Chapter 44
The first thing I sensed when I opened my eyes was one thing.
The smell of something burnt?
There was a sharp scent of smoke in my nose.
Lying on the bed and staring blankly at the ceiling, I suddenly sat up.
Something felt wrong. The surroundings were strangely bright. At first glance, one might think it was morning, but the sky visible through the crack in the window was still completely dark.
Then where was this light coming from?
It was like someone had lit a fire nearby… or maybe had actually set something on fire—
“…!”
The thought struck me, and I hurriedly jumped down from the bed. I shoved my feet into my shoes and ran to the door. The moment I opened it—
“What… what is this?”
Fire.
It was fire.
Everything was burning.
The smell of smoke I had sensed in my sleep came from this. Buildings that had been perfectly fine just yesterday were now being swallowed by flames and collapsing. The once-clean ground was covered in rubble and ash.
And on top of it lay several people.
People soaked in blood.
Blood?
“Ah… ah?”
I swallowed a dry breath, then ran toward the fallen people. Their bodies were covered in deep wounds, and some were horribly mutilated.
But they all shared one thing in common.
They did not move at all.
No matter how much I shouted or shook them, there was no response.
Instead, the pools of blood spreading across the ground only grew larger.
That was when I finally realized it.
They’re dead.
They were all dead.
Already dead.
All of them, overnight.
Why?
Just as a scream was about to burst from my throat—
“Hey!”
I jerked my head up at the shout. From far away, a familiar figure was running toward me. A strange sense of relief washed over me, and I shouted back loudly.
“Uncle Hwang!”
Uncle Hwang reached me in an instant. I grabbed onto his collar and babbled incoherently.
“U-Uncle, what is going on? I heard screams while I was sleeping, so I came outside and there was fire, and people were lying there, and blood—blood—”
“Child.”
Uncle Hwang grabbed my shoulders.
“I understand that you’re confused. But there’s no time to explain right now. We need to leave. Follow me immediately.”
“Huh? Where—?”
“Now!”
With that, he grabbed my arm and started running.
Without thinking, I ran after him. Countless questions filled my head, but I couldn’t bring myself to ask any of them.
Because hell itself was unfolding before my eyes.
“Run—run away…!”
“My leg—someone help me!”
“Please save me! Aaagh!”
The courtyard was pure chaos.
Fires raged everywhere, and people were tangled together in confusion. Half of them had already collapsed onto the ground. The rest were panicking, frozen in fear.
Screams filled with terror. Cries of despair. Wailing.
Amid the chaos, someone shouted—
“It’s the Demonic Cult! The Demonic Cult is going to kill us all!”
The Demonic Cult?
The familiar term snapped my mind awake.
I remembered what Aso had told me before.
That the atmosphere had been uneasy lately. Martial artists had been appearing in the usually quiet Bakrahyeon. In some places, the Demonic Cult had shown up, killing and abducting people at random.
She had told me to be careful, just in case. I had said I understood—but truthfully, I hadn’t taken it seriously.
Most of the time, the Demonic Cult appeared in large cities. And more importantly, in Cheonjujiwang, Soyeonri had never been involved with the Demonic Cult.
Soyeonri had died only because of illness. Until then, she had lived peacefully, without ever crossing paths with the Demonic Cult. Even the So family estate had existed peacefully until the protagonist arrived.
Maybe that was why I had felt safe.
I thought that a young lady like her wouldn’t be swept up in the storms of the martial world…
Really?
Then why had this happened?
Why was the Demonic Cult here…?
Then—what about the young lady?
The young lady…?
A pale face flashed through my mind, and I shouted without thinking.
“Uncle, wait—wait!”
“Talk later!”
“What about the young lady?! Is she safe? Nothing happened to her, right? Where is she right now—!”
I couldn’t finish my sentence.
Someone stepped in front of us.
“…!”
Uncle Hwang and I stopped in place.
A terrible feeling crept up my spine.
It wasn’t just because the man blocking our path wore a black mask.
It was because from the sword in his hand—a sharply gleaming blade—blood was dripping steadily.
I didn’t need to ask whose blood it was.
Uncle Hwang must have sensed it too. He stepped backward, pulling me closer.
“Uncle…”
“Child.”
Uncle Hwang suddenly whispered.
“Go to the ancestral hall.”
“…”
“Everyone will be gathering there. I’ll hold him back somehow. Run while you can. You’re small—if you blend in with the crowd, it’ll be hard to find you.”
“…”
“I’ll count, so the moment I do—”
“B-But what about you, Uncle?”
At my trembling voice, Uncle Hwang finally turned to look at me.
Contrary to my expectation that he would be just as scared as I was, he looked calm.
No—he even smiled confidently, just like always.
“Do you really think I’d die here?”
“…”
“That won’t do. I still have plenty I want to do. I haven’t saved enough money yet. I haven’t opened a shop under my own name. And most of all, I haven’t even gotten married.”
“…”
“I should’ve accepted it when that guy Po offered to introduce me to a decent woman… Tsk. Though I doubt anyone would want an old bachelor like me.”
He met my eyes and grinned.
“You’re supposed to come congratulate me when I get married, you know? Huh? Don’t tell me you weren’t planning to show up.”
I smiled back at him.
“Of course I was.”
“That’s right. You’ll congratulate me, and you’ll play the role of big brother to my kids too. But all of that only happens if we survive. As long as we live, we’ll meet again someday.”
“Yes.”
“So now—go.”
In that instant, Uncle Hwang picked up a shovel lying on the ground and charged at the masked man.
“Go—!”
Clang!
The sound of metal crashing against metal rang out, and I began running like mad.
The chaos behind me grew distant. I thought I heard someone scream from behind.
Was it Uncle Hwang?
Or someone else…?
My breathing grew ragged, and my eyes burned.
The ancestral hall… I have to get to the ancestral hall…
The ancestral hall was where the tablets of the So family ancestors were kept.
If you passed through the Moon Gate beside the main residence where the estate lord stayed, there was a simple building. That was the ancestral hall.
It was easy to reach if you followed the corridor connected to the main residence, but doing so would make me too visible.
Just as Uncle Hwang said, I chose to blend into the crowd and take a longer route.
“Huff… huff…”
I ran desperately.
Before I realized it, my surroundings blurred. The screams and cries faded away. All I could see was straight ahead.
I ran with only one thought in mind—I have to reach the ancestral hall.
Soon, I got closer to the main residence. The round Moon Gate beside it came into view.
There—it was right there. Just pass through that gate and—
Tap.
That was when I heard footsteps chasing me.
I stopped in place.
Only then did I look around.
There was no one else.
Just me.
No—me, and the person behind me.
Slowly, I turned around.
A black-masked man stood there.
My thoughts tangled in confusion.
Was he the same man who had blocked us earlier? Then what happened to Uncle Hwang? Did he escape?
Or if not—
“Ah…”
I took a step back without realizing it. I saw the masked man tighten his grip on his sword.
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.
Should I really go to the ancestral hall like this?
According to Uncle Hwang, the remaining people were gathering there. The estate lord—and likely the young lady as well—would be there.
But if I went there just to save myself…
If the masked man didn’t kill me right away and instead chased me like a mouse, then the situation would become far worse.
The hiding place would be exposed.
Everyone would be revealed.
And then—massacred.
That can’t happen.
Only then did I understand Uncle Hwang’s feelings when he sent me away.
And that I would make the same choice he did.
In the end, I stopped running.
The black-masked man took one step toward me.
Then another.
Fear of death welled up inside me—along with a strange sense of relief.
It felt odd.
I thought I would feel unfairness at dying like this, but maybe because I had done my best until now, I didn’t feel regret.
Yes. Maybe this death wasn’t so bad.
Dying to protect others.
It wasn’t a meaningless sacrifice.
As I stared at the sword flying toward me—
“No—!”
A small body suddenly jumped in front of me.
Time seemed to slow down.
A pale purple maid’s uniform fluttered in the air.
A round, white face turned back to look at me.
A familiar face.
A face I saw every single day—
“Aso—!”
