Kang Musah (2)
The old man brushed the dust off his clothes vigorously as he stepped out of the manor.
A sly smile crept onto Hayeon's lips at the sight.
It was the look Kang Musah always had when he'd successfully completed a mission.
"Sub-branch leader. It looks like the Heukju Bang leader is ready to receive his guests."
"Hehe. Did you instill some manners in him?"
"If it were the young lady's command, he'd jump into a pit of fire even if you told him to carry straw."
"I trust you, Kang Musah."
Hayeon wasn't one to trust people easily.
Humans would betray each other over a single steamed bun when hunger struck.
That was a bitter truth she'd learned living as a slave.
But Kang Musah was different.
To Yi Hayeon, Kang Musah was like family.
Not because they shared the same Yahwe lineage.
Because he'd become her guardian and pulled her from the slave pits.
What came after was a familiar tale.
Kang Musah cherished her as a fellow Yahwe.
He dressed her in fine clothes and gave her all sorts of education.
Hayeon worked hard to repay his kindness.
She crammed knowledge into her head until her nose bled and grew tenacious.
That effort had landed her the position of sub-branch leader.
All to repay Kang Musah's favor.
And now, she'd repaid it to some degree.
She'd risen to one of the Eight Heroes of the Eonha Merchant Group—a seat no wandering swordsman could dream of.
If Kang Musah hadn't begged to serve as her escort warrior, he could have lived out his days in respected leisure.
"Shall we go in, then?"
As Hayeon's soft voice scattered into the air, the warriors moved in perfect unison.
The rest weren't quite at the Peak realm, but they were the ones who'd earned her trust.
They moved like well-drilled soldiers—if the Heukju Bang leader saw this, he'd have bolted on the spot.
And so they entered the Heukju Bang manor.
For an unorthodox clan's lair, it was surprisingly tidy.
Koi fish frolicked in the artificial pond, and the grass looked greener than nature intended, clearly well-tended.
If not for the collapsed men strewn about here and there, Hayeon might have even praised the unorthodox folk for their taste.
"Couldn't you have gone easy? This pavilion will belong to our Eonwol Merchant Group once we deal with Heukju Bang."
"I'll reflect on it."
"You didn't shatter the Heukju Bang leader's jaw, did you? We'll need it intact if we want to talk."
"No need to worry. I took care of that part."
As they chatted amiably, they arrived before the most ornate pavilion of the bunch.
It wasn't hard to guess this was the Heukju Bang leader's residence.
"Heukju Bang must have raked in more coin than I thought."
"The Heukju Bang leader is inside. You'll know for sure if you check yourself, young lady."
"Right you are. Then..."
In that instant, a flicker of unease crossed Hayeon's mind.
Normally, Kang Musah would open the door in situations like this.
Who knew what tricks the enemy might have waiting behind it? Better for him to take the risk himself.
But right now, Kang Musah had fallen back behind her.
It could be nothing.
Maybe he wasn't feeling well today, or he'd beaten the Heukju Bang leader too hard for any funny ideas.
With that, Hayeon took another step forward.
A choice she'd regret for the rest of her life.
KABOOOOOM!
A thunderclap from the heavens.
Hayeon ducked on reflex, and a fierce gust whistled over her head.
"Ngh!"
Hayeon gripped her sword and whipped her gaze backward.
Four headless silhouettes in the billowing smoke.
Her elite 1st Rate escorts were already dead.
Sad, but unavoidable.
Kang Musah! What about Kang Musah?
Hayeon's desperate eyes pierced the smoke.
"Kang Musah! Are you all right?!"
Silence from the smoke.
Hayeon called out again, her voice plaintive.
"Kang Musah!"
No answer this time either.
Instead, a single "Tch."
A voice laced with dissatisfaction that things hadn't gone perfectly.
"Kang Musah?"
"What tenacious luck. Dodging that just now."
"Kang Musah, what's going on?!"
"Haven't figured it out yet? Hardly befitting the Eonha Merchant Group's sub-branch leader... Heukju Bang leader!"
Kang Musah gave her no time to breathe as he spoke.
The moment he bellowed, razor-sharp swords flew from within.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Swords reeking of blood.
The signature of the Heukju Bang leader's martial arts.
With them bursting from behind the door, even Hayeon had no counter.
She had no choice but to use Narey Tagon.
Which meant rolling across the floor.
"Stay calm. Calm down."
Hayeon wasn't stupid.
She grasped immediately that Kang Musah had betrayed her and joined the Heukju Bang leader.
Hayeon never hunted for reasons or excuses when something happened.
She stayed calm, assessed the situation, and focused on resolving it.
That icy demeanor had earned her the moniker Ice Flower in the martial world.
Peering into the Ice Flower's mind made it all the clearer.
'Kang Musah betrayed me. Reasons don't matter right now... but why? Did I do something to offend him? Stay calm. It might be a misunderstanding. I should sheath my sword and talk it out. Yeah, it has to be. Kang Musah would never betray me. What an idiot I am for doubting him even for a second.'
Even that frozen flower struggled to keep her wits amid betrayal by family.
How could she easily accept the horror of a father figure trying to kill her?
For a twenty-three-year-old woman, this reaction was normal enough.
Kang Musah wasn't the type to let it slide, though.
KABOOM!
A heavy sword strike hurtling toward the floor where Hayeon lay.
Iron Rule Sword, Kang Musah's signature art.
The very blade that had just torn her body bloody.
"You're soft. Normally, you'd laugh off a strike like this."
"...Why?"
"Does obeying one's master need a reason?"
"You mean the Merchant Group leader?"
"Mind your address, sub-branch leader. Even overlooking your arrogance has its limits."
Hayeon pieced it together in a flash.
Kang Musah had only become her guardian on the Merchant Group leader's orders from the start.
Obeying his master—that explained it... but arrogance? That wasn't something the kindly old Kang Musah would say.
And scolding her to defend that geezer?
Did that mean all the warmth he'd shown was an act? Then her past efforts to repay his kindness were all...
A droplet fell from Hayeon's eye.
Drip, drip, drip.
Soon, the drops became a waterfall.
Her strengths—swift calculations and cold logic—failed her now.
"Wha—hey! She's running! Chase her! Get that bitch!"
In the end, Yi Hayeon's choice was flight.
A first in her life.
Naturally, her escape was clumsy.
Thwip! Thwip!
"Kgh... Hic...!"
A sharp dart lodged in her pale arm.
An attack she'd normally swat away with a casual "Is that all you've got?"
KABOOM!
"...Kyaaah!"
A heavy sword strike from behind.
She lost her balance and tumbled forward.
Normally, she'd roll once, regain her footing, and flash a leisurely smile.
"Sub-branch leader, the crime of betraying the Merchant Group leader is no light matter."
A hulking old man loomed before her.
White hair streaked with scars here and there.
Her family-like Kang Musah.
Normally, she'd take his warm hand, stand, brush off the dirt, and give him a light smile.
"For old times' sake, I'll grant you a chance to leave last words. Speak if you have anything to say."
But this Kang Musah was her enemy.
Her thoughts ground to a halt there.
Her brain rejected the reality of Kang Musah as foe.
So she opened her mouth in a pathetic display.
A sight she'd never shown in her life.
"Kang Musah... no, right? This is some act, isn't it? I..."
"The Merchant Group leader was right after all. A pawn to use and discard. Your failure lies in not grasping others' worth, sub-branch leader."
"Kang Musah!"
"I'll relay your last words to the Merchant Group leader. He'll be delighted. Farewell, then."
Kang Musah's sword came slashing down.
Hayeon sensed her end.
Or so she thought.
"Huh, sending another one?"
A drawling yet beautiful voice.
One etched in Hayeon's memory.
About thirty-one days ago, right after leaving that inn.
She recalled her flustered shock at the unexpected rejection.
As Hayeon thought that, she raised her head.
Smooth curves tracing up flawless white skin.
Even as a woman herself, it was enough to make her swallow hard.
Especially those eyes peeking through the fox mask.
A hazy pull that made Hayeon's heart pound.