BSW 253

Then, he suddenly flung off his military overcoat. Tae-muk, with a cigarette hanging crookedly from his lips, looked at him as if wondering what he was doing. Byeonguk flipped the coat inside out and ripped through the inner lining of the chest with a series of sharp tearing sounds.

From there, a rectangular, elongated blood-sealed envelope emerged.

Wrapped in silk with meticulous embroidery, it was clear at a glance that this was no ordinary letter. It was something so precious that he had sewn it into his clothes for fear of losing it.

Byeonguk unfolded it carefully and held it out to Tae-muk with both hands.

“It is a letter from His Imperial Majesty.”

“…….”

“Lord Dae-gam—that is, the Young Master’s father—received it personally upon visiting the palace.”

“…….”

Tae-muk stared blankly at it. When he first learned that nearly 100,000 Devouring Ghouls were charging toward Hanyang, Ho-eun had agonized day and night for a way to oppose them. Then one day, he had brought up something completely unexpected.

‘You said the General once saved His Majesty, right? Back when the General became a Colonel.’

‘I heard His Majesty was on his way back from Yeosu at the time?’

‘Could I… possibly know the reason why he visited Yeosu? He wouldn’t have traveled outside Hanyang for a trivial matter. There must be, must be an important reason.’

‘Especially since the destination was Yeosu, it bothers me. The Devouring Ghouls came from Japan, and Yeosu and Busan are particularly close to Japan. Could it be that he visited because of the Devouring Ghouls?’

‘If you allow it, I would like to send a letter to my father when Byeonguk-nim goes to Hanyang. Since my father has a connection with His Majesty, we might be able to get an answer.’

The letter Ho-eun had sent through Byeonguk was intended to fish for information from the King via his father. In that letter, he hadn’t written a single word warning the King that the Devouring Ghouls were heading for Hanyang or telling him to flee. He had written only a request for the King’s answer.

Tae-muk found that deeply heartbreaking. He knew what family meant to Ho-eun. At the same time, he felt a sense of pride, seeing how desperately the boy wanted to win this battle.

Regardless, that answer had now landed in Tae-muk’s hands.

“And Ho-eun’s family?”

Chewing on the unlit cigarette, Tae-muk asked while turning the envelope over. Byeonguk replied in his characteristic concise tone.

“They are doing well. It seemed the Young Master’s worries were great, but they did not let it show. Nor did they ask after your well-being separately.”

“……True nobles.”

Tae-muk muttered with an inscrutable smile.

“However, they were deeply saddened that they could not provide for our meals. They tried to pack food this time as well, but I declined, fearing that too much luggage would delay our return.”

“Really? Dong-ja, how will you handle the disappointment?”

Tae-muk said playfully, glancing at Dong-ja, who was standing in the corner. At that, Dong-ja let out a shriek.

“What does that have to do with me?! Thinking about eating even in a situation like this!”

Then Man-soo tapped her arm, trying to restrain her.

“Quiet, you’ll wake the Young Master.”

At those words, Dong-ja went “Hup!” and quickly shut her mouth. Tae-muk also glanced back at Ho-eun. Fortunately, Ho-eun was still fast asleep.

Spitting out the cigarette he had been chewing, Tae-muk tore through the silk envelope as if shredding it. To treat a royal letter with such disregard—anyone else seeing this would have been horrified, yet no one inside the military tent pointed it out.

Soon the contents of the letter appeared, and Tae-muk spread it wide. The neatly aligned characters were reflected in his dark pupils.

[I send this letter to General Lee Tae-muk and the youngest son of the Choi family, Choi Ho-eun.

First, I offer my deepest apologies for being unable to Read on Read BL Novelssend soldiers to the site Read on Read BL Novelsof the fierce battle.

I, too, wished to send troops, but I could not ultimately overcome the opposition of the court officials.

Indeed, countless citizens reside in Hanyang. I have the duty to observe their anxiety and unrest, and to keep them safe. Therefore, I ask for your understanding that I cannot provide you with full support.

…….

I heard you wish to know the reason I visited Yeosu over a decade ago. Revealing the reason is not difficult at all, but I worry that it may not be the answer you seek.]

“…….”

Tae-muk read through the text quickly. The King stated that he had researched Devouring Ghouls for a long time. However, since it had mostly consisted of bringing in dead Devouring Ghouls for dissection, he had found nothing meaningful.

Then one day, he heard a rumor that the Devouring Ghouls were monsters created in Japan. The rumor claimed that Japan had failed to control the monsters, and as a result, Japan had fallen.

Following that rumor, he discovered that a person who had participated in the research of Devouring Ghouls in Japan had fled to Yeosu. He immediately ordered the man to be brought to him, but the man’s injuries were severe, and since he was in a state where it wouldn’t be strange for him to die at any moment, the King went to Yeosu himself as a last resort. He said he met the man just before he drew his final breath.

However, contrary to the rumors, the man was not someone who had participated in the research, but a low-ranking soldier belonging to the unit that researched them. Under strong pressure, the man shared what he knew, but there was nothing of use.

It was only natural. If the Japanese had known the weakness of the Devouring Ghouls, they wouldn’t have fallen.

So, in the end, is this letter visit our siteuseless too? If th[visit our site]ere is no information, Ho-eun will be disappointed.

Tsk, clicking his tongue, Tae-muk read the remaining part of the letter. Then, one sentence struck him vividly.

[The last words he left were that the weakness of the Myriad Calamities is ‘hunger’.]

“……Hunger?”

Tae-muk pronounced the word. Hunger. It wasn’t a difficult word, but for some reason, it felt awkward and unfamiliar.

[It was said that when the Myriad Calamities starve, their skin becomes soft, their bones thin, and their strength drops significantly. By logic alone, it was information worth listening to.

However, I soon realized that this weakness was truly useless. Because a starving Myriad Calamity does not exist. They are monsters that crave human flesh without cease and are always full. For such a being, hunger could not be a weakness.]

“Hunger…….”

Tae-muk muttered the word again. He lowered the letter, frowning and staring into the void. At this, Byeonguk raised an eyebrow and asked.

“Did you say hunger?”

Byeonguk did not know the contents of the letter. It was correspondence between superiors. Moreover, a letter between a King and a General was essentially a state secret. He hadn’t dared to open it first and had simply brought it carefully. He had been curious about what was written, but the only word that came from Tae-muk’s mouth was two syllables: hunger.

“Read it.”

Tae-muk held out the letter. Byeonguk quickly took it and read. Gil-sang and Man-soo crowded beside him to read it together. Their eyes grew wider and wider.

“You mean those Eater Bugs get weaker if they starve?”

“Seems so.”

“But as written here, can an Eater Bug… actually starve?”

Why were they called Devouring Ghouls? Because they were monsters that devoured. Having rolled around battlefields for over a decade, he had never seen a starving Devouring Ghoul. It was natural, as they were always eating people.

However, after thinking deeply for a moment, Tae-muk spoke in a low voice.

“The ones outside.”

“Pardon?”

“Those bastards outside have been starving for ten days now.”

Tae-muk recalled the battles of the past few days. It said they get weaker if they starve. Looking back, it did seem as though their bones had become weaker. They were fragile enough to be crushed by hand. Without even needing to separate the jaw and the Helmet Bone, they would break as easily as a gourd if he just gripped them and squeezed. Their flesh had softened, and their strength had waned.

Of course, since meeting Ho-eun, he had crushed their heads—Helmet Bone and all—more stolen contentthan a few times, but in the last [unauthorized copy]style="opacity:0;font-size:0;">unauthorized copyfew days, it had been exceptionally easy.

There were occasionally some strong ones, but literally occasionally. Likely, only those who had craved the blood and flesh of the soldiers had maintained their stamina.

That meant the ones who had been across the Yalu River all along—the ones who hadn’t touched a human for a single moment in ten days—were now as weak as could be.

If that’s the case, the battle might become a bit easier…….

Tae-muk swept the inside of his cheek deeply with his tongue. His eyes flashed with an unprecedented intensity, and Gil-sang took a step forward.

“The Young Master said something similar.”

“What.”

“That the Eater Bugs seemed to have gotten weaker. Actually, when looking from above, it seemed our soldiers were killing the Eater Bugs easily. I just thought it was a feeling… but could they really be weak from starving?”

“I thought it was a bit strange too. Spears were just sinking right into their heads. I thought maybe I’d gotten stronger since it’s been a while since I fought?”

At Dong-ja’s following words, Byeonguk’s eyebrows shot up. Credibility was being added to the fact that their weakness was hunger. He looked at Tae-muk and said.

“If it’s true that they get weaker the more they starve, shouldn’t we strike now? Before they leave this place to devour people.”

“…….”

Tae-muk could not answer easily. Even if they were weakened, they were still Devouring Ghouls. They had fought on roughly equal terms until now, but that was because the number of them that could cross the river at once was limited. But now, they had all crossed the river.

If they engaged in a melee, it meant they would have to face tens of thousands of them simultaneously. It was too reckless to risk their lives blindly.