‘What is that?’

The giant standing beside Yuyeon made me tilt my head.

“Wait here.”

I left Teacher standing off to the side and walked toward them.

If he was someone I recognized, then approaching would be the wrong move—

But the instant I got a better look at him—

“...!”

My body locked up.

‘...That man.’

I could see it.

That enormous malevolent aura behind his back.

It wasn’t in the same category as normal people. The level was similar to what I’d felt from Strange Demon.

‘What the hell?’

Who is that bastard?

With aura like that, he was absolutely not ordinary.

My guard shot up.

[Kid.]

Yeah. I know.

Yoo Cheongil must’ve felt something too, because he spoke to me.

I nodded.

“So what you’re saying is—”

I heard voices.

I pushed through and closed the distance.

“Hey.”

At my voice, Yuyeon reacted immediately. She looked at me and her expression shifted.

“Oh. What is it. You know him?”

The giant reacted too, grinning wide.

His teeth were yellow.

“Who are you?”

When I asked, the giant scratched the back of his head.

“I’m nobody special. I was just asking the young lady something.”

“Asking? What?”

“Ah. I got lost, that’s all. I was looking for an inn... but it isn’t this one, so I asked for directions. But—well. This young lady doesn’t say much.”

“......”

Yuyeon looked at me.

I spoke.

“She can’t talk.”

“Huh? Oh—so that’s how it is? Ah.... Then... well, this is my fault. Sorry about that. If I’d known sooner....”

“...How was she supposed to tell you?”

“Ah. Right. That’s true too. My mistake.”

Hahaha.

The giant laughed.

The aura behind him rippled.

“...What place are you looking for? I can tell you.”

“Ah. The place I’m looking for is....”

He told me.

And the moment I heard it, my brow tightened.

Because the place he described was the very inn where the HEAVEN-BREAKING PALACE bastards had been.

“...You probably can’t enter there right now. Why are you looking for that place?”

“Oh? Really? Did something happen...?”

His face was perfectly casual.

“Recently, unorthodox scum tried to infiltrate and cause trouble there. It’s been suppressed, and Mount Hua is managing it now.”

“Ah.... Oh no. Unorthodox sect... That’s awful.... Then I’m in a bind too, aren’t I?”

“Did you have some purpose there?”

“Not a purpose. I just knew the innkeeper a little.... Never thought it would be connected to unorthodox sect scum. Thanks for telling me.”

“......”

“Then no need to go out of my way. Hm.”

He nodded again and again.

“Almost wasted a trip. Anyway, thanks.”

As he spoke, he extended a huge hand.

“I’m Ox Duke.”

“...Cheol Wooyoung.”

I used a fake name. There didn’t seem to be any reason to give him my real one.

“Oh. Cheol Wooyoung. That’s a fine name—sounds like it’s got a life to it. Hahahaha.”

We shook hands.

Just a handshake.

I didn’t feel anything beyond that.

“Then I’ll be on my way.”

Ox Duke started walking off.

Then—

“Oh, right.”

He stopped and looked back.

“I’m saying this because you helped me, but...”

“What?”

“If you can help it, don’t go sticking your nose into things. You know how ugly the world is these days.”

“......”

“Especially with scary-looking men like me.”

“Thanks for the advice.”

“Don’t mention it. I’ll be going.”

Ox Duke started walking again.

I pulled my gaze off him and looked at Yuyeon for a moment.

But then—

“Nice meeting you.”

He greeted me again.

And at that instant—

—Moon Knight.

“...!”

Ox Duke sent a voice transmission.

At the name, I snapped my gaze back—

But he was already long gone.

“...Goddamn it.”

My face twisted.

Moon Knight.

Just those words alone made my expression crumple.

“So he knew.”

Fake name or not, it hadn’t mattered.

‘Where did he go?’

I looked at Yoo Cheongil with intent.

Yoo Cheongil turned his head and looked somewhere.

West.

[Don’t chase him. You can’t catch him. And the Small Moon Unit guy moved already. Wait.]

I looked back to where Teacher had been.

Teacher was gone.

Teacher had already chased after Ox Duke.

‘Do you know who he is?’

[I don’t. At least, he’s not anyone I know.]

How did he know me?

I didn’t even need to hold onto that question.

[With those eyes, you thought you could hide your identity?]

Moon Eyes.

Was that the problem—using a fake name while wearing Moon Eyes?

Even so—

‘It felt like he knew from the start.’

Ox Duke seemed to recognize me the moment he saw me.

And “Ox Duke” itself might’ve been a fake name too.

“What the hell is that?”

Who was he?

It felt wrong.

A different kind of bad feeling than Strange Demon.

Then—

SQUEEZE.

Yuyeon grabbed my collar.

“...Ah.”

Only then did I snap back.

“Right. Why are you here?”

Yuyeon pointed at something.

The small inn.

“Here? What do you even have to do here?”

TAP TAP.

At my second question, she pointed at her chest.

Where the Mount Hua emblem was.

I understood.

“Mission?”

Nod.

Yuyeon nodded.

A Plum Blossom Swordsman’s mission?

Coming to this small inn?

“Investigation? Or scouting.”

She held up one finger.

The first one.

Investigation?

‘Investigating this small inn...’

Which meant—

“You’re investigating all the inns around here?”

Yuyeon nodded.

Looks like they’d started a sweeping investigation.

One inn exploded into a disaster, so they were going to flip every connected inn and merchant company upside down.

Simple.

And accurate.

The problem was—

“You’re alone?”

“......”

Sending Yuyeon in alone was absurd.

She couldn’t even speak—what kind of “investigation” was that?

‘Are the other Plum Blossom Swordsmen working like this too?’

Or did they only treat Yuyeon like this?

I didn’t know.

I’d have to hear it later through the Plum Blossom Commander.

“Anyway, whatever. I had a reason to come here too.”

I had things to check.

I moved as if to go in together.

But—

[...Hmmm.]

Yoo Cheongil exhaled low.

What now?

[Too late.]

With those words, I opened the door.

CREEEEAK—

The inn’s door swung open, and the inside came into view.

The moment I saw it, my nose wrinkled.

“...Ha.”

The interior wasn’t “wrecked.” The building itself was intact.

But the problem wasn’t the inn.

“...Are they all dead?”

Inside was packed with corpses.

Bodies cut apart and torn open, everywhere.

“What the hell.”

How did this happen?

The instant I saw it, Ox Duke flashed through my mind.

‘Don’t tell me.’

He’d been standing right in front of this place.

I turned to Yuyeon immediately—

“Hey. Do you know where that guy earlier came fro—”

I stopped mid-sentence.

“......”

Yuyeon’s eyes were locked on the corpses.

Blank expression.

Mouth slightly open.

Her pupils were pinned there.

Pooling blood. Fallen bodies.

Something was wrong with her.

“Hey...?”

What’s wrong with her?

Heatstroke?

I was staring in confusion when—

[Cover her eyes—!]

“...!”

Yoo Cheongil shouted.

I clapped both hands over Yuyeon’s eyes at once.

“...!”

Yuyeon flinched at my touch.

The trembling in her body started to ease, little by little.

Then she raised her hands and grabbed my wrists—still covering her eyes.

“...You okay?”

“......”

Of course there was no answer.

Should I drag her outside?

I hesitated, then said it anyway.

“Hide your eyes against my back. If you don’t want to see it, don’t look.”

“......”

Yuyeon nodded.

Then she pressed her face into my back.

With her clinging to me, I scanned the inn.

“......”

There was nothing to “find.”

‘They’re all dead.’

No survivors inside.

I couldn’t feel life force at all.

‘...That bastard.’

My teeth clenched.

Ox Duke.

It had to be him.

‘He did this.’

He’d cleaned this place out.

*****

THUD—!

Someone arrived on a fog-choked forest path.

A huge figure.

Ox Duke.

“Hmmm.”

In the thick fog, Ox Duke swept his gaze around.

Like he was checking his position.

Then—

“Huuuuup.”

He sucked in a full breath of air, then roared.

“Come ouuuuuut—!!!”

KRAK-KRAK—!!!

Wind pressure exploded out of the shout.

The fog piled around the area blasted outward in every direction, and even the deep-rooted trees shook.

“AAAAAAAH—!!!”

The sound wouldn’t stop.

The ground was starting to tremble too when—

HOOOOOO—!!

The fog moved.

Not pushed away—vibrating.

Seeing that, Ox Duke grinned.

“Hahahaha.”

He burst into laughter like he couldn’t help himself.

And while Ox Duke was still laughing—

—What are you doing?

A voice came from inside the fog.

Irritation dripping from every syllable.

Ox Duke’s eyes flared.

“What am I doing? Saying hello. It’s been a while, hasn’t it.”

He spoke toward the fog—

And a human shape appeared right there.

The fog peeled back into something like an entrance, and the one who emerged was Strange Demon.

“Strange Demon.”

“It’s been a while.”

Strange Demon didn’t bother hiding the irritation on his face as he looked at Ox Duke.

“Grand Demon.”

At the mention of his epithet, Ox Duke smiled so wide his mouth nearly split.

SLASH—!

Strange Demon covered his mouth with a fan and looked at Grand Demon with lowered eyes.

“Why are you here?”

“Why? Friends can come see each other, can’t they.”

“Friends? Us?”

Strange Demon’s eyes smiled over the fan.

Those crescent eyes were almost charming—

But the words weren’t sweet at all.

“How could that be? I choose my friends carefully.”

“Well, that’s a cold thing to say.”

“Enough. State your purpose. Your work should already be finished. Is there more left?”

“No. I finished it ages ago. I’m good at my job.”

“Then why?”

“It’s not my job. It’s about yours.”

“......”

“Heard the inn got exposed?”

Heh heh heh.

At Grand Demon’s chuckle, Strange Demon’s eye-smile vanished.

“It’s so rare to hear you made a mistake, so I came to see it myself.”

“Oh my. So you dragged that heavy body all the way here just to laugh at a friend’s mistake?”

“Laugh at you? And you just said we aren’t friends.”

“Depends on the day.”

“You’re still a funny bastard. Fine.”

CRACK.

Grand Demon rolled his fingers.

The rough sound popped.

“The mistake you made—I handled it.”

“Handled?”

“I wiped out the ones in the remaining inn.”

“...Grand Demon.”

Strange Demon’s expression turned cold.

“You acted on your own?”

“You were moving slow for once. So I did it for you. Aren’t you grateful?”

“...You know what I hate most «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» is people sticking their hands into my work.”

“Hey now. Don’t get scary. Oh—and I also went and saw that guy.”

“That guy?”

“You know the one.”

Grand Demon laughed like it delighted him.

“Moon Knight. That one—the Sword Saint’s successor.”

“......”

STOP

At Grand Demon’s words, Strange Demon’s face went blank.

“...What did you do to him?”

A cold chill burst from Strange Demon as he asked.