Chapter 113: Fury Unleashed

He was struggling with all his might to hold back his groans.

Blue veins stood out on his forehead, and his breathing was loud and frantic.

Yet, only small whimpers escaped his tightly closed mouth.

Watching him, Gangcheon let out an involuntary click of his tongue.

He wanted to tell him to scream.

Even though he knew well how dangerous it was to scream on a battlefield, he still wanted to say it.

To just scream instead of enduring so foolishly.

Gangcheon took long, deep breaths to steady his own heart, which kept fluttering for some unknown reason.

Holding Haeryeong tight as he shivered in pain, Gangcheon felt a wave of relief upon confirming that the fletching of the arrow hadn’t fully delved into his back.

As long as he cut off the arrowhead protruding from the front, pulling it out wouldn’t be too difficult.

Of course, for someone unaccustomed to pain, it would hurt enough to make them wish for death.

But was it not better to have a sharp burst of pain and be done with it rather than dragging it out?

Gangcheon snapped the arrowhead protruding from the man’s chest along with the shaft.

Then, he folded the band he had been wearing on his forehead into a thick pad and held it to the man’s mouth.

“I am going to pull out the arrow to treat you.”

“Bite down on this so you do not bite your tongue.”

Haeryeong couldn’t even answer, only opening his mouth slightly to bite the band firmly.

Looking at his severely distorted face, Gangcheon licked his dry lips with his tongue.

He felt a strange, restless sensation.

“This is driving me mad.”

When he blurted it out involuntarily, Haeryeong looked up at Gangcheon with glistening, wet eyes.

Seeing him unable to even shed tears while enduring the pain made a surge of rage boil in Gangcheon’s chest.

“Seeing you injured like this makes me so angry I feel I might lose my mind.”

After saying that, Gangcheon clamped his mouth shut.

He clenched his teeth until his jaw muscles were stiff, then moved his hands quickly.

First, he tore Haeryeong’s clothes further to fully expose the wound.

When he reached for the arrow fletching visible behind his back, Haeryeong let out a groan and burrowed into his embrace.

Gangcheon bit his lip hard as he saw his own hand, reaching for the fletching, trembling violently.

Had the Empress’s shivering transferred directly to him?

Despite having performed this treatment countless times on the battlefield, why was his hand shaking so?

After glancing down at the damp face pressed against his neck, Gangcheon finally steeled his heart.

As he pulled the penetrating arrow out in one swift motion, Haeryeong’s body heaved violently.

The man’s hand gripped Gangcheon’s shoulder with all his might, shivering.

Gangcheon cast aside the extracted arrow and extended a hand to his side.

As if they had been waiting, a container of styptic powder with the lid already open was placed in his hand.

Gangcheon gently sprinkled the white powder over the circular wound.

After confirming the bleeding had stopped, he unfastened his own belt and bound it tightly around Haeryeong’s shoulder.

Only after finishing the treatment did he finally let out a sigh of relief.

Gangcheon only then realized that he hadn’t even been breathing properly.

And he knew it was the same for Haeryeong.

With the silk band still in his mouth, Haeryeong was gasping in short, sharp bursts through his nose.

Gangcheon covered the man’s cheek with his palm and rubbed gently.

He pressed his lips to the pulsing veins on the man’s forehead and whispered to him.

“You endured well.”

“The bleeding has stopped, but you must not move yet.”

“Do you feel feverish, or have any numbness in your limbs?”

He had been biting it so hard that it took a moment to pull the band from his mouth.

Haeryeong hadn’t even noticed he was clenching his teeth that hard until he heard Gangcheon’s soothing voice and finally spat out the band.

“I… do not know.”

‘Was poison used?’

Then again, an akisal was a weapon that even the shooter couldn’t predict would cause an injury to themselves, so they rarely used poisoned arrows.

At most, perhaps a paralytic toxin?

Even on the battlefield, poisoned arrows were rarely used because allies were often struck by stray shots.

‘Is that so?’

Gangcheon ground his teeth, guessing that the spy must be a former soldier.

He then sent a telepathic command to Seok-hwan and the Black Shadow members.

[Hurry the pursuit of the assassin.]

[And detain everyone gathered here.]

[This matter must not leak out.]

Seeing the arrows stop after a few more shots, it was likely the culprit realized the difficulty and was attempting to escape.

‘I will capture him before he flees and dig out whoever is behind this.’

Gangcheon made that vow with eyes flashing like sapphire flames, though he soon softened his gaze.

It was because he saw Haeryeong raising a hand.

Gangcheon gripped the hand tightly and brought it to his lips.

“Endure just a little longer.”

“I shall judge the situation and return to the palace as soon as possible.”

However, Haeryeong pushed Gangcheon’s hand away.

Reaching out behind Gangcheon, he asked stumblingly in a voice suppressed by pain.

“Are… Chang-i and Nureongi… nng… safe?”

Gangcheon stared intently at the Haeryeong in his arms.

He wanted to mock him, asking if such a trifle were truly important in this situation.

Yet, seeing the eyes brimming with worry, the surge of irritation seemed to subside slightly.

“Both are safe, Your Highness.”

“I must call for Chang-i…”

“I shall look after him.”

After Su-yong rose to summon the hawk, Gangcheon stood up while carrying Haeryeong.

Seeing as the arrows had stopped, there was likely only one assassin, and he was probably running for his life by now.

For now, the priority was taking Haeryeong back to the palace for proper treatment.

Gangcheon walked toward the Imperial Steed and left instructions for the following Black Shadow members.

“Ten of you follow me; the rest stay and assist in the search.”

“I shall return to the palace with the Empress.”

After speaking, Gangcheon mounted the horse while still holding Haeryeong.

Despite mounting as carefully as possible, the jolt caused the man to let out a low groan.

‘I have to gallop to the palace; will he be able to endure it?’

“Empress.”

“Yes… Your Majesty.”

Gangcheon let out a sigh as he wrapped one arm around the waist of the man who had squeezed out a reply with all his remaining strength.

As the horse began to stomp its hooves, the last of the color drained from Haeryeong’s face.

“We shall gallop to the palace.”

He couldn’t bring himself to ask the man, who was already barely holding on, if he could endure more.

Instead, Gangcheon rested his cheek against the forehead drenched in cold sweat and cradled him tighter.

“I shall ride as fast as possible. Hold on tight so you do not fall.”

Haeryeong nodded and wrapped his uninjured arm around Gangcheon’s waist.

Without delay, Gangcheon urged the horse into a fast gallop.

While the Black Shadows rode ahead and behind on high alert, the Empress’s riderless horse galloped alongside Gangcheon’s mount.

Haeryeong stole a glance at Nureongi running with the group, then buried his face in the crook of Gangcheon’s neck.

Every time the horse kicked off the ground, a sob—sounding as if he could bear it no longer—reached Gangcheon’s ear from up close.

Even amidst the thunderous sound of hooves, the tiny groans he let slip were clearly audible.

Knowing he must be in agony, Gangcheon didn’t dare ask if it hurt and simply drove the horse on with his lips clamped tight.

Mount Eungbong was technically part of the capital, but it was a significant distance from the city gates.

After riding for about fifteen minutes and finally clearing the vicinity of the hunting grounds, Gangcheon and his party were forced to a halt.

While the horses, excited from the run, stomped their feet, Gangcheon bared his teeth in a fierce smile at the group that had appeared before them.

He had wondered why there was only one assassin; it seemed he had underestimated the Minister of Rites.

Once they were clear of the hunting grounds, about thirty warriors on horseback had been waiting to block their path.

Gangcheon clicked his tongue and backed the horse away.

The Black Shadow members stepped forward to block them in return.

Gangcheon watched as they drew their swords and gave a short command.

“Capture them alive.”

The warriors, their faces entirely covered, also drew their weapons and charged.

In an instant, the air was filled with the noisy clashing of blades.

Haeryeong was biting his lip to endure the pain after the horse’s sudden stop.

Perhaps due to the agony, his vision was narrow and blurred, so he couldn’t immediately grasp why they had stopped.

But soon, hearing the Emperor’s fierce voice, he realized they were under attack by assassins.

In the meantime, the Emperor let go of the reins and pulled out the bow and guide tube he had been carrying on his back.

After fitting the guide tube to the bow, he pulled out one of the short arrows from his waist and whispered quietly to Haeryeong.

“Hold on tight. Do not let go.”

Before Haeryeong could even respond, the Emperor’s arm moved.

The arm wrapped tightly around Haeryeong’s body quickly notched an arrow into the guide tube, and soon the sound of the bowstring snapping was followed by a faint whistling of air.

The Emperor kept three arrows between his fingers and fired them in rapid succession.

Haeryeong had no chance to observe the surroundings, as he was clinging with all his might to the Emperor who was shifting his body to fire the bow.

The sounds of clashing swords, horse hooves, whinnying, and human groans all blended together.

Intermittently, every time the Emperor fired an arrow, the sound of something falling heavily to the ground could be heard.

The sound of the Emperor clicking his tongue echoed as he quickly emptied his quiver.

Then he whispered into Haeryeong’s ear.

“Just keep clinging to me like that.”

“Do not look at anything, do not listen to anything, and if you keep your head buried in my chest, it will all be over soon.”

“You have nothing to worry about. Do you understand?”

Just as Haeryeong was about to answer, the sound of the meteoric iron sword sliding from his waist echoed with a metallic ring.

In that instant, his scalp tightened and goosebumps broke out across his skin.

Holding a sword in one hand and the reins in the other, the Emperor wrapped his arm around Haeryeong’s back.

Haeryeong shivered, struggling to suppress the urge to push him away and leap from the horse.

He felt as though the scent of sandalwood he had smelled in his previous life was brushing against the tip of his nose.

This, despite the fact that there was no perfume sachet currently hanging from the man’s sword.

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