Chapter 107
It didn’t take long to locate the slave trader’s wagon. Shortly after they had galloped past the city gates at full speed, they spotted the rickety cart standing still in the middle of the road.
The knights swiftly encircled it, while Renoc and Kirsty dismounted, approaching the back of the cart. Without hesitation, they yanked the leather covering aside.
Inside, just as the guards had reported, were two men—but they looked nothing like the two who had supposedly been tied up as slaves.
Both were shackled, wrists and ankles bound with iron cuffs, with chains tied to the straps hanging from the low ceiling. In their current state, escape was impossible.
“Wh—Who are you?!” one man gasped, blinking rapidly under the sudden light. His words died in his throat the moment he saw Sethian and the line of red-armored knights behind him. The larger man beside him, still deep in sleep, hadn’t yet registered the situation.
Seth grimaced at the stale, foul air inside the wagon. He turned to the startled man and asked in a cold, measured tone, “Where is the one you were transporting?”
“Wh-Who do you mean…?”
“The one with the slender build and black hair.”
Recognition flared in the man’s eyes. His expression twisted with resentment.
“That foreign bastard?! Are you... his master?!”
He had assumed that the finely dressed noble standing before him was the original master, based on what the runaway had claimed earlier. His anger surged as he struggled against the chains.
“We were trying to find him a new master, since he said he had nowhere else to go—but look at what he did to us! I don’t know what trick that bastard used, but—!”
His rant was cut short.
Seth climbed into the wagon in a single, fluid motion and seized both of the man’s cheeks in one hand. It felt as though not only his cheeks but the teeth inside them might be crushed. But more terrifying than the grip was the murderous gleam in Seth’s eyes.
“I don’t know who creatures worse than dogs think they’re calling a son of a bitch.”
“Ugh—s-sorry... I’m sorry!” the man stammered, bowing his head quickly as the pressure from Seth’s presence crushed any defiance.
Seth finally released his grip, but the coldness in his eyes remained.
“Just tell me where he went.”
The man glanced nervously between Seth and the knights, then began speaking in a faltering voice.
“I... I don’t know where he went. I heard a sound and came over, but when that man... sir stood up and touched me, I fell asleep right away…”
He trailed off, unable to hold Seth’s gaze. The nobleman’s face remained calm, but the malice radiating from him was suffocating.
“That’s all I know. I swear.” The man was quick to add, trying to seize the opportunity for mercy. “Now that I’ve told you everything… can you let us go?”
His wrists and ankles ached from the restraints, rubbed raw where the iron dug into his skin. His arms, suspended above his head while sitting there, throbbed with stiffness all the more.
Seth reached out and touched the cuffs, letting his fingers glide over the coarse steel.
“These... were the same cuffs you used on him?”
“Y-Yes.”
The man answered without thinking. But the moment he felt Seth’s grip tighten around his hand, he panicked. The noble was squeezing his palm with such force that the man whimpered.
“You probably don’t even need a key, do you?”
“W-What are you... Aaaagh!”
A sickening crack echoed through the cart as Seth crushed the bones in the man’s hand. The man screamed in agony.
“There. Since I helped you, you can figure out the rest yourself.”
With a serene expression, Seth let go of the mangled hand and stepped out of the cart. Behind him, the man collapsed, clutching his broken hand and wailing in pain.
Seth wiped his hands with a handkerchief, as if ridding himself of filth, then swung up onto his horse.
“The two of you stay here and handle cleanup. The rest of us are heading to the nearest village.”
“You mean Centanu?” Renoc asked, approaching as two knights, on Kirsty’s order, drew their swords and moved toward the wagon.
“There’s a fork in the road coming up,” Renoc said, speaking quickly. “Centanu is the closest, but since Yi-Gyeol’s never left the Imperial Palace, we can’t be sure which direction he took. We should split the group into three.”
“No,” Seth said. “He’ll be there.”
If it were Yi-Gyeol, he would’ve already scouted ahead in his spirit form before leaving. He wouldn’t risk an exhausting detour, not with his body in that condition.
Still, just in case, Seth ordered some of the knights to investigate other paths—just not the one leading to Centanu.
Then he rode out, flanked by his knights, the clatter of hooves muffled by the weight of his thoughts.
Just having brushed the surface of the cuffs with his fingertips had made him feel sick. Thinking that Yi-Gyeol had been bound with something so rough and cold made it feel as though his insides were burning. If he had been made to sit there hanging like those men, there would definitely have been chafing wounds.
He wanted to throw those damned slave traders into his torture chamber. The thought of Yi-Gyeol being tied up in a place like that made his blood boil. But there wasn’t time to dwell on them. Every second mattered if he wanted to catch Yi-Gyeol as quickly as possible.
The village soon came into view.
Centanu had only just begun setting up a checkpoint. That meant there would be almost no information on anyone who had passed through.
Which also meant Yi-Gyeol had likely slipped in before anyone could notice.
* * *
“Ha…”
Yi-Gyeol let out a long breath, blinking away the heaviness in his eyes as he rubbed his flushed cheeks.
He sank further into the bath, allowing the warmth to soak through his aching limbs. The tub was far too small for him to stretch out properly, but after the journey, even this modest comfort felt like salvation.
*A bit cramped,* he thought.
It was nothing like the baths at Emerald Castle, but even so, his exhausted body welcomed the heat.
He glanced around the small bathroom.
Having reached an unfamiliar village and stayed at an inn for the first time, Yi-Gyeol didn’t even have time to marvel at the unfamiliar surroundings.
*What’s Seth doing right now...?*
Whenever he let his thoughts drift, they always found their way back to Sethian.
*He must’ve figured it out by now.*
With evening falling, there was no way Seth still hadn’t noticed. Not only Kirsty and the attendants near the entrance, but even the guards stationed along the route out of the castle had been put to sleep. Even if no one else noticed, those people changed shifts and positions often enough that someone would certainly have found out quickly and reported it.
He slid deeper into the water until it reached his mouth. The warm pressure of the water and the tension together seemed to make his heart pound even harder.
*Is he looking for me?*
He answered himself: *Of course he is.* But he wouldn’t act recklessly—not with the weight of the empire now on his shoulders.
*Don’t look for me, Seth.*
A part of him longed to see him again. Another part was terrified.
If they met, what could he say?
Seth would be furious. He might even blame himself. Or worse—look at him with that cold, unreadable gaze.
*I don’t want that...*
A small, helpless laugh escaped him. He felt like a child avoiding punishment.
Sinking deeper into the tub, he stayed lost in thought until the heat made him dizzy. Shaking it off, he quickly climbed out, dried himself with a towel, and stepped out of the bathroom.
As he opened the bathroom door, he noticed a fair bit of commotion outside. Curious, he pulled on his underwear and, shirt in hand, started toward the window.
Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.
The urgent knock startled him. Still half-dressed, he fumbled for his pants and called out.
“Who is it?”
No answer.
Frowning, he walked cautiously toward the door, buttoning his shirt with quick, clumsy fingers.
Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.
Again, louder this time.
He tied a rope to the door handle and cracked it open.
“Who—!”
Yi-Gyeol froze.
His eyes widened at the sight of the person standing outside.
The knights swiftly encircled it, while Renoc and Kirsty dismounted, approaching the back of the cart. Without hesitation, they yanked the leather covering aside.
Inside, just as the guards had reported, were two men—but they looked nothing like the two who had supposedly been tied up as slaves.
Both were shackled, wrists and ankles bound with iron cuffs, with chains tied to the straps hanging from the low ceiling. In their current state, escape was impossible.
“Wh—Who are you?!” one man gasped, blinking rapidly under the sudden light. His words died in his throat the moment he saw Sethian and the line of red-armored knights behind him. The larger man beside him, still deep in sleep, hadn’t yet registered the situation.
Seth grimaced at the stale, foul air inside the wagon. He turned to the startled man and asked in a cold, measured tone, “Where is the one you were transporting?”
“Wh-Who do you mean…?”
“The one with the slender build and black hair.”
Recognition flared in the man’s eyes. His expression twisted with resentment.
“That foreign bastard?! Are you... his master?!”
He had assumed that the finely dressed noble standing before him was the original master, based on what the runaway had claimed earlier. His anger surged as he struggled against the chains.
“We were trying to find him a new master, since he said he had nowhere else to go—but look at what he did to us! I don’t know what trick that bastard used, but—!”
His rant was cut short.
Seth climbed into the wagon in a single, fluid motion and seized both of the man’s cheeks in one hand. It felt as though not only his cheeks but the teeth inside them might be crushed. But more terrifying than the grip was the murderous gleam in Seth’s eyes.
“I don’t know who creatures worse than dogs think they’re calling a son of a bitch.”
“Ugh—s-sorry... I’m sorry!” the man stammered, bowing his head quickly as the pressure from Seth’s presence crushed any defiance.
Seth finally released his grip, but the coldness in his eyes remained.
“Just tell me where he went.”
The man glanced nervously between Seth and the knights, then began speaking in a faltering voice.
“I... I don’t know where he went. I heard a sound and came over, but when that man... sir stood up and touched me, I fell asleep right away…”
He trailed off, unable to hold Seth’s gaze. The nobleman’s face remained calm, but the malice radiating from him was suffocating.
“That’s all I know. I swear.” The man was quick to add, trying to seize the opportunity for mercy. “Now that I’ve told you everything… can you let us go?”
His wrists and ankles ached from the restraints, rubbed raw where the iron dug into his skin. His arms, suspended above his head while sitting there, throbbed with stiffness all the more.
Seth reached out and touched the cuffs, letting his fingers glide over the coarse steel.
“These... were the same cuffs you used on him?”
“Y-Yes.”
The man answered without thinking. But the moment he felt Seth’s grip tighten around his hand, he panicked. The noble was squeezing his palm with such force that the man whimpered.
“You probably don’t even need a key, do you?”
“W-What are you... Aaaagh!”
A sickening crack echoed through the cart as Seth crushed the bones in the man’s hand. The man screamed in agony.
“There. Since I helped you, you can figure out the rest yourself.”
With a serene expression, Seth let go of the mangled hand and stepped out of the cart. Behind him, the man collapsed, clutching his broken hand and wailing in pain.
Seth wiped his hands with a handkerchief, as if ridding himself of filth, then swung up onto his horse.
“The two of you stay here and handle cleanup. The rest of us are heading to the nearest village.”
“You mean Centanu?” Renoc asked, approaching as two knights, on Kirsty’s order, drew their swords and moved toward the wagon.
“There’s a fork in the road coming up,” Renoc said, speaking quickly. “Centanu is the closest, but since Yi-Gyeol’s never left the Imperial Palace, we can’t be sure which direction he took. We should split the group into three.”
“No,” Seth said. “He’ll be there.”
If it were Yi-Gyeol, he would’ve already scouted ahead in his spirit form before leaving. He wouldn’t risk an exhausting detour, not with his body in that condition.
Still, just in case, Seth ordered some of the knights to investigate other paths—just not the one leading to Centanu.
Then he rode out, flanked by his knights, the clatter of hooves muffled by the weight of his thoughts.
Just having brushed the surface of the cuffs with his fingertips had made him feel sick. Thinking that Yi-Gyeol had been bound with something so rough and cold made it feel as though his insides were burning. If he had been made to sit there hanging like those men, there would definitely have been chafing wounds.
He wanted to throw those damned slave traders into his torture chamber. The thought of Yi-Gyeol being tied up in a place like that made his blood boil. But there wasn’t time to dwell on them. Every second mattered if he wanted to catch Yi-Gyeol as quickly as possible.
The village soon came into view.
Centanu had only just begun setting up a checkpoint. That meant there would be almost no information on anyone who had passed through.
Which also meant Yi-Gyeol had likely slipped in before anyone could notice.
* * *
“Ha…”
Yi-Gyeol let out a long breath, blinking away the heaviness in his eyes as he rubbed his flushed cheeks.
He sank further into the bath, allowing the warmth to soak through his aching limbs. The tub was far too small for him to stretch out properly, but after the journey, even this modest comfort felt like salvation.
*A bit cramped,* he thought.
It was nothing like the baths at Emerald Castle, but even so, his exhausted body welcomed the heat.
He glanced around the small bathroom.
Having reached an unfamiliar village and stayed at an inn for the first time, Yi-Gyeol didn’t even have time to marvel at the unfamiliar surroundings.
*What’s Seth doing right now...?*
Whenever he let his thoughts drift, they always found their way back to Sethian.
*He must’ve figured it out by now.*
With evening falling, there was no way Seth still hadn’t noticed. Not only Kirsty and the attendants near the entrance, but even the guards stationed along the route out of the castle had been put to sleep. Even if no one else noticed, those people changed shifts and positions often enough that someone would certainly have found out quickly and reported it.
He slid deeper into the water until it reached his mouth. The warm pressure of the water and the tension together seemed to make his heart pound even harder.
*Is he looking for me?*
He answered himself: *Of course he is.* But he wouldn’t act recklessly—not with the weight of the empire now on his shoulders.
*Don’t look for me, Seth.*
A part of him longed to see him again. Another part was terrified.
If they met, what could he say?
Seth would be furious. He might even blame himself. Or worse—look at him with that cold, unreadable gaze.
*I don’t want that...*
A small, helpless laugh escaped him. He felt like a child avoiding punishment.
Sinking deeper into the tub, he stayed lost in thought until the heat made him dizzy. Shaking it off, he quickly climbed out, dried himself with a towel, and stepped out of the bathroom.
As he opened the bathroom door, he noticed a fair bit of commotion outside. Curious, he pulled on his underwear and, shirt in hand, started toward the window.
Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.
The urgent knock startled him. Still half-dressed, he fumbled for his pants and called out.
“Who is it?”
No answer.
Frowning, he walked cautiously toward the door, buttoning his shirt with quick, clumsy fingers.
Knock. Knock. Knock. Knock.
Again, louder this time.
He tied a rope to the door handle and cracked it open.
“Who—!”
Yi-Gyeol froze.
His eyes widened at the sight of the person standing outside.
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