Chapter 150
Chapter 150
Namgung Yo, who had sent Namgung Hwi in first, followed behind and bowed lightly.
"Excuse me, Alliance Lord. Oh my, Beopgong Daesa is here too."
"Oh, who is this? It's Yo."
Namgung Yo's brow furrowed slightly at the lazy voice. He glanced at Beopgong, who was lying in the corner of the tent chewing on a willow branch, with a look of disdain.
"You haven't changed, I see. I assume you still haven't given up on your hair, Daesa."
"Of course not. It doesn't look good without hair. Anyway, it's been a while. Is that your younger brother? The Young Patriarch?"
Beopgong, who had been waving his hand while lying down, slowly got up.
He was so unrefined that it was hard to believe he was a disciple of Buddhism, but Namgung Hwi didn't show it and politely clasped his hands.
"Namgung Hwi, a humble student of the Martial Arts World, greets the seniors of the Rivers and Lakes."
Beopgong, grinning at the flawless etiquette, pulled out the twig he had been using to pick his teeth and asked.
"Wow, I finally get to meet the Namgung Young Patriarch I've only heard about. You're so pale, you must be popular with the young ladies. Namgung kid, how old are you?"
"Beopgong, even if he's young, he's the Young Patriarch. Show some respect."
Dam-cheon pointed out, and Beopgong shrugged.
"Brother, really. Raising them from a young age to be so stiff-necked is a shortcut to ruining them. There should be adults who treat them like kids so they can breathe. If they can't act like kids when they're young, they'll have a knot in their chest, and when they get old, they'll act like kids without knowing their age."
"I'm not interested in your philosophy. Distinguish between public and private matters during missions."
"Yes, yes. Alliance Lord."
Beopgong, wearing a sulky expression at the cold reply, asked again in an exaggerated tone.
"Please forgive this humble monk's rudeness. May I ask how old the Namgung Young Patriarch is...? Ah! That hurts!"
"Just shut up. I'll apologize for him."
Dam-cheon, who had smacked the back of Beopgong's head, apologized with a blank face. Namgung Hwi answered calmly.
"I am fifteen."
"Oh, about the same age as the Tang Clan brat. Or is she older?"
Namgung Yo's eyes narrowed sharply for a moment. Namgung Hwi unconsciously asked back.
"The Tang Clan brat?"
"Yeah. There's a brat who keeps asking me for Sohandan. Maybe it's because she's a disciple of the Poison King, but she looks innocent but is actually quite vicious."
Namgung Hwi's expression became subtle. If there was a Tang Clan child of his age receiving the teachings of the Poison King, there was only one person.
Namgung Hwi, recalling the girl whom the Poison King, who had been wary of him with a displeased face, cherished, shook his head.
"...She is not a vicious child."
Because she was a child who would laugh and brush it off even if a Maid scratched her face.
Beopgong tilted his head at the protective tone.
"Oh, you know the Tang Clan brat?"
"......"
"Well, the noble families often interact, so you might know her. I thought they wouldn't even include her in such gatherings since they abandoned her to the Alliance to hand over a criminal, but I guess that's not the case? Really, the affairs of noble families are incomprehensible."
Beopgong, muttering while stroking his chin, wore a sullen expression. Bewilderment flickered in Namgung Hwi's blue eyes.
"Hand her over to the Alliance...? What do you mean? What happened to So-hye?"
"Beopgong Daesa."
Namgung Yo interrupted and gave him a look, but Beopgong replied without concern.
"The kind of bad things that can happen to a brat who lost her guardian and was kicked out of her house."
'Lost her guardian?'
Namgung Hwi's lips trembled at the unexpected words. He raised his voice and asked urgently.
"Please, tell me exactly. So-hye was kicked out of her house? What are you talking about?"
"That brat was suspected of being a Demonic Cultist and was being pursued by the Alliance. She was investigated by the main headquarters a while ago."
"Pursued by the Alliance? Does that mean a wanted order was issued?"
"Yeah. It's resolved now. The wanted order has been lifted, and she's gone her way. You seem surprised, so you must have been close to her? Is she our brat's friend?"
It seemed like Beopgong was asking something, but he couldn't hear it properly. Namgung Hwi gripped his sword so tightly that the back of his hand turned white.
So, that's why she didn't send a reply even after the year changed...
She didn't ignore him on purpose. She couldn't reply.
How could she send a letter when she was being chased and her life was threatened?
His heart sank. Pale-faced and breathing heavily, he ran out of the tent.
"Hwi-ah? Hwi-ah! Where are you going!"
Namgung Hwi didn't look back even at Namgung Yo's call. He ran out of the military camp and started running towards the city of Yueyang.
The taste of blood rose from his lips, which he had been chewing on. He felt pathetic and was going crazy at the fact that he hadn't grown at all in the past two years.
You stupid bastard. You didn't know anything and were just disappointed. What was so important about your pride that you didn't even ask why and turned your back?
He repeated the same mistake like an idiot. He judged and misunderstood again on his own.
There could have been circumstances. He didn't even think about her situation...
Jeokroe, who had hurriedly followed him, screamed.
"Young Patriarch! Where are you suddenly going! You have to go back!"
"I have to meet her!"
"Yes? What are you talking about? Who are you going to meet?"
"She was in Yueyang! She was definitely here!"
He shouted, ignored Jeokroe, and ran until he was out of breath.
However, there was no one on the street where he had encountered Dang So-hye.
The double-horse carriage that the child was riding in and the Green Robe fluttering in the wind were still vivid, but nothing remained on the empty street.
Namgung Hwi, standing as if nailed to the ground and looking around, soon began to trace the wheel tracks of the carriage and wander the streets.
Jeokroe, horrified by the sight of his master acting like a madman, tried to stop Namgung Hwi.
"Why are you doing this! Young Patriarch, think about why you came to Yueyang! Don't tell me you're doing this because you heard about the Tang Clan's daughter...!"
Jeokroe, who had been shouting and following him, hurriedly shut his mouth. Namgung Hwi, who had roughly drawn his sword, pointed the tip of his sword at him.
'Damn it. I misspoke.'
He swallowed hard and watched Namgung Hwi's expression.
"Young Patriarch. Calm down."
"...You. You knew what she was going through."
"That, that's..."
"Even though you've been my Bodyguard for eight years, you've never been my man. I've been completely played."
Namgung Hwi, who had realized the situation in an instant, gritted his teeth.
Jeokroe already knew. Judging from the fact that he had tried to stop Beopgong from speaking, Namgung Yo must have known the situation as well.
There was only one person who could silence even his Bodyguard and brother and block information.
His father. The Patriarch, Namgung Sang.
Namgung Hwi's eyes, trembling with betrayal, surged like rough waves. Jeokroe, flustered by the unusual momentum, poured out excuses.
"No, Young Patriarch. Please don't doubt my loyalty. I was just following the Patriarch's orders...!"
"Not loyalty to my father? Well, I'm the idiot for only now realizing that your master is not me but my father."
"Young Patriarch, please calm your anger. The Patriarch did it for your sake."
"For my sake...? Do you really think that covering my eyes and ears and making me a frog in a well is for my sake?"
"......"
Namgung Hwi, who smiled bitterly, put strength into the hand holding the sword.
"The fact that she was suspected of being a Demonic Cultist means that the Demonic Sect is showing signs of activity. The Alliance's suppression of bandits at this time must also be related to the unusual situation. But I haven't heard anything about it."
"Young Patriarch..."
"I feel great. I feel like I've become the biggest fool in the world. Did my father want to establish not a successor to Namgung but a puppet who would move as he pleased?"
"That, that's not it, Young Patriarch! The Patriarch's intention is..."
"Spare me the excuses. I have no intention of keeping a Bodyguard who covers my eyes and ears by my side."
"Young Patriarch, this subordinate was wrong!"
Jeokroe, who had knelt down, prostrated himself and apologized, but Namgung Hwi's expression did not soften.
"But I can't dispose of my father's people as I please. Jeokroe, return to Anhui."
"If you are disappointed in me, I will humbly accept it, Young Patriarch. But you must not go this way. At least until the end of the subjugation mission, you must keep your place."
"I don't care."
"Are you saying you're going to throw everything away like this and go find Dang Sojeo? Get a grip! It won't help Dang Sojeo at all if the Young Patriarch gets excited and messes things up!"
Jeokroe, frustrated, beat his chest. Namgung Hwi raised Jeokroe's chin with the tip of his sword as if telling him to say more.
"Do you think people will criticize the Young Patriarch for going astray? No. Unless they have two lives, they can't. Insulting the Young Patriarch is the same as insulting Namgung. Naturally, the innocent Dang Sojeo will be the one to take the blame."
"What did that child do wrong!"
"That's right. She didn't do anything wrong, but she'll be blamed just because the Young Patriarch has her in his heart. Do you want to see her being pointed at for seducing the Eldest Son of Namgung despite being an illegitimate child and preventing him from fulfilling his duty?"
"......"
"I know you don't want to. I know you're upset. But think of this as one step back for two steps forward. You must go back now, Young Patriarch. After the subjugation is over, then go to pick her up. This Jeokroe will follow you."
Namgung Hwi's face, who had been moving his lips, was distorted terribly. The sword blade hanging over Jeokroe's neck dug into his skin, and a stream of blood flowed down.
"...Jeokroe."
"Yes. Young Patriarch."
"If you want to keep that neck attached, you'll have to take responsibility for your words."
"Of course. Have I ever lied to you, Young Patriarch?"
"Many times."
Namgung Hwi, suppressing his anger and calming his breathing, swung his sword fiercely into the air. The ground split in half with a rough sword strike, creating a deep crack.
He stared at the ground with a face that looked like he was about to cry, trembled, and turned his back.
"I'm going back."
Namgung Hwi's eyes, commanding, shone brightly.
Jeokroe, wiping the blood droplets from his neck and getting up, swallowed a sigh.
The boy who had respected and followed his father like heaven would never trust his father again.
He would try to challenge the world of his father, who had betrayed trust and loyalty.
'You made the wrong decision this time, Patriarch. It could have ended with puppy love, but you set fire to that young heart...'
He looked at his master's back with a complicated expression and followed silently.
