NOVEL NEXT Chapter 113 - The Will (11)
Chapter 113. The Will (11)
Morning had dawned.
Zhao Yun opened her eyes quietly, lifting only her upper body from the bed.
She felt sluggish.
Her entire body ached in various places, and a headache pounded in her head, prompting her to hold her forehead.
Her eyelids felt heavy.
No matter how much she tried to force her eyes open, her body refused to cooperate.
Her vision was filled with bloodstains. She had lost track of how many days had passed.
Still, she couldn’t stop.
Avenging her master was a duty that a disciple must fulfill.
Swearing loyalty to someone meant dedicating one’s life entirely to them.
That was what loyalty meant to Zhao Yun.
But she sometimes wondered. If she hadn’t been so weak, would things have turned out this way?
Zhao Yun rose from her bed. Her footsteps led her to another military tent.
‘General Zhao Yun, please take care of her for a while.’
Sima Yi had said so in a calm tone.
The girl had countless matters to handle as a strategist, leaving her no capacity to look after anyone.
Zhao Yun had observed Sima Yi up close more than anyone else, so she accepted without a word.
In truth, she had no choice.
The reason was simple.
“Huff…! Huff…!”
The woman in front of her, frantically tousling her hair, was clearly someone who shouldn’t be left alone.
As Zhao Yun pulled back the tent flap, the woman’s pitiful appearance overlapped in her vision.
Tears were clinging to her eyes, perhaps from another nightmare.
Or maybe she hadn’t slept at all, as her eyes were dark and swollen.
“Haryeong.”
“…General Zhao Yun.”
The woman, Haryeong, slowly turned her head at Zhao Yun’s call.
She then pulled the cloth off her lap and sat on the bed.
She forced a faint smile.
“I’m sorry for being such a burden… I know you’re already busy.”
Fidget, fidget.
Haryeong fiddled with her hands, seemingly unable to face Zhao Yun properly.
Zhao Yun lowered her gaze.
From thumb to ring finger, her fingers were crusted with dried blood, making it hard to believe they were a woman’s hands.
Hands that should have been soft and delicate were so damaged that they seemed even rougher than Zhao Yun’s own.
“Haryeong, you mustn’t harm your body like this.”
“Haha… I’m sorry.”
Haryeong smiled weakly, bowing her head.
Despite having been warned multiple times, it was still no use.
It was understandable in a way.
The woman in front of her, Haryeong, had a much deeper connection with their master than even Zhao Yun did.
In a situation where the whereabouts of someone akin to her family were unknown, how could she maintain her sanity?
Still, Zhao Yun couldn’t leave her as she was.
She knelt on one knee before Haryeong and gently placed her hand over Haryeong’s roughened one.
“General…?”
“Stay still.”
Zhao Yun pulled out medicine she had brought in advance and carefully applied it to each of Haryeong’s fingers.
Startled, Haryeong tried to pull her hand away.
“T-There’s no need for you to go this far, General…!”
“Please don’t say that.”
Zhao Yun said with a soft smile.
“If Master were here, he would do the same. As his disciple, I am only upholding the courtesy I should.”
It was indeed something that Zhao Yun, known for her deep loyalty, would say.
Unable to resist Zhao Yun’s strength, Haryeong had no choice but to leave her hand in Zhao Yun’s care.
“Even so… your rank is higher than mine.”
“Master didn’t care about rank, status, or background. Haryeong, you know that better than anyone.”
“…That’s true.”
Haryeong eventually gave up even her small resistance. Her shoulders slumped as she relented.
“But… my brother is no longer with us.”
“…”
Haryeong’s expression hardened.
Zhao Yun’s did as well.
Each time she faced the harsh reality, she would sometimes bite her lip.
“I don’t know what to do anymore. Sometimes I want to kill those who made my brother like this, and other times, I just want to keep my eyes closed and never leave this bed.”
Hot tears dripped onto Zhao Yun’s hand.
Haryeong was crying. She often struggled to control her emotions.
“I just… I just wish time would stop. So I wouldn’t have to do anything. Waking up in the morning, washing my face, eating, even breathing—it all feels meaningless.”
“Haryeong…”
Zhao Yun shook her head.
“I feel the same way.”
Haryeong’s eyes widened in surprise.
“General Zhao Yun…?”
It was a natural reaction.
Who was Zhao Yun?
She was always steadfast, never missing training, never hesitating to sweat despite her remarkable appearance.
Even after Unryong’s whereabouts became uncertain, Zhao Yun never showed weakness before her subordinates, which made Haryeong even more surprised.
“Everyone loses their way sometimes.”
Zhao Yun spoke calmly.
“No matter how exceptional, anyone can wander, suffer, and question their path.”
“…”
“I followed Master’s ideals and came this far. Though his words, which might have been mere fantasies, didn’t sound like fantasies to me. Ever since I started following him, I set my own path. To witness a world where children don’t starve with my own eyes.”
“Haha, that sounds like something my brother would say.”
Haryeong finally managed a smile.
Zhao Yun smiled back.
It was so different from the stern look she wore during training that Haryeong found herself catching her breath.
“After losing Master like that, I lost my way just like you. Cutting down those who block my path for the sake of ideals could be called conviction, but killing out of blind vengeance is nothing more than murder.”
“T-That’s not true…!”
Haryeong replied hastily.
“You’ve done your best these past months, General…!”
“Even so, there are times when I can’t justify it to myself.”
“…General.”
“But still.”
Zhao Yun released Haryeong’s hand. She had finished applying the ointment to all the scabs.
Rising to her feet, she continued.
“I will continue to walk the path I believe is right.”
“…”
“Because that’s my life.”
With that, Zhao Yun walked away. Haryeong could only watch her back as she moved further away.
The tent flap opened again, and warm sunlight poured in.
Haryeong raised her hand.
The light split into rays, burning into her vision.
“If Master were here, he would have said this.”
Although Haryeong had spoken confidently, Zhao Yun was just a wandering person like her.
She had merely conveyed to Haryeong the words her master would have spoken.
Zhao Yun could still clearly see that scene.
The moment when the man she thought so steadfast was lost.
And the moment when he eventually found his path and moved forward again.
“…I guess I’m just an unworthy disciple.”
Unfortunately, Zhao Yun couldn’t do the same.
She was still weak.
“I speak of things I can’t keep… truly an unworthy disciple.”
Her shoulders slumped.
And then she walked on, endlessly.
She stopped at the back hill where the prisoners had been executed the previous day.
They had killed people with convictions so brutally, and for the petty reason of personal revenge, they had caused turmoil among the citizens.
Was this truly what Master would have wanted? Doubt gnawed at her.
So, she sought answers.
She wanted to know what she should do.
“…I miss you, Master.”
She stood there for a long while, murmuring.
In her vision, she saw Haryeong, Unsam, Baekrang, and Unryong laughing and talking.
***
Zhao Yun steadily made her way toward the morning training.
Lost in thought, she had spent far too much time.
“Huff… Huff…”
She grabbed her spear and hurried toward the training ground when…
“…?”
A strange sight unfolded in the distance.
Zhao Yun paused her steps.
‘…What is that…?’
There were people lined up, all lying face down, sweating profusely.
It wasn’t just sweat.
Some were crying, adding tears to the wet ground.
Wondering what was going on, Zhao Yun walked toward them.
As she got closer, she recognized the soldiers of Unryong’s army.
Though it was time for morning training, who was giving such a harsh drill without her permission?
Finally, she made eye contact with the figure standing on the platform.
“…You’re here, Yuna.”
“…”
Zhao Yun dropped the spear she was holding.