The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel-Chapter 253: When It Rains, It Pours - 3

“A courtesan? What are you talking about?”

So the day had finally come.

From the request to have Im Ha-yeon brought in, to her late-night wanderings, and even moving her to the printing house—so much time had passed already. Whether they’d come from Wuchang or Wusan, it was about the right time for them to arrive.

I put on the face of someone utterly clueless and asked the rough-looking martial artists.

“Her name’s Im Ha-yeon. Might be using another name. Pink-haired beauty, figure you’d notice at a glance.”

“Im Ha-yeon?”

“She’s the runaway courtesan?”

This was one of those moments where it would be nice if the staff stayed quiet. But thanks to that perfectly accurate description, everyone murmured among themselves without even a shred of doubt.

Now I couldn’t exactly pretend I didn’t know her.

“So this is the place, then.”

“Of course it is, boss. No way the info we got is wrong. Let’s just grab her and go. Pfft!”

One of the martial artists—who looked like he’d never even seen a book in his life—spat phlegm right onto Daseogak’s floor.

“There seems to be some misunderstanding. The Miss Im Ha-yeon I know is the daughter of a fabric merchant.”

I furrowed my brow slightly, putting on a look like I was trying to make sense of a confusing situation.

“That’s not for you to decide. Where is Im Ha-yeon?”

When someone speaks politely, answer politely. Why do people with swords always seem to detach basic manners from their person like they’re removable?

And who judges me? I am the judge. I really wanted to grab this guy by the collar, but this was my business establishment they’d destroy, so I held back.

“She was scheduled to work today but didn’t show up.”

“She didn’t?”

“Yes. Her absence today has made things rather difficult.”

I calmly responded like a boss annoyed that a part-timer ghosted him last minute.

“You! Is that true?”

The martial artist glared at me for a moment, as if trying to find cracks in my words, then raised his voice and turned to Ha So-so.

“Yes! That’s right!”

Looks like she caught on quickly despite her frightened expression. Good job, So-so. I’ll buy you lunch later.

“She’s seemed anxious lately. I assumed she was dealing with personal family matters.”

I added some flavor to suggest she might have run off. Let them chase ghosts.

“Where is she staying?”

“I believe she was living at a guesthouse.”

Pretending not to know anything? That’s amateur. Better to mislead them with outdated info.

“We already checked that guesthouse. Know of any others?”

Good. Time to gather what they knew.

They knew she worked at Daseogak. They knew the guesthouse. But not the printing house.

That meant they’d left Wuchang at least fifteen days ago. Their intel probably came from whoever submitted the bounty. The Yichang branch manager is on our side. That means they hadn’t gotten help on the ground.

They might’ve heard rumors about Daseogak or the Tang Clan, but they didn’t know the truth. That meant I could push a little harder.

“I don’t.”

I stared straight into the martial artist’s eyes and answered firmly.

Only a few staff knew Ha-yeon lived at the printing house. If I denied it loudly enough for them to hear, they’d know to keep their mouths shut.

One of the martial artists stepped forward with a threatening face, probably thinking he could scare me into spilling something.

Sorry, but I’ve seen scarier mugs than yours.

“Damn it. You there! Do you know where she lives?!”

When I didn’t flinch, the thugs turned to the other employees.

“I don’t knooow!”

“Hey! Do you?”

“I-I don’t know.”

“What do you think you’re doing?! Are you here to start trouble at Daseogak?!”

My staff sure were quick on the uptake. I shouted, blending anger and frustration into my voice, loud enough for the regulars to hear.

“What the hell? They’re obviously thugs! Are they seriously trying to cause trouble in a place like Daseogak?!”

“Thugs messing with a place of culture like this?!”

A lot of martial artists had become regulars at Daseogak recently. A clean, community-driven bookstore we were building together. I knew a few loyal regulars would step up if needed.

“Stand down.”

As some of the martial artists who’d been observing began to rise, the apparent leader of the three raised his hand to stop his men.

“If you cause any more disturbance, we’ll no longer consider you customers.”

I glared confidently at the martial artists and issued a warning.

“Tch. What the hell is this? Some mouthy barbarian dares talk back to me?!”

“So you’re sure she didn’t show up today? And you don’t know where she lives?”

“Boss!”

“Quiet.”

So the leader wasn’t a complete fool.

“If you don’t believe me, take a look around and leave.”

He locked eyes with me, staring me down as if trying to peel back my soul.

Go ahead and try.

“...If you’re lying, you’ll regret it. Let’s go!”

Deciding there was nothing to gain, the martial artists left Daseogak.

Crisis averted.

“Manager.”

As soon as the three thugs were gone, Ha So-so looked at me with concern.

“From today, all staff must keep quiet. And as of today, Miss Ha-yeon will no longer be reporting to Daseogak.”

They were slower than expected, but they’d come. Now it was time for the next step.

“But what if Sister Ha-yeon suddenly decides to show up in the afternoon?”

Knowing her, she just might. So So-so asked with a worried look.

I didn’t answer her. Instead, I walked to the window and carefully pulled the curtain aside.

There they were.

The Hao Clan martial artists hadn’t gone far. They were staking out across the street. Must think she might show up eventually.

So they weren’t planning on giving up easily.

“It’s fine.”

“...Huh?”

Sending anyone to the printing house now would be dangerous. But letting Ha-yeon come to Daseogak would be worse.

To clear up So-so’s confusion, I raised my hand high.

“Go.”

“Gu-gu-guk!”

At the signal, the spirit beast came flying.

I could count on our homing pigeon, Goo-goo, to deliver the message.

----------

Not every martial artist is a one-man army.

If they’re not confident they can take down their target in a head-on confrontation, they’ll opt for an ambush or a group attack instead.

“They’re tailing me.”

On the dark street as I headed home, I could hear footsteps matching mine in rhythm and pace.

When you live like a treasure goblin—always ripe for mugging and unable to resist—it sharpens your instinct for when someone’s following you.

If you’re going to tail someone, you should at least mask your presence or walk silently. But I guess these guys didn’t feel the need to bother for a mere black-haired “barbarian.”

“Five of them total watching Daseogak. Not a number I can handle alone.”

There were two more now, in addition to the three who came earlier.

If I were still just a third-rate martial artist, I could probably take on five. But no way would they send pushovers to capture someone like Im Ha-yeon.

Maybe I should’ve brought throwing knives.

Too late now. I didn’t want to look like a lunatic clown walking into a children’s hospital with a loaded gun just because I dropped my weapons during work.

I began gradually adjusting my stride to put distance between us.

“If I’m the target—they’ll have to catch me first.”

I broke into a sprint.

“He’s running!”

“After him!”

“You think I’ll get caught that easily?”

Even back when I was only practicing the Tohnap Technique, I was well past the level of an average civilian. And now, I had five years’ worth of internal energy stored through the Soyoon Mental Resonance Technique.

My reinforced leg strength, while not true lightness skill, gave me the powerful legs of a prey animal—perfect for outrunning predators.

“I need to head for the alleys.”

I didn’t know how skilled these guys were. But if they were sent to capture Im Ha-yeon, at least one of them had to know lightness skill.

That meant running through open roads was foolish.

Even a tofu shop delivery driver who prides himself on driving wouldn't try to maneuver through a course that favors his opponent.

“There! I’ll block him!”

Guess just darting into alleys wasn’t enough. One of them caught up and drew his sword to block my way.

“Tch!”

I clicked my tongue and charged ahead. The blade swung without hesitation—it could’ve taken my arm off in an instant.

Buddy, even a black-haired guy feels pain when he’s cut, you know.

...Actually, no. I don’t.

The sword slid over my skin like it was skimming ice, and the martial artist’s eyes went wide in disbelief.

Surprised? I’m thankful every time I use the Jade Face Body Protection Technique. Thanks, So-hee.

I grabbed the shocked man’s wrist and flung him into his companions chasing behind me.

“Uwaaagh!”

“The barbarian learned martial arts!”

“Stop him no matter what!”

Another one stepped in front of me, looking determined not to make the same mistake. That guy might actually stab me. So I pretended to charge him—then used the wall of the alley as a springboard.

“Ugh!”

Caught off guard, I stepped on his shoulder.

“This is what a Yoshi double jump looks like, dumbass!”

I channeled my internal energy into the Bubbling Spring Point on my sole and launched myself. With propulsion even the game developers didn’t anticipate, I vaulted over the alley wall and the enemy’s head.

“What the—?!”

I landed safely, like a video game protagonist who survives falling from the stratosphere as long as they land in water.

“After him!”

I still had plenty of energy left. Let’s go. Channeling energy again into my Bubbling Spring Point, I rapidly widened the gap between us.

----

“Huff, huff!”

I was eventually cornered at a dead-end wall.

“What kind of bookstore manager runs like that?!”

“Damn barbarian!”

“Huff... What are armed martial artists doing chasing someone at this hour?!”

I leaned against the wall, feigning innocence as I asked the men who had chased me down.

“Still pretending, huh?!”

“I thought you were just some punk black-market guy. Why are you even chasing me?!”

I needed time to catch my breath. So I played dumb.

“You see, I kept thinking about it. You probably know that woman’s whereabouts better than anyone in this city. And honestly, it ticked me off that we let some smug ‘barbarian’ walk all over us earlier.”

“So you pulled swords on a civilian just because of that?”

“Civilian, my ass. You’re not some civvie just because you’ve only recently learned martial arts.”

Fair enough. But can’t I get a grace period? Maybe for the first three years?

“And another thing. You used someone else’s property—shouldn’t you pay for that? I hear you’ve been making good money in Yichang.”

Ah, right. These guys were mercenaries hired by the Hao Clan—essentially hovering on the line between thug and martial artist.

“You don’t even know for sure she’s a runaway courtesan.”

“Don’t give us that crap. Now quit stalling. Come quietly. Spill everything you know about her—and your money too—and maybe we’ll let you live.”

“And if I say no?”

“Do we really have to say it?”

The five martial artists all drew their swords in unison. The one I tossed earlier was full of murderous rage now.

“Hahahahah!”

So that’s how it is, huh?

I clutched my stomach and laughed exaggeratedly at their move.

“Has this bastard lost his mind?”

No, I haven’t.

And ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) I’m not bluffing either.

Still smiling, I spoke—not to them, but toward something beyond the sword-wielding mercenaries.

“Did you hear all that?”

“Yes. Loud and clear.”

That wall I’d stopped at? That was my house wall.

------------

“Uagh!”

“Gah!”

“R-run—urk!”

The elite escorts subdued the Hao Clan’s hired thugs in an instant. I was glad I’d insisted—over and over again—on strengthening the printing house’s security.

“Find out who they are and make sure they’re dealt with properly.”

“We’ll trace their ancestry ten generations back if we have to.”

They dared target the life of the illegitimate son of the Tang Clan’s head. What happens to them now is up to the Seocheon Escort Bureau.

Relieved, I dragged my tired feet back to the inner quarters.

“Eek!”

“Are you hurt?!”

Like a cat waiting all day for its owner in the dark, Im Ha-yeon ran up to me in shock as soon as I opened the door.

“Just did a bit of martial training tonight.”

“...Come inside. I have golden wound medicine in my room.”

“It’s just a few scratches... Alright, alright.”

Did she already figure out what happened?

With a worried expression, she pulled me into the room she usually told me not to enter and sat me down.

“What happened to the pursuers?”

While carefully applying the ointment, she asked. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

“They were after me. The Seocheon Escort Bureau took care of it. Said they’d handle things.”

“...”

She stopped applying the medicine and lowered her head. Was she feeling guilty? She didn’t need to.

“For now, just work from the printing house. Until we find a lead, that’s safest.”

As long as no one blabs that she’s living there, she should be fine.

“But then I’m no help to Daseogak. And because of me... all this...”

“How are you no help? Starting tomorrow, I’ll have you organizing documents, managing accounts, and running print orders too.”

It was time for her to become Daseogak’s true administrator. No running away.

She stared at me for a moment, my calm expression, then finally spoke with a mix of sorrow and guilt.

“...What if something like this happens again?”

“Then I’ll just run even harder through the night.”

“But you got caught last time, during the Ten-Thousand Bookstore incident.”

“Didn’t get caught today, did I? I just need to run faster.”

This wasn’t the Ten-Thousand Bookstore anymore. I had twice the internal energy now—five years’ worth, to be exact.

“Haah... Just running a little harder... Wait, what?”

She sighed in disbelief, then suddenly let out a small gasp like something had clicked.

“Don’t worry too much.”

“...No, I mean... but... no, still...”

Did she just get an idea for her story?

Im Ha-yeon suddenly stood up and began pacing around the room, muttering to herself.

“Miss Ha-yeon?”

Was she snapping out of her thoughts because of my voice? Or had she made up her mind?

She gave a firm nod and looked me straight in the eye.

“Want me to teach you lightness skill?”