27 – Chung Hoe-sung Strategy Plan (9)
A heavy silence descended.
I caught a glimpse of her completely flustered figure beyond my line of sight.
“Uh, uh. No, this is just that… “
With a lost hand, she moved her hands back and forth in the air, trying to come up with an excuse.
“…”
For a moment, my head went cold.
I briefly got lost in a fantasy, and now I feel like I’m finally facing reality again.
I nodded my head coldly.
“Alright.”
What did you expect?
What kind of dream did you have after all?
You must know by looking at the curses stuck to your body. You must know that the word “goodwill” cannot exist for me.
What kind of delusion were you having?
The reaction she showed in the end was clearly the reaction of someone repulsed. It was not just empty words, but her reflexive reaction.
On the contrary, I was starting to trust her even more.
I quickly put on my mask and apologized to her.
“I’m sorry. There was a bug behind your neck, so I stopped. I shouldn’t have reached out without permission.”
“No, no! It’s okay. I’m the one who should be sorry. I overreacted. I never meant to. I’m really sorry!”
Her words become faster. I couldn’t tell what was true, but I could see that she was extremely flustered.
“No, if something suddenly popped out from behind, I would have been startled too.”
I worked hard to shield her from feeling uneasy.
It’s a relief that the dismantling work is almost done.
Otherwise, we would have spent a few more hours in an uncomfortable atmosphere.
“Oh no, it’s too late. There’s not much left. Let’s handle the rest tomorrow. Go in and rest now.”
“No. I’ve come this far, so I should finish the rest too…”
“Thank you for your help, but it’s okay.”
I politely declined her offer.
After tidying up and preparing to leave, the Saint called out to me.
“Um…”
I could see her sapphire eyes trembling intensely. Her facial expression combined worry and apology in an appropriate way.
She reached out to grab my collar, but hesitated and lowered her hand again.
Then she spoke to me.
“I don’t know how you’ll take it… but I didn’t have that reaction because I hated you. Please believe me.”
It was a sincere voice, but when I heard it, I just nodded indifferently.
“Yes.”
From now on, I should be careful even when trusting people.
Now is the time to distance myself a little.
With that thought, I nodded my head and left her on her own path.
Still, I tried to feel grateful that I received some sympathy, even if only for a moment.
*
“Ah…”
The holy maiden, Yuris, sighed deeply as she watched Luke, who was moving away. This should not be how it ends.
There was a need to clear up the misunderstanding, but her mind turned blank, unable to come up with a solution.
His fading figure seemed incredibly desolate.
This was not what she intended.
She had made a tremendous mistake.
It was all because of the curse.
It seemed like, somehow, the curse Luke carried was evolving.
No, perhaps it would be more appropriate to say it altered its form based on the affected recipient.
Initially, the curses only caused discomfort, but gradually, they solidified and tormented her.
What Yuris detested most was revulsion.
Although she had somewhat adapted during the week with the Crown Prince, her abhorrence remained unchanged.
No, if anything, experiencing such only intensified her aversion.
However, when did it begin?
As she got closer to him, she started feeling as if insects were crawling all over her body.
It was due to the influence of the curse that Luke possessed.
The curse of terror.
This curse made the recipient feel a part of what the other person fears and dreads the most.
It was also a part of the reason why anyone seeing him for the first time instinctively shunned him.
Nonetheless, the holy maiden persisted.
She disregarded the sensation of insects crawling all over her body and the haunting hallucinations as she approached him.
Ultimately, the most unbearable aspect of that curse was none other than the one afflicted, Luke.
However, the touch that finally approached was impossible to endure.
His hand, as if carelessly brushing off insects.
As if in a state of ecstasy, the hand reaching out seemed to overlap with that of ‘someone,’ for a brief moment.
Rotten logs, worms crawling on top, loosely wrapped bloody bandages—things felt indistinct.
“Are you going to help me metamorphose?”
Yuris had no choice but to push his hand away.
It might have been an unavoidable situation, but it was already too late.
“I’m sorry…”
Yuris watched his fading figure for a long time.
This week has passed.
Although it got tangled up once, Ulysses never gave up.
Whenever there was a dismantling task, she always helped him from the side, and she also defended him when he ended up being cornered by his teammates.
Not only that, she also put more energy into the purification magic, and she consistently spoke up.
She continued to show subtle consideration.
As a result, Luke, who had been a little down, started talking to her again as usual.
But.
She could feel it. His mask had become thicker than before.
She thought to herself with a bitter face.
‘He has closed his heart again.’
It was like looking at an abandoned puppy on the street.
A dog that had been abandoned countless times by people and could no longer trust them.
The door of her heart that had been somewhat opened through her efforts until now had completely closed with that one mistake.
The saint looked at him and bit her lip.
“But still, I won’t give up.”
Someday it will open again. She wanted to open it again and support his spirit.
“But, I have a question.”
While she was thinking about that, Lily suddenly opened her mouth.
Curiosity was reflected in her red eyes.
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“We are causing such a commotion, but does the king not really notice?”
“Well? The hero told us last time, didn’t he? As long as we catch the outside bugs well, the king won’t find out.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
She began to speak.
“No matter what, we still don’t know enough. Even if we only mess with a few of their territories, we can easily overwhelm one of their domains. Is it really possible to not know so much even if we caught the outside bugs?”
At that moment, Luke turned back and said. The familiar subtle smile was on his face as always.
“That’s a good point, Lily.”
Although he didn’t open his heart, his communication skills allowed for normal conversation.
“Yes, you’re right. It doesn’t make sense to go to such lengths and still not know. Perhaps the king is starting to notice something is off.”
The outside bugs raised by the king roam the Alhyeon realm.
To convey what he saw and heard, contacting the King Chungwa was essential.
However, a portion of it did not come back to his room of enlightenment.
If it were just a few dozen, it wouldn’t matter. Considering the size of the Chung Hoesung, that number would only be like a giant’s toenail.
But what if that number became hundreds, thousands?
The King Chungwa couldn’t help but feel something was off.
Soon, large-scale patrols would begin.
“We were destined to be discovered eventually.”
Especially if he delved deep, he would definitely be discovered by the King Chungwa. From there, the King’s detection range would expand immensely.
“What!? Why are you telling me this now? What will happen to us if we get caught?”
“What are you asking? We grew up for this purpose.”
“So, when would we get caught?”
“Well, I’m not sure. Based on the distance we’ve walked and the time we’ve spent so far, probably…”
He pauses for a moment. It seemed like he was calculating something in his mind.
Eventually, he finished his thoughts and spoke softly.
“It will be soon.”
Finally, this tiresome life in Chung Hoesung was coming to an end.
The party members were momentarily taken aback by his sudden bombshell, but they quickly regained their composure.
They had prepared for this moment and endured his words.
And as he anticipated, the party of heroes was exposed to the King Chungwa within a few days.
“So, there were little rat bastards hiding in my stronghold.”
A chilling voice echoed throughout the entire palace, and the surroundings underwent a transformation.
Clattering!
The passage was blocked, and bugs rushed in from all directions.
Flies, scorpions, cockroaches, insect-like monsters, and more.
All of these scenes were eerily similar to his past life.
In an instant, the face of the saint who thought of her past life turned pale.
It had been several months, but the memories of defeat still haunted her as a trauma.
“Tsk, you managed to elude my surveillance and come this far. It irritates me that the goddess’s seeds have arrived without permission, but it works out well. I gladly offer you as prey to my children.”
But even that was just temporary.
The shaken saint soon regained her composure, tapping her cheeks to steady herself.
“It’s okay.”
The scene before them was the same, but many things had changed.
Unlike their previous reckless charge, they were now well-prepared.
They had addressed their weaknesses and strengthened their strengths.
Their plan was thorough, and their equipment was sufficient.
The relationship between party members might not be ideal, but at least they weren’t completely ignoring him as they did last time.
At the very least, there was unity among the party members.
That was enough.
Now, all that remained was to confront everything they had built up against the Charging King.
“Arise, O hounds of the gods. I shall face you personally.”
The holy maiden raised her divine power.
Now, there was only one trial left.
To overcome the Charging King, Balkan.
