Chapter 403 – Prelude to Battle (4)

Clack! Clack!

The “Thorned Fortress” serves as a criminal detention center for the Korean Hunter Association. It was designed to efficiently confine those deemed a threat or who might pose significant danger.

Lee Se-Young, wearing artifact handcuffs, was apprehended and dragged along by the hunters, her eyes out of focus.

“…Make sure she doesn’t escape.”

“Vice President, if this comes to light…”

“Didn’t I say I would take responsibility?”

In the cold confines of the cell, she reacted icily to the concerned hunter’s advice. Those who knew about the relationship between Byul and Lee Se-Young were well informed. Both Byul and Se-Young had consistently appeared on TV broadcasts and were treated as semi-celebrities on the internet.

It was impossible for their fellow hunters not to know about this. Byul’s behavior in this situation was unfamiliar to them.

Bang!

The iron bars closed and locked.

Lee Se-Young’s gaze, flung as if cast against a wall, fixed directly on the star.

“Are you out of your mind?”

At Lee Se-Young’s question, Byul’s face tilted to the right.

“I told you.”

The star laughed bitterly. Her lips were slightly parted, and traces of a knife cut remained on her ear. Her eyes were red, but they were hidden by the darkness of the ceiling.

She murmured faintly.

“Cut ties with him.”

Lee Se-Young lost her composure.

“……”

Byul’s words were clearly conscious of the surrounding hunters, but Lee Se-Young, having already closed her eyes and ears, accepted nothing. Soon after, a sharp malice tore through the air.

“…you.”

Even if the words were fabricated, they had become so sharp. Se-Young stuttered several times.

“Yes, Se-Young.”

– Drip, drip.

Falling tears.

For an instant, Byul’s face contorted.

“…Rather, kill me. You fucking bitch.”

Right after the shattered friendship, hostility spills out.
The stars know that once reason is lost, no words will make a difference. Even though the heart aches, there are secrets that cannot be spoken.

“I will, anyway.”

The star turned her head.
The star’s face became more distorted, making the surrounding hunters increasingly tense.

“…As long as there’s evidence that you helped the heretics.”

Drops of water fall onto the cold floor.
Drawing a few circles, she rubs her eyes with her arm.

Lee Se-Young is exhausted. She hadn’t slept for a while, and her body was at its limit. Even if Lee Si-heon came to see her, she wouldn’t have been able to convince him.
The minimum environment to relieve her fatigue was in place, so could the explanation be postponed for later?

The star hid her bloody fist behind her waist, opened the prison door, and vanished.

As they followed the star, the hunters whispered amongst themselves.

“…The Vice President has made up his mind. Have you ever seen the President-elect so angry?”
“I’ve never seen it either. The disappointment must have been immense.”

Although not as renowned as Mugung, Se-Young was a woman who received favor from nearly all guilds across Korea. This was why she could arrest the influential Lee Se-Young, even with weak grounds for her arrest. If this incident were to be exposed to the media, her reputation would suffer significantly. However, due to her numerous good deeds accumulated over time, the public would likely defend her.

Byul, who had released Se-Young with her head buried in her lap, returned to the association alongside the hunters without saying a word.

Not long ago, Lee Si-heon had said to Byul:

“Until the situation is resolved, arrest Lee Se-Young as soon as possible, using the Vice President’s authority.”

– “If it’s now, the evidence will be weak… After the situation is settled, she can be fully acquitted.”

The close relationship between Lee Se-Young and Lee Si-heon was not widely known.

Even if those suspicions were true, there was no trace of interaction between Lee Si-heon and Lee Se-Young after she had been condemned for heresy, and there was no justification for her arrest.

Only Se-Young’s closest friend, Byeol, could handle this situation. They could fabricate evidence contrary to the truth, provide coerced testimonies, and depending on Byeol’s intentions, delay the sentencing or trial as much as desired until the situation was resolved.

It was a cunning and sly scheme.

‘…She’s really clever.’

Byeol genuinely thought so. They had never realized that Se-Young was this sharp-minded and resourceful.

– Thud, thud.

Walking down the corridor, Byeol entered the vice president’s office, leaned against the door, and slid to the floor as if collapsing.

“…Ugh.”

Efficient indeed. They could ensure Lee Se-Young’s safety.

The reason Lee Si-heon hugged and comforted him, and bowed his head to apologize repeatedly, was that he didn’t consider himself cruel enough to behave like that.

“Ah, sob…”

Byul, having shed the charisma he just displayed, wept loudly as he wiped his tears.

Socially awkward trait.

Enduring and eventually breaking down alone.

-Drip, drip.

Tears, like a cluster of grapes, rolled down Byul’s chin.

“Ugh… Se-Young, I’m sorry…”

To calm his emotions, Byul had a daily routine of listening to new anime songs.
Today, it seemed like he would need to extend that time threefold.

* * * * * * * *

-Kudang Tang!

Time was running out.

I brought Sansuyu to the hotel I had reserved beforehand. At some point, I knew I had to leave the studio apartment. I had chosen a hotel that wouldn’t arouse suspicion and arranged for a long-term stay starting two months prior.

Naturally, I had booked the room under a false identity while wearing an illusion mask, so there wouldn’t be any issues unless a hunter who was familiar with Sansuyu’s face came looking.

“Si-heon?”

Sansuyu blinked with surprised puppy eyes. As soon as I cast the spatial magic in the room, I took her and her cell phone as far away as possible before using space magic again.

During the initial process of protecting Sansuyu, I had been stabbed in the back and bled quite a bit.

“Blood, blood… It’s all over my clothes.”

Perhaps it was due to a series of past traumas, but her hands trembled as she clung to me.

“It’s okay.”

I reassured the anxious Sansuyu and showed her my healed back after regenerating the wound.

“See? I’m all better now.”

No matter how broadly I try to smile, the gloominess never leaves my face.

“…It’s because of me.”

In the end, I can’t hold back the words any longer. A few days ago, I had a heavy nosebleed. Since that day, I haven’t been able to calm down at the sight of blood.

“Si-heon… became a heretic because of me.”
“I told you before, didn’t I? It’s okay.”

Though Si-heon always says that it’s okay, guilt seems to linger heavily in their heart.

I can’t help feeling awful thinking that someone I know has become a heretic for my sake, too.

“…I did as Si-heon told me to.”
“Yes, you did well.”
“But… but Si-heon got hurt. Si-heon…”

Si-heon. Si-heon. Si-heon.

I was the one who exposed my location to Byul and told Cornus to call me immediately if they sensed someone’s presence.

Cornus only followed my words, but in the end, it was my injury.

Sansuyu, who harbors feelings bordering on obsession for me, may have experienced a profound sense of doubt.

“Now… I won’t do what Siheon asks of me.”
“Suyu.”

Lately, my barely recuperating sense of self spiraled out of control once more.

“I… like Siheon. But if I do what Siheon asks… I get hurt every day.”
“…Mm.”

I don’t want to get hurt. Sansuyu clung to me, her large breasts pressed against me.

“From here…”

– Thud!

Pushed back by Sansuyu’s force, I lay sprawled on the bed. She gazed down at me, pleading like a child.

“If I don’t go… can I stay?”

Sansuyu has a rough grasp of my situation. She’s hardly lacking in intelligence.

“Stay… with me.”

Like a large dog pinning down its owner and licking their face, Sansuyu embraced me and whispered words of affection several times.

– Pat, pat.

She stroked my hair and patted my back.

It seemed as if she had replicated exactly what I had done when she had lost consciousness.

“I… Siheon… You saved me.”
“Yes, I did.”

As desperation set in, her voice grew more emotional.

“Without Siheon, I can’t live.”

My own anxiety bubbled to the surface. Lying in bed, I acknowledged her words, realizing that Sansuyu had been thinking about all of this.

“Siheon taught me emotions I didn’t know. Memories of my mother… with Jiho. And more…”

Understanding one’s emotions means becoming more aware of the situation at hand. It allows for the possibility to mend relationships once cherished long ago and to recall friends who have recently passed away.

Amid such turbulent thoughts, I wondered what Sansuyu had been persevering through. Lying in a secluded single room, cut off from the world, with me as her only visitor. Even the smallest of wounds could magnify the intensity of her emotions.

“I’m not the only one in this world.”

Sansuyu, unaware of the affection she received during her childhood, hopes that someone will fill the vessel of emotions she has unintentionally nurtured.

I can’t handle it all by myself.
Even if she was deemed a heretic. Sansuyu had to rehabilitate herself, gradually learning about society and focusing not just on the physical aspects, but also the mental ones.

However, reality must have been too harsh for Sansuyu.

“…Everyone’s gone, they’re dead.”

I stretched out my arms and hugged her before the tears could fall.
Like Sansuyu had done, I patted her on the back. I stroked her head and rubbed cheeks together.

“Every day… every time Siheon leaves… my heart aches.”
“I know.”

Even if I can’t empathize, I can understand.
What greater blessing could there be for me than to live with Sansuyu from now on?
This yellow lucky pouch always clears my mind, no matter where I am or when.

Soft and clinging.

She doesn’t even realize how adorable she is, offering her breasts and cooking for me. Who could possibly dislike that?

“Still, we can’t.”

“…”

Sansuyu’s spirit is not yet fully intact. Feeling her dampness against my chest, I gently stroked her head.

I consider this a process of gradually maturing.
As for Lee Se-Young… I can’t help but feel sorry.
If I don’t become more resolute, I won’t be able to settle my fate with just my own life.

I came across an article on the internet.

Do I have a destiny that requires me to die anyway?
Having once been branded a heretic, there must be a valid reason.

‘…I believe that’s true.’

Was it truly a coincidence that I fell into this world?
Perhaps the protection of the blossoming tree from the start was never meant for the future I was to tread upon.

If that’s the case, then I am someone who must die for the countless people in this world.
I don’t mind if I’m the only one to bear their hatred.

“…Siheon.”
“Why, Sansuyu?”

Can’t one bear witnessing the downfall of such an innocent soul?

“Really… is there no other way?”
“I’m sorry.”

Sansuyu fidgeted in my embrace, and with her own hand, she caressed my back. A faint smile appeared on my face as I watched her find the most comfortable position while being held.

“You’ll adapt quickly without me.”

To others who might hear, it might sound like an elaborate plan devised by King Mokryeong’s successor.

In reality, that’s not the case.

It’s not a big deal; it’s merely a simple precaution. In the future, whenever I take action, it’s just laying the groundwork to ensure I don’t become a burden to others.

This includes the termites, Sansuyu, Lee Se-Young, Azalea, and Shiba.

‘Sargenti criticized it as an abuse of power. But what can be done?’

Without hesitation, I’m ready to set everything ablaze as it is.

“Sansuyu.”
“…Yes.”

I pressed my lips to the crown of Sansuyu’s head, silently offering a prayer.

“Don’t love someone too much.”

* * * * * * *

The morning after Lee Si-heon’s hideout was discovered.

The fifth branch of the Korean Hunter Association, located in Gangdong-gu, was left half-destroyed. There were 12 casualties, but no fatalities. The majority of them were found unconscious, and all the reporters in South Korea were scrambling to write about the incident.

– Kwajik!

A roof that crumbled with a single kick.

The approaching hunters could do nothing but fall to their knees.

【 Cheonyangbo (天壤補) 】

The lunatic’s inverted order that overturns the heavens.

Amidst the hunters who retched regardless of their rank, a young man walked leisurely, removing his mask that had lost its magical power.

The very same appearance as the mask he wore when he first enrolled in the academy.

“…Hehehe.”

In a partially destroyed room, sitting atop the crumbled concrete, Mugung wore a sinister smile.

“It’s been a while since I laughed… Black hound. So this is how you appear?”

Loosening his sullen shoulders and trembling lips, Lee Si-heon spat out a single word beyond the mask that concealed his expression.

“Yesterday, a knife was embedded in my back, and someone from the list of suspects came looking for a chat.”

“…”

“Has nothing changed since a decade ago?”

Grunting-

The sound of bones resonating in his throat.

“…What?”

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t know.”

Thick, viscous energy rose from the ground, converging around the man.