Rumor

Gusan and Nochil were the Border Guard commanders responsible for the Fourth and Fifth Forts of the Cheonyu Empire, respectively. The area where the forts had been built was called Reed Village, a place well suited for farming thanks to its vast plains and abundant water sources.

Magical beasts rarely appeared there, and the only real concern was that nomads might attempt to cross the river if it froze in winter. However, unless the barbarians first brought down the Third Fort guarded by Yoo Hyun, they risked being surrounded from both sides by troops dispatched from Pamagok, so the area had never suffered any major losses.

"Brother Nochil, now that you mention it, what about that fellow Yoo Hyun?"

"Hmm? You mean the Border Guard commander who claims to be Jang Mu's younger brother?"

"Younger brother, my foot! He was actually a convict soldier, but he fooled the central officials."

"Is that so?"

"Absolutely! Anyway, it's been awfully quiet since my little brother gave him a beating a few years ago. Have you heard anything about him?"

Gusan asked while having a woman he had abducted from a nearby village and passed off as a prisoner pour him some warmed liquor. Nochil rubbed his beard and thought for a moment.

"Well... Ah! Come to think of it, I heard from a clerk in charge of disbursements at the military supply office that the amount of food requisitioned by the Third Fort has definitely gone down."

"Heh heh, looks like my little brother's stern warning really did the trick."

Nochil had not been there, but he knew that nearly half of the Border Guard commanders along the frontier had visited Yoo Hyun to warn him. The more favorably Yoo Hyun treated prisoners, the more discontent grew among the convict soldiers assigned to their forts, so from Nochil's perspective, it was not a bad outcome.

There was just one thing that bothered him.

"Didn't you say they trampled the farmland?"

"They did. I wanted to burn it all down, but that would've made things worse, wouldn't it?"

"Then where did they get enough food to survive that winter?"

This was not an age with chemical fertilizer. The harsh climate only made matters worse, and even if they devoted themselves entirely to farming, restoring the ruined fields would have taken at least three years.

All the reeds along the riverbank visible beyond the fort had withered, clad in yellow. How had they endured such frostbiting cold for so long without any food?

Unlike Nochil, who was troubled by the question, Gusan calmly began undressing the woman.

"Brother, you think too much. Didn't they simply reduce the number of mouths to feed?"

"Hmm, true. That is the most natural explanation."

With food in short supply and no way to request aid for fear of the other forts' disapproval, the outcome was obvious. Most of the prisoners had probably been unable to withstand the cold and starvation and crossed the Three Paths River.

With the agricultural knowledge he had acquired, Nochil could think of no other answer, so he reached that conclusion.

"Anyway, it's fortunate that Yoo Hyun has fallen."

"Why?"

"Because big changes will soon come here too."

The five-year Great Upheaval had ended, and a new Celestial Emperor had taken hold of the imperial seal. The new ruler was, contrary to everyone's expectations, an illegitimate child of the late Celestial Emperor.

The new Celestial Emperor's political footing was extremely unstable, so the actions he would take to stabilize the chaotic political situation were obvious. One of them would be to conquer the barbarians' lands.

"Unlike the warlords near the capital or the powerful local clans, there is no noteworthy power holder along the frontier where the thirteen forts stand. There are only prisoners and magical beasts in abundance."

"What does that have to do with Yoo Hyun?"

"You ignorant lout! From the new Celestial Emperor's standpoint, this expedition must succeed. Who do you think he'll bestow the command on?"

If all the forts along the frontier were integrated into a single military formation, someone would be needed to command them. A famous general from the capital might be dispatched, but most of them had died during the upheaval. The remaining warlords were not part of the Celestial Emperor's political base, so opposition to the expedition was far louder than support.

What if the Celestial Emperor forced the expedition through while handing an army to one of them? There was a not-insignificant chance that something terrible could happen to him.

The commander-in-chief might suddenly make a momentous decision near the frontier, turn his standard around, and march straight for the capital. He could overthrow the country and even give it a new name.

Such things had occasionally happened throughout the long history before the former empire was founded.

"In the end, the one among us who earns the most military merit will be granted a higher position to command the Border Guard commanders. If only to disperse the power concentrated among the old clans."

"I see."

"Rumor has it that the position will be Grand Marshal of Military Forces."

"Gasp!?"

Officially, the position was Grand Marshal of Military Forces. But in common parlance, its holder was called the Great General.

Alongside the Celestial Emperor, ruler of the Cheonyu Empire, and the commander of the Imperial Guard protecting Cheondo, the capital where he resided, it was one of the highest military posts in the empire.

The holder possessed absurd authority: overseeing cultivation of the frontier's lands and tax collection, handling all manner of ceremonies, and even conducting independent diplomacy with the barbarians beyond the Central Plains. The position had been granted only twice in the empire's history of more than five hundred years, and both appointees had been famous generals whose names remained in history. It was hardly suited to the current era, but nothing else could compare to its appeal.

"Huh, heh heh! I see. If we left things as they were, some ridiculous fellow might have ended up wearing that hat!"

"Exactly. I hear the forces they've gathered are quite large."

Gusan coughed repeatedly as his wishful thinking ran wild. In his imagination, he was already standing atop the wall in a splendid robe and official cap, commanding a great army.

"That's all ancient history now. Wait, this is no time for that. Does this mean we'll soon be going out to crush the barbarians? We need to train the guards."

Though they were called convict soldiers, they could revolt at any moment, so Gusan never let the prisoners handle weapons. Instead, he had the soldiers guard the fort.

The rusted weapons needed to be repaired, and the warhorses inspected. Even though he had only just been enjoying himself at his banquet, all the things that needed to be done at once became hopelessly tangled in his mind and spilled from his mouth.

"First, we should request increased supplies from the military supply office. Once the other commanders hear this news, they'll all rush to secure provisions, so we need to get there first..."

"We've got trouble!"

Just then, a soldier hurriedly opened the paper-paneled door and shouted.

"What is it?"

"M-magical beasts have appeared in Reed Village! Two of them!"

"Why are you making such a fuss over a mere two magical beasts!?"

But when they actually went out to face them, they were not magical beasts that could be called mere. Two enormous snakes were rampaging in every direction.

Every time one of their tails lashed out, pieces of soldiers' bodies, turned to stone, broke off and showered the ground. Gusan and Nochil, their faces drained of color, shouted at the soldiers.

"Q-quick, request reinforcements from a nearby fort!"

"Which one!?"

"The nearest... the T-Third Fort! Send a mounted messenger to Yoo Hyun's place! Hurry!"

*

"General Yoo Hyun."

"Hmm?"

"A courier has arrived at the Pamagok relay station. It seems Gusan and Nochil sent a messenger."

"The other forts are doing the same. They're sending requests for reinforcements all at once."

Park Gyu must be handling things well with the kids. I rose to my feet, letting the cold wind wash over me.

They say a gentleman's revenge is never late, even after ten years. I was a petty man, so five years had felt like an eternity.

It had already been that long since a third-grade magical beast called a Petrifying Serpent—a snake resembling a basilisk—had appeared in Pamagok. The last report I had heard said that two snakes that appeared to be hatchlings had shown up outside the fort not long ago.

Unlike back then, most of my subordinates now knew how to wield battle aura, so there was no need to worry. Together with Park Gyu, I called for the man who could be considered my left-hand man.

"Chunsik."

"General. My name is Joun. It means 'the dragon who guards the clouds,' and it was given to me personally by the madam of our Yoo clan, the guardian of Unjungseong. After taking me in when I was an orphan, she had me pay my respects every day without fail, and even after I came to Pamagok, I bowed toward Unjungseong every morning..."

"Yes, Chunsik. Go fetch Yeonri."

"Tsk, understood."

What are you talking about? As long as you're under me, you're Chunsik.

I did not know who his former master was, but despite all the time that had passed, he still wanted to go back, which showed how deeply loyal he was. The kid was handsome, reliable, and, most importantly, a former champion of the martial tournament who had learned battle aura faster than anyone else. That made me want him even more.

By the time I had spent about an hour devising a way to add another thirty years to Chunsik's sentence, Chunsik returned with Yeonri riding behind him.

"Did you call, Lord Yoo Hyun?"

"I heard a courier arrived."

"I'll check the crow we left at the relay station."

The fastest way for the forts to communicate was by sending someone riding a horse. But it generally took several days, and the place where the three of us were was quite far from Pamagok, so it would not have been strange for a single exchange to take twice that long.

But when Yeonri dismounted and lightly closed and opened her eyes, she immediately received word of the situation at the relay station. It was thanks to the battle aura she had mastered.

"How did you learn to do that, anyway?"

"I worked hard."

"I don't think this is something hard work can accomplish."

The only explanation I could think of was that, for several years, she had diligently taken my laundry from the other servants. Had she absorbed the qi soaked into my sweat? She never told me herself.

"......After hearing the news from Deputy Commander Chunsik, I also sent a nearby crow to the relay station at the Fourth Fort. Shall I relay the message immediately?"

"Yes."

I did not know how Yeonri had awakened her battle aura, but her ability was a tremendous help, allowing me to leave Pamagok. It was the power to control small creatures.

By sharing the five senses of a crow stationed at the relay station, she could instantly grasp the situation in a distant location. She could even communicate directly, making it an utterly absurd ability.

The one drawback was that she had to lend me her mouth and ears in order to converse. Standing on tiptoe, she bent down and whispered into my lowered ear.

'General Yoo Hyun, isn't it about time you found a bride?'

If Yeonri herself told a lie or made something up, there was no way to determine whether it was true. Of course, this was a lie.

"Don't fool around."

"I'm sorry. I committed grave disloyalty, so I'll gladly accept a hundred-year extension to my sentence."

"No."

The Chunsik I wanted to keep at my side was becoming a free man with every passing day, while someone else seemed ready to follow me all the way to the grave. Ever since I had beaten the basilisk to death, even the number of digits in the sentence extensions she announced aloud had changed. Naturally, I never actually recorded any of it.

"Let me say it again."

Knowing that I would not humor her twice, Yeonri properly conveyed the situation at the Fourth Fort this time.

It was a voice as tranquil as a quiet lake, yet it produced a captivating tone whenever the ripples created by her breath mingled. But after a little mental adjustment, it began to sound like Nochil and Gusan's voices.

'I say, General Yoo Hyun! Can you hear me?'

'We requested reinforcements, so why did you suddenly send a crow!? What in the world are you doing!?'