Daldal: Main story

Chapter 92

"Unbelievable..."

Yohwan groaned at the horrifying scene before him. Dead bodies surrounded them, a scene filled with blood.

The original pattern of the mat the villagers had created was no longer visible, because it was drenched in a deep red blood.

It wasn't the first time Yohwan saw something like this. He was once a military officer who made hunting his profession. Having served Chae Yoon-sa as his master, he had been part of Yokai hunts on numerous occasions.

However, this time, maintaining composure was harder than usual.

True to his nickname, Chae Yoon-sa resembled a ghost from the underworld, wearing a black robe and holding a bloody sword in one hand.

The hunt wasn't over yet. This is because there were some Yokai that were still alive.

They could not give up hope until the end and tried to escape by dragging their bodies.

Here, Yohwan had only one option: to watch.
Unable to kill them and unable to help, he had to stand by.

Chae Yoon-sa casually observed the Yokai squirming like worms. Now it was time to tear their bodies apart with his sword. His method involved shooting their legs with a pistol to stop their escape and then executing them with Hwando while looking into their eyes.

However, contrary to Yohwan's expectations, Chae Yoon-sa left them alone and mounted his horse.

Yohwan, pretending to keep his composure, asked

"Are you just leaving them?"

Chae Yoon-sa, with a mysterious smile, replied

"The rest is up to you"

"....Are you telling me to handle them?"

"Exactly"

Caught off guard by his unexpected command, Yohwan's composure wavered.

Chae Yoon-sa's smirk deepened.

"Why? Is there a problem?"

"No, Young Master. I'm just puzzled about why you're entrusting this to me..."

Even though Yohwan assisted in the hunt, the slaughter itself was mostly Chae Yoon-sa's responsibility. Yohwan usually dealt with the aftermath of the dead Yokai. Therefore, the direct order from his master to kill left Yohwan somewhat bewildered.

"Got bored. Strangely, it's not as fun as before. That's all. If you can't handle it, just say so"

Unable to refuse, Yohwan had only one choice.

"No, I will handle the rest, as you ordered"

"Then, get started"

Yohwan nodded. Swiftly and without pause, he seized the sword from the horse saddle and dismounted. There was no hesitation in his steps as he walked toward the squirming Yokai, and the act of swiftly ending their lives with the blade was equally ruthless.

Chae Yoon-sa watched the whole scene with an indifferent expression.

Smoke rose as the bodies were cremated.

The once stolen lives now reduced to mere flesh turned into ashes. Yokai, even in death, could haunt people. Hence, after the hunt, it was imperative to burn their remains to prevent them from being consumed by those with bizarre hobbies.

Since the beginning of the extermination,
there had been an obscure trend happening beneath the surface. It involved selling the bodies of the Yokai. More precisely, their heads. The perception of Yokai heads as exotic treasures, possessing a bizarre beauty, spread predominantly among the wealthy nobles. It was a bizarre trend born from the convergence of curiosity and rarity. As a result, specialized hunters emerged, targeting the bodies of Yokai.

Therefore, even in death, Yokai that could pose harmful effects were conventionally burned after being killed.

Perched on the horse, Chae Yoon-sa watched it all. His eyes, devoid of life, seemed indifferent. There was no hint of excitement.

Suddenly he smiled. Because he realized that even though it had been a long time since he had hunted, and he did not enjoy it very much. In his boring life, hunting Yokai was his only source of enjoyment. It was the activity he had immersed himself in the most.

In fact, he no longer thinks about the root of his hatred toward Yokai. Whether it stemmed from past grudges or the madness his father had transmitted, it didn't matter. His aversion to Yokai had become ingrained and hunting had become a habitual pursuit. Just as he would remove something annoying in front of him or smoke to soothe his boredom. In this way, he hunted Yokai more out of habit than genuine hatred.

However, this time was different. He couldn't immerse himself, couldn't find enjoyment. It felt tedious and dull from the beginning. Even now, the mood remained unlike his usual self

In this moment, an image flashed in his mind-the face of that servant. Innocent yet mischievous, seemingly gentle but audacious.

That face.

Having exhausted all interest in the burning corpses, he pulled the reins and turned his horse.

"Shall we depart? We haven't finished burning everything, but..."

Normally, Chae Yoon-sa would wait until the flames died down to observe. Yohwan expressed doubts about the slightly early departure.

"After confirming, follow along."

Chae Yoon-sa uttered these words and set off alone, heading towards the Chae Ga-won where Eun-oh was.