Chapter 101
Chapter 101
The Iron Emperor — Chapter 101
Chapter 27: Meeting and Escape
The sun that lit the land had set, leaving only the moon and stars to caress the earth. Through the silence, broken only by the occasional chirp of insects, cautious footsteps moved.
The movement lacked something in sheer agility, but the cautious steps and actions were evidence enough of ample experience.
"......."
The figure standing before a door glanced left and right. Confirming once more that no one was around, a faint smile flickered across the lips.
Creeeak.
Despite the careful touch, the door's hinges let out a small shriek.
But that was all. Though it was a small noise, one that would travel far in the darkness, no one appeared to stop the intruder from stepping inside.
"Now, let's see......"
A satisfied voice.
Simply stepping through the door filled the intruder's voice with a confidence that the goal was already achieved. Under the moonlight streaming through the window, the blades hanging on the wall gleamed blue.
The intruder slowly approached the place where the swords were hanging.
"Heh-heh-heh."
An eerie laugh slipped out. His hand moved slowly. His destination was a small drawer beneath where the swords hung.
Slide.
The drawer opened with a scraping sound.
"Gasp!"
A short scream escaped his lips. The drawer was empty.
"Aaaargh! My snacks!"
A despairing scream rang out from the darkness-layered kitchen.
* * *
Gang Yuwol, who had been diligently consuming food inside the dugout shelter, tilted his head and spoke.
"Huh? Did someone just scream?"
"Forget it and keep eating."
Yuwol's question was brushed aside by Gye Ung-sam. Despite the rough environment of a dugout, the food they were eating was made with considerable care.
Baron Levion Gowin, who had been eating leisurely on one side, opened his mouth with a curious expression.
"Where did this food come from?"
"The temple kitchen."
Gye Ung-sam's short reply. Baron Gowin asked no further, merely smiling slightly as he returned to his meal.
Five days had passed since they had held out in the dugout.
The place where they were hiding was the small forest owned by the temple—the very place where they had captured Palo II. As the saying goes, the darkest place is under the candlestick. Even though they had dug out this shelter under an old tree trunk and were living comfortably, no one had noticed them.
So much so that Gye Ung-sam personally slipped out of the dugout to steal food from the temple dining hall. The security here was more lax than expected, though the outer perimeter was reasonably ironclad.
Being unable to move about much should have stiffened their joints, but as they weren't fools to leave that be, they kept their bodies moving and loose as best they could in the cramped space.
"It seems about time to move......"
Ung-sam spoke in a low voice.
Even though they exercised and managed to steal food to eat well, they couldn't help growing increasingly fatigued.
On top of that, the snacks they had been occasionally pilfering from the dining hall had become nearly impossible to find. The waste they had been piling up nearby was now at full capacity as well.
Taking advantage of the night, Gang Yuwol went out to scout the area.
As if by prior agreement, Ung-sam's party began servicing their weapons, and Baron Gowin's party silently did the same with theirs.
Baron Gowin had yet to give a clear answer to Ung-sam's earlier proposal, but neither had he refused. Ung-sam was the one leading their current situation, and Baron Gowin was simply following.
Tap. Tap-tap.
A prearranged signal sounded at the disguised entrance to the dugout. It was Yuwol returning from scouting the area.
A moment later, Yuwol's body carefully slid down into the dugout.
"How is it?"
"The sentries have been pulled back all of a sudden."
At Ung-sam's question, Yuwol tilted his head as if finding it strange. The capital's guard forces and the Holy Knights' soldiers, which had been bustling just the day before, had noticeably withdrawn.
Ung-sam, who had been silent for a moment after Yuwol's report, finally spoke up once he noticed his comrades' eyes on him.
"Yuwol, Han-dae, and Sir Rainman."
"Yes."
The moment Ung-sam's mouth opened, the named figures nodded and waited for his orders.
"Go take another look. Especially, don't forget to check the security situation at the gates leading out of the capital."
At Ung-sam's addition, the group nodded once more and pulled their hoods on before heading out.
If the troop numbers had decreased, it meant one of two things. Either they thought them already gone and had widened the search radius, or something bigger than their own doings had occurred.
"It's not a trap, is it?"
Geolgeol Jungsang's voice, spoken from one side, was tinged with worry. But Ung-sam just let out a short laugh and shook his head lightly.
"Even if they set a trap, do you think they'd set it here in the capital, let alone a place swarming with nobles? On top of that, even with a priest of the Holy Empire practically on top of us, the security here hasn't changed much."
"He's right. It's unlikely a trap."
Baron Gowin added a word to Ung-sam's explanation with a bitter smile. The central nobles Baron Gowin knew would be the first to flee the moment any such trap was set. And so they once again stayed up through the night, slowly merging into the darkness.
* * *
"Ho-ho-ho, this is the least of things."
"All by the grace of the Lord God."
Beside the elder whose countenance overflowed with benevolence stood the portly frame of Palo II, wearing an awkward smile.
Palo II, whose wounds had now healed to a degree, had recovered enough to stroll through the forest belonging to the temple. Of course, he hadn't been beaten nearly to death by Samdopyo and the others, but a greater part of his recovery was due to being bathed in incredible high-grade potions disproportionate to his injuries.
To put it bluntly, the medicine poured into his body was enough to treat an entire village. And that wasn't all—the lengths the others went to in treating Palo II with elaborate care to avoid any potential censure from the Holy Empire were so great that even he was left dumbfounded.
"I can feel the grace of the Lord God in the sunlight. Ho-ho-ho."
A bright smile was drawn on Palo II's face as he looked up at the sky, as if in truly good spirits. Perhaps in this moment, he wanted to return to a state of pure innocence.
'Does that sort of heart still remain in me?'
Basked in the sunlight beating down on his whole body, Palo II felt even the resentment towards the impious thugs who had assaulted him—which he had been mulling over in bed—melting away.
Naturally, the considerable sum of donations (?) he had collected while lying in bed also played some part, but for now, the expression on Palo II's face was so peaceful it would put most clergy to shame.
'Yes, I shall forgive them all!'
Perhaps due to his euphoria, a warmth akin to sunlight spread through Palo II's heart. But in that very moment!
"Wha—!"
Shloop!
"Palo II!"
"Oh my, Father!"
"The Father fell into a pit!"
Plunged from heaven straight to hell, Palo II looked up at the yellow-dyed sky with stricken eyes. And immediately after, a scent assaulted his nostrils.
"What in the world— waste, here!?"
"Hurry! Fish the Father out of there!"
In the middle of his stroll, Palo II had been swallowed up by the very dugout where Gye Ung-sam's group had been hiding. And he had been drenched in the piles of waste, large and small, that they had diligently collected (?) there.
"There are traces of someone hiding here!"
"Urgghk!"
Amid the commotion, Palo II barely managed to collect himself through the dull ache in his back and the dizzying stench.
"I will never— ever— forgive youuuuuu!"
And his enraged cry shook the forest.
* * *
"There's a chance our hiding place has been discovered. Pick up the pace."
At Gye Ung-sam's command, the party's footsteps moved even more briskly.
'Why does this feel so ominous?'
Slightly furrowing his brow, Ung-sam hurried the group along, as if trusting his intuition.
"Hoo. So they're already spread out. I had a bad feeling about this."
A sigh-laced murmur escaped Gye Ung-sam's lips.
The others didn't say anything, but their faces were clouded. Around the time they passed the capital's outer gate, they could feel that security had been tightened on every side road and ridgeline.
Smacking his lips, Ung-sam chattered towards the group as if telling them not to worry.
"If our hideout was exposed, isn't that actually a good thing? Staying there any longer would've made it even harder to escape."
"Indeed. Better this way. Though the security is tightened, soldiers spread across a wide area won't find us easily."
"Heh."
When Baron Gowin backed him up, Ung-sam smiled as if reassured.
Shortly after, Gang Yuwol, who had been scouting near the gate, approached them while masking his presence.
"How is it?"
At Ung-sam's words, Yuwol smiled awkwardly and opened his mouth.
"It's gotten a bit troublesome."
"Hmm."
"Looks like there's no way to quietly pass through except to go back."
At Yuwol's report, Ung-sam nodded as if lost in thought. Even at a glance, there was no visible path except the bridge hung over a cliff.
'This is just like the last time......'
A memory of meeting the Northern Mercenaries for the first time flashed through Ung-sam's mind. Hadn't they faced the same dilemma in front of a bridge back then, too?
'I'd best not tempt fate.'
Letting out a short laugh, Ung-sam looked over his group and spoke quietly.
"Let's go back. If we force our way through recklessly, they'll realize we're fleeing in this direction and only reinforce their guard. Better to turn back......"
"Catch the demons!"
"......is what I think......"
Ung-sam's face, which had been turned toward Baron Gowin, twisted at the shout of a soldier that reached his ears. Everyone in the party prepared to draw their weapons and looked toward the direction of the shout.
"Dammit! What now?"
Annoyance dripped from Ung-sam's mouth as he turned around with a grimace.
"Looks like they're coming this way?"
"Isn't this the Northern Mercenaries again?"
As the sharp-eyed Yuwol spoke, sensing a strange rehash of past events, Ung-sam asked back.
"......."
Though the fallen darkness made it hard to see clearly, the people unmistakably had black hair. But no answer to Ung-sam's question came from Yuwol's lips. And Ung-sam didn't ask again, instead merely exhaling a hollow breath.
"Why does everything have to go sideways today......"
At Ung-sam's words, Yuwol and the rest of the party nodded. Only Baron Gowin's party, not fully understanding the context of this exchange but recognizing the simple fact that they had to charge out, slowly drew their weapons.
Before their eyes stood a man demonstrating brilliant spearmanship.