Chapter 35: Days of Machination

After failing at making Sairan scared, Hwee-Kyung ran out of ideas on how to make Sairan go away, so she began to think.

‘Is making him experience my curse the only way?’

If that were the case, Hwee-Kyung realized that she would have no choice but to travel with Sairan.

‘So I would have to go around with this big, strong, powerful man from a Lizardman tribe, who says he will protect my life?’

Hwee-Kyung looked at Sairan. And Sairan tilted his head, wondering why Hwee-Kyung was staring at him. Hwee-Kyung wasn’t unfamiliar with Lizardmen; there were some inside Automation too. However, even in the eyes of Hwee-Kyung, who was Human, Sairan was different from the other Lizardmen. Not simply because he was wearing precious clothing, but because of all the muscles that could be seen under Sairan’s scales and the dignity shown through Sairan’s attitude.

‘I can’t believe he has dignity.’

Even though Hwee-Kyung had to hide her true identity from others and didn't even like the fact that she was the lord’s daughter, she was still part of high society and felt embarrassed staring at Sairan.

‘...Well, it actually wouldn’t be so bad, would it?’

Hwee-Kyung quickly did some calculations in her head. She couldn’t send Sairan away like this, so she would have to kill him, but the chance of her succeeding was very low. And even if Sairan spared Hwee-Kyung’s life, she would have to risk letting someone who knew her true identity go. On the other hand, if she just let Sairan stay by her side, she wouldn’t feel pressured to kill him and she could prevent the risk of her identity being revealed to others. There was nothing bad about having Sairan with her; it was rather good, actually.

‘And he even said he would protect me. That means he would take action and help me if I get into a dangerous situation. This might work...’

While Hwee-Kyung pondered without a word, Sairan, who couldn’t bear the silence, said, “Hwee-Kyung, what are you thinking?”

“...I’m thinking about silk.”

“What?”

“Now that I come to think of it, I don’t think I can just leave all that silk down there. I should go back down.”

Sairan sighed as Hwee-Kyung staggered over to the edge of the cliff and stood there. Hwee-Kyung’s plan was easily exposed.

“People would compliment the fact that you were able to climb up a bedrock with that foot, but they would say you are crazy if you go back down with it. I know it, and you know it too. I would stop you from going down, and you would argue that you really need that silk. However, there’s a better way to get people to do things for you, Hwee-Kyung.”

“...?”

“Asking for help.”

Hwee-Kyung’s face turned red when Sairan essentially read her mind.

Sairan continued to say, “If you can’t get along well with those around you, the first reason would be the curse. But if people you meet for the first time won’t even approach you, that’s your fault.”

“...”

“I don’t blame you, since you were made that way because of the curse. I’m just trying to tell you there’s a better way to do things. I have come to protect you, and there are many things that define the way you lead your life. One of those ways is not to starve, and in order to do that, you should retrieve that silk.”

Hwee-Kyung lowered her head, slowly walked back to where she was before, and leaned back against the cliff.

“Please help me. Help me retrieve that silk.”

“I will.”

Sairan began to climb down the bedrock and slid down the rest of the steep slope. He then tied the bundle of silk around his torso and climbed back up. It took less than a minute for Sairan to get back to Hwee-Kyung.

Hwee-Kyung then said to Sairan, who had a big bundle of silk tied around him like it was no big deal, “Umm, do you think you can carry that for me all the way to Automation?”

“Yes. But let’s treat your injury first.”

Hwee-Kyung was about to reject Sairan’s treatment instinctively, but she decided to accept his help this time. It didn’t seem that lies and rejection worked with the Lizardman anyways.

Sairan took out a medicinal herb from the pocket near his thigh, mashed it, and spread it on the many wounds covering Hwee-Kyung’s body. Then he applied ointment that had a pain-reducing effect on her ankle and made her a temporary splint out of wood.

“It’ll be easier to walk this way,” said Sairan.

“Where did you learn to do all this? You’re better than the herbalist at our castle.”

Hwee-Kyung walked around, amazed at the fact that it was now easier to use her left ankle, and Sairan followed her.

“I learned from Mrs. Zaol,” replied Sairan.

“Zaol?”

“She is Mr. Lakrak’s wife.”

Hwee-Kyung nodded.

‘It was said that the tribal chief of the Black-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe, Lakrak, was in charge of the warriors and defended the tribe from external matters and enemies, while his wife was in charge of the errand boys and would handle the internal matters. Then is Sairan one of Zaol’s errand boys?’

Hwee-Kyung figured she should find out more and asked, “Then are you not a warrior? Now that I think of it, I heard warriors of the Black-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe wear water buffalo skulls on their heads.”

“No. I am a warrior too. We don’t wear the buffalo skulls often now unless there is a ritual. Though Chief Lakrak still usually wears it. But it is also true that I am one of Mrs. Zaol’s errand boys. I learned how to distinguish medicinal herbs and treat injured people from Mrs. Zaol, and when I got older, I passed the warrior test and learned how to use spears and shoot arrows from Mr. Yur.”

“Yur?”

“He is the best warrior of our tribe.”

Hwee-Kyung nodded as if it weren’t a big deal, but she recognized that Sairan wasn’t just any Lizardman warrior that Lakrak chose to send.

‘So he used to be an errand boy of the one who handles all the internal matters of the tribe, and then he learned how to use weapons from the best warrior?’

There was a need to learn more.

“How did you even know I was here?”

“I just went to Automation and asked around. I learned the way to Automation when I used to follow Mr. Owen around.”

“Owen? Are you talking about the storyteller, Owen?”

“Yes. Do you know Mr. Owen?”

Hwee-Kyung wanted to ask more about the Lizardman Owen, who was also famous among the humans, but refrained from doing so because she thought it would be better to stay on the current topic.

“How were you able to get into Automation?”

“A pass is given to those who've dedicated a certain amount of wealth to Automation, right? So that’s what I did.”

‘He’s even wealthy. Although… maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised since it’s the tribal chief who’s supporting him?’

“I asked around using your fake name. Mang-Ji was it? That name suits you better.”

“...I think so too. But I don’t think information about me would have been so easily given. My human relations are pretty bad, but I’m sure my business partners wouldn’t have sold me that easily.”

Sairan laughed.

“If that was so, how would I have found you? Everyone I asked told me everything once I gave them a pocket of salt. They told me you have been planning on doing silk business for some time now, that they didn't know where you would find silk since the rainy season was coming soon, and that they wondered how you would bring enough silk by yourself to make profit. They also told me that you borrowed a wheelbarrow from them to start your silk business, but that you hadn’t come back, so they thought they were scammed, and you had disappeared through the back gate of the castle…and so on. Don’t you think you’ve lost too much trust with your business partners aside from your other human relations?”

“Ugh.”

Hwee-Kyung couldn’t raise her head. Her face was red all the way to her ears.

***

The trip to Automation took a whole day.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Sairan saw the rampart of Automation once again. The rampart was shorter than the bedrock Hwee-Kyung fell down from, but an artificially made fortress was different from things of nature. The fortress was long and disappeared into the cliffs of both valleys. The front of Automation was blocked by a rampart, and the castle was located further in and surrounded by steep cliffs on both sides. The rampart had a main gate in the front, where most people would go in and out of, and there was also a smaller gate in the back of the rampart.

The path that Hwee-Kyung and Sairan had been following led to the gate in the back. The gatekeeper in the back recognized Hwee-Kyung and scolded her for whatever trouble she had probably caused this time, but Hwee-Kyung just ignored them and walked past.

Sairan then asked, “Do you know everyone within the castle? “

“There aren’t many who act like we’re close, but I am familiar with everyone’s faces. Since I’ve lived here for a long time.”

“And aside from you, the same goes for all the other citizens of the castle, right?”

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

“No reason.”

Sairan shook his head and continued to say, “What are you gonna do now? I think it’s too late in the day to sell silk.”

“The market should still be open…but I should meet the Gyo family member first.”

“Gyo family member?”

“You probably would have met him too. He’s the one who lent me the wheelbarrow.”

“Oh right. You have to deliver the unfortunate news.”

“It’s okay. I can pay him back after I sell enough silk. His anger will subside once I show him the silk.”

‘And if I tell him that this strong warrior will help me, he might even give me some salt.’

The Gyo family member in question was a salt merchant. Out of the four families that supported the lord of Automation, the Gyo family was the one approved by the lord to trade salt, and this particular member of the Gyo family was one of the youngest out of all the other salt traders. Therefore, they would take on challenges that others wouldn’t because of the risk, and at the moment, they were lending things to people and receiving interest from them.

The houses within Automation were built by digging the soft bedrock between the valleys, so stairs had to be taken to reach the salt market, where the Gyo family member was. Hwee-Kyung stopped in front of the stairs. The sky got darker quicker because Automation was between two valleys.

Sairan said, “It’ll be hard to go up the stairs with that ankle. Let’s come back tomorrow.”

“No. They’ll charge me more interest if I don’t go today.”

“Hm. I don’t think it’s the best idea.”

Hwee-Kyung ignored Sairan’s attempt at stopping her, took a deep breath, and began to go up the stairs. Then there was a sharp sound of wind, but it was drowned out by Hwee-Kyung’s footsteps.

Whoosh!

A sharp dagger flew towards Hwee-Kyung’s neck. Hwee-Kyung, who was tired and exhausted, didn’t even notice.

Then there was a crack behind her. The sound came from Sairan’s hand, which was on Hwee-Kyung’s back. Sairan had crushed the thin dagger. As Sairan opened his hand up, blood dripped down. Hwee-Kyung was hit with the smell.

“Wait, are you bleeding? I knew the curse…”

“It’s not because of the curse. A piece of iron came flying towards you.”

Sairan pointed down at his feet, and Hwee-Kyung saw the crushed dagger.

“You’re being targeted just like Mr. Lakrak said. One of your business partners probably revealed everything about what you were doing, and the gatekeeper or someone else revealed that you came into the castle. Those who know you well would’ve revealed what you would likely do first once you came back. You value wealth, so you would find the Gyo family member you were indebted to… The successor battle has begun.”

Then the attackers revealed themselves.

***

Sung-Woon could see Sairan Muel protecting Hwee-Kyung and fighting off the attackers from the sky over Automation.

‘There shouldn’t be any other problems here now.’

Sairan Muel was able to defeat the attackers without much difficulty, which proved that Lakrak’s choice of sending him was a good idea.

It wasn’t a good idea to send too many Lizardmen to Automation.

‘That would attract the attention of the lord of Automation and made him more suspicious of all the Lizardmen. Then others would be vigilant towards them as well. Then what’s next? Things would become advantageous for Hegemonia. But one Lizardmen is okay. And if he’s with the fourth child, who no one really cares much about, everyone will just think the Lizardman is a vagrant tagging along with Hwee-Kyung.’

There was another reason it wasn’t a good idea to send many Lizardmen into Automation. If lots of Lizardmen entered Automation and began to make others feel pressured, Hegemonia would do the same.

‘Then we would just end up consuming each other’s power. And there would be no point to having a Contradicting Prophecy. As long as the opponent doesn’t make an unreasonable move first, there’s no need for us to step up either.’

Sung-Woon traveled the wilderness back and forth and handled situations at Automation every now and then. And just as expected, nothing happened outside of Sung-Woon’s expectations.

‘Successor fights are all like that.’

Sairan eventually figured out the identities of the attackers. They were vagrant Goblins from outside of the castle. Apparently, a man in a mask had ordered them to kill Hwee-Kyung. Sairan determined that the goblins would be useful. He then asked Hwee-Kyung to give him some silk in order to give to the goblins to placate them, and she eventually acquiesced.

Hwee-Kyung suspected the one ordering the goblins to attack her was her first brother, Hwee-Dan, who was supported by the Gyo family, but that wasn’t true. The day after Hwee-Kyung was attacked, Hwee-Dan, who was most likely to become successor, disappeared from Automation. The Gyo family and Sang family, who supported Hwee-Dan, suspected each other for Hwee-Dan’s disappearance. Sairan then inspected Hwee-Dan’s room and inferred that Hwee-Dan was already dead, and that the dead body was hidden so that the two families that supported him would destroy each other.

However, if Hwee-Dan was really dead, there wasn’t much space within Automation for a dead body to be hidden. Through a surprising idea, Hwee-Kyung found Hwee-Dan’s body and inferred the criminal was someone unexpected.

…Everyday after that, horrible, bloody incidents occurred.

The five, no, four siblings, and the four families that supported them, began to feel external pressure from the Ears Cut Tribe and the Black-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe, which had been eyeing what was going on in Automation from afar.

When the machinations of the siblings were affecting the lives of those within Automation, the only ones who weren’t affected at all were the mud soldiers roaming the fortress, repairing places that had collapsed or broken down.

***

Three weeks passed by, and the lord of Automation came back from traveling in secret. There were now only two siblings left.