Chapter 60: Spider Web (1)
Translator: bjgoofy
"Miss Tang...."
"Miss Namgoong...."
Just as Nunim had mentioned beforehand, the two women, who were not particularly close, addressed each other by their surnames.
However, regardless of their level of familiarity, when the two of them stood side by side and faced each other, I momentarily felt as if I might go blind.
Their overlapping radiance was so dazzling that it felt like my eyeballs were burning, yet at the same time, their beauty was refreshing to behold.
My eyes were truly being blessed today.
'Or perhaps, they are being overworked?'
If Nunim had the aura of a cold and sophisticated beauty, then the young miss in front, Namgoong Seol, was a lively, enchanting beauty akin to a blossoming spring flower.
Seeing the two of them facing each other was almost like witnessing a painting come to life.
'But this is merely a matter of preference. Nunim is in no way inferior.'
And upon comparing them side by side, my first thought was that Nunim was absolutely not in a lower position.
It was not because I held the title of her fiance, but purely from an objective perspective, there was no way I could agree with the notion that this young miss was the most beautiful woman in the Central Plains while Nunim ranked below her.
So, as I was contemplating the need for some ranking adjustments, their conversation continued.
"I heard from Eun. You brought a precious medicine.... Thanks to you, I'll be able to hold a sword again for the time being. I don't even know how to express my gratitude...."
"It's nothing. I'm just happy to have been of help."
The conversation between them was far more awkward than Nunim's initial worries about Namgoong Seol had suggested.
'Why do they both give off the impression of people who have no friends?'
Even I, as an observer, was beginning to feel uncomfortable, and it seemed that Namgoong Seol's younger sister, Namgoong Eun, felt the same as she shook her head.
Then, during the silence, Namgoong Seol turned to look at me and asked,
"And who might this be?"
"Oh, this is my fiance, Wei Soryong. Soryong, greet her. This is Miss Namgoong Seol of the Namgoong Family."
"A pleasure to meet you. My name is Wei Soryong."
"Oh my, so you have a fiance now? Nice to meet you, Young Hero Wei. I am Namgoong Seol of the Namgoong Family."
"Yes, it's an honor to meet you."
"Yes."
"?"
'Does she have no intention of continuing the conversation?'
Usually, after an introduction, people would make small talk, perhaps asking if the journey here had been tiring or making some remarks about appearances, but the conversation ended with a simple "Yes."
Unable to bear the awkward silence, Namgoong Eun stepped in with an uneasy voice.
"C-Congratulations to you both. Ah, when will I ever get a fiance? Since it's been a while since we last met, why don't we sit down and have some tea while we chat? I'm really curious. Please tell me more about yourselves."
"I was just feeling thirsty, so that sounds good, Young Miss."
"Ah, I knew I made the right suggestion. I'll have the attendants prepare some tea and light refreshments. Haha...."
Namgoong Eun and I exchanged glances that seemed to say, 'You've got it tough, too.'
After a brief exchange of greetings, we gathered in a pavilion where Namgoong Eun had prepared simple tea and refreshments, and we began our conversation.
Once the topic of how Nunim and I met, a story that women seemed to particularly enjoy, had concluded, as expected, the discussion shifted toward Namgoong Seol.
Her younger sister, wearing an expression of utter confusion, spoke.
"But I just can't understand it. If it's not sister, then what exactly have people been seeing? And how could they possibly know about a birthmark located in such a private place on her body?"
Given my past life experience of being obsessed with escape rooms and mystery-solving, I cautiously asked a question.
Back then, whenever I collaborated on mystery-related content or escape room challenges, I was known as 'Sherlock Fabre'.
And this kind of case, a perplexing mystery, was exactly the type of case that Sherlock Fabre loved.
"Hmm... I hesitate to say this, but have you, by any chance, ever bathed alone at night in a pond or a river?"
At that moment, the three pairs of eyes that had been quiet until now all turned toward me.
Namgoong Seol’s voice rang out.
“So, you think that perhaps someone might have spied on me?”
“Yes. It seems possible….”
Then, Namgoong Eun spoke as well.
“You mean someone secretly watched her and then spread the information to slander her?”
“That would generally be the most likely explanation.”
“But all the people currently being held in the guest hall were born and raised in the village at the foot of the mountain since childhood. They wouldn't slander or defame our Namgoong Family. The village at the mountain’s foot is practically family to us.”
“I have never bathed outside my home either.”
‘So, no one spied on Namgoong Seol, and there isn’t anyone who would do such a thing?’
With that slight possibility shut down, my reasoning hit a dead end.
As everyone displayed puzzled expressions, Nunim’s voice suddenly came, carrying an air of certainty as if she had all the answers.
“In a situation like this, isn’t there one possibility that stands out the most?”
“The most likely possibility?”
"What might that be?"
Namgoong Seol and Namgoong Eun turned to Nunim with expressions that clearly asked, ‘What in the world are you talking about?’
Nunim smiled and, with a voice brimming with confidence, proudly declared,
“A ghost.”
“…Huh?”
‘No, Nunim, why are you like this?! This is embarrassing!’
I could understand if she had said a dragon, but bringing up ghosts out of nowhere?
I started to seriously worry that Nunim was overly immersed in Eastern fantasy, superstition, or spiritual beliefs.
In my past life, many wise seniors had warned me, nothing was more dangerous than a spouse obsessed with religion or superstition. It wasn’t just a matter of marriage; entire households could be torn apart because of it.
But then, that thought lasted only for a moment.
‘Wait… hold on.’
Come to think of it, the centipedes' mother had already manifested through Manifest Dream even after death.
So, perhaps, this wasn’t an entirely implausible idea.
Even in my dream, the centipedes' mother had taken on Nunim’s appearance. Considering that, it wasn’t too far-fetched to think that someone, or something, had taken on Namgoong Seol’s form.
‘Is Nunim a genius?’
“That certainly seems to be the only possibility, doesn’t it?”
“In this situation, it does seem like the only answer.”
“A ghost? That’s scary… but I kind of want to see it.”
Namgoong Seol and Namgoong Eun nodded in agreement with Nunim’s words.
I turned back to Namgoong Seol and asked,
“In that case, have you recently come into possession of an object or touched anything unusual? Have you perhaps consumed the Inner Core of a Spiritual Creature?”
I asked the most plausible question based on my own experiences.
After all, the centipedes' mother had only been able to borrow Nunim’s form because she had consumed an Inner Core. I figured that some kind of physical contact must have occurred.
Namgoong Seol pondered deeply for a moment before shaking her head.
“I only touch and use the things I always have, so I don’t think that’s the case.”
“Is that so…?”
‘Then what could it be?’
My deduction hit another dead end.
That's when Namgoong Seol's voice came as if she'd remembered something.
"Ah! There is one thing I recently touched that comes to mind!"
“What is it?!”
"Sister, what are you thinking of?"
Everyone’s attention turned to her in anticipation.
Under the weight of their gazes, Namgoong Seol responded.
“Recently, I touched an acorn! Ah! And I also touched a tree branch!”
The excitement that had surged upon hearing she had remembered something immediately deflated.
‘No way… Is Namgoong Seol called the most beautiful woman in the Central Plains because of her innocent air?’
If that were true, then there was no way Nunim could compete for the top ranking.
If it was a contest between an intelligent Nunim and a pure, clueless beauty like Namgoong Seol, Nunim would be at a complete disadvantage.
That kind of innocent air was a trait that triggered men’s protective instincts, a very high-value position in the competition.
At that moment, as I was struggling with how to respond, Namgoong Seol, for the first time, mentioned something that genuinely seemed suspicious.
“Oh! And when I was training alone at night, I once sensed someone’s presence and went to check, but there was nothing there!”
“You felt someone’s presence, sis?”
“Yes, I was sure I sensed something, so I went to look, but no one was there. At first, I thought you had followed me. So, I just assumed I was being overly sensitive and stopped paying attention. But now that I think about it, it happened every time I was training. The feeling that someone was watching me… Yes. That’s exactly how it felt.”
“That’s definitely suspicious.”
At that moment,
There was a commotion outside, and soon, a servant came running in and addressed Namgoong Seol.
“Young Miss! I have something to report….”
“Is it related to the commotion outside?”
“Yes, Young Miss.”
The servant whispered something into Namgoong Seol’s ear.
As soon as the conversation ended, Namgoong Seol slammed her hand on the floor of the pavilion and suddenly stood up.
-Thud!
“What’s going on, sis?”
“What happened, Miss Namgoong?”
“There had been no incidents for a few days, but now another villager has gone missing. The warriors of the household have just left to help search for the missing person.”
“Really!?”
The servant’s report meant that the disappearances, which had stopped around the time Namgoong Seol was confined in the closed training hall, had started again.
Namgoong Seol ran her fingers over the peony-shaped scar on the back of her hand, a remnant of the abused and slain lizard, and spoke with a furious expression.
“It seems I must personally capture that ghost and avenge this resentment! This grudge must be repaid!”
Namgoong Eun’s shocked cry followed immediately.
She had already gone out once and suffered terribly, and now she was implying she would sneak out again.
“Sis, what are you planning to do?! If you sneak out alone again and get caught, it will be a huge problem!”
Namgoong Seol, however, smiled as she replied.
“This time, we’ll all go together, so it will be fine.”
“All together?”
Namgoong Eun blinked in confusion at her words.
Ever since we met, Namgoong Seol had never once smiled at me or Nunim. But now, she was looking at us with a smile.
“Would you two be willing to help me?”
I had intended to stay quiet and leave, but now I felt like we were getting tangled in yet another incident.
As Nunim and I exchanged uneasy glances, Namgoong Seol pulled something from her waist and held it out.
“What’s this?”
It was an ornament resembling a norigae, a traditional Korean accessory.
It was woven with blue and red knots, and when we questioned her about it, Namgoong Seol explained.
“It’s a norigae made from knots. The jade decoration in the center is made of Ice Jade. And it can also be split into two halves. I don’t know why you’re looking for Ice Jade, but if you need something portable, this wouldn’t be a bad choice.
It could also serve as a token between you two. What do you think? If you help me, I will give this to you.”
Honestly, the large jewel I had exchanged with the Namgoong Family Head wasn’t bad, but considering its portability, it wasn’t exactly convenient either.
If I needed to carry the lizards, this norigae would definitely be the better option in terms of portability.
Thus, I answered Namgoong Seol.
A woman’s chastity was her honor and life itself, recovering it was the right thing to do.
“It is absolutely not because I covet that Ice Jade. Since this matter involves a woman’s chastity, I feel it is my duty to help. Don’t you agree, Young Miss Hwa-eun?”
After all, I was a philanthropist by nature.
And who else but Fabre should be the one to avenge the poor lizard that had been abused and ground to death in a mortar because of some ghost?
***
A night as dark as ink, with a crescent moon veiled by clouds.
If I hadn’t learned how to enhance my eyesight with internal energy, I would have been in for a rough time.
While the warriors had gone in one direction to search, Namgoong Seol was leading us in the exact opposite direction.
From behind, Namgoong Eun’s whining voice followed us.
“Sis, if I get caught this time, I’m definitely going to be locked in the closed training hall. No, forget definitely, I’ll be stuck in there for at least half a year!
Young Hero Wei, you should be helping me stop her! How could you just be so easily swayed by Ice Jade?! I thought we had something in common, that you’d help me stop her!”
“Didn’t I already tell you, Young Miss? It’s not because of the Ice Jade, but rather… well… Namgoong Seol’s precious chastity, that…”
“Ah! I don’t care anymore! What am I supposed to do…?”
The reason Namgoong Eun was whining so much wasn’t just because she had failed to stop her sister and ended up tagging along, but also because she had stolen a sword, one that had belonged to Namgoong Seol’s grandfather and was displayed in the hall near the Family Head’s quarters.
The sword was said to carry the the power to vanquish evil and reveal righteousness, making it perfect for dealing with ghosts. Namgoong Seol had ordered her to bring it, so she had no choice.
And that wasn’t all.
She had also sweet-talked the guards on duty into keeping quiet. If they got caught, she was bound to get scolded even more than Namgoong Seol.
It seemed she was the type who just couldn’t refuse her sister’s requests.
Still, for someone who complained so much, she sure got things done.
“Eun, we have guests. Don’t act recklessly.”
“How am I not acting recklessly right now!?”
“Eun, at this rate, all the ghosts are going to run away.”
“Haa….”
Under the scolding of both Nunim and Namgoong Seol, Namgoong Eun had no choice but to press her lips shut.
Soon after, we arrived at a small hill.
The ground was covered in fallen petals, creating a picturesque scene. Namgoong Seol led us toward the border where the hill met the forest.
Beyond the shadowy treeline, visibility was poor. The darkness was thick, making it hard to see anything beyond a few steps ahead.
“This is the place?”
“Yes, I’m sure it was around here.”
“There might be some traces left behind, whether from a ghost or something else. Let’s check the surroundings carefully first.”
“Alright.”
We weren’t sure what exactly we were dealing with, so we decided to start by searching for any signs or clues.
Scanning the ground and the surrounding area, we carefully continued our search.
Just then, the surroundings started to blur slightly.
Before we knew it, a fog had begun to roll in.
Soon, the mist thickened, growing denser and denser.
I looked around in confusion, but none of my companions were in sight.
“Young Miss Hwa-eun? Young Miss Namgoong Seol? Young Miss Namgoong Eun?”
I called out their names, but there was no response.
‘Did we all get separated in the fog?’
Sensing potential danger, I decided I needed to regroup with them immediately.
Just as I carefully took a step forward, I felt something resisting against my ankle.
Bending down, I grabbed whatever was wrapped around my leg and brought it up to inspect it.
It was a thin, elastic strand.
As I gently pulled on it, I noticed that it stretched deep into the forest.
“What is this?”
And then, realization struck.
I had seen this countless times in my past life.
‘…This is a spiderweb, isn’t it?’
It was definitely thicker than an ordinary spider’s web, but there was no doubt about what it was.
And if a web was this thick… just how big was the spider that made it?
Just as that thought crossed my mind,
-Aaaahhh!
A scream rang out from deep within the forest.
*****
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