One Month of Unsettling Calm
"You've worked hard today, milady."
Yi Yeon nodded in response to the maid she passed, then headed to her room. The sunset sky glowed a beautiful crimson. She paused to gaze upward, lost in thought.
Already a month?
It had been exactly one month. What had happened during that time? Nothing like she'd imagined.
Her duties consisted solely of escorting Hwang Bo-seol twice a day on her outings for external affairs, always in pairs. They rotated shifts, leaving the rest of the time essentially free. As long as they stayed in the Inner Courtyard under the pretext of standby duty, no one cared what they did—cultivate, read, zone out, or even nap in their rooms. One colleague had even grumbled that it felt embarrassing to take ten gold taels for this.
The others had come prepared for grueling labor disguised as escort work, figuring no one would pay that much for simple protection. But surprisingly, it really was just protection.
It's strange.
That very sincerity made it feel off somehow, like there was something hidden beneath the surface. But it was just a feeling—no evidence. Feelings alone proved nothing. She needed proof.
So far, there had been none.
"Hoo."
Yi Yeon let out a short sigh. Spying didn't suit her temperament; it was mentally exhausting. And the place was vast. Sure, it was just an "escort agency," but anyone who called it that had only seen a branch. The main headquarters was on another level entirely.
The Inner Courtyard alone—which was only half the compound—was a labyrinth of gates upon gates upon gates, paths branching endlessly into unknown depths. A true ninefold inner sanctum.
No wonder gathering intel was so hard. They could throw a raucous party inside, and no one outside would know. The scale was that immense.
I've checked most places, though...
With so much free time, she'd snuck around, avoiding eyes, and covered a lot of ground. But nothing suspicious yet.
Maybe I need to look into the Lord's quarters.
The new Lord was a complete enigma. Literally. She'd seen him once, when he and his wife formally greeted the newly hired female warriors.
That was it. Rumor had it he left Inner Courtyard affairs to his wife and handled the Outer Courtyard himself. It checked out—he'd never appeared here since.
She'd reported this to Eun Hwa-yeong via Black Letter.
No suspicions in the Outer Courtyard. Focus solely on the Inner. The answers are there.
Made sense. Another spy in the Outer had watched endlessly; if nothing turned up there, it was clean.
The answers are in the Inner Courtyard.
The Lord did enter the Inner Courtyard sometimes—to his residence at its deepest heart, where he'd end his day. But only late evening or night. Empty before then.
Sneak into his quarters outright?
It might be the fastest way to find something. But...
No. Too risky. Way too risky.
A man who'd risen from a third-rate escort agency to lead a top agency? No way his private quarters lacked defenses. Absurd.
Stay cautious. Approach carefully.
Yi Yeon calmed her mind again. Patience was her strength. Time favored the patient. She believed that.
Lost in thought, she arrived near her room. The Golden Dragon Battlefield had rooms to spare, so each female warrior got her own—spacious and well-kept. That part she liked. And it was convenient; no need to mind others while drafting Black Letters.
"Ah, unnie."
Someone called out. A pretty young woman in white training garb, still with a youthful air. Im So-min. Her Cold Sword moniker came from her ruthless strikes, but her sweet, sociable nature had already won over most colleagues—including Yi Yeon.
"Something wrong?"
Yi Yeon read the hesitation in her eyes and asked first.
"Not exactly... Have you seen Lord Ju-unnie by any chance?"
Ju Ok-yeong, no doubt—the Moon-Cutting Blade master. Total opposite of Im So-min: cold, solitary, often holing up alone somewhere vast in the Inner Courtyard. She'd started in her room but, annoyed by neighbors, now only returned to sleep.
"No, haven't seen her."
Yi Yeon shook her head.
"Aish, where the heck did she go?"
Im So-min frowned.
"Why? Chasing someone who prefers solitude isn't ideal, I think."
"It's just... I begged and begged for a sparring match, finally got permission, and today was the day. But she's still not back..."
In that instant, Yi Yeon's eyes flashed.
She sensed something wrong. Ju Ok-yeong avoided hassle but was meticulous about martial arts. Skipping a promised spar? Impossible. Something had happened.
"Let's find her."
"Huh?"
"Together."
Yi Yeon's face turned grave as she shot forward.
"Ah... W-wait, I'm coming!"
Im So-min hurried after.
Countless rooms filled the Inner Courtyard. Many empty. Most ordinary.
But one was different. Touch a specific spot on the wall painting, and a hidden underground chamber opened.
Inside that chamber: a man and a woman.
The man was massive. The woman tall. Similarities ended there.
He grinned vibrantly. She stood like a lifeless doll, arms limp, eyes blankly fixed on nothing. Stark naked, breasts and pussy fully exposed. A long, dark scar ran from her left neck to the top of her right breast—deep enough to show even clothed.
Anyone from the Golden Dragon Battlefield would recognize her: Ju Ok-yeong, newly picked for Hwang Bo-seol's escort.
The giant approached her slowly, pinched her left nipple hard, and twisted mercilessly. Agony beyond humiliation.
But Ju Ok-yeong showed no human reaction. No moan, no twitch. Just a vacant statue.
Satisfied, he nodded. Her pain receptors were fully numbed—not even reaching her subconscious. Deep hypnosis.
"What must you remember, cheonnyeo?"
A human voice finally emerged from the doll-like woman. Lifeless.
"...The cheonnyeo comes here every day at the hour of the rooster... without being seen... feels no strangeness... thinks it's only natural..."
"What happens when you come here?"
"...The cheonnyeo falls instantly into hypnosis... strips completely bare, exposing her swollen tits and pussy... waits for Master..."
"Good. Smart for a pussy bitch."
"...Thank you... Master..."
Squelch.
He smirked, shoving three fingers deep into her pussy.
"Then what must you forget?"
"...The cheonnyeo forgets everything after falling into hypnosis here... never remembers... but Master's sacred commands... are eternally engraved in the cheonnyeo's stupid head..."
"Perfect. Now chant your oath of obedience a hundred times. Then dress, reset the hidden room, leave, and awaken."
"...Yes... Master..."
He turned and climbed the stairs.
"...The cheonnyeo is Master's perfect hypnosis slave... thinks nothing... feels nothing... obeys only Master's commands... The cheonnyeo is Master's..."
Alone underground, Ju Ok-yeong murmured her submission blankly.
"Yeon Bodi-tal."
Back upstairs, he called.
"Yes, Master."
A woman appeared, bowing low. Unmistakably Yeon Su-rin, the Broken Heart Heroine.
Calling the world's Yeon Su-rin by the shameful "Yeon Pussy-Bitch" and making her prostrate? Only Jang Il.
"Every time I see it, that uniform suits you perfectly."
Jang Il grinned approvingly. Her outfit was so sheer, everything showed through: breasts, nipples, pussy bush and slit. Clinging tight, outlining every curve—lewd beyond words. Seen by anyone, it'd shatter her heroic fame and life. Whorish.
Ridiculously, this was the official uniform of the Jeolhwadae—designed solely to expose the female body.
"I am always grateful for this splendid uniform, Master."
Yeon Su-rin's voice brimmed with genuine thanks.
"Anybody around?"
"No one, Master."
"Good. Carry me."
"Yes. Excuse me, Master."
She carefully hoisted him piggyback. He naturally grabbed her breasts tight.
"Hng...!"
She moaned. Nipples hardened. Training success.
"Control your heat—mind the time and place."
"S-sorry, Master."
She bit her lip, suppressing arousal.
"Get me to my room without being seen. A fine slave like you can manage."
"You praise this worthless slave bitch as fine—I'm at a loss. I'll escort Your Excellency to your room with my life."
"Good. Go."
"Yes, Master."
Yeon Su-rin dashed out, carrying him. Flying Swallow Step. The famed graceful lightness skill... looked grotesque with a lewdly dressed woman, tits gripped, lugging a giant man.
A sight unique to the Golden Dragon Battlefield.