BSW 119

119

“Like tearing apart a Devouring Ghoul’s head.”

To that, Tae-muk unnecessarily kindly gathered his hands, then pulled them apart, describing the action of tearing something apart.

“……”

Ho-eun, unable to find words to respond, only gaped, and Tae-muk frowned as if he expected it.

“Then you’ll be a pain again, saying things like human lives are precious, we have to save them, and so on.”

“Ah……”

Ho-eun sighed softly. He had nothing to say. He thought he would be like that too. They looked like bad people at first glance, but he needed to watch a little longer to see if they were bad enough to have their heads torn off and die.

“Hmm……”

Ho-eun wondered what to do about this, making a guttural sound in his throat as he pondered.

“What are you two whispering about? Talk to us, talk to us.”

The young man joined the conversation. The moment Ho-eun’s gaze naturally flowed to him, he ostentatiously twirled something on his index finger. A black and murky glinting… Gun.

Tae-muk’s eyelids twitched at the sight of it. He had been scared and ran away with just a look in his eyes when they bumped into each other earlier, but he couldn’t help but find it ridiculous that he was so high and mighty just because he had a Gun.

“……”

Ho-eun also frowned. A Gun, really. To point a Gun just to extort a few pennies.

Aiming a Gun at someone who wasn’t a Devouring Ghoul was strictly prohibited by law. Moreover, wasn’t it a waste to use bullets on people? Beyond that wall, there were plenty of soldiers being eaten by Devouring Ghouls because they didn’t have bullets to shoot.

Ho-eun felt bad about the young man’s senseless actions. But the men behind the young man kept stirring up Ho-eun without a clue.

“I’ve never seen your face before, young master, you’re not from around here, are you? Are you just traveling?”

“What family’s young master is traveling with a soldier as a servant?”

“Are you taking him as a bodyguard and a servant?”

“Hey, no way. Didn’t you see them holding hands? Looks like he’s taking him around for nighttime services.”

“Really? I’m good at that too. How about me, young master? How much can you offer?”

“Damn, if it’s a face like that, I’d even pay.”

The last man even shamelessly rubbed his crotch over his clothes. At that, the men chuckled as if agreeing.

Ho-eun’s face was all crumpled. It wasn’t because of the low-quality sexual harassment. It was because there was a word in their sentences that shouldn’t be there.

“……Servant?”

Servant? Who? Was he talking about Tae-muk? So, they saw Tae-muk as his servant? Not just anyone, but Tae-muk?

In an instant, Ho-eun’s clear eyes were all crumpled. He forgot that the men were holding Guns and strode forward, turning to Tae-muk. And he shouted loudly enough to echo through the alley.

“You bastards!”

At the sudden shout, the men stopped their chatter. Their eyes widened.

“How dare you! Do you know who this person is!”

Ho-eun continued to scold. The men looked at him with bewildered faces. They weren’t scared. It was because it was strange. It seemed like the subject speaking should be different. After all, ‘how dare you’ and ‘do you know who this person is’ were words used to describe noble and precious young masters.

But Ho-eun’s scolding didn’t stop there.

“Come here right now, kneel down, and beg for forgiveness!”

Ho-eun pointed to Tae-muk’s feet with his fingertips. His face was more stern than ever. His raised eyes and tightly closed mouth were awkward, but not laughable.

He was really, truly ‘angry.’ He was so angry that Tae-muk was being insulted.

Tae-muk was famous. It was no exaggeration to say that he was the most famous person in the history of the Daehan Empire.

But it wasn’t strange that the men didn’t recognize him. Not many people knew Tae-muk’s face. Ho-eun didn’t know his face clearly either until he actually saw him.

Photos of him and the Crimson Rain Brigade were often published in newspapers, but they were in black and white, and the face was made of dots, so it was blurry and vague, unlike his real face.

But even so. If they had eyes, they would have known what kind of presence and overwhelming aura Tae-muk exuded. They should have realized at a glance that he wasn’t an ordinary person, even if he wasn’t General Lee. He knew it the moment he first met him.

It was possible that they couldn’t recognize his great presence and overwhelming aura because their eyes were unfortunately on his toes.

But anyway, he was a soldier, wasn’t he? A soldier wearing the Daehan Empire military uniform. A soldier who protected the country, defended the people, and killed Devouring Ghouls. They shouldn’t have been spouting words like servant to such a soldier.

Ho-eun was huffing and puffing as he approached them. Tae-muk moved one step back and stood in front of Ho-eun, blocking him.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Aren’t those guys impudently insulting General! A servant! We must rebuke them greatly! This can’t be! How dare they! To General!”

Ho-eun’s eyes, which had been continuing to shout, were bloodshot. He was so upset and angry.

Whose fault was it that they were alive? It was no exaggeration to say that they owed their lives to Tae-muk every day. They should be bowing their heads and thanking him, but instead, they were showing such disregard and contempt.

Those who couldn’t even imagine how Tae-muk and the Crimson Rain Brigade soldiers fought the Devouring Ghouls beyond that wall. Those who didn’t know how much blood they covered themselves in, and shed. How dare they. How dare they.

Ho-eun, who was trembling to his chin with anger, shouted at Tae-muk with his small fists clenched tightly.

“Just tear their heads off!”

At that, Tae-muk scratched the back of his neck.

“What…… Not that far…….”

Ho-eun’s anger was so sharp that Tae-muk was rather embarrassed. He was about to open his mouth to soothe the furious Ho-eun when, at that moment, a faint noise brushed past his ears.

Tae-muk’s eyelashes stood straight up like needles. He urgently pulled Ho-eun into his arms. At the same time.

Bang!

A short roar pierced through the alley. The entire alley echoed with the sharp sound. And after that gunshot, there was a dull thud. Ho-eun, who was in Tae-muk’s arms, felt one of his shoulders move as if it had been pushed by something.

“Uh……”

Ho-eun groaned lowly. It was because he had foreseen some kind of misfortune. A gunshot rang out, it was embedded somewhere, and Tae-muk shook. Thinking that far, he suddenly raised his head and looked up at Tae-muk.

“Perhaps-.”

But before he could finish speaking, the men were whispering and talking among themselves. Something seemed very embarrassing to them. It also seemed questionable.

“What. Did he get hit?”

“Are you sure he got hit?”

“He got hit. I saw blood splatter.”

“But why is he standing there so fine?”

“Isn’t he the God of War?”

“Even if he’s the God of War, shouldn’t he at least flinch if he’s hit by a Gun?”

The whispering words flowed to Ho-eun’s ears along the narrow alleyway. Even though he didn’t have ears as good as Tae-muk’s, he could hear every syllable of what they were saying. The sentence that remained deepest in his mind was, of course, that one.

‘I saw blood splatter.’

“Isn’t it?”

Ho-eun asked Tae-muk.

“……”

Tae-muk didn’t answer. At that, Ho-eun dropped the bundle of books he was holding. Then he went right up to Tae-muk and reached his hand around his back as if he was hugging him. After that, he groped his broad back with his palm.

At first, he only felt the rough texture unique to the military uniform coat. It was a dry and parched texture. So, just as he was about to withdraw his hand with relief. Something hot and sticky instantly soaked his hand.

“……”

Ho-eun stopped breathing. He brought his wet hand right up to his nose. He hoped it wasn’t, but his hand was all red. Blood droplets were glistening on his fingertips, and blood was flowing along the lines of his palm.

“You…… You got shot?”

“Looks like it.”

Tae-muk replied nonchalantly. It was a voice that didn’t seem surprised, scared, or even in pain. It was indifferent, as if he was talking about someone else’s business. On the other hand, Ho-eun’s face turned pale.

“Oh, how, ah, immediately, we have to treat it immediately.”

His heart dropped to the very bottom in an instant. He had seen Tae-muk get hurt countless times, but it was his first time seeing him get shot, so he was very embarrassed.

In fact, if he had been a little calmer, he would have quickly realized that a Gunshot Wound wasn’t that serious of an injury to Tae-muk. Compared to having his side bitten off by a Devouring Ghoul, a Gunshot Wound was trivial.

But Ho-eun couldn’t be calm. He couldn’t even gather his reason. If his body was boiling with anger earlier, now it was frozen solid, and he had no sensation in his fingertips and toes.

“Let’s go. Quickly.”

Ho-eun was about to drag Tae-muk to the inn when. The sound of a Gun being cocked was heard again.

“Where are you going? If you’re going, leave your pouch.”

“It would be nice if you took off that fine silk outfit too.”

The men, including the young man, had come closer. The coldly gleaming gun barrels were aimed at Ho-eun and Tae-muk respectively.

“……”

Ho-eun bit his lip and glared at them. What should he do? If it were a Devouring Ghoul, he would have tried to run away, but he couldn’t do that in front of a Gun. The moment he tried to run away, a bullet would pierce his head. He couldn’t be sure, but it seemed like Tae-muk couldn’t dodge bullets either. So, he must have let the bullet hit his shoulder.

Should he just…… give them the money pouch? Would they disappear obediently then? It was the moment he was thinking that and gripping Tae-muk’s hand a little harder.

Thump!

Another roar rang out. But it wasn’t a gunshot. It was the sound of the inn’s front door opening. The heavy door was teetering as if it would fly off soon. It seemed like someone had kicked it open from the inside. And, someone came running out in a hurry.

“What is it. What is it? Did an Eater Bug show up or something?”

It was Man-soo, wearing only one shoe. His face was covered with sleepiness, but he managed to hold his spear. And following him.

“Huh? Eater Bug? Ah, seriously, even so. Who’s shooting a Gun so loudly in the middle of the night! I finally laid my back on the bed for once!”

Even Dong-ja, with his hair a bird’s nest, appeared.