Chapter 179
Chapter 179
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 179
Chapter Title: The Great Princess's Gratitude
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"Protector Man."
Just before Man Ho's drawn blade could touch the leopard's head, Hyeok Mulin spoke up.
At his words, Man Ho froze for a moment and nodded.
"Understood."
Following Hyeok Mulin's instructions, Man Ho sheathed his blade.
And instead...
Thwack!
He clenched his fist dryly and smashed it into the leopard's muzzle.
The leopard, struck directly by his hand, tumbled several times across the ground.
Then, as if its mind had utterly blanked out, it staggered to its feet, letting out a groan.
Kii... kiiing—
The woman who came running up right after rushed toward the leopard with a worried expression.
"Geumpyo!"
She gently stroked the battered leopard's face with concerned hands.
When she pried open its slack jaws, which flopped weakly, blood coated the inside of its mouth as if it had been completely torn open.
Seeing this, the woman whipped her head around to glare at Hyeok Mulin.
Hyeok Mulin casually pointed a finger at Man Ho.
Her gaze followed his finger to Man Ho, and soon she rose to her feet and approached him.
Step by step.
She wore clothing that boldly exposed her arms, shoulders, and midriff.
Yet there was no trace of a typical woman's soft curves on her body.
Instead, her skin gleamed with a bronze sheen over rock-hard muscles forged by endless training. Her arms and lower body, in particular, were as sturdy as any man's.
Her cropped hair barely reached below her ears, and her sharp, high nose bridge might have fooled anyone into mistaking her for a man—were it not for her attire and voice.
Clink.
Man Ho, having sheathed his blade once more, looked up at her.
She, now standing right in front of him, stopped and stared straight back.
Their eyes locked in a heated clash.
Then, abruptly, she moved.
"Thank you for sparing my friend's life."
She bowed deeply and sincerely to express her gratitude.
He had expected her to blame Man Ho for injuring what was clearly her beloved pet, but instead, she offered thanks.
Man Ho hadn't anticipated this turn at all.
But without betraying any surprise, he simply stated the facts.
"Those were the Cult Leader's orders."
"The Cult Leader...?"
At his words, her gaze shifted to Hyeok Mulin. Her pupils widened as realization dawned, and she clapped a hand over her mouth.
"You're that Heavenly Demon Divine Cult Leader...!"
Hyeok Mulin replied flatly.
"I am Cult Leader Hyeok Mulin."
At that, she hurriedly bent her legs.
She didn't kneel, but it was the deepest show of respect she could offer.
"Great Princess Su Ahlang of the Namman Beast Palace greets the Cult Leader."
Her greeting was simple, yet brimming with genuine courtesy.
Sometimes, plain sincerity outshone excess. Hyeok Mulin nodded at her straightforward yet respectful bow.
But when she'd introduced herself just now, hadn't she said "Great Princess"?
At that, Hyeok Mulin and Man Ho's eyes met in the air.
Hyeok Mulin turned back to her.
"Great Princess, was it?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"Why offer us your thanks?"
Su Ahlang began her calm explanation.
"Truth be told, Geumpyo didn't charge at you with any intent to harm, Cult Leader. He always runs at strangers like that, but it's just his way of inviting them to play."
She glanced briefly at the leopard.
It lay whimpering pitifully, somehow stirring pity in the viewer.
She turned her head firmly and continued.
"From your perspective, though, it must have looked like an uncontrolled beast lunging at you. You'd have been fully justified in killing it on the spot, and I couldn't have objected. Yet you showed mercy and held back your strike. I can only be grateful."
How long had it been since he'd met someone this normal?
After dealing with a young palace lord trying to murder his father and a palace lord openly asking if he'd join forces to take his son's head, encountering someone with utterly sound judgment was a breath of fresh air.
At the very least, she clearly knew right from wrong.
Hyeok Mulin nodded and asked her in return.
"Then why leave it unleashed like that? I understand that all beasts raised in the Namman Beast Palace—except those of the Palace Lord—must be chained unless there's special cause."
Everyone except the Palace Lord had to chain their beasts; that ironclad rule had been set by Palace Lord Suritae, who viewed the creatures with dominating eyes.
Yet she'd called the leopard her friend and let it roam free, naturally raising questions.
"Well..."
Su Ahlang hesitated briefly before confessing the truth.
"It hated the chain around its neck, always feeling suffocated. I'd let it loose now and then. But then I got distracted by something else, and it wandered off on its own. I was searching for it when I saw it charge at you, Cult Leader, so I hurried over."
Just as I thought—she treats beasts as equals, like true friends.
Her explanation matched her behavior perfectly. Hyeok Mulin pointed at the leopard.
"Then tend to its wounds first. We can talk more later."
"Thank you...!"
She bowed her head and hurried back to the leopard.
She hoisted it up effortlessly and dashed toward the treatment hall at full speed.
After entrusting it inside, she returned swiftly to Hyeok Mulin and thanked him again.
"It's just a split lip—nothing serious, they say. Thank you once more for showing mercy in your strike."
As she smiled brightly, Hyeok Mulin chuckled softly.
"No need to thank me so much. I'll claim a fitting price for it anyway."
"P-price...!"
Su Ahlang's eyes widened like a startled rabbit, and she stammered in shock.
She'd thought him kind for saving Geumpyo's life, forgetting he was the demonic ruler who commanded the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
What price could he demand to wear such a wicked smile?
In truth, Hyeok Mulin had only smirked lightly, but her vision had already twisted it into something sinister.
"Ugh!"
Still, she couldn't just turn tail and run from the situation.
He had saved Geumpyo's life, after all. Repaying that debt was the right thing to do.
So Su Ahlang squeezed her eyes shut and faced Hyeok Mulin.
"Whatever you command. I'll do anything I can."
"A fine attitude."
Hyeok Mulin gazed approvingly at her resolute form.
At his expression, Su Ahlang swallowed hard, bracing for his next words.
"What I want from you is..."
What would he demand?
Tens of thousands of grim possibilities swirled in Su Ahlang's mind.
As the worst and most horrific scenarios churned through her head, Hyeok Mulin finally spoke.
"...an explanation about this place."
"...Pardon?"
"I'd like to hear about the Namman Beast Palace as you see it."
"Why suddenly ask about the palace itself?"
To her question, Hyeok Mulin answered impassively.
"We arrived as an envoy and planned to stay awhile, but the atmosphere feels off somehow. You appeared just as I was about to look into it."
"I-I see."
Realizing her worries had been needless, Su Ahlang flushed with embarrassment.
She shook her head quickly, then puffed out her chest and spoke confidently.
"Ahem. Very well. Allow me to explain the Namman Beast Palace."
Su Ahlang had a personality that dove headfirst into focus, so she swiftly cleared her stray thoughts and launched into her explanation.
"Our palace's territory begins from the northern Gaahr Forest and..."
She started by drawing maps on the ground with a stick, detailing the overall terrain and layout, then explained the customs and culture of the Namman region in an easy-to-understand way.
The Namman Beast Palace was a coalition of various tribes. To ascend to Palace Lord, one needed the approval of a majority of the tribe leaders.
The tattoos warriors etched on their bodies could only come from beasts they'd personally hunted, serving as badges of honor that proved their valor.
Hyeok Mulin and Man Ho listened quietly to her words.
As her audience hung on every detail, her enthusiasm grew, and she took it a step further.
Finally, she decided to demonstrate the palace's foundational martial art.
"This is the Ten Thousand Beasts Tempering Art."
Whoosh! Hwoook!
Of course, it was only a partial form, omitting the core movements, but that alone let Hyeok Mulin grasp its essence.
It was a martial art modeled after beasts' motions—swift and with somewhat free-flowing trajectories.
'They said most Namman martial arts draw from animals, and it seems that's true.'
Seeing it firsthand, Hyeok Mulin fully understood.
At times she planted both hands like a wolf, at others she bent her waist flexibly like a snake—it mimicked various animals' movements directly.
Watching her forms, Hyeok Mulin slowly smiled.
"It resembles your blade style in some ways."
Man Ho nodded at that.
"I sensed some similarities myself."
The foundations differed, so it wasn't identical to Man Ho's blade art, but certain motions overlapped.
Thus, Man Ho committed her movements firmly to memory.
Arts with similar structures allowed for deeper insights.
After finishing the demonstration, she wiped her sweat and addressed Hyeok Mulin.
"Is this sufficient?"
Su Ahlang expected an affirmative reply, of course.
She'd covered customs, etiquette, structure—even the palace's martial art—in exhaustive detail. What more could there be?
But disappointingly, Hyeok Mulin's response dashed her hopes.
"I still haven't heard what I was waiting for. Isn't the most important part left?"
"Pardon? What do you mean..."
The most important part was still missing?
She'd shared everything an outsider might wonder about: culture, etiquette, layout, even martial arts.
What more could he possibly expect?
As Su Ahlang stared at him in confusion, Hyeok Mulin spoke slowly.
"The conflict between the Palace Lord and the Young Palace Lord."
"...!"
"I'd like to hear about that."
Whoosh!
Hearing those words, Su Ahlang whipped her head around to scan the surroundings.
Hyeok Mulin spoke to her.
"No presences nearby, so speak freely."
Her startled eyes, still darting about, fixed on Hyeok Mulin.
With a cautious voice, she asked him.
"How in the world did you hear about that?"
"It's an open secret. Hard not to pick up on it even if you don't want to."
"Haa... True enough, but..."
Su Ahlang clearly dreaded broaching the topic.
As the Great Princess—an insider—she had her own position to consider.
But Hyeok Mulin paid no heed to such things.
"So, whose side are you on?"
"That's a rather blunt question..."
Su Ahlang trailed off, shooting him a sidelong glance.
Yet Hyeok Mulin stood motionless, eyes fixed on her.
A stance that said he wouldn't budge until he got his answer.
With a deep sigh, she finally spilled the truth.
"I've taken neither the Palace Lord's side nor the Young Palace Lord's."
"Staying neutral, then."
"Yes."
Neutral.
An unexpected choice left Hyeok Mulin puzzled.
The Namman Beast Palace's power structure was sharply divided between Palace Lord supporters and Young Palace Lord backers.
In a situation forcing a choice between two camps, clinging to neutrality promised no favors.
"Why choose that path?"
Su Ahlang fell silent at his question before replying.
"Both of them hold ideals I can't accept."
Ideals...
Hyeok Mulin could somewhat grasp her meaning.
Unlike the Palace Lord, who ruled beasts through fear, she treated them as equals and bonded deeply with them.
But if so...
"The Palace Lord contrasts with you, sure. But what ideal does the Young Palace Lord hold that you won't follow him?"
Su Ahlang closed her mouth at his query.
She recalled the Young Palace Lord Su Mangeon's past atrocities.
Dry sweat trickled down her neck.
Just thinking about it sent chills racing up her spine.
"He..."
A fear far deeper than when recalling the Palace Lord shadowed her face.
Her voice trembled as she finished.
"He's completely mad."