Ryang explained what had happened. Kyeongseon Ung was dead, killed by Kyeong'ui's arrow. Yeong was injured.
"Yeong was there?" Seong asked.
"She was initially going to disable the warships as planned," Ryang explained, "but our casualties were higher than expected, so she intervened to subdue Dahnian forces..."
Seong, unable to raise his voice near the fallen soldiers, spoke in a low, angry tone.
"I told you to keep her out of the fight!"
"Our soldiers were falling," Ryang said.
Seong knew Ryang wouldn't have been able to stop Yeong, especially since he had opposed her aggressive participation in the battle. He sighed, unable to scold Ryang further.
"Where is she now?" he asked.
"She's being treated with the other wounded," Ryang replied. "The arrow pierced her shoulder, but the physician said the bone isn't severely damaged. She'll recover quickly with proper treatment."
He lowered his head again. His clothes were stained with blood.
"Why are you covered in blood?" Seong asked, alarmed. "Were you in the battle, too?"
Ryang took a deep breath and recounted the events after the battle. Seong was more shocked than when he heard about Yeong's injury. Ryang had abandoned the sword long ago, refusing to fight. He had executed Dara under Seong's orders, but he wasn't the type to willingly wield a sword and sever a man's hand.
And it was Cheongro, the Second Emissary Divine. Is that why Norahn is nowhere to be seen? Seong could imagine the uproar within the Ministry. They would demand retribution, perhaps even more than what they had lost. He lowered his voice, his anger barely contained.
"Were you out of your mind?" he hissed. "What were you thinking?! Whether you like him or not, Cheongro is an Emissary! Even I can't touch them! You know that! Have you forgotten how much effort I put into appeasing the Ministry to protect you? How are you going to resolve this?"
"I apologize," Ryang said, bowing his head.
Seong, remembering Ryang's madness under the influence of the poison, asked, "You're still not fully recovered, aren't you?"
Ryang froze. He didn't want to make excuses for his reckless actions. He felt a pang of injustice, remembering Cheongro's vulgar insults towards Kyeong'ui, but the rage that had driven him to violence felt distant now.
Will I do the same if I could relive that moment? He wasn't sure. How could I have done such a thing? Is it truly because of lingering effects, as Seong suspected? Haven't I received proper treatment from Ryucheon? He was anxious, unsure if he could recover from the lingering effects or if they were worsening. Is this doubt also a symptom? He quickly answered, not wanting Seong to notice his confusion.
"I've fully recovered," he insisted. "Although my emotions got the better of me, it was my decision."
"Are you sure I don't need to worry?" Seong pressed, his gaze searching.
"There's no problem," Ryang assured him.
Seong studied him for a long moment.
"It will be difficult to defend you this time," he finally said. "Be prepared."
As Seong was about to leave, Ryang stopped him.
"Something happened to Joon during the battle," he said.
Seong turned back. "What happened?" he asked, his anxiety growing.
Ryang lowered his voice. "It seems to be similar to what happened to you in Haewol Cave," he said.
"To Joon?"
"After the Guardian Crimson was struck by the arrow and fell, Joon rushed to shield her, and the coast was engulfed in a bright light. I saw it from a distance, and Joon was preoccupied with his father, so I couldn't ask for details... But the Guardian Crimson was right beside him, so she'll know."
Seong exhaled shakily. There was no point in asking if it was true. He could sense the truth in Ryang's words. What exactly has happened to Joon? Like Ryang, he couldn't bring himself to ask Joon, who was grieving beside his father's body. He instructed Ryang to oversee the preparations for entering the city and went to find Yeong.
The closer he got to the wounded, the louder the cries became. The dead couldn't mourn their own deaths, but the living were surrounded by blood and suffering. With a shortage of physicians, the Emissaries were busy tending to the wounded. The wounded screamed as if their flesh were burning. Everyone who had fought in the battle, including Ryang and Joon, was suffering. Seong couldn't feel the victory. Would it have been this brutal if Ryang had been more thorough and anticipated Kyeong'ui's deception? No, Ryang had done his best. He shouldn't blame him. Would it have been different if I had arrived sooner? If I had been there? If I had burned down the enemy soldiers before they could harm my own? His reluctance to kill in Hyangdo seemed foolish now. I'm not even worthy of being merciful, he thought.
A soldier reached out to Seong as he walked.
"Guardian... Guardian!"
The soldier's eyes were dry and lifeless, his lips black. His arm was nearly severed. He reached for Seong, yearning for his healing touch. Seong took his hand. The soldier's grip tightened, then loosened. His mouth fell open, his pupils dilated. An Emissary rushed over and gently pried the soldier's hand away, closing his eyes.
"His wound wasn't serious, but we couldn't stop the bleeding in time..." the Emissary stammered. "He lost too much blood..."
Seong placed a hand on his shoulder, then walked away. The soldier's blood clung to his hand.
Yeong was being treated under a makeshift canopy, away from the other wounded. An arrow lay on the mat beside her, its tip stained with dried blood. One of her shoulders was bare, a bandage wrapped around it. Seong dismissed everyone around her.
"Leave us," he ordered. "Tend to the others."
The attendants rose, bowed, and moved aside, leaving their tools and medicines behind. Seong approached Yeong, whose forehead was dotted with sweat. He sat beside her and washed his hands in a nearby basin.
"If you knew a thorn could pierce your finger," he chided as he bandaged her shoulder, "you should have known an arrow could pierce your shoulder too. Why are you so fearless?"
"I didn't see it because she was hiding," Yeong replied curtly. "It's nothing."
Seong tightened the bandage. Yeong winced.
"It is something," Seong insisted. "You would have died if it hadn't missed. Do you know what would happen if you died?"
"Go see Kyeongseon Joon," Yeong said, changing the subject.
"Why?"
"Because the light of Sahngjon has awakened within him."
For a fleeting moment, Seong hoped she was concerned about Joon's grief, but as expected, her interest lay in his newfound power.
"I just came from there," Seong said. "Ryang told me, but I couldn't ask Joon for details. You know why. Tell me what happened."
"I was taking down enemy soldiers from a distance," Yeong explained. "The High Commander was also on horseback, further back. But then, he was suddenly struck by an arrow and fell. An arrow flew towards me as well. I only managed to deflect it because Kyeongseon Joon shouted and I turned around. If it weren't for him, I don't know what would have happened. Another arrow followed, but Kyeongseon Joon, who was holding the fallen High Commander, rushed forward and shielded me. You're right. I might have died if it weren't for him."
Seong listened, his expression troubled.
"You said the power of the Celestial Scions lies beyond death," he finally said.
Yeong nodded.
"That means Joon could have died instead of you," Seong continued. "If he hadn't awakened."
"Such speculation is meaningless," Yeong said flatly. "He awakened."
She seemed eager to dismiss the thought, but Seong couldn't. Father and son, both struck by the Princess's arrows, one dead, the other reborn. He was frustrated and angered by their fate, intertwined in life and death on the same battlefield.
"And Hyangdo?" Yeong asked nonchalantly.
"I burned the ships," Seong replied. "No casualties. It was easier to control without restraint."
He looked at her, his voice tense. "Be careful from now on," he chided. "Don't ever enter the battlefield. If you're in danger, ten, a hundred people will rush to protect you. It's important that you don't get hurt, and it's important that no one else gets hurt protecting you. Do you understand?"
"I saved more of your precious soldiers in a battle you weren't even present for," Yeong countered. "More would have been injured or killed if I hadn't intervened. If their lives are so precious to you, as you say, then I, and you, have to be more proactive. What are you so afraid of?"
Seong lowered his head, silenced by her words.
"Aren't you happy about our first victory?" Yeong asked.
"I'm afraid of losing people," Seong confessed, meeting her gaze. "And honestly, I'm most afraid of losing you."