23 – Boundary (1)
Black figures passed through the night.
A forest where the goddess of night covers her veil. The galloping race added the sound of their hooves to the land where silence had fallen.
The sleeping animals had to suffer from the illusion that heaven and earth were changing.
The sound of ten horses’ hooves was as sudden and threatening as thunder in a dry sky.
Even if there were people nearby, they probably would have cowered because they thought the military was moving.
They were all wearing black clothes.
A mask was worn on the face, and a hood covered it. So the men seemed to have completely melted into the night.
In reality, it was no different. Even outside the forest, they are active only at night.
Those who use the deep darkness as a veil to hide from the moonlight.
A professional murderer who takes lives without anyone knowing.
Their name was ‘Old Moon’, a name that is not easily spoken in the back world.
“A monster is chasing you on the right. “I think I was stimulated by a sound. What should I do?”
“Take care of it and come back. Are two enough?”
“That’s enough.”
“Yes.”
It didn’t take long to kill the monster.
If they were weak enough to not be able to kill one or two monsters, I didn’t make them my subordinates from the beginning.
How far did the men in black go through the deep night?
From Noble mtl dot com
The man in the lead relied on a poor map and a neglected forest path to get his bearings.
They were considered inferior as a guide, but the man had confidence in them.
They were confident that they were following the correct path.
His eyes show traces that others cannot see.
Wheel marks from a very old carriage. It was a sign that people had come and gone several times.
Guessing the time the traces were left, it roughly matched the time his client said.
Perhaps, if you follow those wheel tracks carefully, you will be able to reach the hut where the target was located.
He was a former ranger. While he was in his unit, he had an affair with the captain’s wife, until he was caught and killed the captain in anger.
He said honestly, it was a piece of trash. But it was fun.
Anyway, that fact was not a drawback to those who needed someone to do ‘secret work’ for them.
Rather, he thought of his sins as a kind of medal.
Because it was generally impossible for a ranger to desert. The rangers were as strict about punishment as they were about strict discipline.
So, the saying that he killed the leader of his unit and deserted had a slightly different meaning.
The other meaning was that he killed all of the unit members he was pursuing and erased all traces of himself.
His outstanding skills and clean cleaning were immediately recognized.
This time too, his skills went smoothly.
The man’s mouth drew an arc. He extended his right arm and gave a command.
“Stop.”
Arrived.
Even at first glance, an artificial scene appeared.
A round snow field located in the middle of the forest. I saw a cabin built in the middle of the snowy field.
His eyes quickly scanned the surroundings.
A pile of burned-out firewood could be seen around the hut. The arrangement of the firewood in a circle like that was a trace of the Grand Duke of Ilencia’s cremation.
A little far away, corpses that appeared to be those of adult men were scattered around.
They were incompetent predecessors.
“This is the cabin the client mentioned. You must thoroughly investigate this area. “I will take a look inside the cabin.”
“How long will we meet?”
“I’ll give you fifteen minutes.”
“Yes, Captain.”
The subordinates spread out as if they had promised.
He drove his horse until he reached the front of the hut. Tying his horse nearby, he immediately searched the room.
Although it was old, it was a space that still showed signs of use.
First, we headed underground. The items in the underground warehouse were strictly organized, as if someone had carefully managed them. So the man only had to check the scattered items.
There was no need to look too closely.
Most of the things I took with me were preserved food and first aid supplies.
Naturally, it seemed like I had taken care of everything I needed for the long trip.
Are you saying that they are not completely ignorant of the world? I was satisfied because it seemed like it would be fun to track.
It seemed like the four of us didn’t necessarily eat preserved food while living here.
The consumption of other food ingredients and preserved foods was clearly different.
It must have been tasteless. There were other foods, so there would have been no reason to eat anything else.
He also knew the taste of the preserved food he ate during his days as a ranger.
It was overly salty and I didn’t like the hard and chewy texture.
It could be assumed that all the preserved food that was missing was for use during this trip.
Based on net standards, is it small enough to be about one to two days?
It was an insufficient amount.
‘The number of other items taken was small, considering there were only four of them. Probably two of them died. There were traces of a funeral, so my subordinates will know the exact number.’
Messy boxes appeared in his eyes. It was a sign that they had been randomly digging around because they didn’t know what was inside.
If the person who put this box together in the first place was still alive, it wouldn’t have caused such a fuss.
It is clear who managed these boxes. There was no way the noble family would have left her maid behind to clean up the warehouse.
‘If the two of them died, one of the dogs would be the woman who was said to be a maid. This means that at least one of the siblings got out of here alive.’
It was a very happy thing for him.
If all her siblings had died here, it would have been difficult for her to obtain ‘evidence’.
His client promised additional compensation depending on the results of the work. You will save face if you cut off at least one of the siblings’ heads while it is still fresh.
He continued to search his cabin.
On the first floor, old, dried blood stains were visible everywhere.
The location of his blood stains and the amount of bleeding were inconsistent and scattered. Sword marks were also left scattered here and there.
He came to the conclusion that the fight here was likely close to a brawl.
In such a fight, both sides are bound to get hurt.
Among the four, only two were capable of combat.
At least one of the two was dead or seriously injured. And in these remote areas, serious injury was not much different from death. Even if he were alive, wouldn’t he have been a living corpse?
Among the bandages and pieces of cloth lying around, there were quite a few bloody ones.
He must have torn his own clothes and used them as bandages, and the hem of his clothes was falling off.
It looked like a woman’s clothes. It appears that the situation was critical. In this case, it would be more correct to assume death rather than serious injury.
‘One of Ilencia Yeongsik or Count Bertus is dead. I hope that Count So survives.’
His client said that this forest was quite dangerous.
And Count So was quite talented with a sword. He told me to assume a level higher than that of a knight.
It would have been better to have at least one person who could be called a protector rather than a scenario where two immature kids who don’t know anything went into the forest.
That way, he will be alive and not dead until he arrives.
It would be perfect if the surviving direct descendant of Ilencia was a b*tch.
‘That seems like the biggest possibility. ‘I’m very satisfied.’
He really liked his job.
Because of the nature of his job, he often saw noble blood.
Every time I killed a group of guys who were enjoying themselves without any envy in the world, a feeling of pleasure welled up deep in my heart.
In particular, the time to kill b*tches who were looked up as young ladies was excellent.
It was so thrilling to see her beautiful face stained with tears.
I almost wanted to cut off his head and stuff it as he cried out.
What will the end of death be like for a commoner who looked down on him for being lowly all his life?
How miserably he must have died.
Pondering the emotions of the victims was the joy the man found while doing this work.
What’s more, this time she is the daughter of the Grand Duke of Ilencia.
A lot of people will never even see your face in their lifetime – aren’t you a noble among nobles?
Would a woman with such noble blood shed tears when she was in pain? Should I cry out for help? I will save your life, so if I ask you to lick my feet, will you lick it?
If there was a guardian, I hoped the Grand Duchess would cherish that guardian.
Because the despair I felt when the guard I trusted so tightly died was very special.
‘Well, I guess we’ll have a chance to meet soon. ‘I hope to see you again soon, grand duchess.’
By the time he had gathered the necessary information, his men returned at the appointed time.
Even the minor habits of the fugitives were already entered in his mind.
Comparing it with what his subordinates knew, it wasn’t much different from what he expected.
Two people died here. Looking at the skeleton, one woman and one man were dead.
While receiving the report, I heard the most satisfying words.
“I found traces of him running away. These are the footprints of two people.”
“What is the composition?”
“It’s not much different from what I expected. One was a woman and one was a man. The direction of movement is assumed to be northeast.”
“Really?”
The corners of his mouth quirked up. The thick murderous intent laughed darkly.
“Keep tracking. “I’ll see you soon.”