Chapter 40
Chapter 40
“Mu-gyeom, it looks like it’s going to rain heavily, so take Young Mistress Ak on the horse and head to the nearest inn first. Even though the closest inn might still be quite far, try to hurry.”
There were large trees here and there, and some low hills scattered around, so it seemed they could find shelter from the rain if needed.
Seo Mugyeom also noticed the ominous rain clouds gathering fast and nodded, glancing toward Ak Seol-ah.
Ak Seol-ah didn’t fully understand what was going on outside, but ever since the carriage wheel dropped into a puddle and jolted, she had already opened the window.
So she had heard everything Ho Jo-yeong had said to Seo Mugyeom.
She was afraid of riding a horse, but this was Seo Mugyeom’s assigned task. If she refused to do it here, everyone would be troubled. He was someone who had come all this way, enduring inconvenience and danger, just because of her.
She couldn't be a further burden, so Ak Seol-ah stepped down from the carriage.
Seo Mugyeom realized she had already heard the conversation and got off the horse. He then helped her mount. Knowing she was afraid of riding, he swiftly lifted her onto the horse.
The more frightening something was, the more the fear doubled if you dragged it out.
Ak Seol-ah’s face, already as pale as a magnolia, looked even more drained of color.
“Young Mistress Ak, it’s best to relax and let your body move with the horse. No matter what happens, I’ll make sure you don’t fall. Please trust me. I have the reins, so even if you want to fall, you can’t.”
Seo Mugyeom said as he placed her in front of him. Ak Seol-ah nodded as she listened to his voice behind her.
“Young Mistress Ak, I believe you know that assassins could appear. That’s why we should hurry. If you’re ready, please nod.”
Ak Seol-ah nodded, and Seo Mugyeom began to slowly ride forward. He didn’t speed up right away, giving her time to adjust while observing her condition.
Even after hearing Seo Mugyeom’s instructions, it wasn’t easy for Ak Seol-ah to relax her body. Fear started to creep in naturally, and her body began to stiffen. But just then, Seo Mugyeom’s voice rang out again.
“I’m sorry for giving you such a difficult task so suddenly. But you’re doing very well, and I truly thank you.”
Those words made Ak Seol-ah feel strange.
Since leaving her clan, Ak Seol-ah had been filled with guilt toward the Guardian Ten Division. She also knew what Pyo Inhaeng had said to her father.
So she could somewhat guess what thoughts motivated the people guarding her to come this far.
Truthfully, it had been said out of resistance toward the Clan Head, and since they knew she was completely different from him, they had good impressions of her. But Ak Seol-ah couldn’t help feeling inferior and sensitive to others' perceptions.
And then came Seo Mugyeom’s words, which gave her a sense of hope.
Ak Seol-ah also knew what kind of evaluation Seo Mugyeom received among the martial artists of the Guardian Ten Division who had come this time. He was the youngest among them, but no one looked down on him. In fact, they often sought his opinions.
So his words meant something.
Ak Seol-ah cautiously gathered her courage.
“This is much better than before, Young Mistress. Now, I’ll ease my grip on the reins a little. Please try guiding the horse. I’ll still be holding them, so don’t worry.”
“Huh?”
Ak Seol-ah’s body tensed again, thinking things were moving too fast.
But Seo Mugyeom completely let go of the reins.
“Se-Se-Seo… Sir? You said you’d be holding the reins! You definitely said you would…! Aahh!”
“My life is now in your hands, Young Mistress. I’ll be counting on you.”
Even though he let go of the reins, he could always grab them again if anything went wrong. He simply wanted to test what she would do.
But Ak Seol-ah had no idea what to do and let out a loud scream. Still, she began to focus intensely.
She seemed to genuinely believe Seo Mugyeom’s life depended on her.
Seo Mugyeom had said it without much thought, but it worked well.
Even Ak Seol-ah found it ridiculous how well she was riding. She had always given the same excuses when told to learn horseback riding. Until now, those excuses worked, but this time they hadn’t.
After a while, Ak Seol-ah clearly realized she was doing fine.
“Sir, I’m the one guiding the horse right now, right?”
Ak Seol-ah asked as if she needed confirmation.
“Yes. I’m not even holding the reins.”
“Right? But what if I fall? You should at least hold onto my waist.”
Seo Mugyeom could maintain balance without doing so. But Ak Seol-ah believed he wasn’t holding her because he didn’t want to touch her, and that made her nervous.
Without fear, she even took one hand off the reins, reached behind her, and placed Seo Mugyeom’s hand on her waist.
Seo Mugyeom barely held back a laugh.
Right now, Ak Seol-ah seemed to care nothing for physical contact and only valued Seo Mugyeom’s safety. Perhaps having something else to worry about made it hard for her to focus on fear.
Without thinking she was afraid, Ak Seol-ah had ridden quite far. At first, she wasn’t aware of it, but later she realized. And by then, it wasn’t even scary.
The fear that had plagued her for so long had vanished so easily it was almost absurd.
“Young Mistress, you’re riding very steadily. Your posture is good and stable. With a bit more practice, you’ll be able to gallop as fast as you like.”
“Really?”
“Why would I lie?”
A pleased smile spread across Ak Seol-ah’s face.
Though he couldn’t see her expression, Seo Mugyeom was smiling too. But that smile disappeared before long.
Ak Seol-ah, riding in front of him, could feel his body tense up.
“Sir, please hold onto me tightly.”
Ak Seol-ah said, thinking it was because he wasn’t gripping her firmly. But that wasn’t the reason for Seo Mugyeom’s tension.
He had sensed the familiar presence of two individuals rapidly approaching.
They were the assassins who had appeared at the site where Un Jongak had died.
Seo Mugyeom looked back and saw the Captain and others following at a reasonable distance.
After all, the story about the carriage stuck in a puddle or the horse unable to run had been nonsense. They were coming along just fine.
Seo Mugyeom figured the Captain must have sensed the presences too. But the sight of him casually chatting with Ho Jo-yeong while riding showed no sign of tension.
‘He hasn’t noticed yet?’
Once the assassins fully revealed themselves, the Captain would surely act. But the question was whether Seo Mugyeom could handle the two of them and protect Ak Seol-ah alone until then.
Having already faced them once, he knew too well that without going all out, he wouldn’t be able to stop them.
Seo Mugyeom quickly finished thinking and said to Ak Seol-ah,
“Young Mistress, assassins are approaching. I’ll dismount and hold them off, so please keep riding forward without stopping. The Captain and other martial artists are behind us, so they’ll follow you soon. Trust us and don’t stop.”
While Seo Mugyeom shouted, Ak Seol-ah turned pale at the shocking words.
She had managed to ride this far because Seo Mugyeom had been behind her.
As if reading her thoughts, Seo Mugyeom said,
“Even if I hadn’t been riding behind you, you would’ve done just fine. I don’t trust just anyone. If I couldn’t trust you, I wouldn’t be asking this.”
That seemed to give Ak Seol-ah courage.
She couldn’t bring herself to speak, but she nodded.
That was all the answer Seo Mugyeom needed.
Ak Seol-ah sensed him jumping off the horse. But she couldn’t turn back. She worried he might be hurt, but the sound of galloping continued.
Assuming he wasn’t injured from the fall, Ak Seol-ah gritted her teeth.
He had made this request.
He told her not to stop and to keep running forward.
It was the first time Seo Mugyeom had asked her for something, and she wanted to fulfill it no matter what.
He said he trusted her. Ak Seol-ah didn’t want to disappoint him. The horse felt like it could buck any moment, and it seemed she might fall and be trampled, but she didn’t stop.
Tears unknowingly rolled down her cheeks, but she blinked them away so they wouldn’t blur her vision. There was no time for self-pity.
Meanwhile, the situation behind her escalated rapidly.
The Guardian Ten Division martial artists saw Seo Mugyeom suddenly fall from his horse.
Ho Jo-yeong was startled and looked at the Captain.
“Captain, why did Mu-gyeom do that? Did Young Mistress Ak hit him for touching her or something?”
He still couldn’t sense the assassins, so that was the best guess he could make.
Then, he noticed something odd.
“Young Mistress Ak was afraid to ride alone, so how is she doing it now?”
Realizing this wasn’t the time to be talking, he urged his horse forward.
Seeing Seo Mugyeom launch himself in another direction, he realized something was happening.
Although Ho Jo-yeong reacted first, Pyo Inhaeng’s figure shot past him. Then Ju Jirang’s horse overtook them both.
Ho Jo-yeong, left behind by two people in a row, snapped to his senses and sprinted at full speed.
Eventually, they spotted unfamiliar figures.
‘No way… Did Mu-gyeom sense their presence and send Young Mistress Ak away? How did he know?’
As they rode on, the others followed close behind.
Pyo Inhaeng stopped beside Seo Mugyeom.
The ones who had appeared were the masked men who had killed Un Jongak.