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Chapter 10
The people departing for the academy all wore equally simple clothing. The entire road leading to the Namgung family’s academy belonged to the Namgung clan anyway, so there was no danger. Still, she was given two servants, two martial escorts, and one maid.
The number was pitifully small for someone of the direct bloodline, but Sayul actually found it preferable. If they became a nuisance, she would’ve had to kill them all before leaving.
“Miss, at least we have a carriage!”
Of course, she had to bring So-hwa with her. Sayul knew very well how precious those who would willingly give their lives for her were. She was a girl, and she didn’t seem to have a body constitution that ran warm, so learning ice arts shouldn’t be too difficult.
Having decided—quite boldly—to push someone else’s life onto the path of the demonic sect, Sayul boarded the carriage, and the coachman immediately took his seat. The destination was only two days away by carriage, so there should’ve been nothing special.
Or so she thought.
Sayul tilted her head slightly at what was happening before her eyes now.
“Argh!”
“Miss! Over here! Quickly!”
With a single sword strike from a man in a black mask, one of the coachmen was cut cleanly in half. Through the gaping split, the masked man’s eyes gleamed with killing intent.
“We are but humble bandits.”
The fact that he said such a thing was almost funny.
How did it come to this?
Sayul traced her memory back for a moment.
The carriage carrying Sayul and two maids moved forward without interruption. Even if there weren’t many people inside, the carriage itself was one reserved only for direct descendants of the Namgung clan. No one would dare block their way.
“Shall I bring out the refreshments, Miss?”
Inside the carriage, So-hwa spoke in a carefree tone. The newly assigned maid was still uncomfortable around both So-hwa and Sayul, sitting quietly with her lips sealed.
“No need. You eat them.”
“Yes, Miss.”
Sayul watched as So-hwa diligently popped snacks into her own mouth and even handed some to the new maid, Hwa-yeong. Truly, such a kind girl.
“So how were you assigned here?”
So-hwa asked as she looked at Hwa-yeong. The girl seemed unused to speaking while chewing; she hurriedly swallowed before answering.
“I originally served under Lady Hongryun…”
“What?”
At the name Hongryun, So-hwa instantly bristled.
“I—I didn’t adapt well there…”
“Adapt? Adapt to what?”
“Just… um…”
Despite her bright name and lovely face, Hwa-yeong fidgeted with her fingers and couldn’t answer properly. Seeing that, So-hwa could easily guess what it must’ve been like, and she immediately lost her fighting spirit, her expression turning dull.
“You’re not very good at work, are you?”
“….”
Hwa-yeong flushed, unable to deny it, and bowed her head. So-hwa let out a sigh.
“Well, I thought work might get easier with someone else coming… but it’s fine. You can learn slowly.”
Thump.
Right around then, the carriage came to a stop. So-hwa immediately peeked outside. Sayul sensed two presences blocking the carriage and asked:
“What’s going on?”
“No need to worry, Miss.”
The two Namgung warriors escorting them stepped forward. They drew their swords toward the suspicious pair dressed all in black.
“State your identity.”
“What insolence is this on Namgung land?”
Srrng—clang!
Words were useless. The black-clad men unsheathed their swords without hesitation and clashed with the escorts. The guards drew upon their inner power and engaged.
Clang! Chaeng!
A few exchanges passed. The maids gathered around Sayul in fear. And from just those few exchanges, Sayul realized that the Namgung warriors were being pushed back. Where did such people suddenly come from?
“Open the carriage door.”
“Miss! Where are you going!”
So-hwa lunged to stop her, but Sayul gently pushed her forehead aside and stepped down. At that moment—splurt—blood spurted from a deeply sliced wound.
“Miss!”
One of the escorts had been cut down by the strange techniques of the black-clad men.
“Aaagh!”
“Miss! Please come this way!”
So-hwa tugged her frantically, but she didn’t budge. Amid the split body, Sayul locked eyes with one of the masked men. He scratched his cheek and spoke.
“We are but simple bandits.”
“So if I give you everything, you’ll spare us?”
“A reasonable young lady, I see.”
“However, I possess nothing.”
“Then we shall take the carriage.”
“And how am I supposed to travel?”
“…My, my. Is that truly your concern right now? The horses pulling the carriage are already dead.”
Sayul tilted her head. She glanced to the side and indeed saw the fallen horses, bleeding from the fight. But she paid it no mind.
“What do you mean we have no horses?”
Her pale hand lifted the hairpin decorating her head like a butterfly.
“There are two horses right in front of me.”
A cold gust of wind swept past her as she smiled widely, gripping the hairpin, her white hair fluttering like a ghost. The two masked men stood frozen, seemingly at a loss for words.
“…This woman…”
Just as one of them finally spoke, something burst out from the right-side forest. Even Sayul could barely track it—it was that fast.
Claaang!
A crash louder than anything heard so far rang out.
“Wh-what is happening?”
So-hwa crawled out of the carriage, clutching Sayul’s shoulder as she looked around. The figure that had burst from the forest was a beggar, with tangled black hair hanging down to his nose. His ragged clothes and days-unwashed appearance fit the image perfectly.
“Who are you?”
“…Just a passerby.”
“A passing beggar, more like.”
“….”
So-hwa whispered under her breath, but the silence was so deep that everyone heard it. She quickly covered her mouth and tried to pull Sayul farther back.
A member of the Beggar’s Sect?
The Beggar’s Sect was everywhere—even in Namgung territory. Still, it was strange for one to suddenly leap out like this. Then again, everything about masked bandits appearing on Namgung land was strange.
“Who are you? Why are you interfering?”
One of the masked men spoke stiffly, strangely intimidated.
“If you interfere here, you will pay dearly.”
They had said nothing earlier when the Namgung warriors spoke to them, yet now they babbled their lines like amateur actors. Sayul looked at the beggar with the messy black hair and spoke:
“Don’t kill them.”
“…Why.”
“I need them to talk.”
“…All right.”
At that response, So-hwa’s eyes bulged with outrage.
“He’s crazy! How dare he speak informally to you?”
The young man—whether a Beggar’s Sect member or a wandering expert—began overpowering the two masked men with a blade missing half its edge.
Clang! Chack! Kagang!
He wedged the chipped gap of his blade into theirs and twisted, knocking away their swords. Knowing how much brute strength that required, Sayul narrowed her eyes at him.
Through the swaying black hair, she glimpsed a blue gleam.
Blue eyes…
At least he wasn’t someone she knew. Within a few brief strikes, both masked men lost their swords and received deep wounds to the stomach and waist.
Sayul quickly assessed the situation.
One escort alive, two bandits alive… and one beggar. She turned to the Namgung guard sitting on the ground, having wet himself in fear.
“You will return and report this to Namgung.”
“Y-yes?”
“Go.”
At Sayul’s command, the last escort ran in the opposite direction, too panicked to care about his damp trousers. Then Sayul addressed the beggar standing among the fallen bandits.
“Your name.”
“…Wol.”
“Wol?”
“No surname. Just Wol.”
“I see. So that’s how it is.”
What a ridiculous name. She almost pitied him.
