I Became the Owner of the Heavenly Flower Palace-Chapter 36: Even Leaving Isn’t Easy

The door to the administrative office opened.

When Jincheon turned around, the black-haired maid, Ilyo, spoke.

“The North Wind Commander has reported the revised total. It’s been reorganized into the North Wind Commander, the East Wind Commander, three of the Twelve Signs Commanders, eight of the Heavenly Flame warriors, and, including us, seventy-six in total.”

He didn’t fully understand the specifics, but the total number had been reduced to an unbelievable degree.

Jincheon was quietly satisfied.

“From seven hundred fifty-nine to seventy-six? That’s pretty damn impressive.”

One-tenth. Jincheon was proud of his own accomplishment.

And then, self-loathing came right after.

“Ha... so there are still seventy-six escorts, huh...”

He worried whether he’d even be able to travel properly.

As he lifted the teacup, Jincheon happened to meet the sparkling eyes of Toyo.

And then he realized—there was still one unresolved issue.

“Ah.”

When reporting the escort count, Ilyo had clearly mentioned that the seven of them—the Seven Luminaries—were included.

She could’ve let it slide, but deliberately pointed it out. Likely because of her meticulous and precise personality.

And perhaps also because she was aware that Jincheon had not yet explicitly granted them permission to accompany him.

“Seven, huh.”

Jincheon quietly looked over the seven maids.

When thinking in terms of ten fingers, seven felt like too many.

But with seventy-six, seven more was just a tenth added on top.

“Sixty-nine or seventy-six—it’s all the same.”

Either way, it was too many.

Clack.

As he set the teacup down, Jincheon spoke.

“Understood. Seventy-six it is. Including you all.”

That was a clear permission.

Geumyo immediately bloomed into a smile, and even the youngest, Toyo, grinned brightly.

Suyo and Mokyo couldn’t hide their joy and even clasped hands.

The quietest ones were Wolyo and Hwayo, but even they couldn’t conceal the faint smiles creeping to their lips.

Shff.

As Ilyo turned around, the others all modestly folded their hands and bowed their heads.

She offered Jincheon a formal bow.

“Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Shrugging his shoulders, Jincheon lifted the teacup again.

The fragrance felt softer than before—perhaps because the room was now filled with their smiles.

****

The departure was delayed a bit.

First, the escort formation had to be restructured, and Jincheon hadn’t eaten breakfast yet.

Returning to his chamber, Jincheon ordered a few small soup dumplings and tea.

Unless he spoke clearly, there was no guarantee they wouldn’t bring out a table overflowing with dishes like yesterday.

Click.

After finishing his meal, Jincheon held the teacup poured by the silver-haired Wolyo and asked,

“Are the others ready?”

“Yes,”

Ilyo replied.

He’d already heard they were ready right after waking up earlier.

“They’re not all waiting without eating... right?”

“No, they’ve already finished their meals.”

“Ah, good.”

That was a relief.

Knowing these people, they might’ve skipped breakfast just to stand by and escort “the Red Dragon.”

Nodding, Jincheon suddenly asked,

“What about you all?”

“...Wolyo, Mokyo, and I have not eaten.”

“Why not?”

“It’s fine. We don’t need to.”

Jincheon looked at Ilyo.

As always, she met his gaze with a calm, unwavering expression.

“Hmm.”

Jincheon had been about to ask more, but instead, brought the teacup to his lips.

“Well, there could be a number of reasons. Anticipation of unfamiliar places, or maybe...”

He glanced briefly at Ilyo’s waist.

Definitely not someone who needed to watch her weight.

“Ah, he’s looking at ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) your belly again...”

At Geumyo Yeonhwa’s voice, Jincheon quickly set the teacup down.

Clack.

“Let’s go.”

When he stood up, all seven maids bowed their heads in unison.

There was no more reason to hesitate, nor anything left to wait for.

Jincheon picked up his travel pack.

“Ah, the bag—I-I’ll carry it—”

The blonde-haired Hwayo stammered nervously, but Jincheon gave her a smile.

“It’s alright.”

Hwayo looked a bit surprised at his bright smile, but Jincheon slung the pack over one shoulder in a practiced motion.

The red orb, Wrath, was tucked safely in his chest.

The precious item that he and his friend had poured all their wealth into was carefully packed in the travel bag.

Now, all that remained was to return.

He had enjoyed luxury and comfort here, but he’d never once felt truly at ease.

And finally, he was leaving this place he could never understand.

In Jincheon’s gaze lingered a firm resolve—and an irrepressible joy.

****

Dozens of escorts were lined up in front of the Heavenly Flame Palace.

They stood in strict formation, each of them filled with tension and pride.

Soon, from within the Heavenly Flame Palace, Jincheon and the seven maids appeared.

Clack.

The escorts all dropped to one knee in unison.

North Wind Commander Neung Gayeon, East Wind Commander Ak Mujin, and three of the Twelve Signs Commanders—along with the other escorts—all bowed their heads before Jincheon.

Jincheon came to a halt.

He looked at the bowed heads of the dozens of escorts, feeling complicated.

“...Is this really okay?”

Now that he was facing the escort force directly, it looked much larger than he’d imagined.

Thinking about moving all these people at once stirred up all sorts of worries.

Where would they eat? Where would they sleep? Would there be trouble on the main road?

Countless thoughts ran through his mind.

“Do I... have enough money?”

Surely he did.

Hopefully.

Provisioning is supposed to be one of the first things considered in a journey.

“Everyone, rise.”

Jincheon spoke.

Dozens of escorts rose to their feet in unison.

North Wind Commander Neung Gayeon and East Wind Commander Ak Mujin—already familiar faces—stood with calm composure, while the three Twelve Signs Commanders to whom Jincheon had personally tied the black cords yesterday inside the audience hall now fixed their gazes on him.

“Uh, the names were... Yu Hyerin, and Ji Ba... something... and who was the guy again?”

He’d heard all twelve names of the Twelve Signs Commanders, but couldn’t remember them all.

He slid past the particularly intense gaze of East Wind Commander Ak Mujin and spoke in a smooth voice.

“I leave it in your hands. It’s a long journey—take special care with safety.”

They all bowed in unison with a formal military salute—right fist clenched, lifted horizontally to chest height, heads lowered.

“Please ascend.”

The soft voice of Neung Gayeon echoed.

When Jincheon turned his head, he saw a palanquin large enough to carry four people waiting nearby.

Most striking of all—it was red. Bright red.

“Uh...”

Momentarily flustered, Jincheon turned to Neung Gayeon and asked,

“Aren’t we riding carriages or horses?”

A palanquin had to be carried by people. Jincheon wasn’t used to it, and it made him uncomfortable.

“If you prefer that, we can arrange it.”

“Then...”

Jincheon was about to say he’d take a carriage—but hesitated.

Why hadn’t they prepared one in the first place?

There had to be a reason.

“Is the palanquin required?”

“Not at all. If you desire a carriage, we will provide it.”

Neung Gayeon’s response somehow felt suspicious.

So Jincheon asked Ilyo,

“What’s the difference?”

She answered without hesitation.

“There is none.”

“Really?”

Jincheon was just about to say he’d prefer the carriage, thinking he was overreacting.

“Yes. Either way, someone will have to carry it.”

What?

Before he could ask, Ilyo calmly continued.

“This is the Heavenly Valley. There are no roads. Until we descend the mountain, whatever you ride—palanquin, carriage, or horse—must be carried by people.”

Jincheon was dumbfounded.

“...There’s no road?”

This was a mountainous basin nestled within the Giryeon Mountains.

If there were no road for carriages from here to the bottom of the mountain, that was a serious issue.

“Wait—this many people live here and there’s no road? Then how do they transport supplies?”

Surely they understood the convenience of roads.

And they likely had the resources to build one, too.

The fact that there wasn’t one must mean there was another reason—geography, tradition, or maybe... that “Red Dragon.”

“Come to think of it...”

Jincheon recalled when he first arrived here.

He’d gotten off the horse at the bottom of the mountain and had to be carried up in Gi Seoran’s arms.

That meant not even horses could make it up.

Of course they would’ve had to prepare a palanquin carried by people.

“Then they should’ve just said it wasn’t possible to take a carriage. Why bother suggesting they’d carry it too?”

Foll𝑜w current novℯls on ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm.

He couldn’t understand their way of thinking.

If it was ordered from above, they obeyed without a word.

This was the downside of an extreme top-down hierarchy.

“...I’ll take the palanquin.”

Even if they said it was fine, having people carry a carriage was too absurd. He didn’t even want to imagine what would happen if he asked to ride a horse.

Neung Gayeon bowed her head and accepted Jincheon’s decision.

He stepped toward the prepared palanquin.

It was large.

The standard four-person kind, with a roof and walls on all four sides.

He’d seen it earlier—its bright red color stood out, and now he noticed it was even trimmed with a subtle gold.

The only saving grace was that it wasn’t adorned with flashy flags.

Clack.

Ilyo lifted the palanquin door upward.

“Thank you.”

Jincheon offered his gratitude and stepped inside.

The interior was more spacious than he expected.

A cushioned seat was prepared on a flat floor. It had a backrest and armrests, and even a decent-sized window to look outside.

For one person, it was quite roomy.

“This is basically a room.”

It really was, minus the fact that it had to be carried by people.

“Shall I raise the walls?”

Suyo, with her deep blue hair, asked.

“Go ahead.”

At Jincheon’s reply, Suyo and Mokyo moved into action.

Shff, shff.

“Oh.”

Watching the walls lift upward, Jincheon couldn’t help but admire the design.

As they folded back the walls on all four sides like wings, the surroundings opened up completely.

It felt much less stuffy than before. Being able to see outside eased his mind.

The raised walls and roof also provided just the right amount of shade.

“We will lift now.”

Shff.

The palanquin rose slightly—about waist height.

Jincheon instinctively grabbed the armrest.

But there was hardly any shaking.

What truly surprised him, though, was something else.

“Wait, you’re the ones carrying it?”

He blurted the question without thinking.

Holding the large palanquin were none other than Suyo, Mokyo, Geumyo, and Toyo.

In other words, the delicate, graceful-looking maids.

“Yes. We’re the ones carrying it,”

answered Suyo as she slung the palanquin straps over her shoulders.

Jincheon looked at Ilyo in disbelief, but her expression simply said: What’s the problem?

“Uh, no, it’s just...”

He blinked rapidly.

“Can women even... carry something like this?”

The maids’ attitude, as if this were completely normal, only confused him more.

He clearly remembered reading historical texts that condemned tyrants for forcing delicate women to carry their carriages as a form of cruel luxury and spectacle.

“Am I wrong? Is it okay if they’re not suffering?”

They looked delicate and beautiful on the outside.

But Jincheon knew well by now that they were far from ordinary, and from their expressions, it didn’t seem like carrying the palanquin was difficult or strange for them at all.

“Surely they wouldn’t do this in the city too...”

They couldn’t possibly carry him around in Jucheon too.

“...Right?”

He wasn’t sure. The norms of this place were far too bizarre.

But what could he do? For now, this was the best option.

He decided to deal with the future when it came and nodded.

“Ah, um... I must be troubling you.”

Ilyo gave a slight bow.

“It is our rightful duty.”

The palanquin began to move.

And with it, the sixty-nine remaining escorts followed step by step.

At last, the journey had begun.