By Zephyria 
101
In front of the ruined hospital, Crimson Rain Brigade soldiers stood in formation. The fluttering Taegeukgi and Crimson Rain Brigade flags felt especially welcoming, and Ho-eun rushed past Tae-muk, dashing to the group in one breath.
Soon, a familiar figure appeared through the crowd. Ho-eun leaped off his horse and ran toward him.
“Sergeant!”
He called Gil-sang in a voice like a child. The sudden shout made everyone nearby turn to look at Ho-eun. Tae-muk, who was following behind, also watched Ho-eun.
Normally, he would have shrunk back, embarrassed by the attention, but today he didn’t care at all. He was just so, so glad to see Gil-sang.
“Ah, Young Master. You’ve arrived.”
Gil-sang greeted him with a faint smile.
“Sergeant…”
Ho-eun unconsciously clasped his hands together tightly. He had heard that he was alive, but seeing him with his own eyes made his nose tingle.
After all, Gil-sang was a special person. He was the first person in the Crimson Rain Brigade he had exchanged names with, he took good care of him, they spent a lot of time together, and he was the one who taught him about ‘comradeship.’
Ho-eun stood there with a damp look on his face, and Gil-sang approached him. Then, he offered an absurd apology.
“I should have been by your side yesterday, I’m sorry. It’s all my fault. You must have suffered a lot?”
“No, it’s nothing. I didn’t suffer at all. I’m not even hurt. Are you alright, Sergeant?”
Ho-eun said, examining his body without being rude. His face looked fine, his upper body looked fine, his arms were intact, and as he checked each part, his gaze lowered. Gil-sang’s one leg looked strange. The thigh area of his military uniform pants was bulging out. As if he had a thick bandage wrapped around it.
Ho-eun’s face turned pale in an instant.
“D-Did you hurt your leg?”
“Ah, my thigh got a little bit bitten.”
Gil-sang replied nonchalantly. Ho-eun’s face turned even paler at that.
“B-Bitten? By a Devouring Ghoul?”
“It’s nothing much. It’ll heal soon.”
“……”
Ho-eun pouted his lower lip. He always said it was nothing. If it was nothing, why was he wearing a bandage? Such rebellious thoughts suddenly surged up. It was truly upsetting when someone he cared about got hurt. Then, a question suddenly arose.
“Didn’t you meet Seong-im last night?”
“I did. We were together.”
“But why is the wound still…”
Tae-muk’s wounds healed immediately after spending the night with him, his Bondmate. Shouldn’t Gil-sang be the same? He looked at Gil-sang’s wound as if he couldn’t understand, and Gil-sang, belatedly realizing his question, smiled faintly.
“Ah, the God of War and I are different.”
“Yes? What do you mean by different…”
“The speed at which wounds heal varies from God of War to God of War. The God of War is just exceptionally fast.”
“Ah…”
Ho-eun sighed softly. He didn’t know if it was good news or bad news. It was fortunate that Tae-muk recovered quickly, but it was a pity that Gil-sang was slower than him. It meant he had to endure the pain for longer.
Ho-eun was looking at Gil-sang’s thigh with a somber expression, and Gil-sang shook his thigh once, as if to show off.
“Well, I was hurt here and there, but everything else has healed, and only my thigh hasn’t healed as much. This will all be healed by tomorrow.”
“Yes. I hope so.”
Ho-eun nodded heavily. Then, he scanned his surroundings. He was looking for someone.
“Seong-im isn’t here.”
“He’s over there with his sons.”
Gil-sang said, pointing to somewhere behind him. At those words, Ho-eun pulled his chin in.
“Sons…? You have sons?”
“No, children. Children. I’m talking about the children who were at the church yesterday.”
“Ah.”
In that instant, Ho-eun suddenly thought of Jeong-woo and Jeong-i. Had they come here? Had they spent the night well? Had they eaten? He became curious about such things, so he stood on tiptoe and looked behind him. Gil-sang stepped aside and opened the way for him.
“They’ll be in the back. Go see them.”
“…Is that alright?”
He asked, wondering if it was okay to go alone. Gil-sang raised and lowered his eyebrows as if wondering what the problem was.
“Everyone here is our son, so there won’t be any problems. There are no more Eater Bugs, and the God of War is nearby.”
He looked over Ho-eun’s shoulder. Ho-eun turned his head as well. Tae-muk, who was at the head of the group, was just getting off his horse. Crimson Rain Brigade officers approached him. Judging by the fact that they were holding something like a map, they seemed to be giving a report.
Ho-eun nodded slightly. He felt like he could rest assured since Tae-muk was nearby.
“Then… I’ll be right back.”
Ho-eun bowed to Gil-sang. Then, he started running. His feet and heels, which hadn’t fully healed, throbbed, but he didn’t even notice the pain. He wanted to see the children quickly.
After going against dozens of Crimson Rain Brigade soldiers like that, the refugees from Ramjae Town appeared.
Ho-eun started looking for familiar faces, standing on tiptoe, twisting his head, and bending his waist. Then, he found a group of particularly small children huddled together. It was Jeong-woo and Jeong-i, as well as the other girls. Seong-im was also beside them.
A bright smile bloomed on Ho-eun’s face.
“Kids!”
At that call, the children turned to look at Ho-eun. The same smiles as Ho-eun’s also blossomed on their faces.
“Young Master.”
“Young Master!”
The children ran to Ho-eun one after another. Jeong-i even managed to run while holding Jeong-woo. Ho-eun took Jeong-woo, who was in Jeong-i’s arms. Jeong-woo wrapped his arms around Ho-eun’s neck familiarly. Ho-eun stroked Jeong-woo’s head, then crouched down in front of the children and made eye contact with each of them.
“Did you sleep well? Did you eat? Do you hurt anywhere?”
“We’re alright.”
“We slept very well.”
“We ate a lot.”
The voices that continued chattering were so lovely. Ho-eun’s smile deepened even more.
“That’s a relief. How’s Jeong-woo’s leg?”
Ho-eun examined Jeong-woo’s leg, whom he was holding. The bandage was new. Judging by the way it was tightly wrapped, it was the work of an expert. He wondered if Seong-im had done it, or Gil-sang, but Jeong-i spoke clearly.
“The doctor looked at it this morning, and he said it was alright.”
“Doctor?”
Had a Crimson Rain Brigade medic come with them? He tilted his head, wondering. Jeong-i pointed to someone who was far away. Ho-eun turned his gaze in that direction.
A man was standing there, and his face looked familiar. It was the doctor who had treated Jeong-woo at the hospital. The doctor who had been wearing a blood-stained gown and glasses splattered with blood. There was also a nurse beside him. Today, they were both much neater, walking around among the refugees and treating the injured.
Ho-eun smiled slightly. His heart warmed at the thought that good people had lived here. Ho-eun continued to talk to the children about this and that, and then belatedly greeted Seong-im.
“Did you have a good night, Seong-im?”
She, who was wearing a neat military uniform, holding a sword in one hand, and tying her hair up high, nodded her head. She didn’t seem to be particularly happy to see Ho-eun, and her reaction wasn’t much, but Ho-eun chattered on in a friendly manner. It was because he knew that Seong-im was originally a calm person.
“Are you hurt anywhere? I’ve never run so much in my life, so my legs hurt, and my feet hurt. I even got blisters.”
Ho-eun said, kicking the ground with his foot. Seong-im shook her head as if to say she was fine. Suddenly, Jeong-woo, who was in his arms, peeked out and pulled on Ho-eun’s clothes.
“Young Master, do your feet hurt? Do they hurt a lot?”
His clear eyes filled with tears. He had been bitten in the calf by a Devouring Ghoul, and yet he was worrying about someone else. Ho-eun gently rubbed Jeong-woo’s cheeks with an expression that was neither smiling nor crying.
“No, no. It’s a joke, a joke. It doesn’t hurt at all.”
Even at those words, Jeong-woo pouted his lips and swallowed his sobs. Ho-eun was trying to soothe him with a troubled expression.
A heavy presence passed behind Ho-eun. It was definitely not human. He wondered if it was a Devouring Ghoul, and he hugged Jeong-woo tightly and turned around in horror. But a cow was being led by its owner, who was holding its nose ring, and was entering among the refugees.
“……”
Ho-eun belatedly looked at the refugees. Besides Jeong-i and Jeong-woo, there were many other people from Ramjae Town lined up. Many of them were injured, and most of those who had all their limbs intact didn’t have good complexions.
It was only natural, since they had lost their families and were about to lose their homes. Ho-eun had also left his home, but that was literally leaving, and these people had lost it, so how could he compare their sense of loss?
Ho-eun sighed through his nose and patted Jeong-woo’s back.
“Young Master, we’re about to depart.”
Gil-sang appeared.
“Ah, yes.”
Ho-eun nodded.
“Seong-im, you get on a horse too.”
Gil-sang informed Seong-im of the departure as well. Seong-im nodded and disappeared among the Crimson Rain Brigade soldiers.
Ho-eun returned Jeong-woo to Jeong-i and waved his hand at the children.
“See you later.”
At that, the children also waved their small hands. Jeong-i, who was particularly mature, bowed deeply while holding Jeong-woo. Ho-eun turned his back to them with a regretful expression. It wasn’t like they were separating for good, so why was he so regretful…?
Ho-eun kept looking back as he returned to his spot. The children were gathered together, chatting and laughing. Only then did Ho-eun feel relieved and diligently chase after Gil-sang.