Chapter 28
- Strolling Incognito (3)
The horses were the first to panic.
Perhaps it was due to the instinctive fear of encountering an overwhelming predator.
The ground was soon soaked with the horses' urine.
"W-Why are they suddenly acting like this?"
"They've never done this before..."
"Get off the horses, quickly! Your Majesty, please, hurry!"
Yeonsangun and Ji-young, startled awake by the commotion, hastily dismounted. The horses began to thrash about, becoming increasingly uncontrollable.
[Neigh]
- Snap
As soon as the reins snapped, two of the horses bolted forward.
And then,
It was at that moment that a mysterious figure, its eyes gleaming in the bushes, burst out with incredible speed.
[Kraaang]
The horse lagging behind was struck in the neck by something that suddenly appeared.
- Crack
With a dull sound of breaking bones, the horse's thick neck twisted at an unnatural angle, and it collapsed to the ground.
Meanwhile, the other horse galloped away, quickly disappearing from sight.
The King Yeonsangun's means of transportation had vanished in an instant.
The dark shadow that had killed a horse with a single blow emerged from the bushes and slowly turned its head towards Yeonsangun and his party, as if searching for its next target.
"W-What is that thing..."
Royal guard Shin Su-hyeok quickly drew his Saber.
The metallic clang seemed to have sharply stimulated the creature's nerves.
[Kraaang]
With a chilling cry, the bizarre figure raised its front paws and began to stand upright on its two hind legs.
It grew taller, easily twice the height of a man.
The shadow, stretched long by the moonlight, had grown long enough to cover Yeonsangun and his party.
"The master of this mountain... it was this thing."
As Gong-gil finished speaking, the moonlight, just emerging from the clouds, fully illuminated the creature's massive body.
A beast with dark red fur, standing on two feet.
A massive bear, so large that it would take three or four grown men to encircle it with their arms.
"It's a brown bear. A sacred animal that shouldn't be harmed carelessly."
Gong-gil, who seemed to know everything about the world outside the palace walls, added succinctly.
[Kreoheong!]
The brown bear's thunderous roar echoed through the moonlit forest.
Its overwhelming presence seemed to make even the animals and plants of the mountain tremble.
But then.
"Hoo, how fascinating. I've never seen such a large bear before. It's quite precious."
Incredibly, Yeonsangun, in this situation, wore an expression of admiration, as if he had discovered a rare spectacle.
But the bear's red eyes gleamed like those of a wild beast hunting its prey.
"Y-Your Majesty! It's dangerous! Please step back!"
Su-hyeok stood in front of Yeonsangun, raising his Saber and taking a defensive stance.
But Gong-gil seemed to sense something strange about the brown bear.
"...Something's not right. Unless its territory is being invaded, a bear wouldn't attack a group of humans first..."
"What nonsense are you spouting? It's just a beast, jester."
"The more of a beast it is, the more thoroughly it protects its territory. Overstepping one's bounds is something only humans do."
Gong-gil retorted sharply to Su-hyeok's interruption.
To the nobles who learned about the world through books, he might seem insignificant, but to Gong-gil, who had experienced the world firsthand while wandering the eight provinces, beasts were far more trustworthy than humans.
"B-But still, it's trying to attack us right now, isn't it?"
Ji-young, who had been listening quietly from behind, spoke with a realistic tone.
Whatever the reason, they needed to escape this crisis first.
Then, Ji-young noticed Yeonsangun striding towards the massive brown bear.
"Kneel, beast!"
"Y-Your Majesty! What are you doing..."
"All the mountains, fields, rivers, and seas of this nation belong to me! And you, the beast that lives there, are the same! So, won't you kneel before me!"
That crazy bastard.
Nausea rose in Ji-young's throat.
"Your Majesty, you're in danger!"
Su-hyeok cried out urgently, but Yeonsangun ignored him and continued to scold the bear.
"...Furthermore, killing my beloved horse is an unforgivable crime! Know your sin!"
There was no way the bear could understand those words.
[Kreoheong!]
The brown bear, foaming at the mouth like a rabid dog, roared and then charged madly towards Yeonsangun.
"Your Majesty! It's dangerous!"
Without realizing it, Ji-young quickly reached into the satchel she wore slung across her shoulder.
It was a place to store simple snacks to eat while traveling.
She felt something round at her fingertips.
'T-This is...'
It was a traditional confection called 'Umeagi,' made by kneading glutinous rice flour into dumplings, frying them in oil, and coating them with honey or syrup.
'Jang-geum made this from dawn because the King shouldn't run out of energy... Oh, well, here goes nothing!'
Ji-young grabbed what she could and threw it at the bear with all her might.
A piece of Umeagi, about the size of a child's fist, flew towards the bear's massive face and collided with it.
Thwack.
Of course, it didn't have much of an impact.
But surprisingly, the bear suddenly slowed down and began sniffing, its attention drawn to the Umeagi that had fallen to the ground.
'Just as I thought! It's attracted to the honey on the surface!'
If the beast had been a feline animal like a tiger, leopard, or wildcat, the story would have been different.
Feline animals are genetically unable to taste sweetness.
'But a bear is an omnivore like humans, it can't help but love sweet things!'
Sweetness is the taste of sugar, that is, carbohydrates.
Carnivorous feline animals don't need to obtain nutrients from carbohydrates, so they don't need to taste sweetness either.
But bears are different.
The 'omnivore' can not only taste the sweetness of carbohydrates, but it also loves it to the point of obsession.
Especially in seasons like this, when it has just emerged from hibernation and needs to replenish its nutrients as much as possible.
As if to prove it, the bear used its sensitive sense of smell to sniff around and quickly find a piece of Umeagi, which it swallowed in one gulp.
But the real trouble happened right after that.
The bear suddenly raised its head and made eye contact with Ji-young.
'H-Huh? Why is it suddenly looking at me!'
Only then did Ji-young realize that her satchel was full of Umeagi.
Perhaps it had noticed the smell, because the brown bear suddenly charged towards Ji-young with terrifying force.
'I-I have to get this off quickly!'
Ji-young frantically began to untie the bundle tied around her shoulder.
But in her panicked state, her fingers wouldn't move as she wanted them to.
'D-Damn it!'
Just when she thought she was done for, a figure suddenly darted past Ji-young like the wind.
It was Gong-gil, dressed in a red Korean Traditional Coat.
The sharply honed blade of his sword reflected the moonlight, shining brightly.
It was a so-called 'bamboo cane sword'.
A cane sword whose blade resembled an iris leaf, commonly called an 'iris sword'.
The bamboo cane that Gong-gil carried among his belongings was apparently a weapon for self-defense, with a blade hidden inside.
"Step back!"
With a shout, Gong-gil tilted his blade and slipped into the bear's side, as if sliding, and plunged the blade into the bear's flank.
- Thwack
However, the feeling of the sword against his hand was dull.
He could instinctively tell that he hadn't inflicted a fatal wound, blocked by the thick hide and layer of fat.
Before the bear's front paw could make its next attack, Gong-gil didn't try to be greedy and pulled out his sword, tumbling away.
'For now, saving that strange woman was the priority...'
He had accomplished his immediate goal.
Thanks to him, the bear's attention, which had been focused on Ji-young, now began to be drawn to Gong-gil.
'Hoo, that jester. He's quite skilled.'
Shin Su-hyeok couldn't help but admire Gong-gil's agile movements.
Although he hadn't inflicted much damage due to the thick bear hide, his ability to quickly enter, attack, and retreat was flawlessly executed.
Then, a thought suddenly flashed through Su-hyeok's mind.
'If I could cooperate with that jester, we might be able to take it down.'
Of course, cooperation was only possible if they were in sync, which wouldn't be easy.
But Su-hyeok judged that it was worth a try, given his skill.
"Hey, jester, now that things have come to this, draw its attention just one more time. I'll use that opportunity to cut off its windpipe."
"It's not like you're in a position to order me around."
Gong-gil retorted gruffly, as if displeased, but when he saw the rampaging bear again, he couldn't help but admit that he had no other choice.
"Alright. The opportunity won't last long, so don't miss it."
Before Gong-gil could finish speaking, the brown bear roared again and charged.
Through the gaps between its front paws, which were slashing through the air, Gong-gil darted in like lightning.
Then, he deeply stabbed the bear's rear thigh with his sword.
- Thwack
[Kraaang!]
Now that a sword was stuck in its leg, it wouldn't be able to move as nimbly as before.
"Now!"
As Gong-gil's words fell, Su-hyeok's Navy robe flew like the wind.
From within, the sharp blade of his Saber was aimed precisely at the bear's neck, plunging down like an arrow.
Lifting the Cauldron.
The most powerful attack in Joseon Swordsmanship. A large downward slash from above.
- Swish
Su-hyeok's Saber sliced through the side of the bear's neck in an instant.
From start to finish, it was a picture-perfect collaboration.
'It landed perfectly!'
A faint smile appeared on Su-hyeok's lips.
However.
[Kreoheong]
Despite being struck accurately in the neck, the bear once again swung its front paws, unleashing a barrage of attacks.
'Tch!'
He raised his sword to block the sharp claws, but the force of the swinging paw sent Su-hyeok flying.
If he hadn't managed to regain his balance in the air, he would have fallen to the ground.
"The bear's hide and flesh seem to be much thicker than usual."
"That's true, and something's strange. There's no reason for it to be attacking so desperately..."
Gong-gil tilted his head, as if puzzled by the bear's persistent attacks.
He didn't know the reason, but it was clear that this wouldn't end easily.
It had become clear that it would be difficult to inflict fatal damage on the massive beast with Gong-gil's cane sword or Su-hyeok's Saber.
Then.
"When capturing a sacred animal, one needs an appropriate tool, wouldn't you say?"
At the sudden voice, Gong-gil, Su-hyeok, and Ji-young turned around.
Standing there was none other than Yeonsangun.
In one hand, he held a massive sword that was a full five feet (about 150cm) long, almost reaching his shoulder height.
'Huh? That is...'
Ji-young, who had come from the modern era, had seen that sword somewhere before.
She vaguely remembered seeing it in an illustration in the corner of a history textbook, thanks to its unique appearance with a large dragon carved into the hilt.
"T-That, could it be... the Royal Sword of King Taejo..."
Shin Su-hyeok, his eyes wide, muttered in a groan.
King Taejo's Royal Sword, the sword that Yi Seong-gye himself wielded when he struck down King U of Goryeo.
In other words, a treasure passed down through the royal family for generations.
"Why is a treasure that should be in the royal treasury here..."
"I brought it myself, just in case."
Come to think of it, there was something unusually large wrapped in cloth among the various supplies carried on the horses.
She had thought it was something used to set up tents or beds.
'...He brought a royal treasure?'
Ji-young's bewilderment was interrupted.
[Kraaang]
The bear, foaming at the mouth, was preparing to charge again.
As Yeonsangun slowly drew the magnificent sword, the blue gleam of the blade reflected the moonlight, flashing brightly.
"A King must be killed by a King. I will behead the King of this mountain."With a strange smile, Yeonsangun gripped the massive Royal sword with both hands and slowly raised it above his head."
