SAFBIAN Ch 50

Chapter 50

‘Once I leave the imperial palace… should I go on a trip before settling down somewhere?’

Seeing how beautiful the unpolluted mountains are despite reckless development, the sea must be just as magnificent.

In reality, life was so hard that he couldn’t afford such leisure.

Even when others were enjoying expensive vacations, he was climbing tall buildings with a safety helmet on his head and safety boots on his feet. In a life where he lived day to day, leisure was a luxury he couldn’t afford.

But in this novel, he had not only suddenly transmigrated into a depressing story, but was also going through all kinds of unfamiliar situations just to make ‘Dori’ happy. Didn’t that earn him the right to indulge in a bit of luxury?

‘A trip, huh…’

Just the thought made his heart flutter.

‘Still, I need to hold it in for now. I didn’t come here to play.’

There would be plenty of time to sightsee after rescuing Haban and making a run for it. For now, it was time to focus on the sounds around him.

So Dori straightened his back and sat upright, keeping a sharp watch on his surroundings.

‘What’s so great about all that.’

Haban, who had no idea what Dori was thinking, barely suppressed the urge to grab the fox’s head and turn it toward him.

Even if ‘his’ could take the form of a human, he was originally a fox. He must’ve been born and raised in the mountains—what was so fascinating about all this? Every time the fox’s white back of the head twitched, Haban had the urge to touch it.

“Your Majesty.”

Just then, Jipyeong, who had gradually moved his horse next to the carriage, called out to him.

Haban turned with a look of annoyance. The warmth in his eyes as he watched the fox turned to coldness the moment his head turned. Jipyeong, used to such cold reception, finally spoke the words he had been holding back.

“From here on, I suggest we increase the speed slightly.”

“No. Maintain the current pace.”

“…Pardon? May I ask why?”

“There’s no need to rush, so we can go slowly.”

Jipyeong opened his mouth in silent astonishment, as if asking whether he was serious.

Before deciding to bring the fox along, His Majesty had been so irritable about shortening the trip as much as possible.

Now, the number of people in the entourage had doubled. They had to follow roads wide enough for carriages, so nothing was going according to plan.

And yet, a smile lingered on Haban’s lips the entire time. He found it amusing how the fox insisted on sitting on his knees instead of his thighs.

“Your Majesty, a fox can run faster than this on its own. No matter what, it should be able to endure at least the pace of this bumpy ride.”

“This must be his first time in a carriage.”

“What? Who’s ever heard of a fox getting motion sickness in a carriage!”

Perhaps having heard them, the tips of the fox’s ears twitched. Its fluffy tail flicked once. Haban petted the back of its head, and the fox turned to him with its mouth slightly open.

“Kaang…”

Just then—clatter.

The carriage began ascending a sloped mountain path, and the seat bounced, making the fox’s eyes ripple wide. It tried to lick its nose and pretend it was fine, but the effort was pitiful.

“I told you to sit comfortably.”

The fox fidgeted, lifting and lowering its bottom anxiously. Its plump little rump hovered just above Haban’s knees.

When Haban wrapped his arms around the soft belly and settled the fox onto his thigh, the startled creature yelped, “Kaang, kaang,” and licked its front paw. Jipyeong silently shook his head and moved away with the horse.

Embarrassed, Dori rubbed his nose with a paw.

Even if this was the emperor’s carriage, the scenery had seemed oddly slow-moving ever since they left the fortress. He hadn’t realized it was all for his sake.

‘Just this once, let me be the one to save him.’

It was at that moment that the carriage jolted once again.

‘…!’

Unlike the firm thighs, a very different kind of presence could be felt.

Dori suddenly realized just where he had been sitting and unconsciously looked up at Haban. His sharp eyes narrowed.

“Shameless creature.”

‘Me?’

“Must be your animal instincts—so lecherous.”

‘Why…?’

“You’ve been stealing glances at my naked body whenever the opportunity arises.”

…He—he noticed.

Dori’s pupils trembled. He quickly averted his gaze, darting his eyes around, then slowly lowered them.

He thought Haban hadn’t noticed because he hadn’t said anything.

“Huuuung…”

Dori made a low sound in his throat, trying to explain.

It was just that Haban’s back, while changing clothes, looked so sculpted. It was out of sheer curiosity, not any hidden desire! Besides, nothing below the waist was visible at all!

As he made those pathetic excuses in his mind, his head tilted.

‘Wait a minute. Isn’t this because Haban keeps changing clothes in my room…?’

Just then, as Haban’s hand started to slide between his thighs, Dori shot up.

“Kyaeng!”

“Sit properly. It’s dangerous.”

“Kang! Kaang! Kang, kang!”

‘You could’ve grabbed somewhere else! Huh? My head was right there! My torso, too! Just don’t touch the tail!’

“Look ahead. From there, the flowers you like will be everywhere.”

Haban eventually secured the fox tightly with his arms. He wrapped him diagonally across his chest with one arm and planted him firmly on his thigh—it felt just like a car’s seatbelt.

Dori wriggled his nose, trying not to lean on Haban, and sat up straight.

Just as Haban said, wildflowers began blooming like scattered dots along the now-gentler path, fluttering in the spring breeze.

It wasn’t that he particularly liked flowers. It was just that, locked inside the palace, the only things he could see through the window were the sky, trees, and flowers—so when alone, he’d often climb onto the windowsill and look out.

‘…When did he even notice that?’

While Dori was lost in thought, the carriage entered a rough road again.

[“Assassins!”

Someone shouted urgently. Haban opened his eyes and reached for the sword by his bedside as he rose.

Drawing the blade, he pulled back the tent flap and stepped outside. The sharp clanging of swords clashing echoed all around.

Before he knew it, Jipyeong had rushed to his side to protect him.

“Their number?”

“Around twenty.”

Hearing the uncertain count, Haban’s eyes narrowed.

And the fact that they had gotten that close without being noticed? Unbelievable. These were imperial guards, not some ragtag group.

“…This is ridiculous.”

“They must’ve been lying in wait before we even arrived.”

Just as he said, a few soldiers had scouted the area before setting up camp. They had checked for suspicious figures and potential threats.

And yet, they hadn’t been discovered—clearly, it was a well-planned ambush.

Jipyeong bowed his head in guilt. Given the situation, there was no time to kneel.

“An ambush…”

Haban murmured, just as one of the assassins hiding in the shadows collapsed in a pool of blood.

Jipyeong kicked the body over, revealing its face. Bloodshot eyes stared upward—it had been a fatal strike.

On the corner of the black cloth covering half his face bloomed a large peony. Jipyeong pulled the cloth from the assassin’s mouth—and found no tongue where there should have been one.

“…”

Jipyeong looked at Haban and gave a subtle nod.

These weren’t ordinary mercenaries.]

…No tongue? Good heavens!

Dori shuddered in horror.

He tried to recall anything useful that might help, but instead a vivid, disturbing image flashed in his mind, making him jump in surprise.

Fortunately, aside from the first assassin scene, the novel hadn’t described too many gruesome details. Even though he couldn’t watch horror movies, his fragile heart was pounding like crazy.

‘C-Calm down…’

“Is it the height that scares you?”

Haban misunderstood the puffed-up tail—which had grown almost as big as his torso—and gently patted his back in understanding.

‘That’s not it!’

Dori gave him a sideways glare, but his resolve melted slightly at the sight of that handsome face so close.

‘I can’t fall for that face.’

Still, Haban kept making him lower his guard. Dori turned back to the front, lifting his tail high in alertness.

If things were unfolding as in the original story, the assassins would attack in the middle of the night. However, with the fox now part of the emperor’s group, their travel pace had slowed.

What’s worse, Haban, unaware of the situation, had opened all the carriage curtains, leaving them vulnerable from all sides. Any tree or large rock they passed looked like it could be hiding an assassin.

‘Stay calm. Haban will take care of the assassins. My job is to find the spy hidden among the soldiers.’

The thought that Haban was right behind him gave Dori a sense of security. But his eyes, turned toward the soldiers, were now narrowed.

In the original, Haban’s injury hadn’t been caused by the assassins. Dozens of them had attacked during the night, but none had even gotten close before being cut down.

The problem arose the night before they reached the altar—the final leg of the journey. That night, just like any other, Haban’s soldiers and guards fought off the assassins.

But then it happened.

One soldier, who seemed to be fighting off an assassin, stabbed Haban instead.

The soldier had been a planted spy from long ago.

‘Why is it that the novel shows every lewd or grotesque thing in detail, but the spy’s face is always blurry!’

So Dori now suspected every soldier other than Haban and the royal guards.

‘Who is it? That guy? He said he left during the break because of an upset stomach, right?’

‘Or maybe it’s that one? We keep making eye contact.’

He perked his sensitive ears, listening for any suspicious signs.

Even if being cautious now wouldn’t change the outcome, he didn’t forget to scan each of the soldiers subtly with narrowed eyes.

The cautious scraping of his front paw on the carriage floor reflected his careful resolve.

The round trip to the altar—seven days of mad horseback riding, or over fifteen days by carriage.

With the schedule extended, Dori believed they would definitely encounter at least one more ambush. He stared ahead with sharpened focus.