“Did you already know about this?”

That night, Yujo returned home and demanded an answer from Jewol.

“What are you talking about?”

Jewol took off his spectacles as he asked back.

“About the things people are saying about the Heukra!”

Jewol finally understood what Yujo was talking about and let out a sigh.

“I knew.”

“You knew? Did you just tell me that you knew? Why didn’t you tell me such an important detail before now?”

“I tried to tell you. But we needed to get through the wedding ceremony first, and I wanted to give you some time to adjust to your life here.”

“I don’t need time to adjust. You should have told me from the very beginning!”

“Yujo! I mean, SoYeon.”

Jewol burst out of his seat and grabbed Yujo’s arm. His grip tightened as he spoke in a strained voice.

“What difference would it have made if I told you? Would you have rejected this offer for a peace treaty if you knew?”

Yujo looked straight at him. He was right. Would it have made any difference? It would only have answered one of the many questions she had buried in her heart. Now she knew why the Silver Nation’s Crown Prince wanted to catch the Heukra!

“Is the Heukra truly the vengeful spirit of the killed guibin*?”

Guibin Nok. This woman was famous, even in Yeha. The northern province of the Silver Nation shared a border with the northern part of Yeha, so the rumors spread quickly.

Guibin Nok was from the northern province, and she was also the fifth wife of the emperor. In the inner court, which was filled with mostly daughters, she managed to give birth to the second prince, the Red King. Therefore she was promoted to the status of guibin.

Her downfall and death was also widely known in Yeha.

But that woman was dead. Seven years had already passed since her death. And yet everyone was saying that the Heukra was the vengeful spirit of Guibin Nok.

This was because the mysterious woman who had appeared near the killed victims had been wearing the waistband of the guibin.

In the Silver Nation, a woman’s waistband was an important indicator of her status. The waistbands of the imperial family were distinctive and couldn’t be worn by anyone else. Especially those worn by the empress or a concubine. If one wore it without much thought, it could be punishable by death.

But that woman was wearing the guibin’s waistband?

This was the strangest piece of information.

Whether the Heukra was human or a spirit, the people were once again speaking about the guibin. Additionally, Yujo couldn’t ignore the fact that this was connected to the Red King.

People made things up and told stories. They believed lies were the truth. The guibin who had been the Red King’s mother. The guibin who had died a tragic death. She had come back from the dead and was burning people to death. What else would the people think?

They’d definitely believe this was the curse of the Heukra as well as the guibin’s curse.

“Is that why the Crown Prince is so desperate to know the identity of the Heukra?”

At Yujo’s question, Jewol let out a quiet sigh and returned to his desk to organize it.

“Yes.”

“Ha.”

Yujo scoffed. Well, it was none of her business. It wouldn’t even matter to her whether the Crown Prince ate someone by grilling them or by boiling them.

Either way, it had something to do with the Crown Prince. He wouldn’t be calling her here just because of a gruesome series of murders. But she really didn’t want to jump into the veiled enmity of the imperial palace.

But Yujo… Is this a time for you to feel uncomfortable?

She thought to herself and smiled bitterly. This wasn’t the time to feel uncomfortable. Didn’t she choose to do this in order to save Yeha? Then she had no right to complain about how this was different from what she had expected.

“Fine.”

Yujo turned her head and looked at Jewol.

“Do you also think the Heukra is the vengeful spirit of the guibin, Brother? I don’t have the ability to capture a ghost.”

Jewol shook his head.

“It’s merely a clever trick. There’s no way it’s a ghost. Would a ghost truly kill a person?”

“Why not? It might be a ghost.”

“Quit it, Yujo.”

Jewol didn’t like superstitions or ghosts. He always said, ‘Humans are far more terrible than ghosts’.

“When people don’t understand something, they claim it is the work of a ghost or a curse. If one looks close enough, one will always find that it was the deed of a living, breathing person all along.”

Yujo smiled bitterly as she nodded. He was right. When it came to strange occurrences, there was a high chance it was caused by someone with a heartbeat.

Jewol took out a box and began to tidy up his desk. His desk was always filled with documents and various pebbles, roots, and animal bones. There were plates and chisels strewn across the desk.

“What is all this?”

“What? I’m in the middle of helping you with your mission.”

“You’re helping me?”

“Of course. What, do you want me to just leave you alone?”

“Brother.”

“What is it?”

When Yujo suddenly approached him, he became surprised.

“I’m always grateful to you.”

With her chin propped up in her hand, she grinned at him. Jewol coughed awkwardly and turned his head away. His ears were red.

“Stop speaking nonsense and look at this.”

Jewol held up a red stone and showed it to her.

“This is apatite.”

“Apatite?”

“Yes. They say the victims suddenly caught on fire. Isn’t that strange? But there are some things that catch on fire once it’s exposed to the air. This stone has that property.”

“Really?”

Yujo quickly stretched out her hand and touched the stone. It just seemed like a normal stone. But there was such a terrifying property hidden inside? Jewol finished tidying up his desk and held out his hand. He took back the apatite.

“It’s not a ghost. It’s definitely a human being. There are times when people pretend it’s the work of a ghost. We’ll catch the Heukra no matter what, so don’t worry. I’m here, aren’t I?”

Yujo glanced at him. If it weren’t for Jewol, how would she be able to bear all of this?

“I won’t concern myself with matters regarding the Crown Prince’s veiled enmity.”

“Haa, how would you concern yourself? You just mind your own business.”

“About that…”

Yujo’s voice lowered. Jewol frowned. He had an ominous feeling in his gut.

“What is it?”

“Brother, I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Don’t do it. For some reason, I feel scared.”

“Don’t be scared. It’s something very easy for you, Brother.”

“What is it?”

Jewol looked at Yujo suspiciously.

“Each one of these occurrences had a victim, right?”

No way…

Jewol paled.

“I want to see the corpse with my own eyes, Brother.”

When he heard her words, Jewol pressed his hand to his forehead.

Duke MoonYeo appeared at the judicial office in the middle of the night, causing the entire judicial office to descend into chaos. With his face full of worry, he told the palace guard that he had met WooRyong’s Danju three days ago.

He claimed that he wanted to speak to the guard’s superior about this. The palace guard immediately tensed up and quickly ushered the duke inside. Just having this graceful man’s presence inside the hellish judicial office seemed to beautify the place.

While the soldiers were dazzled by Jewol’s beauty, an agile shadow quickly jumped over the wall and landed softly on the roof of the building.

A black robe covered her from head to toe, and only her eyes were exposed. Yujo ran across the roof with light footsteps, almost as if she were a flying black bird. She made sure to stay in the shadows of the building.

The man who had been killed by the Heukra was definitely somewhere within the judicial office. At least until the medical examiner came to take a look. No matter how much they tried to preserve the corpse by sprinkling salt over it, five days had already passed. It was bound to rot and stink.

Yujo sharpened her five senses and sniffed the air. She had grown up hunting animals in the wild. Telling distinctive scents apart from each other came easy to her.

Left.

She moved to the left. The scent of a rotting corpse and burnt flesh became stronger. Now a few steps forward…

Yujo walked silently like a cat as she made her way through the corridor. She hid behind a pillar. At the end of the corridor, she saw a light. Two men in white came out of a room and were murmuring to each other as they walked away. The scent of the corpse leaked out of the doorway along with them.

That’s the room.

Yujo silently walked along the corridor and entered the room.

The corpse was laid out in the middle of the room, covered in a white cloth. A chill ran down her spine for no reason, but Yujo hardened her heart and slightly pulled at the cloth.

“Ugh!”

This was a lot more disgusting than she’d expected. Yujo quickly let go of the cloth and covered up the corpse. She had seen many gruesome corpses in the battlefield, but this was the first time she’d seen anything like this.

The rumors had been correct. The corpse was completely burned to a crisp. Only the pieces of the corpse’s hand and feet were left intact.

What could have done something like this?

It took a long time for a person’s body to burn. For the victims to be ignited so quickly and burn down to this state in such a short amount of time… Just how hot could it have been?

Yujo saw the corpse’s clothes lying in a corner of the room. Although they were only scraps, Yujo quickly made her way across the room and touched the fabric. She brought it to her nose and tried sniffing it. Something smelled strange.

I should probably take this, right?

“Are you the Heukra?”

Suddenly, the cold voice of a man rang in the room. Startled, Yujo turned around. She could hardly believe it. The man had completely erased his presence and was now standing across the room.

Like Yujo, his face was covered. A suffocating tension hung over the room as a murderous spirit emanated from the man. Only the corpse was between them.

He didn’t raise his sword. He didn’t even move. But the room was filled with his overpowering aura. If Yujo hadn’t held her ground, she felt as if she would have been strangled by the tension in the room.

Just like her, he was wearing wearing black clothes and a black hood. Only his eyes could be seen. Although he was completely silent, it was closer to the silence of a wild beast. Although he wasn’t baring his teeth like one, Yujo could tell that he was incredibly dangerous.

A shiver ran down Yujo’s spine. It wasn’t something that could be recognized by human rationality. It was an animalistic instinct.

“I asked you if you were the Heukra.”

The man’s question was simple. However, no matter what answer she gave him, she wouldn’t be able to leave the room without his permission. She knew that much.

Yujo didn’t answer him. Any reply she gave him would put her at a disadvantage. Yeha’s ChungMae. Duke MoonYeo’s wife. Either of these identities could not be revealed here. Instead of answering him, Yujo drew out the sword she had strapped to her back.

“Stupid choice.”

Suddenly, whoosh! Something passed by her. It wasn’t a sword. It was chi. It flashed past her as it almost slashed her throat.

No!

Yujo quickly twisted her body up and avoided the sword that approached her. In this state, she kicked the wall and flew towards the man in the mask as she swung her sword.

Clang! The man’s forearm clashed with her sword. More accurately, the sheathe hidden in his sleeve blocked her attack. Her sword scraped against the sheathe of his sword.

Yujo quickly tried to get behind him and head for the door.She didn’t plan on fighting this man. She knew from the start that she wouldn’t be able to defeat him. She needed to run away for now. However, the man was faster and blocked her escape.

Clang! Yujo flew back across the room. Her back crashed into the wall. But she couldn’t let things end this way.

Haa! Yujo swiftly ran towards the man with a shout. With the corpse lying between them, the two of them began an intense sword fight.

Their swords almost caused the cloth on the corpse to fall. Yujo grit her teeth and blocked his sword with hers. He was incredibly powerful. Even though she’d only blocked his blows three times, Yujo’s sword ended up breaking.

Bang! A shard of Yujo’s sword plunged into the wall. At the same time, the cloth that had been covering her face fell off. When she saw the man’s eyes widen, Yujo realized that her face was exposed.

Damn it.

Yujo groaned inside her heart. However, she didn’t back down and glared at him.

Focus. Just because your face has been revealed doesn’t mean your identity has been blown.

She noticed his hesitation and didn’t miss this chance. She quickly raised his arm and crouched down as she burst out the window.

With a loud crash, the window shattered. The surprised guards began to shout as they made their way to the room.

Yujo quickly kicked the torch in the corridor and caused it to fall onto the ground. The oil leaked out and the fire began to spread.

Yujo quickly jumped onto the roof and ran away. However, when she got up on the outer wall, she noticed a sharp aura emanating from behind her. She felt something strike her back.

Ugh!

It was definitely him. As expected, when she turned around, she saw him standing there with his sword. She felt her back sting. She had definitely been cut by his sword.

My goodness. How could such a master be in a place like this?

Neigh!

Suddenly, she heard the sound of a horse’s cry. Surprisingly, she saw a horse standing underneath an oak tree. Although she could only see its outline due to the shadows, she could tell that it was an incredible war horse. Was this her attacker’s horse?

She didn’t ponder this for too long and quickly jumped on top the horse. While it was a grave crime to steal a horse, that man was more terrifying to her. If she let the horse go when she was finished with it, it would find its way back to its master anyway!

“Haw!”

Yujo skillfully squeezed the horse’s flanks. Members of Yeha’s ruling family learned to ride a horse from a very young age. Something like this came naturally to her. As if the horse had been waiting for her all along, it began to run through the night streets of YeonSung, carrying her on its back. It was almost as if it were flying in the wind.