He is alive, isn't he?
"So… my younger brother is alive. He is… isn't he?"
Jin Musik stepped forward and grasped both of So-un's arms with his hands.
Like a man soothing a child, yet with fear he could not conceal, he searched the boy's eyes.
"He is… he is…"
So-un nodded reluctantly.
He could not continue the lie any longer.
"If this fact reaches the Imperial Palace, Jin Manor will be exterminated. It will be ruin. The Emperor fears General Jin Mugwang's strength—his reputation, his leadership, even his achievements in defeating the barbarians. Not only the Emperor, but those who raised him to the throne as well. They will strike Jin Manor and take hostages. That is also why I am here. It seems the enemy has learned the truth. I believe General Lee issued the summons on the willow-leaf arrow because the enemy discovered that the General lives. The General is alive. I do not know where he is, but he lives. We left his belongings behind and staged his death. We believed that would make it easier for him to escape and would spare Jin Manor from harm. General Lee stopped here only briefly before departing again. He went to search for the General. The summons has been issued. We are preparing for battle. It does not mean we will necessarily fight here. But we intend to establish a final line of defense to buy time for the household to evacuate. The traps outside assume armored troops will charge in. Even if we fight outside, we are preparing so that the family alone can hold the Manor."
Jin Musik braced himself on one knee.
The tendons on the back of the hand gripping his knee stood out sharply as though he were fighting not to collapse.
His other hand seized the edge of the table.
The table did not break.
But his hand trembled.
"You have… suffered greatly, haven't you? I know I should not lose composure like this… but my heart rushed ahead of me. Will you tell me everything?"
So-un nodded.
Then he calmly recounted what had happened.
"On the day we reached the capital, when the Chancellor visited, the General resigned. We followed him. Near Mount Boku, the General disappeared. He left his outer robe hanging from a tree, his shoes placed beneath it, and the items he usually carried on his person. We built a false grave and spread word of his death. That is how we came here. That is why nothing happened until now. General Lee left some men behind and went to search for him. Mere survival was not enough."
"In recent days, former members of the White Dragon Corps have begun gathering under the summons. There is a possibility the Emperor has learned of the General's survival. Or he will soon learn. The Emperor will attempt to conceal his own mistake and eliminate any potential threat. The reason to strike Jin Manor is clear. A hostage. To bind the General. The summons means the General has been found. It also means the Palace has sensed something—or will soon. That is why Jin Manor stands at the brink of catastrophe. We concealed this to prevent rumors of his survival from spreading. Now the head of the house must know. Our judgment was short."
When he finished, So-un lowered his head.
Jin Musik stroked his beard and sighed.
Moisture welled at the corners of his eyes.
"And I knew none of it… none of it…"
His words failed him.
The situation defied reason, and yet it was real.
The devotion of the White Dragon Corps and of So-un pierced his chest.
A long silence followed.
The weight of the household head filled the room.
After deep deliberation, Jin Musik spoke again.
"You intend to stop the Imperial Army with merely sixty men?"
"It will be difficult. We once defeated Gateglib's great host, but not all have gathered yet. The enemy will be many. But we will fight to the death. If by doing so we can save even one more life, we ask for nothing more. And this is only the beginning. The White Dragon summons spreads gradually. More will come."
"Would it not be better to raise the white banner and surrender?"
"Then the General's hands and feet will be bound. He would be the kind of man to walk to the capital and offer his head himself. Even then, the family would not be safe. They would brand us traitors and attempt to exterminate nine generations. The Black Blades would leave no one behind."
Jin Musik nodded slowly.
"Then what is your intention?"
"First we hold them off. Then we plan for what follows. We hide, we endure, and afterward we strike."
Behind those words lay So-un's unspoken resolve.
If Jin Manor became safe, he wished to go to the Imperial Palace.
He wished to strike the Emperor.
"Do you truly believe you can hold them?"
So-un nodded like the boy he still was.
"Yes."
He did not say that he could face a great host alone.
"Great Uncle, please assist us. If you support the soldiers in their preparations, it can be done."