The Red Dragon Martial Emperor - Chapter 21

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Red Dragon Martial Emperor, Episode 21

Chapter 21 — The Blood Specter’s Purpose

After Lee Hwan and Chul Muwok departed, the council adjourned shortly thereafter.
The generals returned to their posts, but Jung Cheon remained at Hwang Ho’s side.
Jung Cheon spoke.
“I saw it with my own eyes, and yet I still cannot believe it. A man changing so completely in a single day—it seems impossible.”
“You mean the Crown Prince?”
“Yes, sir.”
Hwang Ho nodded slowly, his expression unreadable. “You’re still the same, I see. Enough time has passed—shouldn’t you have grown accustomed to surprise by now?”
“When I think of the Crown Prince as he was before, how can I not be astonished?”
Hwang Ho continued, nodding pensively.
“He hasn’t changed—he’s simply revealed his true nature. Naturally, he’s been concealing his true strength all this time.”
“You regard the Crown Prince’s transformation favorably, then.”
“He may not be my blood, but he is unquestionably the Crown Prince of this realm. If he transforms for the better, we ought to welcome it, should we not?”
Jung Cheon raised another matter.
“There is something I failed to report earlier. Of late, the Crown Prince has received the Left Commander on several occasions—at his own quarters, no less.”
“Such a thing occurred?”
“Yes, sir. Is it not strange? While residing in the Military Camp, the Crown Prince refused all visitors. Yet the Left Commander he has summoned repeatedly.”
Hwang Ho’s eyes sharpened at those words.
A single meeting might be dismissed as mere courtesy, but several encounters—given all that Lee Hwan had displayed thus far—suggested something decidedly amiss.
“If the Left Commander is using the Crown Prince for some scheme, it is a danger we cannot ignore.”
“Have you had someone placed near the Crown Prince?”
“Yes, sir. I’ve assigned those most skilled in such matters—there is no risk of detection.”
“Withdraw them at once!”
“……Yes, sir?”
“You know what it means to spy on the Crown Prince. Should the Left Commander discover it, that knowledge becomes a noose around both our necks.”
……
Hwang Ho pressed forward, his voice firm.
“Our two lives are nothing—let them be forfeit. But if we bring dishonor to His Highness the Crown Prince, I could not rest in death. Remove them now!”
“I had not considered that angle. I shall withdraw them immediately.”
Jung Cheon bowed and departed.
Hwang Ho drained a bowl of cold water and opened the window of the Military Camp to the night air.
‘His Highness charged me to look after the Crown Prince. But if—even by the slimmest chance—the Crown Prince should side with that yellow-robed prince……’
Deep in Hwang Ho’s narrowed eyes, a flicker of anguish rose and faded.

* * *

Peng Muwei returned to the Military Camp after the council concluded. As he thought of Chul Muwok, a furrow creased his brow.
‘His face is familiar somehow……’
When he had seen Chul Muwok, the sense of meeting him before was overwhelming. Yet no matter how he rummaged through his memory, no matching face came to mind.
He even dredged up recollections of those who resembled him, but there was no one fitting that description either.
“Bu Jang!”
“Yes, sir.”
Bu Jang entered.
“That man from earlier.”
“Yes, sir?”
“The one the Crown Prince is sending to scout the enemy’s camp!”
“Ah, yes, sir.”
“Have you seen him anywhere before?”
“It was our first meeting. But why do you……”
“It was my first time as well, and yet I cannot shake the feeling that I’ve seen him somewhere.”
“Is that so, sir?”
Glug, glug!
Peng Muwei drank deeply of cold water, then continued.
“Something about him unsettles me. I think we need to investigate his background thoroughly—every detail.”
“Understood, sir.”
As Bu Jang left, Peng Muwei sank deep into his chair, his eyes growing distant.
‘That gaze… I’ve seen it before somewhere.’

* * *

“You’re scouting the Zhao Military Camp? Alone, sir?”
“Those were his orders, so what choice do I have?”
Gong Sun Tae’s face twisted with incomprehension.
“Even if we’re bound by fate as master and servant, isn’t this reckless? Sending you alone to such a dangerous place?”
“Watch your tongue!”
“Does it look like I’m in a position to be careful with my words? Dangerous men have suddenly appeared in the Zhao Military Camp in numbers. If something goes wrong while you scout alone, what then?”
“Are you worried for me, or do you not trust me?”
“Of course I’m worried—that’s why I’m saying this.”
“Don’t worry. I’ve survived far worse places than that.”
“Then I’ll go with you.”
“No. I move faster alone.”
“Sir!”
Just then—
“May I come in?”
Lee Hwan’s voice drifted in from outside. Gong Sun Tae’s expression shifted at once, and he opened the door.
“Please, come in.”
“Brew me some tea, would you?”
“Of course.”
Lee Hwan took Gong Sun Tae’s chair.
“Let’s have a proper conversation about the corpse. There were soldiers around earlier, so I couldn’t say everything I wanted to. I imagine the same is true for you.”
“Did you notice something, sir?”
“I did. Very strong traces of Demonic Energy.”
‘That’s not something you see every day…’
Chul Muwok felt a seed of doubt take root.
‘Could he have been holding back when he fought the Zhao general? If what I witnessed then was his full strength, it wouldn’t make sense for him to detect traces of Demonic Energy from the corpse’s wounds.’
The doubt spiraled into confusion.
“What’s on your mind?”
“Nothing, sir. Nothing at all.”
Gong Sun Tae returned with the tea, and the conversation paused. Lee Hwan savored the aroma slowly before taking a sip, then continued.
“Tonight, I’m going with you.”
“I’m sufficient on my own.”
“I won’t be a Fated Master who sends his servant to his doom.”
*Cough-cough!*
Gong Sun Tae suddenly erupted in violent coughing.
Chul Muwok sighed and spoke.
“He speaks carelessly at times, but he’s invaluable. Please forgive him.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“Never mind. May I see your sword?”
Chul Muwok handed his blade to Lee Hwan, who examined it carefully from all angles, murmuring.
“So if you channel Martial Power above a certain threshold, this sword transforms into a Broadsword, correct?”
“Yes.”
The moment Chul Muwok finished speaking, the blade rang out as its edge widened dramatically.
*Clang-clang!*
“Doesn’t that compromise its durability?”
“No. The gaps actually serve as a buffer, making it stronger.”
“Does your entire clan use swords like this?”
“Yes. We had to conceal our weapons this way to prevent our identities from being exposed.”
“I see. But from now on, don’t hide it. Showing it might draw out the descendants of the Sword King and Poison King.”
“Wouldn’t that also draw our enemies?”
“That’s a risk we have to take.”
“Understood.”
Lee Hwan returned the sword and drank his tea.
Chul Muwok asked carefully.
“Shouldn’t we find the Wanderer as soon as possible?”
“There’s something I need to handle first, as I said.”
“If you tell us what it is, we’ll do everything we can to help.”
“Haven’t I already answered that question?”
“…….”
Lee Hwan studied Gong Sun Tae intently.
“I’m going to give you a task.”
“Please give your orders.”
“Keep a close eye on Peng Muwei. Watch everyone he meets — especially those he grows particularly close to, and anyone like you two who shows up unexpectedly. Report anything of note to me regularly.”
“Understood. But may I ask the reason?”
“Don’t.”
“……Yes.”
Lee Hwan drained the last of his tea and rose. He’d already grasped the door handle when he turned back.
“Both of you.”
“Yes?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for staying alive.”

* * *

Lee Hwan had gone.
Gong Sun Tae pressed a hand to his chest and spoke.
“My heart feels strange all of a sudden.”
“Moved by the master’s words, are you?”
“More than moved. It felt as though he’d been watching over us this whole time, observing how we’ve lived. All my doubts scattered, and suddenly my loyalty just welled up inside me. Doesn’t it affect you at all, Commander?”
Chul Muwok didn’t answer, merely bringing the long-cold tea to his lips.
‘He’s impossible to read. Sometimes he’s impossibly light, and other times he carries such presence that you hardly dare look at him. Which one is his true self?’

* * *

Whoosh!
Lee Hwan stood atop the Military Camp’s roof, watching the sunset paint the world crimson. There, he reflected on the time that had passed since his reincarnation.
‘Past and present, and future — I need to divide them.’
Since his reincarnation, Lee Hwan had focused entirely on uncovering the reason for Daeya Castle’s destruction and finding the descendants of the Three Kings.
It had been a journey wholly turned toward the past.
But now, a change of heart was beginning.
‘Can I truly live only looking backward, abandoning this new life and these new bonds?’
It had begun when he realized that Song Hoe and Song Cheon Mu, those he walked beside here, were precious to him.
Even now, his resolve to uncover the truth of Daeya Castle’s fall and correct any wrongs remained unchanged.
Yet the thought that the present might become secondary in that pursuit increasingly unsettled him.
‘If I cannot return to the past.’
Once all was finished, he would have to live the life he had now. And now, he was not Lee Hwan, the Master of Daeya Castle, but Lee Hwan, Fourth Prince of Yeon Kingdom.
Whoosh!
Wind brushed across his face.
Chul Muwok then joined him on the roof, and Lee Hwan’s reverie scattered.
“What weighs so heavily on your mind?”
“I was searching for an answer about myself.”
“Did you find it?”
“Not yet.”
“Whatever it is, I hope you find it soon.”
Lee Hwan met Chul Muwok’s gaze directly. Something in his eyes had shifted, and Chul Muwok felt a flicker of unease.
“Have you never thought of escaping the fate that binds you to your ancestors’ will?”
“Thousands of times, certainly. But now that I’ve met you, I won’t anymore. My only wish now is to find the others like us, those wandering the world under the same fate. Though one question remains.”
Chul Muwok steadied his breath and asked.
“When all the descendants of the Three Kings gather in one place, what comes after?”
“I’ll tell you when the time comes.”
At Lee Hwan’s continued evasion, Chul Muwok exhaled softly.
‘He always dodges a direct answer like that.’
Whoosh!
As wind swept gently across both their figures, the sunset faded and darkness slowly descended.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
That was when it happened.
“General!”
Song Hoe rose to his feet. His face was rigid as he spoke.
“A messenger just arrived from the Imperial Capital—the Crown Prince has suddenly collapsed!”

* * *

Lee Hwan and Hwang Ho sat facing each other.
Hwang Ho’s mood had darkened beyond mere gloom into something close to despair.
“What happened?”
“According to the messenger, he collapsed suddenly. They haven’t determined the cause yet.”
“Is his life in danger?”
“At this point, nothing can be ruled out.”
Hwang Ho’s face aged a decade in an instant.
“Do I really have to go?”
“Of course you must! The Crown Prince himself has collapsed, General!”
Hwang Ho’s voice rose sharply—a stark departure from his usual composure, swept away by raw emotion.
‘Troublesome timing.’
Lee Hwan had no intention of leaving this place yet. But when the Imperial Palace sent a summons commanding his swift return, he had no choice in the matter.
Until everything was perfect, he had no desire to invite complications. And from that perspective, a crisis at the Imperial Palace could spiral into the gravest of threats.
“Very well.”
Lee Hwan headed for the Military Camp.
As he walked, his mind turned over possibilities. Then something struck him, and his eyes gleamed with sudden clarity.
‘Before I return to the Imperial Palace, I need to confirm something there.’
Upon arriving at the Military Camp shortly after, Lee Hwan sought out Chul Muwok.
“We proceed to Zhao Military Camp as planned.”
“I heard from General Song that you were heading to the Imperial Capital?”
“First, there’s something I need to do.”

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