“Ugh.”
The moment Dokgorin’s words hit his ears, Jeongalgyun let out that sigh.
From his reaction, it seemed he had no clue at all.
If this were an act, he would win Best Actor.
“Why would the royal family do something like that… No, it’s not entirely impossible.”
Hearing him mumble like that to himself, Dokgorin asked.
“It seems like you know something, Teacher.”
Jeongalgyun hesitated for a moment before opening his mouth.
“It’s not certain information, but I know about the kind of people who might pull something like this.”
“…Who are they?”
Under Dokgorin’s insistence, Jeongalgyun sighed lightly before replying.
“Wangjik and Yangbang.”
“Wangjik and Yangbang?”
“I think this will take a while, so let’s start with a cup of tea.”
Saying that, Jeongalgyun gestured to the chair in front of his desk.
Since we still had time until assembly, we decided to accept his invitation.
*
“To talk about Wangjik and Yangbang, we should first mention the life of the current emperor, Seonghwa.”
“Seonghwa?”
I didn’t know who that was, but Dokgorin seemed to.
So, I discreetly asked her while glancing at Jeongalgyun.
“Rin, who is that?”
“Right now, the emperor’s name is Seonghwa.”
“Ah.”
I realized I didn’t even know the name of our ruler.
As if he had been listening to our conversation, Jeongalgyun cleared his throat and said.
“It’s quite a public story, but Seonghwa is currently infatuated with a woman named Mangwibi, neglecting the state affairs and getting caught up in various superstitions.”
Jeongalgyun spoke and slowly unravelled the facts he knew.
Seonghwa became emperor at 16.
Initially a good ruler, he became negligent because he fell for a court lady who was 17 years older, turning into a tyrant.
Currently, the court is allegedly controlled by Mangwibi, the lady favored by Seonghwa.
And Wangjik and Yangbang, whom Jeongalgyun mentioned earlier, were the eunuchs supporting Mangwibi.
“Wangjik is the head of the Western Depot, an information organization created to keep tabs on the Dongchang. If they’re behind this incident and manipulated information from the middle, the chances are very high that the power of the Western Depot was at play here. Mangwibi’s support for the Western Depot is so strong that it could even scare a bird.”
After saying that without a break, Jeongalgyun took a sip of tea, perhaps his throat was dry, and continued.
“If it’s not Wangjik, Yangbang could be the mastermind behind this incident. Not as influential as Wangjik, but Yangbang had got the emperor to spend a massive amount of money on constructing temples and pagodas using his persuasion, knowing that Seonghwa is deeply engrossed in Daoism and Buddhism. Since the martial arts using the Upper Sect is also related to health methods, it wouldn’t be strange if he was secretly collecting funds to present that to the emperor.”
Having said that, Jeongalgyun mentioned the worst-case scenario where both could be involved in this affair, with Mangwibi being behind it all.
“If that’s the case, it’s best to give up on revenge. You can’t do anything against Mangwibi who has the emperor’s favor; if you try to kill her, it’ll be the emperor’s wrath you face.”
Jeongalgyun stated that calmly, but Dokgorin didn’t show any reaction.
“Rin?”
Worried, I cautiously called her name, and after a long silence, Dokgorin spoke.
“So, what you’re saying, Teacher, is that if Mangwibi is behind everything, it would be best not to dream of revenge unless it’s really going against fate, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“Then that’s good. Let’s give it a shot. Go against fate.”
“…What?”
Hearing Dokgorin’s words, Jeongalgyun widened his eyes in surprise.
And rightfully so, it was akin to declaring a rebellion against the Ming Dynasty in front of others.
“You can’t defeat the Ming Dynasty’s army with just a single person’s strength.”
Jeongalgyun said that, trying to kindly advise Dokgorin, but she didn’t seem to care.
“If the army is the problem, can’t I reach the pinnacle of martial arts in ten years?”
If that happens, it would seem like a pretty fair fight.
With a look as though he had been struck, Jeongalgyun stared blankly at Dokgorin, who then burst into laughter.
“Whoa! You just totally resemble that friend of Dokgojin in his youth! If you were a boy instead of a girl, you would be a general for sure!”
As he said that, Jeongalgyun wiped the tears from his eyes and continued.
“If you go that far, I can’t stop you anymore. Do as you wish. You’re an adult now, so you must take care of yourself.”
“Thank you for understanding, Teacher.”
“But it’s still not confirmed that Mangwibi is behind everything, so you must proceed carefully. If you act based on intuition without solid evidence, you will surely face great consequences later.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“…The old man in the back room has little he can offer to the daughter of the deceased friend. But at least while you’re at Cheonmu Academy, I’ll watch your back, so you can live with peace of mind.”
Having said that, Jeongalgyun glanced at me, who had been listening to everything next to Dokgorin, and gave a wry smile.
“With a fiancée like this, you’ll have quite a bit of trouble.”
Hearing that, I shrunk my shoulders.
“What can I do? I suppose this is my fate.”
If one was willing to give up revenge just because the rival was of high status, they wouldn’t have started in the first place.
Of course, going against fate was a bit daunting, but if I reached the pinnacle of martial arts, as Dokgorin said, the possibility of revenge wouldn’t be entirely non-existent.
As that lengthy conversation wrapped up, Jeongalgyun nodded and told us.
“Well then, I’ll take my leave. The entrance ceremony isn’t over yet.”
Indeed, it was true.
We had been so caught up in important discussions that I had forgotten about the less crucial but still significant matters.
I was sure that Sosu, who I had left alone, must be extremely angry.
As we stood up from our seats, Jeongalgyun called Dokgorin once more.
“If you ever need help, don’t hesitate to come to me. I’ll help as much as I can.”
“…Thank you.”
Ending our meeting with Jeongalgyun, we hurriedly made our way to the class we were assigned to during the entrance ceremony.
*
The first year at Cheonmu Academy was divided into a total of ten classes organized as Gap, Eul, Byeong, Jeong, Mu, Gi, Gyeong, Shin, Im, and Gye; it seemed classes were assigned based on academic performance.
In other words, the three of us who ranked 1st, 22nd, and 28th in the entrance exam ended up in the same class.
“Why are you so late!”
As soon as we entered the classroom late, Tang Sosu came rushing in, visibly furious.
Apparently, she had felt isolated with only strangers around her.
“It took a bit longer to talk.”
As I said that, I pushed Tang Sosu aside and surveyed the students in the classroom.
We were currently in Class Gap, an elite class.
All the top-ranking students, from 1st to 30th place were gathered here.
So even though I was the top student, there was a chance I could be surpassed by any of them at any point.
After all, the fact that I ranked top was likely due to theory rather than practice.
“Don’t draw unnecessary attention; let’s just sit down.”
“Ah, okay.”
Perhaps because it was the beginning of the semester, an awkward atmosphere loomed, and with a small voice, I said that before sitting with Dokgorin in an empty seat.
Of course, the same applied to Tang Sosu.
We waited for our homeroom teacher to arrive, just like all the other students.
“Are you Ichilbok?”
Suddenly, a small shadow appeared in front of my desk.
“Hey, kid, you shouldn’t call people by their names so casually.”
As I said that with a gentle smile, the boy who called me a kid shouted back in anger.
“Who are you calling a kid! My name is Samajak!”
“Samajak?”
Could it be the same one? The Samma family that stood shoulder to shoulder with the Jeongal family in the Three Kingdoms?
“Humph! Now you finally recognize me! I am Samajak, the second highest ranking among this batch of new students!”
“Oh… okay.”
“What’s with that reaction! Show a bit more caution!”
“I mean, it’s a bit too much to expect that on a first meeting…”
If you’ve entered Cheonmu Academy, it means you’re at least over 14 years old.
Yet, for that age, he was surprisingly small.
He looked barely in the fifth or sixth grade of elementary school.
So, although it’s unfortunate to say this, rather than feeling tense, I just felt like a sparrow was noisily chirping.
“I might’ve made a mistake on one question and lost the top spot to you this time, but next time, I’ll definitely be number one, so be ready!”
Pointing at me, Samajak confidently exclaimed, and with a huff, turned back to his seat.
‘Sitting in the front row, he must be a bright student.’
During class, he wouldn’t be able to fool around, so I bet that would be the last place I would want to sit.
Lost in thought as I stared at Samajak’s small back of the head, the classroom door creaked open.
A neatly dressed man entered.
“Nice to meet you all. My name is Mujeonggeom Soyucheon. I will be your homeroom teacher for the next year in Class Gap.”
After introducing himself, the students in Class Gap applauded.
“Now, although it’s a bit early, I would like to introduce someone. A student who was accepted through a recommendation and has remarkable skills, which is why he was specifically assigned to Class Gap.”
Then the students began murmuring.
…Could it be?
They say a bad feeling is never wrong.
As the firmly closed classroom door opened, a bright voice like sunshine rang through.
“Hello! My name is Namgoong Ruby! I hope to get along well with you all!”
