Chapter 31
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: What Are You Doing? (1)
The old woman prepared their final breakfast.
Though calling it breakfast...
It was just one Fasting Pill and a cup of tea.
Even so, they had to gather around to eat it.
"We depart at exactly ten in the morning."
Vanguard said abruptly.
Everyone was just sitting down, not even touching their Fasting Pills yet. Hanbi and Wild Boar, who had come in late from talking outside, hadn't even taken their seats.
Thud!
Vanguard tossed a thick bundle in front of the Fox of Bireung Mountain.
"I've prepared what you'll need. Check it over and get anything else required."
"Ah! You could have given this to me last night. Then I could have prepared more thoroughly."
The Fox of Bireung Mountain grumbled, furrowing his brow slightly.
Vanguard nailed it down firmly.
"Hmph! Let me say it once. One Scout. For One Scout, security is everything."
"Right. Of course. Security is life."
The Fox of Bireung Mountain replied sarcastically.
Fox had meant it as a joke, but Vanguard remained dead serious.
"Every action prioritizes security. I'll usually reveal the destination about the time it takes to drink one cup of tea in advance. Only on days like today, when it's exceptionally safe, will I tell you a full hour ahead."
"Ah, yes."
"Any questions?"
"None, nope."
Fox waved his hands hurriedly.
Vanguard was being so stern that even joking felt awkward.
Who didn't know Vanguard's words? They did. They knew, but they were comrades sharing a pot of rice—they wanted to relax a bit.
Yet Vanguard showed no tolerance for hasty jokes. Meanwhile, Hanbi and Jaja, accustomed to such talk, calmly began eating their Fasting Pills.
That was just Vanguard's nature.
Remote City.
Unpacking the bundle revealed a neatly folded sheet of hanji paper first. Written on it was "Remote City."
This was the destination the Fox of Bireung Mountain would guide them to.
Fox stared piercingly at the characters "Remote City."
'Remote City, Remote City, Remote City, Remote City...'
He memorized the characters. He repeated them until even if someone smashed his head with a blunt object one day and left him dazed, he could still recall "Remote City."
'Got it!'
Once he had fully memorized "Remote City," Fox lit the paper on fire and burned it to a handful of ash.
The place he would lead the group to was Remote City.
Only two people in the world knew this: Vanguard and him. The others had no idea where they were going. Even as comrades sharing a pot, the destination was kept strictly secret.
Wild Boar and Four Thousand Four were comrades now. From here on, they would stake their lives on each other. But he wouldn't tell them either. If Vanguard thought it was safe to share, he wouldn't have tossed the bundle like that.
Vanguard had said it: Security is life.
Fox understood the weight of those words. And he knew exactly how to act to uphold that meaning.
Never reveal the destination to anyone.
'To get to Remote City...'
Fox examined the bundle.
First came a thick book. It detailed every province in the Central Plains. Each province was broken down by prefecture, with even village names marked in fine detail.
The thick map was a full map of the Central Plains.
Maps of each province and every city.
Opening the city section showed even smithies and butcher shops listed.
With this, he could go anywhere in the Central Plains.
'Incredible! Such a precise map exists!'
Fox immediately located Remote City on the map.
Their current position, Remote City's location, and the route there were all clear at a glance.
Too easy!
Yes, following the marked paths on the map was too easy. That's not why Vanguard employed One Scout. When dragging convicts out of the Nineteen Hells, there was always a reason for it.
The paths on the map had nothing to do with them.
They couldn't take the easy roads. Hadn't Vanguard emphasized it twice? Security is life.
He had to lead them by paths that weren't paths.
The route Vanguard had taken to this mountain village wasn't false. They must avoid people along the way. Lead them only on trails no one used.
Beneath the map was a compass.
Magnets and thread too—for making a backup if the compass failed.
This wasn't a test.
Vanguard providing such thorough preparations meant from now on, it was life-or-death.
Fox began poring over the map.
Meanwhile, Vanguard sought out Four Thousand Four.
"Preparations going well?"
"Nothing to prepare."
Four Thousand Four spread his hands.
He had nothing to take. He'd arrived empty-handed and would leave the same.
"I heard something odd. Mind showing me your weapons?"
Vanguard said, perching on the table edge.
Four Thousand Four showed his empty hands again.
In truth... he didn't use weapons. If a situation required a tool for killing, he picked up something suitable nearby. Unlike martial artists, he didn't carry personal arms.
Weapons were sometimes necessary.
Like the recent fight, where he couldn't have won without one.
So he'd checked the armory. Wondering if something fit his hand. But nothing did.
If needed, he'd find something around.
Still, he answered politely.
"I checked the armory, but nothing suited me."
"Is that so? I heard you took some strange items. Handbow, handcuffs, hiltless dagger."
"Ah! I didn't think of them as weapons... But since they were in the armory, they must be weapons."
Four Thousand Four remained calm throughout.
Vanguard was a wall Four Thousand Four couldn't surpass. Four Thousand Four was just a murderer, but Vanguard was a true martial artist—honed over years with ample combat experience.
Yet watching them converse, it was hard to tell who was superior.
Both were utterly composed.
"Didn't think of them as weapons... Interesting. Say a handbow counts as one. What do you plan with handcuffs?"
"Well... They caught my eye, so I took them."
"Toys?"
"Not exactly. You might not understand, but those items don't fit in an armory. That's why I took them."
Four Thousand Four pulled out the items Vanguard was curious about.
The short-range, low-power handbow, handcuffs, and hiltless dagger.
Vanguard picked up the hiltless dagger.
"This one had a hilt, right?"
"It did."
"Then why?"
"You might not understand... Sorry. I say that a lot. I have my own rules. The hilt violated them, so I left it behind."
Vanguard's eyes gleamed.
Four Thousand Four apologized. But he didn't look sorry at all. No, he seemed utterly confident. So confident it came off as humble.
Among the One-Four-Six selected from the Nineteen Hells, none had been this bold.
Murderers bared their凶性. A reaction to not being belittled, and partly their nature. Or they groveled. Knowing what it took to survive.
One or the other: savage ferocity or cringing subservience.
Four Thousand Four was serene. No tension visible. But when he moved, it would be swift and merciless.
Because he never mixed emotion with action.
Acting on instinct without thought meant no hesitation. Movement led straight to killing.
A brutally simple, swift murder.
Vanguard breathed shallow and deep.
He realized he faced a true killer.
This guy! A murderer to the bone!
Four Thousand Four's politeness respected Vanguard's position.
It meant submission to Vanguard.
No, not to Vanguard. To the letter Vanguard had delivered.
"You have rules for choosing weapons? Fair enough. What about this?"
Shing!
Vanguard drew his sword and placed it on the table.
A fine blade. Clearly forged from quality steel, honed to perfection. And the blade gleamed with oil-slick luster.
Four Thousand Four examined the large "대" engraved on the blade.
Carved into the metal, filled with red dye to prevent blood seepage.
Masterful calligraphy.
"An excellent sword."
"Fit to use as a weapon?"
Four Thousand Four shook his head.
"It's a fine sword, but not for me."
"Haha! Incomprehensible. Can't you explain your criteria for picking weapons?"
"Sorry."
"This sword is given only to squad leaders. Made specially from special steel. Killing aura, hardness, sharpness... unmatched for murder."
'That's exactly it—too soaked in blood...'
Four Thousand Four kept that thought to himself.
Vanguard's sword reeked of blood. The moment it left the sheath, a nauseating stench hit. Before debating quality, it offended the senses.
The armory weapons and Vanguard's sword were equally blood-soaked.
"Haha! Enough chit-chat..."
Vanguard grew serious.
"You're Four-Kill. If One Scout's principle is security, you're Kill."
"Understood."
"Heard what Four-Kill does too?"
"..."
"I'm the head, Fox of Bireung Mountain the legs, Wild Boar the shield-bearing left hand, you're the sword-wielding right. Hanbi's the spine, Jaja the heart. Thus, we become one perfect body."
"Got it. I'll do my utmost as the sword-wielding right hand."
Vanguard narrowed his eyes at Four Thousand Four.
No one had been this polite. None like him. He spoke like a bookish scholar reporting to his master—courteous and meek.
But Four Thousand Four wasn't that type.
That's what unnerved him. A monster not to be unleashed on the world. His prisoner number had "Heaven" in it. Such a man showing full submission only heightened the suspicion.
Vanguard sharpened his gaze and spoke.
"I'm infamous for killing One-Four-Six."
"Heard that."
"Two-Three-Five are head, spine, heart. Can't discard them, right?"
"I understand."
"Understand?"
"I'll perform my duties to the best. I won't cling if discarded. Don't worry."
"So it's fine to smash your skull anytime?"
"Yes. Lizards sever tails in crisis. If One-Four-Six dies for that reason, I don't care."
"Hah!"
Vanguard was speechless.
Wild Boar of Six Directions would do his part.
Wielding twin axes with true inner power felt like facing a fiery bear.
Reassuring.
Fox would handle his role too. Fox knew what was expected.
Only Four Thousand Four worried him.
He hadn't learned new arts, his seals weren't fully broken. And his "weapons" were like toys for village women.
That's why Vanguard visited.
But hearing him... it only deepened the unease. Could he trust and use such a man?