A Tree Beyond the Years — Chapter 5

WANG-YEON. RELEASE THE HOUNDS.

YES, MY LORD.

?!

RELEASING HOUNDS OUT OF NOWHERE... ?

!!

THE EYES OF BEASTS THAT HAVE MAULED HUMANS BEFORE—

THOSE ARE...

IF YOU UNLOOSE THEIR LEASHES, PEOPLE WILL GET HURT!

?

THEY ALL STEPPED FORWARD KNOWING WHAT THEY WERE IN FOR, DIDN'T THEY?

UGH, GET AWAY!!

HELP ME!!!

WANG-WAN.

URGH...

HOW WAS IT?

AH...

THIS MAN...

HE'S TRULY INSANE.

TREATING PEOPLE AS LESS THAN LIVESTOCK...

JUST ANOTHER EXALTED NOBLE,

NOTHING MORE THAN THAT...

IN THAT CASE...

FIRST CHAPTER OF THE SEAL-

CHAIN FORMATION.

THEY'VE SWARMED ALREADY.

AT THIS RATE... I'D BETTER UNLEASH THE SECOND CHAPTER RIGHT AWAY-

EXORCIST.

I WILL GUIDE YOU TO WHERE YOU'LL BE STAYING.

THE LANDOWNER HAS GRANTED HIS PERMISSION.

BY NOW, IT WAS PLAIN TO SEE.

MANY PEOPLE HAVE DIED HERE,

HEY...

PULL YOURSELF TOGETHER...!

AND EVERY ONE OF THEM MET WITH AN UNFORTUNATE 'ACCIDENT.'

IT'S NOT THAT I'M OVERFLOWING WITH SUDDEN CHIVALRY

OR RIGHTEOUS FURY OVER THIS.

IT'S JUST...

IF YOU NOTICE ANYTHING SUSPICIOUS AT ALL, DON'T PICK A POINTLESS FIGHT-

JUST RUN FOR YOUR LIFE IMMEDIATELY.

...I'M SORRY, BUT

I WON'T RUN AWAY JUST YET, MASTER.

THIS WAY IS THE ANNEX FOR OUR GUESTS.

...SEEMS SOMEONE'S ALREADY INSIDE?

THE EXORCISTS WHO ARRIVED EARLIER ARE STAYING HERE,

BUT YOU'LL BE GIVEN A SEPARATE ROOM, SO THERE'S NO NEED TO WORRY.

FOR YOU, EXORCIST,

YOU MAY TAKE THAT ROOM ON THE RIGHT.

AH...

WELL THEN, EXCUSE ME.

DON'T JUST STAND THERE BLANKLY, COME HAVE A SEAT~

WHERE ARE YOU FROM, FRIEND?

...NEAR SONG-DEOK.

EXORCIST HEOK-SEOL

EXORCIST DANG-GULLAE

THE CAPITAL, SONGDEOK?

WELL LOOK AT THAT, AREN'T YOU QUITE THE SOFT-PALMED YOUNG GENTLEMAN.

HOW LONG HAVE YOU ALL BEEN HERE?

MUST BE ABOUT TWO AND A HALF MONTHS NOW...

I'VE BEEN HERE FOR THREE MONTHS.

THREE MONTHS?

IF THINGS ARE THAT HOPELESS, WOULDN'T IT BE BETTER TO JUSTGO BACK?

YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.

COMPARED TO ROTTING AWAY ALL YEAR IN UKGOL,

I MADE MORE HERE IN A SINGLE MONTH.

AS LONG AS YOU KEEP QUIET AND STICK IT OUT,

BUYING A HOUSE AS GRAND AS A PALACE IS PRACTICALLY GUARANTEED.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN...?

IT WAS THE SAME WHERE I LIVED IN BEO-PYONG.

PEOPLE THERE LIVE DAY TO DAY,

SO EVEN IF YOU HUNTED A YOKAI, IT BARELY PAID PENNIES.

EXORCIST KAEPSYONG

HONESTLY, COMING HERE GAVE ME SOME ROOM TO BREATHE.

SO IF YOU PLAN ON STAYING,

WHAT THE LANDOWNER SAYS 'NOT TO DO' AND 'TO DO'—

JUST FOLLOW THOSE TWO THINGS.

AND WHAT ARE THE THINGS 'NOT TO DO'?

DON'T EVEN ASK!

WHETHER HIS HEART CARES ESPECIALLY DEEPLY FOR HIS YOUNGER BROTHER...

HE SAID NOT TO LAY A SINGLE FINGER ON HIM IF YOU CAN'T CURE HIM.

UNLESS YOU WANT YOUR HEAD CHOPPED CLEAN OFF, THAT IS.

PLEASE WAKE UP.

PLEASE WAKE UP.

IS TODAY... THE SEVENTH DAY?

IF THERE'S ONE THING I'VE REALIZED OVER THE COURSE OF SEVERAL DAYS AND NIGHTS,

IT'S THAT THIS PRIVATE RESIDENCE FEELS JUST LIKE

A PLACE OF EXILE FOR AN IMMORTAL—

LONG AGO, SUHARA WAS

LAND BESTOWED UPON A GENERAL FAVORED BY THE KING,

AND THE LANDOWNER AND HIS BROTHER ARE THE 26TH-GENERATION DESCENDANTS OF GENERAL YANG.

THOUGH NONE HAVE HELD GOVERNMENT OFFICE SINCE THE PREVIOUS LANDOWNER'S GENERATION,

IT REMAINS A FAMILY WITH IMMENSE INFLUENCE OVER THE ROYAL COURT.

WALKING AROUND THE ESTATE,

IT FEELS SO CUT OFF FROM THE WORLD THAT NOT A TRACE OF MISFORTUNE CAN BE FELT.

SO MUCH SO THAT IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THEY MOURNED BOTH FATHER AND MOTHER,

AND THAT HIS YOUNGER BROTHER NOW LIES BEDRIDDEN WITH ILLNESS...

I WILL GO!

NO, PLEASE TAKE ME!!

NO ONE CAN MATCH MY SKILL WITH A BOW,

SO IF THE LANDOWNER WOULD ONLY GIVE ME THE CHANCE-

NONSENSE!

MASTER!

LOOK AT THESE MEN, PREENING LIKE PEACOCKS,

TRADING WORDS SWEETER THAN HONEY. WHAT A DISGRACEFUL SIGHT.

THOUGH THEY ARE CALLED EXORCISTS WHO FACE YOKAI AND EARN THE RESPECT OF THE PEOPLE,

HERE THEY ARE NOTHING MORE THAN MONEY-BLIND FOOLS,

MERELY THE LANDOWNER'S PLAYTHINGS—

TO BE HONEST,

IT IS SICKENING TO WATCH.

HOW STRANGE.

IF HE HAS NO INTEREST IN PLAYING ALONG...

WHEN DO I GET A TASTE OF THAT?