The Old Guard (5)
“I can’t believe this. I really can’t believe it. Looks like there were a lot of bastards in Lindel who thought I was easy prey.”
Blocking our path was a woman with red hair.
Cha Heera.
“Cha….”
“So that’s what this was. You had the nerve to look down on me.” Her voice was flat, almost lazy, but the fury behind it was unmistakable. “You had the nerve.”
For someone who’d rushed over to stop the ambush, she was dressed absurdly simply, like she’d just stepped out for a casual stroll through the market. She didn’t even have a weapon in her hand. And yet to say she wasn’t terrifying would have been a lie.
Just looking at her made my body tremble. Her bloodshot eyes seemed to scream exactly how enraged she was.
Of course, she wasn’t angry simply because I’d been attacked. What she was furious about was the fact that someone had dared to challenge her authority. It was right then that some unknown doll dropped from the sky and thrust a sword toward her.
Before anyone could even shout, “Watch out!” Cha Heera had already lifted a foot and kicked at the air.
KWAJIIIIIIK!
BOOOOM!
What the hell was that…?
For a brief moment, I thought the sound itself didn’t make sense for something produced by a human kick, and then I could only stare, mouth hanging open, at the incomprehensible scene unfolding in front of me.
The body of the bastard coming down with the sword had exploded completely.
His torso vanished without leaving even a shape behind.
With one kick…
It wasn’t exactly the kind of thought you should have about someone who was saving your life, but the word monster kept circling in my head before I could stop it.
With the situation turning out this way, relief was only natural. Who could have guessed that the insurance policy I’d made sure to have would end up saving my life in a way like this?
I only let my gaze linger on Cha Heera for a second before looking back down at Jung Hayan. She was still curled up, trying to shield me even now, and that was what came into view.
Hayan… is she breathing?
Checking Jung Hayan’s condition took only an instant.
She’s alive.
Her pulse was there, though weak and slow.
The next thing I knew, I was leaning closer to examine her more thoroughly.
I shoved at her, trying to move the barely conscious Jung Hayan away from me, but she still showed no sign of letting go. She was stuck to me like chewing gum. With some effort, I lifted her up and laid her flat, and only then did the injuries I hadn’t been able to see before come into view.
Being struck by a sword wasn’t the only problem. There were arrows embedded in her back, and signs that she’d been hit by magic. It would have been a miracle if she’d survived at all.
Damn it…
There was no way it hadn’t hurt.
And yet the fact that she’d kept protecting me all this time made gratitude swell up in me whether I wanted it or not.
“You stupid girl….”
What do I do?
I couldn’t run to the Temple and look for a priest right this second.
She’ll die before then.
For now, the right thing was to do everything I could to administer first aid.
The first thing was the healing ring on Jung Hayan’s hand. The moment I reached out to pull it free, her small fingers clenched reflexively around it, as if her body itself was resisting me.
Even in this situation…
Still, it was a reassuring sign that she was at least conscious enough to react. I unfolded her hand again and shifted it into mine in one smooth motion. Then I poured mana into the ring, murmured the spell, and watched as a white light spread over Jung Hayan.
“Heal.”
“……”
It was only a low-grade healing spell, but I hoped it would still help stabilize her condition.
Next…
The potion in my pocket.
There wasn’t much of it, but it was good quality.
I opened the stopper with my mouth and splashed the potion over her wounds, then immediately took another swig myself. I grabbed Jung Hayan by the jaw and forced the potion into her mouth, and then I saw her fingers twitch.
It’s working.
We were still in the danger zone.
Ridiculously enough, I could actually feel Jung Hayan’s tongue moving slowly inside her mouth.
She’s alive.
She was definitely alive.
I had no idea why she was moving her tongue like that, but all at once the tension in my body snapped loose. The moment I pulled away, her breathing already looked a little better.
For no real reason, my vision blurred.
I thought I’d stayed calm, but for some strange reason I couldn’t stop tears from spilling out of my eyes. I wasn’t bawling like a child, but tears still dropped one by one, and the realization that I’d nearly died made my hands and feet shake uncontrollably. My breathing grew ragged too.
Wiping my face roughly, I looked around again, and the full scene came into focus.
Cha Heera was tearing through the assassins.
In truth, calling it a “fight” was almost insulting. Most of them were getting their limbs ripped off or blown apart by her movements, which looked like they’d gone a little off the rails. It wasn’t unreasonable to think that way.
Of course, some of them were skilled enough to collide with Cha Heera head-on, but the fact remained that they were being driven back. The advantage was unquestionably on our side.
By the time a little more time had passed, support from other guilds in Lindel would surely arrive as well.
Just as I was starting to feel a little safer, another assassin came into view, parting the dust as he charged toward us with a sword.
I flinched slightly, but didn’t bother dodging. I already knew his head would be severed before he could even draw his blade this way.
I heard the sound of wind passing by, then the assassin’s head separated from his body, and a welcome voice dropped into my ear.
“I’m sorry I’m late.”
“Hyunsung, more than that, Hayan….”
“Heeyoung came with me as well.”
“Ah….”
Just as Kim Hyunsung had said, I saw Sun Heeyoung making her way toward us, peering around nervously and hiding behind Park Deokgu, who had his shield raised.
That wasn’t all. More and more of the people gathering around us were unmistakably from the Red Mercenary and the Black Swan.
In only a short time, they’d already begun responding to the sudden attack.
“N-noona….”
The moment he reached us, Park Deokgu started crying as he stroked Jung Hayan’s face, while Sun Heeyoung kept pouring holy power into her body. She wasn’t just blasting her with high-level divine power; it looked more like a professional examination, and that let me breathe a little easier.
“How is Hayan’s condition?”
“If I’d been even a little later, she would have died. If Kiyoung hadn’t handled the first aid… I don’t know what would have happened.”
“Then at least that’s fortunate.”
“……”
“Who is it?”
“I’m not sure yet. On the way back after stopping by Hayan and the Black Swan, we heard a huge explosion, and we were able to identify assassins whose target seemed to be us. Everything else was basically thanks to Cha Heera.”
“I see.”
Kim Hyunsung’s eyes had gone ice-cold as he scanned the people surrounding us.
They were so cold that I couldn’t help feeling a chill run down my spine.
It was the most emotional reaction I’d seen from him yet.
I did consider the possibility that Kim Hyunsung might have had a similar experience in his first life, but for now the only thing to do was keep my mouth shut.
One thing was certain.
You’re all dead, you bastards.
There would be no chance whatsoever for the people who had ambushed Jung Hayan and me.
Whether their assassination succeeded or not, they wouldn’t even be able to protect their own lives.
Of course, the tide of battle was still shifting. No, to be honest, it wasn’t even right to call it a battle.
It was simply a large number of assassins of unknown count targeting us.
Cha Heera was quite literally ripping them apart with both hands, while the Red Mercenary members arriving one after another were surrounding the area and tightening the net.
It didn’t take long at all before the assassins decided to turn and run.
“Don’t let a single rat escape.”
“Yes, Master.”
The moment Cha Heera’s voice rang out, Kim Hyunsung also shot off toward the nearest target, hurrying after the assassins trying to flee.
It looked like the situation was finally starting to settle.
At the very least, there were no more assassins left in this area.
As if aware of that, Cha Heera slowly began walking toward us as well.
And of course, she was bringing all the guild executives with her.
Even from a glance, their expressions looked grim, and the Red Mercenary executives were also obviously on edge.
“Tch… we should’ve kept a few alive….”
“They would all have died anyway. It looked like they all carried poison. Anyone who lost a limb or suffered severe wounds chose to take their own lives.”
“Aah… I’m not sure whether to call that fortunate or not… Still, I really need to break them of that habit. Have you figured out who was behind this?”
“We’re in the middle of identifying them now. The Black Swan has also requested cooperation….”
“Ah. That’s their specialty, so hand everything over to them except a few people. We’ll probably get better results than if we keep beating the bushes ourselves all day.”
“Understood.”
“And don’t slack off on the cleanup. I’m saying this again, so listen carefully: if I hear that the trash in Lindel slipped away, all of you will die too. Handle it yourselves.”
“Yes.”
“No, before that….”
“I’m sorry.”
“You know what you did wrong, don’t you?”
“I’m sorry.”
“I can’t believe I had to watch my man getting ambushed with my own eyes.”
“……”
“And here in Lindel, of all places… Looks like the guilds have gotten pretty comfortable lately, huh? Or are you lot looking down on me the same way they did? You haven’t gone soft just because I’ve only recently returned from the expedition, have you?”
“Th-that’s….”
“You should know better than anyone that I don’t need fools who only do what they’re told.”
“Yes….”
“I don’t repeat myself. If something like this reaches my eyes again… that’ll be the day all of you die, so take care of it.”
“I’ll carve it into my heart.”
“Good. Fine.”
Every time I heard their conversation, I felt inexplicably embarrassed.
The man getting scolded by Cha Heera kept staring this way with some strange blazing intensity in his eyes.
It almost looked like resentment, and at the same time like he was making some new resolve to himself. The others nearby were also busy lowering their heads under the weight of her unknown reprimand, which somehow made the whole thing feel awkward to watch.
Cha Heera walked toward me, wiping the blood off her body with a handkerchief. With the red stains all over her, she looked less like a hero and more like a demon. Unidentifiable red clumps were stuck all over her.
She casually flicked them away as if nothing had happened.
Before I could say anything, Cha Heera tilted her lips into a smirk and spoke first.
“Our baby, you’re okay, right?”
I hesitated for a second, unsure whether I should use polite speech or not, but in the end casual speech felt a little easier.
“Thanks, Heera noona.”
The moment she finished, she ruffled my hair like I was some adorable doll, then pulled me into a tight hug, which was a sight to behold in itself.
The smell of blood rushed into my nose almost immediately.
“No, no, it’s only natural to do this if our baby got hurt. Seems like you’ve got more enemies than I thought. No, that’s not the issue. I’d like to go somewhere quiet and have a proper talk….”
“Ah….”
“Hyungjin!”
“Yes, Master.”
“Set the guild members to stand by outside a fifty-meter radius from the collapsed building here. And also… take our baby’s second wife over there to the guild first and treat her. Make sure there won’t be any scars if possible. A woman’s body is precious.”
She was saying that as if she understood the value of such things, but she also seemed like the sort of person who abused her own body more recklessly than anyone else.
I glanced at Jung Hayan. She was sleeping soundly, and Sun Heeyoung was still carefully tending to her.
Honestly, I wanted to go with them and keep an eye on her condition, but for the moment, it was right for me to stay here with Cha Heera.
“Heeyoung.”
“Yes. Don’t worry. She’s stable for now. It’ll take a little while before she regains consciousness, but you can leave her physical recovery to me.”
“That’s what she says. For now, let’s go inside, baby. There are too many eyes watching us, and if I pay too much attention to your second wife, it’ll hurt my pride as the legitimate wife. Of course, I’ll make allowances because she’s injured… but you know I’m a jealous woman.”
“Ah… yeah. Sorry, noona.”
The place we moved to was the collapsed building. The moment we stepped inside, Cha Heera spoke again.
“Now I’d really like you to tell me what happened to our baby….”
“It’s a bit long if I explain it properly.”
“You can speak casually.”
“……If you want, I will. Heera noona.”
“Anyway, you worked hard. I honestly didn’t think there’d be someone crazy enough to pull something like this inside the city. Especially not with me here. I may look calm on the outside, but you’ve managed to scratch my pride a little. You understand what I mean, right?”
“Of course.”
“To say this happened because of that legendary item you just got would be a little much… and you know that once an item has finished recognizing its owner, it won’t let anyone else use it, even if the owner dies. So I want to know exactly who in this city thought they could do something like this….”
It was instant, the dilemma of whether I should tell her.
If I mentioned Lee Seolho, that old man might disappear from the world before anyone knew it.
But.
That’s too easy.
That would be far too easy a death, far too merciful an ending for that irritating old bastard.
And she wasn’t the only one who was angry.
I was in no state to make rational judgments either. I knew that in moments like this I should keep my head cold, but settling myself down wasn’t easy.
I didn’t want to hand Lee Seolho over to Cha Heera. That was my honest feeling.
But.
I can’t lie.
I decided that would be the worse choice.
“I’m not completely sure, but it was our guild’s Lee Seolho.”
“Aah. Lee Seolho… yes. Lee Seolho, huh.”
“He got on our nerves a bit. You know our guild master is dead, right, noona?”
“That was the first thing I heard when I got back to the city.”
“I can’t say for certain, but I’ve got proof that that old man killed our guild master. There’s more tangled up in it than that too, but it’d be hard to explain all of it. And one more thing—I’d appreciate it if you didn’t lay a hand on Lee Seolho.”
“……”
I could see her expression darken a little.
“Baby.”
“Yeah.”
“You know you’re not in the position to make demands, right? And you also know I’m not actually as calm as I look, don’t you? Right now I’m angry enough that if you don’t bring that bastard to me immediately, I won’t be able to cool off.”
“……”
“I’ll be honest. I like you. If the circumstances were right, I wouldn’t get bored spending all day exploring each other. But you know what? No matter how much I like you, you can’t touch my pride. I get the gist of what you’re thinking too. I understand wanting to pay back what you were dealt. And if I hand that old geezer over to you, where am I supposed to go to ease my wounded heart, huh?”
I’d expected something like this, more or less.
Once again, I had no choice but to look straight into Cha Heera’s eyes and speak.
“The Yamato Guild.”
I saw Cha Heera’s mouth curl into a grin.
“You really are the trash I like best.”