BSW 242

Ho-eun could not bring himself to voice his worries and only sighed repeatedly, but Man-soo spoke up with a chuckle.

“Well, a few units led by some nasty noblemen might get tossed aside.”

Ho-eun looked at him with surprised eyes. He found it disconcerting yet fascinating how Man-soo seemed to read his thoughts. Man-soo continued, still wearing a smile.

“But the righteous army will definitely come. A few have already arrived.”

“…….”

“Listen, huh? No matter how much this country treats us like Lowborns, in the end, it’s us—the people—who step up when the nation is in peril. It’s always been that way, always.”

“The people……”

Ho-eun murmured the words. Yes. Man-soo by his side, Dong-ja leading the way, the people running toward them now, and Tae-muk—they were all the people of this country.

The people who had protected the nation countless times throughout history were once again risking their lives and rushing forward to save it.

If that was how history worked, perhaps the people would save the country this time as well. Which meant… perhaps they could win.

As Ho-eun gazed blankly at the arriving reinforcements, Dong-ja spoke, her back to the brightly rising morning sun.

“So, what do we do now?”

Everyone looked at her. She scratched her temple with the tip of her sharply honed spear, muttering as if to herself.

“Hmm… can we go back?”

Ho-eun took a step toward her and asked.

“The General ordered that if Officer Oh did not arrive, we were to retreat, correct?”

“Yeah, he did.”

“Then since they have arrived, wouldn’t it be alright to rescind the retreat?”

“Hmm… then should we go back? Is that okay? No, wait. Let’s go back! Going back is the right move!”

Dong-ja shouted, thrusting her spear deep into the ground.

“Yeah, let’s go back!”

Man-soo shouted along with her. The others around them nodded in agreement.

“I think going back is the right call, too.”

“It’s already morning. I’ve gotta feed the kids. Instead of rice balls this time, I think I’ll go [[unauthorized copy]class="wm" style="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">stolen content]down and make some rice soaked in hot soup.”

“Exactly. You need a full belly to have strength when fighting. Let’s boil some meat soup. Use up all the remaining meat.”

“There might be more wounded soldiers.”

“We should make tents to lay the wounded in first. Did we pack the medicines well?”

“I think we’re short on bows. Shouldn’t we make more?”

“First, let’s let them know the reinforcements have arrived!”

The people, chatting amongst themselves, turned around one after another. Then, with long strides and leaps, they began to retrace their steps.

They were returning to a battlefield swarming with Devouring Ghouls, yet ironically, their footsteps were lighter than ever.

17.
On the Azaleas, Beautiful in Their Stains

Ho-eun, Dong-ja, Man-soo, and the other soldiers returned to the foot of the mountain with joyful hearts. However, the moment they looked down, they all froze as if struck by lightning.

“…….”

“…….”

Not a single drop of rain had fallen from last night until now, yet the area below the mountain [Read on Read BL Novelsstyle="opacity:0;font-size:1px;user-select:all;">stolen content]style="opacity:0;font-size:0;">visit our sitewas drenched as if a torrential downpour had occurred. It wasn’t just rain; it looked as if a red rain had fallen.

The Crimson Rain Brigade had always frequented battlefields that lived up to their name—places that looked as if red rain had fallen—but this time, the sight was excessive.

The wide plain stretching between the river and the mountain had originally been ochre earth with sparse patches of green grass, but now it was entirely red. It wasn’t just the ground; the jagged trees and rocks were red too. Red droplets of blood dripped from the leaves, and blood streamed down the rocks.

In the defensive line established by the Crimson Rain Brigade, Devouring Ghouls were strung up like skewers or hung like laundry, and occasionally, things that appeared to be human were caught among them.

Below that, soldiers and Devouring Ghouls were tangled together indiscriminately. No, ‘tangled’ was the wrong expression. It would be more accurate to say the soldiers were pinned down by the ghouls.

Hwaaaa…

Uaaaa…

When they had just left, the screams of soldiers had echoed, but now, only wailing and sobbing could be heard.

Yet, even in the midst of this, not a single person was fleeing. Everyone fought fiercely. Even as shoulders were chewed and arms were bitten off, they swung their weapons.

When a ghoul sank its teeth or claws into a comrade’s body and dragged them away, some held on and resisted, getting dragged away together. And so, they vanished into the swarm of ghouls. All that remained was the blood flowing profusely at the ghouls’ feet.

Watching this blankly, Ho-eun slowly lifted his head and turned his gaze toward the Yalu River. That vast, wide river was now so full of Devouring Ghouls that it looked as if the ghouls themselves were overflowing from the river.

They pushed forward aggressively. In their haste, they struck or pushed their own kind as they vied to set foot on this land.

The creatures did not seem to perceive this situation as a war or a battle. [Read on Read BL Novels]They unauthorized stolen contentcopylikely viewed it as a ‘hunt’ or a ‘meal.’

“Ah…”

Ho-eun could not bear to watch any longer and dropped his head. The sight was so gruesome and desperate that his heart felt crushed. He felt as if he might vomit. A sour taste rose from the back of his throat.

The soldiers with him were no different. They all stared blankly at the carnage below, lost in a trance.

Just then.

“Go down! Go down! Go and bring back the wounded!”

Yeonggam shouted thunderously. At that, the soldiers snapped out of it and leaped down the mountain. Ho-eun tried to follow, but before he could take a single step, his elbow was grabbed.

“Not you, Young Master.”

It was Dong-ja. Her face was cold and hardened as she shook her head. Man-soo, standing beside her, also signaled Ho-eun to stop with his eyes.

“…….”

Ho-eun did not persist and stopped. He did so because he knew there was nothing he could do even if he went. He couldn’t carry anyone back; he would only be pacing anxiously by their side. It would be better to stand here blankly so as not to be a hindrance.

Standing still, Ho-eun’s eyes darted around frantically. He was searching for Tae-muk.

He believed Tae-muk wouldn’t be dead, but for some reason, he felt anxious. He had to see him. Even if he were drenched in blood, even [stolen [unauthorized copy]content]if his limbs were torn, it would be fine—he just needed to see that Tae-muk’s eyes were open to feel at peace.

But for some reason, Tae-muk was nowhere to be seen. With his overwhelming presence, he usually stood out instantly no matter where he was. Why was he so hard to find?

Was he surrounded by Devouring Ghouls again? Yes, by now, they must have realized that Tae-muk was the leader. They were probably attacking him relentlessly again.

I’ll look for a cluster of ghouls tangled like a ball of yarn. Tae-muk will be in there.

Ho-eun scanned the battlefield diligently without even blinking. However, there were so many clusters of tangled ghouls that he couldn’t find Tae-muk at all.

“Sister, Brother. Do you happen to see where the General is?”

Ho-eun asked in a trembling voice.

“No.”

Dong-ja gave a negative response.

“…….”

Man-soo also shook his head. At this, Ho-eun leaned one hand against a tree, stood on his tiptoes, and craned his neck to search for Tae-muk. But he still could not find his whereabouts.

Meanwhile, wounded soldiers began to be carried back to the camp one by one. With their limbs torn and ripped haphazardly, the ground quickly became muddy with blood.

The soldiers at the camp moved even more busily. They pitched visit our sitetents, unauthorized copyboiled water, gathered firewood, and crafted new stolen contentarrows. It was a moment where further cover or ambushes became meaningless.

“Bring clean cloth!”

“Set up the tents quickly! Make them bigger!”

“Blood! Everyone come and help draw blood first! Cooks, too!”

Amidst the shouts erupting from everywhere, Ho-eun, who had been searching only for Tae-muk, suddenly snapped back to his senses. Then, he abruptly slapped both of his cheeks. A surprised Man-soo called out, “Young Master!” but he did not answer.

He had to pull himself together. Even if he didn’t worry, Tae-muk would be fine. He always was. He should do what he could do right now. Just standing here blankly was of no help to Tae-muk or the Crimson Rain Brigade.

I must find my own use.

Taking a deep, heavy breath, Ho-eun looked at Dong-ja and asked.

“I want to help treat the wounded. Will you take me with you?”

“…….”

“I will only help with the chores. There won’t be any dangerous work.”

Dong-ja pondered for a moment, glancing around. She observed the Devouring Ghouls swarming like cockroaches below. Just then, a wounded soldier whose left arm had been torn off—much like Man-soo’s—passed by, carried on another soldier’s back. Dong-ja’s gaze followed them as if possessed. Then, she looked back at Ho-eun.

“Fine. Let’s go, Young Master. Since I’m going, I should draw a bowl of blood too.”

At her permission, Ho-eun rolled up his sleeves and ran toward the medical tent.

The medical tent was on the verge of bursting. There were so many wounded soldiers that even when laid side by side, arms and legs protruded from the tent.

Eventually, they had to lay the wounded on the bare ground. In an environment with no beds or screens, a few soldiers writhing in pain rolled down the slope. Then, other soldiers quickly went to carry them back up.

Ho-eun, carrying a brass bowl full of water, hurried across the blood-soaked ground. He arrived before a wounded soldier and dropped to his knees. The ground, a mixture of dirt, blood, and unidentified filth, was incredibly dirty, but there was not a moment’s hesitation or reluctance in his action of kneeling.

[5] Righteous Army (Uibyeong): A volunteer militia organized spontaneously by the people to fight against foreign invasions or the usurpation of national sovereignty during times of national crisis.