It was perhaps like the last hope that one person could expect from another.

When Jung Saewon’s eyes sparkled as if he had come up with a brilliant idea, Hong Woo Geon intended to give him one last chance.

So, Hong Woo Geon silently observed Jung Saewon.

Thinking his persuasion had worked, Jung Saewon raised his voice.

“I will not reclaim the grain I have lent to the villagers until now.”

“What?”

To think that all he came up with was not reclaiming the fumigated grain. How foolish I was to expect anything from such a person.

Hong Woo Geon couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.

Misunderstanding that laughter, Jung Saewon continued excitedly.

“That’s how those lowly beings are. They may be outraged now, complaining of stomach aches and deaths due to the grain. But they’ll soon forget everything. If I say I won’t reclaim the lent grain, I bet many will come to thank me.”

To Jung Saewon, the villagers were not people like himself.

To him, everyone but himself was merely a lowly creature with a life.

They were such insignificant beings that could be used and killed at any time without consequence.

“Are you seriously saying that?”

Lee Gyo Young stepped forward, as if he could no longer bear to listen.

“Are you toying with people’s lives?”

“What’s so important about the lives of those lowly beings in this chaos?”

“What? How can there be a hierarchy in human lives? Are you saying it’s fine to treat the lives of lowly people so carelessly?”

Jung Saewon replied to Lee Gyo Young’s words as if it were obvious.

“Of course! How can the value of a lowly person’s life be the same as that of a noble yangban? Besides, those who were dying of hunger could survive a day longer because of me. If you truly are righteous aristocrats, you shouldn’t persecute me like this.”

Seemingly disgusted by Jung Saewon’s bizarre logic, Hong Woo Geon picked up the sword lying on the ground.

Then he slowly approached Jung Saewon.

“Why, why are you doing this?”

“Because I think a madman like you should disappear from this world.”

“So… are you saying you’re going to kill me, a yangban?”

“I don’t see why not.”

He couldn’t simply let someone like Jung Saewon live.

Such people would seek revenge later.

If not, they would surely try to fulfill their desires in even more vicious ways than before.

Hong Woo Geon raised his sword into the air.

No one tried to stop Hong Woo Geon.

Lee Gyo Young turned to one side, staring into the distant void, supporting Hong Woo Geon’s action.

Perhaps finally sensing his ominous future, Jung Saewon, who had been calm until now, suddenly shouted.

“By what authority!”

“……”

“By what authority are you killing a person!”

He glared at Hong Woo Geon with blazing eyes.

“You’re not even a real secret royal inspector, just an apprentice. What right do you have to kill someone?”

He wasn’t wrong.

A secret royal inspector apprentice had neither investigative powers nor the right to execute immediate punishment.

“If you kill me here, you’ll become murderers. How about it? Will you still kill me? Will you become murderers like this?”

Jung Saewon was triumphant, thinking he had found the apprentices’ weakness.

It was then.

“Kill him!”

A cold voice came from the other side of the backyard.

Hong Woo Geon, Lee Gyo Young, Jung Saewon, and Yoo Chi Sung hiding behind a tree – everyone turned to look in the direction of the voice.

Soon, the king revealed himself.

Taking large strides, the king was carrying an unconscious young boy in his arms.

Behind him came the children who had been fumigating poison in the granary, Kwon Jwa Woo, the magistrate’s son Hwang Sung Gwang, and the soldiers from the government office.

Jung Saewon’s eyes widened as if they were about to pop out when he saw the children.

“How, how are those things still alive?”

He wasn’t relieved they were alive, but asking why they were alive.

He frantically looked around. As he searched for Goo, who should have gone to the warehouse on his orders, Hwang Sung Gwang pushed Goo in front of Jung Saewon.

“Ma, master.”

“What? What happened?”

Jung Saewon glared at Goo as if he would kill him right then and there.

Kwon Jwa Woo stepped between the two.

“We had already anticipated such a shallow scheme from the Saewon.”

That was why she had Hwang Sung Gwang and the soldiers lie in wait in Jung Saewon’s backyard.

“What did you say?”

“I thought about what a person would do first when facing the risk of their crimes being exposed. Naturally, they would try to erase their past crimes, and there’s no better way to eliminate all evidence of crime in a short time than fire.”

“Then what’s all that smoke?”

Jung Saewon pointed to the black smoke rising from the direction of the warehouse.

“There were many dirty fallen leaves around. We just burned those, what’s wrong with that?”

“That’s not what I…”

Jung Saewon’s eyes darted around.

As if contemplating something, he rolled his eyes frantically before suddenly waving his hands.

“I know nothing about this.”

He grabbed Hwang Sung Gwang’s trouser leg instead of the apprentices and pleaded his innocence.

“Look here, you. You know me well. Do I look like someone who would do such a thing?”

“That’s right. I’ve been completely fooled until now.”

“Why are you doing this too? This is all a false accusation. A trap. Those guys planned all this from the beginning, aiming for me to steal my wealth.”

“There’s too much evidence for this to be a setup.”

Hwang Sung Gwang looked back at the young children.

Jung Saewon, who had turned his head along with him, shook his head vigorously.

“Those children, I don’t know them. That’s right. Dolseok. Originally, that warehouse was managed and guarded by Dolseok. It must be Dolseok who planned this.”

Kwon Jwa Woo couldn’t help but smile at Jung Saewon’s excuse.

“See that? I told you your master would say something like this.”

Kwon Jwa Woo called out to Dolseok, who was hiding among the soldiers.

Dolseok gave Jung Saewon a resentful look.

“How can you do this to me? After all I’ve done for you, master. Are you… trying to kill me like this?”

“You rascal! What nonsense are you spouting! Isn’t this all your doing? Wasn’t it you who bought orphaned children with nowhere to go and fumigated cinnabar in the granary, and lent that fumigated rice to the villagers? How dare you try to implicate me now!”

Jung Saewon, half out of his mind, alternately grabbed the collars of Hwang Sung Gwang and Kwon Jwa Woo.

“I’ll say it again, I really know nothing about this. I didn’t know anything about what was happening there until now.”

“But isn’t it strange?”

Kwon Jwa Woo tilted her head and continued.

“We never mentioned fumigating cinnabar in the warehouse or lending the fumigated rice to the villagers. How do you know all this in such detail?”

“That’s……”

Jung Saewon closed his mouth as if realizing his mistake.

Not missing the opportunity, Hong Woo Geon stepped forward.

“I told you. In vino veritas. A drunk man can’t lie. He ends up confessing everything with his own mouth.”

“If needed, I will confess the crimes in more detail.”

Dolseok, thoroughly betrayed by his master, volunteered.

At that moment, a cold, chilling voice cut through their conversation.

“With this, Jung Saewon’s crimes have been clearly revealed.”

The king looked around with a miserable gaze. The images of the children were sadly reflected in his large, dark eyes.

The emaciated and destitute appearance of the children was just like living ghosts.

That pitiful sight made the king’s heart ache.

The king was truly enraged at Jung Saewon, who dared to treat young children, his poor subjects, as mere consumables.

The king carefully put down the child he was holding and approached Jung Saewon.

Then he spoke.

“Secret royal inspector apprentices Hong Woo Geon, Lee Gyo Young, Kwon Jwa Woo, and Yoo Chi Sung have passed the test. Therefore, I now appoint you as secret royal inspectors.”

The king took a moment to compose himself.

“This is a royal command!”

Looking at Hong Woo Geon, the king issued his order.

“Punish the criminal Jung Saewon’s crimes immediately!”

As soon as the king’s words fell, Hong Woo Geon stepped forward in front of Jung Saewon.

He slowly raised the sword he was holding.

“Are you really going to kill me? Who is that person? Who is he to order my death or life?”

“Did you not hear? He said it was a royal command.”

“Royal command?”

“Yes, a royal command.”

“Then…!”

Finally realizing the king’s presence, Jung Saewon’s expression went blank.

Hong Woo Geon’s sword crossed the night sky like a shooting star, drawing a long slash across Jung Saewon’s chest.

Thud.

Struck by Hong Woo Geon’s sword, Jung Saewon fell to the ground like a scarecrow cut at the base.

Hong Woo Geon turned towards the king.

Finally, he bowed his head to the king.

“Inspector Hong Woo Geon has received the royal command.”

Stars bloomed in the dark blue night sky.

As if unrelated to the ugly events happening on the ground, the stars were beautifully emitting their own light.

Kwon Jwa Woo, aboard the grain transport ship returning to Hanyang, looked up at the night sky that resembled a spring flower garden.

“How beautiful.”

As she unknowingly let out an exclamation, an exceptionally tall figure approached Kwon Jwa Woo’s side.

Hong Woo Geon, wearing his usual playful smile, leaned against the ship’s railing.

“Beautiful but indifferent, that’s what the sky is.”

He gestured with his chin towards the sky.

“The events of the past few days feel like a dream.”

Too many things had rushed in all at once.

Becoming a secret royal inspector apprentice, going to Paju with the task that apprentices had to solve, and witnessing Jung Saewon’s evil deeds there and punishing him as an example – all of it felt as distant as a dream of a single night.

Even the memory of her first kiss with Hong Woo Geon was hazy.

“All of this isn’t a dream, is it?”

“What?”

“The things that have happened to me now.”

“Want me to show you if it’s a dream or reality?”

As Hong Woo Geon made a gesture as if to grab Kwon Jwa Woo’s cheek, she raised both hands in strong refusal.

A brief playful scuffle ensued between the two.

After the short tussle, Kwon Jwa Woo asked.

“But… did we really become secret royal inspectors?”

This was what felt the most unreal.

Was becoming a secret royal inspector this easy?

Of course, there were life-and-death situations, but there weren’t any major problems thanks to their preparation.

Hong Woo Geon’s bright voice reached Kwon Jwa Woo, who still couldn’t believe it.

“Didn’t you hear what His Majesty said earlier?”

“How can becoming an inspector be this easy?”

“Don’t worry. I knew you’d feel that way, so I’ve prepared the first mission.”

“What? Already? More importantly, what do you mean by first mission… What is it?”

“There.”

Hong Woo Geon pointed somewhere with his finger.

Kwon Jwa Woo moved her gaze following his fingertip. At the end of her gaze, she saw Hwang Sung Gwang, the son of the Yasunggyun magistrate.

His excellent memory had greatly contributed to catching Jung Saewon this time. She thought he was going to Hanyang to be commended for his merits. Was that not the case?

“Let’s see the skills of Myeongnye Bang’s Hwa Seop Ja after a long time.”

Hong Woo Geon whispered to the curious Kwon Jwa Woo.