41 – Episode 41: Ninja of Salvation (4)
Meanwhile, at an outpost outside Sangroksoo Village.
“What’s going on? Deputy Chief, explain.”
Yugumgyeong, who had just arrived after patrolling, asked Leona, who was commanding from the front.
The atmosphere of the knights, who were all aiming at one spot, was unsettling.
“Chief. Over there.”
When Yugumgyeong arrived next to her, Leona pointed in a direction with her finger.
An unidentified armed force, riding horses, was crossing the field and heading towards the village.
Their numbers seemed to be three times that of the Hongyeomryong Knights, who had only 30 members.
“Not sure from this distance, but they don’t seem like savages.”
“They must have noticed us too. They’re not stopping.”
“Should we shout at them?”
“I’ll do it.”
Yugumgyeong took a deep breath.
“We are the Hongyeom Dragon Knight Order! This village is currently under our protection! Who are you to approach this place?”
The armed forces stood still, their voices echoing loudly.
Amidst their whispered discussions, a man stepped forward.
“The distance is too far! Can we get closer?”
The man shouted, spreading his arms wide.
After exchanging a brief glance with Leona, Yoo Geomgyeong spoke again.
“Permission granted!”
As soon as permission was given, the armed forces moved again.
The knights, who remained tense, slowly observed them as they approached.
Everyone, including the man who shouted, was wearing black leather armor with a red whale emblem engraved on their chests.
Underneath the emblem, the phrase “Learn from the past, serve the present, strive for the future” was written. There was only one organization in the kingdom that used this motto.
“You belong to the Red Whale Matap, huh? What brings you to this remote place…”
Leona was the one who spoke.
A massive organization that had a cooperative relationship equal to the Sword Association, which controlled the kingdom.
Yoo Geomgyeong, who had never had a good experience with them, frowned.
“Oh, isn’t this Yoo Geomgyeong? What brings such an esteemed person to this humble place?”
The middle-aged man who had shouted approached Yoo Geomgyeong slowly.
He was a man whose well-groomed goatee suited his sinister appearance.
“Hello! I am ‘Beldergard Samucho,’ a warrior, explorer, and magician! I am a third-class employee of the Red Whale Matap! Come on, let’s shake hands!”
Beldergard, who asked for a handshake, was met with an indifferent gaze from Yoo Geomgyeong.
I didn’t like his light and frivolous attitude.
“Who are the soldiers behind? Personal soldiers of Matap?”
Her hand remained still, as if stuck to the scabbard.
Veldergard, who was watching the situation, withdrew his hand.
“Oh, these people! I forgot to introduce them. This is the ‘Gangsaengdae’. They were all heinous criminals, such as thieves, subversives, royal slanderers, and spreaders of false information, but they received the heartfelt teachings of the main Matap and were reborn. What are you doing? Lower your weapons! Put them down!”
The Gangsaengdae followed Veldergard’s command without hesitation.
“Did you see? They have been perfectly ‘educated’. Look into their eyes! Aren’t they filled with a sense of justice, wanting to make the world a better place?”
Yugumgyeong met their eyes one by one.
The murky eyes of the Gangsaengdae, like muddy water.
They were the eyes of killing tools that had witnessed countless personalities being shattered on the battlefield.
Justice is bullsh*t. Yugumgyeong sighed and asked Veldergard again.
“Why have you come? This place is under threat from the savages. If you’re not here to help, it’s better to find another way.”
“Savages? I haven’t seen any of those bastards coming this far…. Maybe they’ve already fled? But even if they’re primitive savages, they must have heard of the reputation of the Hongyeomryong Knights!”
“It’s not over until I see it with my own two eyes. Tell me the reason.”
Veldergard nodded in response to Yugumgyeong’s continued questioning.
His calm attitude despite Yugumgyeong’s coldness was quite experienced.
“I came to issue an evacuation order to the village! The Brix have settled in an area not far from here!”
Brix is the name for insect-like monsters that walk on two legs like humans.
Centered around the queen, hundreds of individuals gather in one area, possessing exceptional reproductive and territorial capabilities, making them the top priority for the kingdom to guard against.
“After the evacuation is complete, we were planning to seal off the area and set it on fire to exterminate them! The damage is quite significant, but it’s an inevitable task… If Yugumgyeong participates in the extermination of the Brix, the situation will change! The nearby residents won’t lose their livelihoods! What do you think? There will be a generous reward from the kingdom and Matap!”
Yu Geomgyeong was lost in thought.
If she were to leave the village now, the hidden savage tribe might launch an attack.
Robin, who had gone to track the savage tribe, had not returned yet, so she couldn’t be at ease.
“Are you worried about the village? Then leave the Gangsaeng Brigade behind! About… 30 people? I guarantee their skills! With the powerful Hongyeom Dragon Knights, we’ll have great strength!”
“Captain. It’s a good offer. Accept it. If we have the numbers, the savage tribe won’t be a problem. Verix is the more dangerous one.”
With Veldegard’s persuasion and Leona’s agreement, Yu Geomgyeong nodded.
“I will participate. Where is the location?”
“Great! I marked it on this map. When should we depart? At least within two days…”
“I will depart now. Come! Red Flash!”
Poongyoong, poongyoong.
Yu Geomgyeong took the map from Veldegard’s hand and rode on the summoned spirit horse, dashing forward.
Surprised, Veldegard chuckled.
“You really are as impatient as I heard. Kids! Let’s go! Follow Yu Geomgyeong!”
***
There is no paradise for those who dare to arrive.
The only thing there is, is the battlefield.
“Shindan is dead, there is nothing more.”
That was the only thing I could say.
“This is ridiculous…!”
“It’s a trap…!”
“Vakuna…”
The savage tribes, including Sancereef, shed tears like drops of chicken dung, as if they were patriots who had lost their country.
Their act of covering their mouths with both hands to avoid being caught by the scouts was like a scene from a masterpiece.
“They say even a mountain changes in a month.”
Where their altar should have been, there stood only a cluster of apartments.
A completed fortress of monsters, built by piling up wax on the frame of the altar.
I was somewhat complacent, thinking that it hadn’t been even two months since Sancereef left the altar.
Who could have expected that the monsters would have already finished remodeling?
I came all the way here, avoiding the bee monsters that were patrolling, flapping their double pairs of wings.
“Th-the relic. We just need the relic. It’s inside the altar.”
Sancereef grabbed my shoulder and spoke in a flustered manner.
“Please. I beg you. It’s shameless, I know. But I still hope you can, confirm it.”
Her hand trembled with anxiety.
The savage tribes, who couldn’t understand Sancereef’s words, nodded repeatedly.
I am the only one who can help them.
“Where is it?”
I never had the intention to give up from the start.
Sancereef’s wavering face brightened.
I wonder what I did to move her so quickly.
“In the central room. It’s round like a bead and shines in gold. Thank you. Thank you so much. We will draw attention…”
“There’s no need for that. It’s neater for me to infiltrate alone. I’ll accept your gratitude later.”
I, now, am a professional escape ninja. I shot her a piercing gaze.
“Just hide on your own. I’ll take care of it.”
“Understood. Thank you.”
I waved my hand once to the serif repeating “thank you” like an automaton, then put on my shadow cloak and approached the beehive while lying on the ground.
It’s been a while since I’ve used the ninja chameleon mode.
It was easy to disguise myself in this mountain covered in bushes.
Wiiiiing-
The hovering honeybee spirits only looked at the distant mountain.
Busy bees don’t seem to have time to notice.
Crawling like a Komodo dragon, I attached myself to the beehive.
It was about 30 meters high and made of wax, so it didn’t feel as solid as bricks.
If anything, it felt like plastic?
With enough durability to break if necessary. No problem with escaping.
To choose the window to enter, I looked up at the sky.
There were so many windows.
The hexagonal entrances, tightly packed together, were not much different from the beehives on Earth.
With this many, I should be able to go towards the center no matter which one I enter.
I just went through the nearest window.
The slightly sticky sensation of jelly smeared on every corner of the window was quite unpleasant, but I managed to endure it somehow.
What could this jelly be? The soul food of insects? Excrement?
If it’s not that, then semen?
Could it be all of the above?
It was so disgusting that I stopped thinking about it.
– beee….
– Waspppp….
In the small room that they successfully invaded, three bee demons were having a conversation. But up close, the unpleasantness of their grotesque features became even more vivid.
A bizarre sight with overlapping eyes and mouths split on both sides of the bald (confirmed baldness) faces of the male and female.
Only the underlings of the Demon King of the Pork Bowl Abyss could look so f*cking weird.
Except for the three of them, there was nothing else, so this was the chance.
“Hey, bee.”
Before they could turn around.
“I’ll kill you.”
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The ninja instantly swung his scrotum.
Swoosh!
Their skin was covered in a shell, but it wasn’t very durable.
Borerusa’s skin is tougher.
Transparent blood that flowed from their necks stained the floor.
There was also sticky green blood mixed in, probably from eating something wrong, but it seemed like nothing important, so I just passed by–
“Nin?”
I hesitated and stopped to check again.
Yokai, green, seaweed.
If my memory serves me right, this is the poisonous seaweed used in Gondon.
Were these bastards closely related to Heiner?
I briefly entertained the thought that Delbanas, who disappeared leaving only Jae-man behind, might be up to something, but I excluded that possibility because it was unlikely.
Things in the world don’t flow so easily.