 |
| Reaper of the Drifting Moon Novel |
Type- Light Novel, Web Novel
Manhwa- N/A
Translation-MTL
"Can I sit here?"
The temporary guards all closed their mouths tightly at Seo Yul-hee's words. They just looked at each other.
She was the daughter of the master of the Ghost Sword Manor.
It was inevitably a burden to sit with her, considering the special status the master of Ghost Sword Manor held in Yunnan Province.
Especially since the master's warriors were sitting far away, watching her with terrifying eyes.
Although they couldn't take care of her because of Seo Gun-hwi's orders, they seemed to be sending a warning that they would strike if even a finger was laid on Seo Yul-hee.
Gulp!
The sound of someone dryly swallowing was heard.
With a disappointed look, Seo Yul-hee looked at Pyo Wol and Do Yeonsan, who were different from the others.
Unlike the others, they didn't seem to care much about Seo Yul-hee.
A man with snow-white skin and a face that was more beautiful than a woman's, and a boy with bright eyes - Pyo Wol and Do Yeonsan.
They just chewed on the dry rations without even looking at Seo Yul-hee.
Seo Yul-hee deliberately sat down next to them and said,
"I'll sit here."
Do Yeonsan raised his head for a moment and looked at Seo Yul-hee.
Seo Yul-hee introduced herself first.
"My name is Seo Yul-hee. What's yours?"
"Do Yeonsan!"
"I'll sit here for a while and then leave."
"Do what you want."
Do Yeonsan spoke as if it were no big deal.
To the people of Yunnan, Seo Yul-hee might be of great importance. But to him, she was just one of the countless people who passed by.
She wasn't exceptional or special.
That's why he could treat her so casually.
Gurgle!
At that moment, an embarrassing sound came from Seo Yul-hee's stomach.
Seo Yul-hee's face turned red.
Her sadness exploded.
It was true that she was fussy, but it wasn't because she wanted to be.
Since she was young, Seo Yul-hee had a weak digestive system and was prone to stomach aches. Because of this, her mother paid special attention to what she ate.
Rough food like dry rations was difficult for her stomach to digest. That's why she said she couldn't eat it. But Seo Gun-hwi just dismissed it as her being immature and fussy about the dry rations.
It was very upsetting that her only brother didn't know her well enough.
Gurgle!
Once again, a sound echoed from Seo Yul-hee's stomach.
Embarrassed, Seo Yul-hee buried her head between her knees and couldn't lift it.
At that moment,
Tap, tap!
Do Yeonsan tapped her shoulder lightly.
When she raised her head, Do Yeonsan was holding a piece of jerky in his hand. It was something he had bought before joining the Great Pearl Merchants.
"Eat this!"
"Huh?"
"You said you couldn't eat dry rations, right?"
"I can't digest tough meat either."
"Really?"
Do Yeonsan suddenly squeezed the jerky.
The jerky softened under the enormous pressure.
"This should be enough to digest it."
Do Yeonsan pressed the jerky into Seo Yul-hee's hand.
The softness surprised Seo Yul-hee and she looked at the jerky and Do Yeonsan.
"You're amazing."
"It's nothing."
"Thank you!"
Seo Yul-hee thanked him and took a small piece of jerky to taste.
It was incredibly soft for dried meat jerky.
She chewed the jerky with a happy expression on her face.
In an instant, the piece of jerky was gone. Do Yeonsan then took another piece of jerky out of the bag.
He squeezed the jerky again to soften it. Then he handed it to Seo Yul-hee.
"Thank you!"
Seo Yul-hee thanked him and ate the jerky again.
By the time she finished the rest of the jerky, her stomach was a little full. She didn't feel any discomfort in her stomach.
A smile spread across her face.
Her heart, which had been hurt by Seo Gun-hwi, seemed to have healed a little bit.
Seo Yul-hee asked Do Yeonsan.
"But how did you do it?"
"What?"
"How did you soften the jerky?"
"I just did it."
"Are you a hidden master or something?"
"I'm not that good..."
"No, there aren't many martial artists in our Ghost Sword Manor who have your skill, it's really amazing."
Seo Yul-hee blushed and spoke excitedly.
Do Yeonsan scratched his head in embarrassment.
He wasn't used to a situation like this.
He wasn't used to having such a beautiful woman treat him with such respect.
Seo Yul-hee's eyes shifted to Pyo Wol next to Do Yeonsan after they had talked for a while.
She had been so focused on Do Yeonsan that she didn't notice that Pyo Wol's face was even more beautiful than hers.
"Wow!"
She let out an exclamation.
"Your brother is really ...... brother, right?"
"If you're asking if he's a man, yes."
"Who is your brother? I've never heard of such a beautiful man. Look at his hair, it's crazy, how can it be like that..."
Seo Yul-hee kept shouting in admiration.
Her voice was so loud that it caught the attention of Seo Gun-hwi and his subordinates who were standing far away.
They couldn't see Pyo Wol's face from where they were standing. And they couldn't understand why Seo Yul-hee was making such a fuss.
Seo Yul-hee showed no sign of leaving Pyo Wol and Do Yeonsan's side, laughing and chatting.
Seeing her like this, Seo Gun-hwi put his hand to his forehead.
"When will she ever grow up..."
The political situation in Kangho was changing rapidly every day.
In such turbulent times, one had to remain rational and scrutinise one's surroundings.
There was no room or patience for his sister's childish antics.
He wanted her to grow up stronger than anyone else. But seeing her laughing and chatting with mere bodyguards made him feel bitter.
Cha Yoon-pyeong spoke carefully.
"Do you want me to bring the young lady back?"
"Just leave her alone."
"But..."
"If they are bodyguards of the Great Pearl Merchants, they won't hurt Yul-hee. Just leave her alone."
"Understood."
Ji Moo-hyeong, who had been watching the situation, spoke up.
"I'll go tell them to treat the young lady with respect."
"No."
Seo Gun-hwi once again firmly refused.
"Sigh! He's so stubborn. How can he be so inflexible?'
Ji Moo-hyeong inadvertently made a face, feeling frustrated.
The night seemed unusually long because of his discomfort.
＊＊＊
The people of the Great Pearl trading group rose before dawn and prepared to leave.
They hitched the horses and cows to the wagons and extinguished the bonfire that had kept them warm all night.
Breakfast was again a simple dry ration.
Although their mouths felt dry, no one complained. Seo Yul-hee was the exception.
Before falling asleep, Seo Yul-hee had returned to the martial artists and approached Do Yeonsan when it was time to eat.
Do Yeonsan handed her a tender piece of jerky.
"Thank you!"
Seo Yul-hee sat next to Do Yeonsan like yesterday and chewed the jerky.
"Hehe!"
Feeling good, she hummed a little song.
That was it.
Seo Gun-hwi, who was getting ready to leave, approached Seo Yul-hee.
He first bowed to Pyo Wol and Do Yeonsan.
"My name is Seo Gun-hwi, a martial artist from Ghost Sword Manor. I apologise for the trouble my sister has caused..."
Suddenly, Seo Gun-hwi stopped speaking.
He was speechless the moment he saw Pyo Wol's face.
What kind of a man's face is that...
He couldn't just accept that a man looking like that was only going to serve as a temporary escort.
More than anything else, it was the atmosphere he felt from Pyo Wol that irritated him.
An extremely static atmosphere, like deep, still water.
He had never felt such an atmosphere from other martial artists before.
At least, Pyo Wol was the first among the martial artists he had met to have such an atmosphere.
He is not an ordinary person.
Despite knowing his status, Pyo Wol didn't seem to be intimidated or worried.
Either he was very confident in his own martial arts skills, or he belonged to a category that was extremely insensitive to external stimuli.
Seo Gun-hwi thought the former was more likely.
Ever since he had seen Pyo Wol's face, an alarm had been ringing in his head.
Seo Gun-hwi asked cautiously.
"May I know the master's name?"
"No, I just want to leave quietly."
Seo Gun-hwi's eyebrows twitched at Pyo Wol's refusal.
It was the first time that someone had refused to reveal their identity after he had revealed his own.
"You..."
Cha Yoon-pyeong, who was standing behind Seo Gun-hwi, was about to draw his sword in anger.
However, Seo Gun-hwi raised his hand to stop him and Cha Yoon-pyeong reluctantly sheathed his sword.
Seo Gun-hwi apologised.
"I am sorry. My subordinate got overly enthusiastic and broke the etiquette."
"It doesn't matter."
"I'm glad you understand. Then please answer just one thing. I know you joined as a temporary escort, but was it because of us?"
"Before I joined as a temporary escort, I didn't even know there was a Ghost Sword Manor here."
"So you're not from Yunnan."
"Right! I only joined because my destination is the same as the Great Pearl Merchants."
"I see."
Seo Gun-hwi nodded.
It was common for wandering martial artists to deliberately join escort agencies or merchant groups with the same destination.
The escort agency or merchant group could secure the force to protect their precious goods at a low cost, and the wandering martial artists could receive free boarding and lodging during their travels.
This kind of mutual cooperation was quite common in Kangho.
"So your destination is also Chengdu?"
"Yes!"
"Then your group's destination is Chengdu?"
"Right!"
"Understood. Then I won't ask any more questions. Just promise me one thing."
"What is it?"
"Don't give my sister false hopes. She's still naive and doesn't know much about the world. I hope this opportunity will show her how cold and frightening the world can be. That's why I brought her here, so don't give her any rosy illusions."
"Good."
Pyo Wol nodded obediently.
He didn't want to pay much attention to Seo Yul-hee even without Seo Gun-hwi's request.
Seo Gun-hwi smiled slightly, seemingly satisfied with Pyo Wol's answer.
"Sorry for bothering you. I'll leave now. If you change your mind and want to talk, please come to the front."
"Will you also be moving with the great pearl merchants?"
"I think it would be much more convenient to travel with the great pearl merchants at least halfway to the destination."
"So your destination is not Chengdu?"
"Unfortunately, no. But we should be able to travel together to Xichang."
Xichang was a city in the southern part of Sichuan. It was a key point where important routes crossed, giving easy access to all parts of the Kangho.
He didn't know Seo Gun-hwi's final destination, but it seemed they would have to travel together for at least another five days.
"See you later then."
Seo Gun-hwi bowed and left.
Cha Yoon-pyeong whispered as he followed him.
"Can we trust him?"
"Is there anything stupider than trusting a stranger we've never met?"
"Then?"
"It is better to keep a close eye on such a suspicious person than to keep him at a distance."
"Ah!"
Cha Yoon-pyeong couldn't help but exclaim.
He had found it strange that Seo Gun-hwi was unusually polite to a stranger. But he had hidden deep intentions.
He really is the young master.
He hadn't become the young master just because he was the son of the prestigious Seo Mun family.
He had earned his place by proving himself incomparable in martial prowess and depth of mind.
This was also the case with this mission.
Great Lord Seo Mun recognised Seo Gun-hwi's outstanding abilities and gave the order.
To assess the situation in Kangho directly.
So far, he had acted as if he didn't exist, maintaining neutrality. But Seo Mun knew that this neutrality couldn't be maintained forever. So he sent his son Seo Gun-hwi to assess the situation and make a decision.
Seo Gun-hwi looked back.
He saw Seo Yul-hee talking excitedly to Do Yeonsan.
"Tsk!"
His lips parted and a clicking sound escaped.
Important updates from my mtl novel translations
0 Comments
Share this post with your friends who want to enjoy light novels.