By Zephyria 
137
“Ugh……”
Ho-eun groaned, clutching his throbbing shoulder. But before he could even register the pain, the cart lurched again, this time righting his upper body. Ho-eun blinked dumbly, then bit his lip and finished putting on his shoes. After that, he began to crawl towards the tent entrance.
But the entrance didn’t seem to be getting any closer. It was only a few steps away, but the cart was shaking so much that he kept slipping backward, and often rolling sideways.
After tumbling across the floor several times, Ho-eun finally managed to reach the tent entrance. He flung the tent open. At the same moment, a sharp light seared his vision white.
“Ah……”
Ho-eun frowned and groaned. The light was brighter and sharper than the summer sun. For a moment, he wondered if winter had passed and summer had arrived while he was sick.
But it was just a fleeting thought. A fierce chill swept over his face. And the wind was so strong that his Hair Tie-bound hair streamed out of the tent, and his ears fluttered like flags.
“Ugh……”
Ho-eun shook his head, trying to fight through the wind and light. When he finally adjusted to the light, the first thing he saw was the high sky. A blue sky with clouds spread thinly like silk.
And below that, he saw Gil-sang. He was kicking his horse’s flanks repeatedly, increasing its speed. A soldier was riding with him, his thigh gouged so deeply that bone was visible. Blood from his thigh scattered in the rushing wind.
“……Sir?”
Ho-eun called out in a daze. But Gil-sang didn’t hear him. Hundreds of horses were running at the same time, their hooves shaking the earth. Shouts like “Hiya!” and “Giddy-up!” rose from all directions. Besides Gil-sang, many Crimson Rain Brigade soldiers were galloping on horseback, their cloaks billowing. They were also riding two to a horse.
“What is this……”
Ho-eun was utterly bewildered by the scene. During the continuous march of the past few days, the Crimson Rain Brigade had never run, except for the vanguard and rearguard. There were too many people, too much baggage, and too many who walked silently on foot. But to be running at full speed like this……
Kieeeeeek!
It meant that Devouring Ghouls had appeared.
“……”
Ho-eun, stiff with fear, slowly turned his head towards the source of the gruesome cry. Behind the Crimson Rain Brigade, which was running at full speed, Devouring Ghouls swarmed in a black mass.
There were an enormous number of them. The whole world was white with snow and ice, but that area was black. It looked as if a black wave was pouring out of the mountains. They snarled and snapped as they ran through the snow. The snow kicked up by their sharp claws created a misty cloud.
Why are they here, why, how did this happen……
Ho-eun stared blankly at the Devouring Ghouls rushing towards him at terrifying speed. Then, thud! The cart jolted again. This time, one of the wheels lifted off the ground, and the cart almost overturned completely.
“Ugh……”
Ho-eun grabbed the edge of the tent, barely managing to keep his balance. Blue veins stood out on his pale hand. At that moment.
“Young Master!”
Gil-sang called to him. Ho-eun turned to look at him.
“Horse! Can you ride a horse?”
“……Pardon?”
“A horse! Young Master, your horse!”
Gil-sang gestured ahead. Ho-eun followed his gaze. The horse pulling the cart was none other than Ho-eun’s own horse. It was running forward diligently without a rider, as if it knew who was in its cart. As if it knew what was following behind.
“……”
Ho-eun looked at the horse, then twisted his head to look at the Crimson Rain Brigade soldiers running ahead, and then at the Devouring Ghouls following behind.
Something was wrong. Ho-eun had always been near the front of the group. Not the very front, but still a little ahead of the middle. He could see Tae-muk’s back at the very front, but not the end of the group.
For some reason, there were now more people ahead of him than behind him. Everyone had passed him. The reason was obvious. The cart was slowing the horse down.
Ho-eun quickly realized why Gil-sang was telling him to ride a horse. He had to transfer to the horse and abandon the cart. That was the only way to outrun the Devouring Ghouls.
“I-I’ll ride.”
Ho-eun tried to get up. Or rather, he tried to. But getting up on a cart running at full speed was not easy. His body tilted to the left against his will, then swayed to the right. He was almost thrown backward by the wind.
“Ugh, ugh……”
But Ho-eun didn’t fall. He bit his lip and started crawling, gripping the edge of the cart like a rope.
One step, half a step, another half a step, and he finally reached the front of the cart. The wind was even stronger there than in the back. His hair was swept back completely, his eyeballs were pressed down, and his nostrils were blocked, making it impossible to breathe.
Moreover, the snow kicked up by the hooves of the horses rushing past poured over his face, and the frozen snow was as sharp as shards of glass, making it unbearably painful.
“Heeu……”
Ho-eun shook his head, sputtering and swimming through the air. He gripped the wooden edge of the cart tightly, waited for the sleet to subside, and finally managed to open his eyes again. Now it was time to move to the horse. But.
“Uh……”
He let out a startled gasp as he looked ahead.
The cart was shaped like a lidless rectangular box. Long, thin wooden planks were attached to the sides of the box, connecting it to the horse’s waist. In other words, the cart and the horse were not attached. There was a gap of about six spans between the horse and the cart.
That meant that Ho-eun had to jump to reach the horse.
“……”
Ho-eun realized immediately.
This was impossible. Regardless of whether he was afraid or not, it couldn’t be done. He was already struggling to hold onto the cart, so there was no way he could get up, take a running start, jump, and climb onto the horse’s back.
Moreover, he had been lying down for days and had no strength. He couldn’t even tell if this was reality or a dream, and he was so dazed that he could faint at any moment.
Terrified, Ho-eun instinctively stumbled backward. Gil-sang urged him on.
“I’ll push you, Young Master. You can do it.”
“But……”
“You have to! Or those things will get you!”
Ho-eun whirled around at his shout. In his hesitation, the swarming Devouring Ghouls had gotten much closer. Even the soldiers who had been behind him had all passed him, and now Ho-eun and Gil-sang were the last ones.
Gil-sang brought his horse closer. They were close enough to touch if he reached out. He stared at Ho-eun with determined eyes and said again.
“You can do it.”
“……”
Ho-eun looked at Gil-sang for a moment, then turned his head towards his own horse.
If he didn’t jump, he would be caught by the Devouring Ghouls. He would surely die. He wasn’t really afraid of that, but Gil-sang was the problem.
If he were caught by the Devouring Ghouls, he wouldn’t be the only one. Gil-sang would surely jump in to save him, and in the end, they would both end up in the Devouring Ghouls’ mouths.
‘If I die here protecting you, Young Master, another will come. And if he dies, another will come. Even if we all die, you must stay still.’
‘Don’t get hurt, don’t die, and stay by our Captain’s side for a long, long time.’
That was what Gil-sang had said. So, to save him, he had to jump. This was another way for him to protect Gil-sang. Thinking that, his eyes seemed to light up.
Ho-eun nodded slightly.
“Yes, yes. I’ll do it. I’ll do it.”
“You have to jump with all your might. With all your might!”
“Yes, yes.”
Ho-eun answered immediately, but he couldn’t really hear Gil-sang’s words. The flapping wind filled his ears. He reached the very front of the cart, hesitated, and glanced down at the ground.
He could see the snow-covered ground rushing past. He could see the cartwheels spinning rapidly. If he was stepped on or sucked in, he would surely, surely die. He might die even more brutally than if he was eaten by the Devouring Ghouls.
Thinking that far, Ho-eun shook his head. Don’t think useless thoughts. He took a short, deep breath and calmed himself. Then, he only looked at the horse, at the back of the horse he was going to sit on.
“……”
Ho-eun slowly straightened his body. His knees trembled, and his body swayed in the rushing wind as if he would fall backward at any moment. Still, Ho-eun bit his lip and carefully let go of the cart.
Then, Gil-sang, who had come close to the cart, put his hand on his back. It wasn’t as big as Tae-muk’s hand, but it was still a big, strong hand. It was also the hand that had saved Ho-eun countless times.
Feeling its presence, Ho-eun felt as if muscles were filling his emaciated limbs.
He could do it.
He had to do it.
“Young Master! Now!”
“Hee-yah!”
At Gil-sang’s words, Ho-eun took a deep breath and jumped towards the horse with all his might. It was just a standing jump without a running start, but Gil-sang pushed Ho-eun’s back forward at the right moment.
And in that instant, Ho-eun flew through the air like a bird.