Chapter 234: Battlefront (4)
“What the hell is this crazy guy…?”
Putting aside the fact that I had never seen this face before, why the hell did he faint the moment he looked at me?
“Hey, what’s up with this guy?”
In response to my question, Gu Jeolyub cautiously replied.
“…He’s a martial artist from the Alliance who was left alone in the plains.”
I scowled at Gu Jeolyub’s words.
This made it three for this month alone.
Gu Jeolyub had brought back three martial artists from the Murim Alliance during his reconnaissance missions.
Thinking of that, I said to Gu Jeolyub, incredulously, “If you’re going out to pick things up, why not collect some money instead of useless people?”
“…”
“Since when did he start showering himself with strange titles and get weirder?”
What was it? The Flame Sword or whatever? Something that sounded ridiculous got tied to Gu Jeolyub’s name.
To put it bluntly, it meant a swordsman who breathed flames from his sword.
Just hearing it gave me goosebumps. What kind of name is that?
Heh, and there he is, looking pleased with himself.
Gu Jeolyub, of course, seemed genuinely happy with the title.
Maybe he didn’t fully grasp my heavy-hearted words, as he responded to me.
“…But we can’t just leave someone in danger, can we?”
“Okay, but I told you to think things through before bringing them back.”
“I didn’t have the time to think…”
“If you weren’t in a position to think, then you shouldn’t have brought him back at all.”
“…”
Gu Jeolyub frowned as if he didn’t like my words.
It was true; rescuing someone in distress is a noble deed.
Sure, from another’s perspective, Gu Jeolyub’s actions could easily be seen as commendable.
But…
“For crying out loud, do you not remember the last time you brought back a spy from the Alliance?”
From my point of view, things weren’t so straightforward.
“…”
“Hey.”
“…Yes?”
“I told you it’s fine to have good intentions, but if you’re not prepared to take responsibility for your actions, then don’t go getting involved.”
Gu Jeolyub was inherently a kind-hearted person.
He often blabbed about dreaming of becoming a hero someday.
But come on.
There’s only so much you can do before it becomes too much.
“You’re just ridiculously weak. I’ve mentioned it before—if something happens here, you won’t be able to do anything and will just die, you know?”
“…Ugh.”
My words seemed to strike a nerve. Gu Jeolyub stumbled, momentarily affected.
“If you saw him in the plains, you could have just left him there. Why bring him all the way here?”
“He’s…injured…”
“If you brought him here because he was hurt, did you think we could heal him? I mean, who would think we have an apothecary here?”
“That’s…”
“Aren’t you the same guy who let his guard down during a hunt and ended up bedridden for weeks after being bitten by a Blue-Grade Snake Demon? So who should be worrying about whom right now?”
“…Guh…”
It’s great and all that he dreams of helping others, and I get that he aspires to be a hero, but the problem was he couldn’t handle his own mess.
Looking at Gu Jeolyub wobbling, I checked on the guy who had fainted comfortably on the ground.
Is he a low-ranking swordsman from the Murim Alliance?
From what I could gather from his attire and style, that seemed to be a strong possibility.
“Hmm…?”
As I examined him, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I had seen him somewhere before.
“Who is he again?”
It was hard to decide if he was someone I knew, as my memory was a bit foggy.
This probably meant that even if I had met him, he wasn’t all that significant.
“Who did you say this guy was?”
“Bi… Bi… something?”
“Seriously? Have you forgotten even that about him, Sword of Heroic Flame?”
“Ah…!”
“Good job! Do you want to die?”
Having just finished dealing with Demons, I stretched my body, feeling a twinge.
Gu Jeolyub flinched at my words, stepping back slightly.
“…Young Master, why are you stretching?”
“Well, judging by your expression, you already know the reason, don’t you?”
“No, I do not.”
Even though he said that, I could see the subtle tension in Gu Jeolyub’s legs.
Oh? Look at him now?
“Hey, you little…!”
Was he thinking about running away?
My, how you’ve grown, my little Jeolyub.
Swoosh.
Before he could make a move, I wrapped myself in a layer of heat and took a step forward.
Seeing Gu Jeolyub preparing to dart off, I sped up accordingly.
Grip.
But just before I could, a cold hand grabbed my wrist.
Turning around, I was met by Moyong Hi-ah, her sky-blue eyes locked onto me.
“…Dinner will get cold, Young Master.”
I contemplated shaking off her grip, but the chill that seeped into my wrist made me reconsider. With an exasperated sigh, I turned around.
“I’ll clean this mess up and catch up with you. You go ahead.”
“How long will it take?”
“Not long.”
Moyong Hi-ah nodded and turned back in the direction she came from. Gu Jeolyub, who seemed to get the hint, followed her quietly.
“Hey.”
“Yes…?”
“You forgot to take him with you.”
Gu Jeolyub looked back with a surprised expression, as if he’d truly forgotten, before picking up the unconscious man and trailing after Moyong Hi-ah.
That fool seemed to be improving in martial arts, but he was getting dumber in other respects.
“Did he hit his head or something…?”
Hmm…
“…”
Wait, did I hit him on the head too much?
I couldn’t deny it as memories from the past year with Gu Jeolyub flashed through my mind.
“…Let’s hurry up and finish this so we can eat.”
After sending Moyong Hi-ah and Gu Jeolyub—and that nameless guy—away, I glanced over the pile of Demon corpses behind me.
If I left them like this, Demons lurking in the shadows or those that could tear through dimensions would definitely come to investigate the scent of blood, so I needed to clean this mess up.
Crack.
I cracked my knuckles.
At that moment, the previously clear sky began to darken.
The heaviness of darkness descended upon my surroundings, filtering out the toxic Qi lingering in the air.
Flinch-!
Activating my Demonic Absorption Arts, I sensed the movement of energy deep within my Dantian.
The clarity of movement felt akin to stretching.
Everything around me seemed consumed by darkness.
It wasn’t that the sky had actually grown dark.
It was just that my perception of the world had changed.
As I stared at the mound of Demon corpses, I whispered softly.
“It’s food. Eat it.”
And, just like that, a low growl resounded.
[Grrrr…]
It signaled the looming hunger of a beast.
After tidying up, I returned to my tent and found several people gathered inside.
Muyeon, who had gone out earlier for guard duty, Gu Jeolyub, responsible for bringing the man in, and the current Vice Captain of the Fifth Army along with some others were seated at the table.
“I thought we were supposed to eat first. Why is everyone gathered here?”
Upon my entrance, they all stood up to greet me respectfully.
I waved them back down hurriedly.
Why go through all this trouble, really?
The Vice Captain stood and answered my question.
“We thought it best to first address the important matters.”
“That?”
I gestured towards the guy lying in the corner, listening to the Vice Captain’s words.
“Why? Is there something strange again?”
“…We’re still verifying, but thankfully it doesn’t seem to be like last time.”
Again with ‘last time.’
Hearing that, Gu Jeolyub flinched and began to cough nervously.
I could imagine his discomfort all too well.
“Where’s Sister?”
“The Captain seems to have gone out to check the gate.”
I nodded, understanding the Vice Captain’s response.
Looks like another one’s opened.
Lately, it felt like the Gates of Demons were opening more frequently.
It was evident that the numbers had increased significantly compared to before.
“What should we do about him?”
I nodded at the Vice Captain’s question.
Since Captain Gu Huibi wasn’t present, the command had temporarily fallen to me.
How ironic.
“Stop asking every little thing. Just act on your own judgment.”
“Of course, how could I? It’s not an order from the Captain, but a directive from the Clan Lord… so I can’t simply go ahead.”
Tsk…
All this because I intervened in that debacle the Fifth Army faced half a year ago.
I only stepped in because it looked like they would all die if I didn’t, but because of that, I ended up in this annoying position.
“…Send the usual signal to the Murim Alliance. Update how things look outside, and if there’s not much to worry about, just toss him outside the forest. They’ll likely handle it from there.”
“What if they say they won’t send anyone to the plains entrance, as last time?”
“Let them sort that out. That’s not our concern.”
“Understood.”
“And ask that guy over there for any further details.”
“Pardon?”
I gestured with my chin to that Bi guy, and the Vice Captain shot me a strange look.
What could I possibly ask a sleeping man?
If that was his concern, there was no need.
“He woke up a while ago.”
Sure enough, I noticed the bloke pretending to be asleep twitch slightly at my words.
“…Ah… Ah, what a good sleep…”
Was he aware all eyes were on him? His efforts to get up looked quite ridiculous.
I could tell at first glance that he wasn’t all there.
How on earth did Jeolyub end up picking up someone as clueless as him?
Just watching him made my head throb.
“Ah… ah, hello everyone.”
After witnessing him awkwardly greet us, I let out a deep sigh and stood up.
“Do you have anything else to tell me?”
“Ah… about the Captain…”
“I was already planning to see her, no need to mention that.”
“Understood. Please take your rest.”
He seemed to suggest I go meet Gu Huibi as soon as she returned.
Did I really need to go fetch her? I was already planning to do so anyway.
Not like I’m going to see Gu Huibi directly.
But it was pretty much the same idea, so it worked out.
After instructing them to handle everything else, I left the tent and started heading elsewhere.
As I walked further, I noticed steam rising in the distance.
“Young Master.”
As I drew closer, Hongwa came rushing over to greet me with a bright stride.
“Why in the world did you prepare so much?”
“…Well, Lady Moyong mentioned that the Young Master had moved quite a lot.”
Did Moyong Hi-ah order her to do this?
But why did she ask her to prepare so much food for lunch?
“It must’ve been tough for everyone to make this much.”
“N-No! Most of it has been prepared by the Moyong Clan.”
“Again?”
I couldn’t help but snicker at Hongwa’s words.
They should focus on their own meals. I was puzzled as to why they bothered to make food for us too.
Just when I was contemplating that, Moyong Hi-ah walked up from behind Hongwa.
“I thought it’d be nice if we all had a meal together, so I prepared this. Please accept it kindly.”
Oh great, another one of those moments.
“The issue isn’t that it’s not a one-time thing.”
“You worked hard today.”
Well, working hard wasn’t exactly a rarity for me.
I thought about arguing more, but I let it slide since I appreciated the effort in preparing food for us.
Not just the Gu Clan’s swordsmen, but also the servants benefited from it too.
One thing still nagged at me a bit.
There’s just no way she did this for no reason.
Knowing Moyong Hi-ah’s character, she wasn’t the type to casually initiate such acts without seeking some sort of return.
Additionally, she feigned friendliness and sweetly spoke to others, not to mention she’s been putting in effort despite being from a noble lineage. As a result, I heard that her standing among those beneath her was steadily improving.
…She definitely has ulterior motives.
To me, it felt as if she had numerous reasons behind all this, yet at its core, it seemed she was simply trying to be nice, so I decided to let it go.
“Oh, right! We also prepared dumplings.”
“…Where?”
My eagerness seemed too blatant since Moyong Hi-ah smiled as she caught my reaction.
Over the past year, Moyong Hi-ah had started to chuckle more often.
Not that she didn’t smile previously, but rather, the smiles she wore had shifted from forced to more genuine.
And honestly, that wasn’t so bad to see.
I was quietly watching her smile when—
“Young Master Gu.”
“Yeah?”
“If it’s not too much trouble… do you have some time after we eat?”
Moyong Hi-ah asked with a mildly unsettling tone while covering her mouth with her sleeve.
What was that awkwardly sweet voice?
Anyway, being that it was a question, I popped a dumpling into my mouth and answered.
“I need to go out to meet someone.”
“Huh?”
“It seems my sister is on duty today.”
Did she dislike my answer? Moyong Hi-ah’s expression turned frosty compared to before.
“…Young Master Gu.”
Her voice, too, had grown as cold as it was when we first met.
“Huh?”
“Are you going out to meet the Sword Phoenix, or are you going out to meet the Sword Dancer?”
“Why ask such a ridiculous question?”
It was absurdly obvious, to the point of it being ridiculous to answer.
“What reason would I have to go meet our family’s representative weirdo? It’s obvious—wait, where are you going?”
He has no sense of the situation whatsoever. What an idiot.
“Hey! At least leave behind the dumplings!”
“Take care of it yourself!”
With flare, Moyong Hi-ah marched away with the dumpling platter.
…I wasn’t finished eating those yet…
With a forlorn look, I watched the disappearing dumplings, swallowing the last one still held in my hand.
Since it was just a single bite left, it felt quite disappointing.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.