Reorganization
When that unpleasant aura had been tightening around his whole body,
Ugh…
the first thing Namgung Hye felt was warmth.
The demonic energy that had invaded her body was being driven out all at once by a clear, gentle current, and she could feel life returning to her in waves.
Slowly, little by little, her consciousness sharpened, and as her senses crept back—
slip—
she was finally able to register her surroundings.
So warm…
Someone was holding her tightly.
She could also feel a large hand flooding her body with energy and vitality.
Drawn into that firm embrace, she burrowed deeper, like a child searching for its mother.
"……Mm. Hmph."
Soon, an awkward little cough reached her ears, and—
Huh? What was that…?
When she slowly opened her eyes, she saw the face of a handsome man looking down at her…
"Kyaaah!"
The haze that had clouded her mind only moments ago vanished in an instant, and she scrambled out of his arms.
So startled by the situation she hadn’t even imagined, she flailed adorably like a squirrel that had lost its acorn.
The moment she realized the upper and lower ties of her robe had loosened and white skin was showing,
Namgung Hye’s face flushed as red as a ripe apple.
This isn’t a dream, is it? What is going on?! Of course, I was always prepared in my heart, but… while I was asleep, how far did he…?
With one hand, she clutched her collar shut, and with the other, she hugged herself tightly while pressing her legs together and shrinking in on herself.
He was definitely someone she had feelings for, but they weren’t even officially seeing each other yet, and something like this…
She couldn’t understand the situation at all.
"……."
Still, there was one thing she knew.
She absolutely had to say this.
"M-Mister Cheon! I understand how you feel, but after going through the proper steps first…."
"Namgung Sojour, how are you feeling? Any pain anywhere?"
"M-my body? Pain? What did you do to me…?"
Her eyes spun dizzily.
During her sleep, had it gone that far?
At the handsome man’s words, Cheon Sojin, she hurriedly looked between her legs, but there was nothing unusual.
Slip—
She even slipped a hand inside her undergarments, but she felt nothing there either.
Only then did Namgung Hye realize something was wrong. She looked up at Cheon Sojin, and her gaze met his odd, searching eyes.
"……."
"……."
There was concern in them, the kind you’d give to someone who was sick.
Ah!
Her face burned, and a wave of humiliation crashed over her.
"Sojour, are you all right? The demonic energy hasn’t been inside you for long, but it wasn’t exactly a short time either, so if anything’s wrong, right now…."
Waving her hands frantically, she leaped to her feet.
"N-no! I’m completely fine! Mister Cheon! T-thank you for worrying about me!"
He had draped his own outer robe over her shoulders and was asking after her so earnestly that she wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.
Idiot. What on earth were you thinking?
When she covered her face with both arms and lowered her head, Jong Jinwon stepped out of the darkness.
"Namgung Sojour, you’re awake. I’m glad to see you seem all right. Mister Cheon, Young Master Wi’s condition is not good. It seems the demonic energy…."
"There’s a way to handle that."
He rolled up his sleeves and clenched his fist tight.
"Not that overly brutal method from last time…!"
"I’ll take care of it myself, so don’t worry."
"…Sigh. Understood."
"Namgung Sojour, please rest for now. I’ll be back soon. Where is he?"
Just before he turned and vanished between the trees, he called them back for a moment.
There was something he still had to confirm.
"M-Mister Cheon! Wait a moment!"
"What is it?"
"…Are the other members… no, are there any surviving members at all?"
"……."
"……."
Deep sorrow settled over Jong Jinwon’s face, and Cheon Sojin silently shook his head.
"Ah…."
I knew it already, but hearing it confirmed is still shocking.
They had all been weak, useless idiots, but…
Now that they were gone, the emptiness they left behind felt strangely large.
Thud—
Without thinking, he kicked a stone at his feet.
The small rock rolled away and disappeared, and with it came a hollow feeling that spread through his chest… oddly enough, it made him feel lonely.
"Ha…."
He had already gathered information about the Blood Cult, so he wasn’t likely to be punished, but the heaviness in his heart couldn’t be helped.
Then, a faint stench stung his nose.
Turning his head, he saw a woman in rags sleeping near the campfire.
So this woman was alive.
He ground his teeth.
The moment he saw her, surprise and anger surged up together.
Even if the reappearance of Blood Moon Fortress had been unavoidable, if he had been there, they could have ended things with minimal losses—or, if luck had been on their side, perhaps no one would have died at all.
"Mmya, huuoooh…."
He had been prepared for casualties.
He knew someone might lose their life on a mission.
Still…
"I never expected them all to die."
Clack—
His hand settled on the hilt of his knife.
Because they got caught by Blood Moon Fortress.
Because they touched the Red Coffin.
Because they couldn’t get out.
His body wasn’t fully recovered yet, so it still protested with creaks and twinges, but killing one defenseless sleeping person was nothing.
The woman’s rude attitude and irritating tone flashed through his mind.
"……."
And yet, in the end, Namgung Hye could not draw her sword.
Tap—
She laid it down slowly on the ground.
It wasn’t that she pitied her.
It was only that…
she didn’t want to make all his effort come to nothing.
And then.
…In the end, most of the blame was mine for being weak.
Tap—
Unable to quiet the frustration in her chest, she kept throwing random stones instead.
"Ha…."
The moon, tonight, shone upon the world with even greater indifference than usual.
*
*
*
"Hic… W-why are you doing this to me…."
Han Seola tried to steady her mind, but she couldn’t calm down. The surging anger and humiliation made it impossible.
"Han Seola! Stop right there! Are you running away again?"
Tap.
Tap-tap!
Her fists clenched, and her steps grew faster and faster.
"Hey!"
"Unnie, calm down! She has no choice but to come back anyway."
Every time the voices calling after her grew louder, her body shuddered, and she hurried even more.
She clutched her bright red cheeks and kept running.
Until she could no longer hear those noisy, grating voices.
"Hngh, sob…."
The sorrow she could not contain became great drops of water, rolling down her cheeks one after another.
She still couldn’t understand how she had ended up being treated like this.
She had made a few small mistakes, sure, but honestly, she had done her best….
Crash!
Unluckily, she collided with someone and fell backward onto the ground.
"What is it! Watch where you’re goi—"
She had been in such a foul mood that she was ready to snap at whoever it was, but
she couldn’t bring herself to finish the sentence.
"……Seola… sob."
It was an orange-haired woman sitting there in tears, looking utterly miserable—
Shin Juha, her former comrade from the Jincheon Squad.
*
*
*
"That’s how it happened. Fortunately, Young Master Jong held out until I arrived, so I was able to save him."
While tidying up the area, I briefly explained what had happened at the hideout.
"You were just lucky. We had a close call too, but so that’s what happened inside. I’m glad both of you made it out safely."
Jong Jinwon gave a sheepish laugh, and as he scattered dirt over the campfire, she took up the conversation.
"…I can’t help wondering if Young Master Wi closed it on purpose."
At Namgung Hye’s words, I turned to look at him, and the bastard waved his hands in protest.
"N-Namgung Sojour, what are you talking about? I told you, it was a mistake! And I was only standing there—I never pressed anything!"
"Still, the timing was a little too perfect, wasn’t it?"
"Tch…! I can see why you’d be suspicious, but I absolutely did not do it on purpose. Please believe me."
His face was openly flustered.
He might be an irritating bastard, but he wasn’t stupid.
And he wasn’t the type to take reckless risks either.
"……."
Still, as Namgung Hye said, the timing really was too perfect.
Or am I missing something?
My mood soured a little.
While Wi Shiyun was glancing at my expression, Jong Jinwon finished erasing all traces of the campsite and stepped over to him.
"Young Hero Wi, you don’t have to push yourself. Your hand is still…."
"It’s not like my arm was cut off—it was only my index finger, wasn’t it? It’s nothing, so don’t worry about it. This kind of injury doesn’t count as hardship to me."
"Even so, for now…."
"Don’t worry. I haven’t even reached the end of martial arts yet, so there’s no way I’d be defeated by something like this, right?"
He said it in a voice full of confidence worthy of the Martial Alliance Leader’s son, clearly trying to project composure in front of us, but—
At least fix your expression before you talk.
The darkness hanging over his face hadn’t gone anywhere.
Even if one used fists, whips, or fans*, there would always be openings, and if you were a swordsman, there was no need to say more.
* fists, whips, fans
The Martial Alliance Leader’s Flying Heaven Unmatched Sword Art was a renowned technique often mentioned whenever the greatest martial art in the Central Plains was being debated, but it wasn’t without weaknesses.
It was a lunatic martial art that seized control of the flow of space and possessed a kind of perfect completeness, yet it had one fatal flaw: once a “gap” appeared, there was no recovering from it.
Against an opponent of lower level—or someone he met for the first time—he would be almost impossible to beat, but if the opponent was a master of the same realm, they could certainly find a way to break through it.
This is why he was driven back by the Demon Emperor in the latter half of the great battle.
"If Young Master Wi says so, I won’t press the matter any further."
"……."
Just by looking at his face, I could tell.
Whether he realized it or not, Wi Shiyun currently had a huge crack in both body and mind, and I doubted whether he could even bring out half his true strength.
"Mister Cheon! We’ve finished clearing up here! Is there anything else you need us to do?"
"No. You’ve done well, Namgung Sojour."
"Oh, please call me anytime!"
And if he didn’t have the room to spare….
"Guyang Sojour, can’t you even do this one thing properly?"
Wi Shiyun scowled and shouted.
"M-my leg hurts, so I can’t help it! And aren’t you being way too harsh with me?"
"To think the last remaining member is in this state! Damn it!"
"This state?! What does that mean?"
His true nature inevitably bled through.
##
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