#11. Showdown ( 7 )
A meadow where cows and sheep graze leisurely near Lothern.
The light blue night air fell over them. The moonlight poured like a skirt and illuminated the two beautiful women. They were Soya and Nael. After a few days of companionship, the two finally arrived near Lothern, and were in the middle of their last camp here. Nael was sleeping soundly inside the sleeping bag like a caterpillar. In front of it, dry firewood burned with a faint smoke. Soya sat cross-legged like a man, silently watching the flame burn.
“What is it?”
Soya was thinking about it now. Should I wait until tomorrow morning and move with Nael, or leave without a word now? The conclusion was not easily reached. After looking at the fireworks for a long time, Soya immediately looked up at the starry sky. In the clear and clean night sky of Lortern, pure white stars were densely embedded like jewels. Soya, with her ebony-like hair hanging down, blankly watched the universe spin. What broke the silence was Nael’s drool.
“Well… Well… Tomorrow, I’ll introduce you… ”
I muttered something and laughed briskly. It seemed like he was having a good dream. Seeing that, Soya smiled. A small smile that he hadn’t shown to anyone else spread across his lips. When I think of the past few days of companionship with Nael, a smile comes to my lips like this, and my heart throbs inexplicably.
The past few days with Nael were the most turbulent days of Soya’s life. Ever since the village she lived in was burned by the demons, Soya has always lived alone. If anyone tried to use her force, she refused with her sword, and if anyone tried to do her favor, she spurned her life. Avoiding private houses, avoiding roads, and avoiding villages, I walked alone on a bad road. That’s why the sense of direction to find one’s way was so terrible.
That’s why the trip with Nael in the past few days was special. It was because it was the first few days of digging into the city of people, in between. As she walked around the small town holding Nael’s hand for the first time, visiting street vendors, drinking alcohol at a tavern, gathering information, and trading goods, Soya realized something she hadn’t realized in the past 20 years of her life.
Until now, I realized that I had been very overpriced and traded things. I realized that drinking alcohol with meat is so delicious. I also learned that you can sit together, drink, and chat with strangers. When he was by Nael’s side, people showed a variety of emotions, as if they were creatures different from the people he had known so far. His blunt demeanor was also received favorably.
Soya was amazed at Nael’s affinity. Last night, Soya was staring at Nael’s face on the street, in pure wonder. Misunderstanding that gaze for a different meaning, Nael handed over a stick of potato. While munching on the potato, Soya asked Nael.
“We’re about to break up, so why are you being so friendly?”
It was truly questionable. However, Nael answered with a wide smile as if asking something strange.
“yes? But maybe we’ll meet again someday! And, it’s not like we’re going to break up.”
“Then what?”
“We’re already friends, aren’t we?”
Even though Soya’s words could hurt, Nael’s reaction was innocent. I brought up the word friend because we can meet again someday in our lives. Is it because of the long-lived elf’s unique sense of time, or is Nael unique? Soya was confused. To such Soya, Nael even invited her with a bright smile.
“Hey, there’s a lodging where I stay in Lothern, right? It’s a very nice place! I have a lot of friends, and they’re all good, good kids. Why don’t you stay there while you do your business? Let me introduce you!”
At those words, Soya unconsciously aroused death. It was because he had no intention of accompanying Nael until he arrived in Lortern. It was contrary to the principle of the Hyeongwimun, which requires a lonely and lofty life. After releasing such a powerful killing blow, the people who had been inviting me like this all turned blue and withdrew.
“yes? how is it? If you go, I’ll buy you a better drink than the one I drank today! Would you be surprised?”
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But it didn’t work for Nael. Soya was silent. Up until now, she had turned down numerous offers like this, but never outright refused. It was because the other person’s complexion would turn blue and back off. It wasn’t easy to reject Nael’s proposal with a smile on his face. Soya, who was hesitant, immediately asked to collect examples.
“Who has been the hardest thing for you to be friends with? What was the quarrel?”
After hearing the story, I thought of following it. At that absurd question, Nael raised his index finger and touched his lips, deep in thought.
“yes?”
He seemed to think it was just a chat between women. After thinking for a while, Nael found the answer.
“Well, that’s probably someone named Jain.”
“Are you a man?”
Seeing that Nael’s face turned slightly red, Soya immediately asked. Nael nodded lightly and said.
“That guy is jagged on the outside, but soft on the inside, like a sea urchin! He went through something bad in the past, and he’s been living alone all along… There was a time when I almost broke up because I was not good enough, because I couldn’t understand their feelings well.”
It wasn’t the answer Soya was hoping for. But Soya nodded. It was because it was a story that somehow gave the impression that he was a little similar to himself.
“But I’m just shy, because I was a good person! In the end, we met again, cleared up misunderstandings, and talked while drinking, and we quickly reconciled! Now you are my favorite friend!”
“Right.”
Soya muttered helplessly. This, too, was not a story conducive to rejection. Nael smiled brightly, bent down and looked up at Soya and said.
“Ah, come to think of it, I think she resembles Soya in some way. It seems like a similar person! He’s good at swords too, and, well, he’s very strong!”
“That sounds kind of interesting.”
“Yes, he is also working at the inn where I am staying! If we go to the dorm together, I’ll introduce Jain too!”
Nael clapped his hands and said as if it was a really good idea. Soya was taken aback. The story that I brought up to refuse the offer spread to the story of introducing me to a new friend before I knew it. When I talked to Nael, the story would go on like this.
After all, from that time until now, until the camp near Lothern, Soya could not properly express his intention to refuse. Soya smiled bitterly.
“Actually, these are all excuses.”
If you really wanted to leave, it was a matter of just getting up and leaving. However, it was not easy to turn my back on Nael, who believed in me and gave me so much free favor. I didn’t want to disappoint you, I didn’t want to be hated. I don’t know if we’ll meet again someday. It was a feeling I hadn’t felt in a long time. So, Soya just stared at the slow rotation of the sky until the North Star tilted, unable to stand up.
“I understand why the master asked.”
Just before becoming a monster, the teacher voluntarily lost his life by Soya’s sword. She asked to live alone. He taught that it is his destiny to live by walking only on the road that no human being walks. I could understand its meaning. It was because once I was entangled with others, it was many times more difficult to cut them off.
“I have to leave… ”
Soya looked at Nael’s face again and fell into trouble. It was then.
“Ugh.”
Soya’s face stiffened at the sudden throbbing pain in his chest. As a successor of the Hyeongwimun, her left chest was engraved with a pattern that had the power to detect demons. The pattern just got hot. A sharp pain, as if a pharynx had been stabbed in the chest, spread through the veins along with the beating of the heart.
“exorbitant… Margie. More than anything I’ve ever been through… strong.”
From the intense pain transmitted from this pattern, Soya was able to guess the concentration of that demonic energy. The pain brought back memories of the distant past. Because of the demons grazing, the scenery of the village that was engulfed in fire and burned to black shimmered in front of my eyes. Even now, when he closed his eyes, the vision that came to mind vividly blew poison into Soya’s heart. Soya made a decision.
“I’m sorry.”
Soya spread the sleeping bag that Nael had bought her not too long ago and covered it over Nael’s sleeping body. Then, he took all the money out of his pocket and put it on Nael’s arms. All that was received was given back. Then, he grabbed his sword and turned around. The back of Soya, who slowly walked towards the place where demons were emanating from, was faint as if she were melting in the moonlight.
*
“exorbitant… strong. What, was there a power struggle between demons?”
Soya, who stepped into the secret forest, a place where demons emanate, was very nervous. It was because the corpses of the monsters that the manager hadn’t taken care of were scattered all over the secret forest. All of them must have been dead to one person. It was because the form of death was similar. There was no doubt that he would have died in a single blow or a distance from his great attitude.
“And, these sword scars… ”
As Soya carefully inspected the corpse, her face hardened. This characteristic sword mark was familiar to the eye.
“brother.”
A demonic sword held by her separated brother, Leather Slash. It must have left a scar. Soya’s heart started beating wildly in a different way. Rumors that the scars of leather cutting were found in this place also played a role in her choice of Lothern. I thought the rumors were true. Soya put her forehead on her sword for a moment. The cool touch of the sword cooled his heated forehead. Having regained her composure, Soya walked along the path where the moonlight was shining once again.
And, it soon got closer to the center of the Secret Forest. The closer we got to the center, the more the pattern on our chest throbbed. It was proof that they had come close to the source of magic. Soya, who finally arrived near the center, hardened her face when she saw the shadow of a man in the distance. A man was sitting guarding in front of a tree emanating with demonic energy, eating a rice ball. Soya hurriedly moved her steps and appeared.
“Brother… !”
“ok?”
And Soya looked at the man’s face and stopped talking. That man was Jain who had been waiting for the purification of the spirit prison.