SAFBIAN Ch 147

Chapter 147

Meanwhile, Haban had been on edge ever since Dori came outside. His appearance was as usual, but the suspicion arising from the earlier situation refused to fade.

Does he truly not remember the past? Or is he just pretending not to remember? Is he deceiving me to lower my guard and then planning to transform into a fox and run away?

Haban couldn’t believe that pure Dori would be so calculating, but recalling how he treated him in the past made it hard to trust anything.

Suspicion flared and died out like a wildfire.

“…That’s what I’m told.”

In the midst of it all, after hearing Jipyeong’s full report, Haban sighed shortly.

The Shadow Assassins had pursued Yungak closely, managing to locate a village scarcely passed by him recently.

However, it was no longer a proper village. By the time they found it, it had been entirely burned down, leaving only the ruins. It was unclear why Yungak passed by, but it was a shame to lose an entire village needlessly.

“What happened to those who lived there?”

“One person is dead; one missing and one injured; the rest survived.”

It was fortunate that there were few injuries. Though the loss of their homes was harsh, life was more precious than anything.

“Food supply must be the immediate priority. With winter approaching, cold will also be a concern. Send word to other villages to provide urgent supplies.”

“Your Majesty, there is more to report.”

Clicking his tongue, Haban ordered immediate support for necessary goods. Then, Jipyeong hesitated briefly before speaking.

It seemed that the Shadow Assassins, while searching for Moran’s trail around the village, accidentally witnessed a human turning into a fox, and upon investigating, realized it was likely Dori’s hometown.

Haban closed his eyes tiredly and rubbed his brow.

…That place. The village he had burned down demanding Dori be handed over in a past life. Why, even though it wasn’t his doing, had events become the same as in the past?

“But that’s not all…”

Jipyeong’s tone faltered, then he continued with difficulty.

The Shadow Assassins reported hearing the beastmen of that village repeatedly cursing someone, calling him “that cursed pale fellow” and other hateful names—referring to Dori.

A foul, cursed spirit.

He was not a creature to be accepted by the village.

They said he should have been driven out or killed long ago.

They vented every hateful, vicious word they could think of. Upon learning how Dori was treated in that village, the Shadow Assassins felt no desire to help them at all.

Even just hearing that anger rose in them, and if Haban was fiercely protective of Dori, no doubt his feelings would rage even stronger.

No surprise, then.

“Is that so…”

Haban spoke coldly, grinding out the words.

“Destroy everything without leaving a trace.”

“…Yes?”

It was a village he had personally burned down in a past life. He had hidden Dori as a precious white fox, believing he could keep him safe. But in the end, he was unjustly punished by fate.

So, following the fox god’s warning, he deliberately avoided visiting the village when Dori disappeared, not only because Dori was surely not there, but because he saw no connection.

But the beastmen there deserved this punishment.

“Capture those fools and send them to the labor camps. As long as they don’t die, they may be put to use.”

His voice was flat but filled with bitter hatred. Jipyeong bowed obediently, then took a step back.

Haban looked back at Dori.

What thoughts occupied that small head? The burning of that village especially troubled him. It felt like the shadow of the past stalked him relentlessly, holding him back by the ankle.

Just then, Dori, playing with a chick, sensed his gaze and looked up. The bright sunlight fell on his pale face, blurring his features.

“…”

It felt ominous.

As if Dori was going to disappear somewhere.

Hori finally opened her eyes after several days.

“Ah, you woke up! Finally!”

An elder noho standing nearby shouted outside.

They lifted the long cloth covering what should have been a door to peer inside.

“Are you alright, Hori?”

“Can you see us?”

Hori only blinked, unable to open her mouth. Her mouth was dry; she couldn’t even produce saliva.

Seeing her barely move her lips, the elder wet a cloth and pressed it to her mouth to relieve her thirst a little. There was nothing else possible at the moment.

Hori’s body bore wounds and burns. Though treated with ointments and bandages, it would still be difficult to move once they were removed.

But the worst damage was to her beautiful face. Not only burns but long scratches across her entire face, as if slashed with a blade.

It surely looked like she had been butchered with a knife. The wounds were so deep that scars would remain even after healing.

Even the young foxes who disliked Hori looked away, saddened by her state. The elder nohos swallowed their tears and carefully covered her with straw instead of a blanket.

It seemed that earlier, when found, in addition to half her body being burned, Hori’s whole body was bruised and broken as if beaten.

The elder nohos believed Wonwoo was responsible, but the younger foxes doubted he would do such a thing and remained silent.

“…It’s good that she regained consciousness.”

The foxes roughly dusted off her dirty clothes and brought her inside.

Since every house in the village had burned, they had set up temporary huts for communal living. Hori lay in one of those. One fox, feeling cramped, soon left.

Watching all this, Hori suddenly realized something strange.

…Wonwoo was nowhere to be seen.

“…Ugh, ugh…”

She groaned, searching for her father, the elder.

“Huh? What did you say?”

An elder noho grabbed her hand urgently, which caused a pain as if thousands of needles pricked her skin.

“Ugh…! Ugh…”

Her whole body ached so much she couldn’t even move a finger. She wanted to scream but couldn’t open her lips, so the sound was swallowed inside her throat.

Hori closed her eyes again.

She thought if she just slept, it would all be a dream. Yes, it had to be. This couldn’t be reality. It was just a terrible nightmare.

Hori, believing she had done nothing wrong, drifted back to sleep.

“Moran is inciting the people.”

Jipyeong reported gravely.

Moran had been setting fires randomly to evade the Shadow Assassins’ pursuit, blaming Haban for the destruction. He claimed the emperor’s anger at someone stealing the white fox had caused the village to suffer his wrath.

Though none of the other villages had burnt down to ruins like the first, it was troublesome to extinguish the fires since Moran mostly acted at night.

The damage was severe, with many marked on the map. It could worsen further.

Haban stared quietly at the map, then pointed to a place.

“Send half the imperial army there.”

Fortunately, there was one village left untouched. Several villages clustered near the mountain; all but one were ablaze, the one Haban pointed to remained clean.

Presumably Moran unconsciously avoided the place where Yungak stayed or it was a gathering point.

“Tell Geumhu to hurry.”

Though the Shadow Assassins helped detect fires quickly, that was all.

Dressed in all black and appearing suspicious, they startled people and were suspected as arsonists themselves. Yet, they could not ignore those in danger and felt awkward.

Now, Geumhu, with the emperor’s approval, would act. More personnel and supplies would be sent to the villages. Geumhu also aimed to suppress false rumors spread by Moran.

‘So insignificant a person.’

Three new locations had already been added to the map today in red. Haban’s face grew colder.

Typically, wars have clear winners and losers. Even without annihilation, war ends once the tides turn.

But rebellions were different. They could only end when all roots were eradicated, or the leader killed.

In his past life, Yungak was a man who upheld the middle path. His maternal clan was weak and had no strong foothold, so he was not a major threat. He remained quiet, barely noticeable.

Unless he made great achievements in scholarship or martial arts, his handsome looks earned him only admiration, and the previous emperor hadn’t considered him a contender for succession.

He began to rise only after Haban took the throne.

Usually, royal blood was required to leave the palace upon marriage. But the previous emperor adored Yungak because he inherited the beauty of the empress, so even after her death, he remained unmarried and in the palace.

Only after the previous emperor died was Yungak allowed to leave, staying mostly by the Yangtze River. Reports of his cunning reached the palace, along with rumors of a tyrant emperor.

At that time, Haban had lost Dori and was mentally absent. Even if he had seen the events, it wouldn’t have mattered; he no longer cared what would become of the empire after his death.

But in this life, watching Yungak, he realized the empire would have fallen if Yungak had died. It wouldn’t have been long after.

The fox god’s warning not to repeat the past was why Dori was sent back and why he also returned to the past.

Before finding Dori in the mountains, Haban had planned to hand the throne to either Yungak or Geumhu, believing he alone had traveled back and expecting to die on the same day. He only intended to lead him down the wrong path.

Even after finding Dori, his plans did not change. That was why Yungak remained in the palace and Geumhu was given a chance.

In the past, he married Geumhu to Princess Jin-ui to maintain peace between the empire and another country. This time, he switched the arrangement to Jipyeong, hoping that Geumhu, not being of royal blood, would become a stable foundation if he ascended to the throne.

Haban set aside his thoughts and looked at Jipyeong before him.

He roughly understood the relationship between the two. Talks of marriage proposals had passed, and Geumhu’s decision to marry had strained their relationship. While staying here, the two exchanged letters using Jipyeong as an excuse, changing their relationship.

Haban narrowed his eyes then returned his gaze to the map.

“There’s no need to capture them alive.”

His voice was cold but resolute, expressing his determination to end this by killing the last remaining bloodline.