Chapter 45 : The Shipped Slacker (3)

Chapter 45: The Shipped Slacker (3)

“Hm?”

Gok Bihang tilted his head, not understanding why the man in green robes was pointing at Wi Yeonho.

“Who’s that guy?”

“...He’s someone our escort agency is currently transporting.”

“Transporting?”

The answer came from atop the carriage.

“He’s a package.”

“...”

“...”

The man in green robes and Gok Bihang were both rendered speechless.

Gok Bihang had no idea how to explain this situation to the man, and the latter was at a complete loss for words, unable to comprehend what he’d just heard.

“...What the hell is he saying?”

Gok Bihang leaned in and whispered to the man in green robes.

“He’s ill in both body and mind, so we’re taking him to the medical clan. It’s nothing you need to worry about.”

“Hm...”

The man glanced over at Wi Yeonho and gave a small nod.

“He does look a bit out of it.”

“Exactly.”

Wi Yeonho suddenly shouted.

“What’s wrong with my face!”

But neither the man in green robes nor Gok Bihang paid him any further attention.

“So, what were you saying? That there’s no need to make an enemy out of the Green Forest?”

“Of course. Why would we do something so foolish?”

“There’s certainly no reason for it.”

“Then you’ll trust us?”

“Trust isn’t the issue. The issue is—it’s already happened. Because of the guy in that wagon. Didn’t I clearly ask whether you saw someone in red?”

Everyone turned their heads toward the carriage.

More precisely, toward Wi Yeonho, who was sitting on top of it.

“I’m wearing white though?”

Wi Yeonho waved his hands, as if to make it absolutely clear it wasn’t him.

He wasn’t interested in getting dragged into any unnecessary misunderstanding.

“...Isn’t he wearing white?”

Even Gok Bihang backed him up.

However, the man didn’t seem to care in the slightest about what they were saying.

“If you won’t come out, I’ll drag you out myself. Or do you want to watch everyone here die instead?”

Once again, all eyes turned to Wi Yeonho.

He looked utterly aggrieved.

“I said it’s not me!”

Gok Bihang glanced at Wi Yeonho.

His performance was remarkably natural—he looked genuinely frustrated to death.

Clang!

At that moment, the man in green robes drew his sword.

“Are you trying to make a fool out of me?”

Gok Bihang’s expression darkened. It seemed he already knew everything. He wouldn’t be reacting like this unless he knew someone was hiding inside that wagon.

But he couldn’t give up yet. He understood that if they were exposed now, simply handing over Paeng Dogeuk wouldn’t be enough to resolve things.

“I’m telling you again, we...”

Just as Gok Bihang tried to offer another excuse, the man brought his sword right up to Gok Bihang’s lips.

“...”

Gok Bihang’s mouth shut as tight as a clam. Seeing this, the man in green robes lowered his sword and chuckled quietly.

“In that case, let’s do this.”

A sinister grin spread across the man’s face.

“I kill one. If no one admits anything, I kill another. We’ll see, one by one, whether you’re really innocent.”

Gok Bihang jumped in alarm and shouted.

“What kind of logic is that!”

He’d tried to keep his mouth shut after having a sword pointed at it, but the shock of what he heard made him cry out involuntarily.

“I guarantee you—before I even kill three, someone will confess they saw him.”

Gok Bihang desperately tried to defend himself.

“Why is the Green Forest oppressing our Swift Dragon Escort Agency like this? We’ve never once had a conflict with the Green Forest!”

“That’s none of my concern.”

“But...”

Gok Bihang’s words faltered.

The man in green robes stared silently at him before finally speaking.

“Refusing to hand him over means you’re all prepared to die with him, right?”

That slick voice of the green robed man sank in clearly.

“Hand him over, and I’ll spare your lives.”

Gok Bihang hesitated for a moment.

Should he hand over Paeng Dogeuk and live, or cling to him and die?

The answer seemed all too obvious.

Still, there was something nagging at his mind.

‘If he was sure Paeng Dogeuk was here, he would’ve attacked without asking questions. So why all this intimidation? Could it be...?’

Perhaps they weren’t entirely certain Paeng Dogeuk was here.

Gok Bihang decided to take a gamble.

“We really haven’t seen anyone. I don’t even understand what you’re talking about!”

“Heh.”

The man in green robes scoffed and raised his sword.

“Fine. Then who should die first?”

“We really...”

Before Gok Bihang could finish, he pointed at Jang Jasu, who had been riding on the cargo wagon.

“You.”

Jang Jasu flinched and cried out.

“M-me, sir?”

“Come here.”

“My lord, I...”

“Do you want to die faster?”

Trembling violently, Jang Jasu hurriedly stumbled forward.

The man in green robes pressed his blade against Jang Jasu’s throat.

“Answer me. Have you seen a young man in red?”

“I...”

“Your life depends on this one answer.”

Jang Jasu trembled, slowly turning his head toward Gok Bihang. Their eyes met, and after a long moment frozen in fear, Jang Jasu stammered out his reply.

“W-we really didn’t...see...”

“Then I guess you’ll just die.”

His blade dug into Jang Jasu’s throat.

At the same time, Gok Bihang’s hand reached for the sword at his waist.

And in that moment—

“He’s here.”

The man in green robes froze and turned his head.

His gaze landed on Wi Yeonho, who was still seated atop the cargo.

The man called out to him.

“What did you say?”

Wi Yeonho wiped some sleep from the corner of his eye and spoke.

“He’s here, I said. Stop tormenting innocent people and just take the one you’re after.”

Gok Bihang shouted in alarm.

“You—what do you think you’re doing...?”

But Wi Yeonho cut him off firmly.

“It’s fine, mister.”

Perhaps it was the inexplicable weight in those words.

Gok Bihang found himself unable to speak further and shut his mouth.

“There’s nothing dumber than dying for someone else. Living with a sour taste in your mouth is still a hundred times better than dying with a clean conscience.”

Gok Bihang looked at Wi Yeonho with a pained expression.

Where was the guarantee that handing over Paeng Dogeuk would actually allow their escort to pass safely?

“Hey, you’ve been caught. Come out.”

Wi Yeonho called out, but there was no response.

“You gonna wait until everyone here is dead before you come out?”

At that, the cargo shifted.

From within, Paeng Dogeuk emerged. With a determined expression, he pushed aside the goods and stepped out.

The man in green robes looked at him and let out a cold smile.

“If you’d tried to run, you might’ve had the tiniest chance of survival. But instead, you crawl out like a fool.”

“If I’d done that, you would’ve slaughtered everyone here.”

“Oh? Trying to play the chivalrous hero, are we?”

Paeng Dogeuk let out a low scoff.

“I, Paeng Dogeuk, may not be a righteous hero, but I’m not such a petty man that I’d stand by while innocent people die because of me.”

“A rat that was running for its life sure knows how to talk big.”

Paeng Dogeuk turned to Gok Bihang and offered a clasped-hands salute.

“Thank you for your help. This is now my responsibility. Please, continue on your way.”

Gok Bihang had no words.

“Their goal is me. If I remove myself, your escort agency will be spared.”

“But Young Master...”

“I’ll be fine.”

Paeng Dogeuk smiled lightly and turned away.

“There’s no avoiding them anyway.”

The man spoke.

“Swift Dragon Escort Agency, was it?”

Gok Bihang jumped in surprise and answered.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Forget everything you saw here. Otherwise, the Swift Dragon Escort Agency will be no more.”

A conflict surfaced on Gok Bihang’s face.

There was no doubt they were outmatched by the Green Forest men before them.

Even if they did manage to defeat them, nothing good would come of it.

As an escort agency that always had to deal with the Green Forest, making them enemies was equivalent to saying they no longer wished to do business.

Yet if he walked away here, Paeng Dogeuk would certainly die.

Knowing that, Gok Bihang couldn’t help but hesitate.

Paeng Dogeuk, sensing his dilemma, decided to ease the burden.

“Don’t worry about me.”

“But...”

“This is something I brought upon myself.”

Gok Bihang’s face darkened. It pained him deeply to turn his back while a young warrior knowingly walked to his death.

“Go now. Otherwise, you’ll have to bury your bones here. All you have to do is forget what you saw.”

Gok Bihang let out a deep sigh.

In the end, there was nothing they could do.

He released his grip from the hilt of his sword.

“Then I wish you good fortune.”

“May good fortune be with you as well.”

With a bitter face, Gok Bihang gave the order.

“Get ready. We’re leaving.”

Jang Jasu and the escorts climbed back onto the carriage, their faces uneasy.

They understood the situation, but fighting alongside Paeng Dogeuk simply wasn’t an option.

“Let’s move...”

Just then, a quiet voice came from atop the carriage.

“You can’t do that.”

Gok Bihang stopped talking. Normally, he might have just brushed it off, but something about the tone bothered him.

“What do you mean?”

The voice came again from the carriage.

“You’re about to head over there, right? Toward those greenish-blue guys.”

Gok Bihang scowled.

‘What a rude brat. When an elder is speaking, the least you can do is sit up properly.’

Where had he learned such terrible manners—talking while sprawled out like that?

Even amidst all this, Gok Bihang wasn’t sure whether it was he who was being strange for thinking about manners, or the boy, still lying down and chattering away, who was the odd one.

Suppressing his irritation, Gok Bihang asked,

“And?”

“They’ll definitely come at you with swords. And if that happens, we’re all dead.”

Gok Bihang’s face stiffened.

“Why would they attack us?”

“Come on, Escort Chief. You’ve been through so much—how can you be this dense? Didn’t you say that guy is from the Paeng Clan?”

“...That’s right.”

“No matter how strong the Green Forest is, they don’t want to go head-to-head with the Paeng Clan. But what if we make it back alive and start talking about how a Paeng clan member got killed by Green Forest men? What do you think will happen then? The Paeng Clan will unsheathe every sword they have and scour the mountains. They’d rather just clean us all up right here and now than risk that.”

Gok Bihang’s face turned pale.

He turned toward the Green Forest men.

The man in green robes, who had earlier said they’d be let go, now seemed deep in thought. Then, he nodded.

“That does make sense.”

Schling.

The sound of swords being drawn filled the air.

All the Green Forest men around him unsheathed their weapons.

“I hadn’t thought of that, but it’s a fair point.”

As the man spoke, Gok Bihang whipped his head around to glare at the top of the carriage.

His eyes were filled with malice.

‘That damn brat!’

If only Wi Yeonho hadn’t said anything, maybe they really would’ve been allowed to leave!

“Oh? You hadn’t thought of that?”

And that was all.

No more sound came from the top of the carriage.

‘That damned brat deserves a sword through the gut!’

Gok Bihang frothed at the mouth.

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