Spider Ghost (1)

Vice-captain Na Seoyu said to Captain Seol Pung.

“Now, please look straight into my eyes.”

But even with those words, the captain could not bring himself to look at Lady Na. He only shifted his eyes here and there, fidgeting restlessly.

The men of our squad watched this with cheerful laughter.

I said with a grin.

“Seeing that he can’t look you in the eye, it seems certain the captain hasn’t been Soul-Seized, doesn’t it?”

Then Bi Sayoung chimed in.

“Exactly. He’s perfectly his usual self. Captain, shouldn’t you at least be a little Soul-Seized? Otherwise, how will you ever get married?”

At that, Bae Jonggwan laughed and butted in.

“Sayoung, you’re not good at talking in front of women either. So do you also need to be Soul-Seized to get married?”

Bi Sayoung flared up.

“W-w-what are you talking about?! It’s not that I couldn’t talk, I just didn’t bother! I had no need to!”

I snorted and asked back.

“Oh, really?”

“Of course!”

Then Vice-captain Na spoke to Bi Sayoung.

“Good, then. You’ll be the next one, Young Master Bi. Come here and look into my eyes.”

“Hmph! Do you think I can’t?!”

Right now, we were at our quarters, checking whether the men of our squad had been Soul-Seized.

An official order had come down after a victim was discovered in the Flying Dragon Tenth Platoon, instructing that all Flying Dragon Unit members be checked.

On the front lines, there were occasionally those who fell victim to the Blood Demon Cult’s Soul-Seizing.

And that was far more horrifying than the appearance of Demonic Humans or Demonic Masters.

Because not only did you lose a trusted comrade, but you were forced to kill that comrade with your own hands.

The method to release the Blood Demon Cult’s Soul-Seizing was still completely unknown.

“Now, look straight into my eyes.”

“I-I saw them.”

“Oh, what is that? Don’t just glance—keep looking.”

“Right, Sayoung. Keep looking. Where did all that confidence go?”

“Exactly, you mocked me earlier, but now you look the same as me?”

“N-no! Honestly, at this point it’s proven I’m not Soul-Seized, isn’t it?! Isn’t that right, Vice-captain?”

“Yes, well, seeing that you can’t keep eye contact, it’s clear you’re fine too, Young Master Bi.”

“What! I did look into them!”

“Yes, you did. For a very short moment.”

The usual way to tell if someone was Soul-Seized was by their eyes.

The eyes of those under Soul-Seizing lost all vitality.

And this role of judging was usually left to women rather than men. Women were far more sensitive to subtle changes in their comrades’ behavior, and this was in fact one reason why every squad at the front was organized as mixed-gender.

“Now, it’s Young Master Seonu’s turn.”

At Lady Na’s words, I swallowed hard and stepped forward.

So I had to look straight into Lady Na’s eyes?

My chest thumped wildly without pause.

I felt I could hold it not just for a moment, but for an entire shichen if needed.

From the side, Bi Sayoung and Bae Jonggwan teased me.

“Hmph! Jin, let’s see how bold you really are!”

“Do your best, Jin!”

At my friends’ words, I suddenly smiled.

Why would I need to try?

This was a chance to look straight into Lady Na’s eyes.

I’d take this opportunity to gaze at her face as much as I pleased.

But those thoughts vanished the instant she smiled sweetly and looked at me with gentle eyes.

Her smile pierced from my eyes down into my heart.

Eyes drooping softly like a gentle puppy, a tender smile that seemed able to understand and accept everything in the world.

Though perhaps not an absolute beauty like Lady Tang Yeo-eun, she had a kind and lovely face that endlessly uplifted the spirit.

Pop!

Something seemed to burst inside me at that moment.

My comrades, watching with eager interest, immediately burst out laughing.

“Puhahahaha! What is that?! How can someone’s face turn that red?!”

“Hahaha! Jin, how can you blush like that even before looking at her properly?!”

“Sorry, Jin. I should have told you to try a little harder.”

Only then did I realize what had happened and touched my face.

I could feel my body heat blazing like the sun.

Lady Na held back her laughter and said to me.

“No need to even look at my eyes. I never imagined there’d be a man worse than the captain.”

‘W-what?! Wait! Saying I don’t even need to look into her eyes?!’

‘No, Lady Na!’

I hurried to protest.

“N-no, I….”

But she smiled gently and told me.

“Don’t push yourself too hard, Young Master Seonu. You’ve been through enough. Sorry for teasing you.”

“I mean, that’s not….”

And just like that, the chance to openly look at Lady Na’s face flew away.

It felt like the world was collapsing.

How could such a ridiculous thing happen….

As I despaired, Bi Sayoung suddenly asked.

“By the way, Vice-captain, did you check Lady Cheong-yeon’s eyes?”

At that, I too lifted my head and looked at Lady Na, just as curious.

Even now Lady Cheong-yeon had become close with the other women, but still, the one closest to her was me. She always followed me around no matter what I was doing.

Yet even I had never seen above her nose. When asked why she kept her bangs down, she only said she had a scar she couldn’t show.

A scar….

If that were true, there was nothing to be done.

But somehow it didn’t feel true.

‘My name is Cheong-yeon. Family name Cheong, given name Yeon.’

That was how she introduced herself to the squad.

Clearly, she must have a proper family name, yet she concealed it. Even though she was the friend of Zhuge Seoyul, daughter of Zhuge Jigang, the Martial Alliance’s Grand Strategist, she hid her origin. So it seemed she hid her face deliberately as well.

That was why I too was curious whether Lady Cheong-yeon had shown her eyes to Lady Na.

At the question, Lady Na seemed to recall something.

She nodded vacantly and murmured.

“Yes, I did see them. And it was truly….”

“Truly what?”

As we all fixed our gazes on her, she quickly regained her senses, laughed awkwardly, and shook her head.

“N-no, it’s nothing. I saw them together with Jueun, and Yeon had no choice but to cover her face.”

“Huh? Why is that?”

“Well… because if she didn’t, it would cause great confusion?”

“…Huh?”

We frowned at the incomprehensible words, but it seemed Lady Na had no intention of saying more.

“Well, it’s just something like that. Anyway, you all worked hard. Ah, Captain, are you heading out right away?”

At her question, Captain Seol Pung smiled and nodded.

“That’s my intention.”

Then she said with a worried face.

“Please be careful. I hear that the Spider Ghost appearing this time may not be just one.”

“Thank you for your concern, Lady. I’ll be careful not to let my guard down.”

Captain Seol Pung and the other peak-level masters of the Thirteenth Unit were scheduled to head out at once.

It was to search for the Spider Ghost, the most dangerous Demonic Human in the jungle.

The Spider Ghost, which absorbed human vital blood and grew stronger, normally possessed the power of a top first-class master. But if it absorbed the blood of three or more people, it was said to grow to the level of a peak master.

‘It may not wield Weapon Qi, but its physical abilities even surpass early peak masters.’

And the more it grew, the more cunning it became, making it difficult even to discover it. Truly the worst of fiends.

And this time, word came that a Spider Ghost had absorbed the blood of at least five people in the Fourteenth Unit to the east and was moving toward us.

We could not help but be on high alert.

“All the peak masters are heading out?”

“Yes. Against a Spider Ghost that has absorbed more than five, only the peaks can deal with it.”

“Please be careful, Captain.”

“Indeed, thank you.”

We watched with heavy eyes as Captain Seol Pung left the room.

As in my past life, ever since the Wild Hound Ghost pack assault, the frequency and danger of Demonic Human appearances had greatly increased.

Spider Ghosts, once rare enough to appear only every few months, now appeared once or twice each month.

Needless to say of Wild Hound Ghosts or Owl Ghosts.

I asked Lady Na.

“Lady Cheon Jueun… no, what will you ladies be doing?”

“Us? With things as they are, we’ll just train near the quarters rather than enter the forest.”

“Yes, I see.”

Her words let me breathe a sigh of relief.

From what I remembered of my past life, this was about the time Lady Cheon Jueun, who wasn’t in our squad then, had died.

I didn’t recall it clearly—I’d been too distracted then—but I distinctly remembered she was found as a mangled corpse, devoured by Wild Hound Ghosts in the forest.

This time, however, she was part of our squad, always with Lady Na and Lady Cheong-yeon, so it seemed unlikely.

Still, I gave a warning just in case.

“Whatever happens, do not go into the forest or dangerous places alone. If you ladies are harmed while the captain is away, we would never be able to face him again.”

Lady Na smiled brightly and replied.

“Don’t worry. We don’t plan on that. And thank you for your concern, Young Master Seonu.”

Up until then, I thought that would be enough.

But I later recalled that the one who died wasn’t only Lady Cheon Jueun, and that there was a reason the still-novice girl had gone into the forest at such a dangerous time.

That afternoon, while I was practicing external arts with Bi Sayoung and Bae Jonggwan,

I noticed Vice-captain Mae Yeogyeong of the Fourth Squad hurrying past, looking around as if searching for something.

I couldn’t take my eyes off her.

She was one of the people I was keeping an eye on along with Tang Yeo-eun and Ma Yugyeom.

Because in the not-so-distant future, she would be killed by a Spider Ghost, leaving Captain Ma Yugyeom of the Fourth Squad crippled in grief.

Of course, that was something after the Martial Blood Conference, but I couldn’t help but worry.

Throwing on my outer robe, I approached her and asked.

“Lady Mae, who are you looking for?”

Startled, her somewhat gloomy expression didn’t match her pretty face as she answered warily.

“Ah, I’m looking for one of my squad members. Son Harang. She’s been struggling lately, and now she’s missing.”

“I see. Lady Son Harang, is it? If I meet her, I’ll tell her you’re looking.”

“Yes, thank you.”

After she passed, Bae Jonggwan spoke up.

“Lady Son Harang—isn’t she the lover of Young Master Jeong who was killed by the Twin-Sickle Seven Fiends?”

At that, Bi Sayoung replied with a bitter face.

“Yes. I heard she still can’t get over him and has been having a hard time.”

It was news to me, a name I had never heard.

So I quickly asked.

“What do you mean? A woman who lost her beloved?”

“Yes, Jin, you must not know. It was just before you came. Lady Son’s lover was killed by demonic lords called the Twin-Sickle Seven Fiends. They were known for their deep devotion, and since then she has been struggling terribly.”

A tragic tale.

But not uncommon at the front.

People here lost lovers again and again, then found new partners—it was how life went on.

To the point where one iron rule of romance on the front was to never interfere in a partner’s past relationships.

Whether the past lover was dead or alive.

“I see. Truly unfortunate.”

I nodded and turned, but then halted in thought.

“Wait… which squad was Lady Cheon in, back then?”

I couldn’t remember clearly.

But dimly I recalled hearing something.

That she had gone into the forest to comfort a struggling comrade, and met her end there.

Then… could it be?

Standing frozen, frowning in deep thought, Bi Sayoung asked.

“What is it, Jin? Why the sudden serious look?”

“Yeah, did the Immortal reveal something to you again, even without a dream?”

Since I’d told them the Immortal appeared in my dream to warn me before the Wild Hound Ghost assault, they believed my words without question.

So convincing them was not hard.

“I’ve got a bad feeling. We should find that Lady Son.”

Bi Sayoung and Bae Jonggwan exchanged looks, then asked me.

“If it’s your intuition, Jin, we can trust it. But where do you think we should find Lady Son?”

To that, I pointed toward the western forest.

“Let’s search over there.”

It was the opposite direction of where the captains had gone to hunt the Spider Ghost.