Chapter 23
Chapter 23
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: A Coward's Revenge
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“Oh, weally?”
I thought of my dad, who'd suddenly whipped up a wind to give me a roller coaster ride, only to ask, “Hey, where’s your house?”
He doesn't exactly look like a scholar either…
“Anyway, let's stop here for now.”
Heuk Gyewon glanced around cautiously before setting down the mortar and pestle.
Wait, when did he do all this?
I was surprised to see how much he'd ground. Heuk Gyewon said as he picked up Naesu.
“Let's go out for a bit. I have something to show you.”
* * *
The place Heuk Gyewon led me to wasn't far from his residence.
“This is…”
I blinked my wide eyes.
“A field?”
Before me was a well-tilled field.
“My father and I made it.”
Heuk Gyewon said, scratching the back of his neck. He looked a little flushed.
“You go all the way back to where you used to live to pick herbs, right? It's too far. And it's dangerous.”
“…”
“My father told me. Since this area is abandoned, suspicious people sometimes lurk around.”
I know. I ran into them a few times in my past life…
There was always danger.
“I'll move the herbs over whenever I can. And my father said he'll bring over some herb seeds and anything else he can get.”
“Uh…”
I felt a strange mix of emotions and couldn't find the words.
Over something so small.
…Why am I so touched?
‘There are no herbs for you. Go away! Tsk, you don't even have a father or mother.’
‘Heuk Biyu, they say she goes around begging.’
‘I heard she secretly dug up the fields at night.’
How long had it been since I'd received a favor with no strings attached?
No, it's not exactly without strings. I did promise to treat his father. Still…
“…Thank you.”
“Now that I see it, you're not very good at saying thank you, are you?”
The mood was nice, but he just had to ruin it.
I gave a small, shy smile.
And the moment I turned my head, I froze.
*Screeeeeech!*
Naesu let out a loud cry.
“Well, well, look who's here!”
A greasy, unpleasant voice.
The loud cry made even Heuk Gyewon turn his head. A boy with a prominent, heavy belly stood there.
It was Heuk Daewi, the son of my eldest aunt.
‘What's that pig doing here?’
This was my eldest uncle's residence.
The place where he bullied Heuk Gyewon last time was a somewhat ambiguous spot on the way to the main building, so I could let that slide.
‘Isn't he afraid of getting stabbed by my eldest uncle?’
The scariest thing in the world is a person who's lost their mind.
I say this as someone who's met plenty of such patients.
Then, I arrived at a realization.
‘Ah, Eldest Uncle isn't here today, is he?’
My eldest uncle was currently away. As if he knew this, Heuk Daewi wore a confident expression.
Although parts of his skin still had a bluish tinge, as if the poison hadn't fully left his system.
It made him look like a toad swollen with venom.
‘No, that's an insult to toads.’
I narrowed my eyes.
“Ha, I knew you'd be here. You weren't at home, so I was looking all over for you.”
There was a reason I hated that brat.
The direct descendants of the Heuk family were generally beautiful. It was said that their ancestors, who crossed over from the Western Continent, were beauties themselves.
But Heuk Daewi, born to my beautiful aunt, had the misfortune of taking after only his father-in-law.
That in itself would have been fine.
But he harbored a lifelong inferiority complex about his looks, and he cruelly tormented and tortured those beneath him.
An apothecary and physician, using his knowledge and medicines to torment others.
Family members were no exception.
‘Wow, you've got some pretty eyes, don't you? How annoying…’
I turned my head away from the unpleasant memory.
Anyway, that brat…
‘He's not alone, is he?’
For one, he'd brought a couple of the cronies I saw last time.
Perhaps because they'd suffered so badly from the poison, they forced a smile whenever Heuk Daewi looked at them, but their expressions were a bit timid.
More importantly, two adult men dressed in black were standing staunchly beside Heuk Daewi.
Both had formidable builds.
‘…They must be escort warriors.’
The apothecaries and physicians of the Heuk family were required to have warriors with them at all times. This was especially true when they went out.
So it wasn't strange for him to have them with him even within the family estate.
Besides, though he was young, he'd likely earned his apothecary license with his mother's backing.
‘If my eldest aunt, Heuk Haran, assigned them… they wouldn't be ordinary warriors.’
When I glanced over, Heuk Gyewon's face had hardened as well.
My cousin seemed to have anticipated what that brat intended to do with the warriors he'd brought.
“Do you see? That's them. That little brat and that bastard are the ones who dared to poison me! The insolent wretches…!”
Poisoning a family member could become a major issue, depending on the circumstances.
But Heuk Daewi must have been too embarrassed to admit he'd been bested by a three-year-old.
I had expected this much.
And that my eldest aunt, Heuk Haran, wouldn't protest even if she knew the truth.
‘Knowing my aunt, she'd never do anything to lose face. And since it's an inefficient course of action, she'd be even less likely to do it.’
So I thought he would hold a grudge but let it go quietly.
However, Heuk Daewi was even more petty than I'd imagined.
Petty enough to call two adults—two highly skilled martial artists, at that—to punish us.
“You're bound by a lifetime contract to protect me. To ensure my safety, you'll have to eliminate them.”
One of the warriors glanced at Heuk Daewi before giving a polite nod.
For a fleeting moment, a look of disdain seemed to cross the two warriors' eyes, but it was gone in an instant.
Instead, it was Heuk Daewi's cronies who tried to stop him.
“U-Um, L-Lord Daewi… Is it, is it okay to go this far?”
“That's right, eliminating them is…”
“Shut up! They're the children of criminals!”
Heuk Daewi roared.
“One is the son of a crazed butcher, and the other is the daughter of a lunatic. What's there to be afraid of?”
Heuk Daewi grinned.
“Besides, the madman isn't even here today.”
Just as I thought. He came knowing Eldest Uncle was gone.
‘Alright, what should I do?’
I narrowed my eyes.
‘Will those warriors really eliminate us?’
I have to assume they will.
As a wandering physician, I've met countless warriors. Those are the eyes of men who are resolved.
‘They're the faces of men who have killed before.’
And if they're bound by a lifetime contract, they can't disobey an order.
‘A thorough bastard.’
Heuk Daewi thinks he can clean up the mess afterward. He must be trusting in his backer, my eldest aunt.
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
‘He didn't suffer enough. Not nearly enough.’
I took a step back. It was a stance to prepare for my next move.
This time, I'll teach you that there's a stomachache more painful than death, you creature worse than a pig.
Just as I was quietly reaching into my bag.
“Step back.”
My cousin let out a long whistle, and a bundle of fluff like a white chick came fluttering over.
It was Naesu.
It was always hovering near Heuk Gyewon, so it arrived quickly.
*Screeeech!*
I tugged at the hem of my cousin's clothes as he stood in front of me.
“…Are you going to fight? Don't. You can't win yet.”
I know how talented Heuk Gyewon is, but he wasn't skilled enough to take on adult warriors, especially the personal guards of a direct family member.
“…I know. But right now, I'm the only one here to protect you.”
I froze.
Heuk Gyewon glanced at me out of the corner of his eye.
“You're my father's physician, too. That means… my father and I are your warriors, here to protect you.”
I blinked my large eyes. Heuk Gyewon pulled the corners of his mouth into a grin.
“So use us as you please.”
…It was true that I'd sought out my uncles hoping for exactly this.
‘Why does that apothecary travel alone?’
‘Why else? Her personality is so awful that no warrior can stand her, hmph. The rumors are everywhere. She only goes to dangerous places, so no warrior will stick with her, no matter how much she pays.’
…A story from the past, mostly lies.
Sometimes, it was other physicians and apothecaries who were jealous of me, or a noble family that coveted me.
Other times, it was a famous swordsman I'd rejected after he'd fallen for me.
A tale from a time when rumors snowballed, painting me as a villain.
I endured even these trials with my natural intellect and abilities, but…
There were times when I desperately needed someone on my side.
“It seems my father won't be able to make it in time. Looks like they've pulled some strings.”
“…I was thinking the same thing.”
“So, Heuk Biyu. You go get our youngest uncle. He might be awake.”
“…And if he's not?”
Heuk Gyewon drew his sword for the first time.
My cousin seemed to hesitate for a moment.
Then, he gave a faint smile.
“Then there's one more person, isn't there? Your father.”