Yunseo recalled Jeongjoo's words — that Hwi had wanted to let him go — then abruptly scrunched his brow and raised his bound hands to grab firmly onto Jeongjoo's arm.

At the same moment, he condensed his guardian star and pushed it directly into Jeongjoo. The guardian star that flowed in like a shot instantly bored its way into the depths of Jeongjoo's core. There, coiled and coiled and fused just as badly as within Hwi, lay a deeply embedded poison.

Jeongjoo's body wavered for an instant. His hand dropped downward and gripped Yunseo's shoulder, but regrettably that was the last strength he could muster.

The arm that had been restraining Yunseo slid away, and in the moment Jeongjoo began to topple backward, Hwi strode forward and grabbed Yunseo's wrist, pulling him close.

"Clean this up."

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

With a voice so frigid it seemed it would freeze the very air, Hwi gave the order, took Yunseo into his arms, and leapt. Yunseo followed Jeongjoo's fallen form with his eyes, then squeezed them shut.

They arrived at Manguwon quickly. The familiar sight of the residence brought a sense of relief, yet reckoning what would follow set his heart beating with anxiety.

Upon arriving at the quarters, the palace attendants approached in flustered confusion to pay their respects. The moment Yunseo set foot on the ground, he swallowed a sigh and turned to look at Hwi.

"Your Majesty……"

"From this moment, this place is sealed. Do not let so much as a single rat pass in or out."

"……Your Majesty? Your Majesty!"

Hwi, who had in effect issued a confinement order, ignored Yunseo's calls and turned away. Yongrin and imperial guards who arrived in an instant surrounded the entire building.

Yunseo stared in a daze at Hwi's retreating figure as he walked away. Until Hwi disappeared from sight, he did not cast a single glance back at Yunseo.

* * *

When he came to his senses, his entire body was bound in chains. A musty smell grazed the tip of his nose. When he raised his head, the rattling of iron rang out, and beyond the iron bars he could see the Yongrin standing guard over the prison.

They were standing with their backs to him, but in the brief glimpses of their faces, an anguished look could be discerned. As their superior, as a comrade who had shared both joys and hardships, he could only feel sorry for making them witness this.

Jeongjoo tilted his head back against the wall and let out a long sigh.

He had known it would come to this. That it was like dashing an egg against a rock. Even so, he had wanted to push forward. Because it had felt like the only reason left to live.

At the end of this path, death was waiting for him. A faint smile crossed Jeongjoo's lips — thinking that he would finally meet it. After a very long time, Jeongjoo thought of a paradise where no unhappy things had ever happened.

Jeongjoo's hometown was a fairly large town where the Hwasicheong was located; having lost both his parents in an unfortunate accident, he made his living by helping with odd jobs at the Hwasicheong. In truth, rather than helping, it was more that he himself was receiving assistance from the Yongrin who had been dispatched there.

'Straighten your back more.'

'Like this?'

'You need to release the tension.'

'Releasing tension is the hardest part.'

'Then you still have a long way to go.'

His master, a Yongrin, taught and passed on martial arts to Jeongjoo despite his own busy schedule. The reason Jeongjoo had caught his eye in the first place was that his bearing was different and he was quick, so Jeongjoo devoted himself to learning with all his might, and enjoyed it as well.

'Now go up to the capital. Given your circumstances, it will be faster to enter the palace and catch the attention of those above you than to prepare for the civil examinations.'

His master wrote him a letter of introduction, and since Yongrin and Yeongchunhwa at the Hwasicheong were deployed on rotation, that day was the last day with his master. Jeongjoo made a promise to meet his master again in the future and accepted the sad parting with composure.

'Brother!'

'Deogyun!'

Jeongjoo spotted Deogyun who had come to meet him and broke into a broad smile as he hurried over.

'Why have you come all the way outside when it is so cold.'

'Because you said you would bring something delicious……'

Deogyun wore a shy smile on his lips as he stole glances at the things in Jeongjoo's hands. Jeongjoo gently stroked Deogyun's hair and put his arm around his shoulders.

'Come, let us go inside. We must eat together with Auntie.'

Upon entering Deogyun's house, his mother greeted Jeongjoo lying in bed.

This family had originally been fairly well-off, but after Deogyun's father passed away and his mother fell ill, their circumstances had declined sharply. The household had always been warm and harmonious, sometimes feeling more like his own family than his real one — and seeing it change always pained Jeongjoo's heart.

'Brother. It is truly delicious.'

'I am glad it suits your taste.'

'Everything you give me is delicious, Brother.'

How did he manage to say only such lovely things. Though he was younger than him, there was much to learn. Jeongjoo studied Deogyun with wondering eyes, then confirmed that his mother had fallen asleep and went outside together with him.

'How has Auntie been lately.'

'The same. I wish I could grow up quickly and earn some money……'

'Don't say that. Money is not the issue right now. You yourself must stay healthy first.'

As long as the inheritance Deogyun's father had left was managed well, there was no great need to worry until Deogyun came of age. However, Deogyun had been frail since childhood, and Jeongjoo wished that he would feel no pressure of any kind. Above all else, what worried him most was how Deogyun would fare after he himself left.

'Deogyun.'

'Yes, Brother.'

'I am going to the palace.'

'What? To the palace?'

'Master wrote me a letter of introduction. Once I enter the palace, accommodation and meals are provided and a steady salary comes in, so I can look after you and Auntie on my own.'

Once he had settled in, he planned to look for a way to work near his hometown, and if Deogyun's mother passed before then, he intended to bring Deogyun up to the capital. It deeply worried him to leave Deogyun alone until then, but he had entrusted him to reliable neighbors, so everyone would look after him.

'B-But……'

Deogyun's face clouded in an instant. With hands that had not yet matured, he clutched at Jeongjoo's hem and began to whimper.

'Then we will be separated……'

'I will come visit often. Separated — don't say such things. We are only apart for a while.'

Deogyun's large round tears were the one weakness that left Jeongjoo helpless. Jeongjoo pulled Deogyun's head into an embrace and fussed and patted him, then quickly stuffed a dried persimmon into his mouth. Deogyun was trying to hold back his tears but the chewy sound of him chewing the persimmon rang out. It was so endearing that Jeongjoo burst out laughing.

Standing night watch was a little tedious. Once the city gates closed, the capital became so quiet that one could almost fancy hearing the sound of the stars twinkling.

Jeongjoo suppressed a sigh and strained his eyes open. Because he was young, he was always assigned to night watch, and he was perpetually short on sleep. Fortunately his physical strength held up so it was not overly difficult, but……

In an instant, Jeongjoo's head snapped to the left. He drew his sword and dashed toward the direction from which he had sensed a presence. He thrust his sword at the man who had suddenly appeared, but the man stopped the blade with a single index finger.

Jeongjoo's hand, tensed with all his might not to be subdued, trembled violently. Unable to believe it, he looked up to check the man's face and Jeongjoo caught his breath. The handsome man with a cold impression and a large frame was unmoved even with a sword before him, and the overwhelming aura emanating from him crushed Jeongjoo's fighting spirit.

Only then did Jeongjoo realize who his opponent was, and quickly sheathed his sword before dropping to his knees.

'I am of such low station that I failed to recognize His Imperial Majesty and committed an insolent act — please, I beg your forgiveness.'

'Not bad.'

The Emperor gave Jeongjoo a cursory glance, but Jeongjoo was bowing his head and did not notice his gaze. Utterly bewildered to come face to face with the Emperor like this, in the midst of his astonishment a clear and distinct voice fell.

'What is your name?'

'I am called Yu Jeongjoo.'

He gave his name, but the Emperor said nothing further. Wondering if he had somehow displeased him, Jeongjoo cautiously raised his head and found the space before him completely empty — and looked around in a daze. All was quiet as though nothing had happened from the start. It felt exactly as though he had been bewitched by a ghost.

Not long after, Jeongjoo enjoyed the honor of being selected for the imperial guard. He had thought there would be strong hazing since he was young and of humble birth, but he was not the first to have been appointed this way, and since the Emperor dealt strictly with corrupt practices within the military, he was able to adapt without difficulty.

The envious gazes of others and the salary that improved his livelihood were of course welcome. But what made Jeongjoo most proud was Deogyun's letter, through which he could feel — even through the handwriting alone — Deogyun's leaping joy when the news was delivered, and the honor of being able to serve at the side of His Imperial Majesty.

When he joined the imperial guard and set foot in the hell realm, how……overwhelming and yet helpless it had been. The sense of purpose in becoming part of saving the nation at the center of the great campaign. The helplessness of being able to do nothing while the Yongrin fought those vicious and monstrous things.

'How I wish I had been chosen too. I want to be of even a little help to the Emperor and to the Yongrin.'

At the murmur tinged with wistfulness, a general of the Yongrin guard with whom Jeongjoo had grown fairly close gave a subtle smile.

'Doing your duty thoroughly is help enough — harbor no such thoughts.'

Having learned martial arts under a Yongrin master, Jeongjoo felt close to them and got along well with them. Thanks to that, he naturally came to understand the physiology of the Yongrin, and in turn came to harbor a question about the Emperor.

'Unh……'

Chewing raw the pills made from Yeongchunhwa roots, with needles lodged in his body and paper pipes lit until smoke filled the room to deaden the pain, the Emperor maintained a composed and impassive face. Yet his sinews and bones writhed with agitation and his skin was drenched in cold sweat, as if the pain transferred to whoever witnessed it.

'Your Majesty, why…… do you not receive proper treatment?'