By Zephyria Is this living? (8)
“Why? Are we not supposed to help Demonic Cult bastards? This is going to be a big problem. Are you too good to accept help from a Demonic Cult bastard?”
“Ah, no. It’s not that.”
“Then what’s the problem! Baek Ryeo-il will keep the guys above busy for a while. We need to rescue the hostages quickly in this window.”
“……Yes.”
Two warriors guarded the door where the hostages were held. Judging by their unwavering stance despite the commotion, they seemed to have been ordered to prioritize guarding the door above all else.
“The same method we used on those dumbasses earlier probably won’t work.”
“What should we do? I haven’t recovered enough to take on both of them at once.”
“Then would it be okay if we sent them out one by one?”
Namgung Cheon-chu nodded.
Seong Mu-yeon took a deep breath to calm himself. Then, he dashed towards the door, panting heavily.
“Aaaaaaah!”
He screamed as if something terrible had happened.
“Seventh Young Master! What’s wrong!”
The warriors asked, startled.
“Namgung Cheon-chu is rampaging! Go and catch him quickly!”
“Damn it! Understood!”
One of them rushed out, and the other was about to follow, but Seong Mu-yeon grabbed his sleeve tightly, preventing him from doing so.
“You have to protect me.”
“Ah, yes……”
A moment later, screams and noises echoed from down the hallway. Then, silence.
“……”
“……”
The warrior fidgeted, wondering about his comrade’s fate.
Thud, thud.
Slow footsteps approached from down the hallway. The person who appeared was, of course, Namgung Cheon-chu.
“Seventh Young Master! Stay here! I’ll take care of him.”
“Okay.”
The warrior never imagined that a Young master of the Demonic Cult would collude with the enemy. He hid Seong Mu-yeon behind him, drew his sword, and shouted bravely.
“Prepare yourself, Namgung Cheon-chu!”
However.
Clang!
Before he could even swing his sword, the warrior collapsed. Seong Mu-yeon dropped the iron shield he had just swung to the ground.
“Damn heavy. Let’s go, Young master.”
“Yes.”
Namgung Cheon-chu limped over the fallen warrior’s body.
The hostages’ room was pitch black. The hostages squinted as light streamed in through the door.
“N-Namgung Young master!”
“Namgung Cheon-chu is back!”
Cheers erupted from among the hostages. Some hugged each other and wiped away tears.
“We were so worried when Young master was taken away……!”
“We’re glad you’re safe.”
Namgung Cheon-chu was sweating as he tried to calm the people down. They seemed relieved just by hearing the name Namgung.
Once the hostages had calmed down a bit, Namgung Cheon-chu whispered to Seong Mu-yeon, looking troubled.
“……But I can’t escort all these people alone. What if they come back…….”
“Don’t worry about that! Hong-gae! Come out!”
As if on cue, a familiar voice echoed from the darkness.
“……Seong hyung? Can I call you hyung now?”
“Yeah. You can.”
“Hyuuuung!”
“Hong-gae!”
“Hyuuuuuung!”
Hong-gae ran over with open arms. Seong Mu-yeon managed to avoid his embrace by taking a step back.
“Don’t do anything useless and go inform the Namgung Clan right now and come back with them. Quickly!”
“Yes? Ah. Right. I understand.”
Hong-gae hurried out.
“Please wait a moment. They’ll be here soon. The Namgung Clan must be looking for Young master. And the Beggars’ Sect too.”
“……Yes.”
“Haa…….”
Seong Mu-yeon, relieved of the tension, plopped down on the floor. But then he felt a strange gaze and looked up to see the commoners staring at him.
“What? What is it?”
Seong Mu-yeon asked, but they quickly turned their heads or looked away. They seemed to have a lot they wanted to ask, but they were too afraid to open their mouths, since he was a Young master of the Demonic Cult.
“Mister, mister. You’re bleeding here.”
A little kid pointed to his hand.
As the kid said, his finger was cut and bleeding. It seemed he had been grazed while swinging the iron shield earlier.
Seong Mu-yeon smiled and stroked the kid’s head.
“It’s okay. It’s nothing. Are you hungry? Let’s go out and get something delicious to eat soon.”
“Okay.”
The kid turned around and snuggled into his mother’s arms.
Seong Mu-yeon was watching the scene with a pleased expression when he noticed even Namgung Cheon-chu staring at him.
“……Are these people putting on a show? Why do you keep staring?”
The persistent gazes didn’t let up. Seong Mu-yeon, feeling like he had become a spectacle, jumped up, causing the commoners to scatter in panic.
“Young master, I’ll go check the situation upstairs. If the Demonic Cult bastards come back, pretend you were quietly locked up.”
“Yes.”
It was a good thing he had prevented them from acting rashly. As soon as Seong Mu-yeon went upstairs, the branch leader returned to the hideout with a few of his men.
“Seventh Young Master! Seventh Young Master! Ah, you’re here!”
“Branch leader! What happened to you?”
The branch leader was a mess, as if he had been through a major battle.
“Let’s go quickly. We have to leave.”
“What? What about Baek Ryeo-il?”
The branch leader grabbed his wrist without hesitation.
“The remaining warriors are holding him back, but they won’t last long. Damn it……. I should have known this would happen. There’s no helping it. Let’s get out of here first.”
The branch leader shouted to his men.
“You guys stay here and hold Baek Ryeo-il back as long as possible if he comes! Understand!”
“Yes!”
The branch leader dragged Seong Mu-yeon out. As they opened the door and stepped outside, the air was filled with the acrid smell of blood.
“Branch leader! Let go of me! Where are you taking me?”
“……Now that things have come to this, at least Seventh Young Master must be safe. Otherwise, I…….”
His voice was filled with fear. He didn’t seem to be afraid of Baek Ryeo-il. It seemed he was afraid of someone else. Who could it be? Seong Mu-yeon couldn’t understand.
The Third Young Master came to Seong Mu-yeon’s mind.
“Why me? Why is Third Young Master looking for me? Answer me, Branch leader.”
“No. You will know everything when you meet him, even if I don’t tell you separately. Horses are prepared not far from here.”
The branch leader dragged Seong Mu-yeon towards the deep forest. The remaining subordinates stayed behind to stop Baek Ryeo-il.
Seong Mu-yeon tried to break free from his grasp, but he was helpless. He hoped to run into a passing Beggars’ Sect member or Namgung Clan member, but even that didn’t happen.
“Haa, haa…….”
As the mountain hike continued, Seong Mu-yeon quickly grew tired and breathed heavily. The branch leader didn’t care about his condition at all.
“We need to get out of here quickly! Just a little more strength.”
“Haa……. Haa……. Just a little rest…….”
“Not yet, Seventh Young Master! Get up. Quickly!”
It was then, as the branch leader turned around to carry him on his back.
“Where are you going in such a hurry?”
A sinister voice echoed, and before they knew it, Baek Ryeo-il was standing in front of them. His whole body was covered in blood, as if he had just been in a battle.
The branch leader muttered curses. Since he had left all his subordinates at the hideout, he would have to fight directly from now on.
“Seventh Young Master, please stay out of the way for a moment.”
The branch leader pushed Seong Mu-yeon aside. Then, he drew the soft sword he had been wearing around his waist.
Swish!
A fierce strike enveloped in dark Demonic Energy was launched towards Baek Ryeo-il.
Baek Ryeo-il raised his sword and blocked it directly, but the flexible soft sword wrapped around his sword. The two swords became entangled as if glued together.
“You really want to die, don’t you.”
“Says you.”
As the two men pulled with all their might, the sword and soft sword rubbed against each other, creating a grating, unpleasant noise.
Baek Ryeo-il’s arm muscles contracted, and even his veins were visible. The branch leader also pulled on the soft sword with all his might. It was a tense standoff where anyone who showed even a slight opening would lose their life, when suddenly.
A chilling sound of flesh and muscle being pierced rang out.
Baek Ryeo-il’s eyes widened.
A dagger was embedded in the branch leader’s neck. The owner of the pale hand that released the firmly embedded dagger was Seong Mu-yeon.
The branch leader rolled his eyes and looked back at Seong Mu-yeon.
“Seve……nth Young master.”
“……”
Seong Mu-yeon took a few steps back with a cold face devoid of any emotion.
Thud.
The branch leader collapsed right in front of his shoes. He panted and looked up at Seong Mu-yeon.
“……Why.”
Leaving behind a final word filled with question and resentment, the branch leader breathed his last.
Seong Mu-yeon tapped his hands together after checking his pulse to make sure he was really dead.
The soft sword that had been binding Baek Ryeo-il’s sword had already fallen to the ground, but he didn’t sheathe his sword. The lightly dangling sword shone sharply.
He slowly approached Seong Mu-yeon. In the silent forest, only the sound of Baek Ryeo-il stepping on fallen leaves echoed. Baek Ryeo-il, who had stepped over the branch leader’s body and come within striking distance, quietly looked down at Seong Mu-yeon.
Now was the time to face Baek Ryeo-il.
“……Um, Master Baek? I can explain everything. So, what happened was…… Huh?”
Baek Ryeo-il, who had been standing firm as a mountain, suddenly collapsed into his arms. Seong Mu-yeon supported him in a daze.