Surviving in a Romance Fantasy Novel

The dead spoke no words.

And so, cemeteries could only be quiet places.

“The weather’s finally starting to warm up… I wonder if the cherry blossoms will bloom soon.”

On the outskirts of the imperial capital, there was a large public cemetery, and among them, in a prime location with a wide-open view of the surroundings, sat a single modest grave.

I was walking toward that place.

I had hunted down and killed the Plague Demonic Spirit that had driven the Cheongdo Empire to the brink of ruin, and I had become the hero who saved the country.

Even the disaster that had been destined to mark the end of the Heavenly Dragon Love Story had been overcome, one way or another. People looked up to me, and even the highest officials of the court would lower their heads when they saw me.

I had saved the country, I had seized power, and I had survived.

“……..”

However, for every person who had been saved, there were just as many who had not.

More than the joy of survival, the capital was steeped in the grief of those left behind.

The bereaved wept, terror was etched into the faces of the surviving officials, and half the imperial palace stood empty.

It was a victory full of scars.

…And yet, a victory nonetheless.

Even though sadness seeped through the Cheongdo Empire, I could still feel hope slowly beginning to blossom in the hearts of the people.

The king of demonic spirits was dead.

That fact had spread to every corner of the streets of the capital.

Pop.

I cleanly opened a bottle of liquor, then quietly sat down beside Wang Han’s tombstone and gazed out at the view stretching below the hill.

Since it was on the outskirts of the imperial capital, the entire view didn’t come into sight at once, but still, I thought it was a peaceful and decent enough place to serve as a burial site.

I brought the bottle to my lips, took a few sips to wet my throat, and then casually poured the rest over the grave.

As I watched the stream of liquor gurgling and spilling from the bottle, I realized that I hadn’t brought the clear rice wine Wang Han used to like but rather unrefined rice wine.

Well, what could I do about it.

Just drink whatever you’re given.

Letting out a hollow laugh at that thought, I leaned my back quietly against the tombstone and gazed up at the blue sky.

The harsh winter I had barely endured had finally come to an end, and it was the season when spring was about to arrive.

It had been about a month since I had cut down the Plague Demonic Spirit.

***

“Now that the chaos has been somewhat settled, the political structure of the Cheongdo Empire will probably begin to reorganize in earnest.”

It wouldn’t have been easy to completely rebuild the ruined imperial palace in just a month. Naturally, there were still countless buildings everywhere crudely patched together with little more than wooden frameworks.

More than half of the high officials who could have served as a focal point had died, so for the time being, everyone in this chaotic political landscape would be vying and scheming to climb upward.

Even though most of those who had supported the political world had died, the essence of politics wouldn’t change.

Soon enough, other people of similar caliber would rise and eventually take their places once again.

“Still, once the system is reorganized, peace should return quickly. Above all, there’s no longer the threat of demonic spirits.”

“The demonic spirits hunters are probably going to lose their livelihood too.”

“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

Black Moon Leader Cheong Jin Myeong bowed his head and answered with a smile.

The location was Hwalseong District.

We had taken in so many refugees that the district itself was practically in shambles, but at least the area around the government office remained as quiet as ever.

“Once things settle down on the refugee side, I should go check on Cheongdo Palace too. His Majesty has summoned me, after all, so I should answer the call.”

“……”

“What’s with that look on your face?”

Ha Si Hwa who had been organizing refugee documents on one side of the office had a rather subtle expression on her face.

It seemed like the idea of me going to Cheongdo Palace at the emperor’s command struck her oddly, and after much hesitation, she finally spoke.

“General Seol, right now, the political scene in Cheongdo Palace is being swept over by chaos like a raging storm. There are so many vacant positions that even officials who don’t hold a rank above the fifth rank are daring to dream of becoming senior officials. The times are changing.”

“Yeah, I can feel that clearly enough, with how everyone’s eyes are practically burning.”

“This isn’t something you should speak of as if it’s someone else’s business, General Seol. To be frank… allow me to speak without holding back.”

Ha Si Hwa was about to say something dangerous. It seemed like everyone sitting in the office had already caught on to what she was about to say.

So they had been playing a silent game of chicken, waiting to see who would take the lead and speak first. They were all the same, as always.

“If you go to Cheongdo Palace, you’ll probably be seated as Grand General.”

“Well… most of the military officers have been wiped out after all…”

“Are you planning to be satisfied with just the position of Grand General?”

Silence seeped through the office.

When I glanced toward In Ha Yeon who had been standing quietly behind me, she closed her eyes slowly and bowed her head.

So her opinion wasn’t much different either.

Leaning back against the chair in silence, I let out a faint snort through my nose.

I figured I’d at least hear them out and see what exactly they were trying to say.

The position of Grand General.

The highest and most honorable rank a military officer could achieve in Cheongdo Empire.

Beyond that… it was obvious what my subordinates wanted to say.

When Ha Si Hwa hesitated, unsure how to continue, it was Black Moon Leader Cheong Jin Myeong who picked up where she left off and brought the words to a conclusion.

“Those with extraordinary spirit, overwhelming strength, and boundless courage become heroes. But to sit upon that dragon throne, those alone are not enough.”

“……”

“To that, you must add justification and timing. Only when those align perfectly can it be possible. There have been countless heroes in the history of Cheongdo Empire who had the qualities to ascend the throne, but without the right justification or the favor of the era, they remained heroes and nothing more. But General Seol… you are different, are you not?”

Assistant Bi Cheon swallowed dryly, glancing once more around the hallway outside.

It seemed she was worried that the palace maids might overhear if they happened to pass by.

“If you wish to drive Emperor Woon Sung from the throne, even the surviving high officials of the court will hold their tongues. The people too… will welcome a hero who saved their country.”

“……”

“Most of the imperial family has already departed from this world, and the high officials who once guarded the emperor and maintained their own powers have mostly perished as well. In a few years, new figures will surely rise to fill those positions again, but right now, isn’t Emperor Woon Sung like a man stranded alone on a remote island, with hardly anyone left to shield him?”

Fearing it might be seen as overstepping, Cheong Jin Myeong steadied his breath before finally voicing what he had long hesitated to say.

Black Moon Leader Cheong Jin Myeong had served as my adjutant since the earliest days of this Hwalseong District. He was a man worthy of being called my right hand without exaggeration, and thus, it was within his right to offer counsel of this degree after mustering his resolve.

“The mistresses of the Four Palaces will all stand with you General Seol, rather than the imperial family, and it seems almost certain that your sister Vermilion Princess Seol, will soon lay down her position as the mistress of Vermilion Bird Palace to become the mistress of the Heavenly Dragon Hall.”

A savior who had personally slain the Plague Demonic Spirit.

A figure who silenced the court’s high officials, earned the absolute support of the mistresses of the Four Palaces, and even had the Heavenly Maiden herself taking his side.

This was not a fantasy detached from reality.

“If General Seol were to drape the Heavenly Dragon Robe around your body and ascend the dragon throne…”

Black Moon Leader Cheong Jin Myeong bowed his head deeply and offered his respects with utmost sincerity.

Behind him, the other adjutants quietly began lowering their heads one by one.

“We will serve the House of Huayongseol as the new imperial family.”

Silence.

With my arms still crossed, I slowly raised my head and looked around, but it seemed no one held a differing opinion.

They were pushing me forward, urging me not to be satisfied with the position of Grand General but to seize the entire world.

For a brief moment, I closed my eyes quietly.

So that’s how it is.

Starting as an apprentice warrior, I had stayed in this Cheongdo Palace for a very long time.

Looking back on those difficult years, they had been so grand and overwhelming that I could hardly even begin to recount them all.

What a long road it had been.

And so… for quite a while, I simply stood there, looking back at the path I had walked.

Then, as if feeling hollow inside, I let out a faint bitter laugh.

“You guys… after serving at my side for so long, do you still not know me?”

“…Huh?”

“Well, I suppose, given how things have been lately, it’s been a while since I properly reminded you. I should’ve taken the time to say it now and then before you could forget, but we’ve been so caught up with the Plague Demonic Spirit and all those constant fires at our feet…”

“……”

I simply wanted to remind them once again of the words I had consistently lived by since my days as an apprentice warrior.

“Anyone remember my motto?”

***

“I knew you would be like that, Tae Pyeong-ah. I figured as much. Your position rose, the situation grew urgent, and you’ve been living all busy and rushed… but now that most of the immediate crises have been handled, here you are, returning to your old ways without fail.”

“I have been living a little too diligently these past few years. I’ve survived death more than a few times, worked all day without a single day off, doing nothing but the duties of a warrior… I think it’s about time I got sick of it all, don’t you think?”

I was lying down in the tearoom of the Vermilion Bird Palace.

Back when I first set foot in this tearoom, I had still been just an apprentice warrior, so just being here and breathing had been enough to drench me in cold sweat…

But now, after all these years, stepping back into this same tearoom, I found myself lying down right beside the tea table, heaving deep, weary sighs.

Originally, a man was forbidden from carelessly entering the inner quarters of the palace, and a place as prestigious as the Vermilion Bird Palace was certainly not somewhere one could behave so recklessly… yet no one tried to stop me.

Ever since the chaos with the Plague Demonic Spirit, it felt like all of Cheongdo Palace was watching my mood as if I were no different from a king.

In fact, after I slew the Plague Demonic Spirit, even the Emperor himself had begun to watch me carefully.

Emperor Woon Sung had already realized it. If I made up my mind to overturn the entire board, I could bend even the power structure of Cheongdo Empire in a completely different direction from how it had flowed until now.

At this point, even when I was sprawled out in front of the Vermilion Princess, grumbling away, the palace maids didn’t dare even think of stopping me.

As a result, I could now meet alone with Ran-noonim in the tearoom of the Vermilion Bird Palace without having to care about anyone watching or whispering.

“I always knew you weren’t the type to dream of sitting on the imperial throne, but still, I never thought you’d savor the taste of power quite this thoroughly.”

“Well, even if I lie around scratching my stomach inside the palace, all it does is make me someone everyone else has to tiptoe around. And if Emperor Woon Sung somehow manages to hold onto the imperial authority, in the end, he’ll be nothing more than a puppet emperor, won’t he.”

Most likely, from the Emperor’s perspective, now that I had taken the position of Grand General, he’d have no choice but to spend the rest of his days reading my mood and living under my shadow until the day he died.

Not that he could refuse to grant me the position of Grand General either, so I suppose, from the Emperor’s standpoint, he must’ve felt completely cornered.

Well, given that I wasn’t demanding he step down from the throne outright, he should be grateful enough already, so why would he dare try to interfere with me.

Right. A situation with no responsibility but full of pleasure. From my position, this was far preferable.

“Have you never thought about dreaming a little bigger? If my little brother decided he wanted to, this big sister here would be more than ready to give him her full support.”

“As long as I make plenty of money, that’s good enough for me. For me, as long as I’m comfortable, that’s all that matters. But still, won’t you be even busier from now on, Noonim?”

“Well… I still can’t really feel it yet.”

Though she was currently wearing the robes of the Vermilion Bird Palace, once the chaos inside and outside the palace settled down, Seol Ran would officially become the Heavenly Maiden and ascend to the Heavenly Dragon Hall.

Jin Cheong Lang who had been temporarily filling the role of the Heavenly Maiden possessed quite a considerable level of spiritual energy but even that was no match for Seol Ran whose talent had now fully blossomed.

No matter what anyone said, she was, after all, the protagonist of Heavenly Dragon Love Story.

She had always been destined to become the Heavenly Maiden.

“To think I’ll now be going to the Heavenly Dragon Hall, where I used to work as an apprentice maid, as its mistress… It really makes me feel like I’ve lived a long life, doesn’t it?”

“Still, after managing the Vermilion Bird Palace, I’m sure you’ve gotten a pretty good sense of how to handle power. In a way, that’s a lucky thing.”

“That’s true. Power… really is nice.”

Seol Ran smiled innocently as she poured me another cup of tea.

“It really is. Power is such a wonderful thing~.”

I quietly drank my tea, absentmindedly watching the scenery outside as the cherry blossoms were just starting to bloom, and laughed softly without realizing it.

Spring had come.

As always, spring had come once again.

Though there was still snow lingering in the shaded spots that hadn’t yet melted, the rising energy of life blooming here and there throughout Cheongdo Empire was steadily announcing that spring was on its way.

And once spring fully arrived, even the last traces of the remaining winter would be completely washed away.

And so, the seasons would pass once more.

Even the Emperor now had to watch my mood.

All that was left for me now was to wander these halls of the Cheongdo Palace like it was my own home and spend the rest of my days in comfort.

There was no longer some great crisis threatening the world, nor were there countless demonic spirits lurking in the shadows aiming for my life. All of them had quietly vanished into the darkness.

Work less, earn more.

In spring, I would go see the flowers; in summer, I would visit the valleys. In autumn, I would drink a glass of rice wine while watching the autumn leaves; and in winter, I would sit in front of the fire while lazily poking at it with a fire iron.

The dream that a young warrior from my childhood had once spoken of so emptily while lying around in the White Immortal Palace. That goal had finally come within my grasp.

Yes.

At last, it was a happy ending.

Lived happily ever after for a very, very long time!

The End!

***

“But you know, Tae Pyeong-ah.”

Even the Emperor himself had to carefully gauge his mood now.

Seol Tae Pyeong had risen to a position in the Cheongdo Empire where no one could dare lay a hand on me… and so, he had intended to simply bask in happiness and spend the rest of his days in peace…

But there was one person.

Only one person in this world still capable of reaching out to interfere with General Seol Tae Pyeong. The very man even the Emperor could not touch.

Really, there was only one such person on this earth, yet undeniably, that person existed.

The only one in all of Cheongdo who could control General Seol Tae Pyeong, before whom the entire country trembled.

“This big sister of yours is thinking of seizing power and making her mark as the Heavenly Maiden, you know? As your sister, isn’t it only right that you lend me a little help?”

“…Huh?”

“You need to properly continue the Huayongseol family line that’s on the verge of dying out, and as a general, if you want to wield influence effectively… in the end, you’ll have to find yourself a good partner. Don’t you agree?”

“Noonim… what exactly are you trying to say?”

Being the protagonist of a romance fantasy novel wasn’t something just anyone could do.

And because he knew that better than anyone, Seol Tae Pyeong was always conscious of Seol Ran.

She was someone he absolutely could not afford to turn into an enemy.

Bound by the ties of family from the very beginning and having shared a long and deep connection over many years, she was the one person he trusted more deeply than anyone else.

And it was exactly that kind of person who was more terrifying than anyone else when turned into an enemy.

“I’ve already had some discussions with His Highness, the Crown Prince, you know. Once you reach the position of Grand General, well, your authority will be so~ so~ great that you’ll be able to take in plenty of wives, won’t you? And no matter what you do from then on, who in the palace could possibly dare to nitpick or criticize you? Besides, I do have a bit of a personal desire, too.”

“A p-personal desire?”

“I want to see my nieces and nephews.”

“……”

“Maybe about five boys, and six girls…”

What was she planning? To start a football team?

Seol Tae Pyeong almost said that out loud but managed to hold it in.

Seol Ran who had been sitting at the tea table rose to her feet, quietly came up behind Seol Tae Pyeong, and placed her hands firmly on both his shoulders, pressing down steadily.

Then, right next to Seol Tae Pyeong’s ear, in a cold voice that sounded almost like a whisper, she spoke. The fact that her voice was filled with such an easy smile only made it more terrifying.

“This sister of yours hopes Tae Pyeong will put in a little effort. Surely you wouldn’t refuse to do at least this much for the sake of your sister. This sister who has devoted her entire life, her entire body, to protecting you, to saving you, running around endlessly, always thinking only of you until the very, very end, right?”

“…….”

“No matter how high your authority may rise within the palace, you do know that, in the end, when it comes to ceremonial rank, this sister of yours still outranks you, right, Tae Pyeong-ah? So, prepare yourself for marriage… This sister of yours has already made all the arrangements…”

“N-Noonim…?”

With his face draining of all color, Seol Tae Pyeong asked again in a trembling voice.

“M-Marriage, you say… Just who exactly is the partner supposed to be…?”

“Oh~. Of course I should’ve told you who your partner is. Silly me, where is my mind today.”

In response to Seol Tae Pyeong’s question, Seol Ran answered with the brightest, most radiant smile in the world.

It was a cheerful smile so vibrant it felt like it could light up the whole world like a blooming flower.

“There are… quite a few.”

“…What?”

That was right.

There was no longer a single person left in this world capable of controlling Seol Ran.

***

TN: Very good move from Seol Ran!

As expected, not just anyone can be the protagonist of a romance fantasy novel lol.

Only 2 chaps left for the novel to end. What a ride!