Book 9 Chapter 9

Episode 208

"Come here, Setsunen!"

Confusion suddenly shook his brain.

Thanks to Rain's shout as he chased after the assassin, Rem barely managed to collect himself and immediately helped Miria up.

"What's wrong, Gosul. Were you cut too?"

"No, this is…."

Miria panted heavily.

The old man, Bisram, knelt by the child's head and held his hand, while Aki just stood there blankly, seemingly unsure of what to do.

Rem leaned Miria against the wall, then rushed to the fallen child.

"What the hell? How dangerous is the guy chasing you?"

A few citizens screamed and fled at the tragedy that unfolded in an instant.

The commotion spread throughout the city, but perhaps because everyone had fled, the center of the tragedy here was rather quiet.

Just then, the child, who was coughing up blood in his death throes with only his upper body remaining, suddenly grabbed Rem's wrist.

"My, request, the request, I'll do it again…."

There, Rem felt two confusions.

First, the child's hand was larger and stronger than what his eyes perceived.

And second, his pronunciation was quite accurate, unlike before, and his tone was archaic.

"My real name is… Bisram of the Solond Kingdom's Royal Guard… This person… Prince Obin… must, must be taken back to the kingdom… before the kingdom falls…."

Prince of Solond?

What is he suddenly talking about? He couldn't follow the flow of the story.

"Then the royal family will… give you… immense rewards…."

Then, something like a tropical mirage suddenly rose above the bodies of the old man and the child.

A hallucination?

No, this is…?

Then, incredibly, the positions of the two people swapped.

'It's not just the position.'

Clearly, it should have been the child, Obin, whose upper body was severed. But for some reason, Bisram's upper body was severed instead.

"It's the forbidden art (Geumsul) of the Solond Royal Guard."

"Forbidden art, forbidden art, forbidden art."

Just then, Valensidis appeared from the alley on the right. There was no time or reason to brighten at the healer's appearance.

Modern medicine, which uses magic, cannot regenerate missing body parts.

For the same reason, in a case where the upper body has been severed like this, nothing can save them, no matter what is done.

"The moment the target is in mortal danger, it automatically swaps positions with an illusion. It's a technique, so to speak, that allows one to die in place of another."

It was a somewhat mischievous tone.

Even while saying that, Valensidis recited sacred words, placing his hand, enveloped in mysterious light, on Bisram's forehead.

Then Bisram's breathing became much easier. It relieved the pain of the dying process.

"Please don't cry, Your Highness…."

As Bisram placed his hand on Obin's head, tears streamed down the young prince's eyes.

"This old and insignificant life… it was an honor to serve someone as kind and gentle as Your Highness, even at the very end…."

Rem couldn't help but doubt his own eyes.

The prince held the old guard's hand and shed endless tears, but he didn't utter a single sob.

He was biting his lower lip with all his might to control his sorrow.

'At an age that seems less than ten years old.'

How many battlefields, how many pains of severed ties had he overcome until now?

"…"

As Aki gazed blankly at this tragedy, the fresh blood, and the tears, Miria's voice echoed in his mind.

- People, you know, they die someday. And when they die, you know what?

The momentary superimposition of Rain and himself onto Bisram and Obin was likely just a simple hallucination.

- You can never meet them again.

It's not real.

Just an insubstantial illusion.

Yet, despite that, a faint moistness spread in one of the young dragon's eyes. Even though he hadn't fully grasped everything about death.

- Come here, Aki.

* * *

Jeseosaeranyeon: Thunder Style (Raesik).

Charr-reung… The speed of the chains, commanding thunder and plummeting from the sky, was truly light-speed.

Although its power might be inferior to chains constructed from flames, the essence of the Thunder Style rightly lies in its speed.

"…!"

The assassin's movement, as he kicked off the railing and leaped to the rooftop across, was momentarily checked.

'As expected.'

However, by the narrowest of margins, with movements close to art, he evaded it and continued his sprint.

'I never intended to catch him in the first place.'

The initial goal was to control his movement path. After all, a wizard's feet couldn't chase a swordsman's.

He runs.

He exits the narrow alley, leaps over a wall, and crosses the bustling market street of <Orbheim> to the southeast.

'Not falling behind.'

The assassin, smashing tiles and planks noisily as he leaps between rooftops, is still within sight.

In a normal situation, the swordsman would have easily shaken off the wizard long ago.

But now, with Jeseosaeranyeon's chains spread like a net throughout the city, it's different.

'Amazing, Setsunen.'

The casting speed of the spell was several times faster than calculated, almost making him gasp in admiration, despite the inappropriate situation.

This is the power of the Yellow Dragon. Is it the power of an absolute life form that controls lightning?

Setsunen's whining, layered upon his soul as a Yeouiju, could be heard.

[Aruu…]

A bucket holding fish is kicked by his foot. Splashing water drops, the angry owner's shout.

"Hey, hey you!"

Seresia's clothes fluttering madly.

Repeated collisions with passersby who were dazedly looking up at the feast of lightning striking from the clear sky without any warning.

It's turning into a quite violent and chaotic chase, but for now, it's according to plan.

'If this continues, forget the city gates, the high city walls will block his path.'

At that moment, he gathers and grabs the chains that had been spread out broadly.

'Just like this.'

He sees the assassin, whose path was guided by the chains, stopping in front of the rooftop over there, where the chains didn't block him.

Looming despairingly in front of him was the city wall.

No matter how great a swordsman, a run-up action is absolutely necessary to leap over that city wall.

"Got him."

Imagining concentrating the vast amount of dispersed magic around him into one point, he wraps countless chains around the assassin who is suspended in mid-air.

Just before the chains, rushing in from all directions with dazzling light, were about to pierce and seal his body.

Suddenly, he turned back to look this way.

Simultaneously, he gripped the hilt of his greatsword and assumed a drawing stance.

A mysterious phosphorescence bloomed, covering the massive blade, and two slashes of unimaginable speed occurred.

'I didn't see it wrong.'

At that moment, he had to press his fist against his chest, which had begun to pound furiously.

'It's a Space-Time Sever (Sigongjeom).'

Along the trajectory of that slash, a rift spread through dimension, through space-time.

And the next moment, *clink*, it shattered like a windowpane.

Cleanly severing the lightning chains belonging to that dimension, as if by magic.

'And that sword is.'

The aftershock of shattered space-time raged, violently shaking Seresia's clothes.

'The Holy Sword Surfang.'

The assassin landed effortlessly on the city wall, then leaped over it again and vanished.

'The holy sword Lysta used.'

Staring blankly at the empty space where he had vanished, he took several deep breaths… His heart rate slowly subsided, but the confusion did not.

'Surfang, why are you?'

Why is Lysta's swordsmanship being wielded by someone other than Lysta?

The questions didn't end there.

In the first place, whether it's a holy sword or not, only a Faequier should be able to wield its power…?

Could it be that Lysta was revived like the Slayers…?

No, it's impossible. Karenden said my comrades weren't swallowed by the abyss.

And Lysta's body should be sealed in the Papal Palace's underground catacombs. But what if, just in case.

"Abut!"

It was Aki's voice that ended that ominous delusion.

[Aru!]

Without even giving Setsunen, in his Yeouiju state, a chance to happily respond, Aki, who had rushed over, threw himself into his arms with all his might.

The force was so strong that he lost his balance and fell backward onto the pavement.

He wondered if Aki was just playing without understanding the situation, but the atmosphere felt unusual.

"Hey, what's wrong with him suddenly?"

As he patted Aki's crown, glowing red in the last twilight, Aki finally lifted his face with all his might.

"Aba, don't die!"

"What?"

"You can't die!"

Not knowing what was going on, he gazed into Aki's clear eyes for a moment, then soon found himself smiling a happy, yet lonely and sad smile.

- You must come back alive, Rin.

- Master Rin!

- You're coming back, right? You're returning, right?

I'm sorry, Aki.

I've decided not to make such promises to anyone anymore. Especially not to you, who must live for eternity.

Aki, held in his arms, and the power of Setsunen, equipped in both hands, felt heavier than usual.

* * *

"There's no reason to help. No value either."

Joining Valensidis was in a suburban forest where the curtain of night had fallen.

This was after being interrogated by the Red Witch who led the city guard, along with Rem and Miria.

Rem testified that the assassin had killed the child, and the old man, his companion, had been captured by some dark wizard (Valensidis) and disappeared.

"No reason to help?"

That way, Bisram's death wouldn't be in vain. And the enemies would think Prince Obin was dead for a while.

"Currently, the Solond Kingdom is controlled by the Dawn Brigade."

"What's the Dawn Brigade?"

Miria, who had seemed unwell earlier but had suddenly recovered, asked.

"It's the elite group led by Ellamas, the second pillar of the Black Church. In Elvish, it's called Kathphirim."

Silence fell for a moment.

A low, deep silence, so profound that the breathing of predators awakening and crying in the night forest could be heard.

"As the name suggests, all members of the brigade are elves. Is there any reason to deliberately walk into a tiger's den?"

As the first descendants, the elven warriors who aided the gods in the War of the Gods against the old kings far surpassed humanity in both physical and mental abilities.

As if born to fight.

Though small in number, they could wield various divine miracles and exerted enormous influence across both continents.

'But it's strange.'

Could an elf wield a holy sword?

Elves would use holy spears, which could be considered an offshoot of holy swords.

But how could there be a swordsman using Surfang?

"What do you mean 'no value'?"

Bart asked.

Valensidis pointed to Obin, whose eyes were bloodshot with tears.

"The Solond Kingdom, located in the north-central part of the Adrion Continent, operates a form of slavery. It divides its citizens into classes from birth through a bizarre system called the bone rank system."

"…!"

"And when the kingdom faced a crisis, the prince was the first to flee the kingdom, abandoning his people."

"Crisis?"

"They say a plague called the 'Lost Soul Disease' (Manghonbyeong) is currently spreading in the Solond Kingdom. The royal family is standing by and doing nothing."

By the way, so he really was a prince.

That gem that turned light into sound, he felt like he'd heard of it somewhere.

To think it was the treasure of the Archmage Ligwind, passed down to the royal descendants of the Solond dynasty.

Was that what he meant by asking for help earlier?

"Oh, no, no, no. I, I, had to, find, this, you see."

Having only recently begun to articulate language, the young prince's pronunciation of the common tongue was even worse than Aki's.

But his spirit seemed to be on a higher level, as he did not break down even in the face of his loyal retainer's death.

The boy pulled out a worn-out bamboo flute, and for a moment, Rain's and Valensidis's eyes widened.

'Could this be.'

'Ligwind's Flute?'

Ligwind was the first disciple of the Great Sage Emittsa Page, the 1st Archmage, and the progenitor of the Solond dynasty.

He was also the progenitor of mages who used music.

And that flute, with the name Ligwind elegantly engraved on it… was the forgotten treasure of Ligwind, mentioned in countless books.

"If, if I have this, I can stop what High Priest Rametha is doing."

Had he left to find that?

But indeed, thinking that way would clearly explain why the Dawn Brigade chased the prince all the way here.

If the prince was truly so incompetent and merely abandoned the kingdom and fled, would there be any reason to kill him?

"High Priest Rametha?"

According to Prince Obin's stammering explanation, the cause of the Lost Soul Disease was due to the schemes of that elven high priest (presumably Ellamas).

By spreading the disease and then curing it, thus undermining the royal family's prestige and elevating his own reputation.

The royal family had no power to oppose the high priest, so the prince left the kingdom with five guards.

To find Ligwind's Flute, which was said to be able to reproduce the melodies of the gods that purified the abyss of the ancient kings.

He finally found the flute, whose location was passed down only to the eldest grandson of the royal family, but in the process, all five guards, including Bisram, died.

And now he had to hurry back to the kingdom before it was too late… but it was impossible for the prince alone.

"I am against it, Rain Ludwig. Don't forget the purpose of your journey. And is the prince's intention truly benevolent? And not for his own throne?"

Valensidis shook his head, indicating dissent, while Bart, who had been deep in thought for a moment, nodded.

"I want to help. Couldn't we just stop by on our way?"

"It's not that simple. Accompanying that prince means being attacked by the brigade throughout the journey."

"I'm against it too. This is… well, I'd usually want to help, but it smells too dangerous. Dangerous enough that we don't need to get involved."

Surprisingly, Rem agreed with Valensidis, not Bart.

The assassin's skill he had seen earlier seemed extremely dangerous. To think that was just a regular member, not a leader.

If he were alone, it might be fine, but now he even has Aki to protect.

"I think it's right to help."

Miria raised her hand in favor.

Long Uncle would have wanted it that way. He would have wanted him to use his power like this.

'And for some reason… I feel like I have to go there.'

Soon all eyes turned to Rain, the last voter and ultimate decision-maker.

'If he's telling us everything like this, people he just met, then it must really be a hopeless situation.'

Does this child have to endure all the adversities created by the Black Church all by himself?

Suddenly, a memory of himself shivering in the cold in an alleyway of the slums as a child came to mind, and a hot sensation rose in his chest.

Black Yanglin.

'Are you telling me to go to Solond?'

If that is your will…

Rain, who had been stroking the sleeping Setsunen's head and calculating something, finally opened his mouth.

"I also don't see any particular need to help. There's a true purpose to my journey, after all. And I'm bound by a promise with my life as collateral."

The prince's eyes filled with despair.

Bart and Miria exchanged slightly perplexed glances. They had assumed he would naturally say yes to helping…

Rain, boldly ignoring the gazes of the three, flashed an irresponsible smile at Aki.

"Right, Aki?"

Aki stared blankly back into his eyes.

Usually, just looking into each other's eyes made him feel good, but today was different.

It was a look that asked if he, too, naturally agreed with his decision, but Aki paused for a breath, then walked towards the prince.

"First. Like a dragon (龍), martial arts must be used to protect the powerless and weak!"

"…?"

"Second. Like a dragon (龍), martial arts must be used to illuminate the dark places of the world!"

Suddenly shouting so powerfully that the forest shook was the mindset of a Cheonhwapa disciple, learned from Celine.

His master's teaching that one must train body and mind to reach the level of a dragon.

So loud was the shout that Setsunen, who had been asleep in his arms, squinted his eyes and looked at Aki's face.

"Third. And one must harbor the heart of a dragon (龍) in their chest!"

Aki, having finished his shouting, looked directly at Rain with dazzlingly clear eyes, like a torch illuminating the world's last winter.

"Aba, I wanna help."

Was the silence that fell upon the forest's darkness at that instant an expression of awe towards the noble will of an absolute life form?

"Wanna, wanna, wanna."

And the expressions on his companions' faces, each different, as they looked at Aki at that moment.

'Did that guy deliberately test Aki?'

And at that moment, Rain, feeling a warm and touching pang of pain at Aki's growth, had to turn his back.

"Hmm, even considering all possibilities, it might be right not to help, but since Aki said that, I can't do anything about it."

Valensidis sighed, and Rem shook his head as if dumbfounded.

"He was going to do that anyway, so why all the talk?"

Originally, even if the prince wasn't involved, he had been thinking of visiting the Solond Kingdom alone to find out the identity of the Surfang swordsman.

Something felt ominous.

He didn't know why, but he felt he had to investigate that identity.

Yet, he gave Aki the choice because he wanted to know how Aki, with his tender heart, viewed this situation.

The best possible answer had come, but it was, how should I put it, like reaching the level of 5-star magic after much struggle…

- You're truly amazing, Rin!

When I solved the first math problem the Dean Auntie gave me, she seemed to have a similar expression.

Ah, so that's how you felt back then.

The smile stretching to both his ears simply wouldn't fade. Is this what they call feeling proud?

"Aba."

"Aba, Aba, Aba."

He placed his hand on Aki's head, who ran up smiling happily at his decision. As the two of them laughed, Setsunen, probably not knowing why, laughed along.

"Aru."

He felt as if Alakish, layered upon his soul under the name Yeouiju, had smiled.

"Alright, then shall we go? To Solond."