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♛
−Hah
.
Yi-Gyeol let out a pleasant laugh while aimlessly floating in the air. At the end of his gaze was the splendid castle that he had seen the previous day.
‘I’ve just thought I’d like to see you again but
.’
After eating, Yi-Gyeol fell asleep while jotting down a note and met a familiar golden butterfly in front of his house. As he followed behind it again in curiosity, he reached an alley covered in darkness, and as soon as he passed the wall without hesitating, the scenery he wanted unfolded. If there’s one thing that’s different from before, it is broad daylight this time.
He looked around, but the golden butterfly that guided him was gone.  He was about to go down to the castle thinking it was really amazing, when a procession caught his eyes in the distance. Looking closely at the procession which had already gone quite far from the castle, everyone was riding on horses that he had only seen in movies, leading a gorgeous carriage as if escorting it.
‘People riding horses and carriages in this day and age
.’
Unpaved roads, imperial castles, and solid armor are all amazing. However, it was even more interesting that everyone rode horses and carriages like in the old days. Yi-Gyeol wondered how far these people could live from modern civilization.
Yi-Gyeol, who approached them rather than the castle out of curiosity, admired the various hair colors of the men on horseback and their terrifying armor. The dark red heavy armor looked so hard that even a sword wouldn’t be able to penetrate, and a black cape was even stretched over its shoulder. In the middle of the cape, a gold pattern, which he seems to have seen somewhere, was meticulously engraved with embroidery.
Suddenly, he felt a menacing feeling. He didn’t know why, but it was a strange sensation compared to getting a fishbone stuck in his throat.
Yi-Gyeol, without knowing the reason, looked around and saw something moving on the far left and right hills of the road where the procession had just entered. Floating higher and looking down, it was men in black with weapons such as bows and swords. Hiding themselves deeply, the 22 people were lined up on the left and right hills, waiting for the procession to come.
Seeing them preparing as if they were ready to jump in at any moment with hideous weapons, he approached them slowly with a strange foreboding feeling. Because of the black clothes and masks, he wondered if they were from the same place as the men who broke into the Imperial Palace the day before, making him automatically nervous.
As he approached them closely, he heard a man speaking in a lowered voice.
“Their numbers aren’t that high.”
“Still, don’t let your guard down. The two knights next to the carriage have no ordinary skills.”
The man, who had been watching the procession with something like a small wooden cylinder, turned to those who were lined up in a low position behind him.
“When I signal as scheduled, block the retreat route and aim for the carriage. Even if you don’t take care of the others, you have to kill the person riding the carriage unconditionally.”
The others nodded their heads briefly at the solemn voice.
It was a short conversation, but not to the point of not knowing what they were trying to do.
‘Kill?’
Yi-Gyeol, who brooded over the short and definite words, captured the weapons in their hands one by one in his eyes. Those never look like toys and just looking at them terrifies him.
‘No way, don’t tell me
?’
All the men had a grim resolution in their eyes. Their brief conversation also didn’t seem like a joke.
While hesitating in surprise, the procession grew closer and closer. As soon as he recalled the man called Prince that he met at the castle and the men who actually targeted his life, he couldn’t stay still any longer.
Even though he knew that his voice wouldn’t reach, he screamed as he flew towards the procession.
−It’s dangerous! Quickly, stop!
As expected, none of the people riding the horses responded. He knew it would also be the same this time, however, the moment he screamed once again with a restless heart.
The window of the carriage which had been closed, opened and a familiar man with purple hair revealed his face.
The man’s face, seen in bright daylight, looked much more radiant than it did in his room. Sharp eyes and a chilly blade-like atmosphere were also added, but it doesn’t make his beauty any less. As soon as Yi-Gyeol saw his face, he was startled by the intense pressure that the young man was releasing and almost stopped talking. However, Yi-Gyeol continued shouting as the man glanced outside as if looking for something.
−There are people on the hill! They’re dangerous!
As soon as he finished speaking, he was convinced when he saw the man cast his gaze on the hill in the distance. As expected, he could hear his voice.
A man riding a horse from the side of the open window came close to the carriage.
“Is something wrong, Your Highness?”
The young man did not answer the question of the gray-haired man in red armor. Then he closed the window again, saying it was nothing.
Yi-Gyeol, who was watching this, quickly went into the carriage in frustration. The interior was wider than expected, but the only person riding it was the purple-haired young man.
−Can you hear me? You can hear me, right?
He warned him, but the young man only sat down as if nothing had happened which got Yi-Gyeol even more anxious. They possessed countless weapons, but the young man in front of him only had a long sword leaning on the carriage seat beside him. He couldn’t imagine and didn’t want him to kill or die, but he thought that he should at least defend himself. There are only ten men on horseback outside, so at this rate, they will end up suffering without even having the chance to do anything.
−I’m telling you there’s danger!
“Calm down.”
Finally, the young man’s mouth opened. He looked into the carriage he was riding alone and asked nonchalantly.
“The ghost from a few days ago, right?”
−A few days ago? But it was yesterday
. No, it’s even more dangerous this time!
The young man was talking so unperturbed that even Yi-Gyeol almost got swept away by his way of speaking.
−All the armed people on the hill are trying to kill you.
Speaking with anxiety, the young man rested his elbows on the window sill and raised his chin with an expressionless face. He kept his mouth shut as if implying for Yi-Gyeol to say more.
−You have to stop the carriage quickly and go back. They’ll attack you from both sides when we get between the hills, and at this rate
.
Yi-Gyeol, who looked into the calm eyes of the young man, blurred the end of his words. He doesn’t know if the young man doesn’t believe what he’s saying, or if it doesn’t matter to him.
As Yi-Gyeol pauses, only then did the young man open his mouth.
“Are you still here?”
He doesn’t know how the young man is so carefree. But seriously, who would believe the words of a ghost you’ve only met once?
−I know it’s hard to believe, but I’m telling the truth. There’s a lot of people hiding in both hills with weapons. It’s true
.
Even if he could hear his voice, it would be hard to believe what Yi-Gyeol was saying. It’s not like they’re looking into each other’s eyes and talking to each other face-to-face, to him he was just a ghost.
When Yi-Gyeol’s words were not heard once again, the young man uttered as if he knew what was going inside Yi-Gyeol’s mind.
“I believe you.”
It was a short indifferent line.
“What you’re saying, I believe it. So tell me everything you’ve seen.”
Yi-Gyeol felt his non-existent heart pounding and beating again. It felt quite pleasant to know that the young man believed what he said and that he needed it.
Yi-Gyeol gave detailed information about the people he saw on the hill.  They talked about how many people there are and what weapons they had, he also didn’t forget to mention how they dressed. Subsequently, Yi-Gyeol dissuaded the young man with an anxious voice at the same time.
−We need to stop the carriage now. You have to believe in me, please.
It was frustrating as to why he didn’t tell the people with him to stop the carriage even though he said he believed me. Even just at this moment, Yi-Gyeol wished for that perfectly calm and collected face to be a little nervous.
Only then did the young man, who had been listening quietly, move. He opened the window and spoke in a low voice to the man who was outside the carriage.
“There could be an ambush on the hill.”
“Yes? Ambush
.”
The gray-haired man’s face stiffened and tensed. As Yi-Gyeol listened to their conversation, he thought that the young man as expected was the abnormal one for having no reaction like that.
“If there is really an ambush, they will definitely block our escape route and make a surprise attack when we reach the middle of the hill. Prepare yourselves.”
“
Yes, Your Highness.”
Although the grey-haired man was puzzled by the sudden command, he replied that he would do so without hesitation.
As soon as the window closed, Yi-Gyeol voiced again, frustrated.
−I told you we have to stop. We’re outnumbered.
“Unless you’re in the middle of a battlefield, what you need is skill rather than numbers.”
Yi-Gyeol’s frustration did not abate despite the young man’s complacent words. He tried to persuade him several more times, thinking that something really bad might happen, but the young man did not budge.
Meanwhile, the carriage reached between the hills where the unknown men were lying in ambush. Soon, there was a commotion outside.
“It’s an ambush!”
Yi-Gyeol was startled by someone’s cry outside and went out of the carriage. As expected, men in black clothes surrounded them. Some ran fiercely with bows, while others ran at the men outside the carriage with weapons at hand. Yet, their eyes above the masks were tenaciously directed at the carriage.