Watanabe felt an absolutely incomprehensible anxiety when he checked his email.
That anxiety filled his chest tightly, penetrating deep into his abdomen and creating an illusion as if it were strangling his breath. It weighed heavily in his chest as if a stone had been placed there, spreading from his spine and causing the fine hairs on his body to stand on end. Moreover, somewhere in his head, it repeatedly screamed at him.
“Don’t move!”
It was an emotion akin to fear.
One that makes a person shrink before danger, turning them ugly in the face of death.
This fear with its origins in the email began to dominate his body, leading him to make these decisions.
Isn’t it ugly?
It’s ugly.
Watanabe was aware of this himself.
To not prove his bravery and instead hunch down like a cowed dog.
Furthermore, when others questioned him, he couldn’t articulate his reasons properly and merely offered pitiful excuses.
But what does it matter how ugly it is?
Is there something more precious than life?
He is not a soldier.
He is not the kind of person who can throw away his life like dirt for the country, nor is he a brave warrior who would be prepared to shatter beautifully like jade while casting his life away.
He is simply a warrior.
An aristocratic clan’s… yes, to put it in crude terms… a dog.
He was the dog that the aristocratic clan cherished, a pet displayed to flaunt bravery and ruggedness. Of course, he had mastered martial arts and protected the clan members… but isn’t that just what a dog does?
To guard his master, to protect his home.
To express it in noble terms, one could say he is a guard dog.
He isn’t dissatisfied with this.
Though he is bound to something, aren’t all people inevitably bound somewhere? Company workers are bound to their companies, soldiers are bound to their armies, and even those without jobs are bound to their families, villages, and communities. Broadly speaking, everyone in Japan is bound to their country.
So, there is no shame in being bound somewhere.
Moreover, considering the treatment he received, what is there to complain about?
He is not treated like a slave; he is genuinely cherished.
Besides, he is not seen as something to be discarded when he becomes worn out. When he ages and can no longer protect them, the clan will likely offer him a role as an instructor, training the new bodyguards. Or perhaps, they might thank him for his years of service and provide him a comfortable dwelling in the countryside to rest.
Yes.
It’s a life full of satisfaction.
One without dangerous work, filthy tasks, concerns about being discarded, and a stable retirement ensured.
That’s why his life was the most precious.
Honor?
Merit?
It’d be nice to have them.
But they’re not worth trading for life.
Even if his name is tarnished, he would still be treated well upon returning to the clan and, while he might receive some disdain, he will likely continue living a life similar to usual.
Thus, succumbing to fear is not shameful.
“This might just be self-justification.”
Of course, this thought could simply be a reflection meant to help him avoid the shame of being scared by fear. In reality, while he may not be remarkable, he has lived with a certain pride in being a warrior.
But then again.
No matter how much he thinks, no matter how much he chews over it, this choice is right.
“No matter how I think about it, it feels ominous.”
It’s a shaman’s dwelling.
From a magic desert?
A young shaman?
Yes, there are certainly elements to consider it amusing.
But think about it.
Already three people have been captured.
The three who sent an email asking for help have now turned up in a dire situation—shouldn’t they take this seriously?
They must raise their vigilance and take extreme caution as if infiltrating the dwelling of a shaman with a significant reputation. That is undoubtedly the correct attitude.
Yet, what about their demeanor?
They feel the seriousness of the situation but still cannot shed the notion of looking down on the shaman named Park Jinseong. They prepared but only stopped at what they had. They planned but didn’t create a counter-strategy for unexpected situations.
Just going in, rescuing, and coming out.
That was all there was to it.
Moreover, there was something even more ridiculous.
Non-combatants participating.
Those who should be at the back, tapping away on computers and maintaining the infiltration equipment have suddenly insisted on participating as if they were the ones who would accomplish a heroic deed.
It’s ridiculous.
No matter how rotten they are, they still possess special abilities… but how effective would those abilities actually be?
What help could they possibly provide when they couldn’t even win against robbers wielding pistols?
“To rescue them, we must neutralize the security measures! We’ll go there ourselves to disable the security!”
The words seem correct.
They claim they must go there to disable the security measures.
At first glance, it sounds right.
But the current era is not the Cold War anymore.
Using drones or remotely operated robots, they could sufficiently operate from a distance.
Of course, while their military equipment pales in comparison to what the Self-Defense Forces use, civilian-grade security measures should be easy enough to neutralize…
To go into harm’s way instead of manipulating equipment from a safe place?
One can only assume they’ve gone mad.
How foolish must they have thought this was to have non-combatants step up, especially considering three people had already fallen into a trap?
Those three were merely caught due to carelessness—was there confidence they wouldn’t fall for the same trap?
“That means there are traps they couldn’t even sense with their warrior instincts…”
Warriors have heightened senses.
For a trap to ensnare such warriors means it’s not some simple bear trap or snare hidden in the mountains—it’s a properly designed trap.
Yet they mock it?
“They’re overly optimistic and full of arrogance.”
Watanabe let out a small sigh.
He couldn’t help but sigh at the thought of the hardships they might face.
“If they succeed, it would just be a joke at my expense, but if they fail, it would be catastrophic. I pray they succeed…”
He wished, for them to surely succeed.
As he had wished for the three who had earlier infiltrated the building.
“Yes. They better succeed. Please, succeed and laugh at me.”
But for some reason,
“Never go near a shaman’s dwelling…”
“I still can’t shake off that scream. Every night, soldiers with elongated heads appear in my dreams asking why I didn’t rescue them…”
“You must never. Never get close to a shaman. If possible, tell your son and your son’s son the same…”
Why did his grandfather’s ramblings keep coming to mind…?
*
“This is it.”
While Watanabe was praying at his lodging, they had already arrived near Park Jinseong’s building.
Thanks to the equipment provided by the clan, they weren’t captured by visual devices like CCTV, allowing their movements to go unhindered. Moreover, for reasons he didn’t understand, the already sparsely populated route to the building was devoid of people, enabling them to move quickly without worrying about being seen.
“Lucky me.”
Indeed.
Lucky me.
It was as if the sky was urging them to rescue their comrade and rectify this blunder.
Moreover, for some inexplicable reason, a suffocating confidence floated in their minds as if that strange intuition was pushing them to hurry inside the building and rescue their companion.
Like the S-pole of a magnet striving to pull toward the N-pole.
They felt an unexplainable attraction to the building.
That wasn’t all.
Oddly enough, they felt great physically.
Their minds were clear, and their concentration sharpened.
As if they were taking their first sip of an energy drink, their minds were crystal clear like a pristine lake, with only the mission echoing in their heads, enhancing their focus.
Furthermore, even though they were on a mission, there was no tension whatsoever, their hearts calmly settled yet aflame with enthusiasm.
This must be the essence of the Wind, Forest, and Volcano.
“Really, I feel amazing. It’s like I’ve taken some herbal medicine.”
Remarkably, this peak condition was shared by all of them.
Their footsteps felt light as if they might fly, and their bodies moved effortlessly as they willed.
Because their bodies were responding so nimbly, they were acutely aware of just how worn out they had been till now.
Feeling like every synapse had been entirely refreshed!
It was supreme.
The non-combatants were no exception.
With untrained bodies, they could keep up with the warriors, feeling great. Even after engaging in unusual exercise, they didn’t feel any discomfort or fatigue. Instead, it was as if their bodies were now finally warmed up, heating up pleasantly, with beads of sweat urging them to move before they cooled down.
Like they had just taken steroids.
Isn’t that a wonderful sign?
Before charging into the building, they checked their equipment once more.
Among the gear they examined was the precious equipment given by the clan, one that allowed them to avoid CCTV.
