46 Bringing Her Home

"Geuhehe," The slaver laughed hideously while bowing, "come back again soon, Young Master Yeon."

"Goodbye," Yeon replied curtly.

He had told himself that he would never return when had last left but he had ended up coming back. Now he hoped that nothing would happen to force him to go back again.

He walked away from the tent with Sylvie following closely behind him.

She looked straight ahead at Yeon's back and didn't show much interest in her surroundings despite finally being freed from her slavery.

They had only made it a few steps away from the tent, but the evening sun was still out, and everyone could see Yeon and Sylvie, and that's what everyone did.

Some stopped mid-conversation, some even stopped walking to get a better look.

Everyone watched them.

Some watched them out of curiosity, but some watched on in disdain as they stared at Sylvie's disfigured skin.

The graceful look of a handsome young man with beautiful flowing hair that was so unique that it would remain in their memories for their days to come, coupled with a weak girl who was blatantly a slave and had been thoroughly abused.

Only her torso was covered by her rags. Her arms, legs, and slender neck were revealed for all spectators to see in her damaged glory.

She walked with a slight limp caused by her injured left leg and even her relatively healthier right leg was struggling to walk after the deterioration of muscle caused by extended periods of imprisonment and lack of exercise.

"It's always the kind-looking ones that are the most sinister."

"Check out her scars…"

"How cruel to taint someone's soul in such a way."

"How dare he bring something like that out in broad daylight."

Yeon overheard the different whispers of the people and frowned.

Some were mistakenly believing that Yeon was the one who had injured Sylvie to this extent, while others were gawking at Sylvie's scars.

They were drawn in by the cruel display of her history that needed no words to tell its tale, their curiosity piqued into imagining what morbid sufferings she must have endured to earn her flaws and blemishes.

Yeon looked back at Sylvie who was following closely behind him.

Either she couldn't hear the cruel whispers of the bystanders, or she just didn't care. Yeon thought that it was a mixture of both.

Her limp and weak body meant that she was much slower than Yeon. Although her legs were long to give her a lengthy stride, she was still even shorter than Mia at around 145cm since she had never had the chance to properly grow.

Yeon glanced around at everyone who was watching them and sighed.

They were getting too much attention and the amount they received would only rise as they made their way towards the more densely populated areas of the city.

He summoned one of his spare white robes from his spatial ring.

He approached the silent girl who was mindlessly watching him and placed the robe around her shoulders.

It covered all her exposed skin, only showing her neck and face. The robe was too long for Sylvie and it dragged along the bottom making it nearly impossible for her to walk normally.

'It would take too long to get back. Not only is she limping but her body is weak…'

"Do you mind holding the robes in place?" He asked her.

He was her master but there was no need to order her. He knew that she would listen to him and it would only sour his mind if he treated this girl as an object or a slave.

She didn't reply but he could see her frail hands gripping onto his robe to create new wrinkles as she held the robe in place.

Yeon dipped his body and put his right arm under her legs where her knees were and gently placed his left arm around her back protectively. He lifted her up while she held onto Yeon's robe which was covering her so that he was performing the 'princess carry' as it was called on Earth.

Sylvie didn't struggle despite feeling the sudden weightlessness in her legs as she was being held up which made it easier for Yeon to hold her.

She never spoke a word unless she was called out to at first, but she was always watching Yeon. It wasn't necessarily curiosity, but her eyes kept being drawn to his ruby eyes which glimmered in a luxurious hue under the sunlight.

Even now where their faces were much closer together, close enough that she could feel his faint breathing on her face, she never looked away from him.

She felt a large hand push her head to his chest so that she was fully resting on him.

She peeked at him from within his embrace.

"Don't mind them," he said despite knowing that she didn't mind them at all.

She nodded in response which cutely rubbed her cheek into his chest.

"Don't think of anything and just close your eyes."

Although he knew that Sylvie probably wouldn't care about a stranger's harsh whispers, there was still no need for her to listen to them.

She followed his suggestion and closed her eyes.

"Yes, that's right. Just relax."

He gently pushed her face towards his chest so that her scarred face was hidden from those around them.

"Good girl…"

Those were the last words she heard before she felt his hands cover her ear to block out the background noise.

Sylvie's felt her other senses more acutely as she felt her vision being taken away:

The arms that held her, the smooth robes that covered her bare limbs, and his sturdy chest upon which she gently rested her cheek.

They were all warm and soothing.

She could feel the rhythmic beating of his heart as she pressed her face against him. It was slow and steady, a comforting echo.

It felt quiet and controlled, a monotonous drone that was very different to the piercing screams and jarring noises of torture that she had listened to growing up.

Compared to the grim sounds of whipping leather and slicing metal, his peaceful heartbeat felt unfamiliar and consoling; it was a very human noise that she wasn't used to hearing.

Yeon repositioned his arms to allow her to rest more comfortably in his arms, and her nose dug deeper into his robes.

His unique scent washed over her as it entered her nostrils to penetrate deep into her being.

It had a sensual woody fragrance that felt powerful and masculine. Its alluring scent was perfectly blended with a balanced tone of feminine sweetness, a mature and inviting floral scent that held the essence of dewy jasmine petals.

It was the clashing of these two soft perfumes that created his unforgettable aroma.

It was neither cloying nor sharp, but it naturally projected to attract the attention of those around him.

With her eyes closed, all she could feel was Yeon.

His touch, his smell, his sounds, Sylvie felt like she was drifting in a sea of his caring warmth. She floated comfortably in its water as gentle waves washed over her. With every wave, a rush of his intoxicating scent would fill her from the insides, permeating through her body and brain.

*Thump*

*Thump*

Their hearts beat in parallel as Yeon carried her away.

***

Yeon brought her straight to his room without greeting the girls first.

It was unfortunate since Mia should be 'waking up' around this time and he would be missing what was sure to be a memorable and hilarious moment.

But he had to take care of Sylvie first and suddenly showing up with her would only add to the confusion that they must be facing.

If Yeon appeared during their moment and sprung them with the news that he had bought a slave, who was not only a mortal girl but also highly scarred, then it might completely overwhelm them.

He was supposed to have gone out to buy a weapon for the upcoming Disciple Trials, but he somehow returned with a slave as well as a weapon.

In fact, he hadn't even bought the weapon, it was simply gifted to him.

There was much to discuss with the girls but tonight wasn't the time to do it.

He looked Sylvie up and down as she stood in the middle of his room.

She still had Yeon's spare robe draped over her, but she was still softly emanating a dirty smell from her greasy hair.

'She needs a bath…'

"Sylvie," he called out to her.

She was already looking at Yeon before he had said anything. He knew that she had heard him and was listening to him, but he needed her to respond.

If he were to pull her out of her apathy, he needed her to interact with him and the world more.

"Sylvie, from now on, you should respond to me when I call for you even if I know that you're listening."

"Yes, Master."

She agreed to it even though she felt that it was unnecessary.

"The bath is just over there. How about you go wash yourself for now?"

"Yes, Master."

Yeon looked at the frail girl for a moment.

He was sure that her body was incredibly fatigued, and someone would normally be mentally drained after experiencing a life-changing moment such as being bought.

But, despite all this, she hadn't slept on the way to the inn. There were dark circles under her cold eyes and some of the blood vessels in the whites had burst to give her a puffy red look.

All in all, she looked like she might collapse at any second.

"You can wash yourself, right?"

She nodded before walking off in the direction of the bath.

Yeon watched as she left before collapsing onto the bed. He sprawled out his limbs as he sighed deeply.

He was mentally exhausted after everything that had happened today.

The enlightenment that he had experienced to advance Yeon's Sword Style required a tremendous amount of concentration.

Then not only did he have to meet with a man who could give immortals a migraine, but he also had to face an internal moral conundrum over the fate of Sylvie.