Episode 251 Now is the time for everyone to become stronger.
Nothing has changed since becoming a small religious leader.
The path to take has been determined and the work to be done has been determined.
To become strong and kill fire weapons.
But in reality, there was a change.
The first change to come was lined up in the yard of my residence.
You could tell who they were by the symbols engraved on their chests.
A demon statue depicted on a shield.
“I came from the Cheonmajeon Guard.”
When he became Sogyoju, a guard was dispatched from Cheonmajeon.
“I am Jeok Yeon, who will be responsible for the well-being of Lord Sogyo from now on.”
He had an eyepatch over one eye. It seemed very special as it was rare for the escort drone to have one eye.
The escort soldiers standing behind each said their names and said hello.
The number is twelve in total.
I explained that six people would take turns day and night to protect me.
I was familiar with this enemy group and the rest of the escort soldiers.
Red smoke. He lived the fate of shining like a flame and then disappearing.
These people were the bodyguards of his older brother, who was the leader of Sogyo, and they all died along with his older brother on the day when Hwamugi attacked. None of them ran away and gave their loyalty with their lives.
‘thanks.’
I thanked them in my heart.
“Now we will protect Master Xiao.”
That loyalty was now directed towards me. Other fates I have to change.
The only problem is that I don’t need them.
They won’t want to leave me even for a moment, but I have a lot of work to do to move quickly. Moreover, there are probably quite a few actions that they cannot understand.
I have to somehow keep my distance from me.
I never thought I would be given this task from the first day I became the head of a small school.
To these people, ‘I don’t need you, so just leave.’ There is no need to say this. They weren’t the ones to go back because of that, and this wasn’t a problem that could be solved that way.
A problem that must be solved by meeting Hwi, the head of the bodyguard and his father’s bodyguard. Of course it won’t be easy.
Wherever you are in Jeongsama, the people with the most conservative personality are the escort warriors. This is because it is impossible to protect the target if you are not conservative.
The more expert you are, the more likely you are to be overconfident in your own abilities, and it is a really difficult task to protect warriors who also have unruly personalities. Isn’t that the same for me right now? I’m thinking about sending them back somehow.
“Rest for a while.”
I was about to meet Hwi and negotiate, but Jeok-yeon seemed to have read my mind.
“The Lord of the Guards said this. The Little Lord may want to send you back. But there is no place for you to return. “If you send us back, we will have to leave the convoy.”
Hwi guessed that I was going to send him back and hit him. That’s how well he understood my personality, and he expressed his determination that he would never bite an escort. It means to keep them with you whether they become porridge or rice.
“So, are you completely mine now?”
“The official affiliation is the Cheonmajeon Guard, but in reality it is like that.”
I told the enemy.
“Try to take off the blindfold.”
The enemy was startled by my command, but immediately removed the blindfold without hesitation. He wasn’t wearing an eye patch because his eye was injured. His covered eyes were blood-red.
I walked up to him, looked into his eyes, and said.
“You have mastered ghost eye techniques.”
Ghost eye art is a method of finding hidden people and has been passed down among guard warriors. However, the learning process was very painful and I could not normally use one eye like this. You have to give up one eye for the rest of your life for that one moment of crisis that may or may not come once in your life.
“Doesn’t it hurt?”
“It’s bearable.”
“Stay still.”
I placed my palms over his eyes. A small ray of internal power flowed through him and caressed his eyes.
When I took my hand away, Jeokyeon lowered her head.
“thank you.”
A look of bewilderment appeared on the enemy’s face towards me. He would never have imagined that I would be able to handle his pain like this.
“It’s just a temporary prescription.”
Ian was like that, and now Jeokja is like that too.
Protecting someone requires too great a sacrifice. This is not just a problem for our school, but the burden our school places on its guards is too harsh.
“I understand that if you achieve great skill in demonic arts, you will be able to use these eyes in everyday life.”
“you’re right. “But achieving greatness is such a difficult task.”
“I will help you.”
Jeokyeon’s red eyes looked surprised, as if he was seeing me as a ghost.
“How old are you?”
“I’m twenty-nine.”
He was young. The escorts who came with him were younger or similar in age.
“I may be young, but it has been twelve years since I joined the guard.”
It means that he passed the guard service at the age of seventeen. Since you can’t enter the Cheonmajeon Guard with average skills, it also meant that Jeokyeon’s talent was that great.
“The juniors who came with me are young, but I am confident in their skills.”
Of course it will. Because they are the ones who were sent to protect the leader. Hwi would have sent me young masters who will be responsible for the next generation. Young experts with both skill and loyalty.
Mr. Hwi, you did a great job picking him.
Because these people had already proven what kind of people they were by dying.
“How much do you know about me?”
“I am aware of almost everything that has happened recently.”
“Then you know my personality to some extent.”
“I have a very small guess.”
“Tell me.”
Jeokyeon, who hesitated for a moment about what to say, spoke carefully.
“I think he is not an easy person to serve.”
I nodded and said.
“If you just let go of one thing, you can get along with me better than anyone else.”
“Which one is it?”
“Impatient. “All you have to do is let go of your impatience to become my guard right now.”
The guards, including Jeok Yeon, looked puzzled. What are they saying when they have already been assigned as escorts? It’s puzzling.
“I don’t know what that means.”
I asked a question instead of an answer.
“What is your ultimate dream?”
“To become the best escort.”
“So, is it a dream to be an escort for So Jiaoju? “Is it your dream to be the leader’s guard?”
After a moment, Jeokyeon answered.
“Of course, my ultimate dream is to become the sect leader’s bodyguard.”
Not only that, other escorts will have the same goal.
“That means you have to let go of your impatience.”
They still looked like they couldn’t understand what I meant by saying this.
“Bring thirteen wooden swords.”
Realizing that I was about to test my skills, Jeokyeon immediately had his subordinate bring a wooden sword.
After a while, we each picked up a wooden sword. I put white powder on the tip of my wooden sword.
“Now, think of the friend at the end as me and protect him from now on.”
They immediately formed a formation with the person I had pointed at the center.
They were very nervous.
“You don’t have to worry about me getting hurt. So do your best to stop it. “Here we go.”
I rushed to them.
He tried to stop me somehow, but how could he stop me when he was so determined?
He made full use of his Wind God Sabot and dug into them. They were pushed and pulled and the swords they swung missed. I gave myself an area I could never dig into, tripped over my own legs, and lost sight of me for a moment.
What on earth is going on? When this thought crossed their minds one by one, I jumped up and went back to my original position.
The twelve escorts looked at me with blank expressions.
What on earth were you doing?
None of them dropped their swords. No one got hit.
Then one of them was startled.
“Huh!”
Only then did they all become surprised. It was more shocking than being stabbed in the arm or stomach. Before we knew it, everyone’s hearts were covered in powder.
The same was true for their leader, the enemy, and the same was true for the comrades they were trying to protect. What was even more surprising was that they buried it without even knowing when or how it was buried. In the blink of an eye, they were all dead.
“Can you escort me with this skill now?”
Their faces, including those of the enemy, turned red. Regardless of the difference in skill, it must have been very humiliating to be treated so helplessly as a bodyguard.
“I don’t mean to humiliate you. It shows reality. You have to be much stronger to protect me. Because the people I will deal with in the future will be these experts.”
I walked up to them, made eye contact with each one, and spoke.
“We couldn’t stop it today, but we have to stop it next time. I can’t stop it alone, but with twelve of us gathered together, we have to stop it. Don’t waste your time protecting me eating or sleeping. “I practice martial arts during the time I am standing on such meaningless guard.”
Because there was nothing more meaningless than following me around to escort me.
“So are you saying that I should just keep practicing martial arts?”
I shook my head in response to Jeokyeon’s question.
“You have your own position, but you can’t do that. We need to move together for internal or external official events. But I go about my daily life and spend time with the Majons. “There is no need to waste time escorting until this happens.”
In fact, it was a heaven-sent opportunity for them. Because they had to cut down on sleep to make time for training during difficult escort missions.
“Because these are the rules of the convoy. Because it goes against the principles. From now on, let go of those thoughts. We are establishing new rules and principles. When I tell you to go away and rest, you unconditionally accept my command. Unless I call you separately, that time is training time. “I train with the intention of becoming the best martial arts guard.”
The eyes of Jeokyeon and the warriors shook at the unexpected words.
“I need an unmanned escort like that.”
I slowly approached and brushed off the dust from Jeokyeon’s heart. The symbol of the convoy visible below.
“I need this shield painted on your chest. “It’s an iron shield that lasts forever and no one can pierce it.”
I could feel Jeokyeon crying. They were still young. They were agitated by my words. It must be their dream to become the best escort. The opportunity has come to them.
“If you keep your promise to me, I will also promise you one thing. I will take you all the way. “When I become the Heavenly Demon, you will be in charge of guarding me.”
The enemy team and the escort soldiers were surprised. Usually, when a person becomes a Cheonma, he or she is replaced by warriors who guard the Cheonma. But now I have declared it. I’m going to take you all.
“If something goes wrong with this method and I get kicked out of the escort unit, I will take responsibility and accept it. But that won’t happen.”
Jeokyeon could not decide whether this was the right thing to do.
“Instead of giving you a lot of time, I will check your skills from time to time. Anyone who is lazy will be kicked out immediately. “Maybe this job will be more difficult than escorting me.”
Now is the time for everyone to become stronger. In particular, I need to make my escort warriors strong no matter what happens.
Jeokyeon looked at the subordinates around him. Ask for their opinions rather than making decisions arbitrarily. I felt electric sounds coming and going quickly. I liked the way things were done.
“I trained myself to see ghosts… but now I feel like I’m possessed.”
Is it okay to make such an emotional decision on such a big matter? Jeokyeon added with that expression.
“We decided to follow the words of Master So.”
The escort soldiers behind them shouted in unison.
“I will become stronger. “We will bet our future on Lord Sogyo.”
I could feel their will.
“Be strong. So, in the future, I hope to become the best Heavenly Demon Guard in Murim.”
You can do it. Because I will help you.
And we have to do it just to survive.
“Where is your accommodation?”
“It is available nearby.”
“We will rebuild it with the best facilities. “A place with a training center.”
Everyone looked thrilled.
“Well, since today is the first day, shall we all go together?”
* * *
I headed to Cheonmajeon with the escorts.
The guards who followed with dignity treated the demons with cool-headed yet confident eyes, unlike when they treated me.
These were people who had the authority to cut down anyone to protect me. During escort missions, they had the authority to skip greeting even Mazon. They are not people who just got scolded by me and left somewhere.
As we walked, the demons parted like water parting.
Let alone daring to block my way, even the way they looked at me was completely different.
Until now, he had revealed his feelings. Whether it’s a look of support or a look of disapproval. To some extent, I could read their minds.
However, he did not dare to reveal his feelings to me, who became the leader of the small church. When he saw me, he showed absolute respect and greeted me politely. It didn’t matter whether I liked it or not. All I could think about was death if I was taken by the next Heavenly Demon.
The guards waited at the entrance and I entered Cheonmajeon alone.
My father was sitting in the royal palace as always.
I walked down the bloody path and stood at the bottom of the stairs.
“After the air, you are all strong and there is nothing special, and did you not do the Okchegeum?”
“Why are you doing something you shouldn’t do?”
“Any small religious leader should give this kind of greeting.”
The corners of my father’s mouth curled up.
“Do it as usual.”
I smiled happily and asked my father.
“Have you had enough of gossiping about me and your brother?”
“I couldn’t do it. “Because your brother doesn’t curse behind someone’s back like someone else does.”
It was really cool to see my father taking care of my brother yesterday.
“I kept my promise as far as holding hands, so please help me father from now on.”
My father didn’t answer anything, but I believed he would help me in some way with my brother’s problem.
“You sang the song of the successor, but you will have a lot of work to do from now on.”
I knew it too. There was a lot of work to be done internally, events to attend, and especially external events to attend on behalf of my father.
“I will brag to the world about this handsome face that looks just like my father.”
In fact, what I believed in was the secret magic of Sicheon. I have no choice but to secure more time by practicing the secret arts of Sicheon somehow.
My father, who was looking down at me in silence, suddenly asked.
“Are you ready?”
I had a hunch.
The long-awaited moment has finally arrived.
“I am ready.”
In response to my calm answer, my father stood up from the temple.
“Follow me.”
I followed my father for something that was more important to me than the position of successor. I was walking slowly, but my heart started pounding as if I was racing.