When the Black Moon Rises - Chapter 82
Chapter 82
Ju Kyunghyun and his three guards crept across the hunting grounds silently, trying to detect even the slightest trace of their target.
It wasn't going well at all.
Riding on Cheonryeong's back, Ju Kyunghyun's face twisted in anger.
"It must be Baek Giha. That bastard is definitely protecting Sehwa. How else could a girl who just completed her exuviation hide her presence so perfectly?"
When Cheonryeong agreed with his words, the Young Lord's expression grew even more vicious.
"Indeed. Without help, neither Sehwa nor those three worthless attendants could evade your spiritual sense like this. How dare she forget her position as an Elder's daughter and involve the Baek clan in this? How dare she!"
At that moment, Cheonryeong suddenly asked, "Young Lord, did you see the culprit's face?"
Ju Kyunghyun fell silent for a moment.
Though the medicine from the Mystic Realm worked quickly, the healing process brought waves of excruciating pain.
Earlier, he hadn't been fully conscious, so no matter how hard he tried to remember, nothing came to mind.
But he had his pride as the Young Lord.
How could he admit that he didn't know who had done this to him?
'No. Even through my blurred vision, I saw them clearly. I just couldn't recognize their faces because they wore masks.'
"Yes. Though they wore masks and I couldn't identify their faces, they were all in black clothes. There can't be many such people here, so we'll find them when we spot them."
Just then, they all stopped in their tracks.
They had detected another Baek clan barrier in one direction.
"There! Over there!"
Ju Kyunghyun shouted, pointing in that direction.
The guards also rushed forward like arrows.
Ju Kyunghyun's hand clutched Cheonryeong's clothes so tightly it seemed he might tear them.
If only he had his bow, he would have shot dead all those who had done this to him.
"Cheonryeong, put me down here."
"What? You want to stay alone?"
This idiot, what nonsense was he spouting?
Grinding his teeth, Ju Kyunghyun unconsciously struck Cheonryeong's head as the guard carried him.
"What absurd nonsense is that? You need to protect me! I don't even have a weapon right now!"
"Then, with us..."
"If something happens to me there, will you take responsibility? Are you prepared to commit suicide before the Mystic Ruler?"
Cheonryeong fell silent at the angry words.
Meanwhile, the other guards who heard this turned to Cheonryeong and nodded.
"Stay here with the Young Lord. We'll go ahead first."
"Yes. Please be careful."
As Cheonryeong set Ju Kyunghyun down under a large tree and stood guard in front, the two guards rushed ahead.
Anxiously digging his fingernails into his fingertips, Ju Kyunghyun asked, "The Baek clan barrier there means those who attacked me are there, right?"
"Most likely. What other reason would there be for Baek clan's spiritual power to appear in a hunting ground meant only for Young Lady Sehwa and yourself?"
Ju Kyunghyun's face grew more anxious.
Looking around as if searching for something, he asked Cheonryeong, "How many swords do you have?"
"One."
"Give it to me first."
"What?"
"Just give it to me! What if I get hurt standing here without a weapon!"
"..."
Looking troubled, Cheonryeong finally unsheathed the sword at his waist and handed it over at Ju Kyunghyun's insistence.
Ju Kyunghyun drew the sword.
His trembling hands betrayed his obvious tension.
Cheonryeong carefully asked, "Wouldn't it be better if I held it?"
"Such a frustrating fool. When enemies appear, you need to throw yourself to protect me. What if you accidentally cut me with the sword while doing that!"
"..."
The terrifying memory of being beaten until he nearly lost consciousness wasn't easily forgotten.
And it had happened just moments ago.
The trembling of his hands as he gripped the sword hilt with all his might only grew stronger as time passed.
Worried by this precarious sight, Cheonryeong was about to reassure him and swear to protect him with his life if anything happened, just as he had said, when—
"!!"
The presence wasn't sudden. It approached at a speed that should have given them plenty of time to prepare.
However, neither the Young Lord nor Cheonryeong could prepare for someone rushing to attack them.
Because the attackers were the very guards who had just rushed ahead to catch Sehwa's group.
Slash!
Sharp sword blades flew toward Cheonryeong and the Young Lord's chests.
"Huk! Keok."
"Young Lord!"
Cheonryeong quickly caught the Young Lord's body as he collapsed in pain.
In that state, he desperately retreated while avoiding the frantically swinging swords of the guards.
But they couldn't go far.
Somehow, five more masked assailants had appeared, pointing their swords at them.
Groaning in pain, Ju Kyunghyun shouted with a red face, "It's them! These are the Baek clan bastards who attacked me earlier!"
He seemed to recognize them through his hazy vision—those faces that had struck and prodded his pain-wracked face.
"You were all in it together!"
The Young Lord cried out in despair, his lips trembling.
'Good heavens, how could Father's guards be Baek clan spies?'
Meanwhile, the seven sword blades continuously tried to penetrate between the Young Lord and Cheonryeong.
At the chilling intensity, he forgot even to shout about the betrayers and shrunk his cold nape.
"This won't do! I must put you down for a moment, Young Lord!"
"What?! You madman! In this situation, putting me down means telling me to die!"
"I will protect you! But the sword..."
Having blocked several sharp sword strikes with his limbs, Cheonryeong was already covered in wounds.
His body, drenched in red blood, was gradually becoming heavier.
'If we can't escape, we at least need to fight back.'
Cheonryeong's eyes flickered to the sword rolling far away under a tree—the one that had fallen from the Young Lord's hands at the first attack.
Meanwhile, another masked person's blade flew sharply toward them.
"Huk! Keok!"
"Hieek!"
The Young Lord's face turned pale as he watched Cheonryeong's shoulder get pierced right before his eyes.
Red blood splattered on his face.
"This, this won't do. Young Lord, in my embrace, in my clothes, the signal..."
Judging they could never escape these assassins, Cheonryeong whispered, and the Young Lord quickly searched his clothes.
Finding the familiar object, he activated it without delay.
BOOM!!
The spiritual energy gathered in the signal flare exploded in an instant, creating a massive vibration.
Those gathered at the hunting grounds had been intently watching Baek Giha.
His beautiful face seemed impossible to tire of looking at, and his completely composed posture emanated a warrior's presence.
They shared information about the handsome man beside him, learning he was the Baek clan's Chancellor. They also learned that the fifty-two warriors below were the Baek clan's cavalry.
'My goodness. I thought the Ju clan warriors were the most impressive among the Seven Clans of the Mystic Realm, but now I see the Baek clan is no less formidable.'
'Indeed. Just look at their disciplined postures. How can they be so magnificent?'
There were also eyes quietly observing these reactions.
'That's right, look all you want. No matter how much you boast about being the Mystic Realm's ruling family or the Mystic Ruler's bloodline, you're not worth the dirt under our Clan Head's feet. Where else could you see such a noble gentleman—'
"Chancellor."
"Yes, Clan Head."
"Step back if you can't control your expression."
"Ah, was I too pleased with myself?"
"..."
"I'll be careful. These people have eyes too, and seeing our Clan Head's outstanding appearance, proper bearing, exceptional presence, and superior dignity makes them want to kneel, their inner thoughts so clearly visible that I unconsciously lost control and showed my emotions—"
"Manyong."
"Yes, Clan Head."
"We agreed before coming here. You would only open your mouth when I signal."
"...Yes, Clan Head."
The Mystic Ruler couldn't have failed to notice such gazes from the clan members around them.
Looking at the Baek Clan Head with disapproving, annoyed eyes, he asked, "But Baek Clan Head, why did you bring all these warriors?"
"When I heard the master of the house where we're staying was coming here. How could guests occupy a house without its master? Besides, it seemed there would be something worth seeing, so we all came out to watch."
"...Are you calling the internal affairs of the Ju clan a spectacle?"
The Mystic Ruler clenched his aged hand inside his sleeve.
'Arrogant bastard. If I become a Divine Beast, the Baek clan will be the first I sweep away.'
"Please calm your anger. Everyone here seems to have come for the same purpose, so it's unfair to only criticize me. Besides, I have something else to tell you, Mystic Ruler."
"Something to tell me? What is it?"
"It's not urgent, so I'll tell you after this event is over."
"No. We still have some time until noon anyway, so tell me what—"
BOOM! BANG!!
That's when it happened.
A red light shot up in a straight line from one part of the hunting grounds, accompanied by a thunderous sound.
"!!"
The Mystic Ruler's expression changed dramatically.
That was the signal indicating his son Ju Kyunghyun was in danger.
He had given the signal flare to his son's guard Cheonryeong to use in case of emergency, and now it had been used.
At the old man's gesture, the Ju clan warriors all rushed into the hunting grounds.
Worried that something might have happened to his son, the old man's face, who had risen from his seat, quickly turned pale.
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