Chapter 205
Chapter 205
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 205
Chapter Title: Voluntary Capture
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Yi Bija's detachment proceeded smoothly with their march.
They entered the Wei River region without any major issues and swiftly headed toward their destination, North River Mountain.
And finally, when North River Mountain loomed right before them.
"I see a village down there. How about we rest there for the night?"
Song Jwa spoke up upon spotting a small village right at the base of the mountain.
The sun was already setting, casting an orange glow across the sky.
Climbing the mountain at this hour would be less sensible than spending the night in the village and ascending at dawn.
But Yi Bija offered no response, simply staring at the village in silence.
"What's wrong? Is there a problem?"
As Song Jwa voiced his concern at the gaze, Yi Bija slowly parted his lips.
"The smell."
"The smell?"
"Indeed. No aroma of food, even though it's dinnertime—or any time, for that matter. And not a single wisp of smoke rising from any chimney."
"Now that you mention it, something does feel off."
Song Jwa furrowed his brow and glared at the village.
Yi Bija's words made the once-ordinary-looking village feel instantly suspicious.
And as he eyed it uneasily, Yi Bija's worries deepened.
Something's definitely there.
Beyond the visible signs, his instincts warned him that the village ahead held something amiss.
But he was currently on a mission by the Heavenly Demon's order, and he had to resolve this.
If it were any other time, I'd just charge through.
He had confidence in the martial prowess of the unit he had trained himself.
No matter the trap, since he'd sensed it in advance, he believed they could break through unscathed.
However.
Yi Bija glanced back briefly.
Hyeok Mulin entered his field of vision at the rear.
The problem is that there's something more important than mission success.
The Cult Leader's safety.
That was the absolute top priority, above all else.
No matter how transcendent a martial artist the Cult Leader was, the Heavenly Demon Army must never forget their duty to protect him.
"Hm..."
After weighing all these factors, Yi Bija reached a conclusion.
Alright, let's check it out.
His final decision was to visit the village.
This choice was influenced by the fact that the place where he had first met Hyeok Mulin was the Thousand-Year Prison Island.
What was there to worry about with someone bold enough to enter alone an island prison akin to the Murim Alliance's dungeon in the heart of the Central Plains?
Yi Bija took the lead at the front of the unit and entered the village.
But.
"This place..."
"Is it an abandoned village?"
The unit members who entered scanned their surroundings, voicing doubts.
And rightly so, for not a single soul could be seen on the streets.
Moreover, the village was deathly silent, quiet as a grave, without even the slightest sound.
At one point, Yi Bija halted and stood still, quietly surveying the entire village.
Then.
"Kyaaah!"
A boy who had been hiding behind a wall leaped out wielding a sickle.
He clumsily charged toward the center of the unit for an attack.
But unfortunately, the spot he rushed into was right in front of Hyeok Mulin.
"..."
Hyeok Mulin made no move against the boy's charge.
He simply watched him approach.
Yet the boy couldn't even get close to Hyeok Mulin.
Papap!
"Kyaak!"
Exactly three arrows embedded into the hand holding the sickle.
It was the nearby unit members who had fired in Hyeok Mulin's stead.
They turned to the motionless Hyeok Mulin and called out.
"You alright?"
"Must be stiff since you're new."
"Be careful next time. Get careless, and you could end up dead in an instant."
Mistaking his lack of reaction as freezing up from the sudden ambush, they offered words of concern to Hyeok Mulin.
However, Hyeok Mulin showed no response to their words, simply staring at the boy.
The boy, who had immediately dropped the sickle, collapsed in place, clutching his profusely bleeding hand and letting out pained groans.
At that moment.
Twang—
The sound of a bowstring being drawn came from the front.
The unit members looked ahead and widened their eyes in surprise.
Yi Bija was aiming at the boy.
Song Jwa, equally startled, tried to stop him.
"No need to kill a mere child, right? From his appearance, he seems like a local scraping by here. There must be some story behind it."
In truth, the unit members could have targeted a vital spot instead of the hand.
But considering his young age and untrained movements, they had opted to merely disarm him.
Yet despite Song Jwa's words, Yi Bija did not lower his bow.
Intentionally or not, the boy had tried to harm the Cult Leader.
Yi Bija could not let that slide.
His arrow, drawn taut as if ready to loose at any moment, was precisely aimed at the boy's heart.
And just as he was about to release.
『That's enough. Stand down.』
At Hyeok Mulin's telepathic message, Yi Bija slowly released the tension from his fingers.
He unstrung the arrow and lowered his bow.
As the unit members sighed in relief, Hyeok Mulin stepped forward.
Step. Step.
A shadow fell over the boy's head.
The child, clutching his hand, slowly looked up and met Hyeok Mulin's eyes.
Having failed his ambush, what retaliation awaited him now?
The boy trembled in fear.
Then, Hyeok Mulin placed a hand on his shoulder.
"No need to fear. We've come to help you."
"...Pardon?"
At those words, the boy stared blankly ahead in confusion.
Hyeok Mulin spoke to him again.
"We come from the Cult."
"...!"
The boy's eyes widened in shock.
"Oh dear, to show such rudeness to esteemed guests from the main Cult... I can only apologize."
Village chief Il Seok, who had come out to greet them, bowed his head in shame, unable to lift it.
He then pressed down firmly on the head of the boy beside him, Jang Seok, and apologized once more.
"You brat! Because of you this happened—why aren't you apologizing?!"
Jang Seok, whose hand wound had been temporarily treated, glanced at the unit.
He bowed his head toward them.
"I'm sorry."
Il Seok still looked displeased and was about to say more, but Yi Bija stopped him.
"That's enough."
"Ah, yes. Understood."
Il Seok scratched his head, ceased his scolding, and turned to the unit members.
He cautiously asked Yi Bija.
"But what brings the Cult here?"
"We heard there were vicious bandits nearby, so we've come to exterminate them."
"How did you...!"
Il Seok couldn't hide his astonishment at the Cult's intelligence.
Those who roamed North River Mountain operated quietly only in the vicinity.
They dominated the surrounding villages and threatened to massacre anyone who alerted the Cult, leaving nowhere to seek help.
Yet the Cult knew and had come to their aid.
The chief was amazed and grateful.
"The village atmosphere seemed strange, though. What exactly happened?"
"Well, actually..."
At Yi Bija's question, Il Seok began recounting the details.
This village was a small settlement, but they had lived well enough by pooling their strength without great hardship.
However, a few years ago, new arrivals set foot in North River Mountain, shattering their daily lives.
They built a stronghold midway up the mountain and soon formed a martial force, seizing control of the surrounding villages.
The law was distant, but fists were close.
With only untrained locals nearby, resisting their threats was impossible.
"Their demands grew over time. We started going hungry, struggling to even eat one proper meal a day."
Their requirements escalated, now demanding most of the harvest.
And today was the day they came for their tribute.
The villagers had hidden silently like mice, but Jang Seok, unable to endure their tyranny, had rushed out on his own to face death, without telling anyone.
Yi Bija, having listened carefully, asked back.
"That's odd, though. Our attire differs from theirs—why the misunderstanding?"
"They're bandits, but they care about appearances and always wear plausible martial robes. Looking closely now, there's a difference, but with night falling and the dark colors, it was hard to distinguish."
Yi Bija nodded at that.
Since they weren't yet in the official Heavenly Demon Army uniforms, mistaking them for ordinary martial robes wasn't unreasonable.
Bandits wearing martial robes, though.
This isn't ordinary either.
As Yi Bija pondered this, he glanced at Hyeok Mulin.
Moments later, Hyeok Mulin directed a question at Il Seok.
"What happens if you refuse their demands?"
"We haven't refused yet, but nearby villages that fell short had some people dragged off alive to their prison."
"Prison."
"Yes."
Il Seok's face hardened as he continued in a grim voice.
"Few of those taken have returned."
At his words, the gathered villagers' expressions darkened.
Though other villages, they were close neighbors with deep ties.
Their parents, children, siblings, friends had been taken.
Some shed tears recalling it anew.
Among them, Hyeok Mulin, facing them directly, slowly turned his head to look at Yi Bija.
He sent a telepathic message.
『You heard that. A way to infiltrate that place without a fight.』
『Pardon? What do you...』
Yi Bija tilted his head, not grasping Hyeok Mulin's meaning at first.
Once he understood, his eyes widened slightly, and Hyeok Mulin provided the clear answer.
『We'll get ourselves captured in their place and taken to the North River Stronghold.』
At Hyeok Mulin's declaration, Yi Bija's firmly shut lips parted in shock.
Deep into the night.
Several men moved along the mountain path.
A few bandits with roguish faces that couldn't be hidden despite their plausible martial robes arrived at the village entrance.
"Is this the last one?"
"We got delayed at the previous village."
"That's why they should've handed it over from the start. Wasted time and ended up killing three."
"Yeah, squeeze 'em dry and it'll come out."
Today was the day they collected tribute from the villages around North River Mountain.
Money if they had it, goods if not.
They wrung the locals dry, taking every last grain of rice.
Unlike usual, they had spent considerable time at the prior village.
Some residents begged they had nothing, but disbelieving, the bandits ransacked homes, beat people, and threatened until they tearfully surrendered everything.
"Wish we could put it off till tomorrow."
"The stronghold chief's sensitive about this stuff. Let's wrap it up quick and head back."
"Yeah, this village has never refused tribute once, so it'll be fast."
It was already late.
United in resolve to finish quickly, they entered the village and bellowed loudly.
"Il Seok! Get out here—!"
The bandit called the village chief—who was twice his senior—like a servant.
Yet the chief couldn't resist and hesitantly appeared.
The villagers followed behind him.
"You've arrived..."
"Ho? Waiting for us?"
"This village knows its place."
The satisfied bandit continued.
"Time's late, so hand it over quick."
He demanded this month's tribute brazenly, slouching arrogantly.
But the response utterly defied his expectations.
"We're sorry. This year's harvest was a disaster; we have nothing left to give."
"Wh-what?!"
"We're sorry—!"
As the villagers echoed the chief's apology, the bandits panicked.
A few had skimped on tribute before, but everyone refusing like this was a first.
And a bad harvest?
Nearby villages farmed the same; no reason this one alone suffered.
Clearly just an excuse to refuse, their faces twisted in rage.
"Damn pests...!"
"Wanna test us?"
As fury boiled, the leading bandit bellowed.
"Tie up all these insolent bastards—!"
We'll show them such a lesson at the stronghold they'll never rebel again!
But in their anger, they never noticed to the end.
Even as the villagers were bound tight with ropes, one man among them quietly smiled.