Chapter 352
"I pay my respects to His Imperial Majesty. Long live, long live, long live forever!"
Lee Wang-ya hurriedly dropped to his knees.
"What are you doing! You fool!"
"That's enough."
Though he urged Wei Yan-ho to show proper etiquette, the Emperor waved his hand dismissively as he entered.
"Let's dispense with needless formalities."
Lee Wang-ya smiled bitterly where the Emperor couldn't see.
In the past, the Emperor had a tendency to obsess over proper etiquette. The biggest reason he had hesitated to bring Wei Yan-ho to the Imperial Palace was precisely this. The Emperor's best effort was to understand and forgive Wei Yan-ho's lack of proper manners out of consideration for his background.
Yet now that same person was telling them to abandon formalities altogether.
'He's gained confidence.'
The Emperor of the past had lacked confidence in himself. His frail body had always held him back, and he was tormented by the obsession that Lee Wang-ya, who wielded power, could strike him down at any time.
All his self-doubt—about ruining his brotherly relationship and driving the Imperial Palace into crisis—had completely disappeared.
'This is all thanks to that fellow.'
Looking at Wei Yan-ho, who had awkwardly half-risen from his seat, Lee Wang-ya smiled warmly.
Though the fellow was troublesome and caused him endless worry, he had to acknowledge that thanks to this fellow, all the problems that had tormented him had been resolved.
"Brother, why are you smiling like that?"
"It's nothing, Your Majesty. I just can't help but laugh whenever I see this fool."
"I feel the same way."
The Emperor smiled warmly as he looked at Wei Yan-ho.
"How does it feel to become a Right Inspector?"
"Honestly, I'm not really sure. I'm still dazed."
"You don't look dazed at all. What I heard as I entered seems quite different from what you're saying now."
"Still, how can I say such things with the person in question right here…"
"Hehe, you rascal."
He couldn't be this rude in front of the Emperor. Every word he heard grated on him with its lack of proper etiquette. But the Emperor didn't particularly scold him for it.
Wei Yan-ho had the justification of being a martial artist unfamiliar with proper etiquette, and he had the track record of saving the Emperor from crisis. What could one say to someone who possessed both justification and achievement?
Moreover…
'He doesn't seem particularly displeased either.'
Sometimes the Emperor's position was unbearably heavy. Being called the master of all things in the world meant having to look down upon and care for all things in the world. There were tyrants who enjoyed only the privileges of their position while neglecting its duties, but he was not someone who could become a tyrant.
When he looked at this fellow, that heaviness seemed to lift a little. That's why the Emperor decided to enjoy this feeling right now.
"Did you say he was a useless apricot with no purpose?"
"Eh, that's not what I…"
"Don't forget that lying to me is also disloyalty. What you must tell me is only the truth."
"I can't handle the consequences though."
"What you say here will not reach my ears. I will wash my ears, and I will forget all your words."
"If you put it that way."
Wei Yan-ho chuckled and answered.
"Honestly, it is pretty useless. If I were a diligent person, I'd go around the various government offices and at least collect some money, but since I'm lazy, I can't do that."
"I suppose so."
He had received endless reports and heard endlessly about what kind of person Wei Yan-ho was. Ever since he caught Lee Wang-ya's attention, Wei Yan-ho's activities had become so familiar that he could recite them with his eyes closed.
"But the strange thing is, Your Majesty isn't someone who wouldn't know this. So there must be some intention… I don't understand that intention—why you're giving me such a position."
When Wei Yan-ho looked directly at him with clear eyes, the Emperor clicked his tongue.
"A fellow who's too clever loses his charming appeal."
"Like His Highness the Crown Prince?"
"You don't need to worry about the Crown Prince. I won't leave him be as I have until now. I'm going to completely reform his mindset. If that doesn't work, I'm even considering deposition."
"Whoa, but you don't have any other children."
"I can make them! What's the problem with that!"
"Yes. You're overflowing with vigor."
Wei Yan-ho nodded. Probably starting from now and for some time to come, there would be no end to the sound of crying babies in the Imperial Palace.
"Since you seem to grasp my intention, this will be easy to explain. Though I've appointed you as Right Inspector, I don't mean for you to conduct investigations. You're not the type to do such things."
"Tsk. How wise of you."
"…Even if I told you to work, you'd just pretend to work and then run off somewhere out of sight, wouldn't you?"
"Truly wise indeed."
"…"
Should I beat this bastard?
The Emperor's beard trembled slightly.
Calm down. This fellow is my life's savior. No matter how much of an emperor I am, if I don't acknowledge his grace, I'd be no different from a beast.
'I need to finish this quickly and get him out of the Imperial Palace.'
Right now he could tolerate it because of all the good deeds Wei Yan-ho had done, but if he continued to get on his nerves like this, he might end up grabbing him by the collar regardless of dignity or anything else.
"I didn't give you this position for investigations. It's for military authority."
"Military authority?"
"Your, Your Majesty!"
Wei Yan-ho didn't understand, but Lee Wang-ya seemed to. Lee Wang-ya jumped up from his seat in shock.
"Those words are far too excessive. There's no precedent for such a thing. And it's too dangerous."
"Are you saying this because you think that fellow might commit treason?"
"No, that's not it, but…"
Treason?
Even if the Emperor gave Wei Yan-ho not military authority but the imperial seal itself, such a thing wouldn't happen. Wei Yan-ho had already seen enough of how heavy a burden the Emperor had to bear and how much excessive work tormented him. Even if he were offered the imperial throne, he'd run away.
From the perspective of imperial power, Wei Yan-ho might be the safest person in the world.
'Even so… '
Military authority.
"Military authority to a martial artist? No… since he's a Right Inspector, he's not exactly a martial artist, but still, Wei Yan-ho is a martial artist… Your Majesty, what is this?"
As Lee Wang-ya began to babble, the Emperor burst into hearty laughter.
"Hahahaha! This is the first time I've seen Brother flustered. It seems I've really dropped a bombshell."
"Your Majesty!"
"This isn't something I did without any thought."
The Emperor raised his hand to silence Lee Wang-ya.
"The Demonic Cult is rising."
"Yes… that's correct."
"In the past, the Imperial Army and the martial world united to stop the Demonic Cult. But in reality, they were never truly united."
"Yes. You speak truly."
Lee Wang-ya bowed his head.
The Demonic Cult's rise in the past had been an extremely dangerous matter for the Imperial Palace as well. Those who didn't recognize the Emperor pushing into the Central Plains was, in some ways, a greater threat than foreign invasion.
Therefore, the Imperial Army had actively supported the martial world.
But the results weren't as good as intended. The Imperial Army was fundamentally a group meant to face enemy soldiers. For them, the Demonic Cult members who had mastered martial arts were enemies beyond their expectations.
Faced with movement speed that exceeded predictions and strength that defied common sense, all the military strategies they had believed in crumbled to pieces.
Even then, if they had followed the guidance of martial artists who could predict warriors' actions, the results might have been different. But how could the Imperial Army, which served the Emperor, follow the commands of martial artists? In the end, discord became extreme, and the Imperial Army became not a help but a hindrance.
"Too much blood flowed throughout the realm. If the decision had been made a little faster then, we could have reduced the bloodshed."
"But Your Majesty…"
"This is already decided."
The Emperor shook his head. Seeing the Emperor's resolute face, Lee Wang-ya had no choice but to keep his mouth shut.
"Wei Yan-ho."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Let me be clear. I cannot oppose the Demonic Cult."
"Pardon?"
What does this mean? Wei Yan-ho tilted his head.
"When war begins, I might be able to help. But if you were to be pushed back, I would be in no position to help the martial world. Because I've already realized that what they're after isn't the Emperor's throne."
"Whoa?"
"They want their cult to spread throughout the world. If that's the case, the Emperor is irrelevant to them. Therefore, if you're pushed back, I'll have no choice but to withdraw. And I'll have no choice but to join hands with them to maintain the state. Do you understand?"
"Eh, I think I understand… So you're saying that if the situation becomes unfavorable, you'll declare the Demonic Cult the state religion and try to get along with them?"
"That's right."
"Uh…"
Wei Yan-ho blinked blankly.
Just as the officials couldn't understand certain aspects of Wei Yan-ho as a martial artist, he couldn't understand this statement from the Emperor at all.
"Join hands with the Demonic Cult?"
"That's right."
"Whoa, how can you join hands with the Demonic Cult? They're the Demonic Cult…"
The Emperor shook his head.
"To you, they might be no different from demons, but to me, they're just one group among the people who live with different thoughts. I reject them because they're people I cannot control, but if they truly escape my control, there's no other way. For now, I have no choice but to accept them."
Wei Yan-ho furrowed his brow.
'Then what happens?'
The Demonic Cult's goal isn't to kill the Emperor. It's to spread their doctrine widely. If the Emperor declares them the state religion and accepts them, there would be no reason to antagonize the Imperial Family.
Of course, from the Imperial Family's perspective, the reality of having to hold their breath and watch their every move might not be pleasant, but it would be better than losing their lives.
"Whoa, that could actually happen, couldn't it? Then what should I do?"
"What do you mean what should we do? Your job is to prevent such a situation from arising."
"Even if you say it's my job, I'm going home."
"Go ahead."
"No, I'm really going."
"Who said not to go? I'm telling you to go."
"…Really?"
The Emperor nodded.
"The times don't let heroes go. No matter how much you hide in deep mountains and valleys, you cannot help but answer the call of the times."
"Who's a hero? I'm not like that."
"Not yet. But you will become one."
"Whoa…"
The atmosphere was somehow flowing strangely.
"Anyway, I've given you military authority. I will announce to everyone that the Left and Right Inspectors have the authority to move the army in times of emergency."
"They won't like it."
"Of course, it's only in the special situation of rebellion. And the Demonic Cult's invasion is probably…"
"Rebellion."
Wei Yan-ho nodded as if he understood.
"And I will thoroughly refrain from involvement in everything. If the Demonic Cult pressures me over this matter, I will consistently claim ignorance. They might pressure me, but they won't be able to touch me."
"…Wow! This is basically saying you won't take any damage while watching both sides and then joining whichever side wins. How petty…"
"You rascal!"
"Ah no, as I was talking, I thought it seemed a bit dangerous."
At Lee Wang-ya's shout, Wei Yan-ho waved his hand dismissively.
But the Emperor didn't scold Wei Yan-ho.
"You may think that way, and I can't help it. Nothing is more important to me than continuing the dynasty."
"…Mm, I understand."
Wei Yan-ho nodded.
"So you're telling me that if such a situation arises, regardless of what Your Majesty says, I should lead the Imperial Army and fight?"
"That's right."
"And this fact is secret. Even if I reveal it, Your Majesty will claim ignorance."
"That's right."
"Mm…"
Wei Yan-ho straightened his back and stood up. His eyes looking at the Emperor turned coldly serious.