Chapter 330
The Youngest Son of the Eunhae Trading Company Chapter 330
Chapter 330. Special Request (3)
I asked again.
“What? A spiritual beast that looks like a human?”
“Yes. Several tribesmen have already been attacked. Fortunately, no one has died, but according to them, it looks like a human.”
“Then isn't it a human?”
He said with a perplexed look.
“They say that their behavior is too beastly to be human.”
I couldn't grasp the meaning from his words alone, so I could only tilt my head in confusion.
“When did they first appear?”
“It's been about half a month. There haven't been any deaths yet, but the tribe members are very worried that someone will die if this continues.”
It was certainly cause for concern.
However, he couldn't just sit around worrying.
He had to go deeper into the forest to fill his bag with clean eyes.
Furthermore, the safety of the hunter tribe was also a concern.
He had to protect them in order to secure a stable supply of animal skins.
“For the safety of our trading partners, the warriors of Eunpungdae are accompanying them on the hunt.”
“I see. That is a wise decision.”
“In any case, please be careful.”
As I was talking with Chief Soo, I heard someone's urgent voice.
“Chief! Chief! Something terrible has happened!”
The branch manager looked at me, and I nodded and said,
“Tell him to come in.”
“Come in.”
An employee came in, panting heavily.
“What's going on?”
“It's serious! The Eunpungdae warriors who went hunting with the hunters have been attacked by a strange spiritual beast.”
“What?”
I asked him.
“Where are they now?”
“They are still there.”
Upon hearing this, Branch Chief Su said.
“Gather the Eunpungdae warriors immediately. I will go there myself.”
Hearing this, I also got up from my seat and said.
“I will go too.”
.
.
.
A short time later, we arrived at the place where the Eunpungdae warriors had been attacked.
“What is the situation?”
One of them replied in a weak voice to the deputy chief's question.
“They fled shortly after. Fortunately, no one was killed, but they are seriously injured and cannot move easily.”
He was the most unharmed, but he could barely stand. The other hunters and Eunpungdae warriors were lying or sitting on the snow.
The red bloodstains on the white snow caught my eye.
The branch chief treated the wounded, stopped their bleeding, and ordered them to be carried away on stretchers.
“I have one more thing to say.”
“What is it?”
The warrior bit his dry lips and said,
“It's about that strange spiritual beast. That thing... is not a spiritual beast.”
“Not a spiritual beast? Then what is it?”
"Yes. It's definitely a human being. When most of us were down, he clearly said in a voice of agony, 'Kill me.
He asked to be killed...
There seems to be some kind of situation. Could he be in a situation he doesn't want to be in?
“Anyway, we need to hurry and move the wounded. They could get frostbite or their wounds could get worse.”
“I understand.”
With that, we returned to the branch office with the wounded.
That night, I fell into deep thought in my room.
The reason I came to the North Sea was because of a request from the Pojeongsa of Guizhou Province. I came to get the snow.
So tomorrow, I can go to the North Sea, get the snow, and leave.
However, someone unknown is threatening this branch and the tribe.
If I leave here just because I'm busy, I will be disqualified as a captain.
The Captain has a duty to solve the problems of the Trading Company on behalf of the Trading Company President.
If I only claim my rights and abandon my duties, what will the other members of the Trading Company think?
One thing is certain: it will not help the growth of the Trading Company.
My goal is to make the Eunhae Trading Company the world's best trading company. For that reason alone, I cannot neglect my duties.
Even if that weren't the case, there's another reason I have to solve this problem.
The strange creature appears in the area under the jurisdiction of Seolpung Palace.
As a disciple of Seolpung Palace, it is my responsibility to take care of it.
Having made up my mind, I ate breakfast, drank some tea, and said to Pal-gap.
“I'm going to the North Sea for a while today, so you stay here.”
“Are you going to get snow?”
“No, that's for later.”
“What? What are you going to do? Are you going to deal with that spiritual beast, or whatever it is?”
“Yes.”
“It's dangerous!”
I shook my head and dismissed his concerns.
“I understand your concern, but this is something I must do. It is related to our Trading Company's branch office, and the Captain is not doing anything about it. Besides, the people of this tribe trust us and have allowed us to build a branch office and continue trading with them. We must not betray their trust.”
After thinking for a moment, Pal-gap sighed.
“You're right. But wouldn't it be better to ask the Trading Company for help?”
“It's too late. Even if we send a letter through the royal decree, it will take at least a month for help to arrive from the headquarters.”
I continued.
“We're lucky that no one has died so far, but we can't be sure that there won't be any deaths in the future.”
“...”
I smiled gently and said.
“Don't worry too much. You know my abilities.”
After patting him on the shoulder, I left my room.
Huh...
I saw Su Jib-jang in the courtyard, shirtless, swinging his spear vigorously.
I heard that Su Jibjang was originally a warrior of the Eunpungdae, but was his main weapon a spear?
No, more than that, I heard that his physique had improved considerably, and was that the reason?
Come to think of it...
There can't be much administrative work here, so he must have had time to train.
At that moment, Su Jibjang saw me and quickly clasped his hands in a greeting.
“Captain, are you here?”
“Good morning. It looks like you're practicing spear arts.”
“It's been a while since I've held a spear, so I'm still getting used to it.”
“I see.”
“This place is often attacked by beasts and spiritual beasts, so I'm relearning spear arts for self-defense.”
“I feel sorry for you.”
He waved his hand dismissively at my words.
“Don't say that! Thanks to you, I'm feeling much healthier. Hahaha.”
You seem to be in great health...
“How are those who were injured yesterday?”
“They are being treated in the infirmary. To be honest, I was very worried because their wounds were deep, but the ointment you gave me yesterday seems to be very effective in stopping the bleeding, so I don't think there is any need to worry anymore.”
“I'm glad to hear that.”
The wounds of those who were injured yesterday were quite deep, and it was difficult to stop the bleeding, so I gave him some ointment that I had prepared in advance.
It was an oil to protect the wounds, but I mixed in some of Geum-ryeong's saliva.
Of course, that was a secret.
“I would like to hear more of that warrior's testimony.”
“Ah, you want to report it to the Trading Company. I already have a report written up about it.”
“No, that's not it... I want to resolve this myself.”
“What?”
He was taken aback by my words.
“Are you serious?”
“Yes. My bodyguards are quite skilled. And it will take too long to wait for reinforcements.”
“That's true, but...”
I headed to the infirmary and heard the details there.
“The man had messy hair and red eyes. He was holding something that looked like broken pottery, and he was so fast that it was difficult to follow him with my eyes.”
“How tall was he?”
“He was standing hunched over, so I'm not sure, but he looked over six feet tall.”
“Was he well-built?”
“No, he was very thin. He was wearing black clothes, but they were torn, revealing his emaciated body.”
After hearing the explanation, I left the infirmary and said to the bodyguards,
“From now on, we intend to kill or capture that strange creature. If you have any objections, please tell me. I will understand if you decide to stay here.”
However, none of the six warriors raised their hands.
“We will only follow where our Liege goes.”
The other warriors nodded in agreement with Seo Woo's words.
Myeongjong and Chang-woon also agreed.
“We are not cowards.”
“If we back down now, the name of Jongnam will be disgraced.”
“All right.”
I nodded decisively.
“Thank you for agreeing with me. Shall we go?”
Actually, Su Ji-jang also wanted to go with us, but I urged him to stay behind.
We couldn't afford to lose the branch chief in case something happened.
With Su Ji-jang seeing us off, we headed toward the North Sea.
“But isn't the North Sea under the jurisdiction of the Northern Sea Ice Palace? Why did the Northern Sea Ice Palace let him go?”
Jinyu Musha answered Chang-woon Musha's question.
“This place was not originally under the jurisdiction of the Northern Sea Ice Palace.”
“That's why they pay less attention to it.”
“I guess so. The Northern Sea Ice Palace manages a much larger area up there.”
Then, Myungjong asked.
“Does that mean there used to be someone else in charge of this area?”
“Yes, there was a place called Seolpung Palace.”
Unlike the other warriors, Myungjong and Chang-woon were new to this area, so it was natural that they didn't know about Seolpung Palace.
They also didn't know that I was a disciple there.
Since that was a secret that had to be kept from outsiders, Jin-yu also kept quiet about it.
That meant he hadn't made up his mind about Myeongjong and Chang-woon yet.
It had been less than a year since they became my bodyguards, so it was only natural.
I couldn't blame them for feeling disappointed.
Trust is not something that can be given easily or gained easily.
Still, if they continue to earn my trust little by little, they will become my loyal followers.
Soon, we entered the North Sea.
There would be no snowstorms for about three days, so we had to make a decision within that time.
“I think we should rest here for a while.”
“That sounds good.”
We took wooden boards from the luggage we were carrying, laid them on the ground, and lit a fire.
Warm heat began to spread in all directions.
As Jin-yu said earlier, this place was originally managed by Seolpung Palace.
If Seolpung Palace still existed, would such a monster be able to roam around freely?
An unknown emotion welled up inside me, and I looked up at the sky, suppressing it.
Tock
I felt something touch my cheek.
It was snowing.
It was true that the monster was appearing in this area, but no one knew when.
That meant we had no choice but to wait here.
But we couldn't just wander around looking for him.
We had to conserve our strength.
Even the best warriors are weak compared to nature.
On top of that, the cold was a major obstacle.
We waited all day, but the monster did not appear.
“I'm hungry.”
“Me too.”
“Shall we roast some jerky?”
Seo-woo nodded in agreement.
“That's a good idea.”
We each took out some jerky.
Thanks to the cold weather in the north, the jerky didn't spoil even if it wasn't dried well.
That's why the jerky here was soft, and roasting it over a fire was a real treat.
We skewered the jerky on sticks, roasted it over the fire, and ate it while blowing on it to cool it down.
It's delicious, as expected.
Then it happened.
“...!”
I felt a chill. It was a chill as if a wild beast was staring at me.
At the same time, I felt a sensation as if my flesh was being torn apart.
It was different from killing intent.
Killing intent felt like being stabbed with needles.
But I couldn't just stand there.
I threw down the jerky skewer, quickly got up from my seat, and drew my sword.
“Why are you doing this...?”
Seo Woo's face froze as he was about to ask me why I was doing this.
He noticed it too.
Someone was approaching.
The other bodyguards quickly got into a defensive stance.
Thud, thud, thud.
Soon, someone approached us.
His hair was disheveled, and his black clothes were torn. His eyes were red.
It was the creature that was called a spiritual beast that resembled a human.
It finally appeared!
I could clearly feel this flesh-piercing sensation coming from him.
I bit my lip, overcome by a feeling so vivid it sent shivers down my spine.
At the same time, I knew for sure that it was a human being.
And those eyes told me that it was not in its right mind.
“Kill me...”
What did it say?
“Kill me...”
A bizarre appearance and bizarre words.
If Pal-gap were here, he would have been so scared he would have made a scene.
Thinking about Pal-gap being scared made me feel a little better.
I need to stay focused.
I shouted to everyone.
“Focus!”
“Yes!”
At that moment, the monster rushed toward us.
Ta-!
He's fast!
But I'm fast too!