HSA 45

Paeng Ju-hyeok glanced at Jin Geum-ryeon, who, without objecting, naturally took up the conversation.

“Yes, he’s Azure Moon Sword Mae-yeong. He has long severed ties with the world, so few may know him.”

“Hmm… How could such a skilled person be without reputation?”

Seol San-hae muttered to herself. Jin Geum-ryeon simply offered a good-natured smile.

“Some only believe what they see.”

He replied as if he understood everything, and Seol San-hae’s brow furrowed slightly.

“A master of swordsmanship, you say. As one who also wields a sword, I am curious. If Young Master Jin participates in the Dragon Phoenix Tournament, he might come to watch.”

Namgung Eui, who had been silent, spoke to Jin Geum-ryeon with goodwill.

“That will not happen. He dislikes crowded places. Before I descended the mountain, he said he would never see me again, so I don’t know if I will ever meet him again.”

“To say such a thing… Did something happen?”

“Nothing happened. He simply had his reasons for saying so.”

With those words, Jin Geum-ryeon slowly rose from his seat. The others, who had been listening quietly, began to pack up their belongings and prepare to leave.

Ak Mujin had lost focus since the Dragon Phoenix Tournament was mentioned. As a martial arts otaku before being the original author, he desperately wanted to see the tournament. The Dragon Phoenix Tournament, held every few years, was just around the corner in the coming spring. The thought of missing this great opportunity and being forever trapped in the Martial Alliance was disheartening.

However, he had no desire to return to the Demonic Cult. He would rather suffer himself than harm someone else. And even if he returned in this form, he didn’t even know if his position would still be there. Therefore, from Ak Mujin’s perspective, it was better if no Demonic Cultist appeared.

Lost in thought, unaware of who was approaching, he stared at the ground until he suddenly looked up at the person before him.

Standing before him, looking down at him, was none other than Jin Geum-ryeon.

“…!”

Ak Mujin flinched. He avoided his gaze and lowered his head, but Jin Geum-ryeon was trying to force something into his open hand.

Only then did Ak Mujin look at his hand and see that Jin Geum-ryeon was placing the dumpling he had not eaten into his hand.

“…You will be walking for a long time without rest. You are already unwell, and if you don’t eat, you will only weaken yourself further.”

“…”

“Do not be a hindrance.”

With those words, Jin Geum-ryeon turned and left without hesitation.

Ak Mujin blankly watched his retreating figure before looking back at the dumpling.

No, maybe ten dumplings would be something. Even though it’s a fist-sized dumpling, he’s only giving me one and telling me not to be a hindrance? It was absurd, but Ak Mujin had not eaten anything since leaving Illusion Valley. He barely managed to push it into his sleeve and decided to save it as food for later.

***

Ryu Su-cheong, Seol San-hae, and Paeng Ju-hyeok grumbled throughout the journey, but they didn’t seem to want to slack off, diligently walking until they were almost at the Martial Alliance.

However, as dusk fell, they decided that walking any further was impossible and set up camp by a small stream.

Ak Mujin had been taking out and eating the dumpling he had saved for the night, but he was still exhausted. Even though he had recuperated somewhat in Illusion Valley, it seemed it was not enough to fully recover.

As they were chatting, Jin Geum-ryeon, who had been keeping his distance from Ak Mujin during the journey, suddenly approached and sat beside him.

“It’s the last night, let’s have a drink.”

At those words, Ak Mujin’s eyes widened as he looked at the cup he was offering. Even if the group’s attitude was lax, they wouldn’t share drinks with a prisoner, would they? As expected, there was no particular pungent smell coming from the cup.

Seeing his somewhat disappointed expression, Jin Geum-ryeon chuckled.

“It’s just water. I fetched it from the stream. It’s clear and tastes good.”

After saying that, Jin Geum-ryeon took a sip of his own water.

“Since we cannot drink alcohol, I wanted to reminisce with water.”

As he said that, Jin Geum-ryeon’s profile looked somehow open-hearted. The more Ak Mujin saw it, the more he felt strange, thinking that this was really the end. To be precise, he felt a pang of loneliness in his heart.

Strictly speaking, Jin Geum-ryeon was not only the protagonist of his work, whom Ak Mujin regarded as special, but also the first ‘friend’ he had made since leaving the Demonic Cult. Well, he didn’t know if he could even call him a friend… Suddenly, the thought of parting with Jin Geum-ryeon felt poignant.

“You’ve worked hard so far. You’ll work even harder in the future, though.”

Jin Geum-ryeon said in a playful voice. Ak Mujin also recalled the journeys they had gone through.

“Come to think of it…”

Ak Mujin muttered, looking into the cup.

“I didn’t say thank you.”

Ak Mujin was looking directly at him as he spoke. Jin Geum-ryeon looked into his eyes, puzzled.

“What are you talking about?”

Ak Mujin smiled faintly.

“When I called out to you so desperately, you happened to appear. I honestly didn’t expect you to come when I called.”

Jin Geum-ryeon’s eyes flickered slightly. Ak Mujin took a sip of water.

“But you really did appear. Like a prince on a white horse…”

Ak Mujin unknowingly compared him to a modern idiom. He found the words funny himself and chuckled.

What’s with the prince on a white horse? I’m not some girl dreaming of a princess.

There must be something wrong with this water. It must be alcohol.

“It’s strange. Others were so unpleasant.”

That terrible memory flashed through Ak Mujin’s mind.

“You are…”

Ak Mujin stopped there, then hurriedly covered his mouth with his fingers and turned his head. The next moment, Jin Geum-ryeon tried to speak, but was cut off by Ak Mujin’s words.

“There’s no other meaning, so don’t misunderstand. No, never mind. Pretend you didn’t hear it.”

Jin Geum-ryeon was just listening to him, lost in thought. Ak Mujin naturally thought that he found him unbearably unpleasant.

They sat in silence for a while.

Jin Geum-ryeon was the first to get up.

“I’ll keep watch, so everyone gets some sleep.”

Jin Geum-ryeon said as he walked towards the campfire. Ak Mujin watched his retreating figure for a moment, then blamed himself for making another slip of the tongue.

Jin Geum-ryeon probably doesn’t even want to think about it, so why did my thoughts drift that way again! He decided to keep quiet from now on.

Jin Geum-ryeon had been on edge, constantly checking for the Demonic Cult, so he was somewhat tired. Fortunately, there was nothing noticeable, but if someone were to attack, it would be at night rather than during the day. He couldn’t let his guard down just because he was tired, so he volunteered to keep watch.

“Ah, it’s okay. I’ll do it. You must be tired too.”

Unexpectedly, Ryu Su-cheong shook his head and stepped forward. Jin Geum-ryeon, and even Ak Mujin, thought it was unexpected and looked at him, so Namgung Eui took a step forward.

“No, I…”

“No. I’ll stand guard.”

Paeng Ju-hyeok interrupted Namgung Eui.

They looked at each other with the campfire in the middle.

Looking at them like this, it seemed most ideal for Paeng Ju-hyeok, who was clearly the most robust, to stand guard.

“…Then, is it okay to leave it to Brother Paeng?”

Jin Geum-ryeon said politely, and Paeng Ju-hyeok laughed heartily and nodded.

“Don’t worry and sleep well. Even though we’re almost there, we’ll still have to walk almost a full day tomorrow.”

Everyone nodded at his refreshing tone and spread out their sleeping bags to make their beds. And Ak Mujin was still squatting with his hands tied to the tree.

Well, they can’t exactly hug him to sleep, so he understands being tied up. But he felt so pathetic that he was on the verge of tears.

However, once he entered the Martial Alliance, he would only think of this as a fond memory. Resolving to enjoy this moment, he sat and looked at the campfire, then slowly closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

Yes, let’s at least sleep comfortably. This will be the last good sleep.

As Ak Mujin’s eyelids completely closed, the sound of chatting before bed gradually faded, and finally, the surroundings became quiet…

In his dream, Ak Mujin suddenly felt his wrists become more comfortable. At the same time, he could hear someone whispering something in his head.

‘Second Young Master.’

Ak Mujin turned his head sharply to check his surroundings and saw a man wearing a black mask standing close to him.

His heart sank.

‘The Demonic Cult has come.’

The moment he thought that, Ak Mujin woke up with a start. He was so startled that his heart was pounding.

It must be a dream, right?

It has to be a dream.

However, shattering his expectations, the chains that had been binding his wrists were gone, and someone was lying close to him, with their arms wrapped around his waist. Ak Mujin didn’t dare to turn his head to see the person’s face.

‘Get up quietly. We’ve come to save you.’

Could the word ‘save’ ever sound so terrifying?

Ak Mujin was about to face terrible torture, but he swore he didn’t want to return to the Demonic Cult, so he stiffened his body and said nothing.

‘Hurry. We have to leave before they all wake up. Please listen to me.’

Ak Mujin simply squeezed his eyes shut.

‘Azure Silk…!’

…Huh?