Chapter 659

Crack.

A large, fur-covered paw crushed a brittle leaf.

Fangs showed between parted jaws. The sleek body crouched deep in the grass was ready to hunt.

What kind of meat will I eat today?

All it had to do was spot its prey, sprint in, and sink its fangs into the back of its neck.

As long as it watched out for venomous beasts that appeared without warning, finding prey in Nanman was easy enough.

At least, it was for a black leopard near the top of the food chain.

Grrrr…

The leopard scanned its surroundings with bright yellow eyes, then let out a low growl.

It had sensed a great many presences in the distance and caught their scent on the wind.

Sniff, sniff.

Its senses were sharp, as a predator’s should be. It did not take long to identify the prey it had encountered sooner than expected.

Humans.

More precisely, a group of humans. Roughly a hundred of them were approaching.

Grrr.

The leopard gave an involuntary growl of irritation.

Humans were unwelcome. Small as they were, they sometimes hunted predators much larger than themselves. And the more of them there were, the stronger they became.

Just like now.

Swish.

The leopard rose from its crouch.

Hunting humans alone was for fools. It would be smarter to move elsewhere and find different prey.

It was about to do just that when—

“Whew. Whew…”

The leopard stopped and stared beyond the grass.

A human came running up, making strange noises, and squatted among the weeds.

“Ahh. I almost died.”

At the same time, sounds and smells that would have made even predators recoil filled the air. A glint flashed through the black leopard’s vertically slit pupils.

There was no doubt about it. This human had left the group to relieve himself.

He had no idea this place would be his grave.

Grrr.

One target. A stupid-looking human at that.

The leopard made its decision in an instant. The muscles in all four legs tightened, and its black body shot forward like an arrow.

Tap—whoosh!

Several dozen feet vanished in an instant. Only then did the human notice something and turn his head toward the leopard.

A beat too late. Fangs flashed inside the leopard’s wide-open jaws.

—Raaaar!

Thud! Crunch!

The sound of flesh being torn rang out beneath the beast’s thunderous roar. Large and small bodies tangled together and rolled across the ground.

A moment later, the survivor of that short, fierce struggle made himself heard.

“Phew!”

The man who emerged from the black fur had blood all over his face.

The leopard’s blood.

At the last moment, he had driven his sword into the head of the predator that ruled this stretch of forest. Now he panted for breath.

“Huff. Hah. Fuck. I nearly died taking a dump.”

An ambush while he was doing his business. Thinking back, it had been far too close.

A year or two ago, he would have ended up as the leopard’s dinner.

But like a seed putting out shoots, he had grown considerably since then.

“Getting beaten all the time really has improved my reflexes… But how do I get out from under this thing?”

The man—Hyuk Mujin—was still trapped beneath the impossibly heavy carcass of the black leopard, struggling and grunting, when—

“Strange. Was this the business you said you had to take care of?”

A familiar voice reached his ears, and his face lit up.

“Oh! Great Hero Song!”

Song Ilseom sighed.

“I told you not to call me Great Hero.”

“Why not? You’re helping someone in trouble. Doesn’t that make you a Great Hero?”

“You take after your superior. The words flow right out of you.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment. But don’t say it in front of Captain. Even you might find yourself getting beaten as freely as the words flow.”

Song Ilseom nodded at Hyuk Mujin’s heartfelt warning.

“…I’ll bear that in mind.”

“Good thinking. Now, could you get this thing off me? I can barely breathe. I keep seeing my father’s face.”

“Really? When did he die?”

“What are you talking about? He’s alive and well.”

“…?”

Is he insane?

Song Ilseom gave the question a moment’s serious thought, then abandoned it and grabbed the leopard’s carcass.

Few people in the Fire Dragon Pavilion he had somehow joined were sane. The Pavilion Master was the worst of them.

Scrape. Thud.

Freed at last from the danger of being crushed to death, Hyuk Mujin brushed the dirt from his clothes.

“Whew. That was close. Where is everyone?”

“Setting up camp. The Young Bureau Head stayed there too. We’ve been riding nearly ten shichen¹ without a break, so she seems to have decided we need to rest. A missive arrived while you were away.”

“A missive?”

“Yes. It seems the Nanman Beast Palace sent a messenger eagle. They must have further instructions.”

“Either way, that’s good news. The beasts have been moving so violently that I nearly shattered my rear end.”

“They need rest too. Still, the Nanman people must train them well. They have impressive stamina—every bit as much as grassland horses.”

About a day earlier, they had left the Outer Palace with the reconnaissance squad and pressed on without respite.

They had no idea when the Blood Monk, an old monster none of them had ever heard of before, might cross Guangxi and head south. A forced march was the obvious choice.

“When are we supposed to arrive?”

“According to the two tribal chieftains, in two days if we’re quick. Three at the latest. The Young Bureau Head seems to think the same.”

“Why do I get the feeling that means we have to make it in two?”

“Because we do. We need to move as quickly as possible to stop the Blood Monk.”

“As quickly as we’ve been moving?”

“Possibly faster.”

“…Faster might be a bit much.”

Hyuk Mujin grimaced, then nodded.

“Damn it. Not much choice, I guess.”

“You accepted that sooner than I expected.”

“Try following Captain around for a couple of years, Great Hero Song. You’ll learn to give up on anything. Your life included.”

“Unfortunately, that won’t happen.”

“Why not?”

“If not for the Young Bureau Head, I would never have come this far. She is the one and only reason I’m in this wretched Nanman.”

Hyuk Mujin shrugged at the curt reply.

“Hmm. Then I guess we’ll be seeing a lot of you.”

“What?”

“You just said it yourself. You came this far because of Young Lady Ju. And Young Lady Ju is going to stay with Captain, isn’t she?”

“……!”

“Great Hero Song, you’re not as bright as I thought.”

Song Ilseom went still for a moment. Then he asked evenly, “Do you want to die?”

“No. Sorry.”

Hyuk Mujin answered at once. Keeping a wary eye on Song Ilseom, he pulled his sword from the leopard’s head.

Spurt.

Blood gushed from the gaping wound. Hyuk Mujin gave the blade a cursory wipe and sheathed it, then looked up at the sky.

“It’s night already.”

They had apparently set out at night, but while moving without a moment to think, the second night had already arrived.

And several more nights would pass before they returned to the Nanman Beast Palace.

“I’d rather not run into the Blood Monk, though. It’s hard not to worry with Captain gone. You feel the same way, don’t you, Great Hero Song?”

No answer came.

After a brief silence, what he heard behind him was not Song Ilseom’s voice, but the cold scrape of a blade leaving its sheath.

Shing.

Hyuk Mujin recognized the sound coming from behind him and swallowed dryly.

“Uh, about calling you dumb. I’m sorry. Are you really angry?”

Song Ilseom’s voice came back cold.

“…Shut up and turn around.”

“Great Hero Song. Please. I’m begging you.”

“I’m begging you. Shut up and turn around. Draw your sword again.”

He’s really lost it.

Tears in his eyes, Hyuk Mujin turned on trembling legs.

And then he understood why Song Ilseom’s voice had gone cold. Why he had told him to draw his sword.

“I thought they were on our side… Was I wrong?”

Rustle.

The dark grass shifted.

The reconnaissance squad—the hundred or so people who had traveled with them until now—stood beyond it. At their head, the two tribal chieftains emerged and regarded them with troubled expressions.

“You weren’t the only one who thought so. I regret that it’s come to this.”

“We received a missive bearing the Palace’s seal. It’s an order we cannot refuse.”

A missive.

At those two words, Song Ilseom had a vague sense that something serious had happened in the Inner Palace they had left behind.

But right now, only one person mattered.

“Where is the Young Bureau Head?”

Killing intent seeped into the question.

Chief Jang, a supporter of the Palace Lord who had favored Jin Taekyung since the Tribal Grand Council, sighed.

“Her sword was fiercer than I expected. She caught on quickly, too.”

“I’ll ask one last time. Where is she?”

Whoosh!

Killing intent poured from Song Ilseom, so savage that even the beasts with the reconnaissance squad backed away.

Sensing his fury, the other tribal chieftain hurried to answer.

“Sh-she’s safe. We only subdued her with a Pressure-Point Strike.”

Song Ilseom clenched his teeth without realizing it. Relief and regret surged through him together.

I should have stayed by her side, no matter what.

Given the size of the reconnaissance squad that had turned against them, staying probably would not have changed the outcome.

But he could not stop picturing Ju Hwaran fighting alone.

“…Damn it.”

As he spat out the curse, Song Ilseom slowly lowered the cherished weapon in his hand.

Hyuk Mujin, a little slower to grasp the situation, did the same.

Scrape. Thunk.

His carefully forged blade sank into the ground.

Chief Jang watched with a troubled look, then gestured. Warriors from the reconnaissance squad hurried forward, took their weapons, and bound them.

“…Great Hero Song. I think we’re fucked.”

Song Ilseom did not answer Hyuk Mujin this time either.

He couldn’t.

Tap, tap, tap.

Someone’s fingers tapped all over his body. As he felt his body stiffen under the Pressure-Point Strike, Song Ilseom muttered inwardly,

What the hell have you done, Jin Taekyung?