The Column and the Beam

Back to the Top

The Column and the Beam
Level	N/A
Rarity	Unique
Value	N/A
Binding	Untradeable
Reward Gold	N/A
Reward EXP	N/A
Foreign Name(s)	Korean Ver.: 동량(棟梁) - 기둥과 들보 Dongnyang - Gidunggwa Deulbo, "The Column and the Beam" Chinese Ver.: Japanese Ver.:

The Column and the Beam (Korean: 동량(棟梁) - 기둥과 들보 Dongnyang - Gidunggwa Deulbo) is a Storybook that was added in the Season 8. The Next Journey Update. Originally, the story was an entry that was part of the Journey to Empyrean series released on DFU, but it was later released in-game after the story rewrite of the Empyrean War Chronicles saga. The Storybook consists of one chapter, which details the rivalry between Empyrean's two pillars: Nevillo Jurgen of the Council of Nobility and Jakter the Eagle Eye of the Imperial Capital Army.

Origin Version

Chapter 1

Author: Jinkong Illustration: Lazaroos Imperial Princess Erje Erje dismissed all her court ladies and walked alone. Her palace was in disarray everywhere, and Erje wanted to remember it as it was before the collapsed walls and destroyed gates were put back together. She also wanted to remember the tragedy that happened, the horrors that she witnessed, and her own foolishness that cost her so much. Her feet automatically guided her where she always went. A blank tombstone standing under a pine tree with its branches stretching across the moon. I could sit next to him and cry. Erje forced her gaze away and looked at the Celestial Flower Palace shrouded in the veil of darkness. What should I do? The sounds of past memories rushed toward her. The sound of a little girl standing in front of the Palace with awe in her eyes. The sound of a young princess with her trembling hands hidden inside her sleeves. There, a small figure from her past took a step forward toward the palace with its back turned toward her. Erje followed it further into the past. "Your Highness, you need rest. You're not fully recovered yet." "The people of Ghent have lost their houses in the war, and are now tossing and turning inside old tents. Not only did the people of Wespeace suffer at the hands of the Kartels, but they're also afflicted with poverty. How can I rest when I know all that?" "Kartel exists no more. Now that the Regent has returned from the Noblesky, he'll punish the remnants of Kartel for daring to invade Ghent and put them in their place. There's nothing to worry about." When the Princess returned alive after being abducted by the Kartels, the coward nobles who ran away to Northpiece hurried back to the Palace to save their face. Erje watched as they celebrated the impending ending of the war among themselves. The gaunt, hopeless faces of the people she met in Wespeace overlapped their fat, greasy faces. There's nothing to worry about. She so desperately wanted to believe that. "Why has Sir Jurgen returned alone?" "That's..." "I want to hear from him in person. Let's go." Erje's feet felt as if they were weighted with lead. They kept slowing down, closing the distance between her and the court ladies hesitantly following her from behind. This wasn't just because she was running a slight fever. A princess who went through so much at such a young age. A helpless leader who's surrounded by an army of people, and yet has no one to rely on. Erje knew how everyone perceived her. That hurt her. Looking up at her throne that seemed to have been pushed farther back during her absence, Erje remembered why she chose the title of princess for herself. She loved Empyrean. She loved her land and people. But she couldn't prove that. The people around her wouldn't let her. They treated her as if she was their charge, not their leader. All the more reason for her to know. She must know why she must become emperor. Not because she was someone's successor; not because she was told. It's because she wanted this for herself. "You don't have to go up there if you don't want to." Nevillo Jurgen It was Nevillo. Erje turned her eyes from her throne standing in front of her toward the Regent. A shallow sigh escaped her mouth. "I can't imagine how terrible it must have been to be manhandled by those traitorous barbarians. It must have been as horrible as the first day I fought in battle. I couldn't sleep or stop shaking all day." "I'm fine. Thank you for lending a helping hand in tough times like this." Empyrean still stood because of Regent Nevillo. He fiercely protected the Palace and let the Empyrean Army borrow his private airship to fight Anton. But Erje never felt that he was looking in the same direction as she. He wasn't now. "By the way, why have you come back alone?" "Anton felt cornered and asked for a meeting with the Adventurer. It turned out the Apostle ran away to the sea to reach the Castle of the Dead, through which it wanted to return home. I was excited at the prospect of ending the war that had gone on far too long and caused us more damage than we could cope with, but then..." Nevillo paused and examined the look on the Princess's face. She looked calm as she waited patiently for him to continue, but it was apparent to him that she still wasn't good at hiding her emotions. "Sir Erlox insisted on fighting despite the depleted size of our army. As Regent, I begged him not to lose any more lives than we already have. His answer was 'In the battlefield, the General's orders precede the King's.' Now, I don't know how many of the soldiers in the Noblesky will return safely." Both Erje and Nevillo knew Jakter was only quoting a famous general, but still Erje's face stiffened. A quick smile flashed across Nevillo's face. "I'm afraid his action this time really might give weight to the rumor that he colluded with the Kartels and put our country in danger." "Nonsense." She spat the word, her lips trembling with indignation. "He's been fighting for Empyrean against all odds. How could you even mention Kartel? You know better than anyone else that if it weren't for him, Ghent would have been destroyed by Anton long before the Kartels tried." "I'd like to believe that, but there are issues that must be addressed—" "I'm not the type of leader who punishes her country's hero for his patriotism." But you're the type of leader who can't even sit on her throne on her own. Nevillo quickly spread his fan before his face to hide the smirk on his face. "Then, could you stop him?" It seemed there never was a right time. The Palace was busy rounding up the remnants of Kartel and mending the wounds that the outlaws left all over the country, and all the while the Nobility continued its attack on Jakter because of his background. But more importantly, they needed someone else to blame for the wars. The nobles in her Court sat proudly with their chins up. While they talked about the same subjects whose answers they already knew, but repeated anyway to protect their vested interests, Erje stayed in the background, sighing constantly. "Our soldiers threw their lives away to protect the rest of us against the Kartels, and then Anton. They're not useless. Cutting down the military budget and the size of the army—" "We're not ungrateful for what they've done for us, but we're concerned about the situation at hand. The soldiers' lives aren't the only thing that these wars cost us." "I agree. Instead of rewarding a few soldiers for their services, we could use that money to perform a ritual to the heavens and assure the entire nation. We can thank the war heroes later; we need to stabilize the country first." "I know this sounds unfair, but what else can we do? If only the Great General didn't go after Anton that day—" Someone uttered this, and Erje exploded with an emotion that was closer to resentment than anger. "How could you even say that? You weren't there when the Kartels reached the gates of the Palace—" "Your Highness, please calm yourself." The Regent cut in. If there was anyone who could cover the Nobility's faults, it was Nevillo. He wasn't foolish enough to make the same mistake as the rest of the Nobility. "Some of us here also have family serving the Army. If we all went out to fight and died, there wouldn't have been anyone left to clean up after the wars. In addition, we covered some of the military spending out of our own pockets and even gave up our private armies. We fought in the wars like everyone else, in the best way we could." The nobles nodded and voiced agreement in tandem. The leadership of the meeting had been transferred to Nevillo. "The soldiers guard Empyrean, and we're here to govern her. The soldiers did their job winning the wars. Now, it's our turn to restore order in the country." Erje was struck dumb. She never felt so hopeless, even when she was locked up inside a tiny prison cell by her Kartel abductors. Then... "It seems you're always where I can't find you." Jakter the Eagle Eye Jakter the Eagle Eye, the Commander-in-chief of Empyrean, entered and the Court's atmosphere changed completely. "I'm sorry I'm late. There was so much information that I needed to prepare." Jakter theatrically shook the thick wad of paper in his hand that looked incongruous with the army uniform he was wearing. The courtiers scanned through the document in front of them with an unhappy look on their faces. This document, listing Empyrean's damage so far from the Kartels, Anton, and the mysterious Apostle in the Castle of the Dead, and even the Imperial Army, their weapons and powers, and possible risks because of them, clearly explained the necessity of the Empyrean Army. Nevillo, having grasped the General's intention before everyone else, hid his displeasure and spoke. "Perhaps you've forgotten that the Empire is our ally. We're planning to investigate the Castle of the Dead in collaboration with the country." "Alright, but what if the Apostle that lives there gets angry and decides to attack our country? What then? It'll be too late to organize an army, let alone to fight such a formidable enemy. I thought we've learned what such complacency could cost us through Anton." "We've also learned what the ignorance of Kartel, a gang of outlaws from the Lawless District that believed that they could solve everything with force, could cost us. Guns and cannons aren't the only solutions to the problems we have. We'll do what's best for everyone in Empyrean." "Well, if any one of you cared about your country as much as you care about your own life, Her Highness would never have been abducted by the Kartels." The eagle's eyes burned with anger. The tiger's eyes were as calm as the still of the night. Everyone else bated his breath while the two stared and smiled at each other. "I see you still haven't mastered the art of nuance." "I've realized it's useless when it comes to protecting my country." Jakter and Nevillo stood facing each other. Neither wasn't willing to give an inch. The column and the beam. Erje suddenly remembered the phrase. Archpriest Beldron told it to her when she was young, referring to these two who carried more weight than anyone else in their country. At this moment when everyone's eyes were fixated on the two men, Erje realized something: it wasn't Empyrean that was not complete. "Enough." Erje's weak voice broke the silence in the Court like a drop of water falling from a leaky faucet. "I don't feel well. Let's call it a day." She went to bed that night and stayed there for days because of her fever. Erje's mind came back to the present. She turned her gaze back toward the tombstone at her feet. "I'm fine. You'd better get better soon, because I can't wait to retire." She could remember that day as vividly as it was yesterday. Her ears rang with his hearty laughter. Tears started pooling in her eyes. It was in the middle of the night, and she was still alone.