The Youngest Son of the Nanyang Jin Family - Chapter 15

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

The Youngest Son of the Nakhyang Jin Family — Chapter 15

* * *

Pyo Haeng departed early in the morning.
Fifteen people gathered and took their positions. Those selected as Imperial Guards began securing the perimeter, while those brought in for miscellaneous duties assumed the role of warriors and loaded the cargo.
The destination lay four days’ journey from here.
Since it wasn’t an unreasonably distant location, it proved ideal for conducting the examination.
Gu Yang-cheol was naturally chosen as the leader.
He stood at the very front, surveying the surroundings. Three large cargo carts and warriors accompanied the procession.
Two carts carried Pyo Haeng’s belongings, while the third held provisions and everything necessary for the journey.
The loaded carts were quite heavy.
I could see the team members pushing the front cart exerting considerable effort. The other carts behind were handled by the miscellaneous workers, and despite having barely begun, they were already drenched in sweat.
In contrast to their struggle, mounted Imperial Guards lined the area around him.
Wearing clothes boldly emblazoned with the Nakhyang Jin Family insignia, they appeared unmistakably as warriors of the Nakhyang Jin Family rather than the Yeongsal Corps.
At the very end of the procession stood an Examiner dispatched by the Nakhyang Jin Family.
Following at a distance, he would not interfere regardless of what transpired, or so it was said.
That suited me fine.
It meant I could fully display my abilities and those of my team members.
As I turned my head with a slight smile, I noticed a group laughing and chattering on one side.
“Wow—we’re actually the escort party? Look at me. Don’t I look impressive? Nakhyang Jin Family. Boom!”
“Hahaha! Excellent!”
“Keep it down, will you? Are you trying to show everyone you’re from the back alleys?”
“Oh come on. You’re the one who worked security in the Red Light District, and you’re lecturing me?”
“You want to die?”
“Try me!”
Gu Yang-cheol’s brow furrowed at the commotion.
The most bothersome aspect of this escort mission was them—the street thugs mixed in among the team members guarding the carts.
Since they were fundamentally incompatible, his gaze and expression toward them were far from favorable.
A fierce glare silenced them immediately.
Those who had hastily shut their mouths grew quiet once more.
They would remain silent for a while.
Observing their reaction, Gu Yang-cheol steadied his breathing and glanced to his side.
It was Cheol-gyun, the Vice-Chief of the Ten Elders, selected as sub-leader.
“Set the route.”
“Yes!”
Cheol-gyun examined the map.
The map differed from what Hong Gu-hyeon had previously indicated.
Though he had said this was an escort to a large village, the location marked as the destination was a mountain.
However, it was understandable that the test content wouldn’t necessarily be the same.
Above all, the reason was that he was currently absent.
“All other routes require detours, making it difficult to arrive within four days. The only path that seems manageable is one.”
At those words, Gu Yang-cheol nodded.
Though it was expected to be somewhat treacherous, since Pyo Haeng had to complete this within four days, there was only one choice.
Thus, they took that path and began moving swiftly.
But the problem arose not long after.
The relentless sun beating down from above.
The heat was so overwhelming it was an understatement to call it oppressive—breath came in gasps, sweat poured like rain, and the mouth had become parched and dry.
The same applied to Gu Yang-cheol and the members of the Ten Elders.
Because of this, the decision to rest briefly became problematic.
Not only was the heat unbearable, but they also needed to eat.
“You lot start a fire, and the rest prepare the meal.”
At Gu Yang-cheol’s command, the Wal-pae Leader frowned and grumbled as he gathered twigs.
“Why’s he ordering us around like this? Who does he think he is?”
“It’s Pyo Du, you know. Don’t you know? Pyo Du is the top dog of this procession.”
“I know that. I know, but the way that bastard looks at us just rubs me the wrong way.”
The leader muttered complaints as he set the twigs ablaze.
Soon the fire caught, and as a gentle breeze began to blow, the flames grew fiercer.
Then, Gu Yang-cheol’s harsh voice rang out.
“Are you insane?! Why are you starting a fire in front of the supply cart?!”
“Eek?!”
Terrified by the menacing voice, the Wal-pae Leader jumped to his feet. Whether it was the blade-like sharpness in Gu Yang-cheol’s eyes that frightened him, he frantically stomped on the campfire, desperately trying to extinguish it.
“Oops.”
In that instant, sparks scattered in all directions instead.
By the time the flying embers caught on the cart and smoke began to rise, it was already too late.
The wind was making the flames grow increasingly fierce.
“F-Fire—!”
At someone’s loud cry, people’s attention finally turned. As the flames roared violently, the Wal-pae Leader’s face, which had been quietly tending the fire, turned deathly pale.
“Put it out right now—!”
Gu Yang-cheol shouted fiercely, but there was no way to solve this. With no water source nearby, all they could do was pour water from their canteens—a futile effort.
Naturally, that alone wasn’t enough to extinguish the fire.
In the end, they had no choice but to hastily remove two carts and sacrifice one.
The problem was that the burned cart contained four days’ worth of provisions and supplies needed for camping.
Gu Yang-cheol ground his teeth and glared at the Wal-pae Leader who had started the fire.
“No, what, don’t look at me like that… These things happen. It’s my fault.”
“Damn bastard…!”
If he had his way, he’d tear him apart on the spot.
But that couldn’t be done, which was frustratingly unfortunate. In the end, to resolve this situation, they had no choice but to return to the village and purchase provisions.
“Cheol-gyun! Is there a village nearby?”
“…There are none. No villages exist within two days’ travel in any direction.”
At those words, Gu Yang-cheol’s expression darkened.
No villages meant they would have to manage everything on their own.
Unable to shake the frown from his face, he glanced toward the rear of the procession.
He spotted a man observing the situation from a considerable distance, beginning to jot something down.
Gu Yang-cheol’s expression grew no lighter at the sight.
The evaluator’s assessment would determine whether he could enter the Jin Family or not.
But given the current circumstances, that evaluation had surely turned for the worse. Managing the supply cart under Pyo Haeng was certainly one of the highest priorities.
Gu Yang-cheol steadied his breathing and steeled his resolve.
“We march on.”
In this situation, there was no choice but to finish as quickly as possible.

* * *

Evening of the second day.
In just one day, everyone’s appearance had grown shabby.
The cart carrying provisions had burned and disappeared, and with no villages nearby, there was no way to purchase food with money.
In such circumstances, there were hardly any animals worth hunting. Even when they occasionally spotted something, the thugs would make such a racket before anything could be done that they’d lose the prey.
As a result, the only way to fill their hungry bellies was with whatever grass they could see.
But such things couldn’t feed this many people. Naturally, whenever Gu Yang-cheol spotted something edible, it went into his own mouth first, and afterward he provided for the members of the Ten Elders in order.
Consequently, the discontent among the others was considerable.
But Gu Yang-cheol paid it no mind.
After all, if anyone among those here could possibly pass, it would be no one except the members of the Ten Elders.
Once this was over, he would never see them again.
Therefore, he had no qualms in how he treated them.
Yet another unexpected incident unfolded.
“…Pyo Du!”
“What is it?”
“Several of Jaeng Ja-su’s group have fled with the marked goods!”
“What?!”
He leaped from his seat and rushed toward the carts.
One of the two supply carts had been ransacked.
It was the cart the members had been managing.
It seemed the incident had occurred while they’d turned their attention away to prepare a meal.
Though what it contained was unclear, unlike its initial neat arrangement, it bore traces of being thoroughly rummaged through and opened.
Moreover, several small wooden boxes had vanished.
Undoubtedly, those who fled had taken them.
But what confounded Gu Yang-cheol and his members more was the foul stench of blood emanating from a large open jar.
Peering inside, he saw the rotting corpse of a dead beast. It appeared those men had panicked and fled upon discovering this while searching.
Gu Yang-cheol frowned and hastily closed the lid, then examined the surrounding traces.
“Chase them down! Capture those fools and recover what they’ve taken.”
“Yes, sir!”
The Ten Elders’ members brightened with anticipation, hurrying to move out.
They hadn’t fled long ago, so if they pushed hard, they could catch them quickly.
But then.
Awooooo—!
Events refused to unfold as he’d envisioned.
The howl of a wolf that had caught the scent of blood pierced through the night.
And it wasn’t far away.
The members tensed, their eyes darting across their surroundings.
Even those who had been grazing near the campfire rose to their feet one by one, their expressions taut with alarm.
Rustle—!
Sounds erupted from all directions.
What had been distant grew steadily closer. One by one, wolves emerged from the darkness, their yellow eyes gleaming like lanterns.
At least twenty of them.
Gu Yang-cheol drew his sword urgently, his face darkening.
“Damn it… nothing ever goes right!”
He clenched his teeth, steadying his breath as he watched the approaching wolves.

* * *

I settled comfortably into the carriage as we traveled the mountain path.
Built specifically for traversing mountain roads, the carriage was modest in size, yet despite its jolting, it proved surprisingly comfortable.
Quite pleasant, in fact.
As I gazed out the window, savoring this comfort, a hawk that had been soaring high in the sky descended onto the shoulder of the one leading our procession.
His name was Gu Gunbaek.
Currently, he was the strongest force remaining within the Sega.
He retrieved the message tied to the hawk’s leg and, without reading its contents, carefully approached the carriage window and handed it to me.
“Good.”
The message contained nothing of great importance.
It merely recorded Pyo Haeng’s current status, his location, and what was transpiring.
I chuckled as I read it.
“What is it, sir?”
“He’s playing with wolves, apparently.”
“Wolves? You mean…”
“Yes, exactly. The largest pack in that territory.”
I crumpled the message in my hand with a light laugh.
To reach our destination within four days, we had no choice but to pass through the wolf’s domain.
Just as we had done.
Having departed half a day earlier than them and pushed hard, Pyo Haeng was at least half a day’s journey behind us.
As we passed through that area, we scattered bait along the path where Pyo Haeng would travel. Moreover, among our provisions lay the carcass of a beast—wolves with keen noses could not possibly overlook it.
Thanks to our advance preparations, the hunting grounds nearby had grown sparse, leaving the pack considerably famished.
The wolves they encountered were met at a moment when those pursuing Pyo Haeng could scarcely manage food and drink, their bodies and spirits already worn to exhaustion.
They would need to expend considerable strength.
If a few of them died, it would be ideal, but considering their actual capabilities, they would ultimately be defeated.
Yet that too was not unwelcome.
It was like blowing one’s nose without lifting a finger.
In any case, the wolf pack would soon be dealt with by Sega. They were a formidable group—strong enough that many of our people had sustained injuries—and if the Ten Elders resolved this matter, we should actually be grateful for the assistance.
I found myself smiling without realizing it.
“Would it not be better to simply pursue and strike them down?”
“True. The odds of success would be high, but doing so would result in heavy casualties. Do not underestimate them.”
“…Yes.”
Gu Gunbaek bowed his head and quietly retreated.
His expression of frustration was plainly evident.
He appeared quite displeased that the power they possessed amounted to only this much.
I turned my gaze away after observing Gu Gunbaek’s expression.
That frustration would become the driving force propelling him toward greater strength.
I settled into a relaxed posture, leaning my back against the carriage wall and steadying my breathing.
Then, imagining Gu Yang-cheol, who must be in considerable distress by now, a peculiar smile crossed my lips.
“When you realize that the place you walked into of your own accord was the Rabbit’s Den… you will die.”
I gazed with a cold gleam in my eyes and caressed the sword beside me.
Soon, I would hunt them down.
In the past, I fled to survive as prey, but now I would become the predator myself, devouring them.
The snare was already tightening around their necks.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————