Though there was a light mist, the morning sky was clear and calm. Yet, Mercenary Castle was anything but peaceful at dawn. It wasn’t chaotic, but when Lee Yoo-jung guided the injured boy down the stairs, most of the clan members had already gathered in the central square, murmuring among themselves.
“Yeah, I wonder what’s going on so early in the morning… huh?”
Nam Da-eun, who had been talking with a serious expression, noticed Yoo-jung hesitating on the stairs and gave a tentative greeting. Instantly, countless eyes turned toward the staircase. Maybe it was because of yesterday’s festival. Yoo-jung, caught between whether to go or not, froze under the weight of all those gazes and awkwardly descended the steps.
“Can you explain what happened?”
Nam Da-eun asked bluntly, as if yesterday’s incident didn’t matter at all.
“I’m not exactly sure…”
Yoo-jung trailed off, glancing around. Everyone’s faces were filled with curiosity, completely indifferent to the tearful episode from before. Suddenly, the serious worries that had consumed her all night felt pointless. She felt foolish, as if she’d been made a fool of.
“But you were the first to find him, right? Just tell us exactly what you saw.”
Pressed to speak, Yoo-jung reluctantly recounted what had happened in the early hours.
“I see…”
Lim Han-na nodded thoughtfully as she listened. When Yoo-jung finished, she smiled gently and quietly pulled the hesitant girl closer. Yoo-jung startled and tried to pull away, but the soft embrace was irresistible, and she buried her face against Han-na’s warm chest.
“I was wondering why you were covered in blood. Our little crybaby’s had a rough morning, huh?”
“Crybaby? …Oh. Yeah, the blood.”
“It’s okay, it’s okay. But what were you doing in the garden so early?”
“W-well…”
Yoo-jung stammered. She felt embarrassed to tell the truth and couldn’t think of a good excuse. Like a child, she just buried her head and hoped to get through it. But just then, an unexpected savior appeared.
“She was training.”
Heo Jun-young suddenly cut in, blurting out the words. Yoo-jung glanced at him blankly, her expression slowly shifting to one of stunned confusion.
Han-na looked at Yoo-jung with wide eyes.
“Training? At this hour? Really?”
“Uh, yeah?”
Yoo-jung gave a weak response.
“Hmm. I didn’t think she was that kind of person. But I guess she’s not completely clueless.”
“Yes. I saw it with my own eyes. I was surprised too. She was sweating buckets, moving like crazy.”
Nam Da-eun muttered to herself, clearly taken aback. Heo Jun-young, though known as the fearless ‘Silent Executor,’ spoke with unusual deference. He knew better than to challenge the ‘Shadow Queen’ or the ‘Sword Marquis’—he had no chance against them and knew it wasn’t worth the trouble.
As Heo Jun-young confirmed the story, strange looks spread through the crowd. Yoo-jung, overwhelmed by the attention, didn’t know what to do. Then, another unexpected helper appeared on the stairs.
“Yaaawn.”
A short-haired woman in a white priest’s robe descended, covering her mouth in a cute yawn. The crowd’s attention immediately shifted to An Sol.
“Can you explain what happened?”
“Huh? I don’t really know.”
“But you must have been treating him. Just tell us what you saw.”
“Um…”
The same back-and-forth as before.
An Sol hesitated, then tilted her head and spoke.
“Well, I did manage to save him. He’s conscious now and talking with my brother.”
“You saved him?”
“Yes. The wounds were terrible. He should’ve died several times over, but somehow he survived. …Wait, how did he even get here?”
“…And?”
Nam Da-eun’s eyes narrowed sharply, sensing something was off. Her question was simple: whenever an incident happened, a full meeting was called immediately. Especially in urgent situations, meetings and missions moved at lightning speed. It was better to know a little than nothing, to keep things running smoothly.
Usually, Go Yeon-ju handled this, but today she was nowhere to be seen, so Nam Da-eun took charge.
“Right. Also, I saw my brother purifying the boy.”
“Purifying?”
“You know, like a clear flame burning brightly.”
“Could it be that he was possessed by something strange? Like when we entered the Ice Forest…”
“No, it wasn’t that. I asked, and my brother said no.”
“Really? Then what happened?”
An Sol shook her head firmly. Someone else asked, clearly clueless, but no one had a clear answer. Everyone was equally in the dark.
Then—
“The Clan Lord has called a meeting. Everyone, please gather in the first-floor conference room.”
A soft yet steady voice broke the silence in the square. The speaker was a woman dressed as a maid, but not one to be underestimated. The red emblem on her left chest marked her as the head maid and a direct subordinate of Go Yeon-ju.
Nam Da-eun stepped forward and asked, “How is the Clan Lord?”
“Unfortunately, not well,” the head maid replied smoothly. This was a familiar exchange they always had before important meetings.
“Not well?”
“Yes. He’s trying not to show it outwardly, but his discomfort is clear. He seems deeply displeased—worse than during the ‘Sleeping Dragon Mountain Range’ incident.”
The head maid’s insight into Kim Soo-hyun’s mood was precise. Go Yeon-ju hadn’t assigned her as head maid for nothing.
Putting that aside, Nam Da-eun clicked her tongue. If it was worse than the Sleeping Dragon Mountain incident, it meant something truly serious had happened.
“You should head to the meeting room now. Let’s go.”
“As you all know, please be especially careful about what you say during this meeting. Let’s get started.”
With a calm warning, Nam Da-eun led the way.
The situation was far more serious than expected.
Kim Soo-hyun sat at the head of the room, chain-smoking cigarettes. His expression was blank, but as the maid had said, his displeasure seeped through in subtle ways. His eyes betrayed a deep dissatisfaction. The room was heavy with silence.
It would have been nice if he said something, but he only smoked, occasionally lost in thought. Clan members sat quietly in their assigned seats, all watching each other nervously.
By the time the fourth cigarette butt was tossed aside—
Tap, tap!
Suddenly, a noise shattered the silence.
A woman rushed in—Go Yeon-ju, who had been missing earlier.
“Soo-hyun! He’s gone!”
She shouted as soon as she entered, drawing all eyes. What could be missing?
“Did you search everywhere?”
“East, west, south, north. We checked all the outer cities. But the resident guards you mentioned are nowhere to be found. They seem to have disappeared right after the boy was brought here at dawn.”
“Damn it.”
“First, about the boy…”
Go Yeon-ju faltered, but Kim Soo-hyun shook his head, crushing his cigarette.
“He’s currently resting. We’ve heard everything we need. There’s no need for him to attend the meeting.”
“But what if, like before…”
“They’re not a gang. Just pawns. Sit down. We need to proceed.”
“Understood.”
Go Yeon-ju quickly took her seat.
Kim Soo-hyun exhaled deeply.
After a moment, he began in a quiet voice.
“I owe you all an apology…”
“The situation is extremely urgent. This is a matter of life and death, so I ask for your understanding. I’ll explain as we go, but first, I will announce the personnel assignments.”
At that moment, the room erupted in murmurs.
“For your information, departure is scheduled for tomorrow at dawn.”
That one sentence caused the noise to swell. They had been given seven days’ notice during the Sleeping Dragon Mountain incident. Kim Soo-hyun was known for thorough preparation, whether for expeditions or missions. But leaving tomorrow? Less than a day’s notice? Unheard of.
But the real shock came with the personnel announcement, which defied all expectations.
Close Combat Class: Kim Soo-hyun, Nam Da-eun, Heo Jun-young.
Archer Class: Lim Han-na.
Mage Class: Kim Han-byul, Jung Ha-yeon, Jegal Hae-sol, Sarah Jane, Ha Seung-woo.
Priest Class: An Sol, Shin Jae-ryong.
Special Class: Baek Han-gyeol.
An assignment beyond anyone’s wildest imagination.
There were three points that stood out. First, the usual names—Go Yeon-ju and Vivian—were missing from the list. Second, the archer chosen wasn’t Seon Yoo-woon, but Im Han-na. And most striking of all, the selection of mages was incredibly unconventional. Everyone was curious. Why had Kim Soo-hyun arranged the lineup this way?
“That’s all for now. The five mages I just called will come to my office one by one after the meeting. I have urgent matters to discuss regarding the upcoming expedition.”
With that, Kim Soo-hyun brushed off their questions about the interviews and turned his gaze to Go Yeon-ju.
“User Go Yeon-ju. Contact the Magic Tower, Istantel Row, and the Hamill Clan immediately. Arrange for a meeting.”
“Excuse me? A meeting?”
“Just tell them we need the best mages from each clan.”
“Uh…”
Go Yeon-ju scratched her cheek, puzzled. So, what Kim Soo-hyun was saying was that they needed outside help. But they already had the most mages of any group—why would they need more? And if it was the top mages from each clan…
“…Understood.”
Still, she quickly pushed aside her doubts and shook her head. There had to be a reason she didn’t understand yet. After all, Kim Soo-hyun had never once made a wrong decision.
With that thought, Go Yeon-ju left the room, and silence fell over the meeting hall once again.
Finally, Kim Soo-hyun spoke.
“I can explain the details on the way and after we return… but there’s one thing I want to say now.”
His voice was low and cold, yet laced with magic, it etched itself clearly into everyone’s ears. The clan members, unable even to exhale, found themselves drawn in, hanging on his every word.
“Of course, this might be premature speculation. But after hearing all the circumstances, I believe our Atlanta may be facing a dangerous crisis. …That is my current conviction.”
Rising from his seat, Kim Soo-hyun’s eyes slowly scanned the room, carrying a weighty seriousness. Then, gripping his sword by the sheath, he slammed it down with force.
“I won’t say much more. I will personally lead this expedition, and failure is not an option. This mission must succeed—no, it will succeed.”
Bang!
The clash of sword hilt against table echoed sharply through the quiet chamber.
Finally, his words, “That is all,” marked the end of the meeting.
It was the king’s direct rule in action—his first in a long time.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Ah, my mouth is itching to say so much! I can already anticipate readers’ questions, and I have plenty I want to share, but dropping hints here would spoil the fun, right? Also, I got scolded yesterday for spoilers in the previous chapter. Haha.
By the way, I’m still considering whether to implement a spoiler warning system. I’m hesitant because I’m afraid of a repeat of what happened the day before yesterday. What do you all think? Would you prefer having a spoiler warning system? I’d appreciate your feedback. (__)