Chapter 20 — The Hearts Of Humans And Yokai (1)

When they emerged from the Aeshin Great Gate, several sorcerers stood waiting in full battle readiness, and ahead of them was the King.
They had been holding their breath in grim-set readiness, and the moment they saw the three step out comparatively unscathed, they understood at once that the affair was over and let the tension drop from their shoulders in open relief.

“Is it ended, then.”
“It is.”

Shin Yuhyeon gave the short reply and lifted Ushi-gozen’s head to display it.
She had transformed into a bull and rampaged in that form until she was cut down, yet what remained, in the end, was her human-shaped face. And even that was human only by courtesy, for the face was twisted like an oni’s, ox-horns sprouting from its brow, a fell and daunting air clinging to it.

A severed head into which all of Ushi-gozen’s spirit-power had been concentrated, in which the malice of a great yokai still lay coiled.
Provoke it in some ill-considered fashion and a new yokai might well be born from it.

“That… what is that thing.”

The King had instinctively made to step back, then forced himself to hold his ground, and the question came out of him in a tense voice.

“Rank Two — the Hwa yokai Ushi-gozen.”
“A great yokai, you mean.”

Dumbfounded at Shin Yuhyeon’s offhand reply, the King kneaded the bridge of his nose.

“You’d be the only man in the world who could kill a great yokai and still look this unbothered.”
“The details, we’ll speak of inside.”

“And what do you mean to do with that?”

The King pointed at Ushi-gozen’s face and put the question shortly.
Shin Yuhyeon mulled it for a moment, then answered.

“That is a secret.”
“If that’s how you mean to answer, why bother mulling it at all?”

The King had been quietly hoping that something might fall to him too, and now he grumbled with an expression that said the whole thing was a lost cause, dismissed the sorcerers, and pronounced his judgment.

“The crisis has passed. This matter shall not be made known outside, but shall be set down in the inner records of the Royal House and passed to later generations.”
“By Your Majesty’s command.”

They had not brought out the kudan’s body, and declaring the affair concluded on the strength of Ushi-gozen’s head alone might have been a point worth disputing. Yet those gathered here all seemed of one mind on it, for they bowed their heads as one.
They likely placed even more trust, more than they placed in the King himself, in Shin Yuhyeon, Aeshin’s foremost sorcerer.
And no doubt Ushi-gozen’s head, hanging there in Shin Yuhyeon’s grip, was too fearsome a thing to start picking quarrels over.

“All the same, those who have rendered such service cannot simply be sent home. I’ll have to take up the matter of their rewards.”

The King added the line, signalling the coming ceremony of merits and rewards.
Shin Yuhyeon and Yun Jinseong, of course, showed little reaction. They were already men of middle years who had achieved what they meant to achieve and gained what they meant to gain, and there was nothing in particular they wanted from the King.

So everyone’s eyes settled, naturally, on the only one of the three who was young, with a long road still ahead. They settled on Shin Hweein, and the King’s eyes did the same.

‘A trap.’

When the very king of a country offers, in his own person, to grant a reward, whose heart would not flutter at it?
But look at it however he might, this was the King’s opening move toward binding Shin Hweein to himself in a deeper bond.

Whether the man truly looked at him and longed for his mother, or whether he meant to drag him too into the King’s childish quarrel with Shin Yuhyeon…

‘And I can hardly refuse a reward the King is offering. So, what to do…’

— Ask for the right of service over Yuryong.

It was then that a strand of mind-speech from Shin Yuhyeon came winging in.
Yuryong? If memory served, Yuryong was certainly one of the two House shikigami whose power Shin Yuhyeon had borrowed at the kudan-locating rite the day before.
Why should there be any need to obtain a separate state-issued right of service for that shikigami?

Pondering the oddness of it, Shin Hweein suddenly caught at the name of the shikigami itself.

‘Yuryong… Yuryong?’

Surely not.
No, surely not.
But even as he was thinking so, Shin Hweein could not stop himself, and asked Shin Yuhyeon at last.

— Do you mean, by any chance, Manse the Human-Faced Bird-Beast?
— That creature’s name is no longer Manse. It is Yuryong.

So it had really been the Confucian Dragon.
He had known there was a clash between the Shin House and the Royal House over what happened back then, of course. But he had had no idea the Royal House was still meddling in the matter to this very day.

Shin Hweein turned to look at Shin Yuhyeon, dumbfounded. His father, outwardly playing the innocent without so much as a twitch, sent on a rather enticing line by way of mind-speech.

— If you obtain the right of service, before long I shall grant you the right of summoning as well. Your present strength will not bear calling him out often, but he will be of use.
— As you granted Shin Myeongin temporary borrowing-rights?
— That was a loan. This is shared ownership. Provided, of course, that Yuryong consents to acknowledge you.

Shin Hweein did not answer that.
But as to what was running through his head…

‘No harm in it.’

Working the abacus on his father’s offer, he was already confident that this was, by no measure, a losing bargain for him either.
The Confucian Dragon, Yuryong, as he had had occasion to confirm once before when he borrowed a fragment of its power in a dream, was effective against every variety of mystic working.
Which meant it could be put to use in any situation, at any time.
What was more, the Human-Faced Bird-Beast was a celebrated spirit-being even within Aeshin, and its own intrinsic power was no trifling thing. Even if it would not wholly become his own shikigami, the mere fact of being able to summon it in emergencies would make it a reliable addition to his fighting strength.

‘Indeed, it may even work out the better for me. My spirit-power has grown a fair bit, that’s true, but I already have a considerable number of shikigami on my hands — taking on the Human-Faced Bird-Beast outright would be more than I can carry. This way I waste none of my spirit-power and yet get to take only the good part. As for the deeper link to my father that comes of having the Human-Faced Bird-Beast as our medium… well, that’s something to think about, but.’

Could it be that his father had even that in his calculations when he made the offer.
No. Though suspecting every move this man made, counting and countering each one, was a long-overdue task by any measure.

“Ha. Then let us speak of the rest inside.”

Seeing Shin Hweein lost in thought, weighing the offer from every angle, the King took it to mean the boy was deliberating over his reward, and laughed in satisfaction.
The only one to catch the look that passed between father and son was Yun Jinseong, who shot a doubtful side-glance at Shin Yuhyeon.

The accounting of all that had passed within the Aeshin Great Gate had come to an end.

The kudan’s prophecies had every one of them been nullified, and with this blow the enemy’s striking edge had been blunted. For the time being there was nothing to worry about.
If anything were to be said, it was only that operatives of Honwondorae might still lie in wait in Hwa’s capital of Gyeongdo, and that it would be well to make contact and deal with them in concert.

And then at last the time for the granting of rewards drew near.
The King had been racking his brains over how to broach matters with Hwa, and now a smile slipped onto his lips as he asked Shin Hweein, before all others, what he desired.
Having only just finished his own deliberation, Shin Hweein returned the smile and answered.

“I should like to receive the right of service over Yuryong.”
“Shin Yuhyeon — !”

That this was Shin Yuhyeon’s coaching was caught at once.
At the King’s bellow, Shin Yuhyeon answered, brazen-faced, without so much as altering his expression.

“You called?”
“Underhanded — putting your own wish into your son’s mouth!”
“There seems to be a misunderstanding. I merely recommended a shikigami suitable for him to handle. And as it happens that very shikigami is under the Royal House’s repudiation, and so cannot manifest its proper strength, I gave him an advisory remark — out of regret for that sorry state.”

Comical, given that this was the shikigami in the most intimate of bonds with the Royal House of this very country.
When Shin Yuhyeon added that with infuriating composure, the King quivered with rage.

Shin Hweein, listening at his side, finally grasped the way matters had been running.
The Royal House was displeased that the Shin House should handle a shikigami who wielded the power to negate mystic workings. The Shin House, on its part, had declared from the outset that the Royal House should not interfere with shikigami it had handled all along.
But the Royal House had felt that the very existence of the Confucian Dragon, of Yuryong, who wielded the Royal House’s own sort of authority, was undermining their dignity, and in the end had deployed that very authority to repudiate Yuryong outright.
That a Yuryong whose power was the denying of mystery should himself be denied by the same kind of power was, there was no help for it, simply absurd.

“You, insolent — “

The King ground his teeth as though he wanted to hurl something at Shin Yuhyeon, then at last let out a sigh, whew, and said:

“As you wish. I grant you the right of service over Yuryong. The Royal House shall recognize Yuryong as the shikigami of Hweein of the Shin House.”
“My deepest thanks.”

The King had named “Hweein of the Shin House” with his own lips, which was, by extension, recognition that Yuryong was a shikigami of the Shin House.
Yuryong could no longer be repudiated, and so Shin Yuhyeon, the original master, would once more be able to make use of him.
A short yet long contest of pride between the Shin House and the Royal House, one part of which had now been brought to a close. A monumental moment.

When Shin Hweein bowed his head, the King appended, “But — “

“This shall be deemed a granting of Shin Yuhyeon’s request. The benefit accrues more to the House than to the individual. Sorcerer Shin Hweein — think on another reward. If nothing readily comes to mind, shall I decide?”

An unexpected bonus had fallen into his lap.
Catching the King’s gaze as it drifted toward Princess Mirye, who stood off to one side, Shin Hweein hurried to set his wits to work.
Should he ask for more rights for Ham Seoyeon? No. Bringing up the Guksadang for that would be far above the merit owed, and besides, Ham Seoyeon’s involvement in this affair was slight. Broaching her name out of the blue would be a discourtesy to both the King and to Ham Seoyeon herself.
Then…

“I should like to be granted dual-identity protection.”
“Ah. Now.”

A sharp light entered the King’s eyes at Shin Hweein’s words.

“It was Shin Hae, was it.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. I should like for no one to entertain any question about my acting in that capacity. And if Your Majesty’s consideration were also extended to my relations with the Aeshin Catholic Church, I should be most grateful.”
“An insolent lot, they are. Looking down on the Aeshin Royal House.”
“Even so, they move with goodwill, and are of help to this country. I pray that on my account there be no conflict.”

That the cathedral had fabricated a false identity for Shin Hweein was something the King had by now grasped as well.
That he was not making an issue of it case by case was solely because his relations with them were already too deep to allow it. But it remained, in itself, an unmistakable point of fault to be picked at.
And here Shin Hweein had stepped forward, of his own accord, to clear away even that trifling encumbrance by spending his own merit upon it.

“How praiseworthy. Your consideration for others is beyond words. Very well, let us do so. In return, you must be prepared for the name Shin Hae to become famous.”
“I have long been resolved to it.”

In truth, Shin Hweein had begun to think along these lines himself.
His father had confirmed to him that he was not, in fact, disowned, and he had already made the King’s acquaintance and accumulated services to his name. Even were he to reclaim his true name, there would be no great trouble in it now.
To put it plainly, Shin Uin’s hunt for Shin Hweein had been about pushing him aside in order to track down Geum Moa’s whereabouts. But matters had reached the point where Shin Hweein could no longer be quietly disposed of.
He had likewise shaken off his disease, in part, and could now move about as a sorcerer. The family had no remaining grounds to fault him, and even if his relations with his brothers stayed poor, there would be no obstacle to his openly carrying himself as a direct-line son of the Shin House.

‘But… not yet. Still a little early.’

His father, who had said he would wait for the day of his return.
The two brothers and his little mother, who would no doubt prove no small obstacle to a free way of life.
And on top of all that, to return to being a son of a renowned line with its main estate in the Capital was, in itself, certain to bind him with no small share of constraints.

He was getting on just now without the slightest inconvenience. There was no reason to head back to the Shin House merely for the sake of recovering his real name a little sooner.
Above all, his heart, already accustomed to freedom, did not wish to go back until he had secured the minimum conditions under which he might remain free even after returning to the main house.

‘But once I receive this reward, there will be no further need to take excessive pains avoiding Shin Uin. The reasons I had for fearing him are gone.’

For the sorcerer called Shin Hae would now be vouched for by the state itself, and even the Eight Pure-Blood Houses could no longer lay hands on him as they pleased.
He had moved only because he could not refuse Yun Jinseong’s proposal, yet with one happenstance piled on another he had come this far, and in the end, by any measure, had scored a great success.
Of course, the road ahead was still long. But surely the cornerstone, at least, had now been firmly laid.

“If the matter is to be made public, I should like the names of Ham Seoyeon and Yun Juna to be set down together with mine.”
“Naturally, those two will be appraised with their full due. They have their share of credit in subduing the Specter Realm Gate when it would have spilled over, and in finding the kudan ahead of time.”

But that alone was far from enough, the King muttered, and after a moment’s thought added:

“Yes. I have a proposal for you.”
“I shall hear it.”
“You are aware, of course, that Princess Mirye is shortly to undergo her coming-of-age rite.”

He had not been aware at all, but Shin Hweein quietly nodded.

“Now, a member of the direct-line royal family undergoing the coming-of-age rite is, by custom, permitted to be accompanied into the Aeshin Great Gate by at most a single sorcerer — and as it happens, Princess Mirye has already used up that privilege.”
“…”

By the time he had heard this much, Shin Hweein had grasped the shape of what was coming, and had to school his face to keep the irritation off it.
Princess Mirye, too, kept her expression a mask, but he did not miss the moment her brow gave a single faint twitch.

“You will have understood already that it was on you that the privilege was spent. That said, it was a use directed solely toward resolving this present affair; I cannot compel you to attend the coming-of-age rite as well.”
“My thanks.”
“And yet, hearing your request, it occurred to me — should you serve as the Princess’s escort under the name Shin Hae at the coming-of-age rite, what surer proof could there be that the state itself vouches for that identity?”

Sensing the intense stare Princess Mirye was firing at him, Shin Hweein made an effort, all the same, to resist the King.

“…Surely there are other means.”
“I am the sort of man who believes a person of merit ought to be properly rewarded. And both of your requests have been considerations for others rather than for yourself, so I, for my part, should like — one way or another — to confer upon you something tangible besides.”
“…”
“Whereas, if you grant me my proposal, then for splendidly attending the Princess at her coming-of-age rite I might confer a further reward — and at that point, all of us could be satisfied. Well, what do you say?”

In effect, a proposal that pre-emptively refused any refusal he might offer.
Among the few present, all wearing entertained expressions, Yun Jinseong, at his side, gave him a sharp jab in the back with one finger.

“Take it.”
“…As you wish.”

Shin Hweein squeezed his eyes shut, opened them, and once more bowed his head to the King.

“Haha — that’s it! That’s right! I knew my eye for men was sound!”
“…Haa.”

The one and only person there for whom this proposal could bring no satisfaction was Princess Mirye, and she was gripping her skirt-hem hard. But, alas, there was nothing for it but to ask her to endure it for the one day of the coming-of-age rite.