Chapter 22

Thud.

Hong Yeom-rang tossed the scented pouch into the air and caught it, then pulled out a small knife from inside. He cut his hair and went outside before dawn broke.

The hair he had pinned down with a rock in front of the cave the night before was still there, untouched.

“Acted like you were starving for it, and now this.”

Skipping meals?

He wanted to see how long she could hold out.

He placed freshly cut hair on top of it, tied it down with a string so it wouldn’t blow away, and pressed it down again with a rock.

He told her not to show herself, and now she didn’t come at all.

Leaving it like that, Hong Yeom-rang went back into the cave.

He had no intention of sitting or lying on the padded mat where Hisa used to roll around. Instead, he leaned against the wall closest to the entrance, ears sharpened at the slightest sound.

Then dawn broke.

Then dusk fell again.

Even after he cut his hair once more and went outside, nothing had changed.

Hisa was gone.

At his feet lay seven bundles of hair.

He had left them twice a day, wanting to see how long she could endure. Now there were seven in total.

“If you’re not gonna eat it, then at least let me go.”

She had bound him here, yet she didn’t even come to take the hair.

On the first day, he thought it was amusing, seeing how she drooled over it. But by the second day, his mood sank. By the third day, today, he was annoyed.

Shrring-

Hong Yeom-rang drew the sword bestowed upon him by the king.

“Hey.”

Night came quickly in the mountains. Even in the darkness, Hong Yeom-rang didn’t care. In a place full of goblins and monsters, he raised his blade.

He planted one foot on a rock and spoke into the air like a madman.

“Goblin.”

The forest fell silent.

Just moments ago it had felt alive, but now it went still. Hong Yeom-rang knew they were watching him.

As soon as he spoke, blue lights began to flicker between the trees.

“Come out before I grab one of you and tear you apart.”

The lights stirred as if whispering among themselves. He had drawn the royal sword on purpose, knowing it could cut down evil things.

– It’s the royal sword.

– It’s the royal sword.

– He’s supposed to be a noble young master. He’s a thug.

– He’s supposed to be a noble young master. He’s a thug.

Hearing them mutter openly now, Hong Yeom-rang slowly licked his lower lip.

– Ahem. We are kind goblins who protect the forest.

– Ahem. We are kind goblins who protect the forest.

“We’ll see if you’re kind once I cut you.”

The wind rustled.

The blue goblin flames floated restlessly, as if unsure what to do. They seemed to be debating among themselves whether they were truly kind and whether the sword would actually cut them.

Then, as if deciding it would be bad if Hong Yeom-rang rushed in swinging his sword, one flame drifted lazily closer.

Close enough to strike if he stepped on the rock and leaped.

It thought it was keeping a safe distance, but Hong Yeom-rang was a warrior. He knew better than anyone the reach of a blade.

– W-we… we’re kind… probably?

Finally, the annoying echo stopped. Hong Yeom-rang held the sword in one hand and scratched his ear with the other. Hearing just one voice was better.

It was a familiar voice.

The female goblin who had led him to Hisa before.

“That’s for this blade to decide.”

– Stealing merchant goods and playing tricks on humans for a day or so should be fine, right?

“Oh… that’s usually called being an evil spirit.”

Even though Hong Yeom-rang couldn’t see her, Mirang felt like their eyes met. A cold sweat ran down her back. His presence was overwhelming.

Normally, they could just leave a sacrifice trapped here, but when he drew the royal sword and called them out, all the goblins stirred.

The sword’s power was no joke.

As someone carrying the king’s authority, Hong Yeom-rang couldn’t be ignored.

– We wouldn’t get cut by that sword, but we came to hear you out.

“Where’s Hisa?”

– That, we can’t say.

He’s looking for Hisa.

The goblins whispered among themselves, something only Mirang could hear. They had thought he came for them, but now they looked flustered.

Still, they seemed ready to call her.

Typical selfish creatures. As long as trouble didn’t fall on them, they didn’t care.

Mirang was just as selfish and spoke quickly.

– But we can take you to her.

“We can’t tell you, but we can take you there.”

At those words, Hong Yeom-rang smirked.

Figures.

Even while protecting Hisa, they left her starving for days.

He didn’t want to care, but since even the goblins stayed silent, he had no choice.

Do they even know what Hisa is eating?

What kind of messed up relationship is this between her and these goblins?

Meanwhile, the goblins kept impersonating him and taking the pork and millet cakes meant for him.

Every time he saw the empty bundle, he counted the untouched piles of hair beside it.

This is why monsters are hopeless.

They only care about feeding themselves.

Hong Yeom-rang had never cared whether others ate or starved, yet here he was, cursing them.

– This is as far as we go.

The goblins never revealed their true forms. Only their floating flames lit the path. Nowhere along the night road did Hisa appear.

Hong Yeom-rang spun the royal sword in his hand, the blade cutting through the air with a sharp sound.

The goblin flame jumped all the way to the top of the tallest tree nearby.

“There’s nothing here.”

– Go further. Further. Mr. Kim, you’re too impatient.

Mirang called him Mr. Kim in a friendly tone and pointed out his flaw.

Can a human really be like this?

Among humans, Hong Yeom-rang was especially intense. His energy overflowed, his temper just as fierce. Talking to him felt like dealing with one of their own kind.

If not for that overwhelming vitality, she would have called him a monster too.

Where did Hisa even find someone like this?

That timid shaman would never have recommended him. If anything, his neck might already be broken instead of his finger.

– Oh dear, our shaman. Oh dear.

Mirang, who used to tease him the most, now mourned dramatically as if he were already dead.

Hong Yeom-rang ignored it and stared ahead.

The goblins didn’t lead anymore. They only urged him forward.

Into a place with no proper path.

He stepped in anyway.

Even if it was a cliff, he could just climb back up.

A cold wind brushed past his face.

The moment he thought he had been tricked, the world changed in an instant.

The pitch-black forest turned bright.

White, thorn-like trees rose densely around him.

Hong Yeom-rang turned back immediately.

Behind him, darkness remained.

He looked up.

No stars. No moon.

And yet it was bright.

The boundary between darkness and this pale, almost colorless world was stark.

Hisa was here?

He could hardly believe such a place existed in the forest.

Standing in the middle of the white woods, Hong Yeom-rang let out a small laugh.

So this forest hid more than just monsters.

At this point, he couldn’t help but wonder how far he could go, what he could see, what he could experience.

“Interesting.”

No one had ever told him about a place like this.

A place with no sun or moon.

If he hadn’t seen it himself, he wouldn’t have believed it.

He stepped deeper inside.

Energy surged through his body. His hands and feet filled with unbelievable strength. It felt like he could do anything.

His mind tingled, on the verge of madness.

A strange feeling. As if he could cut down anything.

Even a god, if one existed here.