After the final match ended, all of us began the after-party.
Grandfather rented out an entire large restaurant and opened it so that anyone could come and have a meal.
It was right after spending 20,000 gwan, so you'd think he might begrudge the money.
Sure enough, Grandfather asked me about Eunak.
"Seoha, it really does have value beyond the money, right?"
"Yes, of course. Have you ever lost money by trusting what I said? I'll return more than 20,000 gwan soon."
"Good. You've always done well, so I won't worry."
Grandfather laughed heartily and drained his cup.
"But, Seoha. Trust is hard to build, but it can be shattered in an instant. I'll be watching how you handle this."
He wasn't talking about money alone.
It meant that if you make a promise, you must keep it.
And I was confident.
Eunak.
The mines there still held something tremendous.
"I'll bring you results soon. More than ten times the 20,000 gwan."
"Well, in truth, the price of 20,000 gwan has already been paid."
"Already paid?"
"Look over there."
Grandfather glanced at Sanghyeok as he ate and said,
"As you said, he's a talented child. Live relying on each other and get along well for the rest of your lives."
"Even if you hadn't said so, that was my intention."
As expected, Grandfather had recognized it too.
Through this event, I gained something more valuable than anything else.
Han Sanghyeok, the greatest talent in this land.
During the banquet, countless marriage proposals came pouring in.
But they were cut off at Yoo Hyeonseong's line.
"Hahaha! He's going to be my son-in-law."
"Have you already made an agreement?"
"We haven't formally agreed yet, but it's only a matter of time. Just look at them sticking together."
It was nothing more than Yoo Hyeonseong's bluster, but once other families saw Arin's beauty, they immediately gave up and withdrew.
Honestly, I was grateful.
It meant I didn't have to reject them one by one myself.
And so the celebration ended.
Since Sanghyeok and I were the main figures, people kept handing us drinks from all sides, and we were a little drunk.
After night fell, on the way back to our lodgings,
Sanghyeok and I waited for Jeong Doyun by the riverside where we had last parted from Joo Eunhee.
After waiting anxiously for quite a while, Jeong Doyun emerged from the darkness.
"Joo Eunhee has arrived safely in Hwagang."
At Jeong Doyun's report, Sanghyeok let out a sigh of relief.
"Could you tell her I'll be coming to see her soon?"
"I'll pass it along."
"Thank you."
Jeong Doyun vanished after the brief report, and Sanghyeok collapsed to the ground, staring at the flowing stream.
I sat down beside him and said,
"That's good. Everything worked out."
"It's all thanks to you. Thank you, my friend."
"Don't say embarrassing things. There's something you need to do with me."
"Just say the word."
"We're going to loot the hidden vault in Eunak."
"A vault?"
"Yeah. Why do you think I gave that old man 20,000 gwan? I paid because it was worth that much. There's hidden treasure inside the mine. I'm planning to go find it right away."
"What about the academy?"
"I'll talk to Master Museong and get leave. We can probably be away for about ten days. You can say you're going to inspect your territory, and I'll say I'm checking its condition as part of Cheongsin's investment."
Even without that excuse, if I asked, Kang Museong would let us go.
That's why having backing is good.
It makes things easy.
"Half of whatever treasure comes out of the vault is yours. The other half goes to Cheongsin. I only need one sword inside."
I have no greed for wealth.
Grandfather invested 20,000 gwan, so he needed to profit to some extent—hence half for Cheongsin.
Sanghyeok has to manage that barren land going forward, so he should take the other half.
One sword is enough for me.
The Sun Sword, Cheongwang.
"…Is that really enough for you? You can take it all. Everything can be yours."
"You need to think about the city now too. The city's condition might be worse than expected."
To be honest, I don't know the exact state of Eunak.
Only that it's a poor city.
The hidden vault was discovered when people fleeing from rakshasa and demonic beasts ran into the mine by chance.
But in a situation where they might die the next day, gold and jewels were no different from rocks, so the citizens only took weapons and came out.
Among those countless weapons was the Sun Sword, Cheongwang.
'A legendary sword that amplifies yang energy and burns rakshasa.'
It was a sword I absolutely needed right now.
'In the past, the rakshasa claimed it.'
No matter how good a sword is, if the wielder is a civilian, its power cannot be drawn out.
The one who discovered Cheongwang was a high-ranking warrior of the city guard, but he didn't last long and was killed by the rakshasa.
Then Cheongwang was thrown into the deep sea.
'This time, I'll use it properly.'
I said to Sanghyeok,
"And honestly, that sword is the most expensive item in the vault."
"Alright, alright. If you say so, I'll gratefully accept it."
Sanghyeok dusted off his backside, stood up, and said,
"Ah, wait. You stay seated. There's something I want to do."
"Something you want to do?"
Sanghyeok clicked his tongue and stood in front of me.
"I have to do this while drunk. I can't do it sober."
I had a good idea of what he was about to do.
As if trying to get it over with quickly, Sanghyeok dropped to one knee, bowed his head, and said,
"Han Sanghyeok of the Han Family of Eunak swears from this moment on to serve Lee Seoha of Cheongsin as his elder brother and pledge his life in loyalty."
"Isn't the one you should be loyal to the king of this country?"
"That's loyalty to the country."
Sanghyeok sprang up and smiled awkwardly.
"I think family comes before country. And now you're my only family. Ah, Eunhee noona too."
"I appreciate the sentiment, but I'm not going to be your elder brother."
"Why? Being an elder brother is higher, isn't it?"
"Ugh, I don't want to get older. I've already aged enough. Let's just call it sworn brothers. No older or younger."
"That works for me. Then can I be the older one?"
"…I don't like that either. Let's just be friends."
"You're picky. Anyway, the oath is done, so let's go drink more. You're not drunk, are you?"
"Oh? Are you challenging me? That could end badly for you."
"We should have a second round of the finals. Then let's do this—whoever wins this time is the elder brother."
"Fine. Let's do that."
I watched Sanghyeok walk ahead in high spirits.
Only now did it feel like he was truly living.
Quietly, I looked at both my hands and clenched my fists.
"…I'm doing well. I think I'm doing well."
It was something I wanted to say to myself at least once.
On the last day of Chuseok,
Lee Kangjin shared one final drink with Shin Yucheol and spoke.
"But still, couldn't you do it for me?"
"I am old now. My judgment isn't what it used to be. Rather than me, the next generation must be raised. What will you do if, after you pass away, I also fall ill and die?"
"You don't really think that will happen, do you?"
"It's the 'what if' that kills people."
Shin Yucheol let out a small sigh.
He had two grandsons.
The eldest, clever, rational, and always composed.
The second, who loved martial arts, emotional, and fiery by nature.
They seemed to have inherited Shin Yucheol's strengths between them, but put another way, neither was close to being a perfect king.
"The first, Yumin, barely learned any martial arts, so he doesn't have the support of the young military officers. On the other hand, Taemin is too emotional. He thinks he's the best. He has the makings of a tyrant."
"Then shouldn't you lend your strength to the Crown Prince?"
"I already have. And isn't that why I'm trying to attach you to him more firmly? If you, my former captain of the royal guard, become Yumin's captain, everyone will understand my intentions. Isn't that so?"
"…"
"On top of that, there are rumors going around that your other grandson has been consorting with Taemin, that Cheongsin supports Taemin."
"That is Geonha's individual action alone."
"I know. But what can be done? Geonha will become the next head of the family. It's not entirely wrong. You're too indifferent to politics. At least show the minimum level of interest."
After wetting his throat, Shin Yucheol continued,
"Still, what's fortunate is that your other grandson seems quite smart. As you suggested, then, I'll attach Seoha to Yumin. You have no objections, do you?"
"How could I object, Your Majesty?"
Shin Yucheol smiled.
"I'm looking forward to seeing which one wins. I'd like to live to see it, but that probably won't be possible, will it?"
As long as both grandsons harbored ambition, their clash was inevitable.
"What's entertaining about grandchildren killing each other?"
"I'm not watching because it's entertaining."
Shin Yucheol sighed and said,
"So that I can save the one who loses. If I'm not around, the defeated one's head will roll."
But it was a war that would not begin unless Shin Yucheol died.
Shin Yucheol spoke bitterly,
"…I need to live as long as possible. As long as possible."
It seemed his twilight years would not be peaceful.
Lee Juwon sat before his teacher, eating jujubes.
Having watched the martial tournament in person, he reported the outcome.
"Han Sanghyeok received Eunak. No matter how much he wanted independence, I don't understand why he chose land like that."
"Eunak?"
"Yes. Eunak. Do you know why?"
"I don't know either."
The teacher fell into thought for a moment, then brought out records about Eunak.
Long ago, Eunak had grown into a city after a mine was discovered there.
At the time, Eunak had prospered to the point of being considered Unseong's center.
But it didn't last.
The mines dried up, and it became a city that couldn't even pay taxes.
Even after reviewing the records, the teacher couldn't find anything unusual. After thinking for a bit, he asked,
"Did you watch the match?"
"I did. Both of them were fierce."
"What about the ending?"
"The swords broke, so Lee Seoha lost. Han Sanghyeok's broke too, but since he uses twin swords, he still had one left."
"Is it possible for swords to break at the same time?"
"Huh?"
"I've heard that when one sword breaks, the other usually receives less impact and doesn't break. Even if, by some chance, two wooden swords break at the same time, aren't they martial artists? They would have infused the wooden swords with internal energy. And those broke simultaneously?"
"Now that you mention it, that is strange. If they infused internal energy, one side should have been even slightly sturdier, so only the other should have broken."
"That's exactly it. It was arranged. So that Han Sanghyeok would win."
"Then does that mean Lee Seoha was the one who got Eunak?"
"That would be the case. If Cheongsin asked for Unseong's land directly, it would become a conflict between families, so they put Han Sanghyeok forward. But why Eunak?"
"Because it's easy land?"
"Would they really waste such an opportunity—being able to make a wish to the king—on something so trivial?"
"Then to make Han Sanghyeok their own?"
"If that were the case, it didn't have to be Eunak. There are plenty of better lands."
"Then what is it?"
"I don't know."
"What? You talked like you knew everything."
The teacher smiled faintly.
"But there is something. Has Lee Seoha ever acted without reason until now?"
Top admission to Seongmu Academy.
Defeating the White-Headed Sword Demon.
Defeating Nergal in Hwagang.
And finally, his exploits in the Northern Great Forest.
He moved as if he knew the future.
Insight and decisiveness unfitting for a fifteen-year-old.
And yet he deliberately chose Eunak.
"We need to look into it. We can't always be the ones getting played."
"Do you have anyone to send to Eunak?"
"It's not an operation with a clear objective. If we're simply watching Lee Seoha, combat ability doesn't need to be exceptional."
"But they need to be smart. Able to move on their own depending on the situation."
"Then there's no choice."
After thinking for a moment, Lee Juwon said,
"I'll send Gaeun. Gaeun."
"Yes, Lord."
A woman dropped down from the ceiling.
Tight-fitting clothes with a pink jeogori. Her hair, neatly pinned up with a hairpin, was elegant, and her figure was enough to draw admiration from anyone.
But there was a burn scar above her right eye, and her left eye and cheek were covered in scratches.
Even so, she was beautiful.
Jeon Gaeun knelt on one knee before Lee Juwon and said,
"Did you call for me?"
"From now on, keep watch on Lee Seoha. Absolutely do not overextend yourself—just observe and report the situation. Understood?"
"I will follow your orders."
After Jeon Gaeun disappeared, the teacher looked at Lee Juwon and said,
"Are you sure? There's nothing but death around Lee Seoha."
"Is that so? Still, Gaeun should be fine. And you know it too."
Lee Juwon drank his tea bitterly and continued,
"Is there anyone more suitable?"
"There isn't."
"Right?"
Lee Juwon rose from his seat and left, and the teacher watched him go, thinking,
'I can't tell where this is headed.'
The current that had once been so clear was no longer visible.