Chapter 11
After helping the local tavern children wash dishes and haul heavy water pails, Woon began his walk home through the quiet streets.
Suddenly, five masked swordsmen glided out of the shadows, surrounding him in a tight circle.
“Who are you?” Woon asked, his tone flat and unbothered.
Without answering, the men drew their steel, the lead attacker lunging forward with a lethal thrust.
Woon didn’t even draw a blade.
Sidestepping the strike with terrifying grace, he disarmed the lead man, shattered his wrist, and swept the remaining attackers off their feet in seconds.
Sparing their lives with cold indifference, he watched as the bloodied men scrambled up and fled into the night.
By the Hour of the Pig (10:00 PM), the Chief Royal Guard quietly slipped back into the King’s private study.
“Jeonha,” the Chief Guard bowed low.
“I have returned from the assignment you gave me.”
The King looked up from his desk, his eyes sharp.
“What information have you gathered on the boy?”
“I searched the countryside, Jeonha. An old tiger hunter claims the youth as his son. Because the pair moved constantly from mountain to mountain, tracing his exact childhood has proven difficult.”
“And his martial capabilities?” the King pressed.
“Does he have what it takes to serve in the Royal Guard?”
“More than enough, Jeonha,” the Chief Guard replied with a marveling nod.
“I dispatched a squad of our top elite soldiers to test his reflexes. He neutralized every single one of them unarmed before I could even settle into my vantage point. His raw strength is formidable.”
The King offered a rare, approving nod.
“You are dismissed.”
As the Chief Guard turned to leave, he paused, offering one final detail.
“There is one more thing, Jeonha. An old villager mentioned that when the boy was roughly ten years old, he fell gravely ill. His father, the tiger hunter, sold almost all of his worldly possessions to buy the medicine that saved his life.”
The King’s gaze softened slightly.
“I see. You may go. Change into your regular attire before anyone notices your absence from the palace.” Follow the newest chapters on g.com.
“Yes, Jeonha,” the Chief Guard bowed.
Just as he straightened up, an icy chill gripped the air.
Sensing a sudden, unnatural presence, the Chief Guard drew his sword in a flash, stepping directly in front of the King.
CRASH!
Seven black-clad assassins burst through the wooden lattice windows, swords bared.
The King and his head eunuch drew their blades in unison, joining the Chief Guard in an intense, blood-soaked clash.
Steel rang against steel until all seven assassins were cut down.
Breathing heavily, the King wiped black blood from his blade and roared, “The East Palace! Move! Protect the Crown Prince!”
As the King rushed toward the Queen’s quarters and the head eunuch sprinted toward the princesses’ pavilion, the palace alarm bell echoed across the capital.
Guards flooded the courtyards carrying burning torches, security locking down every gate.
Palace maidens screamed, running helter-skelter through the corridors as mass panic erupted.
Bursting into the East Palace with a squad of royal guards, the Chief Guard found the Crown Prince already holding his own against two masked intruders.
Joining the fray, the guards swiftly cut down the remaining assassins, securing the Prince.
Simultaneously, the head eunuch and a heavy detail of guards arrived at the princesses’ quarters, finding the perimeter completely quiet.
“Protect the princesses’ pavilion at all costs!” the head eunuch bellowed.
“Yes, Nari (나리)!” the guards echoed, forming an impenetrable wall of steel.
Inside, the princesses snapped awake, rushing to the doors in alarm.
Seeing the chaos, they demanded answers, but the head eunuch firmly urged them back inside, keeping the terrifying details suppressed to prevent panic.
Across the courtyard, the King arrived at the Queen’s chambers, commanding a double guard perimeter outside before stepping inside.
He ordered the trembling court ladies out, walking straight to the Queen and pulling her into a fierce, protective embrace.
“Is everything all right, Jeonha?” the Queen whispered, her voice trembling.
“Everything is fine, my Queen,” the King replied softly, stroking her hair.
“You are safe.”
Before she could ask further, a guard shouted from the doorway: “Jeonha! We have captured one of the intruders alive!”
The King’s tender expression turned to absolute ice.
“Who sent you?!” the King demanded, his voice ringing with fury.
The assassin remained deathly silent, glaring back.
“Tell me who ordered this strike, and I will spare your life!” the King snarled.
Before the assassin could speak, a dark shaft whistled through the night air—THWACK!
An arrow pierced the assassin’s throat, killing him instantly.
“Sniper! There are two of them on the rooftops!” a guard yelled.
“Find them now! Bring me their heads!” the King commanded.
“Yes, Jeonha!”
Guards scattered across the rooftops in hot pursuit while the inner guard formed a protective wall around the King.
Meanwhile, in the private estate of the Chief State Minister, a quiet gathering was underway.
The Chief State Minister, the Left State Minister, the Minister of Personnel, and the Minister of War sat around a low table sipping warm rice wine when an arrow slammed into the wooden pillar beside them.
Attached to the shaft was a folded note.
The Chief State Minister calmly stood up, pulled the arrow from the pillar, and unrolled the scroll.
“Dae-gam,” the Minister of War asked nervously, leaning forward.
“Is everything all right? Did the operation succeed?”
The Chief State Minister’s face remained an unreadable mask.
He held the letter over the flame of a nearby lantern, watching the ink turn to black ash.
“What a tragic waste of resources,” he muttered under his breath.
Turning to his co-conspirators, his eyes turned cold.
“Prepare yourselves. The court will be loud and chaotic tomorrow morning. Keep your composure and mind what you say in front of the King. Is that understood?”
“Yes, Dae-gam,” the ministers answered in unison.
The next morning, ministers from every faction gathered outside the palace gates under heavy military guard.
Those who were unaware of the midnight bloodshed murmured in confusion, wondering why the King had summoned an emergency grand assembly.
As the massive wooden doors swung open, the court ministers walked into the palace grounds, unaware of the storm waiting for them inside.
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