I Became the Owner of the Heavenly Flower Palace-Chapter 16: If There’s No Other Way

Jincheon was perplexed.

He had thought their attitude towards him was excessive.

He also felt confused about the reverence shown towards him and the Red Orb.

But they were calling him Gungju?

Before he could accept it, he couldn't even understand the situation.

Jincheon looked down at the Red Orb under his finger.

Glistening under the light, the Red Orb was as beautiful as ever.

“Is there really no one else who can take this?”

With a half-believing, confused look, he remembered something that had happened earlier in the great hall.

"...Didn’t you say that taking this orb means death?"

"That’s correct."

"Then, what does it mean when I told that man, Dongpung, to take the orb?"

Giving someone something that could not be taken, or that would result in death, had historically been a common act among rulers.

And it mostly carried a similar meaning.

"It means, 'Your impudent intentions are apparent, and I no longer trust you.' And to withdraw trust from the Red Dragon means to order death."

Gi Seoran's response made Jincheon's jaw drop.

He genuinely disliked Dongpung's attitude.

But that didn’t mean he intended for him to die.

Only then did he understand why the woman who claimed to be Bukpung had used the word 'handle it.'

"What will happen to him then?"

"He will die."

Fortunately, Gi Seoran's words didn’t end there.

"Unless the Red Dragon shows mercy."

Jincheon sighed in relief.

He almost forgot his resolve to not reveal his true feelings.

"Will you show mercy?"

Jincheon hesitated as he was about to say 'Of course.'

When Gi Seoran asked, it meant something.

"Is there a reason I should not?"

"It’s difficult to say..."

"Just say it."

Urged by Jincheon, Gi Seoran continued.

"Since the predecessor has passed, the Sa Pung Chongryeong and the Twelve Yunjang will be held accountable and executed. While Po and I, as members of the Heavenly Flame, will avoid execution, there will not be few among the Heavenly Flame and Baekrim who will feel such guilt that they take their own lives."

Jincheon was stunned.

"Execution? °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° And some will take their own lives?"

"Because they failed to protect the predecessor."

This was beyond bewilderment; Jincheon couldn’t even begin to understand.

"No, no. Would this happen if a nation fell?"

There are certainly loyal subjects who choose death in the face of their country’s ruin.

However, the fact that such stories are passed down through generations also shows the paradox that most cannot do it.

"The predecessor Gungju died, and a significant number will die following him? And they are executed for their responsibility?"

Although he didn’t know well, he could guess that positions like Sa Pung Chongryeong and the Twelve Yunjang were not minor.

And to kill all the top leaders of such an organization?

Jincheon felt a chill down his spine.

"Wouldn’t even a religious cult not go this far?"

There seemed to be a fundamental difference in logic or thought.

It was as if there was a vast valley, and Jincheon was on one side while they were on the other.

"Phew."

Jincheon sighed again and leaned back in his chair.

"So, that uncle dumped all this on me?"

The Wrath, the Dragon Vessel, the Red Dragon—everything sounded like pie in the sky to Jincheon.

The Heavenly Valley, Heavenly Flame Palace, and the Heaven-Piercing Ten Grounds—all these terms were beyond his comprehension.

Yet he was supposed to inherit, or had already inherited, all of it.

"Does this even make sense?"

No matter how he thought about it, it didn't make sense.

"This isn’t some discarded persimmon seed, passing such immense responsibilities onto someone he merely encountered?"

Even giving a hundred and a thousand allowances, it was incomprehensible.

"No, what on earth did he see in me..."

It was then.

Suddenly, he recalled the uncle's appearance.

His voice murmured with melancholic eyes as if ringing in Jincheon's ears.

"Actually, it’s not alright... But if there’s no other way, isn’t it fate?"

"Ha, that man, really..."

The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous it seemed.

If it were a highly virtuous monk or a sage who had transcended the secular world, he might understand.

Such people often speak in lofty terms and make decisions that others can’t understand.

But could someone giggling while drinking make such decisions?

It didn’t make sense nor did it feel real.

Yet, the situation Jincheon was facing was neither false nor a dream.

"Um."

As he habitually moved a finger, he realized that the Red 'Wrath' was right underneath it.

And he noticed that both Gi Seoran and Po Eunryeong’s gazes followed the orb.

"...What if I say I won't do it?"

Gi Seoran’s expression hardened, and Po Eunryeong’s face instantly turned pale.

"May, may I dare to ask, that, those words mean you do not wish to succeed the... Gungju?"

Gi Seoran stumbled over his words and didn’t finish.

Because Po Eunryeong, pale as a ghost, muttered under her breath.

"Does the Red Dragon forsake us?"

Jincheon flinched for a moment.

Po Eunryeong's eyes were serious.

At first, they seemed unfocused, but her pupils were swirling with fear.

It was madness.

"The Red Dragon, forsakes us..."

"No, no."

Jincheon quickly corrected himself.

"I mean, hypothetically speaking... No, I shouldn't even use such an example. No, I misspoke. No."

With Jincheon’s immediate denial, Po Eunryeong’s gaze gradually returned to normal.

"Ha."

With a long breath, Po Eunryeong smiled.

"Right. Such a thing could never happen."

Po Eunryeong’s smile, with her blue eyes, was extremely beautiful.

But the madness she had shown made even her beauty seem different.

Suddenly realizing her own rudeness, Po Eunryeong gasped and stood up abruptly.

Thud.

Startled, Jincheon looked up at her as she immediately knelt to the floor.

"How dare I press the Red Dragon, this is a sin worthy of death!"

Thump.

She smashed her white forehead mercilessly against the floor.

While it was hard to call that pressing, she seemed to regard it as a grave rudeness.

And she did feel as if she had been interrogated.

"Stop that."

As Jincheon shouted, Po Eunryeong's movements halted like a lie.

She trembled as she slowly lifted her head.

Jincheon sighed.

"Please, sit down."

"Yes, yes."

Trembling, Po Eunryeong followed Jincheon's words and sat down.

Looking at her bruised forehead, Jincheon sighed again. Then Po Eunryeong flinched and looked anxiously at Jincheon.

"This is, well..."

Jincheon chuckled inwardly and turned to look at Gi Seoran.

He then realized that her expression was also pale, though she seemed to be regaining her composure as she steadied her breathing.

He remembered something she had said before: "The Heavenly Flame Palace will trust the Red Dragon, and the Heavenly Valley will lean on the Red Dragon."

At the time, he thought it was just an emphasis on leadership, but now it seemed there was more to it.

"...I better watch what I say."

He decided not to voice his reluctance for the time being.

At the same time, a question popped into Jincheon’s mind.

"There are still traitors, despite this? It doesn't add up."

To Jincheon, their blind loyalty almost equaled that of a religious cult.

It was clear that organizations like the Heavenly Flame and Baekrim were akin to militaristic groups.

In such organizations where orders are followed without question, and lives are readily sacrificed for beliefs, the existence of a traitor seemed nearly impossible.

"Strange."

Jincheon felt that something was off.

Moreover, there seemed to be another issue, elusive and unclear, but try as he might, he couldn’t remember.

"...I can’t go on. I need to sleep."

Too much had happened in one night.

He realized he hadn’t rested at all since arriving in Jucheon.

He had been running around all night, fraught with tension and shocks, barely managing responses in unfamiliar and strange places.

It didn’t seem like he could make any proper judgments now.

"Sleep will probably clear my head."

After securing the Red Orb inside his clothes, Jincheon asked Gi Seoran.

"Can I sleep here?"

Gi Seoran flinched slightly before responding quietly.

"Yes."

Her voice was soft.

Jincheon asked again.

"And the two of you?"

It was perhaps a natural question.

But the answer did not come quickly. Po Eunryeong’s ears turned red beside him.

Jincheon was puzzled.

His question was quite simple and straightforward.

If translated fully, it would mean, 'I'm going to sleep here, what will you two do?'

Isn’t it natural to ask that?

Yet, the reaction of the two was oddly off.

"Though I am unworthy..."

"I will gladly serve."

Following Po Eunryeong’s stuttering, Gi Seoran answered.

Jincheon cocked his head.

"Are they saying they won’t leave and will watch over me?"

It seemed to be the case, but the atmosphere was peculiar.

Jincheon asked once more.

"Are you sure that's okay? Both of you?"

He wasn’t the only one who had endured hardships.

It seemed grateful that they would stay up and watch over him, but it might also be too much to ask.

"It is difficult to say, but..."

Gi Seoran’s response now felt like a routine preface, prompting Jincheon to urge her.

"Speak."

"There is no need to ask if it’s alright, nor to seek permission or agreement."

Gi Seoran said with intense eyes.

"Command as you wish, achieve what you desire. That is the power of the Gungju, and the essence of the Red Dragon."

Her words implied that the Gungju held absolute power, something Jincheon had already surmised.

The issue was whether he truly was the rightful successor to that 'absolute power.'

What kind of backlash would occur if the truth came to light later?

"I don’t know."

Tired as he was, he no longer wanted to debate.

At this point, what difference did it make? Overwhelmed, Jincheon sighed softly.

"Then I command it."

Immediately, both of them stepped down from their chairs, knelt on one knee, and bowed their heads.

Jincheon said,

"Both of you, guard this place."

"By your command... Yes?"

Gi Seoran’s response was punctuated with a startled look.

Po Eunryeong also appeared puzzled.

However, Gi Seoran’s firm voice soon followed.

"We will obey your command."

"...We will obey."

Po Eunryeong bowed her head, echoing the sentiment.

Jincheon smiled and looked down at them.

"It might be a burden, but I’m asking you."

After saying this, he realized.

Hadn’t he just been asked to act like an absolute ruler?

"...Never mind. They said to do as I please, anyway."

This much wouldn’t be a problem even if circumstances changed later.

Being too pompous here might actually cause more issues.

Tomorrow might reveal that all these events were just a simple mistake or misunderstanding.

Jincheon sighed.

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He failed to notice the fluctuation in their eyes.