When the Black Moon Rises - Side Story 8
Side Story 8
“Could he really be collecting them? After going through that hell, he’s collecting those things? Is he out of his mind?”
“Indeed.”
“If another disaster strikes, whether it's a Lake of Blood or a drought, we butchers will be the first to die…”
The butcher sighed anxiously.
As people living at the bottom of society, when something happened, they were met not with helping hands but with those trying to take even what little they had.
“If the Left State Councillor is planning something like that again, I’ll be the first to tear him limb from limb.”
Listening to the butcher’s repeated vows of vengeance, he recalled another voice saying similar things.
“Sometimes, for the sake of precious people, one must become the villain.”
“A villain?”
“Yes. Becoming the enemy themselves.”
‘Why would I suddenly recall that voice now?’ The man ruffled his hair.
“Let’s go. We have a busy schedule if we’re going to find and eliminate not only the Left State Councillor but also that Black Dragon fragment thing.”
The man drained his drink, wiped his mouth, and stood up.
“Villain or not… I’m used to it now, so I’ll just get better at it.”
“Pardon?”
The man tilted his head at the unexpected remark, but the man just shook his head.
Their footsteps hurried as they followed the secretly marked signs on the streets.
Thwack! Thud! Thwack!
“I told you to hand it over nicely when I asked. There are always those who don’t listen unless you use force. Even if you had given it to me willingly, I wouldn't have spared you anyway.”
“…Gasp… p-please… spare me…”
Thwack! Thud!
“Where… did you put… the rest? Huh?”
Thwack! Thud! Thwack!
“Huh? Can’t you hear me… asking where you put them? Shall I… reopen your earholes?”
“Gasp… please… spare… me…”
Even though the large man beneath him was begging, covered in tears and snot, Prince Yeong’s fists continued to fly. Each blow echoed like a drumbeat in the dilapidated warehouse.
The crumbling warehouse was filled with large men, but none of them tried to stop Prince Yeong.
Well, there was one.
“Your Highness, give me a chance. I want to tear this bastard apart myself.”
The butchers from the village had followed the men from the tavern after receiving Deok-gil’s signal.
Prince Yeong and Deok-gil had followed the signs left by the villagers to ambush the transaction, but what they found was beyond imagination.
The stench of blood seeped through the cracks of the dilapidated warehouse, and the two corpses lying on the floor were mangled beyond recognition.
They were so brutally mutilated that their faces were unrecognizable.
However, Prince Yeong recognized their clothing as belonging to the two men he had seen at the tavern.
The apparent culprit was placing a wooden box, which seemed to contain the black, wicked-looking thing, on top of the mutilated corpses.
And just like that, the two blood-soaked bodies vanished before Prince Yeong’s eyes, leaving not a single bone fragment behind.
Seeing this, he could no longer deny what had happened to those kidnapped from the butcher village.
Enraged, Prince Yeong lunged at the culprit.
“Where are they?! Where did you take… the rest… of those things?!”
Thwack!! Thud!!!
He knew he should interrogate calmly, whether he had to pull out fingernails or teeth, but his body wouldn’t listen.
He wanted nothing more than to beat this man to death right here and now.
“…Ugh…”
Beaten to a pulp, the culprit lost consciousness, unable to even groan.
Even after handing the unconscious man over to the butchers, who were eagerly awaiting their turn, Prince Yeong’s rage wouldn't subside.
As he kicked the dilapidated warehouse wall, Deok-gil approached him.
“If this thing that devours people spreads further, the butchers won’t be the only ones kidnapped.”
“Indeed. We must act immediately. We can’t let that bastard live another hour.”
“That bastard?”
“The Left State Councillor. Don’t you remember that villain with the split earlobe, the Left State Councillor’s confidant?”
“How could such a despicable man exist? He stole all our food, leaving us to starve, and now he’s kidnapping people to feed that deathly energy?!”
“Anyway, throw him in the warehouse or tear him apart here; it’s up to you. If you throw him in the warehouse, cover him in blood, whether it’s chicken blood or pig blood, I don't care. And don’t forget to add what you saw just now to the rumors.”
“Don't worry. We'll spread the word about that bastard’s deeds.”
“Good. I don't have time, so I'll go make the final preparations.”
“Where are you going? It might be dangerous. I’ll go with you.”
“You need to stay here and take care of that madman. I'll meet up with Palbong soon, so don't worry. The rest is just waiting for the right moment, so fan the flames as planned.”
“Of course, Your Highness.”
“Then I’ll see you later.”
“Safe travels.”
The man gave a cursory nod at Deok-gil’s farewell and tucked the box he was holding into his arms.
His destination was the Minister of Rites’ residence.
He had heard something unexpected from one of the Left State Councillor’s subordinates whom he had dragged behind the tavern.
“Y-yes… Minister Jung’s daughter… is essential… He ordered us to watch her closely… to make sure she doesn’t escape the capital…”
This suggested an intention beyond simply adopting her or taking her assets.
He could adopt her even after she married.
‘Why wouldn't he let her leave the capital? What else could he need Minister Jung’s daughter for, other than her inheritance?’
He couldn’t fathom the reason, but after witnessing the scene in the warehouse, something clicked.
The Black Dragon that created the Lake of Blood. The Left State Councillor collecting the Dragon’s fragments. The Minister’s daughter, the friend of the celestials. The Left State Councillor saying the Minister’s daughter was essential.
‘Is that bastard… trying to recreate the disaster?’
The thought made his blood boil.
‘In any case, it will be helpful to me if Minister Jung's daughter escapes his clutches.’
And so, under the cover of darkness, a tall figure lingered before the wall.
There was one reason why he didn’t just jump over the wall with his usual agility.
‘I told her to dig pits, but I didn't expect her to dig them all along the wall without a single gap.’
Because of that, yesterday, he had to flounder like a frog in a well to escape the pit.
The figure's brow furrowed at the memory of his ridiculous predicament.
He then made up his mind and lightly jumped onto the wall.
‘I’ll just throw this over and leave. Something like, “The Left State Councillor is after your life,” or, “He’s planning to recreate the disaster using the Black Dragon fragments.”’
He wasn’t sure if he should reveal everything, as it was still just speculation.
‘But she’s a friend of the celestials, isn’t she? This should be enough to make her wary.’
Reaching into his arms for the letter, he leaned over the wall, looking for a suitable spot. But at that moment, as his fingers brushed against the wooden box containing the Black Dragon fragments, his chest felt a sudden warmth. He immediately sensed something was amiss, but that was all. Before he could react, a strange force enveloped him.
‘?!’
Startled, he lost his balance and tumbled off the wall.
More precisely, back into the oil-filled pit.
‘!!!’
Even then, the strange force continued to constrict him like shackles.
The more he flailed and struggled, the tighter it gripped him.
Finally, he was completely bound, unable to move.
‘Wh-what is this? What’s going on?’
Actually, ‘bound’ wasn’t the right word. It felt more like something unknown was forcing its way into his body, causing muscle spasms.
But the more this happened, the more he felt a strange euphoria, like he was hallucinating.
He felt like he could do anything, and the pleasant sensation made him want to stay like this forever.
Realizing this, he bit his tongue.
The pain, which even the unknown force couldn’t suppress, cleared his head somewhat.
He was curious about what was happening to his body, but that wasn’t the priority right now.
‘This is bad. If I’m caught again, I won’t have any excuses. I have to get out of here before I’m discovered!’
“Ugh… hmm…”
Determined not to be caught by the officials, he struggled even harder.
But the more he struggled, the more his body went limp like a wet rag, until all he could do was breathe and blink.
As he lay there, helpless, time passed, and soon after the rooster crowed, he heard footsteps outside the pit.
“Hey, see that? The ground’s caved in; we caught something again. We made a lot of other traps, but the pits are still the most effective. Good thing we made them bigger. Jackpot!”
“Yeah. Digging deeper pits during the day is more effective than keeping watch all night.”
‘!!’
Hearing the familiar voices, he struggled again.
But damn it, whatever was happening to his body, he still couldn't move an inch.
Trapped and helpless, with no escape in sight and no plan to resolve the situation, the people came to inspect the moat-like pit.
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