Chapter 16 : Fifteen Years Later (1)

Creak…!

The wooden door opened with a sharp sound.

In that instant, the characteristic smell of hay and horse manure from the stable rushed into her nose.

The woman’s brow furrowed slightly.

She had frequented the stable enough to get used to this smell, but she could never quite adapt.

The smell of horse manure was always foul, no matter when she smelled it.

There was something she disliked more than the smell. It was the filth. When she rented a horse, she received a clean one, so she didn’t know, but when she entered the stable, it was a mess of dung. She didn’t even dare to set foot inside.

She thought this place would be no different from any other. But,

‘Huh?’

She furrowed her already wrinkled brow even deeper.

Strange? This place… is clean!

The characteristic smell of the stable could not be hidden, but it was so cleanly organized that it looked as if it had just been newly built.

She glanced around the stable.

About twenty horses were confined in the stalls on the left and right. Each stall was separated for one horse.

Other places were not like this. Most of them raised all the horses in one large stall. That made it easier to feed them and to change the dung covered straw.

If each horse was separated into one stall, the horses would be well managed, but it would require a lot of work.

And yet, there was no filth to be found on the ground that ran through the stable. It was very clean.

‘Is this a stable that uses a lot of stable boys?’

The woman examined the horses.

They all looked healthy.

Their cheeks were plump. Their coats were glossy. Most importantly, the horses looked clean.

There was no need to choose a horse. Any horse looked fine.

Swoosh!

She walked into the stable.

She chose the horse closest to her, a horse that was a little darker than yellow, almost brown.

It seemed full of energy and would run well.

Once she had chosen a horse, there was nothing to hesitate about. She would get out of this place quickly. As quickly as possible.

She took a big step to open the stall door. In that instant,

“Ah!”

She let out a cry of astonishment without realizing it and staggered.

Her foot had caught on the threshold.

She was very flustered.

No matter how rushed she was, it didn’t make sense that she had almost tripped over the threshold.

She looked at what had caught her ankle.

It wasn’t the threshold. It was a small block of wood. She didn’t know why the block of wood was stuck in front of the door, but it was deeply embedded in the ground.

‘Why didn’t I see this?’

She tilted her head.

She had the insight to find a needle in the pitch black darkness. Even if the floor was covered in glass, she could walk without stepping on it. She was confident that she had trained to that extent.

But to think that she had not noticed a single block of wood and had stumbled over it.

‘I must have been too flustered. Let’s not rush. If I rush, I’ll die. Let’s calm my mind.’

She looked to see if there were any other blocks of wood stuck in the floor.

There were none. This time, it was certain. There was nothing.

But there was something else. Something very dangerous!

Shing!

She immediately drew her sword. And without giving a moment’s pause, she cut through the darkness.

Parararak!

The cold wind of the sword cut through the humid air.

Shwiit! Chak!

A man’s neck was caught on the sword she had extended.

“Hook!”

The man let out a gasp of surprise.

The man was lying on a pile of straw in a corner of the stable.

Moonlight poured in through the bars of the stable. It brightly illuminated the face of the lying man.

Disheveled hair, a face covered in grime, clothes that were no different from rags, a terrible smell of horse manure…

He was a worker who worked in the stable.

The woman asked coldly, “Who are you?”

“Ah, Ah Geol.”

The worker answered in a daze. He had the expression of someone who had been suddenly attacked while sleeping.

Ah Geol… a common name.

“Get up!”

The worker sat up awkwardly.

“Saddle up!”

Swoosh!

The worker walked towards the wall where the horse tack was hanging without a word.

Stagger! Stagger!

The worker walked with difficulty, like a mangy colt. He was quite annoyed, as if he didn’t want to move but was forced to. He also looked as if he really had no strength.

Just by looking at the way he walked, it seemed as if he hadn’t had a proper bowl of gruel for three days.

The woman lowered her sword.

Originally, she had intended to kill him.

Kill all witnesses!

She had learned and acted that way until now. Those who had seen her, those who had watched what she was doing… she killed all witnesses. The more she showed them mercy, the greater the chance of being caught.

But this time, she sheathed her sword.

Was it because the worker looked so shabby? In any case, she felt that he was not worth killing.

Anyway, the disciples of the Living Sword Sect would soon rush here. They would immediately realize that a horse was missing, and they would pursue the horse from the stable.

Killing the worker would not change anything.

The worker skillfully prepared the horse tack.

“The horse…?”

The worker asked, looking at the woman.

He was asking which horse to saddle.

“That one.”

The woman pointed to the horse she had her eye on.

Limp! Limp!

The worker walked towards the horse the woman had pointed to with a gait that made even the viewer feel drained of energy.

He was carrying the heavy horse tack, but he didn’t seem uncomfortable at all, as if he were used to this kind of work.

Chak!

The worker saddled the horse.

At that moment, an old man came staggering from outside the stable.

The old man crossing the yard was illuminated by the moonlight. He was walking with difficulty, carrying a load of rice straw on his back.

The old man came straight to the stable.

Grip!

The woman gripped her sword again.

‘What is this? Why are there so many obstacles today? It’s just stealing one horse from a stable… The stable boy was already unsettling, but what’s with this one?’

She was going to let him live… but maybe it was better to kill him? She would let one live, but since there were two witnesses… it would be better to kill them.

Creak!

The old man roughly threw open the half open door and entered the stable.

“You rascal! You should be doing this! Am I, an old man, supposed to do this too! You rotten son of a bitch!”

As soon as the old man entered the stable, he started shouting.

At that moment, a cold wind blew from the darkness. A sword touched the old man’s neck.

“Huk! Wha, what is this!”

The old man was so surprised that he fell on his butt with a thud.

Swoosh!

The sword was aimed down at the old man.

The old man just trembled and could not open his mouth. He just blinked his eyes.

An old servant who worked in the stable.

His appearance was also a mess. A skinny body with only bones left, wearing tattered rags. His white hair was rough and stiff, and his deeply wrinkled face held the hardships of time.

He was pitiful to the extreme. She didn’t know why everyone looked so pitiful today.

“…Get inside!”

“Yes, yes yes.”

The old servant retreated on his butt, frightened.

“Hurry up!”

The woman urged the worker.

The worker was looking at the old servant, but when he was urged, he quickly started to move his hands.

He tied the saddle tightly. He also fixed the stirrups.

At that time, the old servant said something unexpected.

“Hey there… this horse is better than that one. This horse runs twice as fast.”

The old servant slyly pointed to a horse on the inside.

The woman was surprised by the unexpected words and looked at the horse the old servant had mentioned. But she soon frowned.

She couldn’t believe what the old servant was saying. The horse the old servant had pointed to was so skinny that it looked useless at a glance. It seemed to have no strength and couldn’t run far.

But her gaze did not leave it.

The eyes! The horse’s eyes!

Large eyes that sparkled even in the deep darkness.

Eyes that could not be seen in other horses. They were as clear and transparent as a child’s eyes. Light emanated from them.

Upon closer inspection, its black coat also had a sheen.

It was skinny because it had not been fed well, and its sheen was not properly revealed because it had not been washed, but it was definitely a good horse.

It was a black horse that would not be out of place to be called a famous horse.

“Change the horse!”

She said without realizing it.

“Hey.”

The worker called out to her as she was about to leave.

“What?”

She asked sharply.

These people didn’t know how lucky they were. They were completely unaware of the fact that they had just been to hell and back a couple of times. No, they didn’t even think that they could still die.

“That one… just spare its life.”

“What?”

“If you just spare its life, it will come back here no matter where you abandon it. So please don’t kill it later.”

‘…A famous horse!’

The woman grasped the value of the mangy horse from the worker’s words.

The worker cherished the mangy horse very much. She could feel the sincerity in his words not to kill it.

It was definitely a very outstanding horse.

“Alright. I won’t kill it.”

The woman mounted the horse. And she kicked the stirrups hard.

“Hiyah!”

Hee hee hing! Dududududu!

The mangy horse began to gallop powerfully.

* * *

“What do you think of that woman?”

The old servant said something strange. And very calmly at that.

“She’s well trained. Her body is light, and her sword forms are good.”

The stable boy said indifferently, as if he didn’t care much.

“That’s not what I meant! It’s a mess outside right now. The Living Sword Sect guys have lit all the fires. The estate is bright. That side is as bright as a forest fire.”

The old servant pointed to the east, where the Living Sword Sect was located.

“Did she mess with the Living Sword Sect?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“What’s with you? You know. Who did she mess with?”

“I told you I really don’t know! If the Living Sword Sect is making such a fuss, isn’t it obvious? They’ll try to steal a horse from our stable. So I just came to check, just in case.”

“Are you going to give her the Black Dog?”

“Who said I gave it to her! I just said the Black Dog was good. And… is the Black Dog yours! It belongs to the master! Get a grip, you rascal! Do you think you own anything here?”

The night was very deep. It was not time to feed the horses. It was not time to carry rice straw either. There was no reason for the old servant to visit the stable. He had deliberately come after seeing the commotion at the Living Sword Sect.

It wasn’t the first or second time the Living Sword Sect had suffered something like this.

The capital city of Dongseung had roads that stretched out in all directions. Three official roads overlapped. So when thinking of an escape route, the first thing that came to mind was a horse.

Naturally, the Living Sword Sect was also prepared for such an escape.

All the roads would have been blocked by now. Archers would have been deployed, and anyone moving on horseback would be searched. If they refused to be searched, they would be shot without mercy.

The worker said with a smirk, “Huhu, it’s still no use. Even if you gave her the Black Dog, that woman can’t escape. She’s properly trained, but she’s not enough to face the Living Sword Sect.”

“What if the Black Dog brings that woman to safety?”

The worker looked at the old servant.

“I told you it’s no use. The Black Dog is fast, but… huh? Strange? You’re being unusually concerned today… who is that woman?”

“Kikik! I have a good feeling this time. That’s why I bet all my money. If the Black Dog doesn’t bring that woman to safety, I’ll give up cleanly. At that time, you can live as you please!”

The old man laughed with a mysterious smile.

“Anyway, the old man causes trouble whenever he has free time. That’s why I can’t let my guard down for a moment.”

The worker grumbled.

(End of Chapter)