Ch.47Short Break

Seo-rin dragged her tired body out of the forest. The once-abundant magical power had long since disappeared. No matter how much she tried to speak to her younger sibling, there was no response.

It was as if they had fallen into a deep sleep.

‘They seemed to know so much about souls…’

Seo-rin lifted the severed head. The limp tongue had turned black, signaling death. The white, vacant eyes showed no signs of life. The body without a soul resembled a withered, twisted branch.

The neck, too, had been easily severed.

If this person hadn’t been a reincarnator, Seo-rin would have spent a long time conversing with them. But that wasn’t possible. She couldn’t trust the very existence of reincarnators.

After leaving the forest, Seo-rin immediately handed over the severed head to the intelligence agent. Her role was finished. The traces left by the reincarnators and the damage caused by the fight were all matters for the imperial intelligence agents to handle.

“Good work, Seo-rin.”

“There should be one more male corpse inside. It’s not intact because it exploded during the fight, but…”

The intelligence agent’s expression changed. Judging by how one of his eyebrows twisted significantly, he seemed to have someone in mind.

‘So it was indeed the missing…’

Seo-rin cut her words short.

Many people had to gather to erase the traces of necromancy left in the forest. Seo-rin stood at a distance, carefully observing the people.

Hunters, woodcutters, farmers, merchants—at first glance, they all looked like ordinary villagers. But they were different. Everyone gathered here was an intelligence agent belonging to the imperial household.

So this is what they meant when they said the empire’s eyes and ears reach everywhere. Seo-rin mounted her horse, leaving everyone behind.

Her destination wasn’t the imperial capital. Her physical condition was terrible. If she traveled on horseback, there was a high chance her wounds would open and worsen. She needed to stop at a nearby village to recuperate.

A small horse galloped along the path. As they crossed a low hill, a gentle breeze blew. It was a pleasant wind. Seo-rin closed her eyes and felt the breeze.

She arrived at a fairly large village as the sun was setting in the evening. Seo-rin rode her horse toward the gatekeeper.

A middle-aged man raised his spear upon noticing the blurry shadow, but quickly relaxed when he saw the girl’s face.

“W-who are you?”

Seo-rin coughed lightly with a pale face. No blood came out, but there was a fishy smell in her mouth. Feeling sick from riding the horse, she silently took out the emblem of the Imperial Knights.

“T-that’s…”

No fool would fail to recognize that emblem. There was only one place that could use the griffin, known as the Emperor of the Sky, as its symbol.

Seo-rin was able to enter the village without any issues.

“Um, Knight… Why is the Blue Wing here… Has a reincarnator been discovered?”

Seo-rin examined the gatekeeper’s expression as he spoke. His anxious, shifting gaze kept looking around. This wasn’t the attitude of someone hiding a reincarnator. Through her experiences, Seo-rin could somewhat gauge others’ emotions.

“Don’t worry. I’m not here because of a reincarnator.”

“Ah, is that so? That’s a relief…!”

Seo-rin walked slowly, appreciating the village scenery. The early evening streets were peaceful. The villagers’ faces were bright, and children roaming the streets were blooming with laughter, finding joy in something among themselves.

‘Hmm… this place isn’t so different either.’

People’s eyes tend to be similar. Seo-rin brushed her hair back, feeling the sharp gazes coming from all directions. The men’s stares were so intense they could melt her skin.

Since joining the Blue Wing, Seo-rin hadn’t worried about money. All expenses during missions were covered by the empire. She booked a room at the most expensive inn without concern.

Once in her room, Seo-rin first threw off her ruined uniform. The mirror reflected the small girl’s body. It was hard to find an uninjured spot. Her white skin was covered with blue bruises, and red lines marked her forehead, the back of her hands, and above her thighs—areas not covered by the uniform.

‘A few days of rest and I’ll be fine.’

Seo-rin had grown accustomed to her sibling’s body. Just by looking at the wounds, she could tell how many days it would take to heal completely.

After changing into lighter clothes, Seo-rin went out to the streets. The clothes felt overly familiar. They were modified martial arts robes from a place called Murim, adapted to fit this world.

They were wide and didn’t restrict movement. Unlike the uniform that tightly compressed various parts of her body, these clothes were extremely comfortable. Such traces of reincarnators remained throughout the world.

Seo-rin wanted to get a gift for her sibling. It was now clear that they shared this body together. She walked the streets, imagining her sibling’s delighted face.

Boltor Village had developed around a large hot spring. Souvenirs and specialties were prepared for visitors.

Seo-rin approached the stalls lined along the road. Colorful, vibrant pebble ornaments captivated her attention. Street stalls didn’t deal with expensive items.

“Hmm…”

What caught her eye was a beauty water said to be good for the skin. It claimed that applying this special water stored in wooden barrels would brighten and moisturize the skin.

“Interested in Boltor’s special beauty water?”

Seo-rin examined the merchant’s skin condition. Despite being a middle-aged man, his skin was bright and flawlessly clean. It looked even better than the nobles she had seen in the Karma Empire’s capital.

“There aren’t any side effects, right?”

“Oh, of course not! I can guarantee it on our village’s pride. You won’t regret buying it. A beauty like you needs even more thorough care!”

“Indeed… you’re right. This body needs such things. A beauty requires proper care.”

The merchant was momentarily taken aback by Seo-rin’s words. He had seen many people confident in their appearance, but never someone like Seo-rin.

“I’ll buy it.”

Seo-rin purchased five barrels of beauty water. Three for herself and two as gifts for Flora.

Next, she headed to a stall selling accessories. Imperial knights were normally forbidden from wearing accessories. However, they were allowed to wear them on holidays when not on duty.

“My, what a pretty customer we have. Is there anything specific you’re looking for?”

Seo-rin briefly scanned the items on the stall in response to the female merchant’s question. To be honest, she found it difficult to distinguish what was pretty and what wasn’t.

To her, they all looked the same.

“Choose decorations worthy of this body. Something to enhance this beautiful appearance.”

“Ah, yes…”

The merchant’s expression became strange. Nevertheless, she didn’t stop moving. The instincts of an experienced merchant wouldn’t let go of a potential customer.

Before long, Seo-rin’s body was adorned with sparkling accessories.

“They suit you so well!”

“Do they…?”

“Yes! It’s a beauty unparalleled in this world! It’s so dazzling that it’s hard to look at you directly!”

“Hmm…”

Seo-rin’s lips curved into a gentle smile. These were compliments about her sibling’s beauty. How could she not be pleased as an older brother?

After hearing the merchant’s words, it sounded quite plausible. The girl reflected in the mirror was indeed sparkling.

“Good. I’ll take them all.”

“Thank you!”

Seo-rin stayed in Boltor Village for about two more days. The large hot spring located behind the village helped heal her wounds, allowing her to complete her preparations faster than expected.

Pleasant times tend to pass quickly. Seo-rin wore only the uniform cloak over her martial arts robes. The long, flowing cloak gently wrapped around her small body.

‘Let’s go back, Sei-ran.’

Though there was still no answer, Seo-rin continued to speak to her sibling. It was fine if they didn’t listen. It was fine if they didn’t answer. It was enough to confirm that they were there.

She wasn’t alone. Realizing this fact brought a sense of ease to her mind.

“Haa…”

Seo-rin left the inn and mounted her horse. Feeling a hot gaze from behind, she turned her head to discover village boys hiding at the corner of the street.

It wasn’t just boys watching her. Some girls were also looking at Seo-rin with eyes full of affection.

“Hmm…”

Seo-rin gently brushed her hair back as if to shake off the gazes. Her—her sibling’s—beauty had the power to captivate people regardless of age or gender.

It was a natural phenomenon. That’s how the world worked. Sei-ran and beauty could be considered synonymous.

It was about two weeks later when Seo-rin returned to the Blue Wing headquarters. After completing her return procedures and finishing various paperwork, she was finally able to head to the living quarters.

“Huh? Seo-rin? When did you get back?”

The first person she encountered was Flora. Seo-rin approached Flora and handed her two barrels of beauty water.

“Just got back. And this… they say it’s good for the skin, so try using it later.”

“What else did you buy…? Your bag is bulging.”

“Nothing special. Just some ornaments to enhance this body’s beauty.”

Seo-rin took out accessories from her bag one by one. Bracelets, rings, headbands, and pins came pouring out.

“What do you think? Aren’t they beautiful? If there’s anything you like, feel free to choose. I’ll give it to you for free.”

“Ah…”

Flora didn’t take any of the accessories. Seo-rin became dejected.