Chapter 8: Things I Don’t Remember

“I’m sorry!”

“Oh, no. It’s not your fault. We just look pretty rough…”

“We’ll be more careful next time. Well then, we’ll take our leave…”

The two men, who had fainted, slowly regained consciousness and carefully touched their swollen faces before hastily leaving the inn.

They were kind people.

They got beaten up and fainted, yet they apologized instead? If I had been in the same situation, I would never have tolerated it.

Watching the mature behavior of the two, I couldn’t help but admire them, but then I suddenly remembered Seolhyang and turned to look at her right away.

“I’m sorry, Seolhyang. I thought those two might be bothering you…”

“No, it’s okay. You were just trying to protect me, right?”

“Still…”

“Evan, a man who dwells on the past isn’t very popular, you know?”

“I’ll be more careful from now on!”

After hearing Seolhyang’s words, I decided to let go of what had just happened as if it were water flowing by.

They apologized, and the victims accepted the apologies, so there was no problem.

For some reason, Seolhyang started to giggle at my demeanor.

Seeing her laugh made me laugh too.

“Oh, by the way, Evan. I have some good news.”

“What is it?”

“The person I was looking for is said to be in this city.”

It was good news for her, but not for me.

If Seolhyang found the man she was searching for, that meant my mission would be over.

We would have to part ways here.

Though I felt a pang of regret, I didn’t want to seem overly attached to her.

I decided to act nonchalant and opened my mouth.

“Seolhyang, what’s the name of the person you’re looking for?”

“His name is Cyrus.”

“Cyrus… Please wait a moment! I’ll find him right away!”

Upon hearing the name of her ex, I quickly left the inn and ran to the guild.

I ignored Seolhyang calling me to stop behind me.

If I turned around now, I would end up showing a pathetic, tear-filled face.

The pain of my first heartbreak was immense.

Arriving at the guild, I requested information about Cyrus.

The staff member at the guild looked at me with a dull expression and let out a chuckle when I stated my request.

“Cyrus? You want to know where that guy is?”

“Yes!”

“Looks like another person hoping to end it all has shown up.”

The guild employee glanced at the sword hanging at my waist and muttered that.

Before I could even ask what that meant, he tossed me a map marked with the location.

After receiving the map, I was momentarily taken aback when I was kicked out of the guild, but then I felt joy at achieving my objective and immediately returned to the inn.

Seolhyang, waiting patiently for me in the inn, spoke as soon as she heard my footsteps.

“Evan?”

“Seolhyang, I found out where that Cyrus guy is!”

“Really, how could you just rush out without listening to me? What if I wanted to go to the restroom?”

“Uh… Do you need to go to the restroom?”

“Just tell me the location.”

I led Seolhyang to the restroom.

She may have good hearing, but did she really not know where the toilet was?

After taking her to the restroom, I stepped outside and waited for her to finish while reflecting on what the guild staff had said earlier.

“What did that mean?”

Another person hoping to end it all had shown up.

What does that mean?

Does it imply that Cyrus is a heinous criminal who kills people?

If so, what are the guild and the guards doing?

How can they not capture such a notorious criminal, especially if rumors are spreading?

Or could there be some political issue involved?

As I continued to ponder these questions, Seolhyang returned from her visit and approached me.

“Let’s go.”

“Did you wash your hands?”

“Do you want to smell them?”

“…No, that’s okay.”

I took Seolhyang, who joked whether her hands were clean or not, and headed toward the location marked on the map I received from the guild.

Even though it was my first time in this city, the map was so well-made that I didn’t have to worry about getting lost.

“Um… I think it’s here.”

I stopped in front of a massive mansion that looked like it belonged to nobles, alternating my gaze between the map and the surrounding buildings to confirm if this was the right place.

If Seolhyang had come to meet a man living in a place like this, I felt I wouldn’t stand a chance.

‘The man she’s meeting is a noble…? What is Seolhyang’s relationship with him? Is she perhaps pregnant?’

I discreetly checked Seolhyang’s belly, but it didn’t seem particularly swollen, just as it had been when I first met her.

No, maybe not.

It’s possible she gave birth a long time ago and left the baby at home while coming out here alone…

“Evan?”

“Yes, yes?”

“Have we arrived?”

“Yes… According to the map, this should be the place.”

“Please call someone. We need to go inside.”

I called out loudly to someone beyond the massive iron gate, and a servant quickly rushed out from inside the house.

“Oh, you’ve been waiting for a while. May I ask what brings you here…?”

“I’m Seolhyang. Is this the residence of Lord Cyrus?”

“Yes. Are you here to see the master?”

“Yes. I believe mentioning I am from the Seol family will help.”

“Please wait a moment.”

After hearing Seolhyang’s words, the servant dashed inside.

During that time, I turned to Seolhyang and let out a faint admiration.

“Seolhyang, so you really were a noble?”

“I’m not one anymore. I have my reasons.”

“Reasons?”

“Every woman has secrets she can’t speak of.”

Seeing Seolhyang shut her mouth as if she didn’t want to say any more, I followed suit and kept quiet.

An awkward silence settled between us, and I worried that our relationship might sour.

Just then, the servant who had gone inside quickly returned and opened the door.

“Oh, you’ve been waiting for a while. The master is expecting you.”

Seolhyang silently followed the servant inside.

With her steady steps, no one would suspect that she was blind.

The servant, perhaps not realizing she was blind, walked inside without consideration, moving quickly.

A wide-open garden lay ahead, featuring a terrace.

Under a table shaded by a parasol, a man was leisurely sipping tea.

“Is it you? The one looking for me?”

The man asked this question without turning his head.

Hearing his question, Seolhyang silently stared at him.

If her sight were normal, it seemed like lasers would shoot out, melting the man away.

“I apologize for coming unannounced. Thank you for letting me in, Lord Cyrus.”

“You’re a polite young lady. Did you say you were from the Seol family? I don’t recall hearing that name.”

“It’s a small family fading away in the East, so you might not have heard of us.”

I pulled out a chair at the table for Seolhyang to sit down.

Once she was seated, I quickly took a spot beside her.

Only then did Cyrus turn his head to look at both of us.

“I don’t think I ever said you could sit down… Is that person your attendant?”

“I’m an adventurer. She’s just under my protection for a bit.”

“A noble trusts an adventurer for protection…”

Cyrus let out a thoughtful hum and began to scrutinize Seolhyang’s face thoroughly.

With each glance he took at her, I clenched my fists under the table, trembling with anxiety.

From their conversation, it seemed they weren’t familiar with each other, so what was he trying to do?

After thoroughly examining Seolhyang’s face for a while, Cyrus finally looked away and leisurely lifted his teacup.

“So, what business does the young lady from the Seol family have with me?”

“I just wanted to get to know you.”

“I see. If it’s such a beautiful young lady, I am more than welcome.”

Hearing those words, I was struck with disbelief as I looked at Seolhyang.

I thought she was trying to forget her old man and start a new life, but that wasn’t the case?

“Marriage…”

“Oh, I have a wife and children. They’re playing over there.”

“Is that all there is to your family?”

“The attendant you saw earlier is like family too. Hahaha.”

I thought about how I was losing Seolhyang to a noble and let the conversation wash over me as I glanced around.

In the distance, Cyrus’s children were happily running around the garden.

There were quite a few of them—five, all looking to be of similar ages.

A few peculiarities caught my attention: the children were running around way too freely for noble kids.

Their hair was greasy, and their nails and faces were covered in dirt.

‘Such appearances are usually seen in commoner children.’

Just as I noticed how unusually the nobleman raised his kids, Seolhyang carefully stood up.

I quickly rose to my feet as well, having been distracted by other things.

“It was enjoyable today, Lord Cyrus. I hope to see you again next time.”

“Visits from beautiful young ladies are always welcome. Ah, my wife might not feel the same, though. Hahaha.”

“Well then, I’ll take my leave.”

Leaving behind the unfunny joke, Seolhyang immediately exited the mansion.

I stuck close to her side and began to gossip about Cyrus behind his back.

“Even though you have a wife, you still welcome a young lady… What a complete playboy.”

“…”

“Seeing you have three kids, you must be quite the degenerate.”

“Could you keep it down a bit?”

“Sure, I’m sorry.”

After that, Seolhyang didn’t say a single word.

The ominous silence between us was like a clogged toilet, stifling our conversation until we returned to our lodgings.

It was only when we arrived at the room that she finally spoke.

“Evan.”

“Uh, Seolhyang, about what happened earlier, I—”

“That’s fine. More importantly, I have a few requests.”

“Of course! Just tell me anything!”

“Can you arrange a carriage to go back to the city tomorrow?”

As she said this, Seolhyang pulled out her purse.

I stared blankly at her hand, unable to comprehend what she was saying.

Only after she shrugged her shoulders as if to say, “What are you doing?” did I realize she had no interest in Cyrus and wanted to return to the city.

“I’ll get it done quickly!”

“It’s pretty late, so it might take a while. Since we need to leave tomorrow, there probably won’t be many willing to help. Please find someone reliable, even if it takes a little longer. And I’ll also need supplies for the trip back. Could you prepare those as well?”

As the sun set, it was twilight.

It was far too late to prepare everything now.

Even if I spent the whole night looking for help, it might be impossible.

However, instead of complaining or saying it wouldn’t work, I nodded.

“Just trust me.”

With that, I immediately left the room.

There was no need to say it wouldn’t work when she was asking me to come back with her.

I wanted to escape this damned noble scoundrel as quickly as possible.

My hurried footsteps echoed loudly.

Once I was far enough away that the sound wouldn’t reach her, Seolhyang slowly got up.

‘She’s left.’

She knew very well that it would be impossible to get a carriage and supplies for our return to the city now.

That was the purpose of her actions.

Evan was meant to wander the city all day, unable to interfere with what she was doing.

‘I brought her along hoping to make use of her, but… I can’t use her.’

Evan was young and pure.

Perhaps it was because he had developed feelings for her that he was so unusually favorable towards her, but if he ever realized what she was trying to do, he would undoubtedly become an obstacle.

Now that her lifelong wish was finally within reach, I couldn’t let that happen.

‘Then, shall we go?’

She took out a black outfit from her backpack and put it on.

The entire outfit was dyed black.

As if she could see, Seolhyang changed her clothes without anyone’s help, tied her hair back, and leaped out the window.

Her agile body stepped over the window frame and soared into the sky.

As she went back and forth to Cyrus’s mansion, she had already memorized the locations of the buildings and terrain along the way.

Having lived a life dedicated to such training, she was able to accomplish these superhuman feats effortlessly.

Arriving at the mansion, she hopped from rooftop to rooftop without making a sound and entered the mansion quietly.

“W-Who are you!?”

Unfortunately, whether it was bad luck or the guards of such a mansion had hidden skills, she encountered the same servant she met that morning.

Hearing the terrified voice coming from a distance, Seolhyang drew her dagger in silence.

“Avenger.”