192.
At the Center of the Army Camp
Now it was safe.
The moment Park Seong-jin reached that conclusion, his strength drained away and he sank to the ground.
From the tip of the sword he still held, blood dripped and spread in a long stain across the stone.
His breathing remained ragged.
The breath-training he had practiced stayed with him, but the aftershock of real combat was heavy.
Fighting with one's life at stake belonged to an entirely different dimension from anything learned.
In a situation where friend and foe had to be distinguished, there had been too many things to hold in mind.
No—what tormented him was the thought that this had not been battle, but killing.
A few faces he had not finished clearly drifted back to him.
If, after the chaos settled and everything was put in order, he were to meet them again in the marketplace, what should he do?
Would a word suffice then, or would he have to draw the sword again?
The idle thought passed through him.
"Heh… that's for then."
Murmuring to himself, he lifted his head.
As he stared blankly into the distance, footsteps approached.
It was the Grand Princess Noguk.
A princess of Yuan, yet a woman trusted by the people of this land.
In her hand was a short blade.
Had she fought as well?
Park Seong-jin steadied his breath inwardly and rose.
He swallowed a small groan and straightened his posture.
"Loyalty."
"Rest."
The queen gestured, pointing to where he had been sitting.
Park Seong-jin carefully sat back down.
"You did well."
"It was only my duty."
The Grand Princess looked at him for a moment, then smiled.
In that smile were traces of blood and tears mingled together.
"When this country rises again, I will remember your name from today.
Park Seong-jin."
Seated, Park Seong-jin placed his fist against his chest.
"Loyalty."
It was a precise military salute.
Formal in motion, yet unmistakably sincere.
Smiling, the queen wiped his bloodstained shoulder with her own hand.
Red spread across the cloth of her handkerchief.
The fabric fluttered lightly in the breeze.
She should not be doing this, he thought. I'm covered in blood…
Then the king approached.
His face was pale, but his eyes were clear.
The king grasped Park Seong-jin's hand.
"You were remarkable.
Because of you, I lived.
What hundreds of guards could not accomplish, you alone did."
Park Seong-jin gathered himself briefly before replying.
"Loyalty. I thank you for the praise."
His words came a fraction slower.
He was still settling his breath within.
A tension different from battle lingered in his body.
The king smiled.
"I will remember your name.
The sword that guarded this country tonight was yours."
"Loyalty."
Park Seong-jin said no more and bowed his head.
The dawn wind carried away the stench of blood from the battlefield.
From far off came the cry of the first bird.
Only then did he truly feel that the night had passed.
Park Seong-jin looked around.
Faces he had not noticed during the fighting came into view.
The Sungui troops moved silently, tending to their equipment.
The smells of oil and metal mingled sharply in the air.
"Heh… heh-heh."
As he wandered with a dazed smile, Hwang Hyeon-pil, as always, called out cheerfully.
"Hey, Park Seong-jin!"
"Yes—heh."
"You did well."
"You saw?"
"I did. You were flying."
"Oh, flying—no. I was just hanging on.
By the way, is there anything to eat?"
Hwang Hyeon-pil turned his head, and behind him Osun-gun held out a rice ball.
Yellow grains of millet dotted it prettily.
It was not army rations.
It was food that carried the smell of home, something brought along to stave off hunger whenever the summons came.
"Eat this, at least."
"No, this is—"
"Well… from home…"
His words trailed off.
Park Seong-jin tilted his head.
"From home? You made it at home?"
"…Mm."
"You didn't used to do that."
Osun-gun's household had always been one that needed care.
"That's true. But it turned out that way.
We worked hard, and somehow home got better on its own. Heh."
At that moment, Oh Jin-cheol, who had been promoted and sent to Samjidae, passed by and tossed out casually,
"He got married."
Park Seong-jin's eyes widened.
"What?"
Marriage at eighteen was not rare, yet hearing it so close made it feel unreal.
"You should've said something—I'd have gone to congratulate you."
Oh Jin-cheol added with a grin,
"They brought her into the secondary quarters when she was young."
"Oh—then shouldn't you hurry about children?"
Oh Jin-cheol shook his head.
"With being called out this often, how would there be a chance?"
"Often?"
Park Seong-jin blinked.
"This is my first time since the Jiangnan campaign."
"Heh—that's because the general covered for you.
You skipped out saying you were studying."
"Yes. I went to Guryolsan and wandered around."
"That was all consideration.
They even reported your merits upward."
Park Seong-jin stopped walking for a moment.
Hands had been reaching out to him without his knowing.
He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly.
"So there were several summons, and I alone was exempt."
"That's about it."
"…I see."
Once again he realized that his own place was sustained by the consideration of others.
He had thought he was doing well because of his own ability.
Looking at Osun-gun, Park Seong-jin said,
"You should've invited us if it was your wedding."
"We kept it simple. Means weren't good.
When things improve, we'll do it properly."
"Congratulations. I should at least carve you a wooden goose."
"Oh, just give me food. Something edible. Heh."
"Anyway—congratulations."
Park Seong-jin took the rice ball and chewed it down roughly.
Even after eating, the hunger did not easily fade.
It entered his mouth, yet felt as though it went somewhere other than his stomach.
It was guilt—toward the blood already spilled.
Each time he was summoned to the army, his body remembered hunger first.
It was a strange thing indeed.