Book 1 Chapter 9

Episode 8

In the autumn of the year he turned fifteen, Rain, the young master of the Ludwig family, left the mansion alone.

"I still have about half a year until the <Delaiten> entrance exam, so I plan to slowly explore the world on my way down south."

"Then go and do your best, Rain."

Kaybon Ludwig gazed at his son standing before him, his eyes filled with joy and sorrow.

A child's growth is truly astonishing.

That little one who was so small…

Before he knew it, he was sixteen, grown so tall that he now stood face-to-face with his father.

"Are you planning to stay in the demon realm even after taking the entrance exam?"

The entrance exam for <Delaiten>, a magic academy famous worldwide for its difficulty, was usually held in mid-December.

The matriculation ceremony was in February.

The new semester officially began in March, along with the opening ceremony.

"Yes. Because it's a place where all knowledge gathers."

"Before you arrive at <Golden Rose>, send a letter to your aunt's professor's office. The family guards will go out to meet you."

Now, there was nothing more Rain could learn in the central part of the empire, around Richland.

- The World.

Just as when Rista had said those words, Rain's heart was now pounding with a strange sense of anticipation.

When traveling with Rista, he hadn't had the luxury of staying in such large cities.

"No!"

Just then, a small creature scurried over and clung to Rain's clothes with both hands.

"What do you mean, 'no'? Who are you?"

Seri Ludwig, who had been stubbornly clinging to Rain's clothes, got a flick on the forehead and tearfully backed away.

"Now, Seri. Don't do that. You won't be gone forever. Won't your brother's heart ache?"

When Kaybon gently placed his hand on his daughter's head, Seri's red eyes welled up with tears.

His mother, Brim, who had been endlessly shedding tears while holding the sleeping Bran Ludwig, opened her mouth.

"Rain, please send letters every week. And come home once in a while if you get lonely."

"I don't want to, it's a bother. Do I look like the type of person to write such things?"

Then, tears streamed like a waterfall from Brim's eyes.

"No, why?" Rain desperately shouted, gesturing wildly with his hands and feet.

"I-I'll write! It's a joke! Of course it's a joke! I'll write every three days, so please!"

"Won't it be really dangerous? Why are you going alone without an escort?"

"Rain's skill has already reached an exceptional level. And if he follows the national road, there will be no danger."

Aided by his father's supportive words, he was able to shake off his mother and sister and leave home.

Looking back now, would the experience of that day also become something that could be called a memory?

Rain yawned as he walked along the shimmering green forest path.

Fifteenth day of the journey.

This place, where even the undergrowth was fresh with a blue tint, was the Geram region of Richland, in the south-central part of the Holy Human Empire.

The Geram region was a forested area where small streams abundantly watered the land.

However, a considerable number of people, more than what the size of the local village would suggest, were occupying the inns and taverns, and curiously, they were all wearing conical hats.

When asked why, a mustachioed man, who had been heavily drinking, answered.

"Why do we wear conical hats? Kid, do you not know the Linne Merchant Guild?"

"Linne Merchant Guild? What does the name mean?"

"This guy looks smart but is completely ignorant. They say our guild's first leader once received help from the Great Archmage Lin."

Since he was traveling like a wanderer without wearing his family's formal robes to avoid trouble, being spoken to informally was commonplace.

"Really?"

"Yes, kid. Our guild's name and the conical hat attire are a symbol of that gratitude. Isn't it cool? It means we're born of such a grand history."

It was truly amusing; it seemed they even intended to imitate the Archmage's weapon, carrying staff-swords in the form of stone staves.

'This is absurd.'

Who is it? I wasn't the kind of person to help just anyone, so I'd know if I heard the name, but this is…

"But what are merchants from such a great guild doing just loitering around in a village like this?"

The merchant then set his beer mug down on the table and sighed.

"They say there's a problem on the road leading out of this region to the Sun Road."

"What kind?"

"It seems a vicious monster has appeared on that trail. Dozens of people have already gone missing. They say we have to wait until the lord sends a subjugation force… Oh, what will our clients say?"

A monster.

Creatures whose biological essence had been twisted by the influence of the Abyss were called monsters.

Monsters possessed a more grotesque appearance and vicious power than ordinary beasts, and no matter how many were subjugated, they never disappeared.

As if they were rising from the Abyss, sunken into the earth's strata…

'Unless it's a top-tier monster, it's no threat to me.'

Since there was no room at the inn anyway, except for the stable, due to the guild merchants and guards, he left the village late at night when human activity died down.

The trail was boisterous with the sounds of nature.

Amidst the countless chirping of insects, the eerie cries of night birds occasionally intermingled.

He thought, 'It's been a long time since I've listened to the sounds of nature like this during a journey.'

'Perhaps it's the first time.'

300 years ago, there were always noisy women by his side.

Rista and Friede.

Thinking of those two rascals, he couldn't help but feel a faint smile blossom on his lips.

'Compared to then.'

It's lonely.

To think that traveling alone was this quiet.

At the moments of that journey, which felt like the world would soon end, there were always noisy nagging and laughter.

'300 years ago, that is.'

It was then, as he was about to pass a rock where the uphill climb of the trail ended and a gentle downhill slope began.

'Is it watching me?'

The boy, feeling the presence of a shadow eerily staring at him from the bushes, slightly raised an eyebrow.

Monsters have a better magical sensing ability than humans. Should it be called a beastly instinct, they don't attack opponents with strong magical power.

Just as now, it wasn't attacking the boy, who superficially appeared to be nothing more than soft flesh.

'If I tried to catch it, I could easily do it, but…'

For a moment, the whining face of the merchant, complaining about clients and how to make excuses to his boss, came to mind, but Rain shook his head, dismissing it.

It's none of my business.

It's not my concern, and they'll probably handle it themselves.

Just as he was about to quicken his steps, which had paused for a moment, there was a voice that seemed to grab the boy by the nape of his neck.

- Alright, shall we travel by land from here on?

At the beginning of a journey 300 years ago.

The party, who had joined with Kies, the Archer Saint at the time, received blessings from the Radiant Dragon and five cardinals, and set off amidst countless bell tolls…

He had thought they would cross the continent immediately by sea, but these guys were psychos beyond imagination.

- By land? What land route?

Because after crossing the White Sea, a small sea between the Blade Peninsula and the Akrad Continent, they began traveling by land.

- Let's travel along the Bellisor Great River basin to <Terbenople> like this.

- That's a good idea, Rista. I know of a really amazing flower field along the great river. Should we stop by on the way?

- A flower field? Wow, where is that?

He couldn't understand.

According to information from the Papal States, two Fay-Warrior parties who had crossed the continent before Rista were annihilated in frontline battles.

Though their tearful struggles had brought the front to a stalemate, wasn't the battlefield in desperate need of other heroes?

At the boy's worried chiding, Rista smiled gently.

- The Red Dragon Legion and the Yellow Dragon Legion have already crossed the sea, and all the powerful fighters have gone over the continent for honor and glory.

- So we should go quickly too.

- What I mean is, there's no need to rush. While those strong individuals are crossing the sea, monsters are rampaging all over this continent.

- Hmph. At best, they're B-class danger, truly strong at most A-class. Most will be below C-class. This isn't the time for such trivial battles.

- Lin.

At that moment, Rista smiled faintly with her eyes, instead of her usual playful, cheerful smile.

- In this world, Lin, there are countless people who desperately need even help that seems trivial to you. There's no hierarchy when it comes to needing help.

- …

- Lin, you too can become an adult who can help such people.

A long sigh escaped him.

Even after dying 300 years ago, still nagging…

'I'm just a little tired, so I'm resting.'

He wasn't tired at all, yet he defended his action of perching on a rock as such.

Sitting on the rock was merely because he was tired, and deploying a magic circle on his palm right now was just to relieve boredom.

Yes, it's just a silly prank.

Like kids throwing pebbles into the water on a summer day.

It's definitely not to help someone, nor because of Rista's nagging.

As the boy muttered, streaks of light rose from his palm, forming a circular magic array.

Attribute setting, Earth (地).

Rune 부여, Search (索).

Granting the Earth attribute magic the property of detection. The mathematical equation to solve in order to deploy this is a cubic function.

"Go and find it."

A dozen roots wriggled from the ground, then fiercely began to spread in all directions.

The trees on both sides of the path swayed, and the sounds of nocturnal animals fleeing in fright could be heard.

By the time even the chirping of insects had quieted, a tearing cry erupted from the darkness beyond.

"Bring it here."

Vines that had sprung up, cracking the ground, dragged a large and eerie monster, bound tightly.

It was a wolf-like monster, but no wolf had its mouth torn horizontally or possessed four eyeballs.

The creature barked furiously at Rain, who was looking down at it, and dripped horrifying corrosive saliva. The droplets of saliva that fell to the ground boiled.

"And that's supposed to be a threat."

He had even faced the ancient beings that were said to have ruled the nature of this world, back in the age when the Abyss governed the world.

"I'll let you go if you promise not to attack people."

Its fur was deeply saturated with the scent of human blood. It would surely continue to harm people in the future.

"Of course, you wouldn't understand human words, and even if you did, you wouldn't do such a thing."

Before those words were even finished, the vines binding the creature tightened around its body, crushing all its bones and internal organs.

*Crunch*, after the grim sound of death echoed, a dense scent of blood mingled with the night air.

He thought of throwing the corpse into the bushes, but instead, he left it displayed in the middle of the trail so the lord's subjugation force wouldn't waste their efforts, and then he left.

He could have demanded compensation from the merchant guild. He could have used it as a means to make a name for himself.

But the boy did not do so. It was not something he had done expecting a reward in the first place.

'I just did it because Rista forced me to. So to speak, just to relieve boredom, or perhaps just by chance.'

Now there were no companions around to accept that excuse, yet the boy mumbled to himself.

Just as 300 years ago, when he saved the world.

***

The border between Richland in the central empire and Sunsetland in the southern empire.

If he recalled correctly, the name of this place's geographical feature was the Badantio Mountains 300 years ago.

The reason he stopped as soon as he entered those mountains was because of arrows.

He could assert with certainty that it wasn't because of monsters.

When three monsters suddenly burst through the bushes, far from stopping, he merely thought:

'My body's magical power is like trash, so I'm easily underestimated even by these kinds of monsters.'

So, he was about to conjure a magic circle on his palm.

Just then, didn't three or four arrows suddenly embed themselves precisely in the monsters' heads?

And then, a pair of archers, a man and a woman, appeared, skillfully descending the slope.

"Are you alright?"

From the moment they appeared, they were enough to capture my gaze.

I felt a strange sense of familiarity, yet at the same time, an inner aversion.

A scent from my younger days, that is, from my previous life, washed over me… the sour and potent smell of alcohol that Kies used to enjoy.

When the female archer approached with a gentle smile, it felt as if a shadow that made his heart pale, amidst an intense longing, enveloped him.

"Monsters appear frequently here, did no one warn you on your way?"

What could this feeling be…?

Its identity was soon confirmed.

Similar. The smell of a body steeped in alcohol was similar. Carrying a gourd bottle at the waist was similar.

The male archer, full of swagger, explained the reason.

"Who would warn you? Is there even a need to? We, the descendants of the Great Archer Saint, are guarding this place."

When he asked if this was indeed the Badantio Mountains, the archers exchanged glances and then burst into laughter, asking if he was an old soul.

"Why are you laughing?"

"This is Kieslantin. When was it called that, I wonder?"

Kieslantin.

It meant the mountains of Kies, the Archer Saint of the hero's party 300 years ago, and the reason was said to be that Kies had made this place his home.

They were said to be disciples of the archery style established by Kies, and skilled individuals recognized by the grandmaster traditionally guarded this mountain pass.

- Kies, I'll teach you how to read and write. You can't speak, so it must be very inconvenient, right?

On that distant day.

In a time as distant as it was longed for.

The back of the taciturn drunkard, who couldn't speak and often expressed his emotions by stroking my head, flashed across the inside of his eyelids.

"Traveling alone at such a young age? Wow, that's admirable. Yes, a man must see the world. Only then can he think big."

"Gwin, what are you talking about? You were born and raised here and have never been outside."

"Shut up! My heart has already traveled the world and more. Once I receive the final secret technique from the Grandmaster, I'll leave too."

The male and female archers' faces were flushed with pleasant intoxication.

A laugh escaped him. To think that Kies had passed on the insane idea of 'drinking alcohol and shooting a bow' directly to his disciples. What in the world did you do, Kies?

When the previously silent boy laughed (it seems adults often get happy when a child laughs), the male archer put an arm around the boy's shoulder.

"You came at just the right time, kid. Today is a festival day. Alcohol is free for everyone. If you want to become an adult, you should at least know the taste of alcohol. They say alcohol is, you know, a passage to drink the sun and moon."

"Oh, a true romantic has arrived. Stop talking nonsense and thinking of skipping your duty, just stay at your post. We have to guard this place."

"Send a little kid like this off alone? Oh no, that won't do. I'll just take him to the village entrance and come back."

Ignoring the female archer's nagging, the male archer pulled the boy along, crossed the pass, and began chatting.

"Lots of fallen leaves, right? We need to clear the path, but this season is so harsh that the leaves pile up so much there's no end to clearing them."

It was autumn, and the mountains were colored a beautiful brown. The fallen leaves rustled, exhaling the scent of autumn.

He let the archer's story go in one ear and out the other, so he couldn't recall what was said.

However, the next moment, upon reaching a fork in the road, his body, or perhaps his soul, instinctively stopped.

"If you follow these wooden stairs up from here, you'll find the training hall, and if you keep going straight, you'll reach a mountain village."

What is this feeling?

This feeling, which seems simultaneously miserable and beautiful, real and unreal.

He knew neither cause nor reason. Only the depths of his soul began to throb and ache.

"If you're on a journey, why don't you make a small wish here?"

As if marking the fork in the road, the male archer, who had been pressing his palms together in front of a gently rising hill, gestured.

"A wish? What kind of wish?"

"Hey, hey, hey, are you really asking because you don't know? Hmm, maybe you don't recognize it because there's no one here at this hour."

"What is it?"

"This tomb, it's the tomb of Archer Saint Kies. People often come here and make wishes like, 'Please protect us this year too.'"

What… for a moment, it felt as if his heart had stopped.

Those words were not a simple explanation. They were a wedge piercing into the core of his soul.

It felt as if the entire world was receding far away. Ecstasy, despair, bewilderment, welcome, strangeness—all emotions were chaotically mingled.

"What's that… you're joking, right?"

"Why would I joke?"

"No, it's strange. This is just a mountain area, yet they built a tomb here? And that Archer Saint wasn't an ordinary person."

Then the archer smiled, as if amused.

"You don't know the story behind this tomb. Are you really from the Empire? You look so aristocratic, like some young noble master, but it seems you haven't read a single book."

"…"

"There's a very interesting story here. I don't know if it's true. But it probably is. Otherwise, the elders of the training hall wouldn't just leave Lord Kies's tomb here, as you said."

The archer placed a hand on the already weathering tombstone and said:

"You know that the Great Archmage Lin was Lord Kies's companion, right?"

Yes, that's me.

How could I not know myself?

"As everyone knows, he seemed to be a very shy person. Even though he pretended not to be."

"Who says that?"

"People do, books do. Why are you making such a displeased face?"

"I didn't make such a face."

"Oh, you're lying! You just had a face like 'Who's the bastard who said that? If I catch him, he's dead.'"

"I said I didn't!"

"That guy has quite a temper. Anyway, that's not important."

"It is important."

"It's not important. Listen, Lord Lin got trapped in ice and couldn't get out, right? And they say he's still kept in the Papal States."

My body is, yes.

But my soul came out like this.

"It seems the Archer Saint believed that Lord Lin would surely return, no matter when it happened, even after his own death."

"What?"

"And also, that because he was shy, he wouldn't come all the way up to that training hall. And that if it were built in the village, he'd be too embarrassed to come due to the crowds."

His consciousness itself felt numb, unable to think of anything.

It felt as if the sentiments left by a companion he could no longer meet had taken on a clear form and manifested. No, it was manifested right before his eyes.

In response to this story, which was miserable yet touching, painful yet nightmarish… yet dazzling, something hot welled up at the corner of his left eye.

- Kies, you smell of alcohol. Don't snore at night. I can't read my book.

- Ah, don't touch my head!

- Kies, this character is written like this.

An unrealistic parting, transcending 300 years of time.

The vast sense of loneliness brought by that parting shook his heart with a mysterious tremor.

That tremor, revived by a warm hand, suddenly stroked the boy's head.

'No.'

It's not.

This can't really be the end.

The moment he accepted this feeling, it felt as if everything he had denied about his companions' deaths would crumble, so the boy fled.

'But I clearly promised to come back.'

He just ran, until his choked breath pressed down on his lungs and sweat streamed like rain from his entire body.

'So we were supposed to meet again.'

He heard the archer shouting something, but… he went into the empty forest and caught his breath.

'Kies is in his tomb and I am…'

He sat down on the forest clearing, staring blankly up at the sky.

It was a pleasant day; layered clouds drifted by, and even the sunlight from the three suns beaming down on the forest felt pleasant.

It was a day when the whole world felt cheerful, but he alone felt abandoned in a world of sorrow.

Eventually, as the sun set into a red twilight, and the day birds fell asleep while the night birds awoke, the boy headed for the cliff.

Sitting on a rock, blankly swinging his legs back and forth, he thought about the days he spent with Kies. He chuckled softly, then grew dazed, then wiped away tears.

A drunkard whose accuracy would go wild whenever he drank.

An idiot who said he couldn't hold a bow without alcohol due to tremors.

A strange old man who said he couldn't concentrate without alcohol because sad memories would resurface.

A poor old man who couldn't speak because he had no tongue.

Unlike the world, which only remembered his glorious image, in the boy's memory, he was an old man who snored loudly in his sleep.

- Kies, are you making all the noises you usually can't make through your snoring? I can't sleep.

He also remembered Rista and Friede bursting into laughter at the boy's remark.

At the very last moment of the journey, he recalled Kies's gaze, looking down blankly at the boy with eyes steeped in despair.

Though he couldn't be as dramatic as Rista and Friede, he remembered the eyes where intense emotions raged.

Even the expression on his face, painfully squeezing his eyes shut at the moment his entire body froze, promising, "I'll definitely return."

Let's turn back.

Let's turn around and go to Kies's tomb, and say goodbye. Let's tell him that even though it's late, I'm back now.

Let's say I'm sorry.

Let's ask for forgiveness.

And let's carefully observe what the descendants Kies left on this land look like.

He thought and thought hundreds of times, but his body simply would not move.

Clouds drifted past the pale blue moon. As the moon slowly began to dip behind the mountain peaks, the boy dusted off his backside and stood up.

At the very end of autumn, standing in the middle of a mountain path covered in fallen leaves, he spread his palm and deployed a magic circle.

The shape of the magic circle was a triangle, and the rune engraved was…

*Fwoosh…*

Flames, incinerating weeds and fallen leaves to black, spread out on both sides of the path with heat that would definitely not cause a forest fire.

He silently gazed at the path leading to Kies's tomb behind him, then moved on as the sputtering sound of the fire faded.

Forward, not backward.

The smoke from the burning leaves, infused with a foul odor in the wind, made him cough repeatedly and his eyes water.

The boy walked, then walked some more, then stopped and turned back several times.

As if continuously looking at someone leaving far away, unable to let them go.

Then, an impossible unreality, a personal and playful illusion, appeared at the end of the horizon.

[Kies, waving his hand kindly towards the boy.]

He gazed at that illusion for a long time, but the moment he blinked, the illusion was swept away by the wind and vanished.

The boy lowered his head.

His fists, clenched in grief, trembled. As he turned his body and began to walk again, the boy spoke.

I'm sorry, Kies.

It's not that I'm shy. It's not because I'm embarrassed.

It's me, I lack courage. The courage to face you all, the courage to meet you and beg for forgiveness.

I, I…

I couldn't keep the promise I made to you.