There was no such thing as “he might not come.”

In one way or another, Crown Prince Unmu would come.

If he wasn’t a fool, and if he was a man with desire, then at this very moment Unhwi’s letter would surely feel like a lifeline.

Unhwi’s read was exact.

Creak.

Footsteps came up the stairs. Three sets. When Unhwi turned his head, the door opened and three men stepped in.

The man in front looked to be in his mid-thirties, a commanding figure. He did not wear dragon robes, but the bearing that flowed from him was every inch imperial. This was the next king of Un’guk—the Crown Prince Unmu.

The two men following him each carried a different air.

One, a man of sturdy build who looked to be in his mid-fifties, was Captain of the Royal Guards Kim Mujin.

A master at Unity of Heaven and Man, he oversaw the palace’s internal security.

The other, a man in his late forties with a composed impression, was Jang Cheolsan, National Defense General.

Having entered the Realm of Martial Divinity, he was the highest officer commanding all of Un’guk’s armies.

Unhwi rose from his seat and offered a deep bow.

“It is an honor for Seol Unhwi, Heavenly Arbiter of the Heavenly Alliance, to be received by Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

The Crown Prince’s eyes sharpened. The famed Seol Unhwi, of whom he had heard only in rumor, stood before him.

Founder of the Triple Profound Realm who had shaken the Central Plains’ martial world, polar heir of the Snow Palace, and lately, as Chief Heavenly Commander of Seongjak Province, the man who annihilated the Green Forest Stronghold to the last, picked fights not only with surrounding forces but with the Five Great Sword Sects and the Outer Demonic Sects, and took the life of Gaebang’s Vice Branch Lord Jin Muhyeok.

“You are that Seol Unhwi.”

“I am.”

“Your renown is deafening—reaches the ear whether one wants to hear it or not.”

“It is more than I deserve. I have only done what was necessary for the Heavenly Alliance’s great cause.”

The Crown Prince slowly took the measure of Unhwi. Contrary to the rumors, he looked modest. But if Unhwi were truly only modest, he could not have achieved what he had.

A man like this, he was—beyond doubt—one of the most dangerous men alive. He knew how to set himself low and still take everything, his hand swift and his will to act formidable.

To speak plainly, this was a man you must never make your enemy.

“Let’s sit and talk.”

When the Crown Prince took his seat first, Kim Mujin and Jang Cheolsan stood behind him.

Unhwi glanced at the two on guard, then quietly sat opposite the Crown Prince.

“Heavenly Arbiter… it sounds like a rather high station in the Heavenly Alliance.”

“It is a grace bestowed by Alliance Lord Mae Wuidong.”

“Mae Wuidong… What sort of man is he? Rumor says he is deeply respected.”

Unhwi thought for a moment, then answered with care.

“A man whose depth is hard to fathom.”

“Depth, hm…”

The Crown Prince nodded and took a sip of tea.

He did not seem inclined to waste time.

“Why did you ask to meet me?”

To his direct question, Unhwi replied.

“Because I am concerned about Un’guk’s present situation.”

“Concerned…”

The Crown Prince’s expression tightened slightly.

“Do you know how long the Heavenly Alliance has operated in Un’guk?”

“Eighty years, give or take.”

“Eighty-five. In that time, the Heavenly Alliance has contributed greatly to public order in Un’guk, and we have maintained amicable relations with the court.”

“I know at least that much.”

“But of late, the situation is changing.”

Unhwi’s voice grew grave.

“Chancellor Inspector of State Affairs has refused all dialogue with the Heavenly Alliance. Unilaterally.”

The Crown Prince furrowed his brow. This, too, was something he had heard.

“And that’s not all. We have intelligence that he has already joined hands with the Nine-Gate Assembly.”

“…The Nine-Gate Assembly?”

“You are unfamiliar, I see.”

“No one can know every organization that exists in the martial world, but among them, this ‘Nine-Gate Assembly’—this is indeed my first time hearing it.”

The Crown Prince was a man who could admit what he did not know, and Unhwi liked him for it.

Given the court’s current condition, the Crown Prince could not know everything.

Unhwi laid out the Nine-Gate Assembly in detail.

Including the fact that the Ihwa Sword Heaven Sect was in truth Cheonrim.

In an instant, the Crown Prince’s gaze sharpened.

From where he sat, this was clearly grave.

Behind him, Kim Mujin and Jang Cheolsan also wore tense expressions.

“The Chancellor is in contact with such a Nine-Gate Assembly… Is the information certain?”

“Yes. It is.”

“…This is maddening.”

It was only natural that such words would come.

A proper steward of state should be looking to draw “profit” amid the frictions between organizations.

Yet he had cut off dialogue with the Heavenly Alliance entirely, and was speaking only with a Nine-Gate Assembly that had not even formally launched—nothing but a name.

“Your Highness, what do you make of this state of affairs?”

The /N_o_v_e_l_i_g_h_t/ Crown Prince held a long silence. He, too, had felt the Chancellor’s recent conduct was strange. As his father aged and his health declined, the Chancellor’s power had only grown. As had his ties with the Prince of the Blood.

“Even if the Chancellor contacts the Nine-Gate Assembly, that is not necessarily bad, is it? Diplomacy is, by nature, such a thing.”

Unhwi nodded.

“Of course it can be. The problem is that, in the process, he is attempting to unilaterally sever existing partnerships. The Heavenly Alliance has worked this soil alongside Un’guk’s officials. The Nine-Gate Assembly is an external force. Can one ignore that difference?”

The Crown Prince again fell silent. Unhwi was not wrong.

“What concerns me more is this: if the Nine-Gate Assembly intervenes in Un’guk, your state’s independence will be imperiled.”

“Independence?”

“The Nine-Gate Assembly aims to be one of the strongest powers in the Central Plains. They will do anything to create a body to rival the Martial Alliance and the Four Heavens Alliance. For that they need the court’s full support. As you know, King Unmu is gravely ill, and Chancellor Inspector of State Affairs is governing with Your Highness’s uncle, the Prince of the Blood. If this is the situation now, what of later?”

The Crown Prince’s face hardened by degrees. The problems Unhwi was pointing to were those he most feared.

“Since we are on the subject, let me ask plainly. How do you view the relationship between His Highness the Prince of the Blood and the Chancellor?”

It was a highly sensitive question.

The Crown Prince glanced at Kim Mujin and Jang Cheolsan.

The two nodded, their expressions saying they understood. As the Crown Prince’s closest aides, they had already discussed these problems thoroughly.

“…To speak frankly, I cannot say I have no misgivings.”

The Crown Prince’s voice was weighty.

“My father is aged and unwell. In that situation, the Chancellor’s power grows by the day, and his relationship with the Prince of the Blood is… complicated.”

“In what way complicated?”

“The Prince of the Blood is my uncle, but he has not been wholly excluded from succession. Especially if my father becomes incapacitated—if the Chancellor supports the Prince of the Blood, then…”

The Crown Prince stopped. There was no need to say more.

“The two provinces you govern in the north would be stripped away, and even the title of Crown Prince taken.”

“…Yes.”

Unhwi nodded. The situation was now clear.

“Your Highness, I think it is time we lay our true intentions on the table.”