Mercenary Black Mamba

Edel knows Besame Mucho?

Black Mamba's ears were 100 times better than the ordinary people. Edel was walking to the rhythm of the song.

Clack clack—

He could hear the sound of her feet on the gravel. He listened carefully. Her rhythm was similar to his. It was the same, down to her off-beat walk to the word "pederte[1]." It seemed as though she had learned it at Val-de-Grâce military hospital.

Edel had a noble soul. She regarded other people's pain and happiness as her own. She was an angel who relieved her anger and pain through devotion and volunteering, unlike himself, who remained strung on revenge.

Edel's song had filled his dry heart like ink spreading across water. The Angel of Love, Rudrey Edel, who loves the Angel of Death, Azrael—there couldn't have been a more off-beat song. It wasn't as though he didn't know Edel's heart. He just couldn't understand. He couldn't understand why a noblewoman like her would like Asura, who reeked of blood.

It was said that not even gods could read a woman's mind, so there was no way for him to know either. He had left the woman with the elegance of Hae Young and the purity of Jin Soon for a year out of fear that his heart would be swayed. However, the strong emotions that her song embodied effortlessly filled all that time spent apart.

Perhaps the saying was precise, the less we saw of a person, the further they would drift away! As Edel slowly and quietly made her way through, Hae Young was pushed to the side. His heart ached slightly. He could fly to California on his private jet any time. He could find Hae Young's address and research station with a single call to the DGSE or Bellman. Why couldn't he?

Fear. For four years, he feared her absence and missed the letters that she used to send. What if there were traces of a man in her room? What if her heart was still cold?

He didn't want to touch a bleeding wound where a scab had barely formed. Hae Young could throw him in the depths of emptiness with a single word or action. He feared her as much as he loved her.

No. He was being shaken, not Hae Young. He feared his own heart, which was slowly shutting her out. He excused himself by saying that he couldn't touch her with his bloody hands, but the truth was that he feared the blurring memories.

Although he'd vomited blood about how one should only love once, the guilt he felt was no different from others, with hypocrisy pressing down on his mind. Black Mamba blankly listened to the repeating lyrics of "I fear losing you."

Edel matched the rhythm of the song to her footsteps. Memories of Black who had sung while looking out the hospital window of Val-de-Grâce and the lonely sight of him humming to Besame Mucho played back in her mind. She didn't know that the meaning of the lyrics had expressed her heart so perfectly. After singing it a few times, she was hooked.

He should be here now.

It was now her seventh time walking to the gate for a check. She'd devoted her life to people who were lonely and tortured, but somehow, she had fallen in love instantly.

Black's heart was stronger than a racing horse and soft like a dandelion. His mind was tougher than steel, but his insides were purer than a young girl's. Black's friends, alongside Uncle Ombuti, were enamored by his strong aura that they didn't notice his weaker side.

She'd been so surprised the first time she met Black at Ati Hospital. She had been more surprised by him prioritizing to save a child in his injured state than his ability to heal incurable diseases like guinea worms and filariasis. The soldiers feared him, but the children loved him. Someone who was strong against the strong and weak against the weak, there truly was someone like that! And at that moment, she felt her soul calling out to follow that man.

When he had gifted her the macarons with the lettering "Courage!" she immediately fell for the man's pure soul. Her father's noble dream had collapsed because of a monstrous betrayal and violence. A noble soul could not serve as a defense against primitive violence.

Unlike her father, Black had a power that went beyond her reality and dreams. She wanted to watch the heights that he could reach, what he was capable of, and help out.

She recalled memories of her time in Val-de-Grâce hospital looking after Black Mamba. Although she found joy in helping the sick and poor, the time she spent looking after him had been 1,000, no, 1,000,000 times better. Just thinking of it made her hum to Besame Mucho.

"It's a bit shameless singing 'I want to have you near.' However, his breath is sweet. I'm not going to be greedy. He gets hurt easily. You're also a doctor. I only want to help him. Come on, Rudrey. You'll be fine!"

Rudrey shook her small fist.

"Oh, the angel's coming over again!" a guard who was inspecting the half-broken truck shouted.

Edel heard the guard's voice as she walked down Wakil's Road.

Oh, they might have heard me. What should I do? Edel was worried that they might have overheard her thinking out loud.

The sun descended, leaving behind a red sky. Before the guard post, a man was smiling with the sunset as his background. It was a man whose presence shone among 1,000s and 1,000,000s of people. Edel rubbed her eyes. It was Black.

"Black!"

A clear soprano filled the damp air. Edel ran down the gravel road. The ends of her gown, which fluttered in the wind, looked like butterfly wings.

"Ah!"

She rushed. The moment she missed a step, arms as strong as iron wrapped around her wrist and raised her like a doll. It was Black Mamba, who had teleported across 20 meters.

"Oh, Jesus! The best day of my life."

The clear blue lake shimmered. Black Mamba's heart trembled. Her single-minded devotion, which came in strong waves, was too pure. It was longing. Having a place to return to with someone waiting for you was a happy reality. His worries evaporated as warm feelings flooded in.

"Edel, I'm not a good man. Why were you waiting for someone like me who reeks of blood? You're acting like a—"

Black Mamba couldn't finish his words.

"Black, there's no such thing as good men or bad men. It doesn't matter what kind of man I like. Instead, you should be asking why I love you."

"Why do you love me?" he asked like a fool.

"It's empathy and desire."

"Empathy and desire?" Black Mamba repeated in surprise.

"Women desire men who can empathize. Please don't ask any further. Women despise logical conversations. This is my answer."

Edel tip-toed and kissed Black Mamba's cheek. She wanted to kiss him but lacked the courage. His cheeks felt warm. He hugged her thin waist, her soft body. Black Mamba felt dizzy. Did he save a village in his past life?

"Wow!" Even the guards in the guard post rushed out to exclaim.

"Idiots!"

The mood broke. Edel pouted and smiled despite the pool of tears in her eyes. It was the peak of cuteness that would test the courage of any man. Even Black Mamba, who Jang Shin had once called the Buddha among all Buddhas, felt his heart race.

"Wow! You're the best, Miss Angel."

"Is he the guest you were expecting?"

"Angel's lover has come."

The guards talked among themselves in a disorderly manner.

"Damn, this is embarrassing. Who's the leader here?" Black Mamba turned to look at the guards.

"Yes, sir, I'm the second division's guard leader, Mjimu."

A tall black man with a solid physique stepped forward.

"Today's work attitude is commendable. I'll reward the second division."

Black Mamba took out 100 francs from his wallet and gave it to the leader.

"Woah, hooray for the wakil!"

No human on Earth, regardless of race, disliked money. Their monthly wage was 20 francs. There was a reason behind their cheer.

"Let's hurry. Ombuti's neck is about to stretch out the window. He's been opening and closing the window all day despite him telling me that you're arriving tomorrow."

Edel grabbed and dragged Black Mamba's hand.

"Did Ombuti do this?"

Black Mamba stopped before a signpost that read as "Wakil's Road." The width was just enough for two people to walk through. There was white gravel spread on the road and a tunnel made of rose vines. On the outskirts of the tunnel were replanted palm trees that provided cool shade. There were also Box-leaved Holly and Ixora Chinensis, which added more shade and grandeur. Comparable to the distance to Andromeda, the sight was far from Chad's image. Black Mamba's mouth hung open.

"Yes. Only wakil walks on this road. Not even Uncle Ombuti walks through here. It's like a land of fairy tales, right?"

Edel blushed. Black Mamba paused. He could feel Edel's sweet intentions as she emphasized the fact that the road was only for wakil. A road like a fairytale? No. That was a replica of the decorative garden in Loire Valley's Château de Villandry.

Villandry castle, known for its beautiful garden, was built during the Renaissance era. Among Swiss and Italian couples, the Love Garden of the second flower garden salon was a top pick for wedding venues.

Ombuti had spent money on replicating the Path of Cheer, one of the many paths in the garden. For someone who was stingy about money, it was an unexpected decision. It was obvious what Edel's thoughts were as she walked back and forth the road.

"Oh, it's pretty."

Edel picked a red Ixora Chinensis flower and arranged it in between her hair. The red flower stood out against her blond hair, which looked like spurned gold. Golden hair, a red flower, and a smooth white face, those features combined exuded a harmonious aura.

Black Mamba unknowingly wrapped his arms around Edel's waist and brought her closer. She silently exclaimed as her chest pressed against his iron chest.

"Mmh!"

Edel's consciousness traveled to Andromeda. Her head screamed no, but her body voluntarily snuggled into the man's arms. Black Mamba's consciousness returned because of Edel's startled voice.

Ugh, this is Ombuti's scheme. He's going to drive me mad one day.

Black Mamba internally yelled. The Ixora Chinensis had an aphrodisiac effect. Ombuti had attempted all kinds of methods to get him and Edel together at Val-de-Grâce hospital too. The narrow road was part of Ombuti's tenacious plan to get him and Edel together.

"Edel, are you eating well?"

Black Mamba wanted to punch his mouth. He'd attempted to say something to make it less awkward for the softhearted Edel, but his mouth had betrayed his mind.

"Oh, Jesus!"

Surprised, Edel released her arms that were around Black Mamba's neck and retreated. Black Mamba found it interesting how Edel's white face had magically turned red.

White women were usually open to the idea of sex. They had casual sex with men whom they just met and separated like it was nothing. Edel was an unbelievably naive exception.

"Yes, I eat as much as you do, Black. I eat Korean food very well too."

"Korean food?"

Black Mamba's eyes widened. She'd once bought a chicken to make samgyetang for him in the hospital, but at that time, he was a patient. It wasn't easy for a western woman to enjoy Korean food.

"Jang Shin taught me how to cook it. Sometimes, he sends me Korean sauces and ingredients. I can eat gochujang now, too."

Edel pushed out her chest. It was as if to say, "I'm doing well, aren't I?" It was adorable. Who would have thought that she was 26?

His heart skipped a beat. He found her efforts to match his tastes adorable. What kind of man wouldn't love such a woman? He pulled out the case with the gold bracelet from his backpack.

"Edel, this is a gift."

Edel, who opened the case to see what it contained, jumped in her spot.

"Oh, my God! There must be nothing left in your wallet!" "

"It's not that expensive."

"Don't talk like you don't know. This is from Louis Cartier's collection, the best line of diamonds from Cartier. You need to offer at least 150,000 francs."

"Huh!"

He gasped. That was an object he'd bargained for 30,000 francs after beating the owner up. That price also included the gold donkey. He'd become a robber unknowingly.

"Help me put it on."

Edel lifted the bracelet to his eyes and gazed intensely at him. The red blush that had crawled down to her chin was almost pitiful. She was a woman of misfortune. Her uncle had murdered her father and stole her inheritance. Rudrey Edel was a part of Les Misérables. Luckily, he had brought along the misbaha, which was said to bring good luck. He secured the bracelet around her wrist and took out the misbaha, which looked like a necklace.

"This is also a gift."

"Ah, a misbaha!"

Edel's face shone brightly. She'd received two shackles. Internally, she was all smiles. She gathered her thick golden hair and raised it. A pale neck that seemed capable of breaking with a single tap was exposed. Her collarbone received the sunset's reddish glow.

Gulp—

He swallowed his saliva instinctively. That was the uncontrollable male instinct.

"Om Mani Banme Hum!"

Black Mamba chanted a mantra to rule over his heart. The Om Mani Banme Hum was undergoing tribulations in the far land of Africa. Black Mamba turned around and sneakily took off the billion's water armor. He was used to it now, but a single mistake could lead to a disaster.

With the black misbaha surrounding her white neck, her delicate neckline stood out more. Usually, Edel didn't wear rings or necklaces. The only accessory on her was a pin she wore on her hair. Beauties were of a different species. An accessory could enhance one's beauty. She showed him why women were crazy about jewels.

"It suits you."

"Really?"

"I can't lie."

"I know very well. Still, women like to listen to plain lies that confirm plain truths sometimes."

"That's not a good habit. It's a waste of time and emotions."

"Haha!"

Edel ended up laughing. Was there any other man like Black Mamba who was as oblivious toward a woman's mind? Well, that was one of Black's charms too. She couldn't imagine Black lingering around women.

[1] Fear.