Chapter 318: Reunion and Return
As I began the journey back, I occasionally checked on the state of the remaining seven vagrants. A cold tension hung between them now.
The potion I gave to Baek Seoyeon was enough to save exactly two people. She chose to use it on her loyal followers, Lee Gain and Lee Haein.
I wondered what thoughts crossed Jung Hyunwoo and Shin Ahyoung’s minds as they lay dying. And how did the remaining vagrants feel as they watched?
The answer soon became clear. After that night, everyone except Baek Seoyeon and the two she saved expressed a desire to defect. Baek Seoyeon’s once unyielding demeanor had noticeably diminished. Even someone as tough as her couldn’t shake off the memory of that night’s events, and her expression remained dark.
Initially, the users seemed puzzled by the reduced number of vagrants. However, thanks to the priest’s persuasive words, they soon acted as I had hoped.
One change that followed was that the users’ harassment now focused on Baek Seoyeon and her loyalists. While the remaining four weren’t exactly treated well, the bullying had significantly decreased, and they received regular rations of food and water.
Now, we continued our journey, maintaining a semblance of formation. We had left the forest and crossed the grasslands three days ago. The area beyond the lush fields was a barren wasteland, a stark contrast to the grasslands, with not a single blade of grass in sight.
Though the open expanse was similar to the grasslands, I felt a sense of relief upon entering the sandy plains. This was familiar territory, and I could navigate it with confidence. I pushed us to march relentlessly, pausing only for essential breaks, and as a result, we reached the midpoint of the plains, known as the “King’s Tomb,” faster than expected.
“Wow.”
“Whoa. Whoa.”
Ansol and the young assassin, Gu Yejin, couldn’t contain their awe at the excavated ruins. The King’s Tomb had a structure reminiscent of a pentagram, symbolizing sanctity, with a central sanctuary that exuded the grandeur of a pyramid.
After whispering with Gu Yejin for a while, Ansol ran over to me, her face full of curiosity.
“Brother. Brother! I have a question.”
“Sure, what is it?”
“This is the King’s Tomb you discovered, right? But it’s so huge. How come it wasn’t found until now?”
“Ah, that’s simple. Do you remember when we discovered Vivian’s dungeon?”
Ansol blinked for a moment at my counter-question, but soon her expression changed from confusion to realization. She clapped her hands in understanding.
“Oh! It’s the path barrier!”
“Exactly. You’re smart. But how did you know I discovered the King’s Tomb?”
I ruffled her hair as I asked, and Ansol squirmed, a sheepish grin on her face.
“Hehe. You said I’m smart… I just happened to read about it in a record when I sneaked into your room once… Hehehe.”
“What?”
I couldn’t believe my ears for a moment.
Come to think of it, things in my office had occasionally gone missing. I hadn’t thought much of it, assuming Go Yeonju had tidied up, as it was usually just empty teacups that disappeared.
Glancing over, I saw Ansol frozen in place, her face clearly saying, “I’m caught.”
“Uh, uh…”
“Ansol, you little…”
I spoke sternly, and Ansol clamped her lips shut, determined to remain silent. I was about to step forward, thinking it was time to teach her a lesson, when—
“Suhyeon.”
Go Yeonju’s voice called out to me. She had stopped walking and was looking around.
“What’s up?”
“Just a moment.”
Go Yeonju, unusually serious, signaled everyone to stop and stared intently in one direction. I heightened my senses, focusing on the direction she was looking, and activated both detection and occupation.
Zap!
‘Huh?’
Within the wide range I spread out, I sensed a powerful magical presence. It was so intense that even from a distance, I felt a slight tingling sensation.
“Go Yeonju, direction and distance?”
“It seems to be approaching from slightly east… No, it’s almost the same. If we follow this path, we’ll definitely encounter it. I can’t gauge the exact distance yet, but with such strong magic… it might be soon…”
”…”
“What should we do? It’s too dangerous to just ignore it.”
I pondered Go Yeonju’s words. I had chosen this path because it was the quickest route to Eden. The King’s Tomb was supposed to be a cleared and somewhat stabilized area, so I hadn’t expected any major threats. But my assumptions were wrong.
Other users might use this path, but given the current chaotic situation, the ominous aura was too intense to dismiss.
‘Wait a minute. This magic…’
I was about to order preparations for a possible battle when I recognized the familiar magic and lowered my hand. Hoping I was wrong, I addressed the users.
“We’ll move towards the source of the magic. I’ll lead, but everyone should be prepared for anything.”
With that, I quickly headed in the direction of the magic.
“Sister, thank you…”
“Huh?”
I heard Ansol’s relieved sigh behind me.
After about 20 minutes of brisk walking, the intensity of the magic and the ominous aura grew stronger.
Ahead, I saw dust swirling violently, as if someone was using wind magic to rush towards us. I stopped and watched the center of the dust cloud. Sure enough, someone was approaching at incredible speed.
‘I can’t believe this.’
I enhanced my vision to identify the figure and sighed deeply. Despite my hopes, it was exactly who I feared.
As the dust-raising figure drew near, I raised my hand quietly. He glanced at me and continued past, leaving a trail of wind. Three seconds later, the sound of magic clashing with the ground echoed around us.
“Suhyeon?”
”…Phew.”
The oppressive aura that had been prickling my skin vanished in an instant.
“Suhyeon? Suhyeon!”
”…Yeah.”
The dust-raising figure was my brother, Kim Yuhyeon. Despite my hopes, he shattered my expectations.
“Suhyeon…!”
“Hold on, brother.”
He looked ready to rush over and embrace me, so I stopped him in advance.
“I’m fine. I’m not hurt anywhere. So, please, lower your arms.”
“Oh? Oh, okay.”
There were many eyes watching. I wanted to avoid rumors of “Kim Yuhyeon and Kim Suhyeon have a brother complex.” My brother hesitated for a moment, then obediently lowered his left arm.
“The right arm too.”
”…”
‘Did you think I wouldn’t notice you were about to ruffle my hair?’
Perhaps embarrassed by my cold response, he slowly lowered his right arm. Yet, the longing look he gave my head made me wonder if it was coated in honey.
With everyone watching, my brother and I slowly closed the distance between us.
“Suhyeon, are you hurt anywhere? Hmm?”
“No, I’m just a bit tired, but I’m okay.”
“Phew… That’s a relief. So, you’re coming from Mule?”
“Yeah. But what are you doing here, brother?”
I didn’t really expect an answer. I had a hunch, and I shot him a sharp look. Sensing the edge in my voice, he quickly averted his gaze and cleared his throat.
“Suhyeon, why are you speaking like that? It hurts. You said you were going to Mule… But then things happened, and I was worried about you…”
“Sigh… So, you came here alone without any plan?”
“No, that’s not it…”
“Will you be quiet?”
Raising my voice in frustration, my brother scratched his head awkwardly.
‘What on earth is he thinking?’
What if Go Yeonju hadn’t sensed the magic? What if he had entered Mule without knowing I was returning, and we missed each other?
The thought was terrifying. I might have lost him without the chance to make things right in this second chance.
After glaring at him for a while, I closed my eyes with a deep sigh, trying to calm my racing heart with deep breaths. It felt like everything was my fault. If only I had prepared a long-distance communication crystal, this wouldn’t have happened.
“Do you even realize how reckless this is? Do you know how many people are there? What were you planning to do alone…?”
“Haha… Suhyeon, I didn’t come alone.”
I opened my eyes, wondering what the commotion was about, and saw my brother pointing in one direction.
There, a group of users was sprinting towards us, panting heavily.
“Huff, huff, huff, huff!”
“Gasp, gasp, gasp, gasp!”
The users who had successfully escaped were sprawled on the ground, catching their breath, while others looked on awkwardly. Some of them were so out of breath that their faces had turned pale. To an outsider, we might have looked like a rescue team.
I was just as taken aback. My brother hadn’t come alone, as he had said. Among the crowd, I recognized most of the Mercenary Clan members, the Hamill Clan, and even Han Clan’s Clan Lord, Seong Hyun-min.
“Oh, brother?”
“Huff, huff! So, Sol! Bro, brother! Huff, huff!”
As An Sol ran over with wide eyes, An Hyun could only manage a brief response before resuming his heavy breathing. I shot my brother a questioning look, but he was already gazing off into the distance.
With a sigh, I approached the clan members who were still catching their breath. Among the many users, the clan members stood out to me the most after my brother.
I bent down to a woman with light blue-tinted hair who was quietly spitting on the ground. Sensing my approach, she quickly wiped her mouth and looked up. It was Jeong Ha-yeon.
”…Are you alright?”
“Huff, huff! I-I’m fine. Huff, huff!”
”…”
“Huff! But, why do I feel like the question is, huff, reversed?”
Despite their exhaustion, Jeong Ha-yeon’s comment elicited light laughter from those around us.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, I glanced around at the clan members. Everyone was there except for Baek Han-gyeol and the baby unicorn.
Though they all looked tired, there was a sense of relief on their faces as they looked at me. Especially Lee Yoo-jung, who seemed to have something to say but was only wiping her eyes and sniffling.
Honestly, I was a bit puzzled. It made sense for my brother to come since he liked me, but I hadn’t expected all of them to rush here to save me.
Perhaps their exhaustion was due to the release of tension they’d been holding in. As I pondered what to say to the clan members, I finally spoke up, trying to sound nonchalant.
“Why did you all come? It must have been a hassle.”
“Soo-hyun, how can you say that? You’re our Clan Lord, and we’re your clan members. We were worried. Once we knew you were alive, we couldn’t just sit and wait.”
”…You knew I was alive?”
“Yes. Thanks to Vivian.”
Jeong Ha-yeon had finally caught her breath and was speaking in her usual voice. When I looked over at Vivian, she was lying on the ground, seemingly devoid of any sense of embarrassment.
Hearing her name, Vivian turned her head slightly towards me, gave a cheeky nod, and then pulled out a document the size of an A4 sheet from her pocket.
It was the contract of subservience between Vivian and me.
---------------------------= Author’s Note ---------------------------=
Phew. It’s hot again today. I wonder when it will finally cool down.
Actually, I should mention now that when I created the character Kim Soo-hyun, I was inspired by a character from the movie “Public Enemy,” Lee Won-sul. I vaguely remember a line from the movie when Kang Chul-joong meets Lee Won-sul in the orchard. It was something like, “You show your kid only the good things and let them do only good things, but you treat other people’s kids like that?” I found it quite entertaining, so if you haven’t seen it yet, I recommend it! :D
『 Reader Comments 』
삼권분립: Congratulations on being first. As you said, you claimed the top spot quickly. Haha. :)
블라미: Oh dear, for five whole days… Where have you been… Sniff. Ah, I gave a brief answer to a similar question in a previous comment, but explaining everything about the vagrants here would take too long. There are many reasons, and it’s not just a simple division between users and vagrants. To explain properly, I’d have to delve into the ‘origin’ of the vagrants and their current ‘origin’… Hmm, that’s a spoiler, so I’ll keep it a secret. Haha. I’ll include it in the story as it progresses. :)
우사인볼트: Thank you for the coupon. (__) I’ll continue to work hard.
이터시온: Yes, understood. You’ll likely see Soo-hyun and his group complete their return in the next chapter. Haha. There’s still a lot of fun to come. :)
유운[流雲]: Correction completed. Thank you.
명박짱의양양합일: No, I’m neither gay nor a woman. I’m just a man with a healthy view of the opposite sex. Please believe me. Please. ㅜ.ㅠ
아키츠키: It’s said that humans are creatures of self-justification. I’ve been there myself. In “Memorize,” this aspect is heavily reflected. It’s romance when I do it, but an affair when someone else does it.
초요: Thank you for the comment. I hope my novel helps you end your day on a good note. :)
zjekfksqlc: I filled up my credits this time, but is it really that tough? I’ve never experienced it, so I can’t quite grasp it. ㅜ.ㅠ
hohokoya1: Thank you. I’ll do my best to balance both my grades and my novel! :D
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