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Chapter 11
The man who introduced himself as Wol stood there blankly, as if expecting something. Sayul paused for a moment and looked at him.
Blue eyes…
Clear as the sky, like a sea she had never seen—those vividly blue eyes alone were enough to stir her nostalgia. The nostalgia for the friend who had remained in the Ice Palace long ago to protect her.
“Are you from the Beggars’ Sect?”
“No.”
“Then lift the carriage for me.”
“……”
“If you dislike it, you can stay here alone.”
“I don’t have to lift it.”
“Do as you please.”
Sayul once again helped her attendants into the carriage and climbed aboard herself. The man named Wol nudged the black-clad assailant lying on the ground with his foot. They groaned, clutching their sliced bodies, but Wol mercilessly pressed his heel down onto their wounds.
“Aaagh!”
“Get up.”
“Ghhk…”
“Lift the carriage.”
He said that and hopped lightly onto the carriage roof. The two black-clad men exchanged glances, then lifted the carriage despite their injuries. Given how quickly the carriage began to move, they must truly have been first-rate fighters.
Someone powerful enough to subdue men of this caliber at once…
A skilled beggar who isn’t from the Beggars’ Sect? She had never heard of such a thing. If not from the Sect, then perhaps he had encountered some sort of fortuitous opportunity? Yet he used his strength so naturally for that to be the case…
“Wol.”
“I’m older than you.”
“Wol.”
“I said I’m older.”
“Wol.”
“……”
“Wol.”
“…What.”
The man finally answered her after resisting her repeated calls. So-hwa, one of the maids, smiled as if to say Our young miss really is stubborn, while Hwa-yeong rubbed her cheek in bewilderment, still unable to adjust to all this.
“We’ll head for the nearest village.”
“Go.”
As the man relayed Sayul’s words, the black-clad men—already splattering blood as they ran—accelerated even more.
It would take time to reach the Namgung family’s Academy anyway, so stopping by a village on the way was best. Sayul didn’t mind either way, but if she didn’t wash even for a day, So-hwa was sure to make a fuss.
Before reaching their destination of Hepi, Sayul’s carriage arrived at a small village called Myeongdo. There was no village in Anhui untouched by the Namgung family’s influence, so when a carriage belonging to Namgung appeared, the villagers murmured among themselves and quickly made way.
“W-where should we go?”
One of the black-clad men—near collapse from injuries and sprinting at full speed—asked. Sayul hadn’t thought that far ahead; she paused to think. First, they needed lodgings.
“How strange.”
“Pardon?”
But after muttering something odd, she issued a different command.
“We’ll soothe our hunger at an inn. Go fetch the local headman.”
“Ugh—y-yes, ma’am…”
They carried the carriage to the largest inn in the village. The interior, with its red roof and solid pillars, was filled with the aromas of various dishes.
So-hwa’s stomach rumbled after the long journey. Sayul glanced at her; So-hwa quickly looked away, pretending she hadn’t noticed. Sayul tapped the carriage floor lightly with inner strength—an unspoken order to stop.
The black-clad men collapsed as soon as the carriage halted. Sayul stepped out with her attendants. So-hwa proudly pulled out the heavy purse the clan head had prepared for situations like this.
“Young miss, let’s go in!”
So-hwa boldly pushed aside the inn’s door and strode inside. Even though meal time had passed, the place was fairly crowded—it seemed the food here was good.
“Oh my, welcome!”
A busboy rushed over to greet them. Seeing the maids and Sayul’s luxurious silk attire, he stiffened with nervous tension.
“Um… Is the person behind you also with your party?”
He frowned at the ragged beggar who followed them in. Sayul glanced back and answered firmly, expression unchanged.
“He is not.”
“I knew it—what kind of beggar thinks he can come in here!”
The busboy shooed Wol away. Wol pulled a sulky face and trudged back outside, plopping down next to the carriage. Watching this, So-hwa whispered to Sayul,
“What is that beggar, really?”
“Leave him. He’s like a stray dog.”
“Right this way, the three of you.”
They sat at a large table the busboy guided them to. So-hwa rolled up her sleeves and began ordering with the confidence of someone who once starved at Namgung.
“One Sweet-and-Sour Pork, two Steamed Buns, one Cold Sliced Beef, one Dongpo Pork, one Clear Soup, Wheat Noodles, and a Braised Chicken!”
“C-can three ladies eat that much?”
“Just bring it!”
“Y-yes, right away!”
So-hwa sat down, looking relieved, proudly patting the purse at her waist.
“We’ll still have a ton of money left even after ordering all this, young miss!”
“I see.”
“Hehe.”
Since So-hwa seemed happy, Sayul let her be. But as the dishes started arriving one after another, the huge table quickly filled. It was almost overwhelming—yet more dishes kept arriving.
“Mm… maybe I overdid it…”
So-hwa gave an awkward smile, but Sayul simply picked up her chopsticks without scolding her and quietly began to eat. Her two maids exchanged glances and followed suit.
After a while, Hwa-yeong surrendered first.
“I—I can’t eat any more…”
“No, we can keep go—urgh…”
Clack.
Sayul set her chopsticks down, having eaten an appropriate amount, and called the busboy.
“You there.”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“Bring in the beggar outside.”
“Oh—the beggar, you mean?”
Sayul nodded. The busboy scratched his head but went to the entrance and yelled to Wol, who still sat by the carriage.
“The lady calls for you!”
Shff.
Wol, who had been sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, got up lazily and walked inside. Patrons frowned at the sight of him, but when they saw he was being seated by the young lady, they assumed she was showing mercy and lost interest.
“Eat.”
At Sayul’s command, Wol silently devoured the remaining food. Not that much remained—mostly half-eaten dishes left by those who couldn’t finish.
He was quite large, and perhaps because he needed the calories to maintain that physique, he cleared all the plates with ease. So-hwa watched in amazement.
“Well, at least nothing is going to waste!”
Having also known hunger, So-hwa couldn’t stand seeing food thrown away. As Wol finished eating, the wounded black-clad men—now somewhat recovered—waited quietly nearby.
As if they had business to attend to.
After finishing her meal, Sayul stepped outside and asked,
“The local headman?”
“We know where he lives.”
“Let’s go.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The carriage, now carrying Sayul, her attendants, and Wol perched atop it, left the inn and stopped before a large estate to the south. Standing before the neatly built front gate, one black-clad man shouted,
“Guests incoming!”
The shout, bolstered by inner strength, rang so loudly it made one’s ears throb. Unsurprisingly, someone rushed out from inside.
“Wh-who may you be!”
“From the Namgung clan!”
“N-Namgung?! P-please, come in!”
Seeing that the carriage was clearly Namgung property, no one dared stop them. Once inside the estate, the household members poured out in a flurry.
The man who had first greeted them must have run ahead to announce that a scion of Namgung had arrived. Sayul stepped down from the carriage and faced the local headman’s family.
“I am Namgung Sayul. I came hoping to stay here for the night.”
