Chronicles of the Lazy Sovereign Novel - Chapter 288

Chapter 288: The Lazy Man Returns Home (3)

“It’s raining.”

Wei Jeonghan thought the man looked good in the rain.

Or perhaps, the man in front of him was the man who looked best in the rain.

He couldn’t think of anyone who looked better in the rain.

His melancholic eyes, visible between his long hair, intensified his melancholic aura.

The rain didn’t seem to want to stop. It was as if it wanted to cleanse the world.

“Will the blood be cleansed?”

Wei Jeonghan shook his head.

“Impossible.”

“Even with this rain?”

“The rain won’t overcome the amount of blood spilled. Even if you wash it away, the blood won’t disappear. It remains.”

Even in Wei Jeonghan’s hands.

He could smell the rain and the smell of blood.

Wei Jeonghan drank, thinking that the smell of blood was more familiar than the smell of food.

The burning liquor cleansed his throat, and the smell of blood seemed to diminish.

‘Only for now.’

The smell of blood won’t disappear.

It’s not the smell of his body.

It’s the scent of his soul soaked in battle and blood. A scent like a scar that will never disappear.

“Still, I like the rain.”

“Romantic.”

“I don’t know. I feel good when it rains. It feels like everything is being cleansed. Even reality.”

Jeok Moku, also known as Jeokmogu, was a peculiar man.

Wei Jeonghan felt strange looking at him.

His appearance and aura were intimidating, but he felt a strange attraction to him.

Unlike those who gained the sympathy of others with kind words and cordial actions, he had a strange power that attracted others with his mere presence.

One couldn’t even say it was benevolence.

‘What does it matter?’

Wei Jeonghan could forget reality when he drank with him.

Compared to the hypocrites who only said kind things but were greedy, this man, who was honest to the point of naivety, was much more comfortable.

At least, he didn’t have to control his expression in front of him. That was enough.

“It was a brutal battle.”

“Yes, brutal.”

Jeokmogu nodded and filled Wei Jeonghan’s empty cup. Wei Jeonghan drank it in one gulp and slammed the cup down.

“…How long will this war last?”

“Who knows?”

A bitter smile appeared on Jeokmogu’s lips.

“When there are no more people left to fight, or when there are no more reasons to fight.”

“Then one condition has already been met.”

Wei Jeonghan said as he looked at the rain.

“No one has any reason to fight.”

Jeokmogu looked at his cup.

It wasn’t known if he was looking at something beyond the cup, or his own reflection, but he looked sad.

“Reasons to fight…”

Jeokmogu looked at Wei Jeonghan.

“Don’t you have reasons to fight?”

“At first, yes.”

“At first?”

Wei Jeonghan leaned back in his chair.

His body was relaxed, and his voice was soft.

His voice had a touch of regret.

“Was it for the peace of the martial world, or for my own desire for justice?”

He rolled his empty cup on the table. The cup rolled and stopped in front of Jeokmogu.

“Whatever it was, it doesn’t matter anymore. I’m too tired to maintain peace, and I’ve seen too much to maintain justice.”

“So you fight without a reason?”

“Reason…”

Wei Jeonghan stared at the ceiling with a blank expression.

It was an obvious but new question.

Reason… reason…

The enemy attacked, so we fought.

Was there any other reason?

‘I’m petty.’

The others fought for a reason, good or bad.

Family honor, wealth, or fame.

Some perhaps just want to fight.

But Wei Jeonghan, without a specific reason to fight and tired of the long war, couldn’t leave the battlefield.

Perhaps Wei Jeonghan was the one wasting his time the most on this battlefield.

“The name ‘Sword of the Righteous Hero’ will resonate.”

“Don’t mention that shameful title in front of me. I want to hide.”

“Isn’t it good, ‘Sword of the Righteous Hero’?”

“It’s terrible.”

Wei Jeonghan shook his head.

“What about you? Don’t you have reasons to fight?”

“Reason…”

Jeokmogu raised his cup. He brought it to his mouth, but didn’t drink. He moved it slightly, and the liquor swirled.

“To survive.”

“…A simple but correct answer.”

Wei Jeonghan laughed.

What other reason could there be?

The Demon Cult attacked. If you don’t fight, you’ll die.

No more reasons are needed for war. Only those in power or the historians of the future will give other meanings to the war.

They could only fight to survive.

“To survive. Yes, to survive.”

“Justice is nothing special.”

Jeokmogu’s voice was firm.

“It’s simply not doing bad things to survive. That’s why they call you ‘Sword of the Righteous Hero’. It’s not because of your goodness, nor because of your character.”

“Are you being sarcastic?”

“It’s simply because you don’t close your eyes to injustice. That’s amazing here. Survival justifies everything.”

“I won’t praise you. You won’t pay for the drinks. You’re paying today.”

“You caught me. You’re perceptive.”

Jeokmogu brought the cup to his lips. Unlike Wei Jeonghan, who drank it in one gulp, Jeokmogu drank slowly, as if he were savoring the liquor.

“What if you survive? Will you live as a warrior?”

“If I survive?”

“Yes.”

Jeokmogu smiled slightly.

“If I survive… I want to travel. Ten years would be good. I’ll travel, see the world with my own eyes, fight against experts, drink under the rain…”

“You’re Lazy.”

“Yes, I am. Hahaha.”

Jeokmogu laughed cheerfully.

“I want to travel without responsibilities or threats. To forget everything.”

“I recommend joining the Beggar Sect.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. Do you know how much work beggars have? If you don’t beg for a day, you’ll starve, and they pressure you to gather information. That’s not easy.”

“You talk like you’ve done it.”

“That’s the difference between us. The one who has done it and the one who knows it without having done it.”

“You’re smart.”

Jeokmogu filled Wei Jeonghan’s empty cup.

When the cup was full, Wei Jeonghan drank it in one gulp.

“You should savor the liquor.”

“Interfering with someone’s art of drinking is impolite.”

“I say it because I feel sorry for you.”

Jeokmogu laughed slightly.

“I can only forget my problems when I drink, but I can’t savor it.”

“Time is time, liquor is liquor.”

“Then, yes.”

Wei Jeonghan closed his eyes as he saw Jeokmogu fill his cup again.

‘How ironic.’

They are in the middle of a war. But they are drinking peacefully because there is no battle. War has become part of their life.

“Will we see each other again?”

“I don’t know. The war might end before it rains again, or one of us might die. Which unit were you in?”

“Does it matter?”

“…It doesn’t matter.”

Wei Jeonghan said indifferently:

“Yes, maybe we won’t see each other again. If you have something to say, tell me. I’ll pass on your message if you die.”

“Hmm…”

Jeokmogu spun his cup.

“No, it’s okay. Instead, let’s fulfill one wish each.”

“Each?”

“Yes. Whoever dies first, the other will fulfill their wish.”

Wei Jeonghan frowned.

“What’s the point of fulfilling a dead person’s wish?”

“Don’t talk nonsense. They say even the wishes of the dead are fulfilled. It’s logical.”

“You’re capricious. Alright, what’s your wish?”

“You first.”

Wei Jeonghan thought and spoke:

“If I happen to die first and you survive, go to Guangdong and tell a woman named Han Sangah that I regret not being able to return to her.”

“That’s all?”

“She’s a very sensitive person. It will be a big blow to her, so comfort her well. But if you take the opportunity to court her while pretending to comfort her… I’ll become a vengeful spirit and hunt you down.”

“I know a great shaman.”

“You damned bastard.”

Wei Jeonghan smiled.

This guy was unpredictable. Sometimes he was serious, sometimes he was light.

“What’s your wish?”

“My wish…”

Jeokmogu looked at the rain and spoke:

“I want to travel.”

“Travel?”

“Yes. Just like I told you. To walk wherever my feet take me, have a drink under the shade of a tree, cross swords with those who are strong, contemplate landscapes… simply, to be free, free…”

“For ten years?”

“Even a month is enough for me. Just as long as I can make that trip.”

“That’s a wish that doesn’t excite me much.”

“You don’t have to worry. I doubt you’ll have to fulfill my wish.”

“…Why?”

Jeokmogu smiled slightly.

“I found out that my child was born. I’m a father now. I can’t die because I can’t overcome this, leaving my child without their father.”

“A child, huh…?”

Wei Jeonghan smiled sweetly as he filled the man’s cup.

“Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

“And what did you name them?”

“I haven’t thought about it yet. If you don’t mind, could you name them?”

“…Me? Are you crazy? Asking someone like me to name your firstborn?”

“What does it matter? I don’t have any elders to do it. Consider it a symbol of our friendship.”

“You’re crazy. Using something like this to name your child.”

Wei Jeonghan chuckled and said:

“It’s no problem if you don’t use this name, but I have one prepared in case I ever have a child…”

“What is it?”

Wei Jeonghan moistened his lips with a sip of liquor and then said:

“Wei Yanho, Wei Yanho. Of course, if you give it, the last name will change.”