Chapter 27
Chapter 27
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Secret Cave
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Byeok Cheonwi's face lit up as vividly as if a torch had been lit in a dark cave. The moment I gave my answer, he burst into loud laughter as if he'd been waiting for it.
“Hahaha! Excellent! Very excellent! A condition, eh? Speak it! Will you ask me to share the treasures from the Secret Cave?”
His booming laughter echoed through the office.
“I'll take Paeng Daesan with me.”
“……Who?”
Byeok Cheonwi's laughter cut off abruptly. He asked again as if he truly hadn't expected it. His face clearly showed bewilderment, like 'What did I just hear?'
“Paeng Daesan. Please let him accompany me on this Secret Cave investigation.”
At my confirmation, Byeok Cheonwi stared at me blankly for a moment, speechless. I could sense countless thoughts racing through his mind. The weakest member of the Azure Dragon Squad. A guy with no talent whatsoever. A late-stage disciple who survived solely on grit and endurance. Why him? His eyes were asking exactly that.
Of course, I had no intention of explaining the reason to him.
'It'd be nice to have a sandbag or two.'
You never knew when or where something might drain your mental energy. I couldn't rely on Soso every single time. Paeng Daesan would make a perfect substitute. Plus, that naively innocent guy would be incredibly useful for running errands. He was handy in all sorts of ways.
After a long silence, Byeok Cheonwi finally spoke again. His voice was filled with unresolved questions, but he didn't press further.
“……Very well. If that's what you want, so be it. Paeng Daesan follows you well, so he'll surely be of help.”
He seemed to try reading some deeper meaning from me, but soon gave up and nodded. To him, Paeng Daesan was expendable anyway—whether he was there or not made little difference. There was no reason to refuse the request.
“Then prepare yourself. We depart in three days.”
And with that, the Secret Cave expedition was decided. Soso, as my partner, would naturally come along.
As I left the office, Paeng Daesan was waiting anxiously. When I told him he'd be joining the Secret Cave investigation, he froze on the spot.
“Pardon? Me, Senior Brother?”
His eyes widened as if they might burst. I nodded silently. In that instant, thick teardrops began falling from Paeng Daesan's eyes.
“Sob… Senior Brother! How can I ever repay this grace…!”
He looked ready to grab my pant leg in gratitude. I waved him off vigorously to shake him loose. The commotion drew the gazes of the squad members around us—complicated looks mixing jealousy toward Paeng Daesan and awe toward me.
A few days passed like that.
The Azure Dragon Squad bustled with preparations for the expedition to the Secret Cave. Dozens of elite squad members, led by Byeok Cheonwi, were selected, and six or seven physicians, including me and Soso, were added to the roster. Paeng Daesan, on my recommendation, floated around like he was walking on clouds for days, trailing after me and handling every odd job.
An announcement went out that while all squad members would ride horses, the physicians—who lacked martial arts training and thus stamina—would travel in a sturdy separate carriage.
And finally, the morning of departure dawned.
An unprecedented tension hung over the Azure Dragon Squad's vast training grounds. The elite squad members mounted their horses, adjusting the light armor worn under their uniforms, quietly awaiting the order to move out. Their eyes burned with the resolve to cut through a battlefield. Beside them waited a somewhat smaller carriage for the physicians.
The Azure Dragon Squad's official purpose for heading to the Secret Cave was clear: to prevent any potential clash between the righteous and unorthodox factions there and investigate the reality of the Demonic Cult's unrest. It was the Martial Alliance's duty for the stability of the Central Plains martial world.
Of course, my goal was far removed from such grand notions.
'This Demonic Energy thing—how far can I control it with my abilities?'
I'd confirmed some things while purifying the Demonic Cultist we'd captured alive yesterday, but there was still much I wanted to test. This might even provide a clue to advancing my hypnosis technique to the next level.
Soso and I boarded the carriage with the other physicians. The inside was thick with the tense breathing of the already-seated doctors and the scent of medicinal herbs. Far off, Paeng Daesan, mounted on his horse, puffed out his chest proudly toward us.
At that moment, Byeok Cheonwi's resounding voice boomed across the training grounds. With his greatsword slung over his shoulder, he looked like a mountain in himself.
“Our destination is the Secret Cave! On the honor of the Martial Alliance, we will not stand by while riffraff threatens the Central Plains' peace!”
His declaration ignited the squad members' eyes with fervor.
“Advance!”
Rumble—!
With the command, the heavy gates of the training grounds swung open. Starting with Byeok Cheonwi at the lead, dozens of horses surged forward in unison. Our carriage jolted into slow motion behind them.
Soso peered out the window with wide eyes at the novel scenery, then soon leaned her head quietly on my shoulder as if it were the most natural thing. The soft tickle of her hair on my neck and her faint body scent softened the tense air inside the carriage, if only a little.
.
.
.
.
The first day heading to the Secret Cave was surprisingly peaceful.
After half a day rattling around in the jolting carriage, the expedition arrived at a fairly large inn at a roadside crossroads as the sun began to set. Byeok Cheonwi laughed heartily, summoned the innkeeper, tossed over a hefty pouch of silver as “support funds from the Martial Alliance,” and rented out the entire place. Grumbles rose from guests midway through their meals as they were chased out, but none dared voice complaints openly to the fierce-looking Azure Dragon Squad members.
Thanks to that, dinner turned into our own private feast.
“Drink up! Drink up! We might croak on the road tomorrow, but tonight we drink and die!”
“Kahaha! Squad Leader's the best!”
Under Byeok Cheonwi's boisterous lead, the squad devoured food and booze like ravenous beasts. As if washing away the fatigue from days of tense training and missions, the inn filled with roaring laughter, shouts, and the clink of cups. Paeng Daesan was right in the thick of it with his comrades, guzzling until his face turned beet red. No wonder everyone was so eager for this life-or-death Secret Cave trip.
I sat quietly with Soso at a corner table, eating. I picked out the best cuts and piled them on her plate; she beamed and ate them with relish.
'Tch.'
I clicked my tongue inwardly at the squad members staggering drunk. If we hadn't rented out the whole inn, there'd surely have been a few thugs eyeing Soso's beauty and throwing lecherous glances. That would've given me a chance to test some new mental interference ideas I'd been working on. A twinge of regret was inevitable.
As the meal wound down, a thoroughly plastered Paeng Daesan staggered over to our table. He grinned idiotically and tried to plop down beside me.
“Senior Brother! Can I sleep in your room tonight too? I've got so much to tell you…!”
“Scram.”
I flung a chicken leg bone at his face without a hint of hesitation.
“Go hug those pitch-black dudes and sleep or whatever.”
Paeng Daesan looked on the verge of tears. The squad members watching burst into laughter.
“Hey, Paeng Daesan! Even the Squad Leader fears that guy—where do you get off?!”
“Just bunk with us in the stables, you!”
In the end, Paeng Daesan was dragged off wailing by his comrades. Leaving the rowdy inn behind, I took Soso's hand and stood. Up on the second floor in our assigned room awaited a cozy space just for us.
The moment I locked the door, I pulled Soso into my arms by the waist as usual. She melted into my embrace without resistance, letting out a languid breath.
“Senior Brother, are you tired?”
“A bit.”
I whispered in her ear as I led her to the bed. Time to recharge my mental energy.
The next day, the long journey resumed.
The path to the Secret Cave grew increasingly rugged. The carriage jolted along a deserted mountain trail when—
“Enemies! Bandits!”
With a shout from the vanguard, dozens of figures poured from the forests on both sides of the road, howling war cries. Tattered armor, crude weapons. Eyes gleaming with greed and madness. Easily over a hundred bandits.
The physicians inside the carriage paled in terror. But not a single Azure Dragon Squad member flinched.
“Form ranks! Sweep them!”
At Byeok Cheonwi's curt order, the squad swiftly arrayed into formation and charged the bandits on horseback.
Clang! Clang-clang! Pssh!
“Argh!”
“S-Spare me!”
In an instant, hell broke loose. From inside the carriage, it sounded like a one-sided slaughter. To a group of professionally trained elite warriors, the ragtag bandits were mere prey.
I watched the scene through the narrow carriage window. Even amid the blood spraying and screams echoing in the chaos, a slight urge to join the fray stirred. If I applied body enhancement hypnosis and jumped in, how many could I take?
'…Nah.'
I shelved the thought. Even if I did step in, I had no good way to recover mental energy right now. In this cramped carriage, the other physicians' eyes gleamed watchful. I couldn't blatantly grope Soso to recharge in front of them.
The fight ended quickly. Dozens of corpses littered the ground; the survivors fled screaming into the forest. Some squad members moved to pursue, but Byeok Cheonwi raised a hand to halt them.
“Let them go. Our goal is the Secret Cave. We won't waste time on small fry.”
The Azure Dragon Squad wiped the blood from their blades and reformed ranks as if nothing had happened. Their cold efficiency drew awed gazes from the physicians in the carriage.
Thus, nights at inns and days traversing rugged mountain paths continued for several days.
And at last, we reached our destination.
“Halt!”
At Byeok Cheonwi's command from the lead, the long column came to a stop. Soso and I disembarked from the carriage.
Before our eyes stretched a vast basin thick with an eerie tension.
The air hung heavy with the smell of burning firewood, iron, and an invisible malice—like a bowstring drawn taut. At opposite ends of the basin, hundreds of warriors had set up temporary camps, glaring warily at each other in standoff.
One side consisted of ragged wanderer swordsmen whose eyes burned fierce despite their shabby appearance. A wild, savage aura emanated from their camp. The unorthodox faction rabble.
The other was a coalition of righteous faction allies arrayed in disciplined formation under their sect banners. From them radiated an oppressive air of arrogance and chosen superiority.
And smack in the middle, where those two forces glared like beasts poised to strike—
The pitch-black cave mouth loomed, as if ready to swallow the earth whole with its massive maw, exuding an ominous aura.