Chapter 433: A Knotted Heart.
Chapter 433: A Knotted Heart.
At that moment, a wisp of hazy wind flowed through the air before me. Looking like a shimmering heat haze, it quickly mixed with the air and drifted into the camp. It was Mistification, one of Sasha’s abilities.
The mist swiftly swept through the entire camp, halting its course at the central tent I had indicated.
A moment later, Sasha materialized out of thin air above the tent.
“Aside from the presence I sense below, I can find nothing out of the ordinary, Clan Lord.”
“…We’re going in.”
I immediately gave the order to enter. A sliver of doubt still lingered in a corner of my mind, but another thought had occurred to me. Perhaps the Vagabonds had simply fled.
It’s not like this is their only base… but this place looks like it could have housed at least a hundred people.
Gauging the size of the camp, I slowly walked inside. Since three separate checks had revealed nothing unusual, I decided to investigate the central tent, the source of the human presence. Faint groans were now leaking from within.
“Should I tear it down?”
As we reached the central tent, Sasha asked, gripping the fabric tightly. The members of the Assassination Squad simultaneously aimed the weapons they had already drawn. Hearing the low chant of a spell begin, I gave a single nod.
“Do it.”
Fwoosh!
With a rough gust of wind, the tent was torn away in an instant. At the same time, the thick stench of blood, released all at once, assaulted my nose.
“Ghk… Hnngh…”
“Huu… Huuuu…”
Prisoners.
Inside the tent, four Users were bound to the pillars supporting the ceiling. They were completely naked, their bodies tied up tightly as they let out weak groans. A quick check with the Third Eye confirmed my suspicion: they were members of the Moonlit Night Clan.
I felt the tension drain out of me in an instant. My guess had become reality.
Woo Jungmin examined the prisoners closely, then turned back to me.
“Clan Lord. These people are…”
“Prisoners. It seems the Vagabonds have fled.”
“What? They fled?”
“They didn’t take them or kill them, just wounded them lightly. It’s a common tactic to buy themselves a little more time to escape while we rescue and heal the prisoners.”
Woo Jungmin stared at me with a dumbfounded expression. But I was just as bewildered. I had expected them to jump at the chance to attack a group of only nine people, but I never imagined they would choose to run.
I considered giving chase and scanned for tracks, but seeing footprints scattered in every direction, I decided it was better to give up.
Soothing the bitter taste in my mouth, I sheathed the sword I had drawn. Then, I spoke to the only priest in the Assassination Squad.
“Let’s untie them for now. And since the prisoners seem badly injured, Park Dasom, please cast a healing spell.”
“Yes, Clan Lord-nim. I’ll do it right away.”
Park Dasom answered obediently and approached the prisoners with a gentle demeanor.
After confirming that the squad members were freeing the prisoners and Park Dasom was casting her spell, I headed toward a large boulder near the valley. Since the plan to crush the Vagabonds was a bust, I figured I should at least rest my body.
“Soohyun. I checked the tracks. They’re scattered in every direction. Could it be a trap, an attempt to encircle us?”
Just as I sat on the boulder and took out a cigarette, a languid voice reached me. I lifted my head slightly to see Ko Yeonju, arms crossed, her sharp eyes scanning our surroundings.
I quietly shook my head and pulled out a cigarette from my pocket.
“I’ve already scanned the maximum range around the valley with Sensing. I don’t sense any of the Vagabonds.”
“Neither do I. But they could have gone far away only to return, or they could be in hiding. I’ll take Woo Jungmin and Seon Yuun to scout the area.”
She had a point. I granted her request with a word of caution, and she, along with the two men, vanished into the forest like the wind.
“Hoo…”
As I quietly smoked my cigarette, I pondered why the Vagabonds had fled.
The initial encounter with our scouts was likely the biggest factor. Of course, we killed all of them, but it was highly probable they had contacted their base during the fight. And once the Vagabonds realized we were the Mercenary Clan’s Assassination Squad, they would have chosen to escape.
It seems… the impact of that battle still lingers.
This wasn’t the first time the Vagabonds had run away. To be precise, this was the third time.
In the past, I, along with nine members of the Assassination Squad, had annihilated a group of 87 Vagabonds, including one of their leaders. Ever since the rumor of that battle spread throughout the Northern Continent, the Vagabonds had been making moves to avoid conflict with our clan as much as possible.
This is going to be a problem if it keeps up…
Flicking away the finished cigarette, I watched the squad members moving about the camp.
The Mercenary Clan’s Assassination Squad was composed of members who were handpicked from among the best. However, that didn’t mean they were the elite of the Mercenary Clan. I had set three conditions when selecting members for the squad, and only those who met them were chosen.
The first, naturally, was skill.
Battles against the Vagabonds were a constant string of tense moments, as they were the type to do anything to win. As such, a User without skill was nothing but dead weight, so they were excluded in the first round of selection.
The second was to have no hesitation.
This condition was quite broad. On a small scale, it meant not hesitating to kill. On a larger scale, it was a guarantee of their performance against the Vagabonds (meaning they could do whatever they wanted to captured Vagabonds). In any case, as long as the opponent was a Vagabond, they had to be able to act without any qualms.
And the third was to have a deep-seated grudge against the Vagabonds.
Unlike the previous mandatory conditions, this one was a sufficient condition. I had set it based on the judgment that a User with a deep grudge against the Vagabonds would better align with the purpose of the group.
“Oh. Jungmin-ssi?”
“Ah… Hyesoo.”
It was then. While I was lost in thought, I heard the voices of a man and a woman from ahead. Breaking from my reverie, I looked up to see Won Hyesoo and Woo Jungmin faltering as they saw each other. It seemed they had run into each other on their way to me.
“You go first.”
“…Excuse me.”
The two looked at each other for a moment. But soon, Woo Jungmin took a step back, and Won Hyesoo bowed her head slightly before approaching me.
“Clan Lord. We’ve finished identifying the prisoners. Three men and one woman. It seems they were Users who were part of the Assassination Squad for Moonlight, the representative clan of the eastern city, Eden.”
“And their condition?”
“None of them have life-threatening injuries, but their magic circuits are destroyed. And the woman… she appears to be in severe psychological shock.”
“…I see. For now, since their lives aren't in danger, we’ll take them to the city.”
Won Hyesoo’s face was expressionless as she spoke. But at the very end, I didn’t miss her clenching her fist tightly.
Presently, Won Hyesoo extended her clenched fist toward me. I instinctively held out my hand, and a communication crystal, shimmering with an icy light, dropped into my palm.
“And we received a message from the main branch. Jung Hayeon says she has something to report to you urgently.”
“Understood.”
With that, Won Hyesoo turned back toward the prisoners. I watched her walk away slowly, then shifted my gaze to Woo Jungmin. He was watching her with a quiet look in his eyes.
As I fiddled with the crystal for a moment, Woo Jungmin soon tore his eyes away and let out a deep sigh.
“…Do you regret it?”
“S-Sir?”
“I meant, do you regret her being a part of the Assassination Squad?”
“Ah… No, I don’t. I respect Hyesoo’s choice. Even if there are some problems…”
Woo Jungmin gave a bitter smile and continued quietly.
“Since she joined the squad, she’s been suffering alone much less. I’m hoping that if she continues to get her revenge like this, someday the knot in her heart might come undone.”
The knot in her heart will come undone? I immediately shook my head.
“I wonder. Woo Jungmin, you should think carefully. As you saw when we met the scout team, she was gleefully dismembering the Vagabond she killed. If this continues, the knot in her heart won’t be undone; it might lead her down an even worse path.”
“…I will keep an eye on her.”
“If you wish it, Woo Jungmin, I will remove her from the squad after this mission.”
Woo Jungmin silently nodded. Though he spoke as if it were fine, an undeniable shadow of darkness clouded his face.
A year ago, Won Hyesoo had miraculously regained her senses. I didn’t know what triggered it, but one day, her mind just returned.
For Woo Jungmin, it should have been a joyous occasion, but he couldn’t bring himself to celebrate. With all her memories back, Won Hyesoo suffered for months. She paid no mind to the child she had once adored, and her wails never ceased, day after day.
The moment Won Hyesoo came to her senses was when she found out that Woo Jungmin was a member of the Assassination Squad. With eyes burning with vengeance, Won Hyesoo came to me and begged to be allowed to join as well.
At first, I refused, citing her lack of skill.
Her Player Status had improved dramatically.
Thus, when Won Hyesoo, accompanied by Woo Jungmin, requested to join once more, she became a member of the Assassination Squad.
Well… it doesn’t matter to me.
Truthfully, there was nothing to fault in Won Hyesoo’s actions as a member of the squad, so I decided not to interfere any further and leave the matter to the two of them.
Woo Jungmin smacked his lips with a bitter expression, then spoke as if he had just remembered something.
“Ah. Clan Lord. A message from the Shadow Queen-nim. She says that, just as you said, there are no signs of the Vagabonds. But just in case, she will check other areas and return in five minutes.”
“Understood.”
“And… um… shouldn’t you take the call?”
“Haha. I was just about to.”
The report came first, after all. I laughed it off lightly and picked up the communication crystal Won Hyesoo had given me. Jung Hayeon’s face appeared, reflected in the crystal’s cold light.
“Hayeon? I heard you have an urgent report.”
(Soohyun… We’re in big trouble.)
Her abrupt declaration of trouble momentarily puzzled me. But I quickly composed myself. These words were coming from none other than Jung Hayeon. Knowing her personality, it was definitely not a trivial matter.
I spoke immediately.
“Tell me.”
(The thing is…)
Jung Hayeon’s words flowed. And the moment I heard her explanation of the situation, I couldn’t help but be shocked.
“What… did you just say? You’re telling me Hyun and Hangyul went into the Sleeping Dragon Mountains? And Hyun is missing?”
(They took a request from a caravan…)
“Does that make any sense right now? Didn’t I make it clear that I have no intention of exploring the Sleeping Dragon Mountains! That’s why I said not to pay it any mind and not to accept any related requests…!”
(…I’m sorry. I couldn’t stop them more forcefully.)
Seeing Jung Hayeon squeeze her eyes shut, I was at a loss for words. Woo Jungmin, sensing that things were taking a strange turn, immediately started running. It seemed he was going to get Ko Yeonju and Seon Yuun.
I chewed on my lip for a while, quickly organizing my thoughts.
Right now, yelling about why they went wasn’t important. The top priority was to grasp the details of the situation as quickly as possible and rescue the two of them.
I forcibly suppressed the rising volume of my voice.
“What about Hangyul?”
(He came back… but he’s in a very strange state.)
“Is he sleeping for half the day, and dazed when he’s awake?”
(…What? Y-Yes, that’s right.)
“Is his body cold, and is his heartbeat growing fainter over time?”
(H-How did you…)
Fucking hell.
I cursed inwardly. I shot up from my seat and looked around. The now-silent members of the Assassination Squad were all staring at me with surprised eyes.
“Jung Hayeon. I’ll ask about this later. You haven’t already sent a rescue team with other clan members, have you?”
(No. Everyone is on standby, except for the members who are currently away on missions.)
“A blessing in disguise. Then I will return to the main branch immediately. And recall every single person who is away. Especially Vivian and Ahn Sol; they must be called back.”
(I’ll have everything ready by the time you arrive.)
With Jung Hayeon’s reply, I immediately cut the communication. As I looked up, Nam Daeun approached with a cautious expression and grabbed my arm.
“Oppa… what’s wrong?”
“…Ahn Hyun and Hangyul’s lives are in danger.”
“What?”
“I’ll explain later. We need to return immediately. We’re going back as fast as we can, so everyone, prepare yourselves.”
Nam Daeun also looked greatly surprised, but she quickly began running toward the other squad members.
As I also prepared to leave, my thoughts turned to the Sleeping Dragon Mountains.
The Sleeping Dragon Mountains.
A mountain range that became the grave of countless clans, countless Users, who had challenged it during the first playthrough.
That place is…
In the end, they had succeeded in stabilizing it, but they had failed to conquer it.