Chapter 150
At that moment, Doyul narrowed his brows and asked Yerin.
“Why are you communicating through spiritual sound all of a sudden?”
“That’s…”
Yerin gave an ambiguous smile.
In truth, she knew.
The secrets of this world, her true identity, and the fact that Doyul was the protagonist of this world—she knew she would eventually have to confess all of this to him.
However…
‘I really want to delay it for as long as possible.’
Her heart ached as if pierced by a needle.
But Yerin ignored the pain.
“It’s nothing.”
“Even so, you’re communicating with spiritual sound?”
Doyul gave a blatantly suspicious expression, but Yerin avoided answering his confusion and instead turned her body to move away.
“Let’s go. Let Seolgum Brigade Commander follow us.”
“Oh, yes.”
Seolgum Brigade Commander quickly picked up his pace, his face full of confusion.
On the other hand, Doyul, following Yerin, had an unnervingly hard face.
—
Far off in the distance, Lord Joo and the leader of the Murim Alliance were visible.
The two, who had been confused, brightened when they saw Yerin and Doyul.
“Lord, Madam!”
“So the Seolgum Brigade Commander has arrived as well!”
But their joyful expressions didn’t last long.
Yerin dropped a bombshell.
“The Blood Demon will be resurrected.”
At that moment, the atmosphere became eerily still.
“B-Blood Demon?”
The Lord Joo stammered.
“Yes. This formation itself was probably set up for the resurrection of the Blood Demon.”
Yerin nodded firmly.
“When I previously sent a letter about the alliance between the Dang Clan and the Blood Cult, didn’t I also mention the Blood Demon?”
“Yes, yes, you did.”
The Lord Joo hastily nodded and quickly tried to argue.
“But the Blood Demon… It’s such an absurd story…”
“No, it’s not just anyone saying this—it’s Madam and the Princess who are speaking.”
The leader of the Murim Alliance shook his head.
“That alone makes it credible enough.”
“B-But, League Master!”
“Besides, there’s no time to debate right and wrong right now. Can you see the surroundings?”
The Lord Joo flinched, then sighed heavily.
“Yes, I can see them.”
The world was entirely bathed in purple light.
Strange mist floated around, and most people were lying on the ground as though they had fallen asleep.
“Regardless, we must resolve this issue.”
“Well… that’s true, but…”
“I don’t know how exactly the Blood Demon will be resurrected, but if this is really related to the Blood Demon…”
After some brief hesitation, the League Master gave a decisive order.
“The top priority now is to protect the civilians.”
“Yes, understood.”
The Lord Joo, who had been flustered, now seemed a bit more composed.
The League Master quickly continued.
“However, the Murim Alliance alone won’t be able to deal with all the fallen people, so immediately send someone to Lord Jo Yangpyo to ask for assistance.”
Lord Jo Yangpyo.
Yerin felt a sharp pang in her chest as if a needle had pricked her heart.
The world’s female protagonist, Jo Yeong-ju.
If things had gone according to the original storyline, Yeong-ju would have been learning martial arts from Doyul and steadily building a relationship with him.
But with Yerin’s involvement, the flow of this world had changed.
Yeong-ju, in this timeline, had not learned any martial arts.
So, by now, she would likely be fast asleep.
‘…I must break the formation, even if it’s to save Yeong-ju.’
Just as Yerin steeled her resolve, a calm voice rang out.
It was Doyul.
“Due to the nature of the formation, unless you’re a skilled martial artist, it’s impossible to act within it. At the very least, you’ll need to maintain the protective energy throughout.”
Doyul spoke to the group, then glanced at Yerin briefly.
“If what Madam says is true and this formation is for the Blood Demon’s resurrection, we must also consider the soldiers brought by the Blood Cult.”
“Soldiers?”
“Yes. To prevent any disruption to the resurrection ceremony, they most likely placed soldiers around to protect it.”
Doyul sighed as he finished speaking.
“They’ll be powerful enough to maintain protective energy, so even though there may be few in number, they will be highly dangerous.”
“That makes sense.”
The leader of the Murim Alliance stroked his chin and nodded.
The Lord Joo, looking worried, spoke up.
“Then we’ll need to bring soldiers to block them as well.”
“I’ll go with Madam.”
Doyul said this and then looked at Yerin.
The mysterious conversation he had seen earlier between Yerin and the spirit of the Winter Spirit, Manyeon Bingjeong, kept lingering in his mind.
The conversation was hidden using spiritual sound, and the content was something Doyul felt he needed to ask about later.
‘What they talked about… I’ll have to ask her later. But at least…’
Doyul clenched his fist tightly.
‘I won’t let her move alone.’
His gaze turned cold as he thought about it.
‘Doyul.’
Yerin’s lips parted slightly, but she couldn’t bring herself to say the usual words, “It’s dangerous, don’t follow me.”
If she followed that logic, she couldn’t go to stop the resurrection of the Blood Demon either.
“If that’s the case, I’ll go too.”
The leader of the Murim Alliance added, his tone calm as if going for a casual stroll.
The Lord Joo was horrified.
“League Master!”
“Indeed, I am the master of the Murim Alliance.”
The leader of the Murim Alliance fixed his steady gaze on Lord Joo.
“For all this time, just because I was the master, I’ve always stepped back.”
“But…!”
“As the center of the righteous factions, I had to remain in position, to keep the morale of the members up… There were many reasons. But.”
The League Master chuckled softly.
It was a mocking laugh directed at himself.
“If I step back now, even at this very moment, I’ll live with the shame of today for the rest of my life.”
“…”
The Lord Joo couldn’t bring himself to say anything further to persuade the leader.
The League Master gave another order.
“Gather the members of the Murim Alliance who haven’t been affected by the formation. There won’t be many, but…”
The leader of the Murim Alliance trailed off.
In reality, few people could maintain protective energy and still use martial arts effectively.
Even in the entire Murim Alliance, there likely wouldn’t be more than ten who could do so.
“We should take comfort in the fact that our enemies are likely to have as few experts as we do.”
As the leader sighed and muttered to himself, the Lord Joo spoke up decisively.
“In that case, I’ll go with you as well.”
The leader of the Murim Alliance shook his head immediately.
“Not allowed. If you come with me, who will manage the current situation?”
“You’re going to such a dangerous place; how could I stay behind in the Murim Alliance alone?”
The Lord Joo was adamant.
“You asked for those who haven’t been affected by the formation. I’m one of them. So, I’ll accompany you and assist you, League Master.”
The leader of the Murim Alliance, gazing at him quietly, suddenly asked a question.
“Lord Joo. Do you know why I insisted on bringing you into the military despite opposition?”
The Lord Joo flinched.
The League Master placed his hand on Lord Joo’s shoulder.
“I thought that if something were to happen to me, you would be able to control the situation and lead in my place.”
“…”
The Lord Joo’s eyes shook violently.
“And you’ve always lived up to my expectations.”
The League Master gave his shoulder a light pat.
“You’ve endured well, even though the weight on your shoulders was heavy.”
The kind words made the Lord Joo choke up unexpectedly.
A military officer.
It was one of the most prominent positions as a close confidant of the leader of the Murim Alliance.
The military officer was also a strategist and was in charge of overseeing the alliance’s internal affairs. This was a critical role.
Naturally, various factions and families tried to place their own people in such important positions.
‘The League Master believed in me.’
The Lord Joo had started from the lowest rank and worked his way up.
Although he had become an expert, his status was humble, and his solitary nature often prevented him from getting along with others.
When the League Master chose him as his military officer, there had been strong opposition.
But the League Master didn’t change his mind.
‘To prove that the League Master’s choice wasn’t wrong, I worked hard.’
There had been moments of exhaustion and frustration. But.
‘Do you know what the best decision I made while serving as the League Master was?’
‘What is it?’
‘Bringing you into my service as my military officer.’
The leader of the Murim Alliance recognized and trusted him, and that was enough for Lord Joo.
And even now, the leader still trusted him.
“I’m sorry to burden you again this time.”
The leader of the Murim Alliance wore an apologetic expression, but he didn’t waver in his resolve.
“However, there’s no one more suited than you to handle this chaotic situation.”
The Lord Joo pressed his lips together tightly.
How could he refuse when the leader, the lord he had sworn to serve for life, spoke with such conviction?
“…I will do my best.”
“Good.”
The leader of the Murim Alliance nodded approvingly, then turned to Doyul and Yerin with a refreshed expression.
“Then we must do what we need to do.”
The leader firmly concluded.
“Let’s go to stop the Blood Sect’s rise.”
