Chapter 74
Translator: penny
Chapter: 74
Chapter Title: It's Been a While, So I'm Nervous Too
Hao Sect Leader Dang Wol-hwa.
My connection with her was so intense that I couldn't easily forget it.
The first time I handled escort work in Sichuan, fighting that goddamn difficult bastard—the Sichuan Dang Clan’s Grand Elder...
It all stemmed from my encounter with her.
And back then...
‘Since you’ve given me a new life, my life from now on belongs solely to you, Great Hero.’
“......”
Recalling that dizzying moment made heat rush to my head.
Unaware of what was going through my mind, the Hao Sect Leader smiled brightly and continued speaking.
“After what happened in Sichuan, I wanted to come here right away, but I had too many things to take care of.”
“Did you resolve the conflict with the Sichuan Dang Clan?”
“I’ve finished all my business with them and am heading here now.”
Her face looked utterly relieved as she said that.
Even though she killed her father, the Sichuan Dang Clan’s Grand Elder, Dang Clan blood still ran through her veins.
The Dang Clan wouldn’t easily give up on using the Hao Sect Leader, nor would they forgive the death of their Grand Elder.
The Dang Clan were tenacious bastards, so it must not have been an easy fight for her.
But seeing her face, it seemed she’d handled it well enough.
I approached her and patted her shoulder.
“Good for you. That’s great.”
“Great Hero...”
“Now that I’ve congratulated you, head back.”
“Yes, now I... Wait, what?”
She nodded at first, then suddenly sensed something off and widened her eyes.
But by then, I had already turned her body around and was pushing her back.
“I’ve congratulated you, so go back—whether to Sichuan or wherever, just not here. Shoo!”
“W-Wait a moment, Great Hero!”
The Hao Sect Leader, caught off guard by my reaction, let out a rare flustered voice.
“...Why are you treating me so coldly? You won’t even hear why I came all this way!”
“Why? Isn’t it obvious?”
You came to seduce me.
Not axewoman syndrome or princess syndrome or whatever—this was a perfectly reasonable deduction.
After all...
‘Great Hero, you are what I desire most in life.’
‘I will make the Great Hero mine no matter what.’
...The Hao Sect Leader had a track record of saying things like that.
She must have rushed here after handling her most pressing matters to put her words into action.
‘Lewd woman, impure woman. You think I’ll fall for that?’
Of course, she was a useful existence to me, but with Old Man Moon-seok and her ring as substitutes for the Hao Sect, it didn’t matter.
‘No one can easily take my purity. If you try your best to seduce me, I’ll do my best to reject you.’
With that thought, I firmly pushed her back. Naturally, since her martial prowess was inferior to mine, she could only keep stumbling forward.
“...Kyaa! Gr-Great Hero! Doesn’t the Great Hero need the Hao Sect? With me...”
“Yeah, the ring you gave me works great. Those Hao Sect guys couldn’t even twitch with just that.”
“...B-But to properly command the Hao Sect, you need someone in a high position to carry out the Great Hero’s orders...”
“We’ve got Old Man Moon-seok. From what I’ve seen, he seems more capable than you.”
“No, how can you say that...”
She turned her head, and genuine hurt filled her face. My words must have wounded her.
‘Was that too harsh...?’
“But I’m still the leader...”
“...I get it, so just go. Okay? Let’s just be people who meet up occasionally.”
If the Hao Sect Leader decided to plant herself here like some divine calling, that would be a headache. I stubbornly pushed her resisting back.
“Ah, wait...! Great Hero!”
Realizing I was serious, the Hao Sect Leader groaned. And then...
“...I didn’t come here empty-handed.”
“......”
At those words, I quickly scanned her body.
I didn’t see any luggage or anything. Nor did it seem like she had other attendants nearby.
“Doesn’t look like you brought anything... So, what did you bring?”
“What would the Hao Sect Leader bring as a gift? Obviously information. I’ve brought intelligence.”
Information?
The moment I heard that, my interest piqued, and I stopped pushing. As if she’d expected it, she smiled and turned around.
“I have information worth the Great Hero’s ears.”
“...What is it.”
“In a few days, an escort caravan will pass through here.”
I listened to her words intently.
**
A few days later.
A mountain path in Hunan Province. Though it had been opened some time ago, it was a sparsely traveled route where few people passed normally.
Now, dozens of people were walking along it.
Amid faces filled with grim determination, the one leading at the front bellowed grandly.
“Make way, all of you—! This is the Moran Escort Agency’s caravan!”
“Head Escort Hwang... You don’t need to do that when there’s no one around.”
“Oh, really?”
...Of course, not everything was perfect.
‘What an idiot...’
Sighing at the head escort’s lame display, Gong Hee-ran—the overall head of this caravan—let out a breath.
‘How did the Moran Escort Agency end up like this...’
The Moran Escort Agency had once been the largest in Guangxi Province.
Located in the southern corner, where smooth trade with the Central Plains was difficult, it boasted over a 90% success rate for escort missions and wielded immense influence everywhere.
But that was a few years ago.
Three years prior, after the agency’s chief—Gong Hee-ran’s father—collapsed, the Moran Escort Agency plummeted rapidly.
Consecutive mission failures led to massive penalty fees.
Worst of all, for the agency, was losing so many talented escorts due to those repeated failures.
After the last failure, they’d lost most of their capable, loyal escorts.
‘That’s why an inexperienced guy like Head Escort Hwang had to take the role...’
The enormous remaining debt, plummeted reputation, fallen chief, absence of skilled escorts...
The Moran Escort Agency was sinking fast. And she, the deputy chief, had to bear it all in place of her collapsed father.
Praised from childhood for her commercial talent, at just 22, it all felt overwhelmingly heavy.
Amid endless failures and criticism, she even felt like abandoning the family business that had lasted over a century and running away.
But...
‘This really is... our last chance...’
...Then, like a miracle, a final opportunity arrived at the Moran Escort Agency.
One day, a locked crate of unknown origin appeared at their doors, along with a commission letter bearing no name. And... an advance payment large enough to cover a significant portion of their debt.
The nameless commission promised double the advance if they delivered the goods solely to the Jinwa Escort Agency in Qinghai.
The foundation of any escort mission is trust and safety.
Yet the client wasn’t identified, and Qinghai’s Jinwa Escort Agency?
‘I’ve never even heard of it...’
The destination itself was a complete unknown.
If the Moran Escort Agency were as it once was, they wouldn’t have taken this job no matter the advance.
But...
‘We have no other way to meet the repayment deadline...’
...In their current state, they needed the client to honor the deal and pay double just to avoid bankruptcy.
No matter how hard, she couldn’t abandon the agency in the end. It might even be a trap... but she decided to stake everything on this mission.
Of course...
“Uh, everyone, watch out for the rocks here—!”
“Uh-uh—!”
...Whether they could safely reach Qinghai in the agency’s current state was questionable.
Still, steeling her resolve as they set out, Head Escort Hwang approached Gong Hee-ran and whispered.
“Um... Deputy Chief.”
“What is it, Head Escort Hwang? Is there a problem...?”
“It’s not that, but I just have a bad feeling.”
Looking around anxiously, Head Escort Hwang continued.
“This path... We chose it because it’s shorter, but it’s still run by bandits, right? We can’t trust those bandit scum. What if they’re after our cargo and hit us from behind...”
“Oh, don’t worry about that, Head Escort Hwang. This path’s reliability has been guaranteed for a long time.”
“Reliability?”
Trust from bandits? It sounded like finding sweet syrup in a well, but Gong Hee-ran nodded with conviction.
“This mountain path is officially tolerated by the Murim Alliance. Many escort agencies have used it safely... Head Escort Hwang, did you not see the sign at the entrance saying ‘200 Days Accident-Free’?”
“Oh... the wooden one? I saw it.”
“That means there have been no incidents for 200 days since this path opened. In escort work, one key thing is the confidence that we’re on track. If you’re anxious, the other escorts will be too, so please relax.”
“...Yes, understood.”
Nodding at her explanation, Head Escort Hwang stepped back. Only then could Gong Hee-ran review the upcoming schedule again.
As she’d told him, she had some trust in this path. The problem came after. Once they exited fully, they’d reach Sichuan’s Black Cat Mountain, rumored to have notorious bandits...
That was when it happened.
“Hey, everyone up ahead, stop.”
“...?”
“Oh, stop means halt.”
The caravan, which had been progressing smoothly, halted as they spotted a neatly dressed man standing in the middle of the path, blocking the way.
“...What’s this?”
Stunned by his sudden appearance without any presence, Head Escort Hwang recovered first, stepped forward, and shouted his prepared line.
“We are the Moran Escort Agency’s caravan! Clear the path—!”
“Yeah, yeah, Moran or whatever, I don’t care. I’m the Chief of the Hunan Green Forest Stronghold.”
‘Chief...!’
Hearing that, Gong Hee-ran hurriedly clasped her hands in salute and stepped forward.
“We pay respects to the master of the mountain path! I am Gong Hee-ran, deputy chief of the Moran Escort Agency! What brings the Chief to us...!”
“What reason does a bandit need to appear before an escort caravan?”
“...Pardon?”
“To rob your cargo, obviously.”
“......”
Feeling her blood run cold, Gong Hee-ran asked in a stiff voice.
“...I heard that the Green Forest guarantees the safety of travelers on this path.”
“You heard right. It’s been so long since I did my main job, I’m nervous too. Lads.”
Swish swish swish—.
“...!”
As the Chief raised his hand, Green Forest bandits hiding in the brush emerged and began surrounding the caravan.
Sighing lightly at the sight, the Chief continued.
“Hey, don’t kill them. Go easy, control your strength.”
“Yes!”
“Attack.”
“Waaaaah—!”
And with his command, the bandits’ eyes rolled back as they charged at the caravan.