Night of the Full Moon

Chil Seong was a servant who had turned thirty this year. He was born to a maidservant. Because his mother had never officially married, it was somewhat unclear who his biological father was. The lives of slaves were both grueling and monotonous, so servants frequently tangled together whenever they found a spare moment. Such brief liaisons provided at least some semblance of vitality in a s*ave’s dreary existence.

Consequently, Chil Seong did not suffer immensely over the fact that he was a fatherless child. Furthermore, the vast majority of servants’ offspring shared the exact same fate. Whether they were girls or boys, once born, they had to raise themselves in an environment devoid of anyone to properly care for them.

For this reason, the household slaves shared a deep, unspoken bond with one another. They were all fathers, mothers, and siblings to each other. They had all grown up together and survived together. Yet on rare occasions, an exception would emerge, and that exception was precisely Chil Seong.

Though born a s*ave, Chil Seong possessed such an excellent physique that by the age of twelve, he was already performing the labor of a fully grown man. As was true in any household, able-bodied men were highly valued and respected within the estate. Excluding the master’s family, the strong laborers were always the very first to eat. The rice, side dishes, and alcohol provided to them could not even be compared to what the others received. Eating one’s fill was a massive privilege for a s*ave.

Ever since his youth, Chil Seong believed he was entirely different from the other servants. Unlike those clueless fools, he considered himself highly intelligent, firmly believing he was destined to live in a much better world.

“An odd fellow, you say?”

There is a common mistake that individuals like Chil Seong frequently make. They assume that because the other servants are ignorant and possess dull, lifeless eyes, the people around them will never manage to pierce through their hidden motives. But that was far from the truth.

“Yes, his malicious nature was quite evident ever since he was a lad… but because his strength was so immense, we simply kept him around without casting him out.”

The head servant of the outer quarters, Old Man Kim, let out a sharp chuckle.

As a man who had risen to the position of managing all the male servants of the massive Shim estate, he had already clearly parsed Chil Seong’s underlying intentions just by observing his daily attitude. However, since the fellow wasn’t particularly unfaithful to his duties and had never caused any glaring trouble, he had simply left him be to watch how things unfolded.

Ji An nodded at Kim’s words. Observing the expression on Ji An’s face, Kim inquired with a look of concern.

“Has that scoundrel committed some sort of wrongdoing?”

“It is nothing like that, but since my personal servant is now attending to my older brother, I simply wished to ask. Come to think of it, I am a careless person myself, so I realized I couldn’t quite recall what kind of individual my own servant truly was.”

“Ah, that is not because you are careless, Young Master, but rather because Chil Seong is originally that sort of fellow. Even when they boisterously chatter and drink alongside everyone else, there are certain individuals who leave you utterly clueless about what kind of human they truly are once you turn around and think about it. Black-hearted scoundrels, the lot of them.”

This very head servant had committed suicide the moment he received word that Ji An’s father had perished in prison. He had departed from the world after leaving behind the words that someone ought to go along to attend to the Lord’s needs in the afterlife. Therefore, this man was entirely trustworthy.

“Act as though today’s conversation never occurred.”

At Ji An’s instruction, the head servant responded with quick wit before slipping away, “What conversation could we possibly have shared for you to say such a thing, Young Master? This old s*ave shall head back to his duties now.”

Ji An waited until the man had completely vanished from sight before moving slowly toward the quarters of the chief steward, Old Man Park.

Chief Steward Park was the individual who assisted his mother in overseeing the entire financial management and livelihood of the Shim household. He was once a scholar who had studied for the state examinations, but before he could ever pass them, his wife had met an untimely death, leaving behind a single son. At the time, he was a mere guest scholar within the Shim estate, but Ji An’s grandfather had pitied his wasted talents and brought him into the household as the chief steward. Since then, he had continued to serve Ji An’s father following the passing of his grandfather.

“Chil Seong?”

Old Man Park attempted to prepare some tea, but Ji An firmly took the teapot from his hands instead. After taking a sip of the tea Ji An had steeped for him, Park’s eyes went wide with astonishment. His gaze mirrored his utter shock at how the exact same tea leaves and the exact same teapot could produce such a completely vastly different flavor.

Ji An clicked his tongue internally. He was a disciple of the Azure Dragon Sect, which held absolute mastery over water. Naturally, he brewed tea better than anyone else under the heavens. The only individuals who could surpass him in brewing tea were his master and his senior brother, Cheong Hyeon.

“Yes, Chil Seong. I find that fellow rather suspicious.”

“Since when did you harbor such an interest in the household affairs…”

“I still have no interest, but I would like you to thoroughly dig into Chil Seong’s background. My older brother Un’s former manservant—though I do not recall his name perfectly—is not the kind of person who would simply run away. Especially leaving his wife behind? Servants rarely marry among themselves, yet he was an individual who insisted on marriage to maintain his virtue. For a man like that to suddenly elope with a maidservant in the dead of night is highly unnatural, is it not?”

At Ji An’s explanation, Old Man Park let out a low murmur of intrigue, staring intently at him. Since when had their young master grown to possess such deep, analytical thoughts?

Catching the look on Park’s face, Ji An clicked his tongue again.

“I am a human being capable of basic thought as well. It is truly bizarre, so I would highly appreciate it if you could investigate it for me.”

“What exactly do you wish for me to uncover?”

“Whether Chil Seong… has recently come into possession of funds he should not reasonably have. Or if he has been secretly meeting with individuals he has no business associating with.”

Old Man Park lowered his gaze as he sipped his tea. He was well acquainted with the manservant named Chil Seong. The fellow was quite arrogant. However, regardless of his attitude, his status was ultimately bound to this household, meaning there was no realistic way he could lay his hands on illicit funds or establish connections with dangerous individuals.

Under normal circumstances, the old man would not have given a single serious thought to the tedious request of a young master. He would have either declined right then and there or given a hollow promise to look into it, only to leave it completely uninvestigated before wrapping it up a few days later with a casual remark that nothing was amiss.

However, the tea was simply far too delicious. The rumors that the disciples of the Azure Dragon Sect were the absolute best under the heavens when it came to manipulating water and vegetation were entirely accurate, as evidenced by this magnificent flavor. Deeply grateful and delighted that a young master of such immensely high standing had personally brewed tea for a mere steward, he felt compelled to properly execute the rather abrupt command.

“Two days should be entirely sufficient.”

“A mere two days?”

“Please place your trust in this old man and wait, Young Master.”

Old Man Park offered a knowing smile.

Ji An recalled Old Man Park from his life before the regression. The man had not particularly done anything of grand significance for his father. Perhaps, much later on, he might have even worked under Prince Hae Won. However, as far as Ji An knew, Old Man Park had never actively or willingly cooperated with Hae Won. Therefore, he surmised that accepting this minor degree of assistance from him was perfectly acceptable.

Of course, he was not someone to be trusted as implicitly as the head servant of the outer quarters.

Ji An gave a firm nod of approval.

Two nights later.

Chil Seong limped carefully as he slipped out from the servants’ quarters.

This morning, a fellow repairing the roof tiles had made a careless mistake, causing a heavy tile to plummet down and severely injure his leg. It was a blessing that it had only struck his leg; had it hit his head, it would have been an absolute catastrophe. Furious to his very core, he had pointed fingers and shouted in a rage, but the perpetrator had stubbornly fired back, asking how he could lose his temper so violently over a mere accident.

Ultimately, the argument had devolved into a physical brawl, and the head servant, declaring he couldn’t stand the sight of either of them, had kicked them both out. Because of that, he couldn’t even request for a physician to be summoned to treat his wound.

Thank goodness I purchased wound ointment in advance.

Chil Seong had used the money he secretly amassed to buy a stash of wound ointment beforehand. Such was the miserable life of a s*ave; even if one suffered a severe injury, they couldn’t even show themselves to a physician unless it pleased the master’s family. Always acutely aware of that constant danger, Chil Seong had made various preparations to protect himself.

Arriving at the ancestral shrine, Chil Seong cautiously dug beneath the steps to retrieve his hidden bundle. Stepping out into an area brightly illuminated by the moonlight, he unrolled the bundle to search for his wound ointment when a sudden sound shattered the silence.

“The medicine is one thing, but to think there is actual gold inside?”

The voice vibrated clearly through the air.

Chil Seong instinctively whirled around. He had spun around purely out of base instinct, without even comprehending where the echoing voice had originated from. However, there was absolutely nothing behind him except for a dense grove of lush pine trees.

“For a mere s*ave to possess a chunk of gold? How truly fascinating. I wonder who could have given it to you?”

This time, he scanned to his left, and then rapidly to his right. Again, there was absolutely no one in sight.

Right at that moment, the chunk of gold floated gently up into the empty air. Utterly terrified, Chil Seong desperately lunged forward to grab his gold, but the pebble-sized chunk easily evaded his grasp, rising even higher into the night sky. Looking up, he caught sight of a man dressed in an elegant outer robe standing suspended in mid-air, causing Chil Seong to let out a sharp gasp as he collapsed hard onto his backside.

The third young master whom he had once personally served, Shim Ji An, was standing directly in the empty air.

“Y-Y-Young Master. Why on earth are you lurking around in such a terrifying fashion?”

“As a proper descendant of this lineage, I was merely tending to the ancestral shrine, of course.”

Ji An uttered the blatant lie without even a shred of hesitation.

“While wearing a formal black brimmed hat, no less?!”

“One must ensure their attire is perfectly proper. After all, I am directly in the presence of our revered ancestors.”

“Then why exactly are you stealing this servant’s property?”

“Yours?”

It happened at that exact instant.

Torches suddenly flared to life from amidst the thick pine trees. With the fierce crackle of burning oil, several able-bodied male servants emerged, with the head servant leading the charge. He offered a grim smile while lightly tapping a sharp sickle against his palm.

“Did you truly just claim this chunk of gold belongs to you, scoundrel?”

The head servant turned his gaze backward. Standing directly between the head servant and the strong laborers was Old Man Park. Unlike the other slaves who wore simple undershirts and underpants, Old Man Park wore a formal scholar’s tunic. Having rushed out in a massive hurry, his topknot was styled rather clumsily compared to his usual neat appearance.

A laborer carrying a blazing torch quickly moved to stand beside Old Man Park. As Park advanced, the laborer illuminated the path, keeping perfectly in step with him.

“Chil Seong.”

Old Man Park let out a cold chuckle.

“I see I have vastly underestimated you. To think you were a fellow capable of hoarding such a magnificent chunk of gold.”

As Old Man Park drew closer, Chil Seong frantically pulled his bundle tight against his chest.

“W-What do you want?! This is entirely my property!”

“Yes, it is your property. If it weren’t your property, there would be absolutely no reason for us to sacrifice our sleep in the dead of night to stage an ambush like this.”

Right then, one of the laborers let out a loud shout.

“That bundle—does it not belong to Go?!”

“You’re right, it belongs to Go! That’s the handiwork of Go’s wife!”

Go, who had served as Ji Un’s personal manservant, was one of the incredibly rare individuals among the slaves who was legally married to a woman. His wife served as a seamstress for the Shim household, a woman highly skilled in needlework, and she frequently used scrap pieces of silk granted by the master to craft clothes for her husband. Because of that, Go was easily the most neatly dressed individual among all the servants. Since no one else among the slaves possessed clothing crafted with such exquisite skill by the household seamstress, his belongings were instantly recognizable to the eyes of the other servants.

As the servants raised a loud clamor, a man finally stepped forward from the opposite side of the clearing.

“This is truly astonishing, Chil Seong.”

Shim Ji Un looked down with an expression of utter disbelief at the manservant sitting on the dirt floor, desperately clutching the stolen bundle.

“I am remarkably curious to know exactly what you provided to someone, and who that person was, to warrant them rewarding you with a chunk of gold.”

Shim Ji Un.

The warrior belonging to the Royal Guard, tasked with protecting the King at the closest proximity, offered a bright smile. The light from the torches caught his smile, causing it to flicker with an incredibly ominous intensity.

“The night is long. Let us sit down and hear your story.”

It was the night of the full moon.