A Dragon Lives In That Scholar's Deep Spring - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

No matter how strong she was, if she had landed alone in a strange world, she must have been afraid. It seemed like he had imposed the laws of this world too much on such a woman. He called himself a hypocrite, but he hadn’t yet shed the mask of hypocrisy.

“I don’t know. I just feel like laughing.”

Droplets of water jumped and sparkled in the moonlight as they leaped from the surface of the water. Among them, Farang spun around and laughed charmingly once again.

The sight slowly seeped into Do-gyeom’s eyes as if it were stretching a fleeting moment. Do-gyeom, who had been staring blankly, suddenly woke up when a droplet splashed on his cheek, leaving a cold sensation.

“Aren’t you cold?”

“Not at all.”

Curious, Do-gyeom reached his hand into the water where Farang was playing. Once again, the water swallowed his hand without any resistance. It was so cold that he couldn’t leave it in for long and had to withdraw it immediately.

“If the water gets this cold, you might get frostbite.”

Farang burst into laughter at the words he unintentionally muttered.

“Why are you laughing?”

“All the people in this house were praising you. They said there’s no one as smart as you in Joseon. But in my eyes, you seem the most lacking.”

“Did you just say I’m lacking?”

“How else can I get through to you? I’m not a human.”

“…”

“Of course, I wouldn’t catch a disease that affects humans.”

“Then how should I regard you? You’re not a gumiho or a goblin, so what are you?”

She wanted to tell him to wait until she showed her transformation. But it didn’t work out that way. Do-gyeom couldn’t help himself and push for an answer.

“Me?”

Farang, who had quietly walked towards Do-gyeom’s side, stopped within arm’s reach when she extended her hand.

“I’m no different from water.”

Perhaps feeling better after laughing earlier, Farang quickly provided an answer to Do-gyeom.

“Why are you no different from water?”

With her palm facing the sky and her hand held horizontally, Farang closed her eyes and concentrated.

“I’ll show you once, watch carefully.”

Do-gyeom obediently fixed his gaze on Farang’s palm. Soon, a picturesque scene unfolded that was almost too incredible to witness alone. Like beads of sweat forming, droplets of water began to gather together.

“It’s strange. The water in this spring is different from elsewhere. It may be scarce, but it has its rhythm… and it can be controlled like this.”

Dazed by the bizarre scene, Do-gyeom cautiously placed his finger on Farang’s palm.

“It’s amazing. It really is water.”

“When we first met, the thing I created to kill you was ice. Do you want to see it?”

“No, it’s okay.”

“If you dip your hand in here, it will freeze everything quickly. Do you want to see it?”

“…No, it’s okay too.”

Farang’s casual tone made it feel weightless, but in reality, that day, Do-gyeom had come close to death.

“Are you okay with everything?”

In the brief moment when he had a sinister thought, this time, white frost formed in Farang’s hand and the water disappeared.

“What’s this now?”

“I can break water into very small pieces and send it away.”

“To manipulate water like this so freely…”

He wanted to ask if she could make it rain, but he had to put that request aside gracefully.

For some reason, he knew that she couldn’t use her powers freely, but he didn’t know why.

“So, what are you, basically no different from water?”

“Me?”

Finally, Farang, who had scattered all the water in her hand and reached out with her dry hand as if to grab the moon, blinked.

“I’m someone who can swallow an average human like you in one gulp…”

“Master! I have prepared the bathwater. Are you still here?”

As he waited for the answer that would come from those lips, the servant spotted him in the distance. Do-gyeom, on reflex, reached out and pulled Farang, who had extended into the air, back inside.

The eyes of the woman, who had been standing defenseless, widened as if caught off guard.

“What’s going on?”

“Just stay still.”

Farang’s tiny feet stood on top of Do-gyeom’s instep. Even so, the weight didn’t feel heavy, which was also fascinating.

On the day they first met, she had been so light that Do-gyeom had to secretly check the ground to make sure she hadn’t left behind her shadow while he was carrying her out of the palace.

“Oh… I’m sorry, My lord. I didn’t know you were here.”

Suddenly, a strong scent of alcohol emanated from the woman he was holding in his arms. Only then did he notice the empty alcohol bottles scattered around. He tried to roughly estimate the number with his eyes, but it was already making him dizzy.

Do-gyeom wrapped his big hand around the back of Farang’s head and held her even more tightly, addressing the servant.

“I understand. I’ll take care of the rest, so please go inside and rest.”

“Yes, My Lord. Please rest.”

The footsteps of the servant, who had been standing at the doorway, faded away. From behind, she probably didn’t notice that Farang was in his arms.

“I’m sorry for surprising you.”

Perhaps the praise from the old woman had led to this situation, or maybe she was simply good at accepting the alcohol served to her. Farang must have thought that it wasn’t enough and discreetly stole more alcohol. In the end, she had become intoxicated and began to share stories she hadn’t told in a while.

“Farang.”

He gently touched her shoulder, trying not to provoke her by suddenly embracing her, and attempted to lift her off his body.

“It can’t be helped, so don’t be angry…”

However, her small body seemed to be stretched out towards the spring, not budging at all. Do-gyeom, who had hastily pulled her back, couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity.

“…You said you’re not human, but didn’t you get drunk just like a human?”

The night Farang had fallen into Joseon flowed like water on the next day.

* * *

No matter how busy he was, he couldn’t afford to miss the training that only happened once on the moon. Do-gyeom, who woke up and came outside, heading quietly towards the middle of a mountain, was dressed differently today than usual. His gaze, even as he closed and opened his eyes, was fierce as he scanned to see if there were any signs of someone following him. 

Does he know down there? He, who usually spends his time reading books all night, was out here in the dew of the night. Do-gyeom briefly looked toward the temple and smiled bitterly. However, he couldn’t afford to delay for even a moment, so his meditation wasn’t long.

“Have you arrived, my Lord?”

Around the time he reached the meeting place, someone who had been waiting at the mouth of the stream quickly came out and bowed. Since it was a familiar face, there was no need for a separate exchange. Do-gyeom responded with a nod and asked.

“Is it reconnaissance?”

“Yes, it is!”

Although the hour was late, and drowsiness mixed in, the young scout’s eyes were sharp and full of energy.

“Be careful when climbing up and down the trees.”

“I’ll be cautious.”

In a wartime situation, they would be deployed to gather information about the enemy’s movements, but this was different. It was a confidential training that should not be exposed under any circumstances. Moreover, it was even inside the capital city. Perhaps they needed to move more cautiously than when infiltrating the enemy lines on the battlefield.

This training, which took place once on the moon, changed its location every time. Once it was held deep inside Mongmyeok Mountain, then it could be Inwangsan, Baekaksan, or one of the deep spots in Naksan.

Do-gyeom entered, carefully extinguishing the torches that were sporadically placed along the path to mark the way.

“Master!”

As he passed the scout and ventured deeper, the training commander, who had gathered the soldiers and was honing their basic fitness, came running out and bowed.

“Are you here now?”

“Have all the soldiers come out?”

“Yes.”

Even just seeing the scouts, he could sense the enthusiasm of the people illuminated by the torches, which burned a deep red. Estimating the numbers with his eyes, there seemed to be at least thirty.

Although they had secretly conducted this training for three years now, it felt like the first day they had all gathered.

“We must finish by one o’clock at the latest, so let’s hurry.”

“Yes. Everyone, prepare for the training!”

The disciplined soldiers retrieved the pre-buried weapon crates and each squad leader personally checked the training firearms, making sure nothing was missing.

There were a total of fifteen training rifles, and they used five rounds at a time for each shot. Despite improvements in firearms, it was more efficient to divide the shooting into the pre-fire, mid-fire, and post-fire stages rather than continuous shooting, as reloading still took some time.

“Everything is in order!”

“Good. Five of you step forward and load the rifles yourselves while standing in front. Make sure to check for any deficiencies.”

At Do-gyeom’s command, the training commander spoke with a glint in his eye.

“Load!”

In response to the commander’s order, those holding rifles cleaned their guns in unison. Although they did not load gunpowder into the training rifles, they approached the task with a seriousness that was more intense than usual.

Do-gyeom personally went back and forth among the soldiers, observing if anyone made awkward movements while focusing on cleaning their firearms.

“Gunpowder!”

In real combat, due to the harsh firing sound, they didn’t perform actions like pouring gunpowder into cartridges or pulling the firing pin. However, they had practiced enough to be familiar with these motions. Everyone approached this step with seriousness and precision.

“We can’t be this slow in real combat. Your throat could be slit while reloading.”

“Yes!”

Although there might have been some who were slightly slower, no one forgot the steps or hesitated. Do-gyeom took pride in this and calmly guided each one.

“Aim!”

From aiming onward, Do-gyeom personally gave the commands. It was to ensure that the long and heavy rifles were held horizontally, and since the firing was done facing the target, it was essential to check if the posture was stable.

He looked at each soldier and corrected their posture. With determined expressions, the soldiers firmly held their rifles, fingers on the triggers, and gazed at the targets set up fifteen paces away.

“Fire!”