Chapter: 590
Just before my fingertips touched Woobeom’s neck.
During that brief moment, countless methods came to mind.
‘Should I tear out his voice box first?’
To prevent him from making any noise, perhaps I should start there.
Or, since Woobeom is right-handed,
Should I crush his right hand so he can’t dare to draw his sword?
Or is that not a concern?
‘I’m going to die anyway.’
If he’s just going to crumble to ashes,
anything should be fine.
With those thoughts, I moved to grab Woobeom’s neck.
“Stop–.”
Suddenly.
I halted my hand at the ringing voice in my ears.
“That’s enough.”
It was Mrs. Mi’s voice.
I turned my head to look at her. Facing her, I asked,
“Stop, you say?”
Why should we stop?
Is there really a reason for that?
I even had a justification.
He humiliated us with his disgusting words,
and was about to draw his sword first using his foreign body.
They say we aren’t directly affiliated with the Murim Alliance.
Yet through Mrs. Mi’s words, it was clear she was acting on behalf of the Murim Alliance.
In other words,
‘To mess with us is practically a rebellion against the entire alliance.’
In a broader sense, it could even lead to a war between nations.
And here we are,
‘Giving up an escort’s neck?’
Every action carries that weight.
Hence, killing this bastard wouldn’t cause any issues.
Mrs. Mi would know better about these things than I do.
But.
“Why should I do that?”
I first inquired about the reason.
If Mrs. Mi stopped me,
I assumed there must be a reasonable explanation.
Because Mrs. Mi is that kind of person.
Killing the escort in front of the princess might create problems.
Touching someone from the New World of Martial Arts might also lead to complications.
Surely she would give me a rational explanation.
That was my expectation, but
“The flowers you gave me still have their fragrance.”
That wasn’t what came out of Mrs. Mi’s mouth.
“Huh?”
“I just don’t want to witness something so ugly in this situation.”
That was unexpected.
I don’t understand at all.
What does the scent of flowers have to do with anything right now?
Not understanding anything,
“…”
I had no choice but to withdraw my hand from Woobeom.
Regardless of the reason,
once Mrs. Mi mentioned it, I had no choice but to stop.
I returned my hand to its original position.
Then I signaled to Dang So-yeol.
Swish…
As I sent my gaze, Dang So-yeol immediately retracted her dagger and stepped back.
Watching this, I couldn’t help but chuckle inwardly.
‘Quick on her feet.’
That doesn’t necessarily mean Dang So-yeol’s reaction was faster than mine.
Originally, I had planned to rip out Woobeom’s voice box without hesitation.
But I had to stop when I sensed Dang So-yeol moving.
‘Could it be?’
Did she move first out of fear that I might kill him?
For some reason, that thought flashed through my mind.
I don’t really believe that, but you never know.
“Huff… huff….”
I could hear heavy breathing.
That was coming from Woobeom.
He probably realizes it too.
This was a pretty dangerous moment just now.
What’s strange is—
‘But his eyes are still alive, huh?’
Woobeom’s eyes were still full of life.
“You… savage!”
His mouth was still functional.
“How dare you ignore the North Sea…!”
Bang-!
“Cough!”
I socked him right in the face.
He staggered back in shock and fell down.
Thud-!
Maybe because of his bigger build, the sound of him crashing down was especially loud.
Drip…
Blood flowed from Woobeom’s nose and mouth.
He stared at the blood on my hands with a look of disbelief.
Seeing that, I said,
“Shut it for a moment. We’re in the middle of a conversation.”
“Th-this is… right now…”
“Want me to pull out your tongue to make it easier for you to stay quiet?”
Creak.
I could hear him gnashing his teeth. But that was it; he avoided further confrontation.
It seemed he didn’t intend to go any further.
What a shame.
If he had just uttered one more word, I could’ve torn out his tongue for real without even killing him.
I was controlling my strength.
It would have been easier if I just yanked it all out.
But I just didn’t think I should go that far.
“Wow….”
As I shook my hands, I heard an admiration voice. It was Yuri’s.
“I didn’t think Woobeom would end up like this. How fascinating….”
Here my escort is bleeding, and you react like that?
My eyes narrowed at the sight.
‘So annoying.’
There was something that irritated me.
At first, I found it distracting because he was from an unfamiliar place called the North Sea.
Then I was bothered by how much he resembled Mo Yong-hee.
And now,
‘Something… is truly bothering me.’
Just his existence was alien and irritating.
Yuri was staring at me.
I saw an eye similar to Mo Yong-hee’s.
“You’re amazing. Are you one of the top martial artists?”
“Kind of.”
“Oh…!! That’s impressive!”
What the heck is so great about that?
Sighing softly, I inquired,
“What was that all about just now?”
“Huh?”
“The marriage talk.”
I was a little curious as to why such a strange conversation happened.
No matter how I thought about it, it shouldn’t logically come up.
“Oh, that.”
Yuri chuckled at my question.
“Um… isn’t this the norm?”
“What do you mean by that?”
Is that how it normally goes?
What? Is there a culture in the North Sea where people propose to the ones they hit?
No way, is there such a crazy culture?
Just then, I was about to have bad thoughts about the Ice Palace.
“It was definitely written that way in the book.”
Yuri confidently shared.
‘Book…?’
What book?
My mind was swirling with confusion from her sudden mention of a book.
“You are the first woman to hit me… Will you marry me?”
“…?”
“The book clarified that he said that to the person from Zhongyuan who hit him.”
“What….”
What kind of nonsense is that?
What sort of book did she read to get to such a ridiculous plot twist?
When I unconsciously grimaced in disgust, Yuri was instead looking surprised.
“Huh? You seriously don’t know? This is an incredible masterpiece?”
“So in the end, you just threw out a line you don’t even comprehend, huh?”
“But I didn’t expect this reaction to be so lukewarm.”
What kind of reaction should I have shown?
I still can’t figure that out.
Should I have just smacked him? Yeah, maybe that was the right play.
I should’ve hit him. I must be an idiot for not doing so.
“And it’s even being said by someone as pretty as me. How could that be?”
No. Let’s do this now.
As I thought to move,
“Cough… cough. Ahem….”
A clearing throat sounded from behind.
It was Mo Yong-hee’s cough.
When I looked over, she was bowing low, trying to hide her flushed ears.
I wondered what was up with that, but soon realized.
Seeing someone who looked exactly like her say something like that must have made her feel even more embarrassed.
Holding back a sigh, I turned to Mrs. Mi.
“…Mrs. Mi.”
“Speak.”
“So, what do you want me to do?”
Everything had become annoying.
I just wanted to flip the table and leave, but I hadn’t even heard the main point yet.
So,
‘What should I do?’
What kind of ridiculous nonsense am I involved with?
I posed that question, and
“Huh? What’s more do you want from me?”
Yuri asked.
Yeah, I was wondering that too.
‘What’s with this bright demeanor?’
Right now, my escort is lying behind me, a bloody mess.
But what on earth is she thinking?
Now I was genuinely feeling a bit scared.
“Oh, right, Your Highness.”
“Please proceed.”
“So, when will Red Feather arrive?”
“…Ah.”
“He has to come for us to talk.”
Red Feather.
That was a name that already came up before.
It’s clear it’s not someone’s name; it feels more like a nickname.
‘Is it too much to even say it’s a nickname…?’
Something about it felt quite bizarre.
And besides…
‘Who’s coming again?’
Everyone seems to be here. Who are they talking about?
“Is there someone else coming?”
I asked Mrs. Mi.
She would know the most about who’s around.
“They say it’s someone named Red Feather. Do you know who it is?”
“Uh… hmmm.”
However, Mrs. Mi’s reaction was quite peculiar upon hearing the question.
I wondered why she wore that expression.
“No, you don’t know who Red Feather is from the Central Plains?”
Suddenly, Yuri got flared up.
What’s with her now? Why is she acting up again?
“…Does it even matter?”
“Of course. Although I might not know anything else, Red Feather is definitely known!”
What kind of ridiculousness is this?
Is it a chicken? A red-feathered beast?
Is there even a red beast among the monstrous entities?
While I was getting bogged down in all sorts of thoughts,
“He uses flames to reach the sky.”
Flames? Sure, there are monsters that breathe fire.
“He values justice and harmony and cannot tolerate injustice.”
…Clearly not a monster. Listening to this, it seems he’s actually a human.
How can a human use such a stupid nickname? Must be insane.
Also, he seems to be someone who values justice and cooperation, using fire techniques.
Is there a warrior from Hanam skilled in such techniques?
‘I really have no idea.’
It’s already rare for a warrior skilled in fire arts to exist.
There might be the Flame King among the Ten Great Masters, but that fellow didn’t show up even during the bloody calamity.
Let’s skip him; he might be dead anyway.
Who on earth could this Red Feather be?
“I heard his looks are so outstanding that he ignites the hearts of many women.”
“It’s the Red Feather.”
“Yes…! I came here to see him!”
With that boastful declaration, I was left utterly speechless.
Honestly, I really needed to get home. I didn’t want to get caught up in this nonsense anymore.
I should just run away.
Just as I thought this,
“The Red Feather from the Central Plains. Guyangcheon…!”
“Huh…?”
“I really want to see him soon.”
“…?”
I turned my head at Yuri’s words.
Our eyes met.
Yuri, who met my gaze, tilted her head curiously.
“Why? Have you fallen for him? It’s too late for that…”
“What did you just say?”
“Huh?”
What did she just say?
“…Who? Who are you talking about?”
“Ahh~!”
Seeing my reaction, Yuri looked delighted and proclaimed,
“See, you know him too, right? The Red Feather, Guyangcheon.”
“…”
“What’s wrong?”
Silence fell upon us.
I thought I misheard, but that wasn’t it.
Wow…
How should I react to this?
I took a moment to think.
Is there another Guyangcheon apart from me?
Surely there must be; even if it’s not the Gu family from Shanxi, some other Gu family should exist somewhere.
Then maybe there’s another Guyangcheon in there, too.
But then—
Is there anyone else out there who uses fire arts and is named Guyangcheon?
With astronomical odds, I suppose there could be another.
However,
‘…that.’
No matter how I looked at it, it just didn’t feel like it meant anyone besides me.
Perhaps that was also why the quietness lingered in the small room.
“Huh? What’s with all of you?”
Yuri cast a puzzled glance at the altered atmosphere.
I noticed the surrounding people were giving me unintelligible looks.
Even Yuri’s expression shifted after noticing that.
In particular, the way the others looked at me had changed.
Sadly, it seemed Yuri wasn’t clueless either.
“No way.”
Yuri was smiling and gestured.
“No?”
There was an edge of urgency in her smiling voice.
It seemed she wished I’d deny it.
But no one stepped up to refute it.
“…No? Why are you all silent?”
Her pupils were trembling.
Those were fine, captivating eyes, but could they really widen that much?
“This… this can’t be true…”
Desperation filled Yuri’s expression as despair overshadowed her features.
“Are you seriously all him?!”
“What are you talking about?”
“You are the Red Feather!?”
“…What does that even mean?”
“No way! It must not be.”
Might it really be that shocking?
Her fair skin turned pale.
“That… that person can’t possibly look like this.”
What the hell?
Am I being personally attacked all of a sudden?
I was sitting still; why am I suddenly getting punched like this?
I stared at her with incredulity.
At that moment,
“As the rumors go, clearly you have no sense of justice or harmony…!”
Yuri began rambling off, as if she couldn’t get her bearings.
“You aren’t even handsome! You look scary! They said Baek Yeo-woo was surely a charming guy…”
“No… calm down for a moment.”
“But how could you be the Red Feather!? This is ridiculous—!!”
Thud-!
“Kyaa!”
Yuri’s head jerked back.
That was because I had punched my fist down on the top of her head.
Yuri let out a surprised yelp and clutched her head.
“Could you lower your volume?”
“Ugh…?”
“Why can’t you just be quiet?”
“…Ah… it hurts…”
“Damn it. I was already annoyed enough! Why do you keep whining?”
I adjusted my strength more than before.
Woobeom was at a higher skill level, so he could handle it.
But if I lost my cool and hit her head like that, it would probably end up bursting.
Still, perhaps that was somewhat too strong.
“Ugh… ugh.”
It seemed to hurt quite a bit, as tears began to well up in Yuri’s eyes.
And soon,
“Ah… ah….”
She began to cry like a child.
She looked like someone who wouldn’t bleed even if stabbed, yet tears streamed down her cheeks.
I wondered if that’s what it’s like when Mo Yong-hee cries. For a fleeting moment, I felt curious about that.
I contemplated briefly.
What should I do?
I didn’t expect a simple hit would induce tears.
Her sobbing was so desolate it was awkward.
As streaks of tears flowed fiercely from her, I felt it best to move.
Smack-!!
“Huh!?”
Yuri fell down with a thud!
I knocked her out by hitting her on the nape of the neck, just like when we first met.
Seeing this, the guards waiting behind widened their eyes in shock and reacted.
I simply glanced at the collapsed Yuri and stated indifferently,
“Why bother crying and causing such a ruckus?”
What I despise most is shedding pointless tears.
Though my method was a bit harsh, it was the fastest solution.
“I’m not ugly or anything….”
“It’s not that I’m scary, either. For real.”
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