Toxin

I stopped in my tracks at the unexpected words. All the concubines had left?

“When, and where did they go?”

“They probably returned to their family homes. From what I know, it was around three months ago. Didn’t you know?”

“Why…?”

“I have no idea either. His Majesty suddenly ordered them to leave. Officially, they were dismissed from the palace, but it was no different from being cast aside. On that day, the tears the ladies shed could have filled that pond over there. The palace has felt empty ever since. When the beautiful ladies strolled through the gardens, it was like a painting…”

Three months ago… That was around the time I fled with Raonhiljo and was captured again by the Black Martial Emperor. It was also when it was revealed that the Black Martial Emperor had been poisoned by Imae. Since I was confined to the Black Martial Emperor’s quarters at the time, I had no idea this had happened. I was shocked to learn that all the concubines—over a hundred of them—had been sent away. The fact that the Black Martial Emperor had made such a decision left me with a strange feeling.

***

“A book about art therapy?”

“Yes. I was wondering if there might be a book worth studying.”

Since I was starting, I wanted to study it thoroughly. It would be troublesome if I only had a vague understanding and made things worse. Things were already precarious enough as they were.

“I wouldn’t know. I’m not familiar with that field… I vaguely remember hearing something from my master, though… Just how severely is this person broken that you’re determined to take on this challenge?”

“It’s to the point that there’s no hope for recovery. But I’ve seen some hope for rehabilitation, so I want to try turning them back into a person.”

“Really? Is it a secret who this person is?”

“Yes.”

Despite my firm response, Naro’s face looked as if he was dying of curiosity.

“Oh! I know a bookstore that sells all kinds of rare books. Do you want to check it out? They might have something suitable!”

“Yes.”

“I needed to go to the market anyway, so why not go now?”

I nodded eagerly. Once I set my mind to something, I didn’t want to delay it.

“I should probably change clothes before we go.”

“Why bother?! You’ll just end up covered in dust after walking around the market anyway! Then we can wash each other’s backs afterward!”

Naro grabbed me and started running without warning. My heart pounded in rhythm with the sound of our footsteps. Just as I pushed myself harder to keep up with Naro’s pace, I suddenly felt a cold hand grip my arm, and the scenery around me spun. When I steadied my vision, I saw Naro bowing repeatedly. And then, I saw him—his heavy breaths visible. It took me a moment to return from the otherworldly state I had entered. The Black Martial Emperor frowned.

“Hey, I called you several times.”

“Hah… Hah…”

I panted heavily. What had he called me? I felt an impulse to ask, but I kept my mouth shut. One thing was certain: he hadn’t called my name. What name would he have given me, if he had? What color would it have been painted with? I found myself wondering.

“I didn’t hear you.”

His hand, which had been gripping my arm, slid away, taking the warmth with it.

“Is it over now?”

“Yes. But why are you here?”

“They told me you were here.”

So he came all the way here on purpose…

“But, Your Majesty…”

The Black Martial Emperor casually revealed the Jincheonroe in his hand. He had shed his royal robes and was dressed in simple hunting attire, with a leather belt holding a dagger and minimal accessories, as if he were about to head out on a hunt.

“Huff, huff, Your Majesty! If you keep running like that, what if you trip and fall? Do you know how worried I was?”

From a distance, the Grand Chamberlain came running awkwardly, panting, and the bodyguards, who had been trailing behind, also stopped in their tracks. A group of about ten people followed like a tail from even further away. Suddenly, my face stung. A sharp, familiar sensation crawled up my scalp. I turned my head to find the source of the unpleasant feeling and met the eyes of some old men standing behind the Black Martial Emperor. Their gazes were filled with blatant disdain, and I realized that they weren’t the only ones here with that look.

I had heard they were the highest-ranking ministers of the Baedal Kingdom, called the Oga. Most of them were the fathers of the concubines who had been dismissed from the palace. I had also heard that their resentment toward the Black Martial Emperor was immense. But even with me standing right in front of them, none of them openly expressed their dissatisfaction. As much as I wanted to deny it, I had no choice but to admit it. People who flaunt their power are just desperate to have others recognize it. But those born with power are different. They don’t need to make a fuss—people naturally submit to them.

I stopped thinking when I felt a hand brush my chest. I lowered my gaze to where the Black Martial Emperor’s hand had touched, noticing that my white jacket had been stained with colorful paint. But that wasn’t what he was looking at. His gaze lingered on the fabric, where something bulged slightly beneath it, and then slowly rose to meet my eyes. It was the gaze of a predator that had just woken from a nap, hungry and ready to hunt. Heat suddenly spread across the back of my neck.

“I got some paint on it while mixing pigments.”

As I pulled the edge of my jacket away, the fabric clinging to my body and his hand both fell away together. He lightly brushed his hand against my cheek, then turned his body.

“Wait in the room. I’ll be back soon.”

“I’m going to the market with Naro Painter.”

He stopped abruptly.

“Right now?”

“Yes. I have a lot to buy. If I hurry, I’ll be back within two hours.”

I quietly looked at this creature, overly favored by the gods.

“So please, wait in the room. I’ll return soon.”

The Black Martial Emperor’s lips curled slightly. It wasn’t twisted or mocking—it was as if he was genuinely amused… It felt like the roof of my mouth was being licked. As he turned his head, he added in a low voice.

“Go hunt a lot…”

Just as I was about to move, thinking that today’s hunt would be for me, he grabbed my arm again. The Black Martial Emperor stared at me and raised one eyebrow, a habit of his when he had to make a decision between two options. A moment later, his thick eyebrow lowered. Still holding my arm, he smoothly turned and spoke to the ministers.

“The hunt will be postponed until tomorrow. It seems this one needs a porter.”

***

All eyes were on the group as we walked through the bustling marketplace. The bodyguards trailing behind me looked uninterested as they casually browsed through the goods on display, chatting among themselves. Naro, on my right, stayed close, fidgeting nervously. Even though he was dressed relatively simply for a hunt, the Black Martial Emperor’s aura and appearance couldn’t be concealed.

We still had a long way to go before we reached the bookstore, but I didn’t want to draw any more attention than necessary from the locals because of these extravagant individuals. Naro and I, from the Imae Tribe, were already noticeable enough. I thought to myself that I should’ve bought a hat for the Black Martial Emperor to wear on the way here. Earlier, the Grand Chamberlain had stubbornly tried to follow, claiming he needed to protect the emperor’s “noble body.” Thankfully, we managed to shake him off, but just thinking about him joining us gave me a headache. I glanced at the Black Martial Emperor, who was walking on my left.

“I can go with Painter. Your Majesty, you should return.”

“You seem to get muscle cramps when you carry heavy things.”

As he said this, he looked around at the busy market and added, “It would also be troublesome if you got lost here again.”

I furrowed my brow slightly and replied, “I’m not a child.”

“Of course. You’re harder to deal with than a child.”

I stared at him, feeling a twinge of humiliation at his tone. The Black Martial Emperor gazed at me intently, then placed his pipe in his mouth. The cheap pipe was now completely chipped, and the stem was loose. He turned his gaze to a peddler resting by the roadside.

“Mind if I borrow a light?”

“Sure.”

The peddler handed his smoking pipe to the Black Martial Emperor. The emperor lit his pipe from the end of the man’s, and after a brief moment, the fire transferred over. The peddler then slung his pack over his shoulder and began shouting again.

“Come one, come all! A new novel about the heroic deeds of His Majesty, the Black Martial Emperor! Only three copies left!”

Even as the peddler shouted his name right in front of him, the Black Martial Emperor paid no attention, simply placing his arm around my shoulder and hurrying me along. Just before I turned away, I caught a glimpse of Unsa handing money to the peddler with a faint smile. As we waded through the crowd, a woman carrying a bundle on her head bumped her elbow into the emperor’s back.

“Are you alright? Ugh, so many people…”

The woman offered a half-hearted apology and soon disappeared into the crowd, grumbling. Despite the fact that the man they hailed as a hero was right in front of them, none of the marketgoers recognized him. I once mocked the people who blindly worshiped an emperor they had never even seen. I never imagined I’d one day walk side by side with the Black Martial Emperor in a market like this. Time seemed to work like a spell, making things happen that I never thought would happen to me. Just then, Naro pointed to a small shop.

“Roha! Let’s buy a lot of brushes and paper from there. You’ll need plenty if you want to practice.”

“Yes.”

We went straight into the shop. Naro busied himself picking out items, while I scoured the shop for affordable brushes, paper, and pigments. That’s when the Black Martial Emperor approached and took the paper and inkstone from my arms.

“Is that all?”

“I need to buy more. Please give it back.”

Ignoring me, the Black Martial Emperor tucked the items under his arm. Nearby, Naro glanced nervously between us, letting out a small gasp. Not wanting to cause a scene, I resumed what I was doing. But the moment I picked up another roll of paper, it was immediately snatched by him. He silently followed me around the shop, taking everything I selected. When I finally gathered what I needed and tried to pay the shopkeeper, a large hand intervened. I followed the hand upwards and saw the Black Martial Emperor handing gold coins to the shopkeeper.

“I have money, too. Besides, they probably can’t break such a large coin.”

“Y-yes, that’s right… This amount is too much…”

As expected, the shopkeeper grew flustered, unsure of how to handle the situation. The Black Martial Emperor glanced at the materials Naro was holding.

“Let’s add that to the total as well.”

At that moment, Naro’s eyes filled with tears, and he bowed down to the floor.

“Th-thank you for your graciousness! Thank you for your graciousness!”

Even after paying for Naro’s purchases, the gold coin still had value left. Thanks to Naro’s quick thinking, where he proposed that the remaining amount could be used to buy goods in the future, the shopkeeper bid us farewell with a satisfied smile. As we left the shop, Naro whispered in a hushed voice.

“Roha! Roha! His Majesty seems to have completely forgiven us now! I thought he was a scary person, but he’s really a good man!”

Naro clutched the materials that the Black Martial Emperor had bought for him tightly to his chest. When we stepped outside, for some reason, only Pungbaek was waiting for us. Pungbaek approached, reaching out to take the materials tucked under the Black Martial Emperor’s arm, but when he was stopped by a glance from the emperor, he awkwardly lowered his hand.

“Unsa Hyung-nim and Usa are nowhere to be seen. It seems we lost them along the way.”

“You should’ve held their hands tightly as you walked. Who knows if they’re crying somewhere right now.”

After a short reply, the Black Martial Emperor resumed walking, and I began to gather Naro. Pungbaek suddenly spoke to Naro with a blank expression.

“Do you want me to buy you that?”

He pointed to a stall selling rice crackers. Naro asked Pungbaek.

“Why?”

Pungbaek responded flatly.

“Because I want to buy it for you.”

Naro blinked his large, dark eyes and replied, “If you want to, go ahead.”

As soon as Naro said this, Pungbaek grabbed his shoulder and dragged him to the stall. The sight of it was oddly reminiscent of a herbivore about to be hunted by a large predator, giving me a strange feeling. The path ahead of us was packed with people, leaving no space to step. Naro, munching on the rice crackers, was lost in observing the market, while Pungbaek quietly watched him.

By now, we had purchased all the necessary items, and the Black Martial Emperor’s arms were full of packages. It was a crowded marketplace, and it wasn’t uncommon for him to bump into passersby. After so much contact, his clothes had become disheveled. Knowing how much the Black Martial Emperor hated people touching him, I was on edge, worrying that an innocent person might get hurt. Fortunately, he quietly played the role of a porter without causing a scene.

My thoughts wandered to the ministers we had encountered earlier. The Black Martial Emperor had seized power by removing all the ministers who had served his father and installing new officials loyal to him. Those who had been discarded overnight by the young emperor surely harbored strong resentment toward him, especially for openly bringing a criminal like me into the palace. Their reaction was to be expected, and I was prepared for that. But…

“If you act like this in front of the ministers, it will only fuel their resistance toward you, Your Majesty.”

While I was troubled, the Black Martial Emperor remained unbothered.

“The older you get, the more you tend to meddle. There’s no need to worry about them. You didn’t come here willingly, after all.”

That’s the problem… It wasn’t as simple as that. If I had truly hated it, I wouldn’t have come, even if it meant breaking my legs. The Black Martial Emperor’s dark eyes shifted toward me.

“But can’t you paint without stirring up unnecessary trouble?”

“What do you mean…?”

He nodded his chin towards Naro behind us. It seemed he wasn’t pleased with the idea of me helping Naro. Although painting had always been a way for me to heal, the strange emptiness I felt now was different from that sense of healing. I had learned to paint before I could even read, and as I grew older, I painted to make a living, to escape a harsh reality, and to exact revenge. I had never painted without a purpose. The intense emotions that drove me to paint had always been my motivation.

“It’s better to have a purpose for everything. I don’t want to spend my life just painting aimlessly. It would feel hollow and meaningless.”

The edge of his pipe rested at the corner of his slightly curled lips.

“That’s a good mindset. If you need anything, let me know.”

I nodded, looking up at him as he retreated. He glanced sideways at me and bit down on his pipe. His voice came out slightly muffled as a result.

“But how about drawing something again?”

Surprised by his sudden suggestion, I looked up, and the Black Martial Emperor continued with a peculiar look in his eyes.

“I mean drawing the weapon I designed. You’ve got quite a talent for it, more than I expected.”

I had drawn it desperately, of course. Back then, I would’ve done anything to get close to this man…

“I’ve drawn everything with eyes, except for fish, but I prefer drawing nature. At least it doesn’t feel tainted.”

For someone like me, who had only ever depicted things I could see, the challenge of drawing something based on just a few lines of description was refreshing. However, when I saw him turn my drawing into a weapon of mass destruction, it horrified me. When I finally witnessed that monstrosity, the feeling was indescribable. The Black Martial Emperor, who channeled his primal instincts into creating deadly weapons… a creature that should never have been born. Our joint creation, a shared crime…

“It’s the first and last time I’ll ever draw a weapon of destruction.”

I swore to never again become an accomplice in creating such a monster.

“Try again.”

Another sudden comment.

“What… do you mean?”

“Anything. Something about you.”

“I don’t really have anything worth talking about. Just trivial, unimportant things…”

“Exactly. Trivial and unimportant. You never had those.”

He spoke softly. As a group of peddlers suddenly rushed toward us, the Black Martial Emperor grabbed my shoulder, pulling me toward him. By the time our bodies had been jostled in the crowd, and the dust I inhaled made my throat feel dry, we finally reached our final destination. It was a small bookstore, but fortunately, it had the books I was looking for. I also picked up a few other things and, at last, completed the objective of this long journey.

The journey back was no less exhausting, so we decided to rest halfway through the bustling market. Unlike the Black Martial Emperor and Pungbaek, who seemed unfazed, Naro and I, who weren’t used to much physical exertion, were nearly exhausted. At that moment, Unsa suddenly appeared, cutting through the crowd. He approached the Black Martial Emperor with a troubled expression and bowed his head.

“Here you are, Your Majesty. There’s something urgent I must report. If I may have a word with you…”

“What is it?”

Unsa glanced at me.

“Would Your Majesty not dismiss that child for a moment? It’s something…”

“Has your younger brother gone missing or something?”

The Black Martial Emperor’s indifferent reply made Unsa’s lips tighten.

“Of course, I know Your Majesty can’t bear to be away from that child for even a moment, but if you want to avoid being separated forever, you must hear this.”

The Black Martial Emperor’s face gradually grew colder. He turned and walked into an alley, with Unsa and Pungbaek following behind. Naro used the opportunity to rub his sore legs, and I wiped the sweat from my forehead, stealing glances at the alley where they had disappeared. I could just barely see them from the shabby alley entrance. Unsa, looking grave, was explaining something, while the Black Martial Emperor stood silently smoking.

Then, Unsa pulled out a thin book and showed it to the Black Martial Emperor. It looked like one of the books purchased from the peddler earlier. The Black Martial Emperor stared at the book for a while with an expressionless face before suddenly fixing his gaze on me. His eyes were tinged with the smell of blood, and the sharpness felt like a spike drilling into my own eyes. I turned my face away. What could this be about…? Judging by Unsa’s expression, it wasn’t something as simple as a missing younger brother. As I tried to calm my pounding heart by looking around aimlessly, a junk vendor caught my eye in the distance. I rose and said to Naro:

“Please rest here, Painter-nim. I just remembered something I forgot to buy. I’ll be right back.”

Too tired to respond, Naro waved his hand dismissively. I wove through the busy market and approached the vendor. The man, sporting a scraggly beard on a pointed chin, dusted off the items on his mat when I came closer.

“If you’re just looking, don’t touch anything. My first customer this morning was picky as hell and left me with bad luck for the day!”

Quietly sitting down, I examined the knickknacks laid out on the mat. This was the same place where I once bought a cheap tobacco pipe and some cockscomb flowers. But now, since the season had changed to autumn, there were no cockscombs in sight. On one side of the mat, peculiar-looking pipes were lined up, awaiting new owners.

“The paint peeled off the last one I bought too quickly. The joints are almost falling apart as well.”

“When did you buy it?”

“About three months ago.”

“You must’ve handled it a lot for it to get into that state! But if you bought it here, no way would it be that shoddy! Are you sure you’re not confusing me with someone else? Maybe you bought it somewhere else and are trying to blame the wrong guy?”

“How could I confuse you with anyone else when you’re the only merchant this rude?”

I replied flatly as I ran my fingers over the tobacco pipe. The man scratched his beard and grumbled.

“If you’re going to nitpick like that, you should buy something expensive. Cheap stuff is all the same quality anyway…”

After inspecting the long pipes, I found one I liked. It was similar in shape to the one I bought before, but the stem was made of wood, and the metal parts on both ends were crafted into unique, intricate designs. Though the paint might peel off soon, I could always buy another one later…

Holding the pipe, I asked the man:

“How much is this?”

His grumpy expression vanished, replaced by a bright smile.

“Oh, would you like this one? It’s twenty-five nyang for you! It’s usually thirty, but I’ll give you a discount since you’re a regular~.”

As I handed him the money and was about to leave, a black stone on one side of the stall caught my eye. The smooth stone was oval-shaped, with small, interlocking wheel-like parts on one side and other intricate details all around. I’d never seen anything like it before. Just as I was getting drawn in, the vendor seized the opportunity.

“That, my friend, came from Sumil Kingdom not too long ago. It’s a real treasure~. See that little wheel there? If you turn it a few times with your finger, it’ll light up without any need for flint or a lantern. Let me show you.”

He put his own pipe in his mouth, took the black stone, and spun the small wheel. Sparks flew from between the wheels, and, just like he said, a flame appeared as if by magic.

“They call this

. They say it’s named after the flame from the fingers of the Imae Tribe, because it looks so similar.”

The flame flickering from the tip of the oval-shaped stone indeed resembled the fire from Imae’s fingers. I, born of mixed blood, could not create

.

… it had been my futile dream…

I stared blankly at the man, who was soaked in anticipation.

“How much is it?”

***

I headed back to where the group was waiting, spreading my hand wide to gaze at

sitting on my palm. I couldn’t believe there was such a simple way to obtain the

that I had longed for. The world sure has come a long way. I even bought two of them, since I saved the money I had set aside for materials today. I put one in my pocket and held the other in the hand with the pipe. At that moment, a little girl with rosy cheeks approached me and offered some colorful drinks.

“Please, just buy one.”

The marketplace in the Baedal Kingdom was certainly filled with rare things that could never be found in Imae Village. My throat was dry from all the dust I had inhaled, so it seemed like perfect timing. As I bought a few of the odd drinks and handed over the money, people bumped into me as they passed. As the surroundings grew darker, the crowd for the night market started to gather.

When I returned to the spot, Naro and the bodyguards were gone, and only the Black Martial Emperor was standing alone by the roadside. He was staring intently at something in front of a shabby wall. Even as passersby glanced at him, or as I approached, he remained motionless.

I followed his gaze to where it landed. A small insect was crawling along the old wall. The brown bug was about the length of a finger joint, with countless thin legs like silk threads. If it were Naro staring at the bug, or even one of the bodyguards, I wouldn’t have felt this way. The bug hid in a crack in the wall for a moment before suddenly slipping to the ground. Briefly stunned, it quickly flipped over and scurried toward a damp spot. Just as the Black Martial Emperor’s large foot moved to crush it, he stopped abruptly. In a flat voice, he asked,

“Is this part of your rules too?”

That was one of the rules I had set for myself. Even though he knew perfectly well what my answer would be, he tested me from time to time, like a mischievous child testing a parent’s limits after behaving for a while. Or as if he were warning me what might happen if I ever gave up on him and let him fall apart.

“Yes. Just let it go.”

“It’s just a bug.”

“It didn’t harm you, so there’s no reason to kill it.”

“When I see something struggling to live, it makes me want to crush it.”

The way he watched the bug sent shivers down my spine. His foot brushed past the bug and landed right in front of me. Suddenly, an immense force clamped down on my arm and shoved me into a wall. His eyes, strung tight like a bow ready to snap, bore into mine.

“Don’t disappear on your own. It’s dangerous.”

His voice was thick with suppressed tension, as if it might explode at any moment.

“I’m talking about me. I was in danger.”

As his grip tightened, my arm throbbed with pain, like it was going to break. Seeing his expression, I realized we still had a long way to go. I lifted my hand, which had gone cold, and held it out to him, right in front of his face. The pipe in my hand reached the tip of his nose, and he lowered his eyes to look at it. His gaze lingered for a moment before slowly drifting back to mine. I spoke suddenly.

“A reward.”

And quietly added,

“A reward I’m giving you.”

For carrying my luggage, for just standing here without causing any trouble… When a simple housewife bumped into him with a load on her head, when a group of playful children ran into his legs, when Naro called my name endlessly throughout the day… Each moment drained his warmth and left him cold. And now, I was completely exhausted. I offered him the pipe once more.

“If you keep holding yourself back, I’ll keep rewarding you.”

In the past, if he had shown such an expression, blood and flesh would already be flying everywhere. He would slash and cut until his mood improved, finding twisted pleasure in the senseless corpses he left behind. I sighed softly at the way he stubbornly refused to accept the reward. Just as I was about to take his hand and place the pipe in it, something crashed into me like a rushing torrent. The luggage he had been holding scattered on the ground, and the pipe I held fell from my hand.

Before I could regain my balance, his lips were on mine, and his wet flesh invaded between my teeth. Over his shoulder, I could see the horrified faces of the people around us. I tried to push him away, but he grabbed my head firmly and pressed deeper. His thick thigh pushed between my legs, sending a jolt through me. What was he doing in a place like this…? My face flushed with heat. I hastily broke the kiss and pulled back.

“Stop… I’ll really get angry. I mean it…”

My voice was too weak. He rubbed his lips against my eyes and nose, licking them as he fondled my tongue with his fingers. His brows furrowed deeply.

“I’m losing my mind.”

As his wet fingers slipped out, his lips immediately took their place. Like two pieces meant to be one, the moist flesh pressed together in a dizzying embrace. The slick sensation was as intoxicating as bodies slick with sweat, grinding against each other. His tongue licked my teeth and traced the ridges of my palate in slow circles. It was the one place I couldn’t stand to be touched.

“Haa…”

A sound slipped out of me. The frantic movement made my shoulders curl up, and my breath quickened. Pulling him off me became less important than getting air. As I opened my mouth to breathe, his sharp tongue reclaimed my mouth, dragging my tongue between his teeth and biting down gently. Over his shoulder, the pale faces of the crowd flickered in the deep purple dusk. Eventually, the bloodlust in his eyes faded, leaving only the dark gaze fixed on me. I shut my eyes tightly.