Return of The Mount Hua – Chapter 511. It's really nice to meet you. (1)
Editor: Hoamzz
Co-Translator: Xoxo
Gulp.
The dry saliva just went away.
The fingertips, which had been chilled by tension, were almost numb from trembling. He has already given up on calming the pounding heart.
All he wanted was for his voice not to tremble too much when he opened his mouth.
"Bishop."
The servant raised his head slowly, very slowly, and looked at the Bishop's feet.
The Bishop's feet and worn-out chair legs were visible.
It was an infinitely shabby chair for a person with the supreme status of a Bishop to sit on.
The reverent feeling that he could not dare to enjoy comfort himself because of the Heavenly Demon was reflected. What that chair usually conveys to him was a firm belief and faith.
But now, fear comes closer than faith. Who can understand the feelings of a person who has to report failure to a person who is so harsh to himself?
"The- There's a problem."
"… Problem?"
The Bishop's feet moved slightly.
Despite the subtle reaction, the servant immediately lowered his head as if he had burned himself.
"That's... right.”
"Tell me."
At first glance, it sounds calm, but the voice weighed on the person endlessly. The servant made the report as calmly as possible.
"The Ice Clan has collapsed.”
No answer was heard..
Nevertheless, the servant continued to report immediately.
"Those who followed the former Clan Leader of the Ice Clan rallied their power and invaded the Ice Clan fortress. Seol Chonsang’s head was cut off, and the Elder of the Ice Clan, who was ousted in the past, took control of the Ice Clan with Seol So-baek, the son of the former Clan Leader. It just happened yesterday."
The servant who finished the report swallowed dry saliva.
There was no response again this time.
Not even a simple response was heard. The heavy silence weighed down the servant's back.
After a long wait, a low voice leaked out.
"So……."
"Yes, Bishop."
"What happened to the Ice Crystal?"
The servant lifted his head reflexively. However, the moment he faced the Bishop's indifferent eyes, he quickly returned to his position.
"The- The Ice Crystal...….”
The servant paused his speech for a moment, trying to hide his trembling voice.
"I've checked the Ice Crystal mines, but they don't have any more Ice Crystal in it. It seems that the person who had previously visited the mine and freed those who had been imprisoned there swept away all the remaining Ice Crystal.”
“…….”
Silence.
After a brief silence, a low voice was heard.
"Who was it?"
“… … They are probably from Jungwon."
"Jungwon?"
"Yes, that……… They came into the North Sea the other day…….”
The Bishop's eyes darkened and sank.
“The filthy Jungwon people are stopping us all the way to the end.”
Seueuk.
The sound of lightly brushing down the beard stuck in the servant’s heart like a dagger.
But the response was a little different from what he thought.
"It was a mistake to leave all this to someone like Seol Chonsang. If there's anything you really need to do, you should have done it yourself."
The words brought the Bishop to his feet.
"Guide me to them."
"Bi- Bishop!"
The bewildered servant plunged his head into the ground.
"I made this happen because my subordinate was incompetent. Give me one more chance! I'll be sure to retrieve the Ice Crystal."
"That's ridiculous."
But the return was a cold response.
“It’s a grand event we’ve been waiting for a hundred years. If I'm pointing my finger here even though it has already gone wrong, what shame would I have when facing the Heavenly Demon who will be resurrected? Lead the way!"
Kuung!
The servant banged his head on the ground again.
“Please think of your body! Don't forget the grand scheme of a hundred years! If the Bishop were to be hurt by this trivial matter, the Cult's earnest wish would be in vain! I dare say, please don't forget why we came all the way here."
The Bishop clenched his teeth.
As if to suppress his anger, his fingertips trembled slightly as he brushed his chest.
"Go."
"Yes!"
"Lead the force and retrieve the Ice Crystals. Let those who resist have their heart ripped off them and sprinkle their blood to repay their sin."
"Understood! Heavenly Demon Advent, Blessing for All Demon!"
The servant, who jumped to his feet, ran out.
The Bishop watching his back filled with determination and slowly sat in his chair again. His brow, as he clutched his chest, was frowned.
"Jungwon people……"
The mere mention of Jungwon caused a surge of anger.
That day.
The memory of that day, when Magyo lost its sky, lingered in his mind.
Not long after the former bishop was martyred during the war and he took over the position, he was still too young. And what happened that day was too terrible for him as a child.
A hundred years had already passed, but he still couldn't get out of sight of that day.
But…….
But soon...….
"The flame of unbroken faith will burn you with fear."
There was madness in his eyes.
* * *
Chung Myung looked at Seol So-baek with gloomy eyes.
Then he smiled bitterly and opened his mouth.
"Position will eat away people."
Seol So-baek also faced him with a slightly awkward face.
The large chair where the Clan Leader sat was magnificent, decorated with white bear fur and colorful jewels. Therefore, Seol So-baek sitting there looked even more awkward.
It's still too much for a boy to sit on.
‘It seems like he’s going along with the situation right now.’
Regardless of his will, he ended up sitting in the Clan Leader throne, which in fact would not be a good result for Seol So-baek. At least in Chung Myung's opinion.
"Ehum."
Standing by Seol So-baek, Yosa Hon looked at Chung Myung with a look of great pleasure. His eyes were filled with tenderness and caution at the same time.
Yosa Hon, who previously called them benefactors, did not lose his manners, but now he maintains a respectful attitude that cannot be compared to that of that time.
But why not?
Chung Myung jumped into the enemy camp alone, slit Seol Chonsang's throat, and ended the war. Of course, those led by Yosa Hon did their part in the process, and the other disciples of Mount Hua did their best, but without Chung Myung, they would never have won with this sacrifice alone.
'No, we couldn't have won in the first place.’
When the Ice Clan people didn't respond to him, victory and defeat were already decided. But that young warrior from Jungwon turned the result upside down alone.
It was worth respecting as a martial artist, and it was inevitable to respect him as a people of the North Sea.
Yosa Hon spoke with full respect at Chung Myung.
"So, are you feeling well?"
"Do I look all right? Do you have bad eyesight?"
“…….”
Yosa Hon's respect was slightly diminished.
"……You must have a lot of injuries."
"Elder-nim looks fine."
“…….”
Yosa Hon's respect was diminished a little more.
"Don’t say it, don’t. A man from far away fights with a sword stabbed in his stomach, but how come all yangban fights to get his house back are fine? Oh my gosh. How can you able to stand there with such an aching bone?"
"…………."
Yosa Hon's face flushed red.
He didn't mean to be envious, but as a result, he couldn't refute that. Anyway, Yosa Hon is actually fine without any injuries.
He had a shameful thought of pushing through his bruised wounds due to the tension, but he quietly covered it up because he felt like he would not be able to save himself even if he opened his mouth clumsily.
"That……."
"And!"
Chung Myung shouted and distorted his face as if he hadn't finished what he had to say.
"People should have a conscience! If someone were injured while fighting for them, you should bring a doctor from anywhere you can, but why do you leave me like this to do the treatment myself? Nothing else? Treatment?”
‘No, you guys said you’ll do it yourself, so.….’
He had as much to say. But Yosa Hon couldn't bring up anything. Because he also has a sense of shame.
"If you don't think you can heal me, you should at least give me some pills! That's how people live! Hng, the North Sea I know isn't this bad, this...….”
"Ah, Father."
As the grumbling continued throughout, Seol So-baek opened his mouth with a slightly fed-up face. Han Yi-myung quickly corrected the words of the young Clan Leader.
"You must call me General Han, Clan Leader-nim."
"Yes, General Han. Do we happen to have any pills left in the Ice Clan?"
"……There is one we have recovered from Seol Chonsang's place."
"Gi- Give him one quickly."
“…….”
"Come on."
"I'll have my men bring it."
Chung Myung smiled with a full cat-like relaxed face.
“No, what. I didn't mean to ask for it, I’m just saying ......… I'm a little embarrassed if you come out like this."
Yosa Hon's eyes twitched.
‘Just saying it?’
‘When you look like going to come running with a sword if we don’t give you one?’
But before he could say anything, Mount Hua's disciples beat him first.
"Wow, look at our Chung Myung. He's smart, too."
"Sure, sure. You have to get what you need. You must be hurt.”
"Smart."
Baek Cheon looked back at them with a bewildered face. But they raised their chin with a rather brazen face.
“…….”
Baek Cheon turned his head weakly.
'It’s hopeless.’.
It's all gone.
Whether or not he knew Baek Cheon's desperation, Chung Myung only looked at Seol So-baek in a nonchalant manner.
"What do you think?"
The young Clan Leader seemed a little perplexed by the sudden question.
"How do you feel sitting there?"
After Chung Myung ask him once again, Seol So-baek nodded quickly and swallowed his dry saliva.
"I don't know yet. I've had a lot of trouble."
Chung Myung grinned.
"Yeah, I guess so.”
But as he was about to say something more, he shook his head.
"Well, that's fine. So…."
Then he turned to Yosa Hon, who stood next to Seol So-baek.
"When are you going to leave?”
"Leave? What do you mean?"
"I don't think you're asking because you don't know?"
When Chung Myung questioned him with his eyes, Yosa Hon hesitated a little, but then cried out as if he understood.
"Aah, that's what you mean."
"Yes, the Demonic Cult (Magyo)."
Chung Myung's voice, which brought out the word 'Demonic Cult, was somehow gloomy.
"I don't think we have time to dilly-dally, shouldn't we get started?”
“Um, yes. But……."
A slightly troubled expression crossed Yosa Hon's face.
"Hey, Dojang. I don't know if you are aware of this, but Magyo isn't such a pushover."
"I know."
He knows very well. It's a problem since he knows it too damn well.
"And we used up all our energy to fight the war. They aren’t an easy opponent we can't beat with all our might.”
"I know that."
In response to Chung Myung’s short reply, Yosa Hon slipped off with an awkward face.
"That's why...… Why don't you go back to Jungwon and lead the reinforcements while we're holding on? Then, wouldn't it be possible to wipe out those evil of the Demonic Cult for sure?”
Chung Myung, who was looking at Yosa Hon's face quietly, grinned. Then he turned to Seol So-baek.
"Did you hear that?"
"…Yes?"
"This is the people around you right now."
His voice grew colder and colder.
"The North Sea suffered not because of Seol Chonsang. It’s because they lived like this. Keep that in mind."
A chill began to swirl in the Clan Leader's room as if everything would be frozen at any moment.
|note
Become one of my Patreon for access to 61 advance chapters. I update at least one chapter a day on there. But I could also skip a day when things on my side became hectic. There will be a mass release at end of the month, probably. Mass release IS ON the web, not Patreon. NOTE: PATREON is a recurring subscription at every start of the month.
They never take action for themselves. They're constantly waiting for others to do the work for them. They don't want to risk failure, and they're unable to do anything themselves. Even the miners had this problem-- they had given up on seeking for their own victory. And the people in the villages-- they had given up on doing anything on their own. Everyone here is waiting for "the right opportunity" to fall into their lap instead of seizing the day by the horns and doing what they need. It's a problem through all ages-- people with ambitious hearts lack the self discipline and succumb to indolence. There's a saying-- "Appetite robs them of will." It's a tragedy to see people, who might have achieved everything or even just anything, waste away. I love how the author shows this view of humanity, too.
Just like Seol Chonsang who ascended to the throne with the help of Magyos, the current elder also wanted to wait for help instead of finding solutions themselves.