A Whispered Confession
“What… what on earth has happened here?”
Jubern approached Haru with a face drained of all color and demanded to know what had occurred during his absence.
Following the gravely injured warrior’s frantic plea to bring him to the scene, Jubern arrived and discovered nothing but scattered bloodstains whose owners he could not identify, accompanied by a thick, cloying stench of blood.
In his panic, fearing his companions might have perished, Jubern had rushed here at full speed the moment he received Haru’s message that they were receiving treatment.
Haru had never seen Jubern in such a disheveled state before, so he first calmly soothed the man.
“You have nothing to worry about. We found them collapsed and brought them here at once.”
“Are they unharmed?”
“Yes. Fortunately, none of them suffered injuries severe enough to threaten their lives. The perpetrator’s aim appears to have been restraint rather than outright murder.”
“I see… Thank you.”
Overjoyed by Jubern’s timely intervention, Haru wiped away the man’s anxious expression and made his way toward the location where Teraden and the others were.
“Ugh… I have no face left to show you, Captain. I’m… truly sorry.”
Teraden, bandages wrapped around his upper body, bowed his head deeply the moment Jubern arrived and offered his apology.
“Why are you apologizing to me? It’s a blessing you are all unharmed.”
“If I had been stronger back then, I could have stopped this….”
“But who on earth is this monster?”
Jubern was half out of his mind.
He could not even lift his head, feeling ashamed that his subordinates had suffered for his sake.
All he wanted now was to capture the culprit and make him pay.
“I’d never seen him before. It happened so fast I couldn’t observe everything, but I did notice a few strange details.”
“What details?”
To gather even the smallest clue, Jubern leaned close to Teraden.
“He was strong enough to kill us in an instant, yet he left the moment he confirmed we were incapacitated. I think I heard him mutter something like ‘not enough’… and then he seemed to be looking for someone.”
“Do you remember his appearance?”
Teraden stroked his chin as he recalled the scene.
“His clothes were filthy, like rags, but patches of white here and there suggested they had once been pristine white, perhaps even luxurious.”
‘White… Could it be…?’
The moment Teraden’s words reached him, Haru’s mind flashed to the White Count.
CRACK.
‘He dared…!’
‘Hmph, it seems control has slipped from him.’
The sharp sound of grinding teeth filled the air as Jubern clenched his jaw in fury, and Lan, watching with sharp eyes, clapped his hands to bring the man’s attention back.
“Enough. The rest of you need to rest and recover. I will take my leave so you can find peace.”
This was no ordinary request—it was the order of his Lord, Lan.
Jubern snapped back to his senses. After gently encouraging Teraden and the others, he followed Lan outside.
“Jubern.”
Lan, already walking ahead, glanced back over his shoulder.
“Yes, Lord.”
“Holding yourself responsible for everything is not a particularly healthy mindset.”
“I will remember.”
Lan’s words were always flesh and blood to Jubern. He bowed deeply, listening attentively.
“It seems you’ve figured out who’s behind this.”
“Yes. The one you mentioned last time—the swordsman we clashed with in Dongye. No, I am certain it is him.”
“Then what do you intend to do?”
“I will find him and make him pay for what he’s done.”
His words were rough, yet Jubern had already regained his usual composure through the conversation with Lan.
Lan nodded slowly and asked for his further plans.
“He’s good at hiding his presence. How will you find him?”
“He’s coming for me, so if I step outside the Imperial Capital alone, he’ll follow.”
“Kill him and shut him up? Hmph, I may as well lend a hand.”
“How could I possibly trouble my Lord? Please entrust this to me. I will end it alone.”
“Very well. I’ll be waiting for good news.”
“Of course. I’ll be going.”
Haru bid farewell to Lan and slipped away along the path out of the Imperial Capital, seeking a remote, deserted place.
“Eh? That’s…?”
Meanwhile, as Lan returned to the office after sending Jubern off, he caught a suspicious movement behind him.
Teraden, Maru, Blanser, Junior, and Haru—each hidden among the bushes, leaves, and branches, creeping after him like shadows.
“You really think this will keep you hidden? Well, there’s no danger, but… just in case, I’ll tag along too.”
Lan let out a quiet chuckle, then changed his mind and began following the group from behind.
* * *
The moment Haru stepped beyond the Imperial Capital, he sensed someone trailing him.
The faint killing intent only confirmed his suspicion that the follower was the White Count.
Haru continued walking until he reached the vast, abandoned wasteland outside the city walls—a place long since forsaken after the collapse of the duel between Wolhyang and Modeus.
Thud.
Haru drew his sword and drove it into the ground, then sat on a rock, waiting for the White Count to appear.
“Since you’re here, come out.”
Almost as soon as the words left his mouth, a rustling sound came from the dense underbrush, and the White Count stepped into view.
“Even the tiger came when I called….”
CRACK.
Haru crushed the communication mirror in his hand the instant he confirmed the man’s identity.
Crunch.
The shattered pieces of the mirror turned to dust and fell harmlessly from his palm.
In case he lost, he had eliminated any possible trail that might link back to his companions.
Thump. Thump.
The White Count advanced slowly through the darkness, closing the distance between them.
As Teraden had described, the man’s clothes were utterly filthy, stained with every kind of filth, and he looked like a beggar.
Yet the pure white patches against the grime suggested he once wore luxurious white robes—pride and dignity utterly discarded.
‘Has the blood of a thousand generations truly boiled over into rage? He must have been determined… But I am not the same as I was then. Now… I am ready for anything.’
“Windslayer, right arm of Ren Lan. Jubern.”
The White Count spoke first as he drew near.
“Insolence. How dare you—”
Swish!
Before Haru could finish speaking, the White Count’s figure vanished.
The lightning-fast sword that had struck Teraden without a single response was about to strike again.
‘Right side? No…’
But Haru was different.
He yanked his sword from the ground and spun it to the left instead of the right—correctly.
Clang!
The two blades met with a sharp metallic ring, sending small sparks flying.
“Heh heh heh heh! That’s exactly what I was waiting for. Finally… I found you.”
“All this time you’ve been touching people who had nothing to do with me just to find me?”
“It’s not a lie, but let me tell you something. The ones I killed had good reasons. In fact, none of your innocent subordinates lost their lives, did they?”
Clash. Clash.
The two men continued pressing their swords together and talking.
Their balance remained perfectly even.
“You think you can hide your true nature behind such childish excuses?”
“Think whatever you like. Today I will cut you down here and wash away the humiliation of that day. And… although I speak like this, I can tell you’re still eager to finish what you couldn’t back then. Am I wrong?”
Clang!
After a long, grueling exchange, the men finally pushed each other back with their swords and put distance between them.
“What do you plan to do with humans, yokai, and your research on Ineung?”
“Telling you how soon you’ll die would be pointless.”
“Your strength is nothing to me.”
Haru narrowed his eyes and asked, but the White Count merely gripped his sword in silence, his killing intent rising like a thick fog.
“The winter night is quiet and still. No one will notice anything that happens.”
Swish.
“Then shall we begin?”
“…”
The two men stared at each other for a moment without a word, then drew their blades simultaneously.
“Release.”
BOOOOOOM!!!
The invisible clash of energies erupted, and the duel between the two men officially began.
* * *
At the same moment, somewhere outside the Imperial Capital.
“Hey, scoot over a bit. It’s too narrow here—there’s no room.”
Caught off guard by Teraden’s fan, we hid in the thicket beside him, watching the battle unfold.
Rustle. Crack.
“Careful! Don’t make a sound!”
“Okay, okay. Big brother.”
Teraden’s hoarse whisper made Blanser move with ridiculous effort, trying to keep every sound to a minimum.
“Good. Everyone hidden? Then let’s watch quietly.”
Teraden swept his gaze around and used a branch to cover his face.
He didn’t need to hide, but he added another branch anyway, insisting that perfect disguise mattered.
“Is this really okay?”
“Huh? What?”
“This is serious business. Should we really be doing this?”
“What’s the problem? We’re just watching Lan-ssi. He probably already knows we’re following Jubern. It’s like he’s looking the other way. Let’s just enjoy the show.”
Even though the group still looked uneasy, Teraden cleared his throat and imitated Lan’s tone.
“If Lan-ssi had asked us to follow, he would have said, ‘Of course, my dear students. This will be good practice for all of you.’ He would have allowed it like this.”
“Ooh! Big brother, you sound exactly like Lan-ssi just now!”
“Quiet! You’ll get us caught!”
“Aww, yes…”
Teraden’s stern scolding made Blanser shrink even smaller.
Teraden confirmed they were properly hidden and turned his gaze our way.
“And if Jubern looks in trouble, we’ll jump in and help him fight, right?”
“…”
“Remember what Lord Karbin told us in Okjeo? We couldn’t join the battle and dirty our honor. We’re in the same situation here.”
“That’s true. Jubern respects his honor. But I think we should help. Rolling in cow dung is still better than not rolling at all.”
“No choice. If it gets dangerous, we’ll charge in and take the blame.”
Well… even though the words were said, no one believed Jubern would lose.
“Then… oop! It’s starting.”
BOOOOOOM!!!
While the group exchanged whispered words, an invisible force collided, and the battle between Haru and the mysterious man officially began.