Surviving in a Romance Fantasy Novel

When Seol Ran descended to the imperial capital, accompanying Emperor Woon Sung and the Crown Prince, the path to Cheongdo Palace had already been mostly cleared.

Seol Tae Pyeong had led the army ahead and swept through the major roads centered around the Vermilion Bird Market, eliminating all the strong demonic spirits along the way.

Thanks to that, Seol Ran only needed to evade a few lower demonic spirits to follow the Vermilion Bird Market and reach the front of the Great Star Gate.

By the time she arrived at the Vermilion Bird Market with the emperor and the crown prince, the soldiers of Cheongdo Palace that were led by the White Princess had already set up camp and were taking a brief rest.

“It is a relief that you are safe, Your Majesty.”

“Report the situation.”

Emperor Woon Sung was surprised when he saw the White Princess taking command of the camp.

Considering the power-hungry nature of the Inbong clan, it was hard to believe that someone from that lineage could handle such a crisis with such remarkable composure.

Despite being just a young girl who had only recently come of age, she had not lost her authority.

Even amid this disaster, the emperor and the crown prince had survived. As long as that central pillar remained standing, the people of Cheongdo could still gather and rebuild.

“The Great Star Gate has been completely devoured by a demonic spirit. It is said to be the right hand of a giant, disastrous being known as the Plague Demonic Spirit.”

The White Princess quickly seated Emperor Woon Sung at the head of the camp and summarized the situation as concisely as possible.

Seated at the hastily prepared head seat, Emperor Woon Sung glanced down at the White Princess.

Her hair was disheveled and covered with dried blood; her clothes were torn, and her sleeves were rolled up.

The once-noble mistress of the White Tiger Palace looked utterly wretched, yet the commanding presence on her face remained unshaken.

She is far stronger in a crisis than I had expected. She is someone who must be appointed to a position of power.

She did not waste time with unnecessary details in her report.

Why was the White Princess the one holding military authority and controlling the camp in this situation?

Even without stating it outright, the answer was clear.

The high-ranking officials could succumb to the Plague Demonic Spirit’s influence and start slaughtering at any moment, and most of the general-level officers had already been killed.

The chain of command had fallen lower and lower until it finally reached this young girl. It was proof of just how deeply the country had fallen into ruin.

Emperor Woon Sung took a deep breath and spoke.

“What are the casualties among the soldiers?”

“More than half have died, and of those currently stationed here, the majority are wounded. It is harder to find someone uninjured than otherwise.”

“Did you attempt to break through the Great Star Gate and then retreat?”

“Yes.”

In the distance, the Great Star Gate had already taken on the form of a monstrous entity.

It was no longer a structure but a living, slaughtering machine that tore apart anything that dared to approach.

The ground before it was littered with mangled flesh and entrails. It was a gruesome battlefield of carnage.

As Emperor Woon Sung gazed upon the scene, it was not difficult to imagine the kind of hell that had unfolded before his arrival.

Most of the soldiers had already been consumed by fear.

This young girl called Ha Wol was likely no different.

“Vice General Seol Tae Pyeong succeeded in infiltrating the main palace with a few elite members of the Black Moon Unit. We may not be able to break through the Great Star Gate entirely, but all we can do now is pray that he manages to subdue the Plague Demonic Spirit from inside.”

“….….”

Emperor Woon Sung swallowed dryly.

It was clear that, with these soldiers who had completely lost their morale, there was no way to break through the Great Star Gate.

“Father.”

Just then, Crown Prince Hyeon Won who was receiving treatment from Seol Ran raised his voice.

“Like the White Princess reported, attempting to break through the Great Star Gate now seems impossible. For now, I believe the best course of action is to retreat with the soldiers and observe the situation from the secondary palace.”

“…….”

Emperor Woon Sung slowly closed his eyes and went into deep thought.

Indeed, trying to force their way through the Great Star Gate at this moment was akin to suicide.

Rather, he found himself realizing just how remarkable the White Princess’s efforts had been in saving this many soldiers and leading them to safety.

Prince Hyeon Won’s advice was entirely rational, yet the idea of the nation’s ruler fleeing in the face of disaster was difficult to accept.

However, this was not a moment to act on emotions.

If even Emperor Woon Sung were to die, the future of Cheongdo would truly fall into chaos.

“Vice General Seol Tae Pyeong has entered the main palace, so he will find a way to resolve this. He is the best swordsman I have ever seen in Cheongdo.”

“Son…”

“Please, I beg you, protect yourself, Father.”

Everyone present who was listening to the conversation between father and son remained silent.

The mere existence of these two, who carried the imperial bloodline, had the power to unite the people.

If both of them were to perish, Cheongdo would truly be doomed.

Moreover, the one who had drawn his sword and rushed into the palace to resolve the crisis was none other than Vice General Seol Tae Pyeong.

If anyone could turn the tide, it was him.

A swordsman blessed by the heavens, a man who had demonstrated extraordinary skill time and time again. Surely even this disaster could be overcome by his hand.

That hope lingered in the air.

As Seol Ran wrapped a cloth around the crown prince’s wounded arm, she briefly lowered her gaze.

It was true that Emperor Woon Sung and Prince Hyeon Won should seek refuge in a safer place. There was no denying that this was the logical decision.

Slowly, Seol Ran lifted her head and scanned her surroundings.

White Princess Ha Wol. In Ha Yeon. The Black Moon Unit. Emperor Woon Sung. Prince Hyeon Won. The soldiers. The civilians…

All of them were waiting for a hero to arrive.

They had done everything within their power.

Now, the only one who could resolve this situation was an extraordinary genius blessed by the heavens.

A hero who would carry their expectations on his back, cut down the great evil threatening the world, and restore peace.

Those who had done all they could, ordinary people who had pushed themselves to their limits, had no choice but to gather and pray.

In the face of an overwhelming trial, everyone, regardless of status, could only offer up their prayers.

It was the natural order of things.

It could not be otherwise.

And they understood that.

Because she had spent so much of her life wandering the streets as an outcast, she understood all too well the process of accepting great trials beyond her own control.

Their expectations would be heavy.

It was the fate of those born with innate strength and natural talent.

Even so, Seol Tae Pyeong was a man who could bear it without question.

He did not need anyone to understand him. He did not need anyone’s help.

If someone were to recklessly step forward to assist him in this situation and end up losing their life, it would only add to the burden on his shoulders.

There was no room for argument. Everything about it was rational and logically sound.

If there were a hundred people, then all hundred of them would have no choice but to accept this truth.

And yet, Seol Ran steeled her gaze and lifted her head.

It was a thought Seol Tae Pyeong had repeated to himself dozens, no, hundreds of times throughout his life.

Being the protagonist of a romance fantasy novel—

It was not something just anyone could do.

As if to make sure that his honest words did not go to waste, the girl known as Vermilion Princess Seol Ran rose to her feet.

Seol Tae Pyeong was strong.

The strongest sword master to emerge after Seol Lee Moon. He was so powerful that there was no point in mere mortals sitting around worrying.

Reason and logic. Strength and weakness. Necessity and uselessness.

No matter how many theories one tried to apply, the only possible conclusion was to leave the matter in his hands and let him handle it.

And yet, the girl stood up.

There were people in this world who defied such rational arguments. People who, by their very existence, sought to help others.

She called them family.

And she had only one family member left.

“No matter how famous Tae Pyeong is as a sword master, he can’t kill the Plague Demonic Spirit alone. Just as a single person cannot stop a natural disaster.”

Before he was the Vice General of a country, before he was the most famous sword master—

He was simply her younger brother.

“That’s why we have to go help him. Even if we have to break through the Great Star Gate.”

Between the arrival of a transcendent being and the existence of a sword master born with unparalleled talent, there were those who could do nothing but pray.

Yet among them, there was one who declared that something had to be done to help him.

Even at a point where it felt like every possible effort had already been made, there were always those who sought to go even further.

Saying that it was meaningless to meddle in a battle between giants would change nothing.

The girl had always fought on the side of the weak. That had never changed, and it never would.

“We have to break through the Great Star Gate and go help Tae Pyeong. We can’t afford to be picky about the means.”

Those present at the scene had no choice but to understand.

In this nation of Cheongdo, those blessed by the heavens and born with extraordinary talent were not the only ones who shone.

There had always been those who, even when starting from nothing, clawed their way up from the very bottom to radiate with brilliance.

Seol Ran closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them again.

A faint bluish energy flickered in her gaze like a flame.

To help her younger brother, she had to become stronger.

At that moment, she looked strangely like a girl who had once sat quietly in the Heavenly Jade Pavilion of the Heavenly Dragon Hall.

***

I knew Seol Lee Moon’s corpse was somewhere within the main palace, but finding it was no simple task.

Cheongdo Palace was so vast that searching it room by room was nearly impossible.

However, if the true form of the Plague Demonic Spirit were to descend, it would undoubtedly seek a place where it could control the other demonic spirits.

That meant the most likely location was the heart of the palace.

With that in mind, I charged forward, cutting down the demonic spirits in my path as I made my way toward the center.

Thud. Thud.

Shhhk!

Cutting down the demonic spirits alongside the Black Moon Unit members, I dashed straight into the emperor’s audience chamber within the main palace.

If the body of the rebel Seol Lee Moon was somewhere in this palace, then high-ranking officials, at least at the level of the three great officials or the emperor’s closest aides, would probably have known about it beforehand.

I had to search their offices, no matter what. To those in power, the idea of a military officer rummaging through their classified documents might seem like an insult, but this was no time to worry about such things.

Besides, I wasn’t even sure if they were still alive. Just surviving in this chaos was a miracle in itself.

“The Emperor’s office is too far away for now. We should search the offices of the Six Ministries or the Three Great Officials instead!”

“W-What do you think we’ll find there, Tae Pyeong-ah?”

“We have to grab onto whatever we can, even if it’s just a straw!”

Doing nothing wasn’t an option.

Simply cutting down demonic spirits wouldn’t be enough to stop the resurrection of the Plague Demonic Spirit. We had to do something, anything, productive.

If we could just make it past the front courtyard of the main palace, where the buildings of the Six Ministries were gathered, and reach the emperor’s audience chamber, we’d be able to access a considerable number of classified documents.

All we could do was hope to find something useful among them.

“Black Moon Unit members, listen up! Split into two groups. One searches the Ministry of Rites, the other the Ministry of Revenue. Gather every bit of information you can find on Seol Lee Moon! Meanwhile, the maid and I will cut through the Ministry of Justice’s sector and head straight for the audience chamber!”

“Yes!”

With a brief response, the Black Moon Unit members scattered and disappeared in an instant.

In urgent situations like this, having subordinates who could swiftly act on short commands was invaluable. They were proving to be a tremendous help.

“Tae Pyeong-ah! If we’re cutting through the Ministry of Justice’s sector, we need to turn at the next alley!”

“I know! Hold on tight!”

“My sash is coming undone! Please! If you shake me any more, I’ll never be able to get married!”

“Is that really what matters right now?!”

“It matters… in its own way…!!!!”

We exchanged meaningless banter and quickened our pace.

As if I were floating through the air, I kicked off the walls and leaped across rooftops, and by the time I landed swiftly in the side yard of the Ministry of Justice building—

“…….”

It seemed almost certain that the Minister of Justice had already fallen to the demon spirits.

At this point, I doubted anything would come of rummaging through the Ministry’s buildings, and yet…

I never imagined that the moment I turned into the alley beside the building, I’d come face to face with an acquaintance drenched in blood.

“Oh… haha… really, you never know how things are going to turn out in this world…”

A dim alley led into the Ministry of Justice building.

And there, leaning against a clay wall and gasping for breath, sat a man.

“…Han-ah.”

“That’s right. Oh, even Yeon Ri’s here. Been a while, hasn’t it? Hope you’ve been well.”

Wang Han, the chief secretary of the Ministry of Justice.

He was lying on one side of the alley, bleeding heavily.

“…….”

“Wow, this brings back memories of the White Immortal Palace. We were really busy back then, but still… those were good times.”

“…….”

Everything below his thigh had been severed and was gone.

The ground beneath him was already soaked with blood, and he couldn’t move anymore.

Even without asking, I could already tell what had happened.