Reincarnation of the Fist King Chapter 6

<The King of Fists, I've Come>

“You’ll find it hard to believe what I’m about to say.”

This was what Mok In-seop, who had returned before Dan Woo-seong, said to his colleagues in the dormitory. Those who were organizing bedding or doing their own work responded.

“Why? Was the Grand Duke rolling around with a servant in broad daylight at Anga?”

“Oh, you must have had a good time. You were peeking, you pervert.”

Mok In-seop sighed.

“Am I your older brother? Why would you spy on something like that?”

“Then what is it?”

Mok In-seop said with a hearty laugh.

“What could it be?”

The atmosphere wasn't very curious.

"Anyway, he's having a good life. He must be from a good family, living a comfortable life, eating and drinking in luxury. I envy him, I envy him. Aren't you jealous?"

"I'm jealous. Even if you're just sitting at home, rubbing the butts of your fellow servants, you won't have to worry about money. After all, people should be born well. Effort is useless. Look at our Lord Budan. He devoted his youth to the bodyguards his entire life, and now he's just a prostitute outside… I'll stop here."

Everyone glanced at Han Yeop, the leader of the escort unit.

Hanyeop spoke to Mok Inseop with a sour expression.

“How is your Grand Duke’s health?”

In the escort group, the only man who worried about the Grand Duke was Hanyeop.

Only then did the escorts all look at Mok In-seop.

Mok In-seop said with a smile as if he knew an interesting story.

“Don’t think it’s a lie. Everyone will know anyway.”

Only then did those who became more curious press Mok In-seop.

“Speak quickly. What is it?”

“If it’s not a big deal, you should know how to talk about it.”

Mok In-seop said.

“The Grand Duke has completely changed.”

Of course, it was true, since he had changed from Lee Jin-eon to Dan Woo-seong. One man responded like this.

"Everyone changes sometimes. The Grand Duke is still young, so it's not surprising he's changed. It's not too late. It seems he's grown up a bit at An'ga."

Mok In-seop shook his head.

"It's not that bad. Should I be surprised by that? It's been a long time since I've seen the Grand Duke, and even to my eyes, he's become a perfect warrior. A true warrior."

"hmm······."

At Mok In-seop's words, the escorts looked at each other and burst into laughter as if they had made a promise.

“Hahahahahaha······.”

“Puhahahahaha.”

A man pointed to Mok In-seop and said.

"That was funny. That was funny. Our shepherd sometimes has a knack for making people laugh. That's an interesting story. The Grand Duke becoming a warrior. That's on par with the story that shepherd quit drinking and went off to study."

“It’s the same as Mok In-seop bumping shoulders on the street and then politely apologizing.”

Mok In-seop also laughed, as it was not a bad thing.

"Yes, yes, I knew you wouldn't believe me. Anyway, don't be surprised when I return. I heard Mok In-seop would get nervous every time he made eye contact with the Grand Duke. You'll know when you see him."

"You were scared by that shabby little guy? Does that make any sense? That crazy dog, that shepherd?"

The escort service is basically a man's world.

Although they were members of the upper class, they had a rougher side. The things they most frequently encountered while working for the upper class were gangs of thugs, bandits, and thugs.

For various reasons, they were men who lived off bloodshed, so while they belonged to the upper class, they were far removed from merchants. Rather, they were men who had only a foot in the world of martial arts. Among them, Mok In-seop, who was constantly drawn into fights, even in inns, earned the nickname "Mad Dog."

Bu Dan-ju Han-yeop asked Mok In-seop.

“I guess being unmanned means you’ve recovered your health.”

“Yes, you looked perfectly healthy.”

“So when did you say you would return?”

“I don’t know when, but he said he’ll be back soon.”

Hanyeop said with a serious expression.

"It's a cause for congratulations that the Archduke has changed so much. Let's do this. On the day the Archduke returns, have all the guards on duty assemble."

“Are we all gathered together?”

Hanyeop said something that I couldn't tell if it was a joke or serious.

“We should be polite and congratulate the Archduke on his return.”

As everyone burst into laughter at Hanyeop's words, Hanyeop spoke with a serious expression.

“I’m not kidding.”

“Really?”

“Are you sure you want to do that?”

Hanyeop nodded and said this.

"It's a cause for celebration and wonder that a man has changed. There's an old saying, 'Kwamu Sangdae (刮目相對)'. Lu Bu of the Three Kingdoms…."

Mok In-seop intervened.

"It's not Lu Bu, it's Lu Meng. The story of Gwalmoksangdae is…"

Hanyeop called Mok Inseop while snapping his fingers.

“You, come here.”

When Mok In-seop looked down with a trembling expression, Han-yeop hit Mok In-seop on the head and said.

"Where did you learn to always talk back? Is Lu Bu or Lu Meng more important now? We're talking about the Grand Duke, and you bastard."

As soon as Mok In-seop got hit, laughter erupted here and there.

Hanyeop said.

“Anyway, how far did it go?”

Mok In-seop said while rubbing his head that had been hit.

“You even gave me a lot of compliments.”

"Yes. It's wonderful that the Grand Duke has become a warrior. He didn't seem to be in good health, either. Honestly, just looking at the Grand Duke breaks my heart. I've often regretted not beating him up like you all did, even if it meant turning him into a human being. But how much mental anguish must a man have endured there to change like that? I'm not joking, I'm serious, so tell those who aren't here to hear me out."

Only then did everyone respond with serious expressions.

“Okay, I’ll pass it on.”

Hanyeop looked at Mok Inseop and spoke as if leaving a lingering impression.

"If the mad dog in our neighborhood was judged to be unmanned, then it would be right for the Grand Duke to be unmanned. You're an arrogant bastard, not a lying punk."

Mok In-seop replied with a sly smile.

“Yes, Your Majesty, you saw it exactly.”

Hanyeop looked at Mok Inseop, who was also good at picking leaves, and snickered.

.

.

.

A few days later, a man from the escort unit came into the room with hurried steps and said.

“Your Highness, you have arrived.”

As the escort drones looked at each other, one of the veterans spoke.

"Didn't you hear what the Lord said? Everyone, get ready to leave. If you leave now, I'll be able to greet you."

"All right."

“I will also contact the Lord.”

“You are escorting the Lord of the Upper House. Would you like to see me first?”

“I see. Let’s go.”

The men dressed in their uniforms and even carried their weapons, and they were talking about this and that.

“Well, if only he hadn’t caused the accident, he would have had a bright future as the next leader of Sogaju······.”

“I don’t know. The other princes are fighting among themselves, so from our perspective······.”

Anyway, I was about to say, "Aren't all three of them just like dogs?" but then I closed my mouth. They were also curious about the Archduke's sudden return. People changing was a process mixed with such anticipation.

***

Danwoo-seong was looking at his house.

'He really was rich.'

After first sending in the servants who had returned with me from Anga, I gazed alone at the tall main gate and walls of the upper level of the galaxy. The scale of the house was truly immense. Every time I looked around, memories of Lee Jin-eon's childhood flooded back to me, as if recalling a memory from my childhood.

This was a place Lee Jin-eon took pride in. In his memory, he held a resolve to one day manage the company well. Therefore, his memory felt as if he were addressing Dan Woo-seong, "Please take good care of the company."

Danwoo-seong nodded.

'Don't worry.'

It seemed like quite a few people in the world of martial arts had toiled to maintain such wealth. They must have spent part of their earnings on various things to survive.

The mental anguish of the upper class was bound to be severe.

Danwoo Seong, who had been looking around, finally opened the gate and entered the upper level of the galaxy. The servants who had entered earlier must have announced his return, but no one came out to greet him.

I walked around the wide courtyard, as if recalling Lee Jin-eon's memories, and headed toward the main hall where guests were received.

Inside the main hall, memories of Lee Jin-eon passed by like illusions.

It was a place where I played with my younger siblings, and also a place where I fought with them, grabbing their hair.

In one corner, the three brothers, Lee Jin-eon, Lee Hwa-eon, and Lee Ja-eon, were seen kneeling after being scolded by their father.

The three of them raised their hands with very sad faces.

Then Danwoo Seong stopped walking.

A vision appeared of young Lee Jin-eon standing there in shock, his father carrying his mother on his back and running outside.

The illusion Danwoo-seong was looking at disappeared at the sound of someone's voice.

“Your Highness, are you here?”

From inside the main hall, the leader of the escort unit, Hanyeop Budanju, walked out alone.

Hanyeop said while looking at Danwooseong.

“Congratulations on your healthy recovery.”

Danwoo Seong, who had been staring blankly at Hanyeop, replied.

“How have you been, Your Majesty?”

Hanyeop spoke while looking closely at the Grand Duke.

"Yes, I've been doing well thanks to the Lord of the Upper House's constant care. I told the escorts to welcome me, but I arrived first."

As soon as Hanyeop finished speaking, the guards' warriors came in from outside the main hall, making a rumbling noise.

As Hanyeop and Danwoosung stood side by side and looked at each other, the escorts lined up, took their places, and spoke at the same time.

“Congratulations on the safe return of the Archduke.”

The guards held their swords vertically and then performed the sword salute, covering them with their right hands.

It was Hanyeop's order, but it was still the only hospitality he received. Danwoosung smiled at the escorts and replied.

"This is an excessive amount of hospitality for a dog. Thank you all."

When the Archduke made a self-deprecating joke, everyone smiled. Then, when Danwoo Sung took a lottery ticket from the escorts who had come to greet him, everyone's expressions hardened.

Only then did Mok In-seop's words come to mind. Moreover, the way he took the lottery ticket was neither excessive nor excessive. It was a gesture of sufficient courtesy.

Hanyeop, who was watching this, said with a strange smile.

"Everyone, go to work. I will guide you, Grand Duke."

"All right."

Han-yeop, who was guiding the Grand Duke to the sickbed, and the escort group returning to the lodgings, were all thinking the same thing.

'Wow, it's really changed so much.'

There was no need to talk at length. The change was so profound that it felt like a human prayer.

A person who is not human recognizes another person.

Now I understood why Mok In-seop had been so surprised. It wasn't just that his health had recovered; it was as if a stranger had entered his home. And he felt like he was not an enemy, but an ally.

Hanyeop stood in front of the upper room and spoke.

“The Archduke has arrived.”

A weak voice was heard from the room.

“Let me in.”

Hanyeop opened the door and spoke to Danwooseong.

“Your Highness, please come in. I will stay outside.”

As Danwoo-seong entered the room alone, he saw a man lying in a large room.

Danwoo Sung was secretly astonished. Was his father really this old? As an orphan, he had no memory or information about his father.

A middle-aged man, with the marks of hardship clearly visible on his face, looked at Dan Woo-seong and said.

“······Are you here?”

It was a monotonous tone, devoid of any hatred or anticipation. Dan Woo-seong and Lee Jin-eon responded as if they were responding simultaneously.

“Yes, I’m back.”

“Sit down.”

Danwoo-seong sat looking at the unknown being that was his father.

“I heard you have a fever.”

My father replied with a faint smile.

"I think so. It must be a disease. I've had a disease for a long time, but my body is getting old and won't hold out."

Only then did Lee Seong-min (李省敏) get a good look at Lee Jin-eon's face and reach out and touch his eldest son's cheek.

"Your face looks better. Your mind seems a little more at ease. Your expression has changed. Is Jin-eon right?"

It was a question he could ask, since he was Lee Jin-eon's father. Dan Woo-seong nodded in response.

"yes."

“I’m glad it got better.”

Danwoo Seong also had strange feelings.

It could be because my father was a man much older than Danwoo Sung in his previous life.

Old age is so sad.

This man's aging had come more quickly because the fate of his work and the many families he led depended on it. Dan Woo-seong could see better than anyone else that he had endured much emotional hardship.

And, in front of his father, there was no difference between Lee Jin-eon, who was a dog, and Dan Woo-seong, who was an orphan.

<The King of Fists, I've Come> End

ⓒ Eugene Sung

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