Chapter 209
Chapter 209
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 209
Chapter Title: Black Forest Hall's Trap
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"Gate Leader."
She responded to the call. Killing Gate Leader Suryeon turned her head.
"Yes?"
Number One bowed his head.
"...An assassin from the Black Forest Hall destroyed one of our branches. In the process, the branch leader Number Nine suffered severe injuries."
A precious comrade gravely wounded. But on the larger scale, it wasn't anything unusual.
A world of killing and being killed.
That was the realm of assassins.
A dry, emotionless life. She'd simply returned to it. It was her livelihood for survival, and the only path she knew, so it was the one she'd chosen.
It was familiar. A familiar world. But why was it...
Perhaps because the brief glimpse of light had been so dazzling, she kept forgetting that this was her true calling. She realized just how broken she was, committing such foolish acts even by her own standards.
She'd thought emotions could be controlled.
That she could always maintain her composure...
Lately, though, she was suddenly realizing that wasn't true.
Warmth was poison.
If it wasn't going to stay forever...
It was a toxin that would strip away every part of her life.
"...Is Number Nine okay?"
"He survived the severe injuries, but he'll need to focus on recovery..."
"That's a relief."
Others might not understand, but from Number One to Number Ten, they were all like her real family.
They'd grown up together, trained together.
Killing Gate Leader Suryeon snapped out of her reverie. She quietly gazed at the flickering candle flame.
"Clean up the branch that was tracked down."
"What about the Black Forest Hall?"
Black Forest Hall.
She thought of them. The fastest information network in the Evil Path League, and...
One of the Evil Path League's hidden blades, renowned as the sharpest.
They might outmatch in other areas, but not in scale. The assassins they sent were increasing. The reason was simple.
Interference with the Killing Gate's operations. That must be it. Assassinating key figures and consistently disrupting the Evil Path League's affairs had finally started to bite back.
There were no grand motives.
Just personal venting. Nothing more.
She'd targeted those with the worst reputations, but that had led to them catching her trail. It benefited neither the Killing Gate nor herself.
...But she'd done it anyway.
Because she wanted to do something, anything, for him-the one who would never return.
"...Thank you for following along with my foolishness, Number One."
"Your will is our will, Gate Leader."
"......."
She stared steadily at Number One. Then, to the beauty who had taken the lead in assassinating the Evil Path League's key figures, she whispered softly.
"Didn't you say another job came in recently?"
"The former Chief Steward of the Evil Path League who defected, Song Namcheon, has requested a meeting."
"Is the Evil Path League Leader still being hunted?"
"We received information that he's vanished within the Heaven's Net. But the tight encirclement isn't so loose that injured men could slip out, so he's definitely hiding somewhere inside."
Are they asking for help to rescue them?
Or using him as a messenger to rally forces?
"When's the meeting?"
"In five days."
"...Good. Number One, will you go yourself?"
"And you, Gate Leader...?"
"If we just take it lying down, we wouldn't be the Killing Gate."
Killing Gate Leader Suryeon rose to her feet.
"Protect the Killing Gate in my stead. If they've broken one of ours, we need to shatter two of theirs to make it even."
. . .
"The Black Forest Hall are shady bastards."
Gu Okyeong stated flatly.
"Among the ones I handled, they were especially shady. The depth of their shadiness... it's beyond words."
Even Song Namcheon, who seemed like he'd soften the description, nodded.
"They're shady ones, alright."
Even the Peerless Sword of the Unorthodox Paths, Heuk Daeun, murmured softly.
"It's true."
".......?"
But weren't they former subordinates?
I hesitantly asked for the truth. The Evil Path League Leader Gu Okyeong snorted.
"I never actually used them. Those shady bastards... the previous League Leader used them often, but I kept them at arm's length. It's not that I couldn't read their minds or anything. Their sexual tastes and every damn thing they do is just downright creepy."
"...What exactly do you mean by..."
"They love tormenting people. They enjoy torture. And on top of that, what was it..."
"They're seen as both an intelligence agency and assassins. As the Evil Path League's hidden blade, their martial prowess is top-tier. And they're infamous for how twisted they are. The previous League Leader treasured that blade, so as long as their skills were high, he'd take them in no matter the flaws."
"It's a den of trash. Full of perverts with weird fetishes. But they did a lot for the previous League Leader, so I just kept them far away instead of disbanding them."
"Pedophiles... necrophiliacs, guys muttering that they go mad if they don't kill once a day, sadists who get ecstasy from beating people... Yeah. Anyway, plenty."
The more I heard, the sicker it got.
I hesitantly asked Gu Okyeong.
"And yet... you didn't get rid of them?"
"What? Why are you looking at me like that? You think a group bends to my every whim? There's an elder council in the Evil Path League-I have to cater to their tastes too, and watch the eyes of various division leaders and captains. The moment I try anything, they come snapping at my heels."
"......"
"Hey, no. Really, no. Hey, are you listening?"
"I'll believe you."
Black Forest Hall.
Dealing with them could wait until after contacting the Killing Gate. I quietly awaited the meeting. And along with it, Heuk Daeun and Gu Okyeong's treatments were fully complete.
Gu Okyeong pulled up her slipping clothes. She glanced at me and whispered.
"You've gotten naughty with your touching lately, huh?"
"Misunderstanding."
"If you want to touch, just say so. I might let you have a fingertip."
"Give me your hand."
"Eek!"
The poison.
It was completely gone.
I'd eradicated every last remnant of Heavenly Tribulation inside her. Now she was fully back to normal.
The remaining poison had all been devoured by Heavenly Tribulation. It smacked its lips as if it had been quite tasty, which was a little amusing.
Now it could digest just about anything.
"Daeun, how's your body?"
"Fine."
Heuk Daeun lightly stretched. Her poisoning symptoms had been milder to begin with compared to the others, and she had some medical knowledge herself.
Probably, given time, she could have cured herself. I confirmed that both were fully prepared.
Now all that remained was toppling the Evil Path League.
As the meeting day approached, I waited with half excitement.
It had been so long since I'd see the Killing Gate members.
Would Suryeon show up? Was she doing well?
I waited quietly among the group.
Hoping for a familiar face.
. . .
Number One waited quietly.
The Killing Gate Leader had taken some of the Killing Gate members and left. To show the Black Forest Hall what for.
It felt completely different from her old emotionless demeanor.
Back when she trained as the next Killing Gate Leader under her, she'd been like a doll. But this time was different. She'd shed the doll shell and regained her warmth.
But now...
Her face was that of someone who'd completely let go of the warmth she'd finally embraced.
"......."
An assassin is a tool.
That's how she'd been raised.
But Number One recalled the warmth of that shared meal. The warrior who treated her as a full person often came to mind unbidden.
It was an emotion an assassin shouldn't feel. But even so, she couldn't forget it.
And probably...
She'd never feel it again.
Such people were rare. Nonexistent, even. So no more wandering thoughts. Number One waited under the burning candlelight for the one who'd requested the meeting.
The door opened. A newly trained subordinate brought in the group.
Number One looked up. She lowered her voice in a flat tone.
"State your name and the task you wish to entrust."
"Number One."
".......?"
She flinched without realizing it. Number One raised her head.
Why had she gone around assassinating the Evil Path League's high officials and sabotaging their work?
Revenge.
Personal revenge. Even without orders from the Killing Gate Leader, she'd stepped up because of that voice.
And now it rang out. So easily it was absurd. So Number One rose from her seat without thinking.
The face under the conical hat. The face she'd thought she'd never see again smiled faintly.
Just like back then.
Warmly.
"Long time no see."
"...Red Hero?"
"Yes. It's me."
Number One didn't rush to hug him or burst into sobs.
She just gauged. The possibility he was fake.
Her mind told her she should, but her body dashed forward on its own. Her arms reached out recklessly and pulled him into a tight embrace.
"Red Hero... is it really you?"
Even as the words left her mouth, she knew.
His scent. His presence.
He was real.
A slightly surprised face. Then a hand gently came down on her head.
"It's me."
Number One let a few tears trickle out.
Relieved that she still had tears left inside her.
. . .
Number One.
Among the Killing Gate members, excluding Suryeon, the one I'd exchanged the most words with.
It took her a long time to calm down. Gu Okyeong clucked her tongue from the side.
"Want me to lay out a blanket?"
"Okyeong."
"Oh? Fine, fine. But seriously, what is this? Like long-lost lovers?"
"A close acquaintance. Don't put it that way."
"Not lovers, huh?"
Number One wiped her tears and stepped back. Her slightly hoarse voice asked me.
"How...?"
"I got lucky. Where's Suryeon...?"
"She went to the Black Forest Hall."
Black Forest Hall?
Song Namcheon cut into the conversation.
"She went to the Black Forest Hall? Why?"
"They attacked our main force. Destroyed one branch. So she went personally for revenge."
"...What? Wait, does that mean she went after the enemy's weakest branch?"
"Yes... but...?"
Song Namcheon sighed. Gu Okyeong clucked her tongue.
"We've been had."
"Tricked."
"What do you...?"
"The intel you guys uncovered, right? The Black Forest Hall's weakest spot."
Number One nodded. Gu Okyeong crossed her arms.
"It's bait."
"...Pardon?"
"Looks like it's hidden under tight security, but really, it's a trap to ambush anyone who follows."
Number One's eyes turned ice cold.
"It's information we carefully selected."
"Sure. And it wasn't easy to uncover. But listen, the Black Forest Hall bastards are insanely cunning. They set multiple layers of traps."
Gu Okyeong stated flatly.
"If you leave them be, they'll all die. The entire revenge party."