The Granddaughter of Manhyang Escort Bureau Hides Her Magic - Chapter 62

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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 62

Thud, thud, two children’s feet touched the ground.

It was the very cliff where Shin Ah and Mugyeol had fallen.

The scenery hadn’t changed much from that time, but the children had changed like night and day.

The memories of the past month flashed through Shin Ah’s mind like a revolving lantern.

Shin Ah smiled, raising the corners of her mouth, then turned around and bowed at the waist.

“Thank you.”

The house-sized Vermillion Bird was looking down at Shin Ah and Mugyeol.

「With this, all debts and favors have been repaid.」

A blunt voice was transmitted.

Having reached the 5th Circle, Shin Ah could now communicate with the Vermillion Bird.

As soon as she realized this fact, Shin Ah spoke to the Vermillion Bird and was able to resolve her lingering questions.

The reason Mugyeol and Shin Ah had been in Suzaku’s Nest was because of the Vermillion Bird.

The Vermillion Bird had mistaken the falling Mugyeol and Shin Ah for prey and snatched them from the sky, but after returning to its nest, it realized they weren’t food and simply left them be.

The life and death of humans was irrelevant to the Vermillion Bird.

If the small humans died, it was prepared to throw them outside the nest.

Then it received great help from the humans it had ignored.

Who would have known that a Giant Snake coveting its offspring would invade while it was briefly away?

So the Vermillion Bird repaid its debt by giving them the Ten Thousand Year Ultimate Blood Treasure and carrying them to the cliff where they had fallen.

“I understand. Farewell. And will we… see each other again?”

The Vermillion Bird fluttered.

Since the Vermillion Bird had cut off the Connect from its side, there was no way to know what that meant.

‘Divine beasts can freely cut off Connect too.’

The Vermillion Bird, having taught Shin Ah a new fact, kicked off the ground and soared into the air.

The sight of the Vermillion Bird flying with its wings spread wide was truly spectacular.

In the blink of an eye, the Vermillion Bird became a dot in the sky.

Putting aside the sadness of parting, Shin Ah turned to look at Mugyeol.

“Let’s go, everyone will be waiting for us.”

Shin Ah picked up her bundle, and Mugyeol shouldered the bundle containing the package.

Shin Ah and Mugyeol finished preparing to deploy their lightness skills.

‘Everyone will be so surprised, right?’

Excited at the thought of seeing familiar faces like Father, her brothers, Danmi, and Master Chifung, Shin Ah kicked off the ground. Mugyeol quietly followed behind her.

* * *

“Stop right there.”

At the Escort Agency’s training ground, So Baekrim caught So Cheonrim who was hurrying his steps.

So Baekrim looked over So Cheonrim’s attire. His gaze was full of displeasure.

“Where are you going?”

It was obvious he was going to search, so the reason for asking was understandable. That’s why So Cheonrim saved his words.

“Tsk, you need to start earning your keep too. How long will you live as a parasite draining the Escort Agency’s resources?”

“……”

When So Cheonrim didn’t respond, So Baekrim clicked his tongue.

“You’ll be leaving on an escort mission soon. A request that’s perfect for you has come in.”

“I’m sorry, but I won’t go anywhere until I find Shin Ah.”

“Ha! It’s already been dozens of days. In the deep mountains where even adults would struggle to survive!”

“So you’re certain that Shin Ah is dead, brother.”

So Cheonrim’s voice was cold.

“What? Well… of course! She fell from a cliff and… there were even traces of battle with someone, weren’t there?”

So Cheonrim’s eyes sharpened.

“Where did you hear that? That’s something only my friend and I know.”

So Cheondo was the first to discover the cliff where Shin Ah and Mugyeol had fallen, followed by Ok Chifung and So Cheonrim.

There, they saw a man’s footprints deeply imprinted as if stamped with force, and bloodstains.

‘They were attacked by someone.’

So Cheonrim agreed with Ok Chifung’s words.

When Ok Chifung said he would immediately inform the Lord of the Escort Agency, So Cheonrim stopped him. He had a feeling that the bandits they encountered on the day of the test were connected to this battle.

So Cheonrim was determined to find the mastermind. So instead of informing the Escort Agency, he asked Ok Chifung.

‘Would you take charge of interrogating the bandits?’

‘The Lord of the Escort Agency won’t be pleased.’

Entrusting the Escort Agency’s affairs to an outsider could make them look incompetent. Also, Ok Chifung had no desire to get deeply involved in the Escort Agency’s affairs.

‘Nothing has been discovered so far. If you request it as asking for just one chance, he won’t ignore it. Please.’

However, how could he refuse a request from a friend who had lost his daughter?

Added to his affection for Mugyeol, Ok Chifung accepted So Cheonrim’s request.

And that day, the two men discovered a corpse at the bottom of the cliff.

The faces of Ok Chifung and So Cheonrim, who found the corpse, instantly darkened.

The corpse was dried and twisted like a decades-old mummy. The skin was blackish, and the eyes were sunken. The pure white hair crumbled at the slightest shock.

And the corpse smelled not of decay but of dry dust.

A heavy silence settled between the two.

‘He became a mummy due to demonic energy. Seeing that all his life force was drained, it might be a type of Life Absorption Technique.’

So Cheonrim spoke, but Ok Chifung wouldn’t open his mouth, lost in thought.

He only examined the corpse and surrounding traces with his brow deeply furrowed.

Then he suddenly requested.

‘I’d like only you and I to know about this matter. Would you leave the disposal of the corpse and future investigation to me?’

If Demon Cult members were involved, it would be more appropriate for Mount Hua to step forward rather than the Escort Agency.

So Cheonrim readily nodded.

The two men concealed the corpse. Then they returned to the Escort Agency.

Ok Chifung and So Cheonrim waited for the enemy to become complacent, satisfied that they had committed the perfect crime.

While waiting for the enemy to drop even a small clue, the two often conversed through telepathy.

「Do you think that person is related to the children’s disappearance?」

「There’s no definitive proof, but there’s plenty of circumstantial evidence.」

If so, they had to hide the existence of the mummy at the bottom of the cliff even more.

If they were attacked by an assailant and fell from the cliff, the children’s survival probability would drop further.

That point would provide justification for reducing the search team formation.

So Cheonrim’s heart was torn to pieces having to hide the truth.

Every time he thought that the bastard targeting his daughter was breathing under the same sky, agonizing pain overwhelmed him.

But So Cheonrim endured and persevered.

Waiting for a day like today to come.

“……Was it you, elder brother?”

The fact that the one targeting Shin Ah was his own elder brother was something So Cheonrim didn’t want to believe.

However, if he assumed that to be true, So Baekrim’s suspicious behavior made sense.

His inexplicable lack of active participation in the search, and even his persuasion of Father, the Escort Agency’s master, to reduce the number of search teams.

‘Come to think of it, he wasn’t that surprised when I told him Shin Ah had gone missing either.’

Given So Baekrim’s personality, he should have been in a complete panic.

There were other strange things too.

So Ilbi and So Mando had safely completed the Heir Selection Test.

So Baekrim, who would have bragged about it to the entire neighborhood, had been quiet.

There was no way he’d suddenly developed tact after a lifetime without it, which meant he must have had something to handle without drawing attention.

“Wh-what are you talking about? I just heard it somewhere. After all, there are no secrets in this world. You’ve been hiding such an important matter from Father without telling him! I should go tell him right away!”

So Baekrim slipped out of the situation like a snake. He didn’t forget to shift the blame onto So Cheonrim in the process.

However, So Cheonrim didn’t miss how the color gradually drained from his face, as if an important secret had been discovered.

So Cheonrim felt devastated.

He knew So Baekrim regarded him unfavorably. Still, he had harbored feelings of guilt and gratitude toward So Baekrim, who took on the Escort Agency’s work in his place.

But So Baekrim had targeted Shin Ah.

Even if So Baekrim had saved the nation, the moment he pointed a blade at his daughter, he became an enemy.

So Cheonrim decided to abandon all the emotions he had held for So Baekrim until now—the guilt, the gratitude, everything. Even the fact that he was his elder brother.

But a seasoned general doesn’t draw his sword at just any moment.

If he attacked without evidence, it would be disadvantageous for Biwongak, so he had to endure for now.

So Cheonrim bit down hard enough to burst the tender flesh inside his mouth.

“You don’t even know to be grateful when someone gives you advice! I need to get back to work now.”

“Elder brother, I will definitely uncover the truth.”

So Cheonrim warned him.

“Of course! If there’s been an incident, the truth must be revealed clearly!”

So Baekrim replied without looking back and quickly left the training ground.

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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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