Chapter 238
Chapter 238. Support Bought with Money
As soon as the teal light seeped into the night sky, morning broke. It did not feel as though they had gone far, yet sunlight was already filtering through every corner of the forest.
She could not tell whether the pounding in her ears was the sound of hooves or her own heartbeat.
Ye-hwa tried to burrow into the embrace of the Grand Madam at her back, but when she drifted away from Yu-hwa's back, she instead pressed forward.
Ye-hwa grabbed Yu-hwa's hand. Yet there was no strength in Yu-hwa's grip. She wanted to scold her as usual, telling her not to space out, but her mouth would not open.
Clop, clop.
As they passed the cliffside, the side path they had taken began to come into view.
Ye-hwa's body stiffened. It was because she could see the towering flames and black smoke rising from the Tang Clan.
No matter how young she was, she was not foolish enough to fail to understand that her family was being wiped out. Ye-hwa felt as though she might burst into tears at any moment, but she clenched her emotions down as best she could.
Once they passed the cliff and entered the forest path again, their view was blocked.
A silence of a different texture from before continued.
Sitting on an adult's saddle, her thighs felt as though they might tear apart, but Ye-hwa made no sound and swallowed her anxiety and sorrow.
That was when it happened.
Suddenly, the horses began to slow. She heard the Leader of the Red Tiger Unit ahead exchanging words with someone.
Since she could not understand them, it seemed to be a code.
Her mother understood as well and brought her horse to a stop.
Soon, a commotion could be heard not far away.
When Ye-hwa's body went rigid, the Grand Madam placed a hand on her head.
"It's all right. They are people your maternal grandfather sent."
At the touch stroking her head, Ye-hwa let out the breath she had been holding in a small sigh. Yu-hwa was openly panting. It seemed her tension had eased.
Soon, a group dressed in brown revealed themselves. Because of their clothing, they looked almost one with their horses, and dressed that way in the forest, they were difficult to distinguish from the trees.
They seemed like those accustomed to moving secretly through forest paths.
'Are they escort guards?'
Ye-hwa recalled a conversation her mother and the Chief Steward's wife had once shared. They had said that among escort guards, there were often experts of high level. She had even heard that some who were once among the top martial artists under heaven had retired and taken up escort work.
Looking at their massive builds, it did not seem that her mother and the Chief Steward's wife had been exaggerating.
The men who had been examining the Red Tiger Unit and the ladies came closer.
"Seeing that you came out this far to meet us, it seems the situation is not good."
The man at the front spoke. His hair was grizzled, and he did not look young.
Her mother did not answer. The Leader of the Red Tiger Unit replied in her stead.
"Is this all of you?"
His voice sounded dissatisfied with the support, numbering only slightly over ten.
The martial artist who had been rolling his eyes and examining the ladies' faces let out a hollow laugh. His gaze slid toward the Leader of the Red Tiger Unit.
"Isn't this enough? We only received orders to extract the Grand Madam safely. We were not told to help the Tang Clan and fight a full-scale battle. If that is what you want, we would need to recalculate."
Ye-hwa flinched at Yu-hwa's back pressing into her. The frightened Yu-hwa had wriggled and pushed her hips, clinging to her.
It seemed the support force's voice was not the only thing giving her chills.
She did not know what her maternal grandfather had given them as payment.
"Move."
The Grand Madam said, cutting through the tension.
"By now, pursuit will be on us. I don't know how much your lives are worth, but it doesn't look cheap, so it would be better to hurry."
The leader of the brown-clad group crooked his lips.
"A good idea."
He pulled his horse aside and cleared the path.
"We will take the lead and the rear."
It was meant to be protection, yet she did not know why those words sent a chill down her spine.
Five at the front moved ahead as if leading the group, and the remaining seven guarded the rear.
It felt as though they were protecting them, but at the same time......
'It feels like being locked in a cage.'
Ye-hwa felt an inexplicable unease.
Then, an irritated voice came from the rear.
"Don't stop, keep running. We won't take responsibility for anyone who falls behind."
No sooner had the leader spoken than the man running at the front increased his speed.
Mountain paths were different from flat ground, making it difficult to maintain a steady pace. If they struck a tree, it could lead to a major accident, so there was a limit to how fast they could go, but the group at the front far surpassed that limit.
"Hold tight. You mustn't fall."
The Grand Madam pulled once more on the rope tying the twins to the horse.
The terrified twins clung to the rope around their waists, struggling not to fall.
She did not know when they would escape the mountain. No, even if they did, she did not know whether they would be safe.
Clang!
A tearing sound of air came from behind.
Hidden by the Grand Madam's embrace, Ye-hwa could not see what was happening.
However, having grown up in a martial clan, she knew that sound was the clash of weapons.
Clang! Clang!
Whether the outsiders guarding the rear had slowed down or not, the sound of galloping hooves from behind diminished.
“Argh!”
At times, screams could be heard.
It did not seem that the group protecting them was being injured. Soon, the sound of hooves followed again.
"Damn it. They're fast."
A curse was heard from the rear.
Soon, the owner of the voice drew up beside the Red Tiger Unit. He immediately threw the dagger in his hand up into the trees.
"Eugh!"
A Demonkin crossing the branches fell to the ground.
The outsider, who had somehow already drawn his longsword, cut down at the Demonkin's waist the instant it fell beside him.
Slash!
He lowered the hand holding the longsword and grabbed the reins again with his other hand. In the hand holding the reins was a dagger soaked in blood. In the meantime, it seemed he had even retrieved his own dagger.
It seemed her maternal grandfather had not sent just anyone.
She had wondered why he would send such unsettling people, but now she understood.
At least their skill was unquestionable.
Even Ye-hwa, who knew nothing, felt her expression brighten, so the Grand Madam was no exception.
The Grand Madam's body, which had been trembling finely, gradually found its calm. Ye-hwa quietly wrapped her arms around the Grand Madam's arm, pressing against her waist.
Slash! Rip!
The group at the rear is now fully stuck close to them, dealing with the Demonkin.
The Demonkin did not die easily. Even after falling or being cut, they stubbornly pursued, but they could not reach even the horses of the Red Tiger Unit, let alone the Grand Madam.
That was when it happened.
"Ah, ah! I can see a village!"
Yu-hwa cried out without realizing it.
Though it was still quite far, beyond the treeless stretch, a village was visible. It lay below a slope, so they could not descend there, but just seeing with their own eyes that the forest had an end made it feel as though they could finally breathe again.
Once they reached the plains, they would be able to increase their speed.
However, the Demonkin seemed to have realized as well that the forest was ending. For the first time, they raised their voices.
"Why are you helping them?"
A thunderous voice boomed through the leaves.
It was a strange sound.
Her skin trembled. It felt as though energy buried in her bones was carrying the sound.
Just as Ye-hwa was brushing down her goosebumped arms.
"Do you not know that it was the Murim Alliance who destroyed Dark Forest Stronghold?"
At those words, Ye-hwa snapped her head up.
The question seemed directed at the outsiders who had come as support, but they did not respond.
"If you hand them over to us, we will take revenge on your behalf."
At that, the Grand Madam's arm twitched. Ye-hwa held her breath and pressed tightly against the Grand Madam's back. The Grand Madam, too, instinctively leaned forward as if shielding her child.
However, the leader of the outsiders snorted.
“Revenge doesn't earn you money, so why do something so useless?”
As he spoke, the voice rang out again.
"How much were you promised?"
"Ten gold coins as advance payment, twenty when we put them on a boat, and an additional fifty gold coins if the Grand Madam arrives alive at her maiden family."
Ye-hwa's eyes widened. She was shocked by her maternal grandfather's generosity. It was nearly a hundred gold coins. One gold coin was more than enough to buy a house in the capital, with change left over, so it was an enormous sum.
"If you hand over the Grand Madam to us, we will give you one hundred gold coins and the chance to claim the spoils of war."
"Tsk, what bluster. As if you lot have a hundred gold coins."
As the martial artist sneered, something flew down from the sky.
Tak.
The leader caught it reflexively. His eyes widened slightly as he opened his palm. Seeing the glitter, it was gold. He bit the gold coin once to test it, then his eyes bulged.
As if watching that reaction, another gold coin flew down from the trees.
Taat. Tak.
The leader hurriedly reached out and caught several, and the outsider running beside him also swiftly snatched some. There were at least ten.
"Look at the pouch hanging from the Grand Madam's waist. That alone is worth more than gold coins."
Even without being told, the leader knew that. A direct line of a great clan fleeing would never leave valuable items behind. If they had brought them along in flight, their worth would be tremendous.
As if tempting him, the low voice descended once more.
"If the Tang Clan is wiped out in this mountain, everything will be yours."
The leader fell silent.
Ye-hwa swallowed dryly. It was because she saw the Red Tiger Unit near the Grand Madam begin to move their hands. They did not take the leader's silence as a good sign.
The Grand Madam also carefully loosened the belt tying the twins. It seemed she thought they could not run any farther.
Slash!.
The leader raised his sword and stabbed the horse of the Red Tiger Unit leader.
The horse screamed and collapsed. Fortunately, perhaps having anticipated it, the Leader leapt high and landed in a tree.
"Do you have no honor?"
The Leader shouted while blocking the swarming Demonkin.
At the thunder-like roar, Ye-hwa felt as though her heart had dropped out.
However, the leader of the outsiders snorted.
"What honor do you expect from mercenaries who move for money? A mercenary becomes the hand of whoever pays better. If you're resentful, you should have paid a better price for your lives."