Chapter 628
Chapter 628
Chapter 628. The Sword Tomb of Chungyeong Fortress (7)
At that, everyone hurriedly caught their balance and grasped the situation.
“What is going on!” (Royal Guard)
“Why is the Sword Tomb suddenly shaking!” (Royal Guard)
At that, Master Craftsman Cha lay flat and touched the floor as he spoke.
“It seems someone touched something they should not have.” (Cha Geoyi)
He looked around, then stared at one place in horror.
“T-that……!” (Cha Geoyi)
The others followed his gaze and looked that way.
There stood a stone statue carved in the shape of a monster called Bak from mythology.
Bak is considered a guardian spirit that protects the people from war.
Perhaps because of that, it is also called a righteous and honorable monster.
The horn on that Bak’s forehead was made of gold.
And someone was frozen there with his hand on that horn.
“Jang Gal! You stupid bastard!” (Kwon Jik)
Captain Kwon Jik roared at him.
“I clearly told you not to touch anything!” (Kwon Jik)
Good grief, and he calls himself a Royal Guard, yet he is showing off what a novice he is.
Does he not even know that one must not carelessly touch anything in a place like this?
He lacks mental discipline.
In truth, I knew that man would cause trouble.
Miss Seo Hyang had told me before we entered this place.
Even so, I left him be because it could be handled without any real accident.
Drrrrrrr.
The Sword Tomb continued to shake.
“You fool! Take your hand off it at once!” (Kwon Jik)
“Y-yes! Huh, why won’t this come off?” (Jang Gal)
At Captain Kwon Jik’s command, Master Jang Gal hurriedly tried to pull his hand away, but his hand seemed to be stuck fast to the horn and would not come off.
While everyone was unable to move because the Sword Tomb kept shaking, he suddenly began screaming.
“Aaaagh! Save me! It hurts!” (Jang Gal)
At that sight, I quietly let out a sigh.
Bak is a righteous and honorable monster.
In other words, it also means that those who are not righteous or honorable are punished without mercy.
The very fact that he coveted that horn and touched it is proof that he is not righteous.
For now, I, the strongest person here, should move.
And there is another reason I should move.
I kicked off the floor and swiftly ran to Master Jang Gal, then kicked his body with my foot.
“Keuk!” (Jang Gal)
Thwack!
His hand came off the horn, and he slammed into the wall of the Sword Tomb before bouncing off.
“Cough!” (Jang Gal)
Perhaps he had received quite a shock, because he collapsed to the floor and vomited blood.
But thanks to his hand coming off Bak’s horn, the shaking of the Sword Tomb stopped.
“Hoo-!” (Royal Guard)
“Haa…….” (Royal Guard)
Only then did everyone seem to relax, letting out sighs of relief as they sank to the floor.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, we avoided a major accident.” (Kwon Jik)
At Captain Kwon Jik’s thanks, I shook my head.
“I am glad I was able to step forward.” (Eun Seoho)
As I said that, I thought back to Miss Seo Hyang’s words.
“Something terrible will happen because the person called Master Jang Gal touches the horn of the Bak statue. You must forcefully separate him from that horn.” (Seo Hyang)
“I see. Then I will have to kick him cleanly.” (Eun Seoho)
“Please put even my anger into it and kick him with all your strength.” (Seo Hyang)
It seemed Miss Seo Hyang was still holding Master Jang Gal’s harassment in her heart.
I also had feelings about him, so I kicked him very satisfyingly.
“Ugh…….” (Jang Gal)
The Royal Guard Masters approached Master Jang Gal.
“Hey, are you all right?” (Royal Guard)
“Cough! I-I am all ri…… ugh!” (Jang Gal)
“Oh no! It seems his ribs are broken.” (Royal Guard)
“It seems we should send him out and have him treated.” (Royal Guard)
“I suppose we must.” (Royal Guard)
At that moment, I gently cut in.
“It seems I kicked him too hard. I apologize.” (Eun Seoho)
“Not at all! Not at all!” (Royal Guard)
“Would you have done it on purpose?” (Royal Guard)
I did do it on purpose, though…….
“You did it to separate Squad Member Jang from that horn, did you not?” (Royal Guard)
I nodded.
“Yes. I thought everyone would be in danger if I did not get him away from the horn as quickly as possible, so I moved without realizing it.” (Eun Seoho)
“You did well. It is thanks to you that all of us are safe.” (Royal Guard)
“Thank you.” (Royal Guard)
“Even though I injured Master Jang, you praise me like this, so I hardly know what to do with myself.” (Eun Seoho)
“Hoo…….” (Kwon Jik)
Captain Kwon Jik let out a sigh and said,
“It seems Squad Member Jang must leave for outside now. In this state, he cannot carry out the mission……” (Kwon Jik)
That will not do.
“Um…… actually, there is something I prepared. If he wears it, he should have no trouble moving.” (Eun Seoho)
“Hm? You have something prepared?” (Kwon Jik)
“Yes. If he goes outside like this, the Master whose loyalty to His Majesty the Emperor runs so deep will surely feel disappointed. So what do you think about having the Master wear what I prepared?” (Eun Seoho)
“Bring it over once.” (Kwon Jik)
“Yes.” (Eun Seoho)
I brought out the iron breastplate I had prepared.
It was the breastplate I had once made for Brother Jeong Ho when his ribs were broken during the Great Murim Banquet.
And it was also a piping-hot new product that Eunhae Trading Company had released not long ago.
“This is it.” (Eun Seoho)
I explained the breastplate and took a bottle from my robe.
“And this is medicine I carry with me. If he drinks this and wears the breastplate, he should be all right.” (Eun Seoho)
“Understood.” (Kwon Jik)
So this gets used like this too.
That is Geumryeong’s saliva mixed with water.
If one knows, it is a bit like that, but if one does not know, it is medicine.
And since I have to give silver or gold coins to obtain Geumryeong’s saliva, it is by no means cheap medicine.
Master Jang Gal drank it and put on the breastplate.
And after about half a double-hour passed, he spoke with a startled expression.
“I think I am all better! No, I am better.” (Jang Gal)
“Oh! Is that so?” (Royal Guard)
“That is a relief!” (Royal Guard)
“Young Master Eun! Truly, thank you.” (Kwon Jik)
At Captain Kwon Jik’s words, I spoke with an awkward expression.
“Not at all. I am happy I was of help.” (Eun Seoho)
And inwardly, I grinned.
There is a reason I healed Master Jang Gal and even put the breastplate on him.
Because he has to continue exploring the Sword Tomb and then pull the now even heavier cart when we return to Beijing.
If he left because of an injury, that would not happen.
Where do you think you are trying to slack off!
Since he had realized that his own greed had nearly caused something terrible, he likely would not act rashly anymore.
And since injuries like that are common among the Royal Guards, I also took the opportunity to promote Eunhae Trading Company’s product to people who would have many chances to use it.
.
.
.
I opened my eyes.
Since this place was underground, it was impossible to know the exact time.
But I felt as though I had slept for roughly two double-hours, so perhaps it was dawn or morning.
I woke the workers and had them prepare a meal.
“Oh! You woke early.” (Kwon Jik)
“Yes. You woke early as well, Captain.” (Eun Seoho)
Captain Kwon Jik had woken up and was loosening his body, while Master Craftsman Cha was already examining the places we needed to explore next.
“Elder, have you risen? You woke quite early.” (Eun Seoho)
“When one grows old, sleep lessens.” (Cha Geoyi)
Even though Master Craftsman Cha was over sixty, he was showing such initiative.
I too should live more diligently.
* Kkui! Kku! (Geumryeong)
Hm? You will bring Master here if I say things like that?
How could I possibly live more diligently than I already do?
……I had nothing to say.
After the meal ended, the exploration of the Sword Tomb resumed.
How far had we gone like that?
We faced an unexpected situation.
“Is this not the place we passed before?” (Royal Guard)
“Seeing that the traps are dismantled, it seems so.” (Royal Guard)
The atmosphere instantly became grave.
It meant that after exploring the Sword Tomb for more than a day, we had returned to somewhere near the place we had started.
“Has there ever been a case like this during your explorations?” (Kwon Jik)
At Captain Kwon’s question, Master Craftsman Cha nodded.
“There was such a thing in a Sword Tomb I experienced a very long time ago. At that time, only after solving a riddle were we able to enter the true interior of that Sword Tomb.” (Cha Geoyi)
“A riddle?” (Kwon Jik)
“Yes. And making a Sword Tomb this way is extremely rare. It requires considerable time and effort, and that means there is a high possibility that something quite important is hidden here.” (Cha Geoyi)
At those words, I looked over the people.
Eyes burning with desire.
Since he had said something important, they must be imagining precious treasure.
But would that really be the case?
I had asked Geumryeong to tell me if she sensed the smell of anything expensive, but there had still been no news.
“Then where is the question for that riddle?” (Kwon Jik)
“It is inside here.” (Cha Geoyi)
“Inside here?” (Kwon Jik)
“Yes.” (Cha Geoyi)
Master Craftsman Cha continued speaking.
“This space itself is both the riddle and the answer.” (Cha Geoyi)
At that, Captain Kwon explained the situation to everyone.
“……Therefore, from now on, everyone will solve the riddle together. That said, I will not allow anyone to touch things carelessly. You all saw what happened to Squad Member Jang, so you should know.” (Kwon Jik)
At Captain Kwon’s warning, Master Jang Gal’s face reddened.
“Then search for anything that could be considered a riddle.” (Kwon Jik)
“Yes!” (Everyone)
At that, everyone stepped forward and began searching for anything that could be considered a riddle.
In other words, we decided to try using collective intelligence.
I also looked around with the escort warriors and talked with them.
“It is a distance that would not take even half a day if we simply moved through it.” (Myeongjong Warrior)
Half a day, my foot.
It would not even take one double-hour.
“It took a long time because we moved while dismantling traps, after all.” (Eun Seoho)
“By the way, a riddle…… what on earth could it be?” (Myeongjong Warrior)
At Warrior Myeongjong’s words, Warrior Chang Un shook his head with an awkward face.
“I do not really know. I am confident about memorizing things, but I am hopeless at solving riddles.” (Chang Un)
At their words, I gave a small laugh and said,
“There are plenty of experts, so will someone not solve it?” (Eun Seoho)
At my words, Warrior Jin Yu said,
“From what I see, I believe that someone may be you, my liege.” (Jin Yu)
At Warrior Jin Yu’s words, I smiled and said,
“That is not it. This time, I really do not know.” (Eun Seoho)
I asked Warrior Jin Yu,
“Warrior Jin Yu, what do you think about this Sword Tomb?” (Eun Seoho)
“First, I also agree that something quite important was stored here. And when I learned about mechanism formations, I also learned a little about Sword Tombs. After all, Sword Tombs are places where mechanism formations are gathered together.” (Jin Yu)
He continued speaking.
“The reason there are only a few Sword Tombs of this form is because they require that much tremendous obsession.” (Jin Yu)
Hearing that made me truly curious what the purpose of this Sword Tomb was.
At that moment, Warrior Myeongjong asked,
“Did they not say there was another entrance here called a dog hole? Then would it not have been enough to enter through there?” (Myeongjong)
At those words, Warrior Jin Yu shook his head.
“One could think so, but it is not such a simple problem.” (Jin Yu)
“Yes? Why not?” (Myeongjong)
“There is no way they would not have anticipated that intruders would come in through another entrance used by the technicians who completed the construction to leave. They were not fools.” (Jin Yu)
“That is true.” (Myeongjong)
“So even if we enter that way, countless mechanism formations and traps will be spread out before reaching the interior of the Sword Tomb. Or it may be no different from this side.” (Jin Yu)
“Then why did we find the other entrance?” (Myeongjong)
“Because if things go wrong, we must use it to escape.” (Jin Yu)
“I see.” (Myeongjong)
In truth, I had been curious about that point as well, and thanks to him, my question was answered.
I slowly looked around.
Come to think of it, the Bak statues that Master Jang Gal had touched and nearly caused disaster with are visible often.
Their appearances were mostly similar, but the materials varied.
There was not only gold and silver, but even coral.
* Geumryeong, why are you not reacting even after seeing those? (Eun Seoho)
* Kkui? Kku! Kkuikkui! (Geumryeong)
* Hm? Those are all things you cannot eat too? (Eun Seoho)
In other words, does that mean those are all traps too?
Considering that the horn made of gold had been a trap, perhaps Geumryeong was saying she could not eat them because they were traps.
Geumryeong likes money, but she is astonishingly good at distinguishing between money she can eat and money she must not eat.
At that moment, something caught my eye.
It was a Bak horn made of wood.
According to Master Craftsman Cha, this place had been made several hundred years ago.
If that much time had passed, something made of wood would have rotted away.
Especially since Yunnan is an extremely damp region.
But the inside of this Sword Tomb is not damp at all. It is rather dry.
“I think I know something.” (Eun Seoho)
I returned to the original location and looked for Captain Kwon.
He too looked deep in thought.
“What is it?” (Kwon Jik)
“I think I know the riddle.” (Eun Seoho)
“As expected! I thought you would be able to notice it quickly.” (Kwon Jik)
“You flatter me. My guess may be wrong.” (Eun Seoho)
“Let us hear it first.” (Kwon Jik)
Captain Kwon called Master Craftsman Cha, and I told them my thoughts.
“In my opinion, the riddle left in this space seems to be related to those Bak statues.” (Eun Seoho)
“I thought that as well. There are unusually many Bak statues, after all.” (Cha Geoyi)
“Then you must have also noticed that the materials of the statues’ horns are all different.” (Eun Seoho)
“Of course. But I could not tell what kind of question that was, or what kind of clue it was, so I had not mentioned it.” (Cha Geoyi)
“The horn made of wood is the answer.” (Eun Seoho)
“Wood, you say? Why do you think that?” (Cha Geoyi)
I answered with a smile.
“Master Craftsman, did you not think it strange? This place is Yunnan. It is an extremely damp place. Yet this space is dry.” (Eun Seoho)
“Ah…… now that you mention it, that is true.” (Cha Geoyi)
“The reason they paid this much attention to moisture is because wood would rot.” (Eun Seoho)
I continued speaking.
“If it did not matter whether the wood rotted, they would not have deliberately made it this dry.” (Eun Seoho)
Captain Kwon cut in.
“Could it not be because they feared the mechanism formations or traps might not function properly?” (Kwon Jik)
At that, Master Craftsman Cha, who thought for a moment, shook his head.
“The mechanism formations we have encountered so far were ones that would function regardless of high moisture. And there is no way the person who made this Sword Tomb would not have known that.” (Cha Geoyi)
“Then?” (Kwon Jik)
“Yes. Even after thinking about it, I believe Young Master Eun is right.” (Cha Geoyi)
Captain Kwon called the people and explained the situation.
“Thus, we will touch the horn made of wood.” (Kwon Jik)
“I understand that. Then who will do it?” (Royal Guard)
But no one readily stepped forward.
That was only natural, because if things went wrong, there was a chance of being badly injured or dying.
“I will do it.” (Eun Seoho)
I raised my hand and stepped forward.
“Since I gave the opinion, I will do it.” (Eun Seoho)