By Zephyria 
20
But there was no time to even catch his breath. Another Devouring Ghoul immediately charged at Gil-sang from behind.
Even while constantly fighting the Devouring Ghouls, Gil-sang didn’t stray far from the rock where Ho-eun was hiding, as if protecting him. And Ho-eun…
“Please, please…”
He could only pray. That was all he could do. He wanted to help Gil-sang, but he knew that stepping out would only be a hindrance. He would only put Gil-sang in more danger with his clumsiness.
Ho-eun clenched his fists tightly, held his breath, and only followed Gil-sang with his eyes.
But as Gil-sang was wrestling with a Devouring Ghoul, another one appeared behind him. It then stretched out its five human-like fingers and slammed its fingertips, with their attached nails, into Gil-sang’s shoulder. After that, it began to drag Gil-sang away.
It happened in an instant. Ho-eun didn’t even have time to warn him.
The Devouring Ghoul, with its house-sized bulk, possessed immense strength, and it dragged Gil-sang along with ease using only one hand. Gil-sang’s body thumped dully each time it hit the jagged rocks.
“No!”
Startled, Ho-eun poked his head out from the crevice, intending to go and save Gil-sang. But Gil-sang shouted, veins bulging in his neck.
“Young Master, stay put!”
“…….”
“I said stay put!”
“…….”
Ho-eun froze. He gripped the rock, which his delicate fingertips couldn’t even grasp properly, and after hesitating, he squeezed back into the crevice. His eyes were red with tears.
The battle continued after that. Soldiers fought Devouring Ghouls in the distance and nearby. Screams of men and the howls of Devouring Ghouls were mixed together.
A Devouring Ghoul bit off a soldier’s wrist. Another stood blankly, chewing on a chunk of flesh, unsure of which part it had torn off.
One soldier climbed onto the back of a Devouring Ghoul and stabbed it repeatedly with a sword. Another, having lost his weapon, bashed the Devouring Ghoul’s head with a rock. Yet another limped along, with a Devouring Ghoul’s tooth dangling from his thigh.
Ho-eun was completely overwhelmed by it all, unable to cover his ears or close his eyes. Then, suddenly.
“Ugh…”
A chunk of red flesh, about the size of two fists, rolled to Ho-eun’s feet. Ho-eun quickly recoiled. Not because it was gruesome, but because he was afraid.
He was afraid that the flesh belonged to someone he knew. Gil-sang, or the cook who had served him scorched rice water this morning, or even… Tae-muk.
Just as Ho-eun was biting his lip, trying to swallow the sobs that kept escaping, a dark shadow, silhouetted against the red sunset, slowly fell over Ho-eun’s head. In the crevice, which felt somehow colder, and with a subtle fishy smell tickling his nose, Ho-eun flinched. He swallowed hard several times and creaked his head up.
“…….”
There, close, right in front of him, were teeth. Jagged teeth stained with red blood. Teeth that reeked of a foul stench that could rot his nose. Beyond them, he could see bloodshot eyes rolling around. And above that, a leaf-shaped helmet ornament was rustling, like the tail of a rattlesnake.
Kaaack…, kagak…….
The sharp, grating cry of the Devouring Ghoul fell upon Ho-eun’s forehead.
“…….”
Ho-eun was so scared that his head was trembling, but he kept his eyes locked on the Devouring Ghoul and quietly fumbled at his waist, searching for his Pistol. But he felt no sign of the Pistol on either his left or right side.
He belatedly remembered that the Pistol had become uncomfortable during the long ride, so he had put it in the bag attached to the side of his horse.
How foolish!
How could he be so foolish!
What kind of idiot leaves his weapon behind on the battlefield!
“Ha…”
Ho-eun sighed softly and stared at the Devouring Ghoul with a desolate expression. The teeth were closer than before. Death was closer as well.
He had steeled himself to die, but he didn’t expect to die so soon. Nor did he expect it to be such a meaningless death.
What would his parents do if he died?
What about his brothers?
What about Deok-woo?
…What about Tae-muk?
He felt more despondent than scared. He even had the philosophical thought that he had been living for this moment.
Ho-eun saw the Devouring Ghoul’s teeth parting wide, but he still didn’t close his eyes. He intended to face his death head-on. In a flash, the faces of his parents and Deok-woo flashed before his eyes.
Just as the teeth came close to his forehead,
Thwack!
A rock the size of a head flew from somewhere and struck the Devouring Ghoul’s temple. It had been thrown with such force that some of the Devouring Ghoul’s teeth shattered and fell like hail on Ho-eun’s face and shoulders.
Kaaaaaack!
The Devouring Ghoul, as if annoyed, opened its mouth wide and turned to the side. At that moment, a fist of incredible speed struck the Devouring Ghoul’s face. It wasn’t a thud, but a bang!
The Devouring Ghoul’s entire body flew backward from the tremendous force. But the hand that had thrown the punch snatched its neck and brought it back to its original position. Then, it shoved the other hand between the Devouring Ghoul’s helmet and mouth. And.
Trdrdrdrdeuk.
With a gruesome sound, the Devouring Ghoul’s helmet was lifted upward, like opening a crab shell. Blood gushed out from the gap. Large and small pieces of flesh fell with a splattering sound.
“…….”
Ho-eun, who was directly below, had no choice but to receive it all. His body, which had been cold with tension, was warmed by the Devouring Ghoul’s blood. The pieces of flesh stuck to his cheeks, shoulders, and chest were as disgusting as insects.
Ho-eun looked at the blood soaking his body with an incredulous expression. Thud. The torn-off helmet of the Devouring Ghoul fell at Ho-eun’s feet. The two leaf-shaped antennae were crushed!
And the Devouring Ghoul, with half of its face gone, slid down the rock. There was no movement in its limp limbs. Even with its neck half-severed, it had stubbornly stayed alive, but it seemed it couldn’t survive with its head blown open.
The death of that Devouring Ghoul was faster than Ho-eun could count to ten in his head. It was that instantaneous. Who on earth could kill a Devouring Ghoul so quickly, so easily, so brutally?
Ho-eun, wiping his face with his cleanest hand, looked up. The corpse of the Devouring Ghoul had left a red trail on the white rock as it slid down, and as he followed the trail with his eyes,
“…….”
He saw Tae-muk standing there. He was leaning casually, one foot on a higher rock, looking down at Ho-eun with dry eyes.
“…….”
Ho-eun stared blankly at him. Perhaps it was because Tae-muk was standing above him, or because he was silhouetted against the sunset, but he looked bigger than usual.
After panting for a while, Ho-eun belatedly opened his mouth.
“Tha, thank yo…….”
But Tae-muk disappeared as if flying away somewhere, without even listening to his greeting.
The battle ended only after the red sky had turned completely black. By then, the once-white rocks were all stained red. The clear stream had turned into a bloody mire, with the corpses of Devouring Ghouls lying scattered everywhere.
It was truly a battlefield worthy of the name Crimson Rain Brigade.
“…….”
Ho-eun, gazing at the entirely reddened scenery, turned his gaze to the soldiers gathered together. They were all suffering from injuries, both large and small. Medics were busily treating them.
The Crimson Rain Brigade was strong. It was no exaggeration to say that it was the strongest unit in the existing Korean Empire. But more people were injured than expected.
He hadn’t thought that the Crimson Rain Brigade would deal with the Devouring Ghouls as easily as catching rabbits, but it was still a dismal result. If the Crimson Rain Brigade was like this, he couldn’t even imagine what the other units would be like.
At that moment, Gil-sang, who was leaning against a rock, groaned.
“Ugh…”
Ho-eun quickly knelt down in front of him and, pulling out a bandage he had gotten from somewhere, examined Gil-sang’s shoulder. The five fingers of the Devouring Ghoul were still embedded in his shoulder. Ho-eun pulled them out one by one with trembling hands.
Five black holes appeared in his shoulder. Blood gushed out of the holes from time to time. Ho-eun’s lips trembled as he saw it, and Gil-sang chuckled.
“Young Master, are you crying now?”
“N, no! I’m not.”
Ho-eun answered immediately and swallowed a sob. But his eyes quickly turned red again. He felt heartbroken because it seemed like Gil-sang was hurt because of him. It felt like holes had been punched in his own chest as well.
Ho-eun gritted his teeth and diligently wrapped the bandage around Gil-sang’s shoulder. But because his shoulder was round and his arm was attached, the bandage kept slipping off.
Ho-eun frowned. He wasn’t one to be outdone when it came to being sick. He was only familiar with fevers and colds, but he had no experience with being hurt like this.
In the end, the bandage became a tangled mess. As Ho-eun struggled to untangle it, Gil-sang snatched it away.
“I’ll do it.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Ho-eun apologized in a barely audible voice.
“Aigo, I usually don’t even bother with bandages. Too much trouble.”
Even as Gil-sang said that, he wrapped the bandage with very skillful movements. Ho-eun watched him and quietly sighed. Why was he so bad at everything?
He swallowed another sob and scanned his surroundings. There were many injured soldiers, and they were all paired up in twos. They were hugging, holding hands, and even kissing. Ho-eun could easily tell what kind of relationship they had.