Episode 418
“I… am I really okay?”
“He’s going to die soon if we leave him alone anyway. “Who cares?”
“But… But…”
“I heard the value of that sword that was sold at the blacksmith shop was enormous. “I don’t know where you picked that up, but there might be more, right?”
“It must be a treasure hidden by dead kites.”
Several men swallowed their saliva and nodded.
The old blacksmith had a fortune.
Many people tried to take it away, but since he had a sturdy physique and was also the best hunter in the village, they could not easily touch him.
But what if it’s him?
What if you have two or more treasures like that sword instead of one?
It could be such an enormous rejection that there is no need to envy the blacksmith.
About a dozen men’s eyes sparkled with greed.
If you have a treasured sword like that, even if you share the money with many people, you will have a foundation to live off of, so everyone’s eyes will turn to money.
“Why not build a blacksmith shop instead?”
A man asked with a reluctant expression.
Since it is impossible to know whether the child actually has another item or not, wouldn’t it be best to threaten the blacksmith and take it away?
However, the middle-aged man ahead of him chuckled.
“Others have already gone. “We can’t intervene there.”
“…Tch, are you late? “If you only use fast hands,
you’ll end up falling into a mess, so don’t worry about it.” Just think about this for now. Even if we split it, it would be a lot of money.”
They cautiously approached the house where the child lived. He holds a sword in one hand and his fierce, shining eyes never cool down.
There was no one more dangerous than a person blinded by money.
That’s why they won’t care about the child’s life.
Moving without hesitation, they were heading towards the place where the child lived.
Late at night.
Bicheonwoong looked at the child sleeping soundly. He is sleeping curled up on the floor, not even a bed, without a blanket to cover himself.
The wind was already chilly, so it must have been unusually cold, but I didn’t care about that and was sleeping.
“It’s amazing….”
Bicheonwoong couldn’t understand this child’s mentality.
Helping someone you don’t know?
A child who is not even that old?
Considering that I can’t even take care of myself properly, it’s definitely not an easy task.
Yet this child is doing the difficult task.
‘Now that I think about it… I don’t even know your name.’
Bicheonwoong smiled as he thought about that.
Since when did you start wondering about your child’s name and worrying about someone else?
However, when Dansomi’s face flashed through my mind, I frowned without realizing it and immediately covered the child with the blanket on the bed.
The moment I moved, all the muscles in my body screamed.
Although it hurt, I recovered enough to move. Bicheonwoong stood up, thinking that that alone was fortunate.
For the first time, I was able to properly look inside the cabin.
The cabin is large but old.
The room where the child and Bicheonwoong were had a door, and when they opened it and went outside, a larger space appeared.
It’s a pretty big place to live alone.
There was all kinds of trash strewn on the floor, and the stench still emanating from somewhere stung my nose to the point of disgusting.
There were all kinds of insects crawling on the floor.
Starting with centipedes, cockroaches and even rats.
I saw a lot of things that were not good for the human body.
However, what caught Bicheonwoong’s attention was something lying in a large space.
“dead body…?”
There were two corpses.
It must have been rotting, so the smell was strong and it was full of maggots. Just looking at it made me frown.
Even Bicheonwoong, who had killed so many people, wanted to turn his head away in disgust when he saw that scene. Was that the cause of the foul smell coming from this cabin?
Bicheonwoong looked at it and picked up the cloth nearby. Eventually, he approached the two corpses and was about to cover them with a cloth when he discovered something.
“I got cut by a sword…”
This is not a simple soldier.
There are signs that someone intentionally swung a sword and caused injuries.
The situation is so severe that even touching it to ask questions seems dangerous.
If they stayed here a little longer, not only the child but also Bicheonwoong might get sick.
A cloth was placed over it.
This was the least mercy Bicheonwoong could show.
“You couldn’t even bury your parents’ bodies?”
All the situations before my eyes were pointing to such things. Bicheonwoong smiled without realizing it and thought of the child.
I clenched my fists because I was so sympathetic that I was annoyed.
Sasasak-!
Then I heard a sound.
Although it is faint, it is definitely the sound of someone approaching.
At the same time, a rustling sound was heard inside.
The child seemed to have woken up from his sleep, perhaps because he heard that sound.
The door opened once again with a loud thumping sound, revealing the child, who had just woken up in a huff.
“Haa… haa….”
The child took a deep breath. His complexion was pale and dead. As if he had predicted what was about to happen, he ran forward and grabbed Bicheonwoong’s hand with a look on his face as if he were about to die.
“What… are you doing?”
“I have to run… run away.”
Bicheonwoong’s eyes widened at the words he soon heard.
Was this child reacting to a faint sound?
Because the distance was quite far away, even top-notch experts would not have noticed, but the child pulled Bicheonwoong with a dark expression, as if he had a premonition.
“What are you saying?”
“I have to run… I have to go. “The people who killed my dad… will come again…”
My whole body was shaking and I held Bicheonwoong’s collar tightly in my hand.
It was the best this child could do right now.
Running away.
Asking you to run away.
There was an earnest appeal in his eyes as he said that.
Bicheonwoong frowned.
I kept seeing that child in those eyes.
That shook Bicheonwoong’s mind even more.
But the thought is short-lived.
Suddenly, ‘Bang!’ With a shout, a group of men rushed inside.
Those who stand holding swords.
Bicheonwoong narrowed his eyes, seeing the life and desire in the child’s eyes.
“What’s going on?”
Dan Woo-hyeon, who was having a drink while looking at the moonlight, suddenly turned his attention to the sound of a knock on the door. I know who it is just by hearing their footsteps.
However, the sound that came out of his mouth was benevolent and full of interest.
Soon the door opened.
I saw Dansomi standing in the open door.
There were tears welling up in the corners of her eyes, as if she had burst into tears.
Judging by the fact that he and Hong Jin-rang have not been on good terms since dinner, the two seem to have had an altercation.
Dan Woo-hyeon laughed, wondering what was so funny.
“You cried.”
“Yes…”
Dan So-mi hurriedly approached and sat down on the bed. The action of clutching the collar of the father’s clothes was full of the will to wash away the anxiety.
Dan Woo-hyeon carefully stroked his hair.
“So what did you fight about?”
“I… can’t help.”
“Because you’re still young.”
Dan So-mi was surprised and looked up at Dan Woo-hyeon.
This is because Dan Woo-hyeon seemed to know from the beginning what his words meant.
Dan Woo-hyeon said with a strange smile.
“There are things in the world that you cannot do because you are a child. So sometimes it’s not a bad thing to lean on someone.” Dansomi nodded slightly.
Actually, what Hong Jinrang said is not wrong.
Dansomi cannot save the child.
Even if you extend your hand, you cannot cure the illness. You can solve the problem of hunger right away, but you cannot continue to do so.
No one in the world says they saved it.
It is nothing more or less than simple sympathy.
Dan So-mi’s behavior can only be seen as the immature behavior of a child. It would be no exaggeration to say that it was amazing because even adults would find it difficult to think like Somi, but this was not something a child could solve.
“Why do you want to help?”
“…It felt like it was watching me.”
“Um… really?”
Dan Woo-hyeon smiled without even realizing it.
What he was thinking, Dansomi was also thinking. It is also true that the moment I saw that child, I felt sad, as if I was looking at my past self.
That’s why I was able to understand this little child’s feelings a little bit.
Dansomi’s hand holding the collar gained strength.
He looked up at Dan Woo-hyeon and licked his small lips.
“Can I… help you?” It’s a pleading look.
The moment Dan Woo-hyeon looked at it, he quietly closed his eyes.
It was then.
Jang Sam-tae’s voice was heard outside the door.
“Jangju, are you awake?”
“okay.”
“I’m going in.”
The door opens.
Jang Sam-tae came inside and was surprised to see Dan So-mi in the room. It was already way past my time to sleep, but I was awake.
However, he soon calmed down his expression and approached Danwoo Hyeon.
I glanced at Dansomi’s eyes.
“It’s okay, let’s talk.”
“Yes, the child’s name is Yeo-eun-wol. He is the son of a merchant who was the richest person in this area until a few years ago. Since they were famous in the Sichuan region, they were not short of money, and it is said that they made a huge contribution to the development of this village… Well, it was a huge contribution, and most of this place was made up of their own money.”
“But it was ruined?”
Dansomi’s eyes widened as she listened to the story. Dan Woo-hyeon already knew what he was thinking and had Jang Sam-tae do all the research.
Dan So-mi smiled brightly.
“I think it would be more accurate to say that it was ruined rather than ‘failed.’ As he accumulated wealth and began to wield the greatest power in the village… the villagers were said to be targeting him
. If there is a commercial activity, they attack, take the goods, and steal…”
“Is it because of money?”
“If Hao Wen’s story is entirely true, it seems clear. Isn’t it true that money can control ghosts? And…，”
“What else is there?”
“They say his face wasn’t like that to begin with. I think someone may have spread the disease on purpose. Hao Wen also could not investigate this part accurately. “The villagers were hissing…”
Dan Woo-hyeon swallowed a moan.
Dan So-mi looked at Jang Sam-tae with an expression at a loss for words. If what he said is true, it means that the entire village exterminated one family for money.
“There is a saying that the reason this village is wealthy is because of the money that was stolen from the child’s family. Oh, and it looks like that kid recently sold a rare item at the blacksmith shop…”
“But?”
“According to the story I heard a while ago… there was a fire in the forge and no one survived.”
“…Right.”
Dan Woo-hyeon stood up from his seat.
Looking out the window, I saw smoke rising not far away. What appeared to be torches were seen everywhere.
The village people are moving around.
“They say money can be a ghost…”
Dan Woo-hyeon gently closed his eyes.
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