Chapter 134

Holding the canteen lid in place of a cup, Yungak did not drink right away but instead turned his head toward Moran.

“When you went to catch the fox, tell me again, exactly as you remember—what did the relationship between the two of them seem like?”

Moran had already been replaying that day in his mind ever since witnessing the scene earlier. At Yungak’s question, he began recounting in detail from the moment he had opened the hut’s door.

Wonwoo had stopped halfway through undressing, holding a knife in his hand. He had been sitting close to a man with snow-white hair, so it seemed likely he had been trying to cut the rope for him.

The white-haired man had not a single thread of clothing on. Judging from how, just earlier, when the child turned into a young fox, only an animal’s body had burst out from inside his clothes, it was probable that the captured white fox had transformed into a human right after the rope was cut.

However, since it had been raining, the surroundings were dark, and the hut had no light, Moran could not see clearly. Now, with time having passed since that day, his memory might also be different.

“Perhaps because they’re beasts, they felt like rolling around in such a cramped and filthy place. But you said it seemed like he had just cut the rope?”

The hunter tasked with transporting the stolen fox from the palace to the hut had thrown the sack inside and left, only to be killed by Moran not far from the hut. After that, the only person who approached the hut was Wonwoo, so there would have been no need to keep the fox tied up. Why, then?

Yungak slowly rubbed the space between his brows with a finger. Just as one doubt cleared, another emerged.

Stealing only the fox and deliberately spacing out the timing of Wonwoo’s approach—so as to pin the blame on him and the Fox Merchant Guild—had created several gaps in the plan.

Still, leaving that aside for now—

“You said it was Wonwoo who fought with you? Then what about the white fox?”

Moran recalled once again.

That one had no fighting skill at all. Wonwoo had moved to shield the white-haired man behind him protectively. At the time, not knowing that the white fox was that man, Moran had prioritized the order to kill Wonwoo.

“Is that so? Then it seems the white fox is useless for anything except his looks. What did you say about Wonwoo’s skill?”

Though he did not move like a trained soldier or wield the techniques of an assassin who aims for vital points, the strength and speed with which he crossed blades were exceptional. Even in the dark, he did not necessarily aim quickly and accurately without hesitation; instead, he moved reflexively—probably thanks to an animal’s instinct.

As the heir of the guild, Moran had expected him to have learned only basic self-defense, but his skill had been unexpectedly good, so that in the midst of struggling, the white-haired man had found an opening to dash out of the hut.

“He’s certainly skilled at running away. Ah—come to think of it, Iyeok, you didn’t see it, but even in the palace, the white fox poked his nose around a dog hole.”

“You approached something that dangerous?”

“You just don’t know how ridiculous that fox is. Watching him was amusing. If you dangled food as bait, he’d just roll his eyes and resist, but the moment you offered jewelry as bait, he’d snap it up without hesitation. Not to mention that the elder brother who would appear like the wind whenever the white fox was nearby was no exception.”

Yet Yungak’s expression as he spoke was ice-cold. It was the feeling of having been toyed with all this time by the two who had deceived him.

When the atmosphere quieted, Moran continued his account.

Wonwoo, after helping the white-haired man escape first, had shown an opening as he tried to chase him. Moran had stabbed him in the belly. Startled, the white-haired man had briefly glanced back, and as if exchanging some silent signal, the two had run in opposite directions. Wonwoo, leaping into the underbrush, had vanished from sight soon after.

Since Moran’s tongue had been cut, he mostly relied on gestures and simple codes. Interpreting and conveying these was Iyeok’s role.

After hearing the full account, Yungak fell into thought, remaining silent for quite a long while.

‘Were the two lovers? If so, then both the escaped white fox and Wonwoo must have fled to that village. That would explain why the Fox Merchant Guild man headed there.’

His frequent, urgent attempts to climb the mountain must also have been for that reason.

…Then what about the fox who had collapsed, then risen to give chase?

‘Could it be the lover of that guild man?’

It piqued his interest a little, but it was a pointless curiosity. For now, there were more important matters to consider.

Lowering his gaze slowly to the canteen lid in his hand, Yungak saw that the water he had poured earlier had stilled completely. With a slight shake, the once-motionless surface rippled at once, spilling over onto the back of his hand.

‘I must shake the Emperor.’

Ignoring Iyeok wiping his hand, Yungak made up his mind. If one could inflict a great shock with little force, there was nothing better.

‘The problem is, how to get hold of it in the first place.’

From what little he had seen, the village was full of nothing but red foxes. They would hardly hand over the white fox willingly.

“How many Morans can we gather now?”

“Five units each in the Jiang River and Yeon(演).”*¹

After tallying the remaining elites, Iyeok gave the count for the number of Morans they could put to use immediately. Even if they summoned all of them, they were far too few to contend with Haban.

‘A perfect number for plotting, though.’

Too many would only hinder keeping their identities hidden.

In any case, there was no chance of winning against the Emperor and his army head-on. That was why he had been playing the part of an ill-suited younger brother clinging to the palace all this time. Even now, he had no need for assassins whose only value was their headcount.

“Yeon is too far. Gather only the Jiang River’s Morans here.”

“…You’re not going yourself?”

“A better opportunity has arisen.”

The annoyance clouding Yungak’s eyes until now seemed to lift, replaced by a spark of vitality. Watching that face for a moment, Iyeok then rose to his feet.

“I have already sent for them just in case. Still, it will take time for them to arrive, so please wait a while.”

The spies they had planted in the palace had been wiped out or cut off from contact. The Morans in their hideouts had also been annihilated, so the remaining ones had to be moved with utmost caution, in minimal numbers.

By moving one unit at a time, Iyeok had managed to learn only one thing: that the Emperor was currently away from the palace.

“So, the Emperor still hasn’t found the fox?”

“Yes.”

In that case, the Emperor must have left the palace in search of it. If he had already found it, he would have returned with it to the palace.

Discarding the remaining water in the lid, Iyeok poured fresh water. Only then did Yungak put the rim to his lips. He turned his head toward the village hidden beyond the mountains and took a leisurely drink.

‘Yes… it can only be there.’

That was where the white fox and Wonwoo had gone.

Anticipation lit Yungak’s eyes with a vivid gleam.

Rolling over toward the door as if testing the waters, Geuman pricked up his ears.

From outside came the voices of the guards debating whether to roast sweet potatoes or regular potatoes over the campfire, and he couldn’t help but listen intently.

“…Is it not possible?”

Dori cautiously opened his mouth again, almost pleading.

He tried to sound as casual as possible, but had it shown on his face? Those pitch-black eyes narrowed, sharp with suspicion, as if to see whether he had any hidden motives. Though Dori had done nothing wrong, his nerves chilled.

“We’ll see.”

After a brief moment of thought, Haban sat on the edge of the bed. His large hand patted the blanket soothingly.

“Didn’t we already go out together yesterday? You nearly caught a chill after falling into the stream.”

‘That was because Haban startled me…’

Dori couldn’t bring himself to argue, because he remembered the desperate look on Haban’s face at the time.

Though he still couldn’t leave the house alone, Haban had kept his promise to take him out for walks at a set time once a day.

With guards and shadow assassins densely stationed nearby, he could walk without fear. Having been abducted from the palace, Dori had been easily frightened, but now he was gradually starting to relax.

Perhaps because of that, his curiosity had grown.

While playing by dipping his forepaws into the stream and splashing against the rocks, he had sensed a faint movement from across the way—an animal, not a human.

Dori had been too curious about what it was. With Haban leaning against a tree trunk watching him from behind, he had felt even more secure.

That was his mistake.

‘Dori!’

Instinctively lowering his body and preparing to spring in the opposite direction, Dori turned his head at the urgent shout from behind just as he stretched to leap. Haban’s face had been full of fear.

‘Ka, kaang…!’

Splash!

Dori had slipped on the wet rock and fallen in. The water wasn’t deep, but he was so startled he couldn’t climb out right away.

As he flailed and kicked, Haban had leapt into the stream without a thought for his soaked clothes, pulling the drenched white fox into his arms.

Just like Dori, who shivered from the cold, Haban had clung to him desperately, his body trembling violently.

‘I will never… let you leave me.’

Hearing that deep, unknowable voice murmuring to himself over and over, Dori had dug his claws into Haban’s sleeve.

The guards, arriving later than the Emperor, urged Haban to hand over the wet fox so they could dry him quickly, but on the way back to the secluded house, Haban had kept the soaked Dori tightly in his arms.

“At least we were able to summon the physician right away. Honestly, I can’t take my eyes off you for a moment.”

“That’s why I took the medicine you gave me and stayed quietly in bed, didn’t I…?”

To be precise, it was because he was too exhausted to get up—but the result was the same, wasn’t it?

And besides, in the morning, before he’d even opened his eyes, Haban—worried about him catching a cold—had crawled under the covers and tormented him until Dori was completely drained.

*¹ Yeon(演) — A place name in the story’s setting. Its exact historical or geographical equivalent is unclear, but it is treated as a distinct region separate from the Jiang River area.