The location had changed to the wooden floor where I had stepped earlier.
And in front of me was a man with his hair in a topknot and wearing a white hanbok.
“I missed shooting arrows, so I came to say my last words before leaving. It’s good to see you like this, even if it’s just for a moment.”
At that moment, I felt anxious, worried that the man would suddenly disappear like the memory of my childhood I had seen last time.
“Excuse me for being rude, but do you know about Sacred objects and Demons? Was the thing in the Sacred object a Mystical Creature or a monster? And why is the Demon appearing now…”
As I was rapidly firing off questions, the man in white approached me step by step.
“Descendant, become stronger.”
“Pardon?”
“I don’t know more than my descendant does. What I can give to my descendant is… well, I’ve been called a divine archer since I was young. I may not be as good as King Taejo, but it will still help to ward off evil things.”
The man’s body began to shine with a light whiter than his clothes.
“Ah… are you leaving already?”
The time was short again.
The man let out a hearty laugh.
“How can someone entrusted with such an important task be so childish?”
As the man spoke, a white light surrounded me.
“Descendant, if those who seek to sever the veins of this land appear, it is our duty to stop them. The big guy fidgeting outside seems like he’ll be helpful, so be sure to fulfill your duty.”
“Yes, goodbye.”
I heard laughter again.
“Ah, there may be more ancestors or descendants with lingering attachments like me, so you should also visit the Royal Shrine.”
When the white light disappeared, I saw the dark wooden floor. Baek Mungi was at the top of the stairs leading to the floor in doll form, and then jumped towards me.
“Jaga!”
Thud
I caught the flying Baek Mungi doll with one hand and looked around.
“He’s really gone.”
“Did you see a thought projection?”
I stared intently at the Baek Mungi doll in my hand.
“Jaga, no matter how hard I try to get inside this…”
The big guy fidgeting outside must be referring to Baek Mungi.
The former king guaranteed it, so can I trust it?
“It was a really strange power. Whose thought projection was it? It didn’t seem like ordinary spiritual power.”
“Even if there’s no one around, is it okay for a doll to talk this much in public?”
“…”
I tucked the sulky Baek Mungi doll under my arm and retraced my steps back to the lodging.
I wondered how the divine archer’s spiritual power would affect me.
* * *
Would I be able to jump over the fence in one go now?
The Shinpungnu attack was reported as a surprise event, not an incident.
[Lee Young Films Fighting Scene with Four Evil Beheading Sword]
[Enjoyable Historical Experience with Lee Young]
[World Heritage-Class Artifacts Should Be Managed by the State, Not Individuals]
[Suwon Hwaseong Shakes! Lee Young with Four Evil Beheading Sword]
Thanks to Yoon Dae-han of the Cultural Heritage Administration quickly circulating press releases to the media, the tone of the articles was not bad.
However, in the meantime, I also saw an article suggesting that the Four Evil Beheading Sword should be owned by the state.
Recently, articles with this tone had been appearing one by one, often enough to be forgotten.
Who is the entity publishing these articles?
“It could be the president. They could build up achievements by finding national treasure-level artifacts during their term.”
“Public opinion is favorable to Song Yiyoung, so they won’t do it so blatantly. It’s easier to call her quietly and ask for cooperation.”
“Doesn’t the National Intelligence Service know either?”
I asked the Figurine team leader and Kim Woo-jin.
But before I could get an answer, Yoon Dae-han opened the door to the conference room.
We were sitting in the small conference room of the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center of the Cultural Heritage Administration.
“Ah, I’ll give you the sword.”
“Before that, let’s put this on.”
Yoon Dae-han was holding a hydrocolloid bandage that supposedly helps new flesh grow.
“Are you sure you don’t need to go to the hospital? There’s also the risk of tetanus.”
The skin that had been cut by the sword only had a scar left, as if Baek Mungi had stitched it up.
The pain had almost disappeared, but as soon as I arrived here, people made a fuss.
It was late, but we agreed to put on a bandage instead of going to the hospital.
“It was just a scratch, so I’m fine. Thank you.”
Yoon Dae-han sighed deeply even after applying the bandage.
“Whether it’s a ghost or a person, there must be a reason why they keep targeting Song Yiyoung, right?”
“It’s likely the Four Evil Beheading Sword. They attacked me too.”
At Kim Woo-jin’s words, Yoon Dae-han nodded, looking at Kim Woo-jin’s Four Evil Beheading Sword.
“Especially since your Four Evil Beheading Swords have special abilities unlike other swords, it’s understandable that humans or ghosts would be greedy for them.”
“Here.”
“Yes.”
Yoon Dae-han received the Four Evil Beheading Sword I handed him with both hands holding a red cloth.
“I’ll take good care of it.”
{Jaga, I’m inside the sword, so you don’t have to worry.}
Yoon Dae-han carefully carried the Four Evil Beheading Sword wrapped in the red cloth out of the conference room.
The Figurine team leader, who saw this, had a bewildered expression.
“Why the sword…”
On the way back from Suwon, my head was filled with various thoughts.
* * *
What if a Demon had possessed one of the gathered crowds?
Should I have shown the image of cutting down shadows and suppressing Demons in front of so many people?
“We can promote our lord’s greatness.”
Jang Ha-woon’s words were rejected.
I want to be known for doing my job well. Of course, it seems I’ve already become famous as a descendant of a ruined Royal Family.
“If you swing a sword and someone falls, they might misunderstand that you hurt them. In reality, they’re losing consciousness as the Demon disappears, but it doesn’t look that way.”
“Can’t we get more Three Evil Swords?”
“It’s difficult right now. The Inwol day has already passed.”
“Ah, that’s right…”
{Jaga, how about making Two Evil Swords according to the Inil and Insi? At least we can prevent possession.}
“Besides, having the entire nation carrying swords to stop Demons is…”
Kim Woo-jin is right. In modern society, it’s absurd to have the entire nation armed.
“Your Highness, the people… no, the citizens all praise you.”
Lee Geon, who was looking at the video from in front of Shinpungnu on my smartphone, said with a proud expression.
Not everyone will be saying good things.
“But what are goods? They’re clamoring for Four Evil Beheading Sword goods.”
Ah, goods! Should I make them with the Evil Beheading Sword?
* * *
So we came to the Royal Palaces and Tombs Center of the Cultural Heritage Administration and told Yoon Dae-han about the plan.
“If we make Evil Beheading Sword keychains and people carry them around, wouldn’t that prevent them from being possessed by Demons? Of course, a Four Evil Sword is impossible, so it would be a Two Evil Beheading Sword keychain.”
“If it’s a keychain, it’ll be small, will it be okay?”
“You can think of it as a talisman. It may not be as good as the original size, but it’s better than nothing.”
At first, I thought about having our agency do it. But since it was based on cultural heritage, it could be misunderstood.
Even if we gave it away for free, they might think it was a for-profit activity, so it seemed better for the Cultural Heritage Administration to do it.
Yoon Dae-han said it was a good idea if it was effective, but he said it must be sold at a reasonable price.
“Even if I carry something I bought with my own money every day, I’ll receive something given for free and throw it somewhere in a drawer.”
Yoon Dae-han’s words made sense, but it was a shame.
It seemed like many people wouldn’t buy it if it was sold for a fee.
“Besides, if we put silver in the sword body and jade in the hilt, the production cost won’t be cheap.”
Making it on Inil and Insi would weaken the effect, so we decided to make the materials the same.
“HC Group will support the production costs as much as possible.”
“Ah, if you do that, we can sell it at an affordable price. But why…”
At Kim Woo-jin’s words, Yoon Dae-han’s face brightened up and then changed to a bewildered expression.
It seemed strange that Kim Woo-jin said that HC Group would cover the production costs.
“Ah, I see, it must have been agreed upon in advance? Well, HC Group does a lot of good things.”
It seems he decided to gloss over it without asking deeply.
He’s quick-witted after all.
Of course, there will be many people who won’t carry it even if it’s given for free, and there will be people who will reject it as superstition if it’s said to ward off bad energy.
But it’s better to proceed than not to try, so we decided to proceed.
Instead, we decided to produce a broadcast to promote the history and meaning of the Four Evil Beheading Sword in parallel.
So right now, professional photographers and experts in charge of making the keychains are gathered in the room next to the small conference room.
I sent the Four Evil Beheading Sword through Yoon Dae-han to make it easier for them to do the preliminary work. Baek Mungi followed the sword, saying he would monitor them.
The team leader, who listened to my explanation, nodded and said.
“I’ll have to tell my family to carry it around too.”
“That would be great. Ah, Lee Geon and Jang Ha-woon.”
“Yes.”
“Did you call for us?”
When Lee Geon and Jang Ha-woon appeared, the team leader flinched. He already knew of their existence, but he was surprised when they appeared out of nowhere.
“Baek Mungi can convey his thoughts without me saying anything, so I’ll say it now.”
The small conference room became a little quieter, perhaps because my voice was solemn.
“We need to find out who is attacking me. I’m concerned that the places where I’m attacked are mostly crowded.”
The first attack was on the road in front of the broadcasting station. My manager died there.
The second attack location was the press conference hall, where there were many reporters.
The third attack location was Changdeokgung Palace, and if that day hadn’t been a holiday, visitors could have been caught up in it.
The fourth time, the bodyguards guarding my maternal grandmother’s house were collectively possessed by Demons, and one of the three- stage possessed bodyguards died.
The fifth location had the Martial Arts 24 team and spectators, and the Figurine team could have arrived late and made things worse.
“We should avoid people when filming at the Cultural Heritage Administration. So that other people don’t get caught up in it. And the Figurine team should find out more about the person targeting me.”
“Yes.”
“Our family is looking into the Royal Family descendants and the political circles. Can the Figurine team mobilize overseas agents?”
“Of course. Is the region the US, Japan, or China?”
“I think so too.”
“We can at least get a sense of the flow, even if it’s not close surveillance. If the target is narrowed down, we’ll try close surveillance.”
This time, I spoke to Lee Geon and Jang Ha-woon.
“We’re going to other palaces too.”
Gyeongbokgung, Changgyeonggung, Deoksugung, and Gyeonghuigung, excluding Changdeokgung, had not been filmed yet.
So I was planning to spread the rumor that I was going to film there.
“If you spread the rumor that you’re filming, won’t they approach you again?”
“Your Highness, that’s too dangerous a method.”
Lee Geon and Jang Ha-woon stopped me with pale faces.
But rather than worrying about when and where they might attack, I thought it would be more comfortable to lure them to a place where there were no people.
Now I need to call them to the time and place I want.
And also find out if there’s any spiritual power left, like at Suwon Hwaseong Fortress.
Before that, I need to check the power of the divine archer.