Heroine Netori

But just then, a sharp noise rang out, and suddenly two swords fell in front of me.

Was I almost killed just now...? Startled, I looked around and saw an old man clicking his tongue and a one-armed captain.

"Damn it... You bastard! Get your hands off that girl!"

"Well done, Number 6. Take her as planned. Those who can spare should cover Number 6!"

"Block him! Block that bastard, uh, this young one?"

"Hurry!"

Though I wasn't sure what was happening, it seemed like the captain had saved me from being killed by the old master. This world is too terrifying... Goosebumps covered my body.

I looked for a way to escape from °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° here when suddenly a leader appeared before me, his body covered in blood from several cuts. It was terrifying, truly terrifying.

"Number 6! Follow me!"

"Roger!"

Despite his injuries, the leader wasn't just a leader for nothing as he started to clear a path. Fortunately, it seemed there were no others in the Pungun Merchant Group with the skill of the old master, and with other leaders stepping in to cover us, it looked like no one could stop us.

"Aaaagh!"

"Block them! Even if it means death, block them!"

The Pungun Merchant Group desperately tried to stop us, but they were no match. Naturally, since the Black Wind Squad outnumbered them and even the old master couldn't lend any help, it was an expected outcome.

But what kind of woman is Wi Ji-hye that they are going to such lengths to kidnap her and even risk their lives to protect her? Is there some secret I don't know about?

"Ugh! Deokbae you bastard! Don't get distracted and run!"

Ugh, I almost got killed again. I was only looking ahead and missed the sword coming from the side. I wasn't used to this kind of melee combat. Thankfully, my fellow soldier appeared just in time to save me.

"Thank you!"

"Just run!"

But this guy seemed fine without a scratch, which made me suspicious if he was just pretending to fight. Still, thanks to him, I was saved. What a relief...

"No! Protect the lady!"

"Ughhh!"

Even after that, the Pungun Merchant Group tried to hold us back but failed. After a fierce battle, the leader, my fellow soldier, and I managed to escape from the battlefield. I could hear the old master's cries behind us, but from the captain's screaming, it seemed he wouldn't be able to follow us right away.

"Phew..."

The battle had been tough, far from the plan, but we managed to succeed even though we were battered and bruised. Relieved, both my fellow soldier and I let out sighs of relief.

"Ha, haha! We did it."

"That's right, brother. It wasn't easy."

My whole body was trembling with the thought that it was over. As my muscles relaxed from the tension, I felt weak. Not just me, everyone felt it, so we decided to take a brief rest as we crossed the hillside.

I laid down the unconscious Wi Ji-hye and took a moment to rest while reviewing the battle. Meanwhile, my fellow soldier took out some healing ointment from his bag and started treating the leader's wounds.

"It's all thanks to you, Number 6. You managed to find where the target was hiding."

"I was just lucky."

"Luck is also a skill. We almost messed up the operation... ugh, you, you bastard...!"

While being treated, the leader praised me. In return, I took out a green dagger from my inventory and stabbed him. Caught off guard, the leader couldn't block the sudden attack. His barely healed wound burst open, and the poison mixed in turned his face black.

Looking back, my fellow soldier was staring at me in shock.

Yeah, this is how you stab someone in the back.

****

Kidnapping was merely a means to an end; my real goal was to netori Wi Ji-hye. Therefore, the plan was always changeable and betrayal was always an option.

The reason I followed the orders of the Black Wind Squad was that it seemed to offer the highest chance of success for netori. But now the situation has changed. A seriously injured leader, a match that was never a match, an unconscious heroine; why stick to the plan in such a perfect situation where I could perform netori anytime?

Moreover, if I had to eliminate two anyway...

Why not make the situation a bit more interesting? So, I devised a new plan.

First, I'd wake Wi Ji-hye with heal and purification just as she was about to wake up and then kill the off-guard leader.

"You, you bastard...!"

"You didn't tell me to do this!"

"Cough! What are you suddenly talking about..."

"I'll see you in the afterlife!"

"Ugh! Cough, aghhh!"

And with that, I threw in some seemingly meaningful words. From the leader's perspective, it might sound nonsensical, but listening, Wi Ji-hye would certainly begin to ponder.

"Deokbae, are you crazy! What are you doing right now!"

"Brother... I'll follow soon..."

"Don't do this! You bastard, what the, ugh! Ah, the blood, the blood!"

Following this, I also killed the fellow soldier who had saved me earlier. I was grateful he had saved me once, but I never liked him since he hit me from behind.

"Phew... Brother, I'll send this person back and follow you soon..."

I subtly hinted that I was trying to save Wi Ji-hye. This would likely lower her guard towards me.

"What are you doing...?"

Alright, the bait is set, now to truly deceive her.

****

"Ah... Have you awakened?"

"What is this... You kidnap me and then do this to your comrades..."

Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.

Indeed, a righteous heroine. She looked at me with disgust as I killed the leader and the fellow soldier. So she can't forgive the vile act of killing a comrade even though she herself was kidnapped? Good. Her being that righteous increases the likelihood of my plan succeeding.

"A comrade, comrade... Haha...! You're saying those guys were my comrades?"

"...Aren't they? Or did you force them?"

"No, they were indeed comrades. Yes, comrades. They were comrades. Haha..."

"...?"

"It's cold out. There's an abandoned house nearby, it would be better than staying here. Please, follow me."

"Hey!"

I pretended to be deep as I led her to the abandoned house. It was one of the places only the fellow soldier and I knew about. Wi Ji-hye kept her guard up, watching the situation, but as I moved away, she seemed frightened and soon followed.

"What if I run away?"

"I would have to search for you. The mountains at night are dangerous."

"Is that really the reason...?"

"What other reason could there be?"

As I said this, her expression became strange. It was a mix of doubt, wonder, relief, and concern.

"Please come in. Avoiding the wind will help us last until sunrise."

"Are you going to release me?"

"That's right. There would have been no reason to kill them otherwise."

"I don't understand... Why?"

Now she's taken the bait. Honestly, from now on, it's a gamble. A high-risk, high-return gamble! I wouldn't dare attempt this in reality, but this isn't reality. So, I take the challenge.

"Phew... It's a long story."

****

"I grew up without parents, but I had a little sister. A truly kind child. I could do anything for her. She was the light and hope of my life."

"She worked as a maid at an inn and dreamed of running her own one day. She even had a name for it—Brother and Sister Inn. She wanted to greet guests while I cooked, and every night she dreamed about our future."

"But can you not dream if you're poor? One day, after finishing work, I was greeted by my sister's lifeless body..."

"My cute and innocent sister was always loved by everyone. The inn's guests cherished her too. But it seems one martial artist didn't like her."

"Because we were poor, she couldn't dress well or bathe often. He said she was dirty and smelly, kicked her, poured his drink on her, and then brutally stomped on her. It was an unbearable torment for such a poor child..."

"Eventually, she passed away like that. Killed by a martial artist's drunken fury at such a young age..."

"When I heard the news, I was furious. I spat words of hatred at the inn owner and the guests who didn't help her. But they were helpless. The real enemy was the martial artist."

"So, from that day, I dedicated my life to revenge. I did dirty and cowardly things to become stronger, anything necessary. That's when I found out about the Black Wind Squad, a group of assassins targeting martial artists..."

"I gave everything I had to the Black Wind Squad and requested them to take revenge. But absurdly, that man was already dead... It was such an anticlimax."

"After the point of my revenge disappeared, I lost my purpose in life. I wandered every day. Then, the Black Wind Squad gave me a new, unbelievable goal—to eliminate all martial artists."

"Yet, it was a fascinating goal to me. To me, all martial artists were the same. They all deserved to die. So I joined the Black Wind Squad to kill even just one more."

"However, the Black Wind Squad wasn't what I thought it was. At some point, I found myself killing civilians. I had become the kind of martial artist I hated."

"I wanted to die. But I couldn't. I had to kill at least one more. But then, one day, I saw you."

"When I saw your eyes, I thought of my sister. Always steadfast, never losing her smile..."

"I was ashamed. I couldn't face my sister. So now, I plan to quit..."

"I don't know why you're targeted, but please... survive."

I blurted out all these improvised words. While talking, I wasn't even sure what I was saying, but I kept going, recalling the martial arts novels I had read.

Even after I finished, I couldn't quite remember what I'd said, but seeing the quiet Wi Ji-hye, it seemed to have had some effect.

"There's a large village if you go east from here. You can start at sunrise. I'll... go the opposite way to draw their attention."

And with that, I cast my final line to hook her completely.