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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: Where Is This Place?
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Rumble! Crash!
"Lower the sails!"
"Agh!"
"Do you have a death wish? Tie yourselves down!"
Crash! Whoosh!
As if the heavens themselves mourned the fall of the Gauri Empire, they wept tears of rain.
Crack, craaash!
"Aaaargh! Help me!"
"Grab the rope!"
As the mast snapped, the sailors clinging to it were swept into the sea by the waves. Piercing through the roar of the violent waves, the voices of the sailors defying nature echoed endlessly.
"Turn the bow to starboard! What are you doing? If we can't ride these waves, we'll die!"
"This area is full of reefs, Fleet Commander! We must hold our position here and wait for the storm to pass!"
With the driving rain and wind completely obscuring their vision, the captain worried about the reefs. One wrong move while cresting a wave could capsize the ship. But the Fleet Commander's decision was firm.
"No!"
"But sir!"
"Fool! If we stop here, we're all dead anyway. Can't you see these waves? We might hit a reef, but we also might not. If we stop, however, we will certainly all die! Order the oarsmen to increase their speed, and inform the General so he can have his soldiers bail water from the lower hold!"
"Yes, sir!"
The captain no longer questioned the Fleet Commander's decision. Clinging to the lifeline, he moved to carry out his orders. After sending the captain off, a dark cloud passed over the once-confident Fleet Commander's face.
'The waves are one thing, but I've never seen it rain so hard you can't see a thing in front of you.'
It was as if a curtain had been drawn; the lack of visibility was astounding. Just then, the trembling voice of the lookout broke the Fleet Commander's reverie.
"Fl-Fleet Commander!"
"What do you see?"
"A wall... a wall ahead!"
"What?"
Rooooar!
The words made no sense, but the Fleet Commander could hear the terror within them. A moment later, after moving closer to the lookout, he shouted in a trembling voice.
"Turn... turn the ship around!"
"Fleet Commander, it's too dangerous! We'll capsize!"
"If we don't turn, we might all die!"
"But...!"
The terrified Fleet Commander kept shouting. Voices from all around cried out that it was impossible, but they soon fell silent. They had seen it too—a wall of water rising from the middle of the ocean like a fortress.
Its top was lost in the sky, and there was no visible way around it to the left or right. It wasn't a wave or a tsunami; it was, quite literally, an endless wall of water. And the ship was hurtling straight for it.
"Fleet Commander!"
"Wh-Who? Gasp, Grand Commander."
The captain, who had gone below to get help from the soldiers, had returned with Go Jincheon. The captain was speechless at the scene before them, and even Jincheon felt his eyes tremble. But it was only for a moment. He issued a command to the Fleet Commander in a firm voice.
"Fleet Commander, there's no way out. If we can't turn the ship, we have no choice but to break through."
"But sir!"
Jincheon cut off the Fleet Commander's hasty objection with a question.
"What do you think that wall is made of!"
"Seawater..."
The firm voice spoke again into the bewildered captain's ear.
"If it's water, then we can break through it."
"But we don't know how thick it is!"
"Just think of it as a bigger wave. Can't you break through? As the navy of the great Gauri Empire, you can't even do this? This is war!"
"..."
In the Fleet Commander's eyes, Jincheon was already a beast on the battlefield. What came from the Fleet Commander's lips next was not a reply, but a command.
"Vice-Commander, issue the order."
"Yes, Fleet Commander!"
Gulp.
The sound from the captain's throat seemed louder than the rain and waves. And the Fleet Commander's command boomed louder than thunder.
"The order is to break through at full speed! Tell the oarsmen to row with all their might, and signalman, order the other ships to do the same! We advance straight ahead. If we slow down, we die!"
"Aye!"
"Raise the signal flags!"
After confirming the order was being relayed, the Fleet Commander turned to Jincheon.
"Grand Commander, please leave this to us and go below."
"Mm."
Speaking to the Grand Commander, the Fleet Commander now exuded the scent of war, an aroma found only on the battlefield. Jincheon smiled at the familiar scent.
"Everyone, hold on tight! We're breaking through!"
"Uwaaaaaaah!"
"Hyaaaaaaah!"
As if charging fiercely toward an enemy ship, the sailors' shouts pierced the waves and echoed through the air.
Crash-crash-crash-crash-crash!
Flash!
Rumble... Craaaack!
The moment they pierced the wall of water, the heavens roared as if angered by humanity's challenge to nature, and the ships shot through the natural barrier like beams of light.
Chapter 2: Where is this place!
Humanity's challenge to nature...
The moment they broke through the wall of water, everyone on deck fell silent. They simply kept their eyes closed.
"..."
"..."
Silence.
A stillness descended as if the world had suddenly changed. The driving rain that had lashed their faces was gone. All they could feel was the sting of sunlight on their skin.
Yet, no one opened their eyes. Were they afraid of the consequences of defying nature? Or did the sudden quiet fill them with unease...?
Swaaaah.
The sound of gentle waves lapped at the captain's ears. The sunlight on his face was undeniably real.
"...!"
"Gasp!"
"This can't... be..."
As the Fleet Commander and the sailors cautiously opened their eyes, they were met with an impossibly blue sky, calm waters, and warm sunlight. Normally, they would have savored the sun and calm waters, but not now. Some felt as if they were in a dream. Was this the dream, or was the storm just before it the dream...?
"Huh? F-Fleet Commander!"
"Eh? Ah, what is it?"
"I-It's just..."
The bewildered voice of the lookout reached the Fleet Commander, who was still dazed by the sudden peace. The lookout couldn't continue speaking and simply raised a finger.
In the direction he pointed, there was land covered in a lush green forest. Only then did the Fleet Commander's pupils begin to dilate.
"What! We should still be far from land!"
"No, Fleet Commander, that's not it..."
"Hm? Hm? Ugh!"
Following the lookout's pointing finger, a strange sound escaped the captain's lips. Then, a bizarre scream echoed across the deck, as if speaking for all the sailors who had just realized the truth.
"What in the world is this!"
"What's this? Look here, the typhoon's kicked the bucket? It's nice and quiet all of a sudden. But why're ya screamin' when ya should be happy!"
It was the voice of Eulji Buru, coming from behind the stunned captain. Still, the captain remained speechless, staring blankly ahead. Seeing that he was being ignored, Buru approached with a displeased expression.
"This brat's got some nerve. Are ya ignorin' me?"
"That..."
But instead of an excuse, the Fleet Commander simply raised a finger. Buru's gaze followed it. At his fingertip lay a wide expanse of forest and land.
"We've arrived already? Well, if ya see land, ya should hurry and dock the ship, not stand there lookin' like a lost soul. Did ya take an arrow to the head?"
"..."
Ignoring Buru's coarse voice, the Fleet Commander slowly moved his finger to the left. As Buru's gaze naturally followed, a sound of admiration escaped his lips.
"Yeah, yeah, nice view."
"..."
Perhaps because it had been so long since he'd seen land, Buru was delighted, following the Fleet Commander's pointing finger in a full circle, not minding his silence.
"My, the land is vast. A whole turn and it's all land."
"..."
But then Buru sensed something strange in his own words and looked at the speechless Fleet Commander's face.
"...Hey now. When did the sea get so small?"
"..."
Buru's mouth had fallen open at some point, but the words that came out were nonsensical. To turn in a full circle and see only land meant...
"It's a lake."
"Ah! General."
"What the heck!"
Go Jincheon and Yeon Hwigaram, who had come on deck, had already grasped the situation. They realized they were not at sea, but on a lake. Finally understanding, Buru roared.
"Captain, are you crazy! We've been goin' in circles in a lake for days? This brat needs his head chopped off to come to his senses!"
"Buru, be quiet."
"Brother Hwi, can't you see what this brat has done!"
Despite Hwigaram's attempt to restrain him, Buru was ready to tear the captain apart, spittle flying from his mouth. But it was Jincheon who stopped him.
"Captain, we clearly set sail from the sea. But this place..."
"Is a lake, ain't it!"
"Unless you're blind, if you have eyes in your head, you can see that we set out from the sea and this is a lake."
"...Right you are."
At the word 'blind,' Buru quietly shut his mouth and pretended to survey his surroundings.
"General, what should we do?"
Hwigaram asked cautiously.
"Bring the ships to shore. What's clear is that this is a lake, as far as the eye can see, and we departed from the sea. In any case, we are far from where we started. A lake of this size does not exist in the region we left."
"Then, at least, it's certain we've escaped the immediate danger."
As Hwigaram added his agreement, Jincheon gave a slight nod and spoke.
"I'm not so sure about that, but since we can't escape this place by water, we must set foot on land."
"Yes. Fleet Commander, as the Grand Commander has ordered, command the fleet to make landfall."
Hwigaram bowed to Jincheon in respect before relaying the order to the Fleet Commander. The Fleet Commander gave a military salute and accepted the command.
"Yes, I understand. Signalman, relay the order to land to the entire fleet!"
"Prepare to land!"
With a long series of echoing calls, the ten ships of the fleet cautiously headed for shore.
"Buru."
"Yes."
"Go to the cabin, bring Eulji and the handmaidens out for some fresh air."
"Got it."
As Buru hurried away, Jincheon's expression darkened.
'Where in the world are we...?'
A silent sigh escaped him.
"Careful now!"
"Get the horses off first, slowly!"
Horses and supplies for setting up camp were being unloaded onto the shore, and the cooks were busy preparing a meal. Having been unable to eat properly during the storm, their hands moved with incredible speed.
"Buru, Uru. Come here."
"Yes."
Go Jincheon called them, and the two hulking figures answered in unison. Buru, who had already slung his axe over his back, came running, his eyes darting about, and stood before Jincheon. Uru, too, seemed to have recovered significantly from his seasickness now that he was on solid ground.
"You two, take some soldiers and scout the surrounding area. And Hwi."
"Yes."
"You will take the remaining soldiers, excluding those on work duty, and form a defensive perimeter around this position in case of an attack."
"Understood."
As the men quickly dispersed, Jincheon walked toward a tent that had been set up to one side to see Eulji, the Son of Heaven. A dozen handmaidens, the wet nurse, and Dae Mudeok were resting inside.
"Captain of the Royal Guard."
"Yes, Grand Commander."
As Jincheon entered the tent and called for Mudeok, the man quickly rose from his seat and bowed his head. Jincheon acknowledged his greeting with a slight nod and spoke.
"Captain, get a headcount of our current personnel."
"I will see to it."
The moment Jincheon gave the order, Mudeok rushed outside.
With Mudeok gone, leaving only Jincheon, the remaining handmaidens stood before him, not knowing what to do. Understandably, his intimidating presence, honed by a life on the battlefield, was too much for the handmaidens to face directly. However, Jincheon was not one to miss that their behavior was far too timid to be explained by that alone.
"Hic... Waaaaah, waaaaah!"
In that awkward situation, as if by chance, Eulji suddenly burst into tears.
"Your Highness."
"I am not 'Your Highness'."
"Ah, yes, of course. Then, if you'll excuse me for a moment..."
At the wet nurse's unexpected attempt to dismiss him, Jincheon's brow furrowed.
"What?"
"It seems the little one has soiled themself."
"Then change them. What's the problem?"
At Jincheon's simple and direct response, the color drained visibly from the faces of the wet nurse and the handmaidens.
"I'll do it."
"Gasp!"
Sensing something was wrong, Jincheon took Eulji and began to unwrap the baby's swaddling clothes. A moment later, as he undid the diaper to change it himself, his hands suddenly froze.
"..."
"Hic."
Jincheon's face turned crimson with rage, while the faces of the wet nurse and handmaidens, who let out a short scream, became as white as sheets.
Because inside the open diaper, what should have been there was missing.
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