Requiem of Subdued Souls

Chapter 119: Palanquin Case (4)

“Both Hwarangs, accept the arrows given by the Princesses!”

Hwang Soo shouted.

The Princesses picked up the arrows on the silk cushions.

“Yeon Je-rang, receive the arrow.”

“Seol Young-rang, receive the arrow.”

The two knelt down and received the arrows given by the Princesses. And they stood back again and looked at the target.

In front of them, they saw the target with a grim face drawn on it. Among them, the winner would be decided depending on what part of the target they would hit.

‘And whoever wins here…’

Seol Young looked away. He saw the harp box standing on one side. Polished wood, golden clasp, and gold trim.

‘I’ve seen something like this before.’

He looked at the officials of the Great Heavenly Pavilion.

They had been watching the entire thing with nervous faces since morning.

“Then, the two Hwarangs, prepare the bow needed for the honor of the Princesses.”

Hwang Soo said again.

“Yes.”

The two of them answered.

‘I have to shoot well for the honor of Princess Ajin.’

Seol Young raised his bow and aimed for the grim face of the demon in the middle. Yeon Je also aimed at the center.

“Then…”

The two Princesses smiled and shouted,

“Shoot!”

And the two Hwarangs shot the arrows that flew at the same time, and they got stuck in the middle of the target.

Both were hit.

The soldiers standing on the side confirmed it and shouted,

“Bullseye.”

“Bullseye.”

Both landed right in the middle of the demon’s forehead. Applause poured in, and the Princesses laughed.

Then the second shot was fired. Two arrows flew straight and hit the center.

“Bullseye!”

The soldiers shouted.

This time, both hit the forehead of the demon again. Just in case, they even measured the distance, and it was the same.

The two people shooting weren’t far behind each other in archery, yet even they thought it was strange.

“There’s no way it’s still the same even now?”

And they shot again…

“Bullseye!”

Again, the third arrow was the same.

Everyone was shocked.

“So amazing!”

Hwang Soo smiled and said,

“The loyalty of the Hwarangs for the Princesses is truly amazing. They hit the exact same spot all three times! How can we not accept this? However, in this case, according to tradition, one of the Hwarangs must be selected.”

So they proceeded to do a lottery.

Seol Young, Yeon Je, the Governor, the High Governor, and the heads of the troops were asked to stand aside so they couldn’t intervene.

They prepared some paper according to the number of the rest of the Hwarangs.

A red circle was drawn on only one of them, and they rolled the papers, tied them with a string, and put them inside a container.

Hwang Soo looked around and said,

“Open it.”

Everyone untied the strings and opened the papers.

In the midst of it, whispers broke out.

“Here!”

It was Hyo Wol’s voice.

Hmm?

Seol Young looked to one side.

Hyo Wol waved Song Ok’s paper instead. And there was a red dot in the middle.

“Our second hyung has it.”

Aha.

Seol Young was happy.

Second-rang was good at shooting an arrow. He didn’t have to shoot anymore, and now Song Ok would take his place. He felt good because it would make Song Ok shine.

“No, this is a bit…”

Song Ok went up, looking shocked, and Seol Young smiled.

His face, with thick eyebrows and a clear nose, had a complementing feature. All the members of the White Tiger Troops were tall. And he liked how everyone was looking at their Second-rang at this very moment.

“Then, shoot.”

“Yes.”

Song Ok picked up the arrow from the silk cushion and put it on the bowstring. With a cool motion, he fired.

And the arrow flew.

It firmly drove right into the harp box and trembled from the force.

“Exactly right on the spot!”

Applause poured in.

But at the moment….

Bright red blood oozed from the spot where the arrow pierced the harp box.

“No?”

“W-What…!”

Everyone was shocked.

Seol Young stepped forward without even realizing it, and so did Zaha.

At that moment, they both realized it.

‘That is the harp box!’

The swap didn’t work. Could these people really not do a simple swap?

They glanced at where the Great Heavenly Pavilion officials were.

‘What happened! You people!’

As Zaha asked with his eyes, the face of the head turned pale.

‘I didn’t know…’

Her expression was genuine.

“What is this? Was there someone inside?”

The King was surprised.

“Hurry up and open it!”

“Yes!”

The soldiers hurriedly opened it, and everyone turned away, not wanting to see it…

“No one is here.”

A soldier said.

The King was surprised.

“What? There is no one inside?”

The inside was empty, and there wasn’t even a mouse or a person there.

Phew…

Everyone was relieved.

But Seol Young felt odd.

It felt like he was sick to his stomach at the sight of the red blood flowing down. It didn’t seem like normal blood.

‘What kind of blood is that?’

He couldn’t even make a guess.

“It is fortunate that no one’s life was harmed.”

The Queen calmly said.

“But does this mean that the harp box bled out? How can that be?”

“Right.”

Everyone said.

Zaha sent a bloody look toward the head of the Great Heavenly Pavilion. Then, he suddenly said,

“Auspicious!”

“Auspicious?”

The King and the Queen asked in shock.

“Right. Isn’t that why the Hwarangs are chosen each year to hit the harp box and get rid of evil things? However, this has never happened before. This is the first time blood has been shed from it. The story of the harp box has resurfaced. Just as the misfortune of King Soji was solved, this means the misfortune of our kingdom will be resolved at once.”

Oh?

It sounded really plausible. A strange look appeared in the eyes of the King, and he looked back at the head of the Great Heavenly Pavilion.

“What do you think?”

“The High Governor is right.”

She said as she bowed her head.

“The fact that only the top of the harp box is shedding blood and no lives were harmed means that the Great King is virtuous and takes care of all creations with a benevolent heart. Accordingly, this is an auspicious sign saying this nation’s trouble will vanish. God is right.”

Everyone stared, shocked.

There was no one who didn’t know about the High Governor and the head of the Great Heavenly Pavilion being enemies. They would never agree with each other.

But the two of them have agreed on something now?

This was a situation where they felt like the sun and moon were rising at the same time.

It was even more surprising than the fact that the harp box had bled.

“Is that so?”

The King looked at the two of them.

“If these two agree, then it has to be the truth. It has to be auspicious!”

He seemed to be in a good mood and laughed. He told Song Ok, who was frozen,

“Come here.”

Song Ok approached him, and then the King gave him a gold coin,

“You shot very well. Well done.”

Song Ok could barely speak because he was still shocked by what had happened.

But in the end, it turned out to be auspicious, and he was congratulated by the King, so his face lit up in joy.

“Great-rang!”

He immediately went to Baek Eon and offered the gold coin to him with both hands. This was the moment when their troops shone.

However, Seol Young still had an ominous feeling.

And after that, the Great Heavenly Pavilion head spoke to the King,

“Then, the harp box that showed auspiciousness…”

“Put it in my place, and I will look at it from morning to night to remind me that it is auspicious.”

The King’s reply made Zaha and the head of the Great Heavenly Pavilion go still.

“Wonderful idea, but we have to hold a ritual first.”

“Right. If the heavens sent us a sign, it is our duty to thank them back in return.”

Again, the two opinions were the same.

The King looked at them curiously.

“What day is it today? The arrows of the Hwarangs hit the same target three times, and the words of the two pillars that support the nation are the same too. If this happens every time, I have nothing to worry about.”

He smiled and stretched out his hand.

“It is indeed amazing.”

Zaha and the head of the Great Heavenly Pavilion flinched as they looked at the King touching the harp box.

“Then, take this and perform the ritual.”

“Yes.”

The head of the pavilion lowered her head and gave orders.

“Take that to the shrine.”

“Yes.”

And the officials moved while Seol Young just blankly looked at them.

If it wasn’t normal blood, then what could it be?

For what reason did he have such a nasty feeling? He was lost in those thoughts and didn’t feel anything around him.

At that moment, he felt a tug on his sleeve.

He looked down, and it was Princess Ajin.

“What?”

The Princess asked with a worried face.

“Nothing.”

Seol Young replied, but his eyes were fixed on the bloodstain on the harp box.

‘I need to see it. I need to somehow see what happened.’

He thought in his head.

“Princess, just wait one minute.”

Seol Young left Princess Ajin with her nanny and left.

He went and intervened with the officials, who were getting ready to move the harp box.

“Wait.”

And he put his hands on the bloodstain.