Childhood Friend of the Zenith Novel MTL - Chapter 1101
Chapter 1101
Hiiing.
Clatter—! Thud—!
The rhythmic pounding of hooves reverberated as the confined space shuddered. The only sounds within were the persistent rattle of the wheels and the soft, almost imperceptible rhythm of breathing.
In the hushed interior of the carriage, that was the entire symphony.
‘…I feel genuinely nauseous.’
Was it motion sickness? No. That was an ailment I had conquered long ago; physical discomfort wasn’t the issue.
‘But being pressed in here with these two…’
The true problem was the unavoidable sensation of shoulders knocking together with every sway of the carriage. Three men were squeezed into this tiny, oppressive box—contact was inevitable. The smallest shift in weight sent us bumping against one another.
This had been the reality for days.
Clunk—!
Another violent jolt threw my body to the side, and I collided with the man on my left. He shot me a glare, his face contorted with clear annoyance.
“Keep your distance. It’s revolting.”
Hearing his words, my own brow furrowed in response.
“You think I’m doing this for fun? If it bothers you so much, then you move.”
“What?”
The man on the left—Sword Dragon. His reaction was dripping with anger.
“There’s no damn room to move anywhere!”
“That’s my entire point. How exactly am I supposed to avoid touching you? Are you blind?”
I had long since abandoned any formal speech with Sword Dragon. Out of initial respect, knowing he was Namgung Jin, I had tried to maintain some courtesy.
But no matter how I looked at him, in his youth, this man was the spitting image of Namgung Cheonjun. I found it impossible to sustain any genuine respect for him.
“You insolent—”
“What? Got something to say? If you do, then by all means, get even closer.”
His constant complaining was starting to truly anger me. Should I just put him down decisively? Why did he keep testing me? My patience was already thin—maybe this time, I should really make him be quiet.
Gritting my teeth, I reached out to seize him—
“Now, now… Let’s everyone just take a breath. If you crack the carriage wall again, who can predict how Lady Mi will respond this time?”
“……”
“……”
Both Sword Dragon and I went completely still at Do Yun’s intervention.
Lady Mi.
Just the mention of Mi Horan’s name was enough to make us both freeze like statues.
Just the day before, I had finally tried to teach Sword Dragon a lesson when he pushed me too far.
I must have used a bit too much force, however, because the carriage sustained a small amount of damage.
And in that moment—
‘That was truly frightening.’
The fury Mi Horan exhibited upon inspecting the damage to the carriage… I had never imagined a face that enraged could be so terrifying.
‘…So this is what she was like in her youth.’
The dignified and composed woman I knew—witnessing her lose her temper so completely was a first.
Both Sword Dragon and I were left utterly speechless, our heads bowed in silent, shared surrender.
To be honest, I still didn’t fully grasp why Mi Horan had to be included in the Azure Dragon Division’s mission.
‘But since it’s a supply run, I suppose it can’t be helped.’
Apparently, the Baekhwa Trading Company was the main benefactor for the Azure Dragon Division.
For this assignment, they were providing the carriages and provisions, and in return, Mi Horan had been appointed as the supervisor.
With that justification, I had no real basis to object.
And more importantly, the fact that the Sword Master himself had sanctioned it meant there was no room for argument.
‘Tch.’
Which was how we ended up in this situation.
Mi Horan, Soi, and my father were all riding in the larger carriage up ahead.
Meanwhile, the three of us men were crammed into a storage compartment attached to the supply wagon.
‘…This is just outright unfair.’
What blatant discrimination.
I’d experienced prejudice in my past life, but in this one, I had managed to avoid it—until now.
‘It’s been a long time since I’ve felt like this.’
Damn it. I hadn’t missed this feeling at all.
I forced down a sigh.
Maybe I should just leap out and run? It would be several times faster.
‘But I have to stay put.’
Given the current circumstances, that wasn’t a real choice.
I had already resolved to remain near Do Yun whenever possible.
Not just for my father’s sake, but considering everything, sticking together was the correct decision.
‘Tsk.’
As aggravating as it was, I had no choice but to endure it.
‘This guy is the real issue.’
The core of the problem was Sword Dragon.
This irritating bastard.
He was grating on my nerves so intensely that I genuinely wanted to pound him into the dirt.
‘Damn it.’
But there was a certain woman who made me restrain myself.
If anything happened to this man… it would create complications for her later.
‘If only he hadn’t been assigned to come…’
I had never intended to work alongside Namgung Jin, but the mission had unfolded this way, making it unavoidable.
Because for this particular mission—
‘The endpoint is…’
We were heading directly for the Namgung Clan.
*******
Day Four of the Journey
As dusk settled, the carriage finally ground to a halt.
With the sun dipping below the horizon and the moon beginning its ascent, we chose to make camp beside a nearby valley.
Sizzle.
The aroma of food cooking over a fire wafted through the air as I stretched my stiff limbs. The atmosphere around the camp remained profoundly quiet.
It had been this way the entire time.
We hardly spoke.
My father hadn’t uttered a single word.
Only Soi or Mi Horan would occasionally attempt to converse with him.
Meanwhile, I could feel Namgung Jin constantly stealing glances in Mi Horan’s direction.
‘So it’s true, after all.’
That guy—he really was interested in Lady Mi.
If it was this obvious, then there was no doubt about it.
And yet—
‘There’s no way she’s unaware of it.’
Mi Horan possessed incredibly sharp instincts.
There was no chance she hadn’t detected Namgung Jin’s interest when he was being so transparent.
If anything, she was most likely just choosing to disregard it.
‘So the Sword Dragon had feelings for Lady Mi…’
Was this something unique to this world?
Or had it been the same in the world I came from?
I had no way of knowing.
‘Hmm.’
All I could do was occasionally glance over at my father and Mi Horan sitting together.
They appeared… distant, yet familiar.
Mi Horan stayed right at his side, constantly attending to him.
Even over the most trivial matters.
Ensuring his clothes were tidy. Checking that he had enough to eat.
Asking him if he needed anything else.
It was painfully obvious.
‘This is exactly what it looks like.’
Just as Namgung Jin had feelings for Mi Horan…
Mi Horan clearly had feelings for my father.
She wasn’t even attempting to conceal it.
And judging by the darkening expression on Namgung Jin’s face, he was acutely aware of it.
‘Tsk.’
This was deeply uncomfortable.
I didn’t want to watch this unfold any longer.
I got to my feet.
“I’ll take my leave first.”
“You’re finished eating already?”
Soi looked up at me as I stood.
“Yes. I’ll go on ahead and start preparing for the night watch.”
At my words, my father turned his gaze toward me.
Then—
“Do not wander too far.”
It sounded almost like a warning.
Given my history with the Sword Master, it was clear I was being monitored.
I gave a short, acknowledging nod.
“…Understood.”
With that, I walked away from the fire.
********
The place I headed to after leaving the meal wasn’t far off.
It was the provision carriage—the very one I had been riding in for days.
‘We still have a few more days until we reach the Namgung Clan.’
Since we were traveling all the way to Anhwi, the journey would take a few more days.
But more pressingly—
‘Why are we even going there?’
The only thing I knew for certain was that our destination was the Namgung Clan.
I had no idea why the Azure Dragon Division—why we—needed to go there in the first place.
‘It doesn’t feel like a particularly dangerous assignment.’
Since Lady Mi was accompanying us, it couldn’t be overly perilous. They wouldn’t assign a support overseer to a high-risk mission.
‘Then what is it?’
I was completely in the dark.
I racked my brain, trying to piece together some logic, but it was futile. I knew nothing.
And no one was telling me anything, either.
‘…Well, it doesn’t matter. I doubt it’s anything significant.’
I hadn’t expected to leave Hanan so soon, let alone journey to the Namgung Clan.
‘I’ve been there twice before.’
Once in my past life.
And once more, in this life—for my engagement to Namgung Bi-ah.
‘Hmm…’
As memories of the engagement ceremony surfaced, I scratched my cheek awkwardly.
It was because Namgung Bi-ah had suddenly crossed my mind.
I wondered how she was doing.
I hadn’t seen her in quite some time, and she occasionally entered my thoughts.
Perhaps it was because I was traveling with Namgung Jin.
Perhaps it was because I was heading to the Namgung Clan alongside that man.
‘……’
I shook my head.
Dwelling on it was pointless, so I pushed the thoughts aside.
Before I knew it, I had already arrived at my destination.
‘This is the supply carriage.’
The one I’d been crammed into for days.
Looking at it, I couldn’t help but smirk faintly.
Something about it triggered a memory.
When was it?
‘Probably on my way to the Tang Clan.’
During the Tang Martial Arts Conference.
I had been traveling to attend it—
And Wi Seol-ah had hidden in a carriage just like this one.
It was the exact same type of carriage.
Feeling a wave of nostalgia, I peered inside.
Not excessively cramped, but far from spacious.
How on earth had she even conceived of hiding in a place like this?
And more importantly—
‘Wasn’t she eating something, too?’
Since it was a supply carriage, Wi Seol-ah had gorged herself on food while in hiding.
I recalled how startled she was when she suddenly heard a noise back then.
Chomp. Chew.
‘Yeah, just like that sou—’
…Huh?
I frowned.
There was a sound coming from inside the carriage.
‘…What is that?’
What was that noise?
I expanded my senses, but I couldn’t detect any living presence within the carriage.
Chomp. Munch. Munch.
…Then what in the world was it?
I quickly moved closer and yanked back the cloth covering the entrance.
And then—
“Mmgh… Huh?”
“……”
My eyes met those of someone inside.
Someone who was in the middle of enjoying a meal.
“Aah!”
The woman flinched in surprise before speaking.
“I’ve been discovered? This is not ideal…”
“……”
My jaw went slack as I stared at her.
‘Mother…?’
Because it was a face I recognized.
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