Chapter 32
Chapter 32
“Ak Seol-ah expresses her gratitude to the warriors of the Guardian Ten Division. Thank you for coming such a long way for my sake.”
Then, she also bowed to Un Jongak and Seo Mugyeom. When their eyes met briefly, Seo Mugyeom felt a sharp jolt pierce through his chest.
According to the Sect Leader, Ak Seol-ah was seventeen. She had such a pure and fresh aura that her appearance naturally brought a smile to anyone’s face.
Ak Seol-ah looked surprised to see someone so young, like Seo Mugyeom, standing among the executive leadership.
However, perhaps because it felt awkward to maintain eye contact for long, she soon lowered her head.
“Then, you should go now and prepare for your departure.”
“Yes, Father.”
After Ak Seol-ah bowed and left the room, Seo Mugyeom felt a hollow chill blow through his chest, as though a cold wind had swept through it. He was amazed that merely seeing someone could make him feel this way. After meeting Ak Seol-ah, he was overwhelmed by unfamiliar emotions.
“Before you depart, there is something I wish to explain. Seol-ah’s maternal grandmother is a very distant relative of His Majesty. Seol-ah’s uncles and maternal uncles number seven in total, and they were all blessed with many children. So Seol-ah is merely one among countless grandchildren, but when a misfortune befell the family, they agreed to take her in at her request.”
Seo Mugyeom had a vague idea of where they were supposed to take Ak Seol-ah.
At the same time, he began to ponder what the Imperial Family currently thought of the Divine Martial Sect.
It was clear that the Imperial Family harbored wariness toward the Divine Martial Sect, which was a successor of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult. As he thought of that, the Clan Head continued,
“They agreed to take Seol-ah under their care because of our request, but if they knew that her escorts were warriors of the Divine Martial Sect, they would not look upon it kindly. Nor do they know that I have sworn brotherhood with the Divine Martial Sect Leader. That, I could not reveal.”
At those words, Pyo Inhaeng’s expression twisted sharply.
So, because they might dislike the Divine Martial Sect, the Clan Head had even concealed his sworn brotherhood with the Sect Leader. Saying this now must mean they were being told not to disclose their association in the future either.
To those who had come to help, it was like saying, We don’t want to be associated with you, so keep yourselves hidden.
Pyo Inhaeng chuckled faintly.
“Since you’re being so frank, I’ll be the same. Truthfully, we came under the Sect Leader’s command, but it wasn’t by choice. The Sect Leader merely thought that since misfortunes kept striking his sworn brother’s clan, he should do something about it. You can tell at a glance, can’t you? There’s Un Jongak here from the Sixth Division, but most of us are from the Tenth Division.”
The Clan Head focused, wondering what Pyo Inhaeng was implying.
“I believe you understand what it means that the Sect Leader sent warriors from the Tenth Division. If you hadn’t been so candid, I wouldn’t have said this, but now I can speak comfortably. We have no intention of completing this mission with absolute dedication. We only need to make an appearance. If you think we’ll be insufficient, then sending a few of your clan’s warriors along would be the surest course of action.”
The Clan Head’s eyes widened in suspicion.
“Captain, what are you saying? I trust the Guardian Ten Division.”
“Oh, you do? Please don’t. We could give our lives for our Sect, but why should we die when we can’t even reveal who we are? I will never force my subordinates to die such meaningless deaths. I’m sure the lives of your clan’s warriors are precious to you. To me, they’re ten times more precious.”
Seo Mugyeom sensed the situation taking an odd turn. He hadn’t come here to serve the Clan Head. He had come to seize the opportunity to become a Blood Demon.
So there was no reason for the Captain to keep crossing words with the Clan Head. Still, Seo Mugyeom worried that the Clan Head might actually send his clan’s warriors along. He didn’t know how skilled the Ak Clan’s warriors were, but their presence would certainly make his own chances of survival higher.
“Ahem.”
Seo Mugyeom, uneasy, coughed involuntarily. Pyo Inhaeng glanced at him, then fell silent before speaking to the Clan Head again.
“Clan Head, we will escort Young Mistress Ak safely to the Imperial City. Please, don’t turn this into a contest of power, nor provoke us unnecessarily. Don’t try to add any conditions either. We came here expecting no compensation. Frankly speaking, you should be thanking us without rest until we leave.”
Seo Mugyeom began to feel sorry for the Clan Head. He also realized once more how frightening a man the Captain truly was.
“I see. I may have asked for too much. You’re right. There’s nothing more important than Seol-ah’s safety. I spoke without shame. Please, forget my words.”
“Understood.”
“You’ve traveled far and endured much. Since you depart tomorrow, I’ll have a banquet prepared.”
The Clan Head clearly had no intention of holding one but, having been completely humbled by the Captain, he spoke in a subdued tone.
“There’s no need for a banquet, but please prepare good food. We’ll have to camp outdoors for quite some time, so we should eat well while we can.”
“Understood. I’ll see to it.”
Now the Clan Head’s submissive demeanor was obvious, and Seo Mugyeom couldn’t help but admire how skillfully the Captain handled him.
On the other hand, Un Jongak, who had seemed to expect the Clan Head to put the Captain in his place, now wore a distorted expression.
“Please prepare us a place to rest. We’ll take a short break.”
When Pyo Inhaeng spoke, the Clan Head hurried to comply, leaving no room for refusal.
Thanks to that, the warriors of the Guardian Ten Division were soon resting comfortably in a secluded part of the Ak Clan’s estate, restoring their strength and circulating their Qi.
Seo Mugyeom, however, couldn’t calm his mind. The image of Ak Seol-ah kept floating before his eyes.
Even when he tried not to think about her, her face refused to fade.
This could be trouble. What if a foe appears and I lose focus like this?
Trying to clear his mind, Seo Mugyeom slapped his own cheeks hard. Surprised by the sound, Ho Jo-yeong, sitting nearby, slapped his own cheeks as well.
Startled in turn, Seo Mugyeom glanced at him. Ho Jo-yeong shook his head furiously as if trying to regain his composure.
Seo Mugyeom laughed. Ho Jo-yeong looked even worse off than he was. Still, he told himself this was normal for men their age.
“If Young Mistress Ak’s maternal grandmother is of imperial blood, then doesn’t that make Young Mistress Ak royalty as well?”
Ho Jo-yeong suddenly asked, and Seo Mugyeom tilted his head.
They had said she was a very distant relative of the Emperor, so he wondered how far that royal lineage truly extended. If she really were considered royalty, the Clan Head would have said so from the start. From what he’d seen, the Clan Head didn’t seem like the type to hide anything he could boast about. He wasn’t exactly humble. Since he hadn’t said so, it must mean the relation was indeed distant.
“Senior, this feels like a dangerous and important mission, yet for some reason, it feels more like a sightseeing trip.”
“You think so too, Mugyeom? That’s why the people you’re with matter so much. But you’ve been following Vice Leader Un everywhere. Should you really be here?”
Seo Mugyeom snapped back to his senses. He had come only because he couldn’t stay beside Un Jongak during his Qi circulation. Lost in thought, he’d forgotten.
“I should go. Rest well, Senior.”
“Thank you, Mugyeom.”
“For what?”
When Seo Mugyeom asked, Ho Jo-yeong smiled.
“For distracting Vice Leader Un so that you could give Deputy Leader Ju some alone time.”
That wasn’t his intention, but from Un Jongak’s perspective, it might have seemed that way. Since Ho Jo-yeong thanked him so earnestly, there was no need to deny it. Seo Mugyeom smiled awkwardly and left.
Seo Mugyeom searched for Un Jongak, but he was nowhere to be seen for quite some time.
At first, he thought nothing of it—Un Jongak must still be somewhere within the Ak Clan estate. But as moments stretched into longer intervals, Seo Mugyeom grew alert.
He immediately extended his Qi sense.
Though he had learned the technique from the Captain, he hadn’t practiced it much and wasn’t confident.
Still, he focused—failure wasn’t an option now. Having spent so much time near Un Jongak, he was familiar with his Qi.
He expanded his Qi sense wider and wider. Even when he detected nothing, he pushed further.
Finally, when his Qi sense spread to about twenty jang in radius, he sensed something familiar.
But it wasn’t just Un Jongak’s Qi. There was another presence, a discordant one. Someone was with him, radiating a foul aura.
He couldn’t tell what was happening, but that unpleasant energy suggested Un Jongak might be involved in something wrong—something that had driven the other person’s emotions to an extreme.
Seo Mugyeom immediately leapt toward the source of the aura. When he arrived, he saw them.
Young Mistress Ak?
The person beside Un Jongak was Ak Seol-ah. Her wrist was caught tightly in his grip. She struggled to break free, but there was no way a young girl could escape a man like Un Jongak.
Seo Mugyeom had thought Un Jongak’s heart belonged to Ju Jirang, but this was something else entirely. Perhaps his affection for Ju Jirang had only been because no one else had caught his attention before.
“Vice Leader, please maintain your dignity!”
Ak Seol-ah’s sharp voice rang out. Though she must have been terrified, she showed courage.
Seo Mugyeom hesitated, wondering if they might have mutual feelings—but after hearing her words, he charged forward.
Just as he reached them, Un Jongak’s hand yanked violently at Ak Seol-ah’s collar, ripping the fabric so that her bare skin was nearly exposed.
Though Ak Seol-ah managed to cover herself with both hands, the thought of what might have happened if he’d arrived even a moment later was unbearable.