By Zephyria 
74
Thus, Ho-eun was the first to pass through the hospital fence. Ho-eun ran to the spacious yard in front of the hospital so that the people behind him could enter, and he leaped off the horse. His body was still swaying as if he were still on the horse, and he staggered for a moment, but managed not to fall and ran back to the fence. It was to see Gil-sang.
“Please, please……”
He hoped Gil-sang wouldn’t die. He didn’t want him to get hurt either.
The Crimson Rain Brigade soldiers were entering through the fence one after another. Ho-eun craned his neck, trying to find Gil-sang. But it was hard to find him because of the Devouring Ghoul’s corpse, the horses, and the soldiers.
Ho-eun bit his lower lip tightly. Gil-sang entered the fence last. He was still holding the child in his arms.
“Ha……”
Ho-eun let out a sigh of relief. But it was too early to relax. The Devouring Ghouls were rushing into the hospital after the Crimson Rain Brigade soldiers. The ground rumbled with the ferocious movements of the beast-like creatures.
Ho-eun groped his side and pulled out his Pistol. He knew he couldn’t kill the Devouring Ghoul with this, but he could at least draw the attention of one of them.
Kaaaaaaak!
Kak, kak! Kaaaak!
The Devouring Ghouls were getting closer every moment. It was the moment Ho-eun aimed his Pistol at the rushing Devouring Ghouls.
The soldiers gathered in front of the fence, the soldiers guarding the town, dragged things the size of Ho-eun one after another. Made of iron, it was smooth and black, shaped like a long, horizontal rice cake, tapering towards the end. And the front hole was round and wide open.
It was a cannon.
Ho-eun, his mouth agape, slowly lowered his Pistol.
“Load!”
A soldier with a taegeuk pattern epaulette on his shoulder shouted. Then the soldiers brought cannonballs the size of heads one after another and loaded them into the cannon.
“Aim!”
Half a dozen cannons simultaneously aimed at the gap made for the Crimson Rain Brigade to enter.
“Fire!”
The cannons were lit, and soon, with a bang! A sound that split the sky rang out, and for a moment, white smoke obscured the view. And soon, a puff! sound soared.
Its explosion was similar to a grenade, but the power was completely different. The ground, as well as the air, spasmed. The rushing wind was like a typhoon.
Kueeeek…….
Kak…….
The Devouring Ghouls fell backward as they were. Their bodies were torn into pieces. With a grenade, only the limbs would be blown off, but with a cannon, the entire body became a pulp.
However, the disgustingly hard Helmet Bone remained. Some were cracked, but that was all. But since there was almost no body left, it was as good as dead. If left alone, it would naturally end its life.
Come to think of it, the corpses of the Devouring Ghouls piled up beyond the fence were all torn to pieces. They all seemed to have died from the cannon. He felt like he knew how the hospital had been intact until now.
After a few more cannon sounds echoed, the path that had been opened for the Crimson Rain Brigade to enter was once again filled with the corpses of Devouring Ghouls, obscuring the view.
However, the Devouring Ghouls with legs still attached tried to climb over the corpses. The Crimson Rain Brigade soldiers immediately drew their weapons and engaged in a melee with them. Fortunately, the Devouring Ghouls were badly injured, so it didn’t seem too difficult to deal with them.
“……”
Ho-eun watched it with serious eyes, and Gil-sang pushed through the people and approached Ho-eun.
“Young master, are you hurt anywhere?”
“Yes. Thanks to you. Thank you.”
“That’s a relief.”
Gil-sang smiled faintly. He was still holding the child in his arms. Its limbs were limply drooping, which was very worrying. Ho-eun took a step closer to him, about to ask about the child’s condition.
“Hello? You are the Crimson Rain Brigade, right? Thank you so much for coming all the way despite your busy schedule.”
The soldier who had commanded the cannon approached and bowed deeply to Gil-sang.
“No. Of course, we had to come.”
Gil-sang bowed in return. The soldier smiled briefly and then looked around. He didn’t seem to be looking for anything in particular, but rather acting that way to show something.
“But General Lee……”
The Crimson Rain Brigade had come, but Tae-muk was nowhere to be seen, so he seemed puzzled.
“He went to secure a shelter in the west. He’ll be here soon.”
“Really? Will he really come here? The situation is not good……”
The soldier drooped his eyebrows and looked like he was about to cry. Gil-sang nodded firmly at that.
“Of course.”
He glanced at Ho-eun. Since his Bondmate, Tae-muk, was here, he would definitely come no matter what happened. But he didn’t bother to reveal that. Hiding Ho-eun’s existence was more important than reassuring the soldier.
“He needs to come early, early……”
But the soldier couldn’t easily let go of his worries. He was so restless that his body swayed like a reed to the left and then to the right.
“Now we’re almost out of cannonballs. The explosives stored in the armory exploded, and all the weapons were lost. Devouring Ghouls are rushing in in droves every time, and I don’t know how much longer we can endure.”
“The armory exploded? Then how many cannonballs are left now?”
The conversation began to get serious. Ho-eun stood awkwardly between the two, biting his lip anxiously. It was because the child in Gil-sang’s arms was not moving at all. The blood pooling on his trouser hem was very precarious. He needed to be treated quickly…….
“Um……, Sergeant.”
Ho-eun, unable to bear it any longer, carefully called out to Gil-sang. He knew they were in the middle of an important conversation, but he couldn’t leave the child unattended. But Gil-sang, ah, said something unexpected.
“Are you having a hard time?”
“Yes?”
“Let’s go inside the hospital. I’ll go with you.”
Gil-sang reached out towards the hospital entrance and guided him.
“W-, well, I’m not really having a hard time……”
Ho-eun smiled awkwardly. He also removed a strand of hair stuck to his temple.
But Gil-sang stared intently at Ho-eun’s hand. Ho-eun unconsciously looked down at his hand, following his gaze.
“Ah……”
There were rows of rein marks on his white palm. It was as if his palm had been severely beaten with a switch, with a bright red heat. And his wrist, as well as his fingers, were trembling finely. It seemed to be because he had been gripping the reins tightly for a long time.
And although Ho-eun was not aware of it, his complexion was pale, and cold sweat was beading on his forehead. It was a cool autumn day, which was not very suitable for sweat.
“He needs to be treated too, so let’s go in for now.”
Gil-sang readjusted the child he was holding.
“Yes?”
Someone asked back. It wasn’t Ho-eun who asked back. It was the soldier who had been watching for a chance to end the conversation, who was surprised and asked back.
“If, if the Sergeant leaves his post, what are we supposed to do?”
His chin trembled finely. Ho-eun flinched. For some reason, he felt like the soldier was resenting him. And for good reason. Gil-sang was the highest-ranking member of the Crimson Rain Brigade here. So he had to check the condition of the hospital and defend this place. But to leave his post to protect him, it was out of the question.
“You’re right. I’m just taking the child to the hospital, so I can go alone……, can’t I?”
Ho-eun asked carefully. But Gil-sang shook his head firmly.
“No. You can’t go alone.”
He looked alternately at the Devouring Ghouls clinging to the hospital fence, the anxious-looking soldier, the pale Ho-eun, and the unconscious child, and gritted his teeth. He had to stay by Ho-eun’s side, but there were many urgent matters.
After a moment of deliberation, he turned his gaze to one side. In the distance, a soldier was sawing at the gums of a Devouring Ghoul chewing on the fence with his sword. It was a soldier who didn’t even blink an eye as blood splattered.
“Im! Come over here.”
Gil-sang called the soldier. The soldier turned around to look at Gil-sang. Then, he shook the blood off his sword in the air and approached Gil-sang. It was a woman with long hair tied up high.
Ho-eun looked at her. She was a soldier he didn’t know. Her face was not familiar either. But.
“She is my Bondmate.”
The words Gil-sang used to introduce her were more surprising than shocking. Ho-eun’s eyes widened. After being frozen for a moment, he quickly bowed to the woman.
“Ah, n-, nice to meet you. I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m sorry for the late greeting.”
Gil-sang’s Bondmate. It was an existence he hadn’t even thought of. Since I, Tae-muk’s Bondmate, had come, and Man-soo, Dong-ja’s Bondmate, had come, it was only natural that Gil-sang’s Bondmate had also come. I should have gone to greet her before leaving, but I couldn’t because I was too distracted.
“……”
The woman bowed. There were no other greetings. Her expression was also indifferent. At that, Ho-eun’s heart sank, wondering if he had been disliked. But Gil-sang said as if to avoid misunderstanding.
“She can’t talk.”
“Ah……”
Come to think of it, there was a large scar on the woman’s neck. The center of the scar was deeply sunken, as if she had been seriously injured. Ho-eun hesitated, not knowing what kind of expression or reaction to make, so Gil-sang pushed the woman’s back towards Ho-eun.
“Go with her. She will be helpful.”
“……”
The woman glared at Gil-sang. Then Gil-sang laughed playfully. She turned her head away again as if she had seen something she shouldn’t have.
She was holding a sword that looked similar to Gil-sang’s sword. With a calm expression and static eyes, she seemed to be a Bondmate with as much skill as Gil-sang, even though she was a Bondmate.