are only shady schemers without any foundation, and I don’t like it. Tsk… burp.”

Vice General Jeong Seo Tae was a man entirely devoid of any sense of dignity.

He burped loudly with his rough voice and spoke as if regretting something.

“Well, there’s nothing to be done about it. Anyway, their heads have gotten too big. I’ll have to find someone decent, give them a proper title, and work them hard. Seol Tae Pyeong is too far gone. Tsk.”

“General Jeong.”

He scratched between his toes crudely and then sniffed his fingertips.

One might think there would be a limit to his lack of dignity, but after decades of living this way, the people in Cheongdo Palace had come to understand something.

At this point, even this tenacity should be considered an innate talent.

“…Are you afraid?”

When I spoke those words all of a sudden, silence fell over the room.

The face of adjutant Bi Cheon who was observing the situation from behind me turned pale.

It seemed he couldn’t believe that I would speak this way to General Jeong Seo Tae who was known as a madman among the high officials of the palace.

Vice General Jeong Seo Tae had a strong sense of pride, and if anyone dared to look down on him, he would flip the table and rush out to grab them by the collar and throw them down.

His mad dog-like nature which made him act recklessly and without thinking was a critical flaw for someone in a general’s position, but Jeong Seo Tae’s martial strength was too exceptional for him to be denied the rank of general.

When General Jeong Seo Tae’s eyebrows furrowed, not only adjutant Bi Cheon but also the surrounding maids swallowed dryly.

“.…..”

However, I had spent years at the border by his side, cutting down demonic spirits and taking care of the aftermath. I knew better than anyone what kind of person Vice General Jeong Seo Tae was.

“Yes, I am afraid.”

It was the same thought that crossed my mind when I watched Vermilion Princess In Ha Yeon tremble on the platform.

There were truly many brave people in the world.

And courage does not mean running wild like a mad dog without knowing fear.

Even if you are afraid, you just do it.

Vice General Jeong Seo Tae was renowned as a man who knew no fear, but the reason he was truly courageous was not because he didn’t know fear.

Rather, he was someone who understood fear better than anyone else.

Having a reputation as a mad dog or a lunatic might simply be a means to hide that fear.

The plague demonic spirit which was said to be as large as a mountain.

How many of the renowned warriors in the history of Cheongdo Palace had been killed by that plague demonic spirit?

“Well, what does it matter if you’re afraid? If you’re told to do it, you just do it.”

Seeing him chuckle and drink like that, it seemed this wasn’t the first time he had faced such a question.

“It’s all about saving lives, isn’t it?”

***

“Vice General Jeong Seo Tae will die during this demonic spirit campaign.”

The sight of the Heavenly Jade Pavilion’s waterfall remained unchanged throughout the years.

Since the rampage of the moon demonic spirit, security has tightened around the palace, but as long as I held the Heavenly Dragon Hall Tablet, there didn’t seem to be any significant issues for me to enter.

As usual, I visited the palace to discuss how to bring Seol Ran out of the Crown Prince’s palace.

And Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun casually mentioned this in passing.

Vice General Jeong Seo Tae will die during the higher demonic spirit campaign.

If Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun said so, it should be true.

“…General Jeong…?”

“…Even if we try to stop him by any means, Vice General Jeong Seo Tae will lead the subjugation forces to Anhyang.”

“……”

“I’ve already done everything I could. I thought Vice General Jeong Seo Tae would be a great help to your future, so I tried to save him somehow.”

I could roughly guess what she was trying to say.

Once he decided on something, Vice General Jeong Seo Tae would go on the expedition even if the Heavenly Maiden appeared to stop him.

He’s not someone who could be swayed by mere words.

“Vice General Jeong Seo Tae… will surely die…”

“Is that so…”

“Yes. I didn’t want to tell you this news too early since it wouldn’t bring you any joy.”

“……”

The always cheerful Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun took a look at my face to see my reaction; she rarely did such a thing. She didn’t seem to be in a good mood either.

“As you know, ever since he became a general, he’s spoken up on behalf of the Heavenly Dragon Hall quite often. When I first entered the Heavenly Dragon Hall and couldn’t tell right from wrong, I had a lot of political debts.”

“…Is that so?”

“Yes… That’s why I tried various methods, but the Vice General never listens to anyone. It’s probably that stubborn nature that got him to where he is in the first place …”

He was a man who rose to the rank of general purely through strength and determination.

I knew he was different from the start, but I never thought he would die in vain like that.

“Tae Pyeong-ah. Actually, that’s not the only important thing. The fact that a higher demonic spirit is about to appear means that other special demonic spirits are also likely to appear in Cheongdo Palace.”

“…It hasn’t been that long since we dealt with the rampage of the moon demonic spirit.”

“As far as I know, along with the higher demonic spirit incident in Anhyang, there will also be great chaos within Cheongdo Palace.”

Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun looked down at her teacup and spoke with a wistful look on her face.

Her voice seemed very heavy.

“Sun demonic spirit Pyeong Ryang.” (TN: Pyeong Ryang means fair measure.)

I see. I understood why Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun’s voice was heavy.

Sun demonic spirit Pyeong Ryang. After hearing that name, there was no need for further explanation.

General Pyeong Ryang was a nickname Jeong Seo Tae received when he was managing the fiefdom called Anhwa District.

Whether it was collecting taxes or recruiting soldiers…

Whatever he did, he handled it quickly and fairly without overcomplicating things.

It was a nickname that reflected his straightforward nature.

Jeong Seo Tae, a hero born in troubled times.

He was the one who held the position of the sun demonic spirit.

“He has swallowed the Bitter Harmony Poison four times. He must be intoxicated with demonic energy, so if he appears in the palace, he’ll probably just go around destroying a few buildings.”

“.……”

“Tae Pyeong-ah.”

Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun generally didn’t worry about me when it came to strength and battles.

If she ever did worry about me, it was truly a time to be cautious.

“This time…. really… you really can’t let your guard down…”

The gravity of the situation was evident on Heavenly Maiden Ah Hyun’s face as she lowered her head.