HDCLSSRS Ch 69

Chapter 69 Antidote (3)

Seong Muyeon drank the medicine. Then, something changed. His arm, which had turned black, quickly began to return to its original color. His heavy body felt lighter, as if his senses had opened.

“It seems… to be working…”

Baek Ryeoil was astonished. He hadn’t truly believed he could obtain an actual antidote in this bizarre laboratory full of madmen.

“See? I told you so.”

Seong Muyeon turned to him and spoke, a broad smile on his face. Seeing that smile, Baek Ryeoil momentarily let his guard down.

If Seong Muyeon had died instead of saving his master, he would have lived the rest of his life burdened with guilt.

“I’m sorry, but could you give me a few more bottles of this medicine? Just in case.”

“Of course… Please wait a moment.”

The Owl was exceedingly generous. Without asking for money, he handed over the precious medicine as though it were nothing.

Baek Ryeoil turned his head absentmindedly—and met the gaze of the Rabbit Mask.

“Aaack!”

He screamed in shock. At some point, a masked attendant wearing a rabbit mask had approached and was staring straight at him.

“Wh-what the hell! You came up without a sound! Are you insane?”

He had never been this startled in his life. Baek Ryeoil, who was usually hypersensitive to people’s presence, had never once failed to notice someone approaching. Especially not when he was as on edge as he was now. Yet, someone had gotten this close without him noticing at all.

“May I trouble you for a moment?”

The rabbit asked cheerfully. The mask, carved from dark wood, gave off an eerie feeling as the bright voice emerged from behind it, further unsettling him.

“Why? For what?”

“May I take your pulse? The Physician does not charge for his medicine, but would be grateful if you could contribute to the advancement of medical science.”

“How would I know what you’re really trying to do under that pretext…”

At that moment, Seong Muyeon shot him a sharp glare. His wide eyes seemed to say:

‘Do as you’re told.’

…Or so it seemed.

As he owed Seong Muyeon a debt, Baek Ryeoil reluctantly extended his arm to the Rabbit. The touch of the cold hand, which felt less than human, only deepened his discomfort.

Once he saw Baek Ryeoil behave, Seong Muyeon looked away with relief. The Owl returned with two more bottles of the same medicine.

“Thank you.”

“Before I give you the medicine… there’s something I’d like to ask.”

Seong Muyeon extended his hand, but the Owl didn’t hand over the bottle.

“This might sound strange, but… could I obtain a sample of your blood?”

“My blood? Why…?”

“It’s the price of the medicine.”

Seong Muyeon was puzzled. Because of the mask, he couldn’t read the Owl’s expression or guess what he was thinking. But how could an ordinary person fathom what a physician did? He nodded casually.

“Go ahead.”

The Owl produced a dagger, as if he had already prepared it in advance.

Just as the sharp blade pierced the tip of Seong Muyeon’s finger—

Baek Ryeoil lifted his head. He quickly caught the scent of blood in the air. What he saw was the Owl holding a knife and standing behind Seong Muyeon. From the angle, they looked unmistakably like an attacker and a victim.

“Seong Muyeon!”

Already feeling uneasy in this place, Baek Ryeoil instinctively perceived them as enemies. He shoved the Rabbit Mask aside, sending it crashing into the opposite wall. Without giving Seong Muyeon time to intervene, he launched himself and kicked the Owl.

Thud!

Both attendants fell to the ground with a loud noise almost simultaneously.

The sound caused all movement among the attendants to stop. Animal masks of all kinds simultaneously turned to stare at Baek Ryeoil. A bit of blood leaked from beneath the fallen Rabbit Mask.

“…No.”

As soon as Seong Muyeon opened his mouth to speak, the mood turned hostile. The animal masks, which had seemed slightly eerie even at their most polite, now exuded a chilling aura, making them appear like demons.

“I told you not to touch anything!”

“What are you talking about? I was saving you!”

The sight of all the masked attendants—goat, frog, monkey—turning only their heads to stare at them was horrifying.

“Seventh Young Master! What is happening!”

To make matters worse, the door burst open, and Ilgwang and the Black Shadow Group stormed in. Hearing the commotion inside, they hadn’t been able to wait and had come to check on Seong Muyeon.

“Demon Cult!”

“They’re from the Demon Cult!”

“Demon Cult!”

The attendants, recognizing their identities, began to scream. Their voices were eerie and distorted, like metal scraping against metal. It was almost like a sonic attack, pounding Seong Muyeon and Baek Ryeoil’s eardrums and inflicting internal injuries.

“What is this!”

Baek Ryeoil and Seong Muyeon covered their ears. Any ordinary person would have passed out within seconds from the noise.

“We need to get out of here!”

As the air vibrated, glass bottles of medicine nearby began to explode. The Physician’s attendants might not be skilled fighters, but they had the perfect means of protecting the medicine. Using sound attacks, they destroyed all the medicine so it wouldn’t fall into enemy hands.

If they stayed any longer, every bottle in the room would shatter and be lost.

Seong Muyeon bolted toward the door, and Baek Ryeoil, who had been following, suddenly stopped.

“The medicine!”

It was the one the Owl had promised to give him as extra. Baek Ryeoil managed to snatch the rolling bottle just before it burst.

They ran without looking back. About three jang (10 meters) away, the wooden door slammed shut with a loud bang, and the screams abruptly ceased. As if nothing had happened, the forest was once again peaceful.

Everyone—including Seong Muyeon and Baek Ryeoil—was so stunned they froze for a while.

“I… I didn’t mean for that to happen. I thought he was attacking you, so I just…”

Finally regaining his senses, Baek Ryeoil covered his face. Seong Muyeon let out a deep sigh.

“Well, we got the antidote, and no one was seriously hurt, so it’s fine… Actually, no, it’s not fine! How am I supposed to face the Physician now? I’ll never be able to set foot in that place again! What about my medicine? How will I cure my illness? How do you plan to take responsibility for this?!”

“…”

“I told you to stay still, didn’t I! Even a seven-year-old listens better than you! Even when something doesn’t make sense, you don’t just throw punches first! Shouldn’t you try to understand what’s happening first?!”

With nothing to say in his defense, Baek Ryeoil had no choice but to silently endure Seong Muyeon’s furious rant.

As Seong Muyeon yelled himself hoarse and paused to catch his breath, Baek Ryeoil cautiously spoke up.

“Should we just catch all those guys and wipe them out? Then the Physician won’t hear about it, right?”

“…”

He was speechless. Was that supposed to be a solution?

“…Don’t. Just—don’t do anything. I’m already at my limit.”

“…Okay.”

Baek Ryeoil clamped his mouth shut like a candy stuck between his lips. Perhaps he knew he was in the wrong, as his eyes darted about guiltily.

Ilgwang sneered at him.

“I never expected you to be of any help anyway.”

That remark redirected Seong Muyeon’s suppressed anger squarely at Ilgwang.

“Ilgwang, you too! Didn’t I tell you not to come in? I warned you over and over again, and you still barged in just because you heard some noise, ruining everything?! Now the attendants know I’m from the Demon Cult!”

“But I couldn’t just stand by when it seemed like you were in danger, Seventh Young Master.”

“Shut up! Just sit there and be quiet!”

Seong Muyeon rubbed his throbbing head. What was done was done; there was no turning back. He vented his frustration with one loud outburst, then let it go. There was no undoing what had already happened…

“Give me the medicine.”

Fortunately, Baek Ryeoil had protected the bottle with a barrier before it shattered. Inside was a thick coral-colored liquid that sparkled as it reflected light.

“Come to think of it, it seems you’ve already detoxified.”

“Yes. This is the antidote.”

Relief flickered across Ilgwang’s face.

In any case, their goal had been achieved. They were alive. That was what mattered. Everything else could be dealt with later. There would be another chance to make amends with the Physician. Perhaps they would need to prepare a very fine gift.

‘What would the Physician like?’

The three of them headed to an inn in the nearby village. Seong Muyeon desperately needed rest. On the way in, they’d been in such a rush they hadn’t been able to stop, but now they had time and could afford to take a break.

“Welcome!”

The innkeeper greeted them warmly.

“Staying the night? What kind of rooms would you like?”

Baek Ryeoil quickly looked to Seong Muyeon. But Seong Muyeon, exhausted and unfocused, just wanted rest and didn’t pick up on his gaze.

“Two rooms.”

Ilgwang handed over some money as he spoke.

“There are three of you. Should I give you a large room if two of you will be sharing?”

“No. Two small rooms.”

Ilgwang glanced briefly at Baek Ryeoil and continued.

“He can sort himself out.”

“Hmph, who said I don’t have money?”

Baek Ryeoil proudly shoved his hand into his robe. But no matter how much he groped around, he couldn’t find his coin pouch. His face grew increasingly pale.

Only then did Seong Muyeon look at him.

“…You didn’t bring money?”

“…Damn it, I forgot.”

Baek Ryeoil’s face turned a sickly green. Given how urgent the situation had been, it was hard to blame him. Seong Muyeon stepped in.

“It’s fine. Ilgwang, just spend a bit more and get him a room too.”

But Ilgwang refused without even a change in expression.

“No.”

“…Ilgwang?”

“Not a single penny of mine will be used for him.”

He firmly tucked his coin pouch deep into his chest, radiating a strong will that he would never, not even in death, hand it over.