Honbul: Flame of the Soul

“Young master Yoon! Are you ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) alright?”

...Young master Yoon?

It was a considerably archaic title. No matter how one looked at it, it wasn’t a word a child would typically use.

At that moment, the child reached out toward Yoon Taehee. A cluster of white light poured from the child’s hand. The wound on his shoulder began to heal instantly. The team members watched the scene, speechless. They couldn’t fathom what this situation was. It was a sight unbelievable even as they saw it with their own eyes.

“Wh-what is that...?”

At that time, Jeongju, who had dismounted along with Mesani, immediately stuck a talisman to the ground. He had set up a simple barrier. It would buy enough time for Mesani to fully heal Yoon Taehee.

Just then, Go Junhyung, recognizing a familiar face, muttered involuntarily.

“I-it’s J-J-J-Jeongju.”

The celebrity.

“Haha. Hello... please show me a lot of love...”

Jeongju offered an awkward greeting.

In the meantime, the boy who had been standing on the treetop had hidden himself and disappeared somewhere.

Suhyang quickly followed the boy’s movements. The boy was moving at a very high speed while keeping himself hidden in the forest. Arrows flew in succession from the dark forest. In a single shot, an arrow imbued with red spiritual energy pierced through five or six straw men as it streaked through the air, causing them to collapse one after another. Seeing the straw men vanish in rows from just a single arrow, the team members stood there dazed and speechless.

Jaegyeom, who had neutralized the personal guards in an instant, approached this way while emitting red spiritual energy. It happened at the same time a straw doll popped out from the bushes near the team members.

“Behind you!”

Jeongju, who was standing near the heavenly horses, stamped his foot. Then, a silver fox the size of a bull sprang out from somewhere. The silver fox rushed forward like a bullet, bit the straw man lunging at the team members, and tossed it away. With that, the straw man also crumbled into dust and scattered. The team members’ eyes widened in shock.

A moment later, the silver fox was nowhere to be seen, and the ‘celebrity’ Jeongju was standing in its place once again.

The team members looked at Jaegyeom with eyes filled with disbelief.

The person before them was unmistakably the one from the TV.

“A ce-celebrity... was a spiritual creature...”

Go Junhyung’s lips moved in a daze.

“Ahem.”

Jeongju tried to act composed and walked under a large tree. After drawing blood from his hand, he drew something like a large hieroglyph on the tree. As he placed his palm against it and muttered something, light leaked from the cracks in the bark, and then a large door appeared. Jeongju immediately threw the door wide open.

“Everyone, get in for now. Hurry.”

Jeongju gestured urgently toward the team members. The team members exchanged glances with extremely confused eyes. It was a sight they had never seen before in their lives. To the team members, Jeongju was a famous celebrity they only saw on TV.

But that famous celebrity had just created a door out of a tree.

“Wh-what is inside there?”

“This is a fox gate.”

“A fox gate?”

It was just as Pyo Jiho slightly furrowed his brow.

“Eh? If it’s a fox gate....”

Go Junhyung looked at Jeongju with an ‘it can’t be’ expression, as if he had remembered something.

“A fox gate is a door leading to the fortress of the fox clan. Since no one but a fox can open it, those straw bastards won’t be able to get inside. So please, take refuge quickly. You’ll be safe here.”

“Th-then what about those two?”

“Don’t worry about them; they’ll handle things between themselves, so don’t be concerned.”

“What? Bu-but...”

Chief Yoon and Jaegyeom were sharing a conversation a short distance away. Feeling burdened by the suggestion to flee while leaving the two behind, the team members seemed hesitant to enter the fox gate.

Then, Jeongju spoke with a fabricated smile.

“Look... I’m really sorry to say this to you all... but from the perspective of having more people to protect, it’s much more helpful if you just evacuate to a safe place.”

The team members couldn’t respond.

Jeongju the fox was the type to say exactly what needed to be said, unlike his celebrity image.

As soon as he arrived, Mesani set out to heal Yoon Taehee. As a cluster of white light poured from his hand, the wound on the shoulder began to heal instantly. Yoon Taehee was in a state of utter confusion due to the sudden appearance of Mesani, Jeongju, and Jaegyeom. He couldn’t understand what this situation was at all.

“Young master Yoon, are you alright?”

After healing the visible wounds first, Mesani grabbed Yoon Taehee’s hand.

“How did this happen?”

It was just as Yoon Taehee, letting out a small cough, was about to ask a question instead.

“Are you okay?”

Jaegyeom, who had been at the top of the tree until just a moment ago, was by his side in the blink of an eye. Jaegyeom cupped both cheeks of the groaning Yoon Taehee. Yoon Taehee was a mess. There was blood all over his body, and he was covered in wounds. Checking Yoon Taehee’s condition first, Jaegyeom suppressed his anger.

“Why did you come all the way here alone?”

“That’s what I want to ask you.”

“Yoon Taehee.”

Jaegyeom closed his eyes tightly, then opened them and spoke with a chilling face.

“I’m warning you, don’t ever move on your own again.”

Yoon Taehee realized that Jaegyeom was very worried about him. He could tell by looking at his eyes. He looked angry, but his pupils were trembling, and his voice was faintly shaking.

“Do you understand?”

“Yeah.”

Seeing the bow in Jaegyeom’s hand and the red spiritual energy, Yoon Taehee asked, “Did you rampage again?”

“No. Not yet.”

He had split his arm to pull out the bow since he arrived. The red spiritual energy was indeed the power of the god of calamity, but since he had healed the wound through Mesani as soon as he took out the bow, technically, he was not in a state of rampage.

“Then why this spiritual energy....”

“We’ll talk about that later. Come here.”

Jaegyeom grabbed Yoon Taehee by the collar. It was a strong grip, almost as if he were choking him. Just as Yoon Taehee frowned while grabbing Jaegyeom’s wrists with both hands, Jaegyeom spoke in a low voice.

“You get in too.”

“Where?”

“Inside the fox gate.”

What? Yoon Taehee’s face contorted.

“I’m not going. Let go.”

“Yoon Taehee!”

Jaegyeom shouted, glaring at Yoon Taehee.

“I told you not to make me say things twice or three times.”

“Where would I go, leaving you behind?”

To think you came all the way here alone, leaving me behind...

It felt as if a hot fireball were surging up. He almost shouted right then and there, but Jaegyeom barely managed to swallow the heat that rose to his throat. His chest heaved sharply. He broke his own momentum.

“Taehee.” Jaegyeom gripped the nape of Yoon Taehee’s neck and spoke in a trembling voice. “If you die, I have no confidence to go on living.”

Yoon Taehee paused and looked up at Jaegyeom.

“So please, just stay inside.”

At that moment, Jeongju, who was standing in front of the fox gate, shouted, “Hurry, quickly! The door is about to close!”

The team members had already disappeared beyond the door.

“Jaegyeom-ah! There’s no time. Hurry...”

Jeongju, who was stamping his feet while watching the two bicker, first gestured toward Mesani. It was a sign for him to get in first. However, Mesani was walking toward him with strangely sluggish steps.

“Mesani, at least you come quickly! The door is closing soon!”

This time, Mesani was hesitating.

“I told you to come here quickly!”

Jeongju, feeling frustrated to the point of exploding, pounded his chest.

“Why! What now! Why again! What is it!”

Mesani clasped his hands together and said tearfully.

“B-but, what if my lord gets hurt...?”

After struggling with the decision, Jeongju finally closed the fox gate. With this, only Jaegyeom, Yoon Taehee, and the accompanying family members remained. Jaegyeom, who had been bickering with Yoon Taehee, noticed that the rest had not entered and stared at Jeongju. It was a terrifying gaze. It seemed to say, ‘This isn’t what we promised.’ Jaegyeom approached with a face full of fury and told Jeongju to take refuge with Mesani immediately, but,

“Well... the fox gate can only be opened once every fifteen days...”

Jeongju cowered and averted his gaze.