“H-he’s alive…”
One of the late awakeners spoke up.
Jeong Suchan, a phase power wielder specialized in detection abilities.
He swallowed dryly while looking at King Gwangjo’s appearance.
“Your Majesty—!”
But before the other late awakeners could say anything else.
Having straightened his attire once, Kim Jungheon opened his mouth in an unprecedentedly respectful voice.
“Thanks to Your Majesty’s grace, the talents who will shoulder Joseon’s future have gathered here! Please look down upon them so they may lead Joseon’s new generation—!”
“Please look down upon them—!”
The nobles who’d entered following Kim Jungheon repeated his words.
Andong Kim, Pungyang Jo, Bannam Park, Dongnae Jeong…
They were the heads of the power clan families who dominated present-day Joseon.
“Additionally, I humbly submit that it would be proper for the Administration to bestow positions upon these late awakeners, raising them as timber to cultivate Joseon in the future!”
Crrreeak. Creeeak.
Along with Kim Jungheon’s words, the mechanical arms installed beside King Gwangjo’s body began moving.
The brush connected to the mechanical device rapidly created an official document and brought it to the arm portion of King Gwangjo’s… corpse.
The mechanical device connected to the corpse’s arm moved King Gwangjo’s hand to grip the royal seal.
The moment the royal seal held in that corpse’s hand stamped the official document, the bizarrely distorted voice of King Gwangjo Yi Cheolheon echoed from the speaker mounted on the head portion.
-Do as you ministers see fit.
Content the king personally sealed and authorized with his royal voice.
With this, what Kim Jungheon said had become a royal command.
“Your grace is immeasurable, Your Majesty!”
“Your grace is immeasurable—!”
Starting with Kim Jungheon shouting in a solemn voice, the heads of the noble families all bowed their heads in unison.
Nobles bowing toward a corpse, and even Kim Hyunwoo and the late awakeners standing in the middle of it all, bowing their heads awkwardly.
He didn’t understand.
From beginning to end.
What exactly he’d just witnessed.
From start to finish, he couldn’t comprehend it.
“This is the secret of this nation called Joseon.”
As palace attendants entered to take away the document stamped with the royal seal.
Looking at the late awakeners who’d frozen, not knowing what to say, Kim Jungheon slowly opened his mouth.
“The Third War of Princes that occurred three hundred years ago. At that time, our family’s ancestors who formed the core of the royal guard successfully suppressed the rebellion Crown Prince Yi Chieon instigated.”
It was content they already knew well.
His Majesty, highly valuing that achievement, proclaimed Lord Kim Sooheon of the Andong Kim clan at the time and his twelve royal guard commanders as the royal family’s protectors.
And the meritorious subjects who became the royal family’s protectors eventually became… what are commonly called the power clans.
“However, in that rebellion, His Majesty… suffered bodily harm and his sacred health weakened.”
But what Kim Jungheon said next was content not recorded in any of Joseon’s history books.
“However, Joseon at the time was in a chaotic period due to monsters, rifts, and the external invasions stemming from them.”
A situation where, if news spread that His Majesty was critically ill, all of Joseon could become endangered.
Therefore.
No.
Using that as an excuse, their predecessor family heads devised a plan.
“Lord Kim Sooheon, who commanded the twelve royal guards at the time, enshrined His Majesty on the throne in Geunjeongjeon Hall, then succeeded in preserving His Majesty’s sacred body by mobilizing all of Joseon’s technology.”
“…!”
“And this is the result. His Majesty has been guarding the throne without dying for three hundred years.”
In an appearance no different from a skeleton.
Having become a mechanical device that could do nothing, merely emitting the royal seal and royal voice.
‘Yoo Arin. The reason the elders stirred the moment that wench appeared was this…!’
Kim Hyunwoo thought.
The reason the power clans could obtain their current authority was because of the status King Gwangjo Yi Cheolheon granted them.
[Protectors of the Royal Family]
Thanks to that title, they’d gained omnipotent power to act on behalf of the king’s commands and could manipulate this nation called Joseon according to their will.
‘But Yoo Arin… that wench who’s of royal bloodline can crack this structure.’
She was the only remaining royal family member in Joseon.
A being possessing King Gwangjo Yi Cheolheon’s blood and his phase power.
What would happen if she grew up and claimed royal authority?
And if she saw His Majesty sitting in Geunjeongjeon Hall in a state no different from a living corpse?
The nobles’ power would collapse.
The entire power structure of this nation called Joseon could be completely overturned.
“Our duty is to preserve His Majesty’s sacred body and make this nation called Joseon prosper forever.”
“…!”
“Remember this fact as well.”
The power clan elders gathered around Kim Jungheon.
The young late awakeners who faced them finally slowly bowed their heads.
Why this event was called a ‘face-to-face meeting.’
Why only an extremely small number even among aristocratic families were allowed to attend.
They’d realized all the reasons.
‘A king who became a living corpse long ago. And the power clans enjoying authority equal to the king while manipulating that king’s body…’
Kim Hyunwoo thought.
Power built on a sandcastle indeed.
‘At this point of killing that wench called Yoo Arin, there will be no descendants of the royal family in this world. However.’
Could this system continue forever?
No. It couldn’t.
Rule continued by relying on a king’s achievements from hundreds of years ago.
This system couldn’t be normal.
Then.
‘Someone must change this system.’
Kim Hyunwoo turned his gaze to look at the family heads waiting for them.
His ambiguous goal became clear at this very moment.
“Old fools.”
Parasites sitting at the top merely eating away at Joseon, with neither qualifications nor ability.
His father chose to coexist with them, but he was different.
He would build his strength.
Build his forces.
Raise his honor so everyone in Joseon would know him.
And when all of that was complete.
When sufficient power and qualifications were given.
“I’ll eliminate every last one from this land.”
Not a single one spared.
“Uuuugh…!”
From the moment I opened the taxi door and got out, wailing sounds came out involuntarily.
Tired.
Really, no joke, insanely tired.
“You’ve returned.”
As I entered the house, Taewoong, my guard, greeted me.
Unlike Mooyoung, all of Taewoong’s artificial body was under the family’s surveillance.
I’d left him standing by at the main house to relay the internal situation.
“It was truly a war-like day.”
“I heard a brief report from Mooyoung. You’ve made many friends, I hear.”
“Right. Very good friends.”
Walking down the corridor toward my personal room, I thought.
First, Yoo Arin and Yoo Sanghyeon.
They now had to return to their home base of Hamgyeong Province while evading the surveillance networks of power clans and various corporations.
It wouldn’t be easy, but I wasn’t particularly worried.
‘It’ll be much smoother than in my past life.’
From what I’d heard in my past life, the Yoo Arin of that time had pushed through that long distance with her bare body alongside the few Hahoe survivors.
Yet they couldn’t catch her and had to watch the rebellion break out, but this time Sanghyeon himself was alive and Hahoe remained intact. It should be much easier.
I recalled the moment I’d parted with Yoo Sanghyeon.
“Thank you.”
“P-pardon?”
Just as we were about to finish our brief farewell and part—
Yoo Sanghyeon had suddenly bowed his head toward me and expressed his gratitude.
“Saving my daughter, and letting me plan for the future… I can’t even gauge how to repay you.”
“Please stop. Why is the Iron Tiger General bowing his head to me?”
“I will definitely promise.”
Despite my protests, Yoo Sanghyeon didn’t raise his head.
He gripped my hand tightly and spoke in a resolute voice.
“Arin… I will raise that child so she can create her own world herself.”
“…”
“And I, Yoo Sanghyeon, and the Iron Tiger Army… will never forget you, who are Arin’s benefactor.”
“…Hah.”
Dying and waking up, I get to see all sorts of scenes.
Not only did Mooyoung, who’d sworn to kill me in my past life, cry and thank me—
That very Iron Tiger General I’d only seen in recorded footage bowed his head to me.
Having said that, Yoo Sanghyeon boarded the vehicle heading to Hamgyeong Province.
“Young Master! Let’s play again later!”
Arin waving her hand at me with a bright smile.
As I waved my hand back, I recalled her appearance from my past life.
Her body covered in the blood of her enemies, burning Hanseong with a venomous expression.
Compared to that appearance mad with revenge, this carefree version was much better.
As Yoo Sanghyeon and Yoo Arin moved to depart…
“Take it.”
Suddenly, Imae mask extended his hand toward me.
“…What’s this?”
What he held in his hand was a ridiculously shaped mask.
Tadpole eyes with round pupils, a button nose with a bluntly cut tip, a twisted protruding mouth.
A mask that seemed to gather every ugly thing with nothing properly formed.
“A Choraengi mask. In mask dances, it commonly plays the role of an aristocratic household’s servant.”
“So what? Should I take it outside and perform on a tightrope?”
“…Scan the code engraved on the back.”
The back… ah, here it is.
The moment the eye scanner activated—
[Biometric information registration complete]
Along with a brief message, numerous letters popped up before my eyes.
“This is…”
“A database we organization members built. Information collected from various regions including Hanseong and the locations of temporary hideouts. I’ve also opened a borrowed-name account, so if you need to spend money secretly, use that.”
So it was a data access device.
But why give this to me?
“Are you telling me to become one of your organization members? Sorry, but I don’t particularly have such plans.”
“Right, you seemed like that.”
Imae mask, showing a regretful expression at my words, spoke slowly.
“That’s why I’m handing over the Choraengi mask. An external collaborator, not a formal agent. This level would be fine, wouldn’t it?”
“Collaborator.”
Collaboration my ass. It’s surveillance.
But as Imae mask said, it wasn’t bad.
‘It would be useful.’
Access to part of the database Hahoe had secured until now, and a dedicated account usable without others’ tracking.
The money Hahoe promised probably would come through this account.
‘Money, information network, and even reliable guards and collaborators. The necessities are roughly gathered.’
Time to start preparing the next plan.
While thinking that—
“Hm?”
Seeing the figure walking from the opposite side, Taewoong immediately showed courtesy.
Kim Hyunwoo.
Seeing he hadn’t removed his ceremonial robes, it seemed just after finishing the face-to-face meeting.
“You’ve been going outside a lot lately—where have you been mixing with lowly things?”
“How unexpected—I didn’t know Young Master would show interest in a lowly thing like me. Is it like that after all?”
“…!”
Why does this bastard deliberately get on people’s nerves?
Wouldn’t it be fine to just pass by quietly?
Thinking that while smirking, Kim Hyunwoo’s expression twisted as usual.
But that was brief.
“…What a foolish bastard.”
Having said that, Kim Hyunwoo passed me with a snicker.
An atmosphere clearly different from usual.
Watching Kim Hyunwoo growing distant like that, I thought.
‘This bastard came back from seeing His Majesty.’
That made sense.
The face-to-face meeting.
This day was simultaneously the day Kim Hyunwoo first tasted defeat and the day his plan took concrete form.
That ill-conceived ambition to destroy King Gwangjo’s body enshrined in Geunjeongjeon Hall and sit on that throne himself.
“Ah, by the way, you.”
While we were about to go our separate ways—
Kim Hyunwoo, who’d stopped me, turned back and spoke.
“Bad rumors are circulating within the household. That a power clan’s child was seen frequenting the lowest level districts.”
“Yes, well.”
Rumor my ass.
It must be information from the informant he’d attached from before.
“What scheme are you plotting?”
“Scheme? Would I plot such ominous things?”
Much less carry out work within your surveillance network.
Having muttered that, I shrugged and spoke.
“Recently, the work I was doing went quite well, so a large sum came in unexpectedly, you see?”
“…?”
“So they say birds of a feather flock together—I thought I’d bestow something on fellow lowly things.”
“Bestow?”
“Yes.”
I smiled slightly and spoke.
“I’m thinking of organizing some charity work.”
“…?”
“Preferably in an interesting direction.”
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