Chapter 76 (1/2)

< 76.=”” maria's=”” sorrow=””>

Seol Ji-Hu couldn't win against Maria's pestering and forced himself off from the ground. He dragged Mikhail and Cho Hong, while Maria dragged Veronika out of the underground cavern.

They eventually left the hilly region altogether and returned to their initial campsite. Only then did he feel that he had indeed survived the deadly encounter. Tears threatened to burst out of his eyes, but he suppressed them.

However, Maria didn't and cried. Although her manner of speech was a bit on the rough side, in the end, she was still a human being just like he was. Seol Ji-Hu felt a sense of kins.h.i.+p from her and formed a quiet smile.

”What are you cracking that grin for?! F*ck me. Does someone crying look funny to you?” (Maria)

”……”

As it turned out, Maria's sorrowful tears were for the crucifix she had to sacrifice during the ceremony. She said something about it being an item that no amount of money could buy, even if its cost was factored in the equation.

They went through a proper wringer this time, she lost her invaluable artefact, and her appearance was beyond messed up as well. Perhaps it was only obvious that she'd start unloading her tears with how wretched her current state was.

Seol Ji-Hu tried to console her as gently as possible with the words of ”But, we still got to solve the mystery”, but Maria was triggered immediately and yelled back ”Does fame put food on the table?!”

She then proceeded to spit out all sorts of blaming fingers and sighs of lamentation that roughly went along the lines of ”I shouldn't have come with you lot, if I knew something like this would happen, forget about 15 Silver coins, I'd not have said yes even if you give me 150 Silver coins”, etc., etc….

”That was why you should've sided with me during the vote….” (Seol Ji-Hu)

”I didn't know things would turn out this way!!” (Maria)

Maria grabbed his collars and began shaking him around in sheer madness while shouting out, ”Why?! Why couldn't you have persuaded me better?!”

She was no longer thinking straight at the moment. She breathed like a raging bull and shot up from her seating position, and strode to where Mikhail and Veronika were sleeping peacefully, before kicking the living daylights out of them over and over again.

‘….She's totally off her rockers.' (Seol Ji-Hu)

Seol Ji-Hu sighed cautiously under his breath and switched his attention off from her. He s.h.i.+fted his worried gaze over to Cho Hong. Somewhat mysteriously, her hair remained in the shades of brilliant silver even now. With this look, she completely came across as a different person altogether. She was quite beautiful to behold, like a slumbering G.o.ddess quietly lying on her back.

Seol Ji-Hu wordlessly brushed her smooth hair for a little while longer, before laying down quietly next to her, while he still held a strand of her hair.

It was already early morning by the time he opened his eyes. He also realised that he had slept like a baby after completely forgetting about standing as the lookout, too. Something like that should've never happened, but he was too fatigued and it couldn't be helped anyway.

The first to regain consciousness were Mikhail and Veronika. They were initially confused and unsure of what happened, but after Seol Ji-Hu explained the situation, they understood the events that took place during and after the battle. They even began roaring out in anger when hearing of Gierszal choosing to run away right after they became incapacitated.

”Gierszal, that son of a b*tch…!!” (Mikhail)

Mikhail huffed and puffed with a reddened face.

”That f*cking b*stard. We'll see! Imma tell everyone, not just in Haramark, but every-freaking-where and make sure he's got no place in the Paradise anymore!” (Mikhail)

As the old saying went, bad news tended to travel fast. The impact of a fast-spreading rumour would be quite scary. Not one Earthling would welcome another who readily abandoned his comrades in the middle of a battle.

Seol Ji-Hu would've done the same if he could. It was just that, there was no need to do so anymore.

”You don't need to do that.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

”What? Why not?” (Mikhail)

”He's already dead.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

Just thinking back to that event p*ssed Seol Ji-Hu off. The Nest absorbed Gierszal's corpse and recovered from the fatal injury both Maria and Cho Hong bet their lives to inflict, after all. If his ‘Future Vision' didn't activate in time, they would all have been killed right there.

”He G.o.d d*mn deserved it.” (Veronika)

”Good thing he's dead. That son of a b*tch.” (Mikhail)

These two's reactions were slightly off from Seol Ji-Hu's expectations. They came across as comrades that worked together for a long while, too. Rather than feeling a moment of sorrow, perhaps even a bit of sympathy, these two were busy clapping their hands in celebration, instead. Mikhail opened his mouth after seeing the youth's expression.

”No need to feel sorry for a b*stard like that, you know.” (Mikhail)

”No, it's not that I'm feeling sorry for him.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

”He was the first to throw away the bond of trust, anyway. He committed one of the taboos of the Paradise, know what I'm saying? If he was planning to do whatever he wants, why bother entering a team in the first place? Why not fool around on his own, then?” (Mikhail)

Those words certainly weren't wrong. Mikhail smacked his lips a bit and silently studied the youth's reactions. He then quietly gathered his hands together in a pleading position.

”I'm sorry.” (Mikhail)

”Not just with Gierszal, but, well…. You were right. We shouldn't have gone inside, but we got blinded by our greed and….” (Mikhail)

Veronika also lowered her gaze a little as if she too had nothing to say to defend herself.

If he were honest, these guys didn't really meet Seol Ji-Hu's standards. Compared to the previous expedition, they definitely lacked in many areas. Especially the difference in cla.s.s between Samuel and Veronika could be considered as wide as the heaven and earth itself.

But then again, this was the level of the team he did manage to a.s.semble in the first place. These two did their best. At the very least, they didn't try to run away unlike a certain someone, so that certainly counted for something.

Perhaps that was why Seol Ji-Hu could let a chuckle leave his mouth.

”It's fine.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

The team packed up the camping site and got on the road back to Ramman village.

There was one problem, though. Cho Hong hadn't recovered her consciousness yet.

Mikhail still felt sorry about what had happened and made a suggestion of goodwill regarding him carrying Cho Hong instead, but Seol Ji-Hu immediately rejected the proposal. The youth's stamina hadn't fully recovered, but he still carried her unconscious frame without complaining once. The thing was, he felt a bit of repulsion from the very idea that some other man was going to touch her.

The team needed around two hours to get back to the village. The first thing they did upon arrival was to rent out the biggest room within the inn. Others might have felt okay-ish, but Maria and Cho Hong were both in a state where they desperately needed to take proper rest.

Mikhail left while saying that he'd search for a carriage while Veronika went around to find a delicious meal after Maria ordered her to do so.

Seol Ji-Hu also stepped out of the inn. There was one last matter he needed to take care of before leaving this village altogether.

He knocked on the familiar door and heard the voice telling him to enter. He stepped inside and spotted the elderly owner of the house. It was none other than the village head.

”How goes with the request?” (Village head)

He didn't even bother to turn around from his seat to ask that.

”It's been resolved. Variants won't appear again. Ever.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

The youth didn't miss that the complexion of the village head stiffening greatly in that brief moment.

”….I should thank you. However, it's only been one, two days since our last meeting, yet you seem to be very worse for wear. I guess the variant was rather strong?” (Village head)

”You haven't seen us fight, yet you seem to know pretty well.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

Seol Ji-Hu grinned brightly and kept his gaze locked on the village head.

”Well, a famous wizard such as yourself would easily figure out what happened, anyway.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

The village head maintained an expressionless face. He simply remained sitting in his chair, his eyes quietly closed. It seemed that he was swimming within the murky sea of his thoughts at the moment.

He showed not one sign of movement and remained utterly silent for a long while. Just as the impression of time itself having frozen entered the youth's mind, the old man finally broke the silence and addressed him.

”….Did you kill it?” (Village head)

”Yes.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

Rather unexpectedly, the old man's reaction was rather tranquil. Or was it closer to being a mixture of relief and sorrow? It even came across as if a load was taken off his shoulders, too.

”Is that so.” (Village head)

Even his manner of speech had become curt as well. But the change was so natural that Seol Ji-Hu didn't feel too put off by it.

”Indeed, I kind of expected this. Back when you started talking about the research centres, I began suspecting it. Maybe, you were just testing the waters because you had already figured out my ident.i.ty.” (Village head)

”I won't deny that.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

”Well, then. How did you know? Information related to my ident.i.ty must've all disappeared into the ether by now.” (Village head)

”Before I answer that, there is something I'd like to ask you first.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

The village head didn't say anything else. Seol Ji-Hu pulled out a chair next to the old man and settled down.

”First of all….” (Seol Ji-Hu)

The youth took a little bit of time to organise his thoughts and only then, asked his question.

”What exactly was that cavern? Was it a laboratory?” (Seol Ji-Hu)

”A laboratory, you say….. In a way, you could say that. Well, the truth is, it's far closer to being a hideout, however.” (Village head)

Seol Ji-Hu nodded his head. Calling it a hideout certainly made more sense.

”Village head, you have created a hideout for a Nest near your village.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

”I did say that a place like that had to be built. But, I didn't personally construct it. It'd be more correct to say that it was built for me.” (Village head)

”It was…. built for you?” (Seol Ji-Hu)

Seol Ji-Hu tilted his head. Was this old man trying sophistry on him right now?

”The hideout was built by the residents of this village, actually.” (Village head)

What did he mean by that?

”Are you implying that the residents of this village are your accomplices?” (Seol Ji-Hu)

”Please be careful with what you say. These people are trying to find a way to survive, so how could that be seen as a crime?” (Village head)

The old man put up a simple complaint. A way to survive, he said. Seol Ji-Hu mulled over those words and slowly reorganised his thoughts again.

”So, then. You escaped the duchy after the project was shut down and settled in this village. Then, you continued on with your research afterwards. The adult villagers somehow learned of the truth and they decided to help your experiments.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

”Aren't you a smart one. I don't dislike smart fellas such as yourself.” (Village head)

The village head smiled brightly.

”Well, our interests lined up pretty nicely, that was about it.” (Village head)

He then sighed softly under his breath and carried on.

”I wanted to achieve a tangible result somehow and make my glorious return. And the villagers wanted means to defend this village at all times from a potential enemy invasion. Do you get it now?” (Village head)

Ramman village was located quite close to the border region. To put it simply, the villagers wanted some sort of a combat force that could defend them against the invasion of Parasites that might happen at any given day. Considering that point, it wasn't as if Seol Ji-Hu couldn't understand their viewpoint, but….

”But, even then, I'm rather surprised that the villagers helped out willingly like that. Especially when there are a lot of kids around, too.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

”What can I say. We're living in such a time.” (Village head)

The old man carried on.

”There is no right or wrong in the matters of survival. In this world, whether you are a righteous man or of a wicked persuasion, you'll have to gather under one banner and pool your resources to survive. Even as we speak, as a matter of fact.” (Village head)

”But, surely they have a choice of migrating to somewhere else?” (Seol Ji-Hu)

”It's difficult to abandon the land you've been calling home for decades… Well, I won't say something so stereotypical like that.” (Village head)

The old man formed a bitter smile.

”But the truth is, they have nowhere else to go. We aren't living out in the sticks because we like it.” (Village head)

”Did your entry to the city get refused?” (Seol Ji-Hu)

”If it's something as simple like entering it, then no, it's not that difficult at all. However, it's the ‘settling down' part that's the problem. Well, it's nothing to swear blue murder for, though. Regardless of which castle or city, there's always a limit to how many people you can take in, after all. I mean, it's already a big ask to accommodate all of you Earthlings, so how could they spare any energy to look after people like us?” (Village head)

The voice of the old man certainly came across as th.o.r.n.y to the youth's ears.

”This doesn't mean we plan to die without putting up any resistance, obviously. If you're a human being, then you'd want to live on no matter what. The people of this village are no exception. That is why they had accepted me.” (Village head)

The way this old man spoke, he sounded as if he was trying to protect the village, rather than blame the people living in it. Seol Ji-Hu asked his next question.

”Did you succeed in your experiments?” (Seol Ji-Hu)

”No, I failed.” (Village head)

The old man replied immediately. His voice was thickly laden with remorse.

”The empire knew what the issues with the project were. No, I also knew them, too. But, I was just fooling myself with an empty dream, thinking that I couldn't let it end just like that.” (Village head)

”The issue, you say….” (Seol Ji-Hu)

”It wasn't just one or two. You'd need quite a lot of time for a Nest to transform into a reliable combat force, and also, there was a limit to how much you could control it, too. Should I say that its efficiency was bad?” (Village head)

The old man replied until then, before throwing a question of his own.

”You asked me this, didn't you? Why did the level of the team keep increasing?” (Village head)

”Yes.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

”I felt a little scared when you did that, actually. The answer is simple. I wanted it to learn.” (Village head)

”To learn?” (Seol Ji-Hu)

”A newly-born Nest is no different to a clueless child. The Parasites possess a unique command structure with the queen standing in the apex of their hierarchy serving as the centre of everything. The whole thing is like a network of a spider's web. Their roles are clearly a.s.signed and the information is transmitted to one another, but no matter how much we researched it, we still failed to uncover the inner workings of their organisation in the end.” (Village head)

Now that Seol Ji-Hu thought about it, the variants born from the Nest were far closer to humans in appearance, quite different to how a Medusa, Bugs, or even c.o.c.kroaches looked. Feeling genuinely curious, he continued with his questioning.

”In that case, it sounds like the experiment was not a total failure? It's now proven that the Nest is capable of learning, so if the Empire seriously stepped up with their efforts, wouldn't they have been possible to shorten the gestation time?” (Seol Ji-Hu)

The old man blinked his eyes as if he didn't expect the youth to say something like that. Soon, though, he formed a bitter expression.

”Didn't I say it? There's a limit to how much control we can exert.” (Village head)

He slowly got up from the chair and brought out a small box from somewhere. Click, he opened the lid to reveal a murky, dark stone the size of a child's fist.

Seol Ji-Hu looked at it with some interest. He thought it resembled a black-ish jelly.

”This is?” (Village head)

”This is ‘rudium'. You could say it's the essence of alchemy. Well, just think of it as the core substance used to control the Nest.” (Village head)

”Such a thing was really possible?” (Seol Ji-Hu)

Seol Ji-Hu's eyes sparkled. Perhaps finding his interest not unwelcome, the old man began chuckling softly.

”If you want to hear it, then well, I'll tell you. If your level of magic engineering knowledge is at least a quarter of what I know, then I'm confident of teaching you within seven days.” (Village head)

”….What if I don't have any?” (Seol Ji-Hu)

”Please, spare this old man. I don't wish to draw my last breath trying to make you understand.” (Village head)

The old man replied without missing a beat. He looked at the box and sighed under his breath.

”And it has gotten this small already. I meant to conserve it as much as I could, too….” (Village head)

”Is it impossible to control a Nest without this substance called rudium?” (Seol Ji-Hu)

”Basically, yes. Not only is the manufacturing process very difficult, but more than anything, sourcing the ore that serves as its base material is truly the case of plucking the stars from the heavens. And on top of that, it's not even a permanent use item, but a consumable, too…..” (Village head)

The old man's voice trailed off at the end there, before he closed his mouth shut. Seol Ji-Hu didn't need to hear the rest to make educated guesses, though. He urged on.

”You used what remained of this ‘rudium' to control the Nest and continued on with your research.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

”That's correct.” (Village head)

”And because of us, the hope of the village has disappeared now.” (Seol Ji-Hu)

”No, it's not like that.” (Village head)