Namgung Il cald his turbulent heart and read the letter again.
If you don't want to lose the Blood Spot Grass, head to the marked location right now.
That one sentence was all that was in the letter.
It didn't say who sent it, nor for what purpose this letter was sent.
'What... on earth is this?'
At first glance, it was a letter that felt like nothing more than soone's prank.
Normally, he would have crumpled up the letter, asking what this was, but because of the one na written in the letter, Namgung Il couldn't do so.
"..."
Blood Spot Grass.
He had never imagined he would see that na again in a letter like this.
Moreover, to be told to head to the marked location imdiately if he didn't want to lose it... It was too aningful a phrase to dismiss as soone's prank.
Swoosh—.
Looking closely, the letter was not one page, but two.
The second page had no words written on it; instead, a map pointing to a location was drawn.
'This place is...'
Namgung Il focused and examined the map.
Soon, his eyes widened as if he had realized sothing.
Namgung Il imdiately knew that this map was pointing to a specific location.
'Could it be... the Blood Spot Grass is here?'
Namgung Il, just like when he first read the letter, couldn't hide his bewildernt.
Because the place this map was pointing to was so very close.
The map was pointing to the inside of the Flying Dragon Academy where he currently was, specifically the southern restricted area.
"..."
Namgung Il had been there a few tis before.
Once when Hwang Dong-jae had kidnapped Tang Wol-yeong, and again when he had tried to sneak into Cha Yul-ryeong's office.
But to think that the Blood Spot Grass was hidden in a place he had been to twice... Namgung Il didn't know how to take those words right now.
"The Blood Spot Grass is being well protected in a safe place, so rest assured."
Seo Shin-won had definitely said so.
That's why until now, Namgung Il had only thought that the Blood Spot Grass was being protected under the strict security of the Martial Alliance.
But if the words written in this letter were true, didn't that an his thoughts were completely wrong?
Far from the Martial Alliance, it was in a place very close to him.
"Could it be...!"
Just then, Namgung Il couldn't hide his shock, as if he had realized sothing.
The identity of the sense of unease that had remained in a corner of his heart until now.
Namgung Il felt like he finally knew what it was.
'The head of the Cheonha Escort Bureau... Could it be that what that person moved from the Martial Alliance to the Flying Dragon Academy back then was...'
Of course, he could think of this as just speculation.
If so, how would he explain the remnants of the Blood Dragon Cult that had recently attacked the students?
At that ti, he had no idea why the remnants of the Blood Dragon Cult had appeared in a place like this, but now, even their objective was connecting into one.
'The Blood Dragon Cult is after the Blood Spot Grass.'
Of course, the reason was for the revival of the Blood Demon.
The purpose of the remnant that had appeared back then was likely not the Blood Spot Grass itself, but reconnaissance to plan for the future.
"..."
Thinking that way, it felt as if all the parts that had been blocked until now were clearing up.
At that mont, a person ca to Namgung Il's mind.
What on earth was Cha Yul-ryeong's purpose? Namgung Il imdiately had a question about that.
'Why is Cha Yul-ryeong researching the Blood Spot Grass?'
Could it be that her purpose was the sa as the Blood Dragon Cult's?
Of course, he wasn't having such suspicions without any basis.
"..."
Cha Yul-ryeong had rcilessly killed the remnant of the Blood Dragon Cult, who was in a helpless state by anyone's standards.
At that ti, she had said she killed him for her own safety, but wouldn't it be more correct to think that she had killed him to silence him because she had sothing to hide?
In other words... if you thought of Cha Yul-ryeong as also being a remnant of the Blood Dragon Cult, everything connected naturally.
'The Blood Spot Grass has been hidden inside the Flying Dragon Academy all this ti, and Cha Yul-ryeong is a remnant of the Blood Dragon Cult?'
Even he thought it was an absurd speculation that made no sense.
But contrary to his rational judgnt, his intuition was constantly pulling Namgung Il towards that speculation.
'Then who on earth... sent this letter?'
At the very least, it was a person who knew about the existence of the Blood Spot Grass.
Thinking that way, the individuals narrowed down to two people.
Cha Yul-ryeong, or if not, it had to be Seo Shin-won.
'It's not Cha Yul-ryeong.'
Namgung Il could imdiately assert that.
First of all, if Cha Yul-ryeong were a remnant of the Blood Dragon Cult, there would be no need to send him such a warning letter.
As for Seo Shin-won, if he were to warn him, he would have said it directly, and it seed unlikely he would speak through a child like this.
"..."
Then who on earth sent him a letter like this?
Namgung Il looked down at the map and then moved his gaze back to the child.
"The person who gave you this. Did they tell you their na?"
"I don't know."
"...Then do you perhaps rember what they looked like?"
"Yes."
As the child nodded, Namgung Il took a slight deep breath and opened his mouth again.
"Can you tell what they looked like?"
"It was a pretty unni."
"...Unni?"
"Yes. She told to give that to oppa and gave this too!"
The child said and showed the candy she was holding in her hand as if to boast.
As expected, it wasn't Cha Yul-ryeong or Seo Shin-won.
But hearing the child's words, Namgung Il was even more at a loss as to who on earth had given him the letter.
"How old did that 'unni' look?"
"...?"
"Was there anything distinctive? A mole sowhere on her face, or was she wearing unusual clothes, was there anything like that?"
"...I don't know."
As Namgung Il unilaterally poured out questions, the child's face beca tearful.
At that mont, as if he had realized his mistake, Namgung Il stopped asking questions.
'I won't be able to find out in detail by asking a child like this.'
The person who had given him the letter probably used the child, aiming for that.
The fact that she was called a pretty unni also had no credibility.
If that person was determined to hide their identity, wouldn't they have been able to hide even their gender?
With a child's eyes, it was possible to be easily deceived with just a simple disguise.
"I'm sorry. I won't ask anything more, so you don't have to be scared."
"..."
As Namgung Il said that, the child finally seed to calm down.
Just then, a voice was heard from sowhere.
The child reacted to the voice and imdiately turned her head in that direction.
"Mom!"
It seed the child's mother was nearby.
After confirming that the child had safely reunited with her mother, Namgung Il's gaze returned to the letter in his hand.
"..."
Should he go to Seo Shin-won first?
Namgung Il thought for a mont and then shook his head.
'I don't even know where Seo Saeng-won is right now, and the letter says to co here imdiately.'
If soone was after the Blood Spot Grass right now... just being a little late might an losing the Blood Spot Grass.
Moreover, it was a situation where he didn't even know if this was real or fake.
In the end, rather than thinking complicatedly, Namgung Il decided to just think simply.
Phat—.
I'll go to the place drawn on this map myself.
Then wouldn't he be able to confirm whether this letter was real or not?
Without even hearing the voice of soone calling him, Namgung Il ran towards the southern restricted area.
***
It didn't take long to reach the southern restricted area.
Namgung Il stopped in his tracks only after arriving in front of the entrance with the familiar scenery.
"..."
Before officially entering the restricted area, Namgung Il checked the map once more.
Although it was a situation where he had to hurry, since the surroundings were dark, if he didn't check the map well, it might take even longer to reach the destination.
'Alright. Let's go in.'
Only after roughly confirming the path did Namgung Il pass through the entrance.
This was already the third ti.
Although he had promised Seo Shin-won never to enter this place, Namgung Il was unintentionally breaking that promise again and again.
"..."
It was a situation where he had no choice but to break his promise with Seo Shin-won.
If the remnants of the Blood Dragon Cult were really after the Blood Spot Grass here, wouldn't he have to stop them by any ans necessary?
Of course, he was still keeping in mind the possibility that this letter was false information, but Namgung Il's intuition was constantly reacting only in an ominous direction.
'As expected, the Clear Bright Festival should have been canceled.'
Yesterday and today, nurous people from the outside had flocked to the Flying Dragon Academy.
That ant that outsiders could invade the Flying Dragon Academy without any restrictions.
Even if the outsider was a remnant of the Blood Dragon Cult, it ant they could freely co and go from the Flying Dragon Academy during the Clear Bright Festival period.
"..."
Thinking from that perspective, it really made no sense for the Blood Spot Grass to be inside the Flying Dragon Academy.
Would Seo Shin-won have proceeded with the Clear Bright Festival even knowing that the Blood Spot Grass was there?
That was no different from exposing the Blood Spot Grass to the Blood Dragon Cult, so if he had been in Seo Shin-won's position, he would have canceled the Clear Bright Festival in so way.
'Yes, nothing will happen...'
It didn't matter if this letter he was holding was all soone's an prank, and he was now on a fool's errand because of it.
That was much better than this ominous intuition being right.
As if he were walking carefully while knowing there was a cliff in front of him, Namgung Il followed the map and walked to the destination.
Thud—.
A little later, Namgung Il arrived at the place marked on the map.
'It should be around here...'
Since it was just a map, he couldn't know the exact location.
Thinking he had roughly arrived at the destination, Namgung Il looked around.
The surroundings were just dark and quiet, like other places.
'...Is it really soone's prank?'
If sothing had happened, it would have been imdiately noticeable.
But for it to be this quiet... did it an his intuition was wrong?
Although he had been hoping for that all the way here, now that nothing had happened, Namgung Il felt even more anxious.
"..."
For it to be this quiet even after wandering around this much, didn't it an there was really nothing?
Although Namgung Il still couldn't erase the uneasy feeling, he thought further investigation was aningless and was about to turn back.
'Then who on earth sent that letter...'
It was then.
The mont Namgung Il unconsciously took a step, a strange sound was heard in his ear.
Click—.
Namgung Il reflexively dodged from that spot.
At that mont, several blades shot up from the ground where Namgung Il had been standing.
As if to show their sharpness, the blades glittered, reflecting the moonlight.
"...!"
Confirming that, Namgung Il's eyes couldn't help but widen.
'Why did the chanism activate?'
He had heard that all the chanisms in the restricted area had been stopped.
In fact, Namgung Il had been here before, but there had never been a case where a chanism had activated like now.
Was it okay to dismiss this as a simple malfunction... Namgung Il couldn't make a judgnt yet.
Rustle—.
Just then, he felt a presence nearby.
Namgung Il's eyes quickly turned to where he felt the presence, and one hand imdiately went to the sword at his waist.
"Who's there!"
Namgung Il shouted at the opponent before him with a voice full of vigilance.
However.
As soon as he confird who the person in front of him was, the vigilance in Namgung Il's eyes disappeared and was replaced by a question.
"...Why are you guys here?"
Gwangcheon and Tang Wol-yeong.
At the appearance of completely unexpected figures, Namgung Il was dumbfounded.
(End of Chapter)
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