HDCLSSRS Ch 172
by berryChapter 172 Reunion (2)
Baek Ryeoil searched every corner of the nearby forest.
The Demonic Cultists had apparently already finished plundering the village and fled, but he intended to eliminate any lingering threats that might still remain.
Moreover, several villagers had reportedly been taken away.
He had to find them.
…How dare they.
A slow-burning fury rose within him at the thought of those bastards committing such atrocities right under his nose before escaping.
Their trail led west.
Baek Ryeoil stared silently at the densely forested western ridge before clicking his tongue and turning around.
I’d better head back first.
The enemy had not left long ago. If he pursued them immediately, he could probably catch up.
But the disciple he had left behind in the village—Kang Ung—came to mind.
It would’ve been easier if that kid had simply returned to Mount Hua with Master.
Traveling with a young disciple was troublesome beyond measure.
When they had first left Mount Hua, Kang Ung had been incapable of doing even the simplest things. Baek Ryeoil had practically been forced to look after him every step of the way.
From the very beginning, Baek Ryeoil had never intended to make allowances simply because his disciple was young.
Had the boy complained even once…
He would have sent him straight back to Mount Hua.
But Kang Ung had followed him with astonishing perseverance.
Even after days of relentless forced marches, he had stubbornly dragged his cramping legs forward, refusing to give up.
That was why Baek Ryeoil had never managed to send him back.
Next time.
I’ll definitely send him back next time.
Yet even on the day he had taken his very first life…
Kang Ung, pale as a sheet, had merely bitten his lip until it bled.
Not a single tear had fallen.
He had endured.
Day after day.
Little by little.
Two years later, he had grown into a swordsman dependable enough for Baek Ryeoil to entrust with guarding his back.
Very few people had ever earned that level of trust from him.
Kang Ung was proudly among them.
A faint smile unconsciously appeared on Baek Ryeoil’s lips—
Only to vanish an instant later.
Rustle.
Movement.
Not far away.
Slowly, Baek Ryeoil rested a hand upon the hilt at his waist.
Every muscle in his body tightened, ready to explode into motion at any moment.
A figure finally emerged from the brush.
Recognizing him, Baek Ryeoil frowned.
“Hm? Emotionless Sword? What brings you here?”
The newcomer also released his grip on his own sword hilt after spotting Baek Ryeoil.
“Paeng Dohwan.”
The man carrying an enormous greatsword across his back was none other than Paeng Dohwan.
“So the rumors were true. They say whenever the Demonic Cult appears these days, you’re always the first to arrive. Seems you’ve even earned yourself an amusing nickname because of it, though I can’t say it rolls off the tongue very well.”
Baek Ryeoil merely raised an eyebrow, silently demanding an explanation.
Paeng Dohwan shrugged.
“I heard this village needed help. But where’s Lord Yakseon?”
He looked around.
“Yakseon?”
“Several villagers came running down the road looking terrified, grabbing anyone they could find and begging for help. They kept mentioning Lord Yakseon.”
“…It’s true the village was attacked by the Demonic Cult.”
“It seems Lord Yakseon got caught up in the incident somehow. We’ll know the details once we ask the villagers.”
Yakseon…
So she’d been hiding away in a place like this.
It was an unexpected discovery.
Three years ago, after treating everyone who had been poisoned, Yakseon had simply left behind the antidote formula and disappeared without a word.
No one had known where she’d gone ever since.
Coincidentally…
Baek Ryeoil had been intending to find her one day.
There was something he wanted to ask.
“Were you searching the surrounding area? Did you find anything?”
Baek Ryeoil shook his head.
“I don’t think they killed Yakseon. She’s useful enough that they would’ve taken her alive.”
“Then we’ll have to find her. First, let’s see how badly the village suffered.”
The two headed toward the village together.
“I heard you’ve been wandering the martial world. What happened to Mount Hua?”
“What about you? Why are you here instead of staying with your clan?”
“What else? They managed perfectly well without me before. I’m sure they’re doing just fine.”
A chill settled between them.
“Are you still upset over what happened? Come now, Great Hero, let it go. It was a long time ago.”
After a lengthy silence, Paeng Dohwan finally spoke teasingly.
Their last meeting had ended badly.
Paeng Dohwan had been convinced Baek Ryeoil was hiding Seong Muyon and had screamed at him like a madman.
Baek Ryeoil, meanwhile, had been in no emotional state to sympathize with a man who had lost his family.
The argument escalated until they nearly came to blows.
Only intervention from both the Paeng Clan and Mount Hua had stopped the fight.
Now, three years later…
They met again.
Baek Ryeoil silently examined Paeng Dohwan’s smiling face with cold eyes.
Behind the friendly smile still lingered unmistakable hostility.
Without question…
Paeng Dohwan still believed Baek Ryeoil had helped Seong Muyon escape.
“So narrow-minded.”
When no reply came, Paeng Dohwan narrowed his eyes.
Silence fell between them once again.
The two had never been particularly close to begin with.
Still…
Whenever they had crossed paths in the past…
There had always been someone else there to smooth things over.
Almost unconsciously, Paeng Dohwan glanced over his shoulder.
Two gigantic greatswords rested across his back.
Each was so massive that most people could not properly wield even one.
They resembled twins.
Baek Ryeoil guessed that one of them must be the only keepsake left behind by the late Paeng Wongeum.
“…I’ve always thought this, but the Demonic Cult truly fights dirty.”
Paeng Dohwan muttered suddenly.
He hadn’t specified a subject.
Yet Baek Ryeoil immediately understood whom he meant.
“I can’t help but agree.”
The expressions on both men’s faces became almost identical as thoughts of the Demonic Cult crossed their minds.
“You’re going after them too, aren’t you? Since we’re already here, why don’t we travel together? It’ll be more efficient.”
Baek Ryeoil hesitated briefly.
Traveling alongside someone who still suspected him—like Paeng Dohwan—would undoubtedly prove irritating.
Who knew what reckless thing the man might do?
Still…
Judging from the trail, the enemy force was considerable.
One more capable fighter would certainly help.
For once…
Baek Ryeoil decided to make an exception.
“All right.”
The two walked side by side, maintaining a subtle distance between them.
Before long, they reached the ruined village.
Ahead stood a shabby warehouse surrounded by a cluster of villagers.
The villagers rushed over the moment they saw them.
“Master!”
Kang Ung’s face lit up the instant he spotted Baek Ryeoil.
He looked just like an excited puppy welcoming its owner home.
Standing beside him was a short youth wearing a conspicuous owl mask.
So Yakseon really had been hiding somewhere nearby.
Baek Ryeoil disliked them immediately.
The eerie masks they constantly wore…
Combined with their unnaturally faint presence—so subtle that even he occasionally failed to notice them—
Left him with an unsettling feeling.
They scarcely seemed human.
That Owl Mask, in particular, radiated an especially disturbing sense of otherness.
To Baek Ryeoil…
They resembled unknown beings lurking within absolute darkness.
Until he knew what lay behind those masks…
He would never lower his guard.
But the Owl Mask wasn’t alone.
Another masked attendant stood nearby with his back turned.
It wasn’t strange for attendants to travel together.
Yet…
This one felt different.
A sense of dissonance.
He couldn’t tell what animal the mask depicted from behind.
But it was clearly another attendant.
And yet…
Unlike the others, this one lacked that subtle, uncanny aura that always kept Baek Ryeoil on edge.
Suddenly…
A strange premonition washed over him.
From somewhere, a single white flower petal drifted through the air.
The moment it passed before his eyes…
Time slowed.
Even the disciple hurrying toward him blurred into the background.
Only that single attendant held his gaze.
One after another…
His remaining senses followed.
It was a bizarre sensation.
Every one of his senses becoming vividly focused upon a single person.
“……”
Baek Ryeoil had experienced this feeling before.
No matter how many people surrounded him…
He had always been able to find one person instantly.
Just as the earth irresistibly drew all things toward itself…
His gaze had always been pulled toward only one person.
From an immense distance…
Even a glimpse of fluttering hair was enough.
Even the outline of a figure from head to toe…
Was enough.
“……”
His heart slammed violently against his ribs.
The flower petal touched the ground.
Time, which had seemed frozen only moments before, suddenly rushed forward once again.
A spark ignited in Baek Ryeoil’s eyes.
…
No way.