Into the Fragrance of the Sword (3)
Jong Cheon-Rak revealed the top-secret information he had not spoken of until now.
“You must know that the Demonic Cult has revived.”
“There are such circumstances.”
Gal Sa-Ryang subtly pointed out that it was not a completely established fact.
“No. That matter is certain.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because one of the experts of the Demonic Cult has expressed his intention to defect to us.”
Gal Sa-Ryang was startled.
“Who is it?”
“I do not know either. But it is certain that he is a figure of considerable position within the Demonic Cult. Do you now understand why I did not give up this operation?”
“Even if that is true, the fact that they are attacking us means they have already realized we are trying to make contact with him, does it not? He must already be dead.”
“That should not be the case. They said he activated a powerful formation in the Sword Fragrance Forest so that no one could enter. At the promised time, he has promised to release the formation for us. He will not be able to hold out for long, so we must go as quickly as possible and bring him out.”
“How do you believe those words?”
“They say he sent definite proof that he is a demonic practitioner.”
“Did you see the proof?”
“The Alliance Lord saw it. That is why this order was given.”
“Ah!”
Gal Sa-Ryang must have felt the same, but I realized this was a perfect trap.
If it was an operation with this kind of content, then no matter what happened along the way, one could only go in time for the promised hour. It was an operation where even if attacked, one could not return. Rather, it was a situation where one had to forcefully increase speed.
Whoever the bastard was, he had dug a proper trap. Those bastards also had a mind like Gal Sa-Ryang’s among them.
“If the Demonic Cult comes into the world again, countless people will die. If we can rescue him, we will be able to wipe out the Demonic Cult bastards and stop the war beforehand. That is why our mission is truly of great importance.”
For Jong Cheon-Rak, whose will to protect Jianghu was strong and whose loyalty to the Grand Martial Alliance was high, it was a perfect snare. It was deception. The Demonic Cult absolutely had not revived.
“From yesterday to tomorrow, for three days, they said they would release the formation spread over the Sword Fragrance Forest for exactly one gak starting from the hour of the Rooster.”
“If we go without countermeasures, it will be dangerous.”
“I will not return. So if you intend to persuade me, do not waste your time.”
Gal Sa-Ryang looked back at me once. With his eyes, he asked for my opinion. I nodded once, expressing that it was right to follow his will.
If his mind would not change anyway, it would be better to move quickly.
Gal Sa-Ryang said to Jong Cheon-Rak,
“Let us go.”
It was not that he made this decision because I told him to go. Gal Sa-Ryang also intended to follow Jong Cheon-Rak’s opinion, but by asking my opinion, he had given me face.
“Good!”
Jong Cheon-Rak called his subordinates and gave several instructions.
The nearby Grand Martial Alliance branch was far away, so we could not hope for support. Moreover, Jong Cheon-Rak did not seem to have any intention of asking for it.
I took one item from my leather pouch and handed it to Gal Sa-Ryang.
“Please wear this.”
It was heart-protecting armor.
It was not an upper garment, but a small, easy-to-carry protective armor that protected only the heart.
“Where did you get this?”
“It is something I had.”
This heart-protecting armor was one of several items I had bought in the marketplace during the Golden Grand Banquet. Was it two thousand taels? It was too cheap for heart-protecting armor, but compared to its price, it was made fairly well, so I had bought it.
It would not be able to block the attack of a true expert, but it should block a stray sword once.
“You wear it. If there is fighting, will you not be the one to fight?”
“No. You must wear it, Strategist. Only then can I fight with peace of mind.”
I was wearing something more excellent than any protective item. Around my wrist, I wore the wrist-guard silk wound with the special heavenly silkworm thread used in the South Sea Fisherman’s fishing line.
“You?”
“At least on this matter, please follow my words.”
Gal Sa-Ryang looked at me. Though he tried not to show it, I could tell he was slightly moved.
“Understood.”
He put on the heart-protecting armor. I personally placed it over his heart.
Later, I will dress you in something truly good.
Right now, even if I wanted to dress him in such a thing, I was not in a position to do so. Even if I had a treasure garment, I could not casually hand over something worth tens of thousands of taels.
The martial artists watched as I fastened the heart-protecting armor on him. All of them looked somewhat envious. It was not that they envied the heart-protecting armor, but that they envied the fact that there was someone to fasten heart-protecting armor for him.
“How is it? Is it comfortable?”
“It is very good.”
“That is a relief. Please keep wearing it until you return after completing the mission.”
“I will.”
At this moment, Gal Sa-Ryang felt a strange sensation. He had thought he had brought along a young strategist to protect, but after our departure, he had instead felt a reassuring sense that he was being cared for by him.
Jong Cheon-Rak, who had finished preparing to depart, walked at the front and said,
“Hurry!”
An old man stood on a low hill with his hands clasped behind his back, looking at the forest visible in the distance. It was the place where the Heavenly Palace Unit had begun moving a little while ago.
“You failed even after mobilizing shields?”
“Yes.”
The middle-aged man standing behind him lowered his head as if ashamed.
“That can happen. What about our side’s losses?”
“Fifty died, and twenty were gravely injured.”
“How many of them did we reduce?”
“That is… we could not kill even one.”
The old man slowly turned his head back. At the sharp killing intent he emitted, the middle-aged man shrank his neck like a turtle.
“How could that happen?”
He had to answer well. If he made even the slightest mistake, his head would fly off. The old man was a very frightening person.
Yes, how could that happen?
It was something he himself had thought countless times while scolding his subordinates before standing in this place.
They could fail. Their opponent was the elite Heavenly Palace Unit of the Grand Martial Alliance.
But how could they fail to kill even one?
The answer the man found was this.
“The strategist who came along this time is the former Chief Strategist, Gal Sa-Ryang.”
“So? Did Gal Sa-Ryang quit being a strategist and become an unrivaled expert?”
When the old man asked coldly in return, the middle-aged man lowered his head deeply.
“I apologize.”
The old man turned his head again and looked at the scenery far away.
“Handle it within today.”
“I receive your command.”
Inwardly relieved, the middle-aged man launched his body away.
Feeling that it was his last chance, he gritted his teeth.
‘If I fail this time, I truly die.’
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Swiiiiish!
Because of that, the sword the middle-aged man thrust out truly contained the greatest technique of his life.
‘I can kill him!’
A chaotic melee had broken out, and he had lost dozens of subordinates again. He had thoroughly prepared for the fight against the Heavenly Palace Unit. He had prepared several methods to break their archery.
But somehow, they had not worked.
At first, he had spoken of Gal Sa-Ryang’s existence like an excuse, but now he even wondered whether it truly was because of that bastard that they could not break through.
In any case, by pouring in even more subordinates than in the previous attack, he had succeeded in approaching Jong Cheon-Rak.
‘If I kill only this bastard!’
If he killed only Jong Cheon-Rak, he would be able to annihilate them. At the very least, he himself could survive. Although his subordinates’ sacrifices had been great, so he would not receive a reward, today’s objective could still be achieved.
Jong Cheon-Rak drew his sword and blocked his sword.
Joy flashed across the middle-aged man’s face. He had succeeded in avoiding and knocking away those powerful arrows and approaching right in front of Jong Cheon-Rak’s nose.
If an expert in archery had failed to stop him with arrows, how could he stop him with a sword?
As if proving that, one of the Heavenly Palace Unit martial artists nearby urgently shouted for him to be careful.
‘If being careful were enough to block it, I would not be Black Hand Sword.’
The man was none other than Black Hand Sword. He had once been one of the most successful mercenary experts. It had been seven years since he had abandoned his identity and been recruited by the old man he had seen earlier.
At the very moment Black Hand Sword’s sword was about to stab into Jong Cheon-Rak’s heart.
Shoong! Clang!
A dagger flew from somewhere and knocked away his sword.
Considering the force of the sword and the grand internal energy contained in it, the thing flying in should have been knocked away. A mere dagger flying from afar could not interfere with his attack.
But a pain like his wrist was about to be severed surged in, and his sword veered to the side.
Thud!
The sword that had been stabbing toward Jong Cheon-Rak’s heart stabbed his right arm instead.
The opponent presumed to have thrown the dagger rapidly charged toward him.
He pulled out his sword and swung it toward him. But the opponent was far faster than he had imagined.
Swiiiish! Slice!
That was the last sound Black Hand Sword heard, and his last sensation was the feeling of something unpleasant cutting through his neck. It did not hurt at all.
Thud.
After cutting off the man’s head, I shouted toward Jong Cheon-Rak,
“Are you all right?”
“I am fine.”
Jong Cheon-Rak nodded while stopping the bleeding in his arm.
I had no time to examine him further. Another martial artist of the Heavenly Palace Unit beside me was in danger.
I flung my body toward him again.
Swiiiish!
Puaaaak!
The chest of the man who had been about to cut down the Heavenly Palace Unit martial artist split under my sword, and he collapsed.
The Heavenly Palace Unit martial artist who escaped danger shot arrows again.
Ping! Ping!
The men charging from ahead were struck by arrows and collapsed.
Daggers also flew continuously from my hand.
Swish, swish, swish!
A man who had been approaching Gal Sa-Ryang flipped over and collapsed.
Gal Sa-Ryang looked at me in surprise, but I had no leisure to receive that grateful gaze.
Infusing internal energy into my voice, I shouted,
“The enemy leader is dead! The leader is dead!”
That shout was effective. The momentum of the charging men died, and when I charged in, cut down several more, and shouted again, they all retreated at once.
It was the moment the mad attack that had lasted fifteen minutes ended.
“Take care of the injured!”
Regrettably, two martial artists of the Heavenly Palace Unit had died. They had died because they were caught by surprise when the battle began, so I could not protect them.
Eight people had been injured, and among them, three had suffered serious wounds.
I fed them internal injury medicine and applied wound medicine. Seeing me use the expensive medicines I had stored from before without sparing them, everyone was deeply moved.
“Thank you. If not for you, we might have suffered a great disaster.”
At Jong Cheon-Rak’s praise, I humbly said it was not so, but his words were true.
If I had not leaped about here and there and coordinated the fight, not a single martial artist of the Heavenly Palace Unit would have survived here.
That was how tenacious and powerful the bastards’ attack had been. Because everyone knew that, the gazes and attitudes with which they now treated me became very respectful and friendly.
Naturally, Gal Sa-Ryang was safe. Even while fighting, I had prioritized Gal Sa-Ryang’s safety above all else.
“I think we should leave this place for now.”
Jong Cheon-Rak accepted Gal Sa-Ryang’s suggestion.
“Let us do that.”
We took care of the injured and moved again.
We safely arrived at the Sword Fragrance Forest.
According to what Jong Cheon-Rak had originally said, there should be a formation set up here, and it would be released only at the hour of the Rooster.
But there was no formation in the Sword Fragrance Forest. There was no one who came out to greet us either.
It was the moment it became certain that this mission had been meant to kill Jong Cheon-Rak.
Gal Sa-Ryang let out a small laugh. It was also the moment he confirmed that Sima Tian had tried to kill even him. Of course, if this matter were questioned later, he would insist he had not known.
But Gal Sa-Ryang knew. Even if Sima Tian was incompetent, his instincts were astonishingly sharp. It was certain that he had tried to get rid of Gal Sa-Ryang together with him this time.
By contrast, Jong Cheon-Rak wore a more serious expression.
“What in the world happened here?”
“It seems we were deceived.”
“If we were deceived?”
How could he not know the terrifying meaning contained within those words?
“Their goal is to kill us.”
“Why would they try to kill us?”
“Because among the three major units, Unit Leader Jong is the only one who can oppose the Alliance Lord’s will.”
“I cannot believe that the Alliance Lord would try to kill me for such a reason.”
“You must believe it.”
“Why in the world?”
“Because I am here in this place.”
Jong Cheon-Rak flinched in surprise.
Himself and the former Chief Strategist, Gal Sa-Ryang. Yes. They certainly could be thorns in the Alliance Lord’s eye. But even so, if he tried to eliminate them like this, then that meant… Ma Bong-Gi truly was the worst kind of villain.
“Since we have come all the way here, let us go to the promised place and confirm it.”
Jong Cheon-Rak did not abandon hope until the very end. Gal Sa-Ryang obediently followed that suggestion.
“Let us do that.”
In any case, because of the injured, we could not immediately return right now. Whether we advanced a little more or retreated a little more, it made no difference.
Everyone entered the Sword Fragrance Forest.
The Sword Fragrance Forest was a vast forest. It was a place with treacherous paths where one could lose the way with the slightest mistake.
We walked cautiously toward its center.
At the center of that Sword Fragrance Forest was the Life-and-Death Pavilion, a holy site of the Blood Sky Cult. The Life-and-Death Pavilion was known as the place where the sacred object of the Blood Sky Cult was kept, but almost no one knew the details about it except Gal Sa-Ryang and me.
We had come here a very long time ago, and Gal Sa-Ryang remembered the path precisely. Even I, whose memory had improved, found this complicated forest path confusing, but Gal Sa-Ryang was finding the way accurately. As expected, his intelligence was not something I could compare with.
We supported and took care of the injured as we walked after Gal Sa-Ryang.
How long had we walked like that? Far away, the form of a seven-story pavilion came into view.
It was none other than the Life-and-Death Pavilion, one of the three great holy sites of the Blood Sky Cult.
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