Chapter 13
It felt as though he were trapped in a place cursed by sorcery. No matter how long he thought he had descended, he found himself back at the top. He thought he had walked toward the peak, yet when he arrived, it wasn’t the right place.
All the effort he had made to come down the mountain felt wasted.
“Where is the sword I had with me?”
“I left it behind.”
“Left it behind?!”
“It was too heavy. Bringing Your Lordship here was already a great task. But I’ve hidden it well near the tree where you were lying. Don’t worry. You’ll get it back when we descend.”
He was curious about the expression that would cross his face once he learned what kind of sword it was. But for now, he had to retrieve the sword hidden near the tree.
He also wanted to leave markers along the path for Aulmu’s arrival, so they wouldn’t get lost wandering strange routes.
Yet even returning to the mountain residence now felt cumbersome.
“Haah.”
Yeonwon let out a deep breath and refocused. There was a conversation that was perfect for passing the time.
“Why don’t you ask why I brought a sword up the mountain?”
“I thought you were showing off.”
“Hah. Me?!”
“You seem to enjoy flaunting your bravado. And you had a bow too—tell me, have you ever actually hit any game?!”
If he went hunting along the way, it would utterly astonish them.
Thinking about what he could catch to shock them the most, his boredom slowly melted away.
When the sun slipped past the clouds, Yeonwon finally stopped and gazed ahead.
“That’s the place.”
His pace quickened. It was easy to recognize the path leading to Hyeonjo.
Even without that, how could he forget this place? After half a day of wandering, he had finally found the path. This was where he had collapsed miserably, sent his black horse ahead, and held onto his fading consciousness alone.
He scanned the area carefully. Searching around the tree, he finally brightened his eyes.
“They hid it terribly well.”
He had assumed that leaving it behind meant just burying it roughly in the snow, but it was far from that.
The sword had been pushed into a small cave-like space between rocks, filled with soil, covered with leaves, and then snow tightly packed on top, forming a secret fortress.
If he hadn’t been told, he would never have found it.
“Of course they wouldn’t have buried it sloppily with that temperament.”
Even a grown man would have struggled to dig it out. It was hard to believe such a slight figure had done this.
“Haah.”
He pulled out the sword and collapsed onto the ground. He had thought he had recovered, but his breathing was still strained.
His mouth was dry, and he instinctively stuffed snow into it when a strange presence made him freeze. From afar, the crackle of a small branch underfoot echoed through the mountain.
“…….”
Yeonwon slowly picked up the sword and rose, holding his breath as he scanned the surroundings.
In the brief pause of the wind, he drew his sword. At that same moment, a masked man leapt out.
⋆★⋆
Yeonwon stepped back and swung his sword. The masked man, unprepared for the retreat, swung at empty air and struck Yeonwon’s blade, falling backward.
Red blood spread across the white snow. It looked like ink splattered on pristine cloth.
Muwolsan shouldn’t be this deadly. His anger flared, sharpening his gaze.
“……!”
As the first foolish attacker fell, another shadow appeared. One, two, three—now there were four.
They surrounded him, pointing their swords with absolute precision. No hesitation in their movements.
These were people who knew him—either ambushers, trackers, or fortunate pursuers who had found him mid-chase.
“Don’t hide. Come out properly. If you’re going to surround me, do it right. Too many gaps for me to escape. Or shall I cut you down first?”
Though he should have been nervous, Yeonwon remained composed. He knew they typically traveled in groups of six, as they had during the previous ambush.
One had fallen, four were surrounding him—leaving one more.
As expected, someone hiding behind a tree appeared. Like a well-trained child, they quickly closed the gap, completing the circle.
“Why were you hiding, coward?”
Yeonwon pointed to the last arrival. The others, tense and sword raised, glanced at each other in shock.
“To think you trust such a fool as your comrade. Truly, your leader is pathetic.”
Clicking his tongue, he assumed a proper stance. The masked men regrouped and raised their swords again.
“Do you know why so many masked men attacked me last time?”
Yeonwon smiled lazily at the five masked men slowly circling him.
“Five isn’t nearly enough.”
Blue light flashed in his eyes, and the swords clashed. The sharp ringing drove away nearby wildlife.
He sliced one, stabbed another, and pushed back a third. Facing the remaining two, he planted his sword like a staff and watched them exhale white puffs of breath.
“Do you know why I talk so much?”
He inhaled sharply, annoyed.
“Because your poison sapped my strength. I’m taking a moment to regain it. Know this—I’m far more formidable than I let on.”
The blades clashed again, and after a few strikes, one opponent fell.
The last masked man tightened his grip, tension clear even through his stance.
Yeonwon’s choice to leave him alive paid off. He approached and lightly knocked aside the man’s sword, pushing him against a large tree.
Sliding his blade across the masked man’s neck, he said:
“Guess why I spared your life.”
When the mask came off, the man’s trembling eyes reflected panic and conflicted fear.
“So, you’ve been caught off-guard.”
He clearly wasn’t the type to commit such acts. Skilled with a sword, yes—but timid and gentle at heart.
“I… I… didn’t know I was to strike Your Lordship.”
Finally, words came, faltering.
“I only followed because I was told to help guide you across the mountain.”
Across the mountain, huh…
He hadn’t left a trail, so the man couldn’t have tracked him all the way here. Perhaps he had been searching near Hyeonjo and stumbled upon Yeonwon by chance.
By the end, it didn’t matter how lucky it was—he had ended up as a corpse.
Yet the pursuers recognized him from afar. Even dressed differently, the only identifiable trait was the sword. Still, they pinpointed him and attacked—familiar enough not to hesitate.
They must have seen him often, been near him, yet unfamiliar with this terrain…
“You’re from around here?”
“Y-Yes, I… I came because you promised to spare my son. He’s only six… He was hanged from a tree for stealing meat from the ancestral table… sob…”
He broke down completely. Seeing the grieving father, Yeonwon withdrew his sword.
The man knelt, pleading, hands raised.
“Spare me, Your Lordship. I swear I never intended to harm you. How could I, without losing my mind…?”
“Enough. Stop crying.”
His face was a mess, covered in tears and snot. Yeonwon sighed, wiping blood from his blade.
“And I am not Your Lordship. That honorific is for the Crown Prince.”
“I-I didn’t know. I’m foolish. I thought all princes were addressed that way. Please forgive me…”
The man began wailing again. Yeonwon sat in front of him, eyes level, sword sheathed.
“Where have you been, and what have you been doing?”
“…Huh?”
“You recognized me from afar. Though I am tall and striking, only someone familiar with me could connect me to Yeonhwa-gun, eldest son of the monarch’s concubine, brother to the Crown Prince, distinguished in martial and scholarly skill.”
Yeonwon gently lifted the man’s chin, meeting his gaze.
“Whose servant are you? You must have seen me up close. One of the families that summoned me personally, no doubt.”
“If I tell you, I’ll die.”
“You’d be okay with dying at my hands?”
The man almost began crying again. Yeonwon furrowed his brows.
“I won’t kill you, so stop crying. Do you think I kill anyone like some bandit?”
“My gratitude is boundless, Your Lordship… no, sir.”
“Why did you even say gratitude… haah…”
He stopped speaking. There was no sense in lecturing such a fool. He had already gained what he needed—though the man wouldn’t realize it.
