147.
In response to Aksen’s words, Rector asked as if he had just remembered something.
“Speaking of which, didn’t you say Diana was on the move?”
“She was. But there’s been no news since she went after Jinhyeon.”
At this, Rector, who had been sprawled out, suddenly sat up.
“Was she caught?”
“It doesn’t seem so. According to our infiltrators, they haven’t seen Diana. If she had been caught, the Imperial family wouldn’t have stayed quiet.”
“Then there’s a high chance she’s dead.”
“Most likely.”
“Tenya will be furious.”
“He’s always too emotional.”
“Have you ever thought that you might be treating your comrades too much like trash?”
At Rector’s words, Aksen glared at him fiercely.
“I’m just being rational.”
“Right, always. That’s why I can’t stand magicians.”
Saying this, Rector got up and headed outside.
“Don’t tell Tenya!”
Aksen’s shout could be heard from behind, but Rector easily ignored it. Despite being obsessed with battle, he was more humane than Aksen. That’s why the news about Diana reached Tenya. Afterwards, angry sobs could be heard from Tenya’s quarters for a long time. When Rector entered Tenya’s room after the crying had stopped, he was nowhere to be seen.
The search party, focused on capturing Leviathan, had recently encountered a difficult situation.
“It seems someone is targeting us,” Iven said.
Salamandor replied, “Leviathan must finally be counterattacking. To be honest, it wasn’t like them to just run away quietly all this time.”
“Hmm. That’s true, but it seems the opponent is quite skilled. Three imperial knights have died. Even Lucid’s side has suffered losses.”
“Do you know who it is?”
“No. But there’s one thing we can be certain about.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s someone filled with rage. All the corpses were brutally mutilated. Moreover, since they seem to be highly skilled, from now on, Lord Salamandor, Lord Freena, Jinhyeon, and I will take turns guarding at night.”
“Good. I still think Jinhyeon is a bit lacking, but he should be able to create an opportunity to escape if needed.”
At Salamandor’s words, Iven smiled bitterly and said, “I wonder if he’s still lacking even now?”
Perhaps due to Freena’s training? They could feel Jinhyeon getting stronger every time they saw him. Then, at some point, they couldn’t sense any energy from him at all. Just like Freena in everyday life. He had even learned how to conceal his abilities.
‘What a pain,’ thought Iven, who was called a genius.
Jinhyeon sat on a rock standing alone in the forest. Today, Freena wasn’t by his side. She would be guarding the opposite side, including the search party’s camp in the middle. They had decided to take turns keeping watch according to Iven’s suggestion.
‘Yu Jin.’
As time passed, anxiety was consuming Jinhyeon. Freena had scolded him, saying that emotional disturbance wasn’t helpful for sword training, but it wasn’t something he could control. For him, Yu Jin was an irreplaceable, precious existence. That’s why he couldn’t forget his anxiety.
“Yu Jin.”
The moment Yu Jin’s name left his lips, he felt like he would be engulfed by numbness. His anxiously beating heart and trembling fingertips spoke of Jinhyeon’s state of mind. And at that moment, something fell towards Jinhyeon’s nape as he bowed his head.
Ting!
Jinhyeon swung his sword to deflect the small falling dagger.
“Looks like there’s definitely an intruder.”
As he got down from the rock and stood on the ground, he saw a figure flickering in the darkness. When Jinhyeon focused his vision, he could make out the figure’s appearance. It was a person with chocolate-colored skin and messy white hair, with an androgynous appearance.
“Tenya.”
Freena had said it. If they subtly spread the rumor that Diana was killed, Tenya would eventually come looking.
“Tenya isn’t an easy opponent. He’s similar to Diana but with more skills. That’s why he’s trickier to deal with.”
Freena had warned him to be careful when facing Tenya. When Jinhyeon said Tenya’s name, the figure spoke. It seemed they were willing to talk, contrary to expectations of an immediate attack.
“That’s right. I’m Tenya.”
Tenya stepped forward from the darkness and said,
“Who killed Diana? If you tell me, I’ll kill you without pain.”
“My, my. So that’s what you were curious about. Who killed Diana, you ask?”
Jinhyeon pointed at himself.
“It was me.”
A moment of silence passed between them. Then Tenya, trembling, shouted,
“You? You? It was you?”
Repeating the same words several times, Tenya suddenly lunged at Jinhyeon to stab him. But it wasn’t difficult to read the attack of an excited person. Jinhyeon deflected Tenya’s attack and attempted a counterattack. The sword grazed and cut flesh, but Tenya, like a madman, just kept charging forward without retreating. There was a determination to kill Jinhyeon even if it meant sacrificing parts of his body.
“Die, die, die!”
Amidst the commotion, a presence approached. And soon after, Freena, who had been on the opposite side, revealed herself. At this, Tenya, who had been charging recklessly, flinched and stepped back. It seemed reason had returned to him now. He bit his lip hard and was about to retreat. But Freena blocked his way.
“I won’t interfere. So why don’t you two continue fighting? I swear on the name of Lucid.”
A knight’s oath sworn on the name of the family they serve was always kept.
“If you leave now, who knows when you’ll get another chance like this.”
Tenya wavered, but it didn’t take long for him to make up his mind.
“Don’t interfere.”
“I said I won’t.”
Freena raised both hands and stepped back. And Tenya charged at Jinhyeon again.
‘Really now.’
She was a mentor who mercilessly pushed her disciple. But this was also what Jinhyeon wanted, so he began to fight against Tenya again. Like Diana, Tenya used assassination-based swordsmanship with unusual weapons. Fine needles that seemed to belong in a martial arts novel were thrown, and poison powder flew.
It might seem chaotic, but Tenya was using it skillfully, making it difficult for the opponent. However, even in the midst of this, Jinhyeon was getting accustomed to Tenya’s fighting style. He blocked attacks that seemed unlikely to significantly affect his body with his body, and deflected the rest with his sword. The method of surrounding himself with energy that he learned from Freena was effective.
In the middle of the fight, Freena raised her head.
“They’re coming.”
As soon as she said that, another figure leaped out of the darkness and pounced on Freena.
“Rector!”
Aksen knew Rector would inform Tenya about Diana’s death. That’s just the kind of person he was. That’s why he had been moving since that moment. Letting an enraged Tenya go alone would only result in losing fighting power. He pressured Rector to stick with Tenya and also called in his disciple. The search party’s camp became chaotic due to the sudden influx of magic.
“They’re really being a nuisance.”
Aksen revealed himself behind Rector.
“Aksen!”
Freena’s face, which had been calm all along, contorted like a demon’s.
“Hello, Freena.”
Aksen waved his hand in greeting as if to a close friend. And that further provoked Freena’s anger. As Freena stepped forward as if to kill Aksen on the spot, Rector blocked her way.
“Now, now, you have to deal with me first.”
“Get lost!”
Freena’s sword blazed red. As she struck down at Rector after pushing all her energy into the sword, he had no choice but to hurriedly dodge.
“Why do you seem to get more violent as you age?”
Rector clicked his tongue and readjusted his posture. Meanwhile, a magician had also joined Tenya. It was one of those Aksen called his disciples. Tenya alone was not an easy opponent, but with the magician casting illusion magic, even Jinhyeon’s movements became disoriented. If only Iven and Salamandor were here, they could definitely gain the upper hand.
Currently, the two were guarding the other half of the divided search party. If it was Aksen, he would have sent Leviathan’s soldiers there as well for disguise.
“Such a persistent bastard.”
Freena said this as she clashed with Rector.
Greyardin slowly blinked. Aksen had moved expecting victory, but somehow he had an ominous feeling. Even though they clearly had the winning force, something was bothering him like a hangnail. That’s why he decided to leave this place.
Leviathan had prepared several safe houses, and Greyardin knew all their locations. Since Aksen had left a few disciples behind, moving wasn’t difficult. He first went down to the first floor and approached Yu Jin, who was sitting in the living room.
“Yu Jin.”
Yu Jin, who had been examining Gee, looked at Greyardin. His blue eyes, like a lake, were trembling with anxiety. It seemed that Yu Jin was also sensitive in this aspect, just as Greyardin had sensed something.
“What’s the matter?”
“It seems we need to move to a different house.”
“What if I refuse?”
“Would you prefer to go by force, Yu Jin?”
At these words spoken in a gentle voice, Yu Jin closed his mouth.
“Gee will come along too, right?”
“As you wish. If you want to leave it behind, you can.”
Yu Jin looked surprised at those words.
“I can leave it behind?”
“Yes, if you want, I won’t harm it even if we leave it behind.”
He had pretty much figured out Yu Jin anyway. Even if they left Gee behind, there was plenty to persuade him with.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
