By Zephyria 
“However, that is merely a hypothesis; I cannot believe it to be truly the case. No matter how intelligent a Devouring Ghoul may be, could it have taken a ship all the way to the Qing Dynasty? It is not a distance that can be traversed in a day or two.”
At that, Tae-muk leaned back deep into his chair and spoke while staring at the ceiling where the rafters were neatly embedded.
“They might not have sailed themselves; someone might have sent them.”
“Who?”
“…….”
“……From Japan? How, why would they do such a thing…….”
“I told you Japan has had its eye on Joseon for a long time and was preparing for war. Perhaps they did it to ruin the neighboring countries. Or perhaps they sent them because they were on the brink of death themselves.”
“…….”
Ho-eun frowned. The idea that the Devouring Ghouls didn’t just come from Japan, but that Japan might have sent them. If so, could Japan have created the existence of the Devouring Ghoul? To use them as weapons of war?
Ho-eun’s brow furrowed further.
A fundamental question arose: when did the first Devouring Ghoul arrive on the Korean Peninsula? He wondered if it was an accident or intentional. And he tried to gauge what would have become of the survival of the Korean Empire if Busan and Yeosu had failed to hold their ground.
As Ho-eun narrowed his eyes, Tae-muk pointed toward the Qing Dynasty and spoke.
“Assuming the Devouring Ghouls went to Qing, they probably moved like this. Because it’s the most efficient route.”
His finger moved in an arc, starting from Fukuoka at the western edge of Japan to Shanghai in the Qing Dynasty.
“Then did they settle in Shanghai?”
Ho-eun asked. However, Tae-muk shook his head.
“No. Earlier, the Mongolian woman said there were many Devouring Ghouls in the Mongolian capital, right?”
“Yes. She said it was because there were many people there to devour.”
“I don’t think that’s the only reason.”
“Pardon?”
Tae-muk straightened his back from its reclined position and looked at Ho-eun.
“When we hunt Devouring Ghouls, we strike the leader first. That way, the chain of command collapses. They become disoriented and turn into nothing more than stupid beasts.”
“Yes, that is true.”
“It’s the same for a country.”
“Ah…….”
Ho-eun let out a thin sigh.
“If you bring down the capital first, everything after is easy. Since the center that issues orders is gone, it becomes difficult to exchange information, supplies or military rations cannot be received, and towns or villages must survive on their own.”
“Then, passing through Shanghai, they might have……”
“I suspect they went to Beijing.”
Tae-muk pointed to the ancient Beijing on the map. Ho-eun followed his finger with his gaze, then stopped at Mongolia.
“And after Qing fell, did they go to the Mongolian capital?”
“Perhaps.”
“But actually, that is also a question. The Mongolian capital is here, in this spot. It is very far from where we currently suspect their stronghold to be.”
The theory that Devouring Ghouls move centered around capitals was a plausible guess. Striking the capital first would make swallowing a country easier. However, the Mongolian capital was currently too far away. Both the stronghold near the fir forest and the village where the refugees they met today lived were at a considerable distance from the capital.
Ho-eun expected Tae-muk to offer another counter-argument to his objection. Instead, he nodded.
“Exactly.”
“Pardon?”
“That is the problem.”
“What do you…… mean…….”
Ho-eun looked at Tae-muk in confusion. Tae-muk continued speaking while staring only at the map.
“Based on their tendencies so far, they definitely would have gone to the capital. But now, they are elsewhere. That means they are migrating.”
“Migrating……?”
Ho-eun frowned. Migration. In other words, it meant they were moving their stronghold. It wasn’t an illogical claim. They were in Japan, then went to Qing, and then to Mongolia. Moreover, the Mongolian woman said there were no Devouring Ghouls until recently, and then suddenly there were many. That meant they had arrived there.
“They devoured all the people of Japan and went to the Qing Dynasty. There, they devoured all the people of Qing and moved to Mongolia. Until now, they have been devouring the Mongolian people.”
“…….”
“Now, not a single village, let alone a town, exists in Mongolia. The people we saved today are probably the last of the Mongolians.”
“That means…… there is nothing left to devour.”
“Yes.”
“Then they would migrate in search of other prey.”
“Probably.”
Ho-eun looked back at the map and tilted his head. It was because the place the Crimson Rain Brigade currently identified as their stronghold was far too desolate.
“Then why would they move here? This place is also a region where no towns or villages exist, and no people live.”
“They might still be in the process of moving.”
“Ah…….”
They were in the middle of relocating their stronghold. There might be a separate destination.
“In that case, they would head toward another capital, a center of administration with many people to devour.”
Ho-eun hurriedly scanned the map, wondering, ‘Where is there another capital?’ Then, Tae-muk pointed toward the edge of the fir forest where they had previously encountered the Fan-shaped Devourer.
“The point we predicted as their stronghold was here. They were probably there at the time.”
“Yes.”
“But the village where the Mongolian refugees lived is here. A place where there were no Devouring Ghouls until they suddenly appeared.”
Tae-muk’s hand moved slightly downward. It was a place on the border between the former Qing and Mongolia. Ho-eun stared at his finger and nodded.
“They are moving downward.”
“Yes. Downward, they are coming down.”
Tae-muk affirmed with a dark expression. He lightly licked his lower lip, as if it had gone dry.
“What could be below—”
As Ho-eun spoke unconsciously and lowered his eyes, his breath stopped abruptly. At the same time, his face turned pale.
“Surely…….”
Ho-eun looked at Tae-muk. However, Tae-muk was staring at a specific point on the map. Ho-eun shifted his gaze to follow. There, it was.
Hanyang
Hanyang, the capital of the Korean Empire.
* * *
Whoooooosh.
The rushing wind was fierce. It wasn’t as biting as winter, but it was a powerful wind. Because of it, even while standing still, his body swayed as if someone were shoving his shoulder. He felt as though one wrong push would send him plummeting off the cliff right before his feet.
“…….”
With a bloodless face, Ho-eun stared down the cliff and looked around. Tae-muk was to his left, Byeonguk to his right, and behind them were Gil-sang, Dong-ja, and five or six other soldiers.
The cliff they were currently standing on was one the Crimson Rain Brigade had visited once without Ho-eun. They had come to observe how other Devouring Ghouls behaved after a Tentacle Plant Monster was killed. Ho-eun had been unable to come because he had been suffering from nosebleeds since morning.
The purpose of today’s reconnaissance was to confirm the direction of the Devouring Ghouls’ movement. By inference, the ghouls were moving downward. If their destination was Hanyang, they would have to pass through this region, and if so, they could be spotted here.
Thinking thus, he had come here every morning and evening for…… three days already. Whether by luck or misfortune, no Devouring Ghouls had been discovered in the meantime.
“…….”
“…….”
The soldiers rubbed their dry faces with exhausted expressions. Tae-muk, with a cigarette in his mouth, repeatedly narrowed and opened his eyes, while Byeonguk slowly raised and lowered his telescope, scanning the area. And Ho-eun quietly sighed repeatedly.
If they discovered a swarm of Devouring Ghouls, they could determine how many there were, how they moved, and how long it would take them to reach Hanyang, but a part of him hoped they would not appear.
Because that would mean their prediction was wrong. It would mean the monsters had gone somewhere other than the Korean Empire or Hanyang. If that happened, the fight against the Devouring Ghouls would be prolonged, but at least his mind would be at peace for a while.
To think such a cowardly thought. As Ho-eun let out a deep sigh and brushed back his forehead—
Whooooom. A violent gust of wind pushed his back.
“Uh…….”
His lean body swayed helplessly. His feet instinctively stumbled toward the precipice. Just then, a firm hand grabbed his elbow. It was Tae-muk. He pulled Ho-eun’s body and placed him in front of him. Strangely, the wind could no longer be felt.
Ho-eun looked up at Tae-muk. Tae-muk was staring straight ahead without saying a word. Ho-eun asked, looking up at Tae-muk’s chin.
“What if the Devouring Ghouls really go to Hanyang?”
“We have to stop them from going.”
“……We do?”
“Then who else would.”
“…….”
Ho-eun bit his lip. The Crimson Rain Brigade was strong. That was an indisputable fact. But how many of them were there? The Crimson Rain Brigade had 1,000 members, but excluding the Bondmates and ordinary people, and counting only the Gods of War, there were fewer than 500. A mere 500.
If the number of Devouring Ghouls reached 10,000, victory for the Crimson Rain Brigade would be difficult no matter how great Tae-muk was. Moreover, there would likely be many as intelligent as the Fan-shaped ones. Perhaps even Tae-muk…….
“…….”
Continuing his thoughts, Ho-eun squeezed his eyes shut and then opened them, turning his gaze toward the plains. Under a clear sky, an endless plain stretched out silently. It was a perfectly peaceful landscape, which made it all the more anxiety-inducing.
Ho-eun glanced back. Dong-ja, Gil-sang, and the other soldiers were also moving their heads, scanning the surroundings. There weren’t many of them. He had intentionally brought only a few. So that if they were discovered by the Devouring Ghouls, they could escape as quickly as possible.
Escape.
The Crimson Rain Brigade.
But it couldn’t be helped. They could not afford to give any more blood and flesh to those monsters.