Survival Guide for the Reincarnated - Chapter 287

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Chapter 287
“My true intentions?”
“Yes. Allow me to speak first. Whether Your Highness becomes king or Prince Chin becomes king—frankly, I have no interest in either outcome.”
“….”
“This has nothing to do with the non-aggression pact between the Government and Murim. I simply maintain distance because entanglement with the state brings tedious complications. However, if I must choose someone for the future of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance, I would select Crown Prince Woon-mu.”
“…Continue.”
“Prime Minister An Wi-gwan threatens the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance’s survival by completely refusing dialogue with us. Furthermore, Your Highness views the Prime Minister and Prince Chin’s governance unfavorably. More critically, the threat Prince Chin poses to the Crown Prince’s position is not a distant concern—it looms immediately before us. If, that is to say…”
Seol Woon-hwi leaned forward.
“If I were to kill Prime Minister An Wi-gwan for you, what would you offer me in return?”
The Crown Prince’s brow twitched, as did the brows of the two men standing behind him.
“Kill Prime Minister An Wi-gwan?”
“Yes. Not assassination. I will kill him openly.”
“…What of the two Cheon In-gyeong martial artists who protect him?”
“Irrelevant. I will kill them as well.”
The Crown Prince wiped his face.
So the rumors were true—this man really was insane.
Yet strangely…it was not unpleasant to hear.
If the Crown Prince himself killed the Prime Minister, or if someone close to him did, the situation would become catastrophic.
But if Seol Woon-hwi of the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance killed him…
“Are you asking me to provide an escape route?”
Unexpectedly, Seol Woon-hwi shook his head.
“I will depart the way I came, so no escape route is necessary. What I truly desire is an ‘absolute ally.'”
“…Hmm…”
To the Crown Prince’s silence, Seol Woon-hwi posed a question.
“When do you intend to ascend to the throne?”
The moment those words left his lips, the Crown Prince’s eyes flashed.
Immediately after, Jang Cheol-san’s sword was drawn and leveled at Seol Woon-hwi’s neck.
Everything transpired in an instant, yet strangely, everyone except Seol Woon-hwi appeared shocked.
Because there was not the slightest tremor in Seol Woon-hwi’s pupils, even with a blade at his throat.
“As expected of a master of Limitless Divine Manifestation—you process movement and connection within space all at once.”
“…What?”
“So I ask: have I spoken something I should not have?”
“You know full well what you meant by telling me to ascend to the throne.”
“I understand completely. But allow me to ask instead. If Your Highness does nothing and remains as you are, what do you think will become of the Crown Prince?”
“….”
“I will tell you. The Crown Prince will surely die.”
“…You bastard…”
“Shall I tell you who will kill him?”
Kim Mu-jin moved to intervene, but Seol Woon-hwi spoke first.
“Your uncle, Prince Chin, and the Prime Minister will kill him. Of course, in that process, the lives of these two gentlemen will also be difficult to preserve.”
The two men were about to cry out when it happened.
“Enough.”
At the Crown Prince’s voice, Jang Cheol-san’s head snapped around.
“Your Highness! This man’s rudeness has crossed all bounds….”
“It’s fine.”
“….”
“Since it’s fine, won’t you lower your sword? After all, what he said isn’t entirely wrong, is it?”
Jang Cheol-san, grinding his teeth, lowered his blade.
The Crown Prince smiled bitterly and turned to Seol Woon-hwi.
“Sometimes bold decisions are necessary… is that what you’re trying to say?”
“Something like that.”
Seol Woon-hwi remained serious.
“Of course, overturning the Imperial Court requires resolve beyond mere bold decisions, but at the very least, one major problem must be resolved, must it not?”
“A major problem, you say….”
“I will kill the Prime Minister. Your Highness should use this opportunity to sever the Court’s factions centered around the Prime Minister.”
The Crown Prince let out a hollow laugh.
“Everything sounds good, but ultimately, how is this different from asking me to stand with the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance?”
Unexpectedly, Seol Woon-hwi produced words that defied everyone’s expectations once more.
“It’s different.”
“Hmm?”
“You need not stand with the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance. If you think I’m asking for that in exchange for killing the Prime Minister, that would be a grave misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding?”
“The Nine Gate Society and the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance are destined to clash. In that process, a victor will emerge. Stand with that victor.”
“…You’re confident in victory?”
“I do not fight battles I cannot win.”
At that overwhelming confidence, Kim Mu-jin and Jang Cheol-san exchanged glances for a moment.
This… is quite the specimen.
Seol Woon-hwi continued.
“The Prime Minister currently controls the Court, and Prince Chin possesses legitimacy. But if either one is removed, the balance collapses. And since Your Highness is the rightful heir, once the Prime Minister is eliminated, you will naturally be able to seize control of state affairs.”
The Crown Prince looked at Kim Mu-jin and Jang Cheol-san. He could read agreement in their expressions.
“Please allow me and my companions entry to the Jeong Sa Cheong tomorrow at the beginning of the Hour of the Snake.”
The Jeong Sa Cheong was where the Prime Minister deliberated on state affairs.
The Crown Prince, watching Seol Woon-hwi quietly, spoke with resolve.
“Very well.”
Determination settled into the Crown Prince’s voice.
The Crown Prince rose from his seat.
“We shall meet at the entrance to Gyeongseong tomorrow at the beginning of the Hour of the Snake.”
“Understood.”
* * *
As Crown Prince Woon-mu left the inn, Kim Mu-jin and Jang Cheol-san quietly followed behind.
The three walked in silence for a while.
After they had gone sufficiently far from the inn, Kim Mu-jin carefully opened his mouth.
“Your Highness, do you truly intend to join hands with that man?”
The Crown Prince let out a soft chuckle.
“Join hands? With whom?”
Kim Mu-jin and Jang Cheol-san exchanged glances as they watched the Crown Prince’s meaningful smile.
The two slowly nodded to each other.
“Indeed… Your Highness the Crown Prince. I can already foresee what is to come.”
Admiration tinged Jang Cheol-san’s voice.
Kim Mu-jin also laughed softly and spoke.
“Then we must prepare for tomorrow.”
The Crown Prince gazed up at the night sky.
They say opportunity belongs to those who wait.
He believed that an opportunity to end the tyranny of the Prime Minister and Prince Chin would surely come.
And heaven answered that belief. Had it not come just like this?
“It seems like an interesting day after a long time.”
Preparations had to be made.
‘Everything’ would be decided tomorrow.
* * *
After the Crown Prince’s party had completely disappeared, the door to the private chamber on the third floor of the inn opened again.
Manager Seong, Seo Hyo, and Han Mu-rin entered in sequence.
They had been waiting nearby, having anticipated the Crown Prince’s departure.
Manager Seong was the first to speak.
“How did it go?”
“The conversation went well.”
Seol Woon-hwi, who had paused, set down his teacup and continued.
“Tomorrow, I will kill the Prime Minister.”
Seo Hyo’s expression grew complicated. Something felt off, yet he could not pinpoint exactly what.
Then, the moment he caught sight of Seol Woon-hwi’s fingers holding the teacup, something suddenly came to mind.
“…Supreme Commander.”
At Seo Hyo’s trembling voice, Seol Woon-hwi lifted his head.
“Speak.”
“Does the Crown Prince truly intend to join hands with us?”
Seol Woon-hwi wore a subtle smile.
“Do you think otherwise?”
“…Something feels amiss.”
“Amiss, you say… For instance?”
Unexpectedly, it was Han Mu-rin, not Seo Hyo, who answered that question.
“It was too fast.”
Seol Woon-hwi laughed, and Seo Hyo stared at Han Mu-rin in surprise. The entire sequence of events—sending the letter to the Crown Prince and conducting this secret conversation at the inn—had unfolded like flowing water, so he had not consciously noticed.
All of this was undoubtedly fast. Far too fast.
Han Mu-rin pointed at Seol Woon-hwi’s teacup with his hand.
“More than half remains. Even if Supreme Commander spoke to the Crown Prince about something and discussed all matters concerning the future, it was excessively brief.”
Yet Seol Woon-hwi spoke nonetheless.
That killing Prime Minister An Wi-gwan would proceed as planned.
This was clearly strange.
Seol Woon-hwi leaned back against his chair and asked.
“Think about it from the fundamentals.”
“The fundamentals… sir?”
“How does the Imperial Court of Woon-guk truly regard the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance?”
“…”
“The emergence of groups like the Muk Se-hoe or the Nine Gate Society is a separate matter. This is a question that precedes that—a question of fundamentals. The Heavenly Righteousness Alliance signed a covenant with Woon-guk, dispatched Cheonsu Temple to manage regions within Woon-guk’s territory, and governed those areas alongside officials.”
On the surface, this was an ideal arrangement.
“The dual system where officials managed ordinary commoners and Cheonsu Temple managed martial artists was not a structure that caused the Imperial Court significant losses.”
They mediated conflicts among martial artists, prevented clashes between commoners, and most crucially, those regions achieved great stability.
Yet as time passed, it was inevitable that people began thinking differently.
Was the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance truly necessary?
Did they really need to maintain the dual system by allowing a position like Cheonsu Temple administrator?
This actually weakened the nation’s power. The Imperial Court’s strength should be superior in every way, yet if the Heavenly Righteousness Alliance controlled all practical martial artists, this could become a grave problem later.
So far, they had maintained balance and avoided major conflicts, but would that continue?
Before this balance shattered, wouldn’t it be right to strike the opponent first, absorb their power, and grow stronger?
“The Crown Prince is no fool, but he exposed his true intentions far too easily.”
“…Young Master… then shouldn’t we revise the plan?”
At Manager Seong’s words, Seol Woon-hwi shook his head.
“We must still do what must be done.”
“What do you mean?”
“It means that killing Prime Minister An Wi-gwan is the objective itself.”
“Then the Crown Prince must surely be plotting something…”
“That is a secondary concern.”
Seo Hyo, who had been quiet, nodded.
“Correct. If we prioritize, killing Prime Minister An Wi-gwan is the highest priority. From what I hear, Prime Minister An Wi-gwan was offered the position of Deputy Rim Lord of Cheon Rim, and his current standing is at that level. By eliminating him and creating a vacuum, we can act decisively.”
Seol Woon-hwi gazed out the window and spoke.
“Tomorrow, everything will become clear.”
Han Mu-rin asked carefully.
“But will it truly be alright? The Crown Prince says he’ll come with us, but ultimately we’re killing Prime Minister An Wi-gwan within the royal palace…”
“Are you worried?”
“…Yes. I am somewhat concerned.”
Seol Woon-hwi smiled and withdrew a brush and paper from his robes.
He then scribbled something on the spot, producing three letters.
He handed one to each of the three men and spoke.
“Seo Hyo, you will deliver that to Hwa Mu-nyeom. Manager Seong, you will hand it to Pung Mu-hwi. And Han Mu-rin, you will pass it on to Dok Go-hyeon and return.”
Observing the three bewildered figures, Seol Woon-hwi lifted his teacup and took a leisurely sip.
“There is nothing to worry about. We will return by the path we came, unscathed.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————