By Zephyria 
At first, he truly thought it was the moon. But as he continued to look, he noticed that one side was not smooth, but jagged and sharp. Below that, a pair of glinting red eyes were visible.
It was only then that Ho-eun realized.
“……I found it.”
That was not the moon, but the tentacle of the Leader Plant Monster he had been searching for. Simultaneously, words Gil-sang had once said came to mind.
‘It looked like a half-moon, or maybe a fan. The edges were, how should I put it… crinkled, or perhaps spiky.’
‘The tentacle was large enough to cover almost the entire Helmet Bone, and maybe it was because of the moonlight, but it sparkled as if it were plated in gold, so I remember it clearly.’
It was exactly as described. It was the fan type that Ho-eun had drawn countless times following that description.
Perched atop a thick branch, the creature gripped the tree trunk with one arm, looking down while incessantly shivering its tentacle—zarureu, zarureu. Its head moved rapidly from left to right, as if issuing different commands to the other Devouring Ghouls.
Then, the moment the creature’s gaze began to drift toward Ho-eun, the lightning vanished and darkness returned.
However, the image of the gold-glinting, fan-shaped tentacle remained vividly etched into Ho-eun’s retinas.
“Fan type……”
Based on his estimation, the fan type was smarter than the double horn type that had moved the cannons by hand in Ramjae Town. That meant the Crimson Rain Brigade might be completely wiped out here today.
Ho-eun felt the strength drain from his grip. The taut reins of the horse slackened. He stared blankly into the darkness with unfocused eyes, as if his throat had already been torn out.
Krrr-boom! A clap of thunder shook heaven and earth.
“…….”
At that, Ho-eun snapped his eyes open as if he had been struck by lightning himself.
“Young Master! We have to go, quickly!”
Gil-sang shouted, urging Ho-eun forward. When Ho-eun remained motionless, Gil-sang personally grabbed the reins and pulled. However, Ho-eun twisted his waist and slid down from the horse before Gil-sang could catch him.
“Young Master!”
Gil-sang called out, eyes wide. Casting aside all propriety, he grabbed Ho-eun by the shoulder and yanked him toward himself. But Ho-eun instead grabbed Gil-sang’s wrist. Then, looking up at Gil-sang, he spoke.
“Please protect me.”
“……Pardon?”
“Just for a moment, just for a moment, protect me here. Just a little while will do.”
Gil-sang frowned as deeply as he could at such an absurd request. While he had nearly lost his life protecting Ho-eun more than a few times, this was the first time he felt this frustrated. It was even more stifling because, even during this meaningless squabble, the soldiers of the Crimson Rain Brigade were continuing to have their heads and limbs torn off.
“Young Master! Now is not the time for this. Quickly—”
But Ho-eun let out a sharp shout.
“I! I can handle this!”
“What on earth are you talking about……”
Gil-sang twisted his head, looking like he was dying of frustration. Even so, fearing a Devouring Ghoul might approach or harm Ho-eun, he thrust his sword forward and then raised it, staying on guard.
Ho-eun stood close beside Gil-sang. Gripping his wrist firmly, he looked him straight in the eye and said.
“Just once, believe in me. I am also a member of the Crimson Rain Brigade.”
In the moment the thunder struck just now—the moment a roar so loud it made his entire body tremble passed through him—Ho-eun realized something.
He was still frail, incompetent, and a being who needed protection, but he was still a soldier of the Crimson Rain Brigade. The moment he saw the fan-type Devouring Ghoul, he had gauged how smart and strong it was; he had experienced enough on the battlefield to feel such terror.
At the same time, Ho-eun realized that he could kill that monster. And by doing so, he could end this hellish situation.
He was confident. It wasn’t baseless confidence. It was a confidence forged from learning from Tae-muk, watching Gil-sang, and running alongside Seong-im.
“…….”
Gil-sang stared intently at Ho-eun. Just as he opened his mouth to say something.
Kaaaaak! Kak, kaaaaak!
A Devouring Ghoul dug its claws into the tree and descended, gaping its mouth wide toward Ho-eun’s head.
Gil-sang pulled Ho-eun toward him and thrust his sword into the creature’s open maw. Puguk. The sharp blade sliced through the roof of the monster’s mouth and pierced its brain. Gil-sang didn’t stop there; he twisted his wrist to shred the brain before pulling the sword out. The creature coughed up surging blood and fell—thump!—hitting the ground headfirst.
“My apologies. My mission is to protect the Young Master. The Captain ordered me to protect you by any means necessary.”
Shaking off the blood and flesh from his sword, Gil-sang gripped Ho-eun’s forearm tightly. He attempted to lift him and put him back on his horse, but a slender hand grabbed Gil-sang’s wrist. Seeing the owner of that hand, Gil-sang’s face stiffened.
“You……”
It was Seong-im. Having dismounted at some point, she was standing beside Ho-eun. Drenched in rain, she looked up at Gil-sang silently and slowly shook her head.
“…….”
Gil-sang, alone on his horse, looked back and forth between Seong-im and Ho-eun. Both were looking up at him with solemn expressions, which gave him a headache. Gil-sang scratched the crown of his head vigorously with the hand holding the sword. He let out a sigh and glanced around anxiously.
Then, finally.
“Dammit……”
With a short curse, he flopped down from the horse. Gil-sang skillfully tied the three horses together and gave them a hard smack on the rump to make them move away. Then, he stood close beside Ho-eun and raised his sword.
“Just for a real short while. You know I’ll be killed by the Captain if you get hurt, right? I’d rather be eaten by those Eater Bugs than be killed by the Captain.”
Gil-sang spoke in a forcedly playful tone. Even so, he took deep breaths—hoo, hoo—as if he were nervous.
“Yes. I will not get hurt.”
Ho-eun answered firmly. Wiping his wet face with his palm, he stripped off the Crimson Rain Brigade cloak, which felt as heavy as a straw sack from soaking up the rain, and dropped it on the ground. Then, he drew the pistol from his waist.
With fair proficiency, Ho-eun unlocked the safety of the gun and aimed at the tree where the fan-tentacle Devouring Ghoul had been. He couldn’t see it because of the darkness, but he could feel it.
The creature was still there.
“…….”
However, Ho-eun did not pull the trigger.
It was a smart monster. Smart enough to kill the archers first to eliminate threats. If he failed to kill it in one shot, the creature would realize he had a gun and would undoubtedly command the other ghouls to kill him first. Just as dozens of ghouls had swarmed Tae-muk, the same number would rush him.
Then, he would certainly die.
That couldn’t happen. He couldn’t leave Tae-muk alone in this world. He was his Bondmate, and he had a duty to stay by his side.
Therefore, he could not die.
He would not die; he would kill.
“…….”
Ho-eun remained still, just perfectly still, holding the pistol. Though such stillness might have been frustrating, Gil-sang and Seong-im protected him without rushing him.
Fortunately, the Devouring Ghouls weren’t particularly interested in the three of them. Most were clinging to trees, and since the soldiers on horseback were closer than those on the ground, they attacked them first.
How much time passed? By the time his body, pummeled by the torrential rain, began to ache as if bruised.
Flash. The world brightened. As expected, the tentacle monster was still in the same spot. Its form was captured perfectly in Ho-eun’s pupils.
“…….”
But Ho-eun did not fire. He simply stared without blinking, as if memorizing the creature’s position. Soon the lightning ceased, and the world turned dark again. And as time passed and the thunder tore through the sky with a rumble.
Bang!
Ho-eun fired.
Kieeeeeek!
A sound sharper than any other Devouring Ghoul’s cry soared upward. He hit it. Ho-eun sensed it. However, he couldn’t tell where or how he had hit it. He only knew that since it was screaming, it hadn’t died.
I have to aim for the eye. That’s the only way to kill it. But I can’t see……
The moment of lightning was too short. It was exactly enough time to fire a single shot—no more, no less. If he couldn’t kill it with that one shot, the risk was too great. Then what should he do……
As Ho-eun searched for a way, rolling his eyes in the darkness, he spotted a single sliver of light. Buried in the mud in the distance, emitting a faint glow, was the flashlight Ho-eun had dropped earlier.
“I need…… the flashlight……”
Ho-eun muttered to himself while staring at it. He wasn’t speaking to Gil-sang or Seong-im. It was literally a monologue.
Suddenly, his back felt cold. It was because Seong-im, who had been guarding his rear, had left her position.
“……Seong-im?”
A surprised Ho-eun called her. At that, Gil-sang also looked at Seong-im. His eyes widened in surprise at Seong-im’s sudden dash, but he did not follow her. Or rather, he couldn’t. Because the one he had to protect was Ho-eun. However, the grip on his sword tightened so much that the back of his hand turned white.
“Don’t go! Seong-im!”
Ho-eun shouted after her. But Seong-im, her high ponytail swaying, disappeared into the darkness.