SAFBIAN Ch 149

Chapter 149

In the dead of night, a group clad in black swiftly ran through the forest.

They were the Shadow Assassins pursuing Moran under the emperor’s command. At their front, Seo-hon stared into the pitch-black forest as if indistinguishable from it. Ahead, Moran was desperately fleeing too.

‘How much farther?’

Seo-hon paused briefly.

It had been several days since they began chasing Moran. After discovering that a beastman village, likely inhabited by red foxes, had been completely burned to the ground, arson had occurred repeatedly elsewhere. Moran deliberately set fires to confuse and hinder them.

Unfortunately, his plan worked. Though they needed to track Moran urgently, they couldn’t ignore the desperate imperial citizens trying to put out the fires barehanded.

Meanwhile, resentment toward Moran grew. Every time they closed in, fierce battles broke out. The number of Moran’s men steadily dwindled.

During this, Seo-hon received contact from Jipyeong. The imperial army waited ahead and with the emperor’s order, they were to continue driving Moran in this direction.

‘This should be enough.’

Seo-hon stopped timing with his fingers to gauge the distance.

‘Let’s end it now.’

Probably the last chance.

The marked spot was near. They had driven Moran here by chasing him relentlessly without immediately capturing him.

With few of Moran’s number left, repeated clashes risked scattering the survivors.

Giving Moran enough time to flee reluctantly, Seo-hon signaled to the waiting Shadow Assassins before leading again.

Crunch, rustle.

In the deep silence, the sounds of feet stepping on dry leaves and the ground echoed swiftly.

“…!”

Soon after hastily moving, Seo-hon sensed something and stepped back quickly.

Then—thwack!—An arrow flew, embedding where Seo-hon had just moved from. Had he been slower, it would have struck him.

Seo-hon drew his sword and shouted,

“It’s an ambush!”

Before he finished, arrows rained from above. Moran was believed to have fled farther during the chase, but they were actually hiding, waiting for them.

“Ugh!”

Caught off guard, several Shadow Assassins fell wounded by arrows. The rest quickly took cover behind trees and in the shadows.

‘Damn it.’

Seo-hon roughly rubbed sweat from his chin.

He had been outwitted. He thought Moran would avoid open confrontation due to being outnumbered but didn’t expect such boldness. Caught off guard.

Screech, smack—!

As Seo-hon dodged, another arrow shot toward him. Exposing himself unprepared would mean getting pierced.

Now, a close-quarters fight was inevitable, though it would be difficult to fight without injury.

While both sides held their breaths tensely, Seo-hon made a choice.

“By the emperor’s order! Kill them all!”

Even Yungak, imperial bloodline, was no exception.

Hearing Seo-hon’s command, the Shadow Assassins charged toward the sensed presence of Moran nearby.

Ching! Ching!

As Moran shot arrows defensively, swords drew and clashed with ringing strikes all around.

After killing the Moran he faced, Seo-hon turned.

Initially, the Shadow Assassins struggled to move avoiding arrows but were advantaged once close. Then Moran scattered and fled again.

‘That was their plan.’

Seo-hon realized too late.

Moran intended to lure Yungak to escape in this chaos.

Seo-hon had tracked Yungak’s gaze while fighting Moran, but Moran’s entirely black attire made him hard to distinguish.

“Split up and chase them down! Don’t let anyone escape!”

They had to kill all because no one knew who Yungak was. The Shadow Assassins tore off in multiple directions like they were being torn apart.

Seo-hon gritted his teeth.

Shortly after, the Shadow Assassins flipped the last corpse. Lowering the bloodied mask revealed an unfamiliar face.

“…Are you sure this is the last?”

“Yes.”

He had chased and killed this last one.

Hearing this, Seo-hon was speechless.

What could this mean?

There was no trace.

Yungak’s body was nowhere to be seen.

A thin smoke of incense that calmed the body curled up. The room was dim, lit only by minimal candles to create a cozy atmosphere.

Haban sat beside the bed in a chair, watching Dori with heavy eyes.

Why now, of all times?

Dori had slipped back into a deep sleep. His still closed eyes made his pale face look like that of a dead man. Only his shallow rising chest and faint breath confirmed he was alive.

Haban murmured softly,

“…You must be very angry with me.”

He must have been startled by his sudden loud voice, disappointed too.

He had regretted this when Dori was kidnapped but had repeated the same mistake. Was this his punishment?

“Open your eyes and scold me if you will. Don’t lie there.”

It had been three days now.

At first, Haban thought Dori was just tired from long sleep, but after three days of unresponsiveness, he called for a doctor immediately.

The rushed doctor gave a useless diagnosis that Dori was simply sleeping. Seeing Haban’s grim face, Lady Jang hurriedly sent the doctor away.

Haban ordered guards to bring any other skilled doctors from neighboring villages. Though this rural area had few, anyone who claimed to know medicine was summoned.

Yet all gave the same answer:

‘He is merely in a deep sleep.’

Unable to find the cause of Dori’s sleep, Haban fell silent and looked despondent.

Since then, Haban sat vigil, keeping a chair by Dori’s bedside, fearing he might never wake. His blood was literally drying up day by day.

“Your Majesty. What shall we do?”

Tomorrow was the day to return to the palace.

Most of the luggage had been packed, but to leave on time, they had to finish packing now. With time tight, Lady Jang asked Haban for his decision.

“Give it a few more days. Have Jipyeong send word to the palace and bring medicine.”

Haban had no intention of leaving until Dori awoke.

He had also prepared medicine to strengthen Dori while he remained asleep.

Haban personally fed Dori spoonfuls, letting the medicine drip into his mouth. If he could not swallow, Haban kissed him. Remarkably, unconscious Dori swallowed the medicine without hesitation then. It was a relief.

After Lady Jang left, Haban gently smoothed the blanket over Dori.

“…I’m sorry.”

He whispered words long overdue, words he should have said right after his anger.

“Sigh.”

Haban slowly caressed Dori’s pale cheek.

Both mistakes lay with him.

Though he was given a second chance, he remained silent, thinking that because past and present Dori shared the same soul, he could make things right now. His guilt and anxiety weighed heavily, erupting at the smallest trigger.

Though outwardly claiming to care for Dori, his true feeling was clear: He never wanted Dori to leave him, forever ignorant of his past mistakes, staying by his side silently.

His past deceptions now returned to haunt him.

“…Dori.”

Haban bowed his head and pressed his lips to Dori’s ear.

Why had he asked about the northern villa? Why practice dodging arrows?

But he couldn’t ask.

If Dori was recalling as he once did, how could he still look at him so warmly? And why did he keep silent?

Questions piled up in his heart.

“…When you wake, I have many things I want to tell you.”

He wondered what dreams Dori was having now. Whatever they were, there was surely nothing good.

A wave of self-disgust surged.

Everything around was pure white. Thick snow piled on bare branches; he sat alone in the pristine snow without a single footprint around.

Dori stayed still, tilting his head.

‘What’s happening all of a sudden?’

Could it be he was returning to the start?

Dori scratched his black nose with a forepaw. The place felt just like where he first possessed the novel’s world, though the ice had melted now and the stream bubbled quietly.

Seeing his reflection in the water, he saw the face of a white fox.

Dori flicked his tail gently, and the reflection in the water flicked its tail in return.