Chapter 110
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 110
Chapter Title: Yanagiya Riki (2)
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Right now, Seo Yu-ju and the members of Eternity Clan were tracking Lee Yun-seong's trail alongside a few members from Myth Clan.
The moment Wi Ho-yeon's urgent report arrived, they had immediately requested assistance from Myth Clan, and Yun Yeon along with several clan members had rushed over right away.
With every minute and second counting, there was no time to waste.
They had given Wi Ho-yeon a quick basic heal and placed her at the front to lead the pursuit.
Everyone was channeling mana into their legs to move at full speed.
Naturally, due to differences in their stats, those with relatively lower abilities couldn't keep up and fell behind, leaving only the absolute elites at the vanguard.
From Eternity Clan: Seo Yu-ju, Lee Jae-hyo, and Wi Ho-yeon.
From Myth Clan: Yun Yeon and one executive skilled in tracking.
As they moved, Yun Yeon spoke up.
"I heard you were ambushed by outlaws, but what's the exact situation?"
Having set out in such a rush, Yun Yeon hadn't yet grasped the full details.
Wi Ho-yeon answered Yun Yeon's question, as she was the only one who had experienced it firsthand.
"We were attacked out of nowhere while traveling in the carriage. The reason for the attack... I don't know. But it's certain they were targeting Lee Yun-seong, not me."
Yun Yeon let out a groan at Wi Ho-yeon's words.
"...Then this is probably retaliation for the spy hunt."
Yun Yeon's expression looked complicated.
From her perspective, since Lee Yun-seong had helped her clan and that's why this happened, she felt a sense of responsibility.
"Seo Yu-ju... are you okay?"
The reason Yun Yeon said this was because Seo Yu-ju looked completely different from her usual self.
Her eyes were bloodshot, and her gaze was so cold it seemed frozen solid—anyone who knew her would question if this was even the same person.
Like lava on the verge of erupting, but frozen over.
"...Yes."
No one believed Seo Yu-ju's words. She didn't look okay at all, no matter how you sliced it.
Wi Ho-yeon kept glancing nervously at Seo Yu-ju the whole time.
She had been assigned to protect them but ultimately failed in her duty, so Wi Ho-yeon couldn't escape the heavy guilt weighing on her.
And the reason for her guilt wasn't just disobeying Seo Yu-ju's orders—it was also the massive sense of shame from abandoning Lee Yun-seong and fleeing alone.
It was an order from her protectee, but the fact remained that she had ditched him and run away by herself.
As Wi Ho-yeon bit her lip and kept moving, she suddenly spotted something and shouted loudly.
"Hold on, everyone stop for a moment!"
Everyone halted at her words.
"Why, why stop now? Time is—!"
Before Seo Yu-ju could finish, Wi Ho-yeon continued.
"I found a trace."
"A trace?"
"On this tree..."
Just as Wi Ho-yeon said, the tree had a gouge in it. The shape clearly pointed in a specific direction.
"Ah, it looks like Lee Yun-seong left this mark."
"Ah..."
Everyone's faces showed a glimmer of relief.
After all, if he had time to leave a mark, the chances were high he hadn't run into serious trouble yet.
However, the Myth Clan executive eyed it suspiciously and voiced his doubts.
"But... couldn't this be a trap? If the outlaws anticipated we'd send a pursuit team, they might have done this on purpose to throw off our trail..."
Everyone fell silent for a moment. His words made perfect sense.
If this trace was deliberately planted by the outlaws, following it would be the worst possible choice.
But the situation forced a harsh decision. It was the only lead they had, and time was running out.
Seo Yu-ju clutched her face with her hand, looking agonized for about ten seconds before quietly speaking.
".....No, even if it's a trap, we have no choice. We'll follow the trace for now. No other options. As we move, keep a sharp eye out for any other marks."
Everyone nodded.
Though Myth Clan members were part of the pursuit team, since the kidnapping victim was from Eternity Clan, Seo Yu-ju formally held all decision-making authority.
And so, they resumed moving—this time following the trace.
How much time had passed since they started again after minimal sleep? Suddenly, presences appeared ahead.
"....Everyone, prepare for combat. I sense several people up ahead. High chance they're outlaws."
Just as Seo Yu-ju detected their presences, the other side seemed to sense them too, albeit slowly. They ended up facing off immediately.
"Wh-what? Who the hell are you guys?!"
Ignoring the outlaws' shouts, Seo Yu-ju quickly scanned the surroundings.
'No Yun-seong.'
Only those guys were visible.
But seeing they were injured with bloodstains, she realized something had gone down here.
"Where's Yun-seong?"
The outlaws flinched at Seo Yu-ju's icy question.
"...Lee Yun-seong? Wait, are these guys the pursuit team?"
"The pursuit team's already here? Hold on, that woman's the Sword Queen...!"
The outlaws panicked at the realization that the pursuit team had arrived so soon.
Seeing they weren't answering her question, Seo Yu-ju kicked off immediately.
Combat erupted naturally. As soon as Seo Yu-ju charged, the rest followed with their attacks.
But the outlaws, who had just fought Yanagiya Riki, had no stamina or strength left.
They weren't up against ordinary foes—they'd battled a ranker, so they were in no shape to fight.
"Gaaahk!"
"Where is he? Where, I said! Where did you drag him off to—?!"
The outlaws had practically given up resisting.
Many turned pale and started backing away.
It wasn't just because their opponents were strong—the sight of Seo Yu-ju screaming with bloodshot eyes while swinging her spear wildly terrified them.
"Sp-spare... Ack..."
Anyone who knew the usual Seo Yu-ju would feel a profound disconnect from this scene—no further explanation needed.
After Seo Yu-ju brutally killed one, she approached another man, who trembled and spoke up.
"W-we didn't take him! Yanagiya, Yanagiya Riki took him!"
Yun Yeon questioned the man's words.
"...What do you mean? Yanagiya Riki?"
"I-it's true! We lost that guy to Yanagiya Riki who showed up out of nowhere! The bodies are proof! Our boss died fighting her! If you go a bit further, you'll see a corpse with both arms severed!"
"What are you talking about? Why would Riki take Lee Yun-seong?"
"I don't know, just... she seemed to come to the neutral nation specifically to grab that guy."
The pursuit team all realized the situation had gotten messy.
They'd finally caught up to the outlaws after great effort, only to be back at square one.
After hearing the man out, Seo Yu-ju spoke coldly.
"....How many? Was that woman alone?"
"N-no... Yanagiya Riki and one guy who looked like her subordinate..."
"The vanguard will leave these guys behind and resume the chase. The rest, take the outlaws back to the city. Kill any who resist."
Before they knew it, rain was pouring down steadily.
"The trail... ends here."
The pursuit team ultimately failed to rescue Lee Yun-seong. They simply couldn't proceed any further.
"Seo Yu-ju, this is Eastern Alliance territory from here. We can't go any further..."
Seo Yu-ju sat on the ground in a daze.
"....We can't enter any deeper. We left in such a hurry without supplies, and blindly chasing into Eastern Alliance territory would bring up too many issues."
"......"
"Seo Yu-ju, we need to head back for now. The trail's gone cold anyway. Better to lodge a formal protest with Yanagiya Riki's clan..."
"Then... what about Yun-seong?"
"......"
"To Myth Clan's master, he might be from another clan... but Yun-seong is one of ours. What if that woman harms him...?"
"....I'm not certain, but I know Yanagiya Riki's personality a bit. We used to be close. In my opinion, given her temperament, she won't kill Lee Yun-seong or seriously hurt him."
"What do you mean...?"
"If I contact Yanagiya Riki, she'll at least hold off on that. Trust me. Even if that crazy bitch and I are bad friends, we're still friends."
"....."
"And... I think I know why she kidnapped Lee Yun-seong. One reason you probably already suspect: the drug issue. The other... probably has to do with me."
"What?"
"Anyway, I'll explain slowly on the way back. Let's go. You're exhausted too, Seo Yu-ju, and everyone else looks beat."
Only after hearing Yun Yeon did Seo Yu-ju finally look at the others.
Everyone appeared utterly drained.
They'd been pushing with minimal rest for days and had even fought the outlaws.
It would be weirder if they weren't exhausted.
Wi Ho-yeon's condition looked the worst.
After the ambush, she'd only gotten basic treatment before marching on, so it was inevitable.
Fueled by guilt and duty, she'd gritted her teeth through it, but Wi Ho-yeon had reached her limit.
Finally accepting reality, Seo Yu-ju bowed her head and spoke.
"....Got it..."
'Fuck, fuck!'
In the end, I'd been dragged all the way to Eastern Alliance territory following this crazy woman.
From the moment we crossed the border, I'd given up any hope of rescue.
'What... should I do?'
Since I'd meekly followed her orders, there'd been no violence or torture, but now we'd arrived at her clan's house.
Whether she felt zero threat from me or treated me like an insect, she hadn't even bothered restraining me.
'Does she judge me as completely harmless?'
Well... honestly, I could understand Yanagiya Riki's assessment. From her view, I'd look less than a bug.
Even if I had a hundred guys, we couldn't beat her.
'And... that outfit...'
I hadn't paid proper attention until now, but it was hard to know where to look.
She wore something like a crop top exposing her arms and navel, covered in tattoos everywhere—impossible not to stare awkwardly.
Plus, I still couldn't shake the image of the outlaw with both arms severed that I'd seen earlier, so I hadn't dared speak to her.
'If I say something and piss her off, she might just stab me.'
As we walked, she spoke to me first.
"Hey, you... name's Lee Yun-seong, right?"
"Yes? Ah, yes! That's me! Haha..."
"Why the hell are you grinning like an idiot? Don't you get it? You're kidnapped right now."
"Ah, r-right...!"
'Fuck, what am I supposed to do?'
"Whatever... at least you won't do anything stupid. Oh, right, got a question."
"Y-yes! Ask away!"
To outsiders, my attitude might seem servile, but facing this woman up close leaves you no choice.
I was tense and curious about what she wanted to know.
I hadn't meant to, but I'd thrown a wrench in her business, after all.
'Fuck, what if she asks about the drugs?'
All sorts of thoughts raced through my head. The reason she'd kidnapped me was almost certainly because I'd messed with her drug operation.
But what came out of her mouth was something completely off the wall from my expectations.
"You're Yun Yeon's boyfriend, right?"
".....Pardon?"
...Pardon? What?