By Zephyria 
“You’ve truly gone mad! I have no choice but to report your disobedience to the Ilgongja.”
“The Ilgongja told me to deal with the Poison Freak; he didn’t say I couldn’t touch Yak Seon. Besides, he’s only getting in the way by causing a commotion, so I had no choice. If the Poison Freak gets spooked and hides even deeper because of this, we’re the only ones who lose out on the mission, right?”
“Such sophistry…”
Heukmajo narrowed her eyes.
“Strange. Why are you so worked up? Do you happen to like him?”
Heukmajo pointed at Seong Mu-yeon.
“…Which makes me want to kill him even more.”
“Heukmajo!”
Before Il-gwang could stop her, Heukmajo let out a manic laugh and lunged forward. Having anticipated that things would go this way, Seong Mu-yeon stayed one step ahead and retreated, taking Peng Do-hwan with him.
‘This crazy woman… she really intends to kill me!’
Heukmajo’s nails struck with such an immense amount of Demonic Energy that the ground was gouged deep. Seeing the dirt scatter wildly, a chill ran down Seong Mu-yeon’s spine.
Seong Mu-yeon decided to postpone his decision for now. Regardless, shouldn’t he save the person in front of him first? He would make an exception just this once. It wouldn’t be too late to think about it after the situation settled.
“Avoiding me?”
Heukmajo yanked her hand out of the ground. Contrary to her expectations, the fact that he had dodged seemed to irritate her further.
Like a child given a new toy, Heukmajo looked utterly thrilled, continuing her attacks without giving him a moment to breathe.
It was an incredibly awkward situation for Seong Mu-yeon. The unconscious Peng Do-hwan, limp in his arms, was far too heavy. Moreover, he had to carry the man’s greatsword, leaving him barely able to focus on dodging.
To make matters worse, Heukmajo’s subordinates soon appeared and joined the pursuit of Seong Mu-yeon.
“Heukmajo! Can’t you hear me telling you to stop! Heukmajo!”
No matter how much Il-gwang shouted as he chased after her, Heukmajo skillfully shook him off while simultaneously raining down precarious attacks on Seong Mu-yeon.
“You’re running so hard! Of course you should! Because if you’re caught, you’re dead! Hahahahaha!”
Seong Mu-yeon swallowed the curses rising in his throat. He didn’t have enough strength to waste on swearing; he needed to concentrate every bit of it into his legs.
Heukmajo’s laughter grew louder, perhaps noticing that Seong Mu-yeon’s reaction speed was gradually slowing down.
‘I must be insane!’
Seong Mu-yeon firmly readjusted his grip on Peng Do-hwan’s arm, which kept slipping. Due to the man’s tall stature, his legs kept dragging on the ground, consuming even more of his strength.
He couldn’t keep running like this forever. They were human, so they would eventually tire, but it was certain that Seong Mu-yeon would collapse first.
If it weren’t for Peng Do-hwan, who was essentially a heavy piece of luggage, he might have been able to attempt a counterattack, but the moment he set him down, the man would lose his life, leaving him with no choice.
Furthermore, they were in the middle of the city. He felt even more restricted in his movements, worried that innocent civilians might be harmed by the attacks he dodged.
Seong Mu-yeon struggled to lead the enemies toward the outskirts where there were as few people as possible.
Unable to do anything else, he continued the precarious chase. One of Heukmajo’s subordinates caught up right behind him, and a claw energy imbued with Demonic Energy flew toward his back.
As Seong Mu-yeon tried to twist his body to dodge, he spotted a civilian suddenly appearing around the corner. It was clear that if he dodged, the civilian, who was exactly in the path of the attack, would be hit instead.
In the end, Seong Mu-yeon chose to spin around and face the attack head-on.
“Kh…”
As the black demonic energy collided with the greatsword, a massive shock vibrated through the blade. It was because Seong Mu-yeon, unfamiliar with the greatsword, had failed to inject sufficient inner force.
“Aaagh!”
The civilian, unaware that he had just dipped a foot into the River Styx and narrowly survived, scrambled away in panic back the way he came.
Since Heukmajo’s subordinates were clinging closely, it was only natural that he was surrounded the moment he stopped.
Soon after, Heukmajo appeared, gripping Il-gwang by the neck.
“I think I’ve played enough… shall we bring this to an end now?”
It seemed Heukmajo’s patience had finally run out. Il-gwang gave him an apologetic look.
“….”
Heukmajo’s subordinates menacingly closed the circle. They intended to capture Seong Mu-yeon and Peng Do-hwan to deliver them to their master.
This was a disaster.
Just as Seong Mu-yeon was rolling his eyes, searching for a way out.
Thud.
A figure suddenly appeared and landed in front of him.
It was Baek Ryeo-il.
“Go.”
Holding his beloved sword, Nan-saeng, slanted downward, he spoke shortly without even turning his head toward Seong Mu-yeon.
Seong Mu-yeon hesitated for a moment, unable to move his feet. He couldn’t take his eyes off the man’s back.
For some reason, his heart felt tight, and his eyes grew hot. Words he had buried deep in his heart, thinking he would never be able to convey them, surged up to his throat.
However, Seong Mu-yeon ultimately swallowed those words again and turned away. He could not waste the precious time Baek Ryeo-il had bought for him.
* * *
Seong Mu-yeon left the city, with Peng Do-hwan’s arm draped over his shoulder and a firm grip on his side. The noise of the violent battle behind them gradually faded.
In a forest far from the city, Seong Mu-yeon found a burrow just large enough to hide in. The interior was full of moss and dampness, but the long vines hanging over the entrance provided some cover. Since the sun was setting, the darkness would provide an even more perfect camouflage. It was the perfect place to hide for a while.
Seong Mu-yeon spread his removed long robe over the soft moss and carefully laid Peng Do-hwan down.
First, he examined Peng Do-hwan’s injuries. Blood seeped from long gashes and cuts caused by nails imbued with Demonic Energy across his body, but there were no critical wounds. It seemed he had fainted due to internal injuries or a head injury.
There wasn’t much Seong Mu-yeon could do. If Owl were here, he could have discovered more and treated him better, but Seong Mu-yeon was limited to applying medicine to the visible wounds and wrapping them in bandages.
While applying medicine to a long gash on the arm, Peng Do-hwan flinched as if waking up. Shortly after, he opened his eyes.
Peng Do-hwan, not yet fully conscious, stared blankly at Seong Mu-yeon beside him with unfocused eyes.
“…Brother?”
Flinch.
Seong Mu-yeon, who was wrapping the bandage, froze. After fluttering his lips for a long time as if his voice wouldn’t come out, those were the words he uttered. Even though the sun had set and the interior of the burrow was dark, he seemed not to have noticed that the person in front of him was wearing a mask.
“….”
Or perhaps he was still dreaming.
A smile filled with longing and relief spread across Peng Do-hwan’s face as he looked at Seong Mu-yeon. Feeling as though he were peeking into someone’s intimate private sphere, Seong Mu-yeon squeezed his eyes shut and hurried his hands to finish the bandage.
“Ah.”
It didn’t take long for Peng Do-hwan to fully regain consciousness. The moment he regained his sense of reality and realized that the person before him was not the brother he longed for in his dreams, but a pitch-black badger mask, the smile and fragile emotions vanished from his face.
“…Where is this?”
Tearing his gaze away from Seong Mu-yeon with a look of regret, Peng Do-hwan looked around the dark interior of the burrow and narrowed his brow.
At the naturally flowing question, Seong Mu-yeon almost answered out loud. He opened his mouth, but fortunately stopped just before making a sound.
“Right, of course. You cannot speak. My apologies. My memory cuts off while fighting that black-clad woman… I don’t know what happened in the meantime, but seeing as I am alive, it seems I owe my life to you. Thank you.”
“….”
Seong Mu-yeon hesitated for a moment and then nodded.
“Give it here. I will do it.”
Even though he had fully regained consciousness, Peng Do-hwan felt awkward just lying there relying on Seong Mu-yeon. He pushed himself up and gently took the bandages from him.
“That person, was it indeed the Demonic Cult’s Heukmajo? I’ve heard many rumors, but she truly is terrifying. I don’t know how you saved me from her, but you must have suffered greatly. I will surely repay this kindness.”
Peng Do-hwan smiled brightly. Having finished the basic treatment, he stood up without delay, grabbing his greatsword. He looked as if he were ready to return to the battlefield immediately, as if he had never been injured or lost consciousness in the fight just moments ago.
‘How can you fight in that condition!’
Horrified, Seong Mu-yeon grabbed his sleeve. When he shook his head to tell him not to go, Peng Do-hwan only gave a bitter smile and gently brushed his hand away.
“Do not stop me. I am sorry, but I must return.”
Shake shake.
“There are some fights in this world that cannot be avoided.”
Seong Mu-yeon shook his head more firmly and gripped the man’s clothes tightly.
Returning to an enemy who had brutally overwhelmed him without him even being able to counterattack was like jumping into a fire while carrying a bundle of brushwood.
‘If you really want to die, die somewhere I don’t know.’
Peng Do-hwan stared at Seong Mu-yeon with a strange look in his eyes, then suddenly asked a question.
“Shall I tell you what that woman named Gyo Hong from the Haoh Gate said?”
“….”