"Why don't you try lowering your hand and see what happens?"
Prince Jin's raised hand trembled slightly.
He probably couldn't bring himself to give the signal to shoot the arrows.
If I so much as tightened my grip a little, his neck would snap.
I've certainly grown bold.
Back then, I couldn't have imagined threatening a royal prince like this.
But since they don't even know who I really am, I can afford to act this way.
—Chak!
It was at that moment.
Something sharp and swift came flying directly toward the arm I had around Prince Jin's neck.
It was the sword of the general standing nearby.
This man was far stronger than the Eastern Depot officer, Cheophyung, who was on the left side.
A sound judgment.
Only a sudden ambush, without any warning, might save Prince Jin.
However—
—Chaaang!
I caught the general's sword between my index and middle fingers like a pair of chopsticks.
His eyes went wide in shock.
"...What are you...?"
Prejudice is a funny thing.
Just because I appear as a courtesan and reveal divine energy, everyone is left utterly bewildered.
Smiling faintly, I said to the general,
"General, it seems you are not too concerned with His Highness's safety."
"You wench!"
The general's face hardened at my words, possibly from bruised pride, and he began to gather his internal energy.
But the more he tried, the darker his expression grew.
Trying to match me in power was a ridiculous notion from the start.
—Paaang!
The general was thrown back nearly ten paces.
I then thrust the sword I had taken from him into the ground like a trophy.
—Thud!
Having even his own weapon taken from him must have been utterly humiliating—he bit his lip and said nothing.
Ignoring him, I tightened my grip on Prince Jin's neck and spoke.
"Your Highness, please have the soldiers retreat to a distance of at least one li."
At this, Cheophyung from the Eastern Depot barked,
"Insolent one! What you're doing now is treason!"
"And what exactly do you mean?"
"Threatening His Highness the Crown Prince is an insult not only to the imperial family, but to the entire Yeon Empire!"
"Isn't trying to kill Prince Gyeong—another child of His Majesty—also an insult to the Emperor and the Yeon Empire?"
"That is..."
"All those present here attempted to harm Prince Gyeong. So by your logic, they should all be executed for insulting the imperial family."
Cheophyung was left speechless at my response.
Claiming insult to the imperial family during a power struggle between princes is pure hypocrisy.
He seemed about to retort, but Prince Jin raised his hand, signaling him to stop.
"I thought you only had martial skill, but your tongue is quite sharp as well."
"My apologies, Your Highness."
"For the first time, I envy my brother."
Envy?
Unlike earlier, there was no more trembling. He had quickly regained his composure.
Like Prince Gyeong, the imperial princes do seem to possess an extraordinary boldness.
Prince Jin looked to someone and gave an order.
"General Moon, have the soldiers fall back."
"But, Your Highness!"
"Have them withdraw. Or would you prefer I die here with a broken neck?"
Unable to suppress his anger, General Moon shouted,
"If that happens, I will stake my life to kill this wench!"
"I know your loyalty. Now, pull the troops back."
"...As you command."
As General Moon gestured, the nearby commanders waved their flags.
The archers who had drawn their bows at Prince Gyeong lowered them and withdrew.
The same with the other soldiers.
When they had retreated a li away and were no longer visible, the courtesans and Prince Gyeong's troops finally sighed in relief.
Prince Jin addressed me again.
"I have done as you asked. Now, will you take your hand from my neck?"
His tone was remarkably gentle for someone being held at knifepoint.
It must be his way of showing that he's cut from a different cloth.
—In a way, it's impressive.
This bloodline truly is something else.
Like I did with Prince Gyeong, I almost want to reveal my identity.
But if I do, I won't be able to proceed with my original plan.
"I don't think I can do that just yet."
"Are you worried I might target your master?"
I smiled gently and answered nonchalantly.
"I didn't have Prince Gyeong's safety in mind when I asked you to retreat."
"What?"
Prince Jin seemed confused.
I then opened both my middle and lower dantians simultaneously, harmonizing my internal energy.
Without suppressing it, I let my power surge, releasing a powerful gust of wind from my body.
"What in the...!"
"Gasp!"
—Chwarurururu!
The gust blew back the guards standing around Prince Jin.
Those with low internal energy couldn't withstand the force I released.
Only Cheophyung and the general whose sword I had taken managed to endure, thanks to their deep reserves. But their eyes had changed as they looked at me.
"This... this is impossible..."
"What in the world..."
They looked at me as if I were a monster.
With their ability to sense energy, they must have realized—
This level of power surpassed the limits of a human warrior.
If they were masters themselves, they might even realize I had crossed into the realm beyond, but they weren't quite there yet.
I had drawn out this energy purely to show them a threat.
"Wh-what is this..."
Prince Jin looked like he could barely withstand it.
I smiled at him and said,
"I only asked you to retreat because I feared I might accidentally kill everyone here, including Your Highness, if I lost control."
"What are you..."
Before he could finish—
—Drdrdrdrdr!
The sword I had planted in the ground flew up into my hand on its own.
The military officers gasped at the sight of telekinetic weapon control.
Without pause, I swung the sword toward the empty barracks behind me.
With sharp energy coiling around the blade and the amplified internal energy from both dantians, a violent sword slash was unleashed.
—Chak! KWA-KWA-KWA-KWANG!
A tremendous boom rang out.
Like a storm had torn through.
As the dust cleared, Cheophyung and the other officers stood in stunned silence, jaws slightly open.
"How... how could that be..."
Prince Jin seemed curious about their reaction.
So I loosened my grip slightly to let him turn and see for himself.
As he slowly turned his head, his expression froze—like he'd been turned to stone.
'!!!'
Traces of destruction fanned out in a semicircle.
All the two hundred barracks located behind the central command post had completely vanished without a trace.
"...Ha!"
Even Prince Gyeong, who had been watching from a distance, reacted the same.
He had known I was strong, but it seemed he never imagined I was this powerful.
Like the courtesans and the soldiers under his command, he stood there utterly dazed.
Gently pressing the shoulder of Prince Jin, who couldn't take his eyes off the destruction, I smiled and spoke.
"I hope Your Highness won't create circumstances in which I must lose control of my strength."
At those words, Prince Jin gulped.
And instinctively nodded.
Now that I had truly demonstrated my abilities, thoughts about me being merely a bin (imperial consort) or such things had likely vanished from his mind.
It seems my part ends here.
As I looked at him, Prince Gyeong snapped out of his daze and, nodding, approached where I and Prince Jin were standing.
"Brother, Your Majesty."
Prince Jin looked at him as though disgusted.
"...I have truly misjudged my younger brother until now. To think you've kept such a person hidden."
"She is the woman I cherish most."
"...So what will you do? Are you planning to deal with me right here?"
"That depends entirely on your answer, Brother."
"Ha…"
Prince Jin sighed in disbelief and glanced at me.
He, too, must have found the situation absurd.
That such a thing had occurred all because of a single courtesan.
"If I want to survive, I must endure this humiliation."
"Please do not think of it as humiliation. It could be a great opportunity for you, Brother."
"An opportunity?"
As Prince Jin looked puzzled, Prince Gyeong spoke in a grave tone.
"Before she aided me, she threatened my life and said something to me."
"...What did she say?"
"She said that if I had followed orders obediently like you, I would've been chosen and made emperor."
"What!"
Unable to contain his anger, Prince Jin exploded at those words.
Meanwhile, I was observing the officers and officials standing beside him.
They were all watching the conversation between the two princes. But as soon as the phrase "that person" was mentioned, two men glanced at the restrained soldiers.
One was the commander from whom I had taken the blade. The other was a spy from the Eastern Bureau.
'...It's one of the two.'
Among them is someone who works for the current emperor.
Prince Gyeong glanced at me. I nodded, signaling him to continue.
So he resumed speaking.
"I do not know who this person is, but they dared to speak and act as if they determine who becomes the emperor of the Daeyeon Empire. Will you let this slide, Your Majesty?"
Prince Jin's eyes trembled.
He was probably thinking it could be a scheme to sow discord.
But there's a sure way to find out.
At my signal, the soldiers brought the restrained man forward.
With a gag in his mouth, he couldn't speak and trembled as he lowered his gaze — to avoid eye contact with his accomplice.
Prince Gyeong spoke as if issuing an order to me.
"Interrogate him, Yeonsaeng."
"Yes, Your Highness."
I stepped forward and said to the man,
"Do not be afraid. If you tell the truth here as promised, I will spare your life."
The man stayed silent with his head down.
But he had no choice but to answer.
"Remove his gag so he can speak."
At my command, the soldiers removed it.
Then I flicked my fingers lightly.
The man's pupils clouded over, and suddenly he shouted for all to hear.
"That person commanded Prince Jin to kill Prince Gyeong. And Prince Jin faithfully carried out that order."
"You insolent—!"
Prince Jin could no longer hold back his fury.
It was infuriating to hear someone shout as if he were merely a puppet.
Now for the most important question.
"Who is this person that dares to give orders to Prince Jin?"
Under the influence of the mind technique, the man was about to answer exactly as I anticipated.
"That person has one eye—"
Just then—
Thud!
A dagger flew toward the man's chest.
But since I was right in front of him, there was no way it would strike.
I instantly caught the dagger midair and turned toward where it had come from.
There, I saw the commander from earlier in a throwing stance.
Our eyes met, and he seemed startled and clenched his teeth.
Pah!
I immediately moved using light steps and closed the distance.
Then, like lightning, I struck his pressure points.
Tatata!
I sealed his life point to prevent him from committing suicide.
Opening his mouth, I pulled out a black object hidden near his molars using a telekinetic technique.
It was poison.
"Ha!"
I shook the poison before the dumbfounded Prince Jin.
"There is a saying: keep dangerous people at a distance, Your Majesty."
---
Half a day later, at noon.
As I prepared to leave the camp, Prince Gyeong looked regretful.
"If you remained by my side, it would be like having ten thousand troops at my disposal."
I bowed and replied,
"Even without me, Your Highness will succeed."
Prince Gyeong had already built his own power while pretending to be a fool.
Now that Prince Jin had been suppressed due to this incident, it would be much easier to deal with Prince Yeong, the other candidate for the throne.
"What if you stayed at least until the prisoner speaks?"
"Apologies, but he won't speak easily."
If he were someone to talk so easily, I wouldn't have had to use any tricks to begin with.
The emperor isn't someone so careless.
And those two we captured are meant to make the royal family wary of the emperor's existence.
Prince Gyeong shook his head, then said,
"If that's truly your decision, so be it. But I must reward your service."
"A reward?"
"If you were truly a woman, I would have made you empress in a heartbeat. But since you're not, I want to make Yeonsaeng my personal guard."
I frowned and replied,
"I'm not the real Yeonsaeng, though."
"You saved my life. It would be dishonorable not to repay you."
"Even so..."
"I'll give the title to Yeonsaeng too, but the one with real martial prowess is you, isn't it?"
A strange logic.
But true nonetheless.
Prince Gyeong pulled out a jade tag from his robe.
It had "Royal Guards" engraved prominently, and below it read "Rank 4: Guard Commander."
'!?'
I thought it was just a guard title, but this surprised me.
Prince Gyeong smiled and explained.
"Each royal prince has the right to appoint a commander of the Royal Guards. Thus, I grant you the title of Rank 4 Guard Commander."
This rank was just beneath the North and South Defense Generals.
It was a high position in the Royal Guards, who served as the emperor's personal troops and handled investigations.
Even a provincial governor was Rank 5 — this was essentially a meteoric rise.
I looked at the jade tag in disbelief.
"...You're quite cunning."
He chuckled.
"Caught me, did you?"
It was no different from offering a carrot. Giving me a post meant he could call on me whenever needed.
Prince Gyeong said,
"Don't reject it."
"I am a martial artist. I cannot accept a government position."
"But with this, you can go anywhere unhindered. You can even command troops temporarily."
"..."
"No one knows your real face or identity. So take this as a token of my gratitude."
I sighed.
— Why act so pure? Just accept it.
Sodam Sword chattered away.
Why reject a gift? After all, the title is granted to Yeonsaeng, not So Yunhwi or Jin Yunhwi.
I knelt down and respectfully accepted the jade tag.
"I humbly receive Your Highness' command."
"Hahahahaha! I've obtained the best Guard Commander!"
Prince Gyeong was openly pleased.
As I tucked the jade tag away, I asked out of curiosity,
"May I ask one thing?"
"What is it?"
"Aren't you curious about my real identity?"
He smiled gently.
"I'm content with you as Yeonsaeng."
...So he's not curious at all that I'm actually a man.
Clicking my tongue inwardly, I bowed and took off southwestward with light steps.
---
Near the tomb of Prince Pyeong, inside the encampment.
The courtesan Yeonsaeng woke up in confusion.
She had no idea what was going on.
She had gone to sleep, only to wake up as Prince Gyeong's Guard Commander — with soldiers cheering and serving her as a martial arts master.
"...What on earth is happening?"
She couldn't tell if she was dreaming or awake.