The Granddaughter of Manhyang Escort Bureau Hides Her Magic - Chapter 131
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 131
The Demon Cult members who had come right up to the cave entrance tilted their heads and muttered.
“The trail ends here.”
“Did they fly up to the sky or sink into the ground? How does this make sense? To disappear in front of a cliff, what the hell is this!”
Graaaah, the pig-faced Demon Cult member who screamed wildly ruffled his hair.
How many times had he been fooled by those rat-like bastards already?
They had chased down all the tracks that scattered in every direction, confirmed that no one was on the exhausted horses, then returned to search the forest, wasting a lot of time.
Realizing that it had all been a waste of time made his stomach churn anew.
Still, they had somehow found traces and followed them, but those they were chasing had vanished without a trace.
All that lay ahead was a sheer cliff with not even a cave, let alone a single hollow depression.
Among the Demon Cult members, he who had some expertise in tracking ground his teeth at the thought of being toyed with by mere Escort Warrior scum.
But there was something else he needed to worry about immediately.
‘What should I report to the Elder?’
His spine went cold as he remembered his dead comrade from Taehang Stronghold. Then his anger shifted in another direction.
“These bastards, just wait until I catch you! I’ll tear your limbs apart and throw you into a pig pen!”
“Hurry up. We’ve already been delayed too much.”
The Demon Cult members who had been stamping their feet and venting their frustration left the area in front of the cave.
.
.
.
Half an hour later, a cave entrance appeared in what had been a smooth cliff. So Cheondo’s group crawled out on all fours.
As soon as So Cheondo emerged, he carried the unconscious Dolsoe on his back. While hoisting up Dolsoe’s sliding body, he briefly recalled the Demon Cult members’ conversation.
The Demon Cult members had failed to discover the cave. It was all thanks to Shin Ah’s talisman.
He didn’t know what kind of magic it was, but it was certain that the cave entrance had been invisible to them.
‘Thank you, Shin Ah.’
So Cheondo briefly looked up at the sky, then turned his head to look at Chilseon and Malseok.
“As I explained earlier, I’ll go ahead first, so follow right behind me. It seems like we’ve shaken off the Demon Cult members, but just in case, be as careful as possible.”
“Understood. Don’t worry about us and just take good care of Dolsoe.”
“I’ll take good care of Malseok, Escort Warrior.”
So Cheondo, who had entrusted all the cargo except for a small amount of money to Chilseon and Malseok, immediately circulated his internal energy and employed his footwork technique.
He didn’t care about his skin being scraped by tree branches and focused solely on running.
Dolsoe’s breathing on his back was getting weaker and weaker, making him feel anxious.
“Hey there, Dolsoe. Just hang in there a little longer!”
While running until his breath rose to his throat, So Cheondo thought of only one thing.
He would definitely save Dolsoe and meet Shin Ah again.
His eyes became resolute.
* * *
“Please, let’s rest, let’s rest. Okay?”
Hyeong Daegwang collapsed onto his horse’s back.
They had been riding day and night since parting ways with Cheondo’s group.
Hyeong Daegwang had shouted that overworking the horses like this would exhaust them, but Shin Ah would slow down rather than stop the horses.
His parched mouth had long since developed a sweet smell, and the food they could eat on horseback had run out.
“There’s a village soon. We’ll just change horses in the village and move again, so stay alert.”
“Change horses and move immediately? Without even washing? Without getting any sleep?”
They say masters can go for days without sleep, and Shin Ah and Mugyeol were like that.
Unlike Hyeong Daegwang, whose eyes had dark circles, the two hadn’t changed much from when they started. Except for their wrinkled clothes and inevitably sharper jawlines.
In contrast, Hyeong Daegwang looked no different from a beggar who hadn’t touched proper food for days.
His hair was disheveled, his face was soaked with sweat and dust, his eyes were sunken, and his cheeks were hollow.
“Branch Office Leader So, hey, So Shin Ah, hey!”
When Shin Ah continued to ignore his pleas, Hyeong Daegwang finally lost his reason and shouted.
Then Mugyeol’s murderous gaze immediately stuck to the back of his head.
“It’s just… you’re not listening to me at all. I think my tailbone is displaced. I can’t feel my buttocks. Let’s rest for just half a hour in this village.”
“You might rest for a moment and end up resting forever. Is that what you want?”
Shin Ah made an ominous sound. At her threat that wasn’t quite a threat, Hyeong Daegwang straightened his spine.
“That’s not it… I think we’ve shaken them off enough, so please consider it. I’m really going to die.”
Shin Ah looked over Hyeong Daegwang’s wretched state.
His condition was indeed serious to dismiss as mere whining. However, she didn’t like the idea of resting in the village. If something went wrong, even the villagers could get caught up in danger.
‘I was planning to go alone quietly even when changing horses.’
After pondering for a moment, Shin Ah spoke.
“Not in the village.”
Hyeong Daegwang’s shoulders immediately drooped. But shortly after, his face brightened as he caught the hidden meaning in her words.
“So anywhere but the village is fine? Huh? Tell me!”
Shin Ah ignored Hyeong Daegwang’s words and spurred her horse.
To rest even for a moment, they had to ride faster.
.
.
.
Shin Ah stopped where the village could be seen in the distance and had Hyeong Daegwang and Mugyeol dismount.
In case the Demon Cult members tracked them this far, she wanted to ensure the hoofprints wouldn’t be interrupted.
“I’ll go to the village alone, so hide somewhere around here and come out when I return. Mugyeol, please take care of things.”
Mugyeol, who was about to say something, saw Shin Ah’s resolute gaze and nodded with his mouth closed.
After confirming that the two had disappeared into the forest, Shin Ah quickly cast a face change magic.
‘If I change my face too, our identities won’t be discovered even in the worst case.’
Magic that produced effects similar to this world’s Disguise Technique had good durability without requiring much concentration, so spies from the previous world favored it.
As white light swirled around Shin Ah’s face, her pretty face that would make passersby turn to look instantly changed to an ordinary level.
Shin Ah immediately headed to the village, leading three horses toward the stable.
During escort missions, changing horses was supposed to be done at nearby Manhyang Express branches, but they had rushed past the nearest location and decided to use a private stable.
“Oh my, Escort Warrior, you must be traveling a long way.”
The stable owner brightened as he took Shin Ah’s horse and handed it over to the stable hand.
Escort Warriors from Escort Agencies were excellent customers for private stable owners.
They paid promptly, took good care of the horses, and returned them on time.
Sometimes accidents happened and horses were lost, but then they would provide generous compensation.
“I’ll look around the area for a bit, so please take care of my horse in the meantime.”
She had a long journey ahead, and since she had packed as lightly as possible after parting with Cheondo’s group, her bundle had become too light.
‘I don’t know when I’ll come across another village, so I should buy everything I need now. I should also fill my stomach.’
Shin Ah mixed in with the crowd and bought clothes, food supplies, and dumplings to eat right away.
She didn’t forget to stop by the pharmacy to buy ointment for muscle pain and pills for fatigue recovery to silence Hyeong Daegwang’s constant whining about how hard everything was.
Whether she liked him or not, Hyeong Daegwang was her package, and she wanted to deliver her package in perfect condition.
After finishing her shopping, she found a spot in the shade of a tree and closed her eyes as if resting for a moment.
From now on, she planned to use Connect Magic to see how far the Demon Cult members had pursued them.
Shin Ah looked for a bird she could mentally connect with.
Fortunately, there was a sparrow perched right above her head, and Shin Ah immediately connected her mind to it.
It was fortunate that as her Circle grew larger and this body gradually became accustomed to magic, she could now use simple magic like Connect without chanting spells.
Following her command, the sparrow that had become Shin Ah’s eyes flapped its wings diligently and flew over the village.
Shin Ah’s pupils rolled around beneath her eyelids as she searched for traces of Demon Cult members.
Fortunately, there were no suspicious people nearby, but as they moved away from the village, suspicious figures came into the sparrow’s view.
Shin Ah made the sparrow approach and eavesdropped on their conversation.
“If we miss them this time, we’re dead. We need to find at least a witness. The Elder is very angry.”
“Can we kill them if we catch them?”
“Not the pickpocket brat. Handle the other trash as you see fit. Oh, did you request support?”
“Yes, they’re waiting in the village ahead. We told them to capture anyone suspicious they see before we arrive.”
The man’s fingertip was pointing exactly at this village.
Shin Ah quickly severed the connection with the sparrow and shot to her feet.
The Demon Cult members were closer than she had thought.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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