By Zephyria 
Ho-eun, after letting out a short sigh, bowed to the two.
“Father, Mother. I will return.”
“Yes. You must come back. You must.”
His father emphasized the last syllable. Ho-eun smiled knowingly. And then, just as he was about to mount his horse.
“Young Master!”
Someone came running into the yard. Ho-eun’s face turned pale at the sight of him.
“Deok-woo, how did you…”
It was Deok-woo, whom he had admitted to the hospital. He had deliberately left him there, knowing he would follow if he knew I was going to the battlefield. He hadn’t even told him he was leaving. He couldn’t understand how he was here.
Deok-woo approached, snorting like an angry bull. His gait was rickety and chaotic because of the bandages wrapped around his legs. The bandages were stained with dirt and dust. It looked like he had walked all that way with those legs.
“Young Master’s clothes…”
Deok-woo’s eyebrows furrowed at Ho-eun’s Military tunic attire. Ho-eun unconsciously smoothed his chest with his hand. Even without being told, he himself was not yet accustomed to this attire. The tightly constricting waist and sleeves made it hard to breathe.
“Is it true? Are you going to the battlefield? Now?”
Deok-woo asked accusingly.
“Well…”
“I’ll go too! I’m going too!”
“Deok-woo.”
“How could you not say a word to me? You forgot, didn’t you? Didn’t you?”
“Deok-woo, listen to me.”
“Just wait a moment. I’ll just pack a few clothes.”
With those words, Deok-woo hobbled across the yard. This was why he had hidden it. Ho-eun sighed deeply and grabbed Deok-woo’s elbow.
“Deok-woo. I’m going alone.”
Deok-woo’s eyes widened at those words.
“What are you talking about, Young Master?”
“I said I’m going alone, without you.”
“That’s not going to happen. Where do you think you’re going alone, Young Master? You’ve never even been outside the gate without me.”
“……”
Ho-eun bit his lower lip. It was true. He had never been outside alone. That was why, precisely because of that, he had to go alone this time.
“It’s a battlefield there. You don’t need to lose your life because of me.”
“Goodness, do you think I’m some guy who’d die to a Devouring Ghoul? It’s me, Deok-woo, Young Master. I can lift three sacks of rice with one hand.”
“Still, no.”
At Ho-eun’s firm words, Deok-woo’s eyebrows shot up fiercely. But before long, his eyebrows seemed to droop, and soon his eyes, nose, and mouth all collapsed downward.
“…Then don’t go either, Young Master.”
“Deok-woo.”
“Don’t go, Young Master. Stay here. Stay here with me, the Lord, and the Lady, and let’s keep living together. Just like we always have. Okay?”
Deok-woo grabbed Ho-eun’s wrist. His hand was trembling. Ho-eun, with a damp expression, was about to take his hand when.
Suddenly. Someone grabbed Ho-eun’s other wrist. A warm and soft palm. It was his mother.
“Yes, Eun-ah! Don’t go! Don’t go, okay?”
“……Mother?”
Ho-eun had never seen his mother raise her voice like that in his life. No, he thought he might have seen it faintly once before. When his older brother died.
Her eyes blazing, she desperately pulled on Ho-eun’s wrist.
“Let’s keep living together, with your mother! Don’t go. You don’t have to go. What can you do by going? Would it really be such a big deal if you didn’t go? So don’t go.”
“Mother…”
“Huh? Quickly say you won’t go. Say you’ll stay by your mother’s side. Eun-ah, quickly. Okay?”
Tears welled up in his mother’s eyes. Seeing her like that, his father turned away and fumbled at his eyes. Ho-eun, with both wrists grabbed, couldn’t do this or that. His mother stroked Ho-eun’s cheeks tenderly.
“What if you get hurt over there? What if you bleed? What if you catch a cold? What if you get sick? How will you sleep in the cold? You cough even when it’s just a little chilly. Huh? Don’t go, Eun-ah. Don’t go…”
“……”
“I’m scared, Eun-ah. Your mother is scared… You, you…”
His mother couldn’t finish her sentence. The words that would follow were too ominous to even utter. Seeing her just opening and closing her mouth, Ho-eun firmly gripped her hand. Then, he caught her scattering gaze and met her eyes.
“I’ll be alright, Mother.”
“……”
“It’s General Lee, no less, who is my God of War. The strongest God of War in our Daehan Empire, perhaps in the world.”
“……”
“So I won’t get hurt, nor will I die. Because he will protect me.”
Ho-eun realized for the first time that he was so good at lying. All the lies he had ever told were just things like, “It doesn’t hurt,” or “I’m okay.”
“Eun-ah…”
His mother still couldn’t bear it and stamped her feet. But Ho-eun paid no heed and continued.
“I met him yesterday, and he seems like a very good person. He already calls me… ‘My Bondmate’.”
“……”
“He will cherish me. Just like Mother and Father. So don’t worry too much.”
“……”
His mother slowly closed her mouth. She had realized Ho-eun’s firm resolve. At that moment, his father slowly approached. He separated Ho-eun’s and his mother’s hands, which were intertwined, and took his mother’s hand. Then, he nodded to Ho-eun.
“Come back safely.”
His father also gestured to Deok-woo. Deok-woo pressed his lips tightly and looked at Ho-eun, then reluctantly let go of his hand.
“Then I will return. Farewell.”
Ho-eun bowed to his parents. His mother couldn’t help but shed tears. His father hugged her. Tears welled up in his eyes as well.
Ho-eun, unable to bear the sight as a son, quickly turned around. And before mounting his horse, he whispered to Deok-woo.
“Protect Mother and Father.”
“……Young Master.”
“And you should get married too. Now that I’m gone, live your own life, Deok-woo.”
“I heard there are many ladies in Hanyang who think you’re handsome.” With those words, Ho-eun mounted his horse. Although his movements were not agile, and he couldn’t mount in one go, so Deok-woo had to lift him by the waist, at least there was no unfortunate incident of falling off the horse.
Ho-eun deliberately didn’t look at his parents and urged his horse forward. The yellowish dog, who had been wagging its tail and wandering around nearby, also left the house with him.
Finally, Ho-eun crossed the gate and took a deep breath.
He smelled the scent of a new world.