abcnovels
Chapter 174:
Chapter 174:
Chapter 174:
Chapter 174
The old man in yellow quickly composed his expression and pulled away.
“That’s news to me. It must be a false rumor.”
“Is that so? Well, I might have heard it wrong. It’s common for baseless rumors to spread in this kind of situation.”
“Hmph. You have a bad personality. How can you say that in front of the person who serves the leader?”
“If it was really a false rumor, the people outside wouldn’t leave me alone.”
“I could order them to do that right now if I wanted to.”
“But you won’t, will you?”
Yu-hyun wondered why the old man in yellow brought him here, and why he didn’t try to kill him but instead sat down and talked to him.
Why, exactly?
Did he really trust him? Or was he simply curious about the stranger in a strange outfit?
‘There’s no way. A person like him wouldn’t trust me so easily.’
There must be a reason for his kindness.
A person like the old man in yellow would surely have something he wanted from him.
“It seems like you have something you want from me, so I should also be able to say what I want, right?”
“Did I give myself away?”
The old man in yellow smiled bitterly. His playful eyes changed in an instant.
This was the main point. Yu-hyun straightened his posture.
“I wonder what you want to ask of a young man whose background you don’t know, who can command your subordinates.”
The old man in yellow wanted something from him. He also wanted something from him.
Yu-hyun suggested that they might be able to make a good deal.
The old man in yellow stroked his beard, regretting that he had underestimated this man.
He had tried to get something for free by pretending to be nice.
‘There was a snake hiding under that face.’
He didn’t notice it, and that was his clear mistake.
There was no point in hiding it anymore. It was better to be honest now that it had come to this.
“Have you ever felt that… that feeling? When you instinctively feel that your end is near and you do things you wouldn’t normally do.”
“…”
Before he could ask why he was saying that, Yu-hyun closed his mouth at the memory that came to his mind.
How could he not?
The twilight of life was not only for the old man in yellow, but also for Yu-hyun.
He had also felt what the old man in yellow felt at the edge of life.
The old man in yellow widened his eyes at Yu-hyun’s silence.
“Amazing. Judging by your reaction, you seem to have something too. You’ve lived quite a colorful life, haven’t you?”
“Why are you suddenly saying that?”
“Why hide it? I don’t have much time left, that’s why.”
“You look pretty healthy to me.”
“What you see is not everything.”
The old man in yellow smiled softly.
Yu-hyun saw a person who had let go of everything and attained enlightenment at the end of his life in that smile.
“Let me ask you one more thing. Which do you prioritize between justice and your trivial emotions?”
“By trivial emotions, you mean…”
“Just as I said. Trivial things. Yes, things that are not so important in life… very trivial things.”
Yu-hyun seriously considered the old man in yellow’s answer.
The old man in yellow had said it himself that it was nothing, but comparing it on the same level as justice meant that it was definitely not trivial.
Yet he downplayed it himself because it was probably close to a personal desire that would be frowned upon by society.
Which did he prioritize between justice and personal desire?
Yu-hyun thought carefully.
A normal person would say justice.
Because that was the right thing to do.
“I think personal desire.”
The old man in yellow rubbed his beard at Yu-hyun’s answer.
“That’s an unexpected answer.”
“Did you want me to say justice?”
“To be honest, yes.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m different from others. Even if I were in the same situation, I would have chosen personal desire.”
“Why is that?”
“People who say justice are only strict with others. Would they really choose justice if they were in the same situation? Besides, no matter what I say, your choice won’t change, will it?”
“Heh, is that how it looked?”
“Are you okay with that?”
“What do you mean?”
Yu-hyun pointed outside.
“Aren’t there too many ears listening?”
“It’s alright. They also shared the same will as the old man.”
Yu-hyun couldn’t believe it, he didn’t expect that they would all have the same intention as the old man.
The conversation between them was cut off for a moment.
In the calm silence, the old man seemed to sort out his mind.
Yu-hyun saw a scene reflected in his appearance.
He was destroying a very high tower of stones that he had built up, and next to the collapsed ruins, he was building a very small and delicate tower.
Was his mind sorted out?
The old man opened his mouth.
“Maybe, meeting you here today was something that heaven led me to.”
“…”
“Surely, even if it wasn’t your words, I would have made the same choice. I would have done the same thing over and over again, many times. But I wouldn’t have felt this relieved.”
What was he relieved about? What did he decide, and what did he let go of?
Yu-hyun couldn’t guess the weight of the old man’s distant years.
He couldn’t even measure the size of his determination and courage that he had firmly resolved.
The only thing he knew was.
The old man was trying to do his best at something he could do at the end of his life.
“Listen, Kang Daehyup. Can you do me one favor?”
“Tell me.”
“This war will end soon. Without a winner or a loser, we will face a somewhat regrettable outcome. When that time comes, please deliver this letter to one person.”
The old man said so, and handed him a letter.
“You can look at it yourself if you want. But I know you won’t do that.”
“…Who should I deliver it to?”
“To the person I serve.”
“Do you mean Cheonma? How can I do that?”
“You can do it.”
The old man said firmly.
His upright eyes were sure that Yu-hyun would meet Cheonma.
Why was that?
Yu-hyun stopped thinking any further.
“…Alright. Then, I have something I want to ask too.”
“Go ahead.”
“What is your relationship with the leader of Cheonma Church right now?”
The old man smiled and said.
“Just think of me as an old servant who wishes him well. I’m sorry I can’t tell you more.”
“…”
“And, it seems like you’ve arrived just in time.”
Yu-hyun also felt the presence.
A man in black clothes opened the door and came in.
He approached the old man and whispered something in his ear.
The old man nodded, and the man in black glanced at Yu-hyun briefly before quietly leaving.
“They found the traces of the two soldiers you were looking for.”
He said so, and handed him a simple map.
“…You’re fast. Did you have this in mind from the beginning?”
The old man nodded.
He had this in mind when he brought Yu-hyun here from the start.
Yu-hyun didn’t ask him why he did this to him.
The old man had already answered.
At the last moment, a person who knew his end would unknowingly do something he wouldn’t normally do.
There was no intervention of rational judgment in it.
So, he didn’t ask him sharply. He didn’t want to either.
Yu-hyun just calmly bowed his head to one person who accepted his end.
“Thank you for your help.”
“We just traded for each other’s needs. This place will soon be engulfed by war, so you should go now. Take the soldiers you’re looking for and go far away where no one can reach you.”
As if there was no more conversation, the old man turned his back. Yu-hyun answered that he understood and got up from his seat.
There was no need for a farewell when they parted.
Only the letter in Yu-hyun’s hand told them that they had met here today.
“…”
Before leaving for the last time, Yu-hyun looked back briefly and took in the whole scene.
The old man’s figure was no longer visible.
Yu-hyun headed for the place that the old man told him.
He crossed the forest and the road, and arrived at another village where he soon found one trace.
The dazzling rainbow-colored aura that could never be hidden.
He felt it faintly from beyond there.
‘I found them.’
***
Kwon Jia ran out of the bamboo forest. The officers followed her behind.
‘They’re fast.’
The officers were not just ordinary soldiers.
They were also skilled in martial arts. Their movements were clearly different from normal people.
She tried to shake them off somehow, but it wasn’t easy.
‘What should I do?’
My first plan was to enter the nearest city and shake them off, but it didn’t go as smoothly as I thought.
Did that mean I had to fight them with the intention of killing them all?
That thought crossed my mind for a moment.
Zap!
I saw a familiar blue lightning soar into the sky from afar.
‘That’s…!’
Kwon Jia’s eyes lit up.
She immediately ran towards the source of the lightning.
There, a fierce battle had already swept by.
“Kang Hye-rim!”
“Jia-ssi?”
Kang Hye-rim, who was just about to finish off her enemies, widened her eyes when she saw Kwon Jia.
She quickly noticed the soldiers who were chasing after her with a menacing aura and furrowed her brows.
She knew that Kwon Jia was in a dire situation right now.
Zap!
“Get lost!”
“Squawk!”
The soldiers were pushed back by Kang Hye-rim, who suddenly intervened.
The soldiers retreated from the lightning that she scattered in a fan shape.
Kang Hye-rim was slightly surprised.
She had attacked with enough force to inflict fatal wounds, but the soldiers’ reactions were more agile than she expected.
The same was true for the other side.
“Damn it.”
The commander, who had been trying to capture Kwon Jia at all costs, was frustrated by Kang Hye-rim’s appearance.
‘How could I have known that she had another ally?’
Moreover, that thing at the tip of her sword was lightning. It was not a power that could be easily seen in the Central Plains.
‘Is she from the Martial Alliance?’
The commander changed his mind when he saw the corpses of the beggars around Kang Hye-rim.
The Martial Alliance wouldn’t do such a thing against the Open City.
‘She’s not from the Martial Alliance. But judging by that pure energy, she’s not from the Demon Sect either. Does that mean she’s from a third force that no one knew about?’
He thought that the situation had gotten bigger than he expected, but he quickly made a decision.
Reporting to his superiors was more important than dealing with the matter at hand.
“Everyone, fall back. Sheathe your swords.”
“B-but.”
“Do you want to die? Those two women are so strong that we can’t beat them even if we all rush at them. Don’t forget. Why did we come here? Hurry up and take care of the wounded.”
“Yes, sir.”
The subordinates immediately backed away.
Only the commander remained until the end, sending a fierce gaze at Kwon Jia and Kang Hye-rim as if to memorize their faces.
Then he left his spot.
As soon as the soldiers disappeared, Kwon Jia let out a sigh of relief.
“Phew. That was close. We were lucky to be near.”
“Couldn’t we have fought them anyway?”
“We couldn’t waste time on that. Finding someone is our priority.”
“…Right.”
“…”
“…”
The conversation between them naturally stopped.
Kwon Jia had no social skills to continue the conversation, and Kang Hye-rim still felt awkward around Kwon Jia.
[So?awkward. Un?comfortable]
[Is this combination real? I feel suffocated.]
[They should just fist bump and be done with it.]
The spirits seemed to enjoy this strange combination and spammed the message window.
There was no way they didn’t know that they were teasing them.
Kang Hye-rim moved her lips that wouldn’t fall and gave her opinion.
“Shall we… move for now?”
“…Let’s do that.”
Kwon Jia nodded her head at Kang Hye-rim’s desperate words.
It was the first time that their opinions matched.
“First of all, those weird stares that have been watching us since earlier.”
“We need to deal with them.”
Their figures disappeared from their spot.
Shortly after, two short groans were heard from two places.
Soon after, two people in black clothes were hanging from their hands.
“They’ve been secretly watching us since earlier. Who do you think they belong to? Do you know, Jia-ssi?”
“I have a rough idea. If they’re not from the Martial Alliance or the soldiers, then they must be from the Demon Sect. They probably wanted to take advantage of us fighting them.”
“What do we do now? Should we interrogate them? We might find out something useful.”
“Hmm. For now…”
Kwon Jia seemed to have a good idea and clapped her hands.
“Let’s change clothes first.”
“Huh?”
Before Kang Hyerim could say anything, Kwon Jia dragged her to an empty house.
Celine, who was watching the scene from the observer’s room, quickly switched to an advertisement.
***
Yu-hyun stood in front of a shabby hut.
The light was coming from inside.
He opened the door and entered without hesitation.
At the same time, he felt something cold touch his neck.
It was a crude knife, but it was a dangerous weapon in the hands of the person who held it.
Yu-hyun did not panic and calmly replied.
“So you were here.”
“How did you… How did you get here?”
Seo Sumin recognized Yu-hyun and was flustered.
Yu-hyun looked around the room before explaining anything.
There was nothing inside.
Only Kang Yura, who was lying like dead in the center of the room.
“Is Yura okay?”
“…You can relax. She just fainted. She’s not in danger.”
“She fainted from the shock of being wrapped up in the worldview. That’s a relief. She won’t have any aftereffects.”
Yu-hyun was glad that both of them were alive.
But Seo Sumin’s guard was not down since earlier.
Upon closer inspection, she looked very tired as if she had not rested properly for a moment.
Maybe because of the extreme tension, her aura was still sharp like a well-honed blade.
“Why are you so tense since before? What’s wrong?”
“Didn’t you feel it?”
“Feel what?”
“This strange sensation that I’ve been feeling since I came here.”
“Sensation?”
Yu-hyun shared Baekhyo’s vision again.
He checked if there was any peeper.
But there was no one in sight within hundreds of meters.
Then did Seo Sumin mistake something?
‘No.’
The intuition of a transcendent could not be wrong.
She was the one who noticed that he secretly read the book.
That meant she felt something other than what she saw.
Something that even Baekhyo’s eyes, looking down from above, could not reach.
Yes.
Somewhere higher than a bird flying in the sky.
Like those beings who have the power of the stars in the sky.
“They are watching.”
Seo Sumin’s voice trembled with sorrow.
“They are watching us.”