Chapter 103: Three People
Chapter 103: Three People
A red, ferocious light blazed from the creature's eyes, and a bestial sound leaked from its mouth.
"Grrrrrrr."
Na Seo-yu's voice came out in despair.
"No."
At the same moment, the Cheol-gwi lunged toward her.
Hwaaak!
"Grrrrrrrng!"
It was a savage movement, like a wolf lunging for its prey.
Na Seo-yu despaired.
There was no way she could face a Cheol-gwi that even peak-level masters could not handle.
But even so, if she was going to put up any resistance at all, she had to draw her sword—and that was precisely what Na Seo-yu could not do.
To draw her sword, she would have to let go of the stretcher.
But then the impact would reach her father.
And her father could fall critically ill from even the smallest shock.
"Grrrrrrr!"
Hwaaak!
The Cheol-gwi's fist was already crashing down right before her.
'Father.'
Gazing at her father, who was briefly asleep, Na Seo-yu eventually closed her eyes.
She knew full well that staying still meant both of them would die, yet she could not bring herself to deliver a shock to her father with her own hands.
Suddenly, on the back of her closed eyelids, a single face appeared vividly.
His face—the one she missed so terribly...
In her heart, she sent him her final words.
'Goodbye...'
That was when it happened.
Kwaaaaaaang!
At the enormous crashing sound that exploded right beside Na Seo-yu's ear, her eyes snapped open and she looked back toward that direction.
And there, right before her eyes where the Cheol-gwi had been charging just moments ago, she saw someone's broad back.
And Na Seo-yu could tell who he was just by looking at that back.
It was him.
The very man she had pictured in her mind, thinking it was the end.
Na Seo-yu murmured his name blankly, as if unable to believe it.
"...Seol Pung?"
Then Seol Pung, who had been breathing roughly from how desperately he had run here, suddenly turned his head to look at her and spoke with a smiling face.
"I am... sorry I'm late."
In an instant, tears brimmed in Na Seo-yu's eyes.
"Ahh..."
She could not believe it.
That in the moment she had braced herself for death, she was able to see his face again—and that he had run all the way here to save her.
Just like that moment when she had first held him in her heart, he had appeared before her eyes as if by magic.
"Squad leader..."
That was when it happened.
"Grrrrrrr!"
The Cheol-gwi that had been sent flying far away came charging back.
At that, Seol Pung, who had glanced at the creature as if he already knew, spoke carefully to Na Seo-yu.
"Please wait just a moment, Sojeo."
And as Seol Pung stepped forward, his eyes were blazing red with searing fury.
But the crimson glare shining no less brightly than the Cheol-gwi's own vicious light was not due to rage alone.
His true godly ultimate technique, 'Red Eye,' which he had always deployed with his eyes closed, was now openly revealing that ferocious gleam.
"You bastard..."
Paaang!
Seol Pung's form shot forward like a fierce tiger.
"Dared to go after Na Sojeo!"
Peooeong!
Seol Pung's fist pierced through the shoulder of the Cheol-gwi as it swung its arm at him.
The right shoulder flew off as if struck by a cannonball.
The Cheol-gwi staggered as though caught in a storm.
"And tried to kill her!"
Kwajijik!
With a kick that swept through the Cheol-gwi's knees, both of the creature's knees buckled completely.
Its joints crushed, the Cheol-gwi had no choice but to collapse, unable to keep its balance.
Seol Pung watched the creature crumble with cold eyes.
Then he launched his final strike toward the creature's head, which had fallen below his chest.
It was a devastating blow thrown with his whole being—pulled down low then driven upward toward the jaw.
"How dare you!"
Peooeoeong!
As Seol Pung's fist soared skyward like an ascending dragon, the Cheol-gwi's shattered head scattered like a firework.
The martial prowess of Seol Pung, wielding the martial arts of 'Red Eye,' had now surpassed even the transcendent peak realm.
***
The thought that the last remaining Cheol-gwi might have gone straight for Na Sojeo had occurred to me while I was still grappling with the other two.
'No way...'
Just imagining it was enough to send a chill through my chest.
It felt as if my heart had plummeted.
After that, I clashed with the creatures with desperate, all-out force.
And in that moment, I was able to realize something I had never known until now—that I had never once touched my true limits before.
Because it seemed this power I was unleashing now was, in fact, my limit.
It was a moment when my mind felt as sharp as the tip of a blade.
A concentration so intense that even the eye of a needle seemed like a wide passage I could slip through.
With that absurd level of focus, I was ultimately able to sever both of the creatures' necks.
It was a result made possible only because I had struck the exact same spot dozens of times per creature, without a single inch of deviation.
"I really... did it."
It was, without a doubt, a tremendous achievement.
Severing the necks of Cheol-gwi—and not just one, but facing two at once.
In my past life, that was a feat only transcendent peak masters had been capable of.
But I did not have the presence of mind to savor it.
'Please, please.'
I flung my body through the air recklessly, flying toward the Na estate's rear gate.
In my head, there was nothing but worry for Na Sojeo.
What if one Cheol-gwi had attacked Na Sojeo directly?
What if, in the end, I had failed to protect her in this life too?
I felt I would absolutely never be able to forgive myself.
Clenching my teeth, I prayed fervently.
'Na Sojeo, please!'
And when I landed atop the rear gate's outer wall, I was finally able to see.
The scattered remains, presumably of a Cheol-gwi, strewn across the now-silent field.
And the sight of Na Sojeo, held in Seolpung Jojang's arms, shedding tears...
I stood there as if frozen in place.
In that instant, no thoughts came to mind at all.
I simply stared blankly at that scene.
The Na Sojeo I saw before my eyes now was nothing like the strong, dependable figure she usually was—always like a mother or an older sister.
Like a fragile young girl, like a pure and devoted woman who had finally reunited with her beloved, she was buried deep in Jojang's embrace, sobbing uncontrollably.
Endlessly.
Looking so utterly at peace.
By contrast, Jojang still looked awkward.
He was patting Na Sojeo's back clumsily, his movements stiff and rigid like a machine's.
But I could recognize it clearly enough.
Though his motions were terribly inept, the gaze he directed at Na Sojeo was warmer and gentler than anything I had ever seen from him in any moment before.
What that gaze signified—I, who had always wanted to be like Jojang in every way, felt I could recognize it all too well.
The woman I loved most.
Was in the arms of the man I respected most.
Gazing at each other with such deeply affectionate eyes...
All I could do was stand there and watch that sight blankly.
Endlessly...
I could do nothing at all.
***
As we were collecting the two decapitated Cheol-gwi corpses, Seolpung Jojang stuck his thumb out at me.
"You cut off Cheol-gwi's necks? And facing two of them at once, no less. That's impressive, Jin."
I answered Jojang with an arrogant grin.
"Heh, it won't be long before I catch up to you, Jojang. Better stay on your toes."
He laughed and replied.
"Right, I suppose I'd better. I'll look forward to it."
But after joking around like that, when I glanced quietly to the side, my eyes caught the Cheol-gwi's corpse, now completely reduced to tatters.
The Cheol-gwi's corpse, its head and shoulders completely severed and obliterated, made me involuntarily swallow hard.
'At this rate, catching up before he died would've been a success, let alone catching up anytime soon.'
We were in the process of organizing the Cheol-gwi's remains to transport them to the Flying Dragon Squad.
Since we had already sent a messenger hawk, once we finished cleaning up, someone from the Flying Dragon 15th Unit would come to retrieve it.
I glanced over to the other side and saw the warriors of the Na estate busily repairing the shattered walls and main gate.
I watched them for a moment, then spoke.
"Still, it's fortunate there weren't many casualties."
At that, Squad Leader Seolpung nodded in agreement.
"Yes, indeed. And this is all thanks to you, Jin."
The death toll at the Na estate was around twenty — not a number one could call small — but considering the nearby Jo and Gok estates, which had been completely annihilated down to the last person, it was nothing short of a heaven-sent relief.
I suddenly asked the squad leader.
"You said Sa-yeong is bringing Ma Maeng-un with him?"
"Ah, they set out together, but it seems Maeng Un's martial prowess is still lacking, so it's taking a while."
At his words, I chuckled and asked.
"Isn't it because you flew here at a speed the squad leader could never hope to match?"
He scratched his head with an awkward laugh.
"W-Would it be? I wouldn't know about that."
Apparently, upon hearing that Lady Na's father was unwell, the squad leader had arranged for Ma Maeng-un, the son of Elder Goe-ui who had been on standby to join our squad, to come here together with Bi Sa-yeong.
He wasn't Elder Goe-ui himself, but even so, Ma Maeng-un's medicinal arts, having inherited his true transmission, were certain to be far more helpful than someone like Physician Yang.
It was a level of thoughtfulness that could only inspire renewed admiration.
I grinned playfully at the squad leader.
"As expected of our squad leader! Truly a man worthy of entrusting Lady Na to!"
He flinched in alarm and stammered.
"E-Entrust Lady Na to me?! What do you mean by that?!"
"Huh? What? Weren't you two formally seeing each other now?"
"S-Seeing each other?! Th-That's...!"
The squad leader hastily shook his head, trying to deny it as if nothing had happened.
But with his face instantly turning into a roasted sweet potato, that was utterly impossible.
"Tsk, tsk."
I clicked my tongue.
As expected, Squad Leader Seolpung was perfect in every way, but it seemed that at least when it came to matters of women, I would have to help him out.
Hmm, what to do.
Recalling something, I surreptitiously spoke to him in a grave tone.
"Squad Leader, did you know that before you arrived, Lady Na's mother was trying to arrange her marriage?"
In that instant, the squad leader's face froze over like ice.
He looked as if he had been struck by a thunderbolt out of a clear blue sky.
"Marriage... you say?"
"Yes, it seems she had even sent a marriage proposal to a nearby sect."
The squad leader's eyes began to waver as if caught in a storm.
"Th-That, then..."
Even when facing formidable foes, Squad Leader Seolpung had always been calm and composed. Seeing him this restless and agitated was something I had never witnessed across both of my lives.
I barely suppressed my laughter and continued with a serious expression.
"Think carefully, Squad Leader. Lady Na, of course, wouldn't want such a marriage, but no matter how much she doesn't want it, with that kind-hearted nature, could she truly refuse the orders of her elders so forcefully?"
The squad leader's gaze slowly crumbled toward the ground. Then, with an expression as if the world had collapsed, he muttered.
"...She couldn't."
A most satisfying sight.
The atmosphere seemed sufficiently set now.
So now, I supposed I needed to fan the flames?
I grabbed his shoulder firmly and spoke in an intense voice.
"That's right. Lady Na could absolutely never refuse. So you have to do it, Squad Leader."
He raised his head and looked at me with eyes that seemed to be grasping at straws.
"Me? What can I possibly do?"
I looked at him with burning eyes and spoke forcefully.
"You have to go and declare it proudly! That Lady Na is already my woman! That you two have promised to marry each other!"
The squad leader's startled eyes shook as if tossed by rough seas.
"M-Me? How could I possibly...?"
It was frustrating, but also the reaction I had expected.
So I let out a deep sigh and shook my head at that point.
"It really is difficult for you, isn't it. Well, if you can't do it, Squad Leader, then Lady Na will just end up marrying someone else. But if you don't particularly mind that, then what can I do?"
I glanced at him sideways.
I caught sight of the squad leader's expression shifting several times in an instant. Even from the side, it looked like resolve and despair were repeating inside him at least five times over.
Then, finally, he gritted his teeth and spoke.
"Fine. Jin, you're right. I'll have to step forward."
And he began striding toward the Na Clan Lord's room where Lady Na would be.
I watched his retreating figure and smiled contentedly to myself.
To tell the truth, even if the squad leader didn't go that far, there would be no more marriage proposals from now on anyway.
Because the person who had sent the proposal had disappeared.
Back when Lady Na was in the squad leader's arms, after watching them for a while, I had eventually followed after Madam Min and her son Na Seo-hwang.
And I made sure they could never return.
Because that seemed to be the only thing I could do for Lady Na right now.
"Huuuu."
A deep sigh suddenly escaped me.
At some point, the smile had vanished from my face.
In my past life, from a certain moment onward, Squad Leader Seolpung had never once shown a happy smile.
Like a person living while clinging not to the future but to the past, his eyes had always been dyed gray.
Just like the gaze of Hwa Young-bin the Red Sunset Divine Sword, who had once wished for death.
Thinking back on it now, that was probably after Lady Na had died.
Countless other comrades had died too, so I simply hadn't noticed — but the time the squad leader had changed into a completely different person was after Lady Na's death.
Realizing that only now, I let out a hollow laugh.
'And the same goes for Lady Na.'
Come to think of it, Lady Na's brightest smiles had always been when she was beside the squad leader.
To the other squad members, she had always shown a motherly smile, but only when she was next to the squad leader did she laugh like a young girl.
That, too, was a fact I only realized now.
In the end, the two of them had held each other deeply in their hearts long before they ever met me.
It was just that, because he was the man I respected most and she was the woman I loved most, I hadn't imagined that far.
No, perhaps it wasn't that I couldn't imagine it, but that I had refused to imagine it.
Because if those two were the counterparts, there would be nothing I could do.
Yes, if it was those two, then I would have no choice but to simply bless them.
My chest constricted and ached as if being wrung out.
In truth, it had been like that continuously, without stopping for even a single moment since then.
But even so, I forced a smile and murmured.
"It's fine. I can gladly yield anything to the squad leader. If it's the squad leader, my hero and benefactor, he'll surely be able to make Lady Na happy. Far happier than I could. Yes. Surely, that will be the case."
As if trying to convince someone, I kept murmuring like that for a long while.
Even as tears streamed down my face, even as my chest continued to ache as if being wrung out.
But no matter how much I tried to convince myself, the pain in my chest still refused to fade away.