Chapter 11
Chapter 11
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 11
Chapter Title: The Item Cha Jung-kyeong Brought
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Several fireflies appeared in the darkness. Strangely, the blood-glowing fireflies flew straight toward those keeping watch on Yi Hwan's tent.
But no one noticed the phenomenon.
Thud!
“Gurk!”
“Gah!”
With brief groans, five men collapsed. They died on the spot, and only then did the others confirm their comrades' deaths and leap up in horror.
But what they saw were blood-red fireflies flying toward them.
Thud thud thud!
The fireflies pierced their hearts precisely, and four more toppled over without even screaming.
“……!”
The lone surviving squad leader bulged his eyes and staggered back. He saw someone emerging from the darkness.
It was Yi Hwan.
“As expected, it's still too much.”
Muttering an incomprehensible remark as he looked down at his body, Yi Hwan's gaze locked with the squad leader's through the gloom.
“Do you want to live?”
“……!”
“Looks like you want to die, then.”
“I-I want to live!”
Thud!
The sword plunged into the ground.
Immediately after, the squad leader dropped to his knees on the dirt.
His heart pounded wildly now. The method used to kill his subordinates was something he'd never heard of or seen.
Even more shocking was that the perpetrator was Yi Hwan, whom he'd dismissed moments earlier.
“Follow me.”
Yi Hwan strode toward the forest outside the camp.
The squad leader trailed after Yi Hwan without a thought of fleeing, like a monkey spotting a venomous serpent. Absurdly, none of the patrolling warriors noticed them at all.
“If you're going to disguise yourselves, at least do it right. So, why did the Black Tiger Squad come looking for me?”
Yi Hwan had identified them as Black Tiger Squad at a glance. He clearly remembered the sword faction insignia he'd seen on the battlefield.
“……We came to capture Cha Jung-kyeong.”
“How did you know he was here?”
“We grabbed one of the patrolling warriors just before and got it out of him.”
“Not bad. Sneaking in without detection all the way here. But what's so special about Cha Jung-kyeong that you'd come all this way?”
The squad leader hesitated to answer. But he soon opened his mouth.
“The higher-ups ordered us to find Cha Jung-kyeong at any cost. We were just following orders—we don't know the circumstances.”
Swish.
Yi Hwan lifted his sword and rested it on the squad leader's shoulder.
“Shall we start by slicing off an arm?”
“I-I really don't know! A-all I heard was that Cha Jung-kyeong stole something important and fled!”
Yi Hwan's eyes gleamed.
‘Stole something important? Then why hide it from me?’
Yi Hwan thought of Cha Jung-kyeong and faintly furrowed his brow, then quickly sorted his thoughts and fixed the squad leader with calm eyes.
As if reading the intent in that gaze.
“Please spare me!”
Thud!
The squad leader slammed his forehead into the ground.
“That won't do. If I let you go, tales about me will spread to the Zhao Kingdom and stir up a real mess.”
Two points of blood light hovered above the squad leader's head.
“Just chalk it up to bad luck.”
Thud!
Two large holes punched through the squad leader's skull. Instant death.
Drip drip.
Yi Hwan raised a hand to his nose and stroked it. Blood poured from it.
‘Just this much and I'm already nosebleeding……’
* * *
The next morning, Yi Hwan's tent area was in an uproar.
Nine allied corpses had been found. But when they turned out not to be allies but Zhao Kingdom's Black Tiger Squad, the commotion grew even louder.
A breach in the camp's defenses was a major incident. Hwang Ho summoned the officers responsible for security and tore into them.
Meanwhile, Yi Hwan leisurely sipped tea in his quarters.
Clink.
“Who do you think killed the Black Tiger Squad?”
Song Hoe asked as he set down his teacup.
“How should I know.”
“It's odd. Even if I was deep in sleep, I should've sensed something while nine men were dying. Did the Great Prince sense nothing at all?”
“I told you, I was cultivating.”
Yi Hwan lied with perfect composure.
Just then, Song Cheon-mu and Cha Jung-kyeong entered.
Though reinforced guards had freed them from menial tasks, they still had plenty to do.
Yi Hwan stared straight at Cha Jung-kyeong.
“You two, get out. You, sit there.”
“Me?”
Yi Hwan nodded silently, and Cha Jung-kyeong tilted his head curiously as he took a seat.
Song Hoe and Song Cheon-mu stepped outside.
“I heard you stole something from the Zhao Kingdom camp.”
“……!”
Cha Jung-kyeong's eyes widened. It was as good as an admission.
“Then those bodies outside……”
“If you don't want the same fate, spit out the truth.”
“Whew……”
Cha Jung-kyeong let out a deep sigh and pulled something from his bosom, holding it out.
It was a small pipe.
“Take it out.”
Cha Jung-kyeong extracted the paper inside the pipe and unfolded it.
It was a single map. Red dots dotted it, along with densely packed tiny writing.
“The truth is…… my treatment was so abysmal I was thinking of deserting.”
Cha Jung-kyeong had succeeded in ambushing Yi Hwan—clad in resplendent armor—and expected a huge reward. He'd assumed from the flashy attire that Yi Hwan was someone important.
But Zhao Kingdom offered no reward at all and let it slide. Worse, they scolded him for failing to finish the job.
Furious, Cha Jung-kyeong resolved to desert. While grabbing valuables from the commander's tent to fund his escape, he'd found this map.
“A treasure map or something?”
“That's what I figured, so I took it. And with pursuers sent after me, the odds are high, right?”
Yi Hwan tucked the paper into his bosom and stared at Cha Jung-kyeong.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“I figured you wouldn't care……”
“What?”
“I didn't think you'd be interested in riches. I planned to help find the ronin first, then check out the marked spots at leisure.”
“……”
It was slightly absurd, but it made a certain sense. Yi Hwan crossed his arms and stared at Cha Jung-kyeong.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I'm pondering. What to do with you.”
“I don't want to die like this. If I have to die, let it be honorably.”
“Is deserting honorable?”
“If I snag the treasure and head home, wouldn't that be worth trading honor for? Besides, I was never loyal to Zhao Kingdom to begin with. I joined the army just to make money—what of it?”
Yi Hwan snapped his fingers. A burst of finger wind struck Cha Jung-kyeong's forehead.
Snap!
“Ugh!”
“More of them might come looking for you.”
“Maybe.”
“And naturally, I'll get dragged into the mess.”
“……So you're really going to kill me?”
“Until we find the ronin, you can't die even if you want to.”
“Really? Then what are you worried about?”
Yi Hwan added one more line to Cha Jung-kyeong, whose face had suddenly brightened as if nothing had happened.
“Hm…… I need to take some measures, but nothing's coming to mind.”
“Shall I help?”
Snap!
“Gah!”
“From now on, I'll figure out a way—so keep it secret that I killed the Black Tiger Squad.”
“No worries. No one would believe it anyway.”
Snap!
“Urk!”
It was then.
Song Hoe opened the door and entered.
“General Jeong Cheon requests an audience.”
* * *
Yi Hwan and Jeong Cheon sat facing each other.
He'd come for an investigation regarding the Black Tiger Squad deaths. In the next room, Song Hoe and the others were being questioned by other officers.
Yi Hwan lied with perfect composure.
Jeong Cheon seemed to buy it.
He figured that even if Yi Hwan was hiding his skills, he couldn't possibly take out nine Black Tiger Squad members in one go.
It was a world apart from cutting down multiple foes amid the chaos of a mass battlefield melee.
“This is just a formality, so please bear with us.”
“I understand fully.”
“Then I'll take my leave.”
“Please uncover the truth as quickly as possible—it's making everyone uneasy.”
“We'll do our utmost.”
Once Jeong Cheon and the officers departed, the three approached Yi Hwan.
“Deputy General.”
“Yes, Great Prince.”
“We need to get a human skin mask. Think you can manage it?”
“To procure a human skin mask, we'd need to contact murim folk, which isn't easy under the circumstances. Even if we do, the price will be exorbitant.”
“I'll handle the money, so push it forward quickly.”
“Understood.”
Yi Hwan entered his room. As always, he draped cloth over the window and sat cross-legged.
He recalled the previous night's events and furrowed his brow.
‘Using peak-level internal energy definitely strains the dantian.’
Still, he'd dispatched them easily because they'd been off guard. Facing them head-on would've been far tougher.
‘The bigger problem is that I still haven't fully adapted to this body.’
In his prime as Daye Fortress's absolute ruler, Yi Hwan had never known what it meant to lack internal energy.
He'd always unleashed his power freely with his sword, never once harming his body in the process.
But this body couldn't yet withstand such a fighting style. One misstep, and he'd injure himself instead.
Thus, until his internal energy built up sufficiently, he needed to learn a combat method suited to his current body.
Yi Hwan closed his eyes and sank into thought.
About half an incense stick later.
Yi Hwan opened his eyes.
‘Yes, in times like this, the simplest approach is best.’
* * *
“I need to check your martial arts level. Grab your sword and come to the backyard.”
“Huh?”
Song Cheon-mu looked puzzled at Yi Hwan's sudden words.
“I told you before. Once I gauge your skill, I'll give you a chance. So quit standing there like a dumb calf and come on.”
Yi Hwan headed to the backyard first. Moments later, Song Cheon-mu and Song Hoe followed.
Song Hoe handed Yi Hwan his sword.
Cha Jung-kyeong, arriving late to the backyard, watched the two with curious eyes.
“Attack me thinking I'm the enemy.”
“How could I dare?”
“You can dare. Begin.”
Song Cheon-mu hesitated briefly, then drew his sword and spread his legs slightly wider than shoulder-width.
“Then I shall dare.”
Clang!
Whoosh!
Swords clashed, sparks flying. Song Hoe and Cha Jung-kyeong couldn't hide their amazement.
Song Cheon-mu's swordsmanship bordered on swiftblade style. Yet it packed destructive power rare even in swiftblade techniques, enough to intimidate any onlooker.
What was more astonishing was how effortlessly Yi Hwan blocked every assault.
‘The Great Prince is that strong……’
‘The kid's got some moves?’
Song Hoe and Cha Jung-kyeong's gazes fixed respectively on Yi Hwan and Song Cheon-mu.
Clang!
Dozens of exchanges passed in a flash.
After a few more volleys, Song Cheon-mu exhaled raggedly and retreated.
“Huff huff huff.”
Yi Hwan's expression was peculiar.
It was a mix of regret and satisfaction.
Yi Hwan handed his sword to Song Hoe.
“I'm off to meet General Hwang, so don't wait—go eat.”