258. Regina’s crossroads (2)
They were planning to head towards the gap now, Seonghwang explained.
Unlike the place I experienced in the imperial palace before, it is a very stable space with a separate owner to manage it. So you don’t have to worry too much about motion sickness.
[Don’t forget to take the ice heart.]
It is said to be a magical space where only the soul moves, but the objects it carries are still reflected.
Certainly, Seongjin had experienced the presence of a body in both the office and the space at the same time before. I don’t know what the principle is, but it’s probably a similar phenomenon.
“hmm…….”
Seongjin, who was taking three ice hearts and putting them in his pocket, hesitated for a moment, then quietly took one out and put it back on the table.
For some reason, I had a feeling that it would be better to leave at least one piece in its original state. But for a moment, I thought a bright silver light flashed in Seonghwang’s eyes.
[If possible, why not take them all with you? I think you’ll get another heart soon.]
“yes?”
[Aren’t you already aware of another material?]
Then Seongjin tilted his head.
“That’s right. Well, the first thing that comes to mind is what that damn Dekaron Knight left behind…”
[Then he will bring it to you.]
“yes?”
Seongjin’s eyes widened.
“Why does that old man do such a thing?”
[Are you not very angry with him?]
No, that doesn’t mean… … ?
[He probably won’t go against your wishes too much. His ability to detect danger is more excellent than you might think.]
For that to be the case, it has already looked too loose and untidy.
[Perhaps the moment you arrived, he instinctively sensed that Yeongji would overcome the danger safely. Thanks to you, I was able to completely relieve my tension.]
“…You really believed in me and did such foolish things?”
While he was dumbfounded, Seonghwang pressed Seongjin’s forehead onto the bed.
[It’s better not to think about them too deeply anymore. The cause and effect given to me is fixed, and I don’t have much time now.]
No, but thinking about that old man makes me angry again!
Father, while we’re at it, shouldn’t we also do something for that old man? As it is, I feel unfair… … !
As Seongjin struggled, Seonghwang sighed softly.
[I have already dealt with them, so now all that remains is to wait for the results. Don’t worry anymore now.]
“yes?”
[Go to sleep now.]
Sigh.
For some reason, Seongjin, who was feeling weaker than usual at night, suddenly lost consciousness.
* * *
“Hmm….”
Taktaktak.
Old Vincent, who was slowly driving his horse at the rear of the chase team, felt restless due to the cold that came over his body from time to time, and eventually let out a low groan.
“Why are you doing this, Vincent?”
One of the Wolf Knights asked curiously, but he stubbornly furrowed his eyebrows without answering. How could I explain the vague feeling of great fear and anxiety to a young knight?
‘It all started after the princes arrived.’
It was difficult to maintain composure in front of Prince Mores, but ever since Prince Logan appeared before my eyes, that fear had become quite concrete.
In particular, when I looked at the back of the boy paladin riding the white horse in front of me, the hand holding the reins almost trembled from the fear that came over me so strongly. A genius sword master who truly resembles a successful person, at least in the back of his head.
‘your majesty… … .’
The day the Holy Emperor entered the Sigismund Territory without permission and took away Princess Amelia.
Old man Vincent did not fully remember what happened that day. I was just shocked enough to die at once, and the feeling of fear engraved deep in my bones remains vague.
Anyway, from that day on, the old man abdicated the throne to his son and stayed in the estate.
I didn’t even go to the birthday party I used to go to every year. Just thinking about Seonghwang’s cool gray eyes made his whole body tremble like an aspen tree.
Instead, from that day on, the old man did not take a single step outside the territory and devoted himself to training. Because there was no way to control his anxious mind without swinging his sword and becoming stronger.
‘But it was all an illusion!’
This time, I realized this the moment I saw my sons who looked exactly like Seonghwang.
Dekaron Knight was caught up in a psychological problem of unknown depth. If things continue like this, I will never be able to overcome my fears or reach the level of a sword master.
-As expected, you are much better than that useless Dekaron Knight!
And Prince Mores’ merciless evaluation keeps ringing in my head.
In the end, old Vincent, who had been struggling, turned his head towards the ice base alone.
“Lord Ilma. I have somewhere to go for a while. Please join the chase team.”
Then Lord Ilma looked back at him with a darker look than usual.
“Huh? Vincent. Where are you suddenly…”
“The cliffs to the south. I guess I’ll have to go back to where I caught that devil worshiper.”
For some reason, he no longer wanted to find fault with Prince Mores.
Is it the ice of the Glature Troll or something? I must find it and quickly receive recognition of its usefulness from that arrogant little prince.
Otherwise… … .
Leaving behind Lord Ilma’s puzzled gaze, old Vincent began to ride his horse with a stern expression on his face.
* * *
The whole place is shrouded in fog.
In the heavy silence that completely drowned out even the sound of footsteps, Seongjin walked along an invisible path, following Seonghwang.
There were several positive effects of the soul moving away from the body.
It didn’t make all the anger disappear, but at least it prevented reason from being helplessly swept away by uncontrollable emotions.
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Additionally, I felt like the memories that had been blurry until now became a little clearer.
So, Seongjin followed his intuition and asked Seonghwang a question. Following a strong premonition that I would have to find out exactly what Seonghwang’s intentions were toward Sigismund.
[Father, can you tell me? What is the blessing that was given to the former countess?]
It is clear that it is an incredibly strong blessing, as it makes up for the shortcomings of cause and effect.
However, Seongjin has not yet found any evidence of blessing on the old woman’s body.
It is natural that she is healthy for her age, as she must have been treated well all her life, but she still looks much older than her husband, old man Vincent. Isn’t she an ordinary old lady who has not been able to avoid aging at all?
Then Seonghwang gave an unexpected answer.
[I blessed her soul, not her body. So that I can dream sometimes even in extreme pain.]
[…] A dream?]
[okay.]
dream? Why that way?
I had my doubts for a moment, but at least one thing was certain.
[Anyway, you gave her a chance to breathe from the pain. Why?]
Perhaps sensing the dissatisfaction in his voice, Seonghwang stopped for a moment and looked down at Seongjin.
[Son, what do you think is the difference between ‘moving cause and effect’ and ‘creating cause and effect’?]
What moves and what creates?
Seongjin tilted his head.
[Aren’t both the same thing?]
Then Seonghwang nodded with a smile on his face.
[okay. At first glance, it may seem like there is no difference. Both can start from the same basis and produce the same results. However, unfortunately, the impact of the two when discussing human karma is greatly different.]
This comes from the perspective that ordinary humans are ignorant of the results of cause and effect movements.
After saying that, Seonghwang turned around and started walking again through the hazy fog.
[Do you know this? She wasn’t that harsh from the beginning. Although she may have kicked out her husband’s children out of wedlock, it did not prevent her from providing the bare minimum of food, clothing, and shelter. Nor did she object to her child being cared for by her earl when she died, leaving behind her daughter.]
Is that caring? Did they torture you with the intention of making you die even more painfully?
Words of protest rose up to his throat, but Seongjin held back and listened to his next words.
[However, while waiting for her husband to continue wandering around the territory, her malice grew uncontrollably. Then, when she saw that her grandson, who had inherited her husband’s talent, was once again giving Amelia her attention, she thought like this.]
If this continues, grandson Orden will also fall in love with a woman and follow in Vincent’s footsteps.
Amelia will be the culprit that ruins everything for Sigismund.
[Does that justify torturing my innocent little sister so much? Not everyone who harbors murderous intentions becomes a murderer!]
I’m crying.
I can’t stand it either! Even if you become a soul, being angry is still being angry!
Then thud.
Seonghwang interrupted Seongjin’s thoughts by lightly hitting him on the forehead and continued speaking.
[okay. Even if you have deep hatred in your heart to the point of killing someone over and over again, there is a big difference that you can’t overcome compared to actually taking action. And your personal revenge does not require God-like impartial judgment.]
-You are now completely in the ignorance of humans.
Is it an illusion? At first glance, I felt like I heard a faint thought coming from Seonghwang.
Seongjin tilted his head, and Seonghwang continued speaking.
[If we consider principled legitimacy, there is nothing more ridiculous than the subject of revenge being someone other than Amelia.]
No, that’s a bit much!
[So are you saying that people who don’t have the power to take revenge should just suffer? Are you saying there is nothing the person next to him can do for him?]
[Son. I am not blaming you for taking revenge on that woman.]
Tuk-tuk.
Seonghwang tapped Seongjin’s shoulder a couple more times as if to soothe him from tears, then turned around and started walking again.
fluttering. Even though it was a space with no air flow, the hem of Seonghwang’s white robes swayed as if fluttering in the wind.
[The only thing you need to know clearly is this one thing. That you never exercised justice on behalf of Amelia.]
[…] … !]
[The woman certainly faced such a result due to her own mistake, but she should never be mistaken as thinking that the retribution she deserved was given on God’s behalf.]
Seongjin bit his lip, but despite his anger, he was unable to mount an appropriate rebuttal.
[What about Sir Vincent, the other man you said you could not forgive?]
While I was looking down sullenly, Seonghwang walked forward with great strides and continued speaking.
[He lived a busy life all his life, building a huge ice wall in the Demonic Land for the safety of his territory and driving out heretics from the south. Then, sometimes, on the days when he returned to the count’s residence, the butler would report to him like that. He said the child is doing well.]
[…] … .]
[So he thought. Is there any need to further offend my already uncomfortable wife by giving her attention for no reason?]
So are you saying that neglecting your sister is an extenuating circumstance? So whose fault is it for your sister’s suffering?
When Seongjin, who had a frown on his face, no longer followed, Seonghwang stopped walking again and looked back. As if he knew what Seongjin was thinking.
[okay. It must be difficult to understand. Would you believe that all of this started with someone inadvertently ‘moving cause and effect’?]
The difference between moving and creating.
Seonghwang has been talking about that since a while ago.
[An arrogant person who found out about Amelia’s existence thought like this. Although she was not born as gifted with the sword as her father, I thought that it would be much easier for her to inherit and run her territory from him in the future if she made everyone, including her earl, aware of her father’s blemishes.]
[…] … !]
[His mother was a noble of the fallen Ortona, and his wife married into a wealthy family in Anatolia. As the conflict between the two stubborn people reaches its peak and the house continues to be in turmoil, I think it would be a good idea to channel this anger somewhere else.]
Seonghwang’s calm voice spread as if echoing through the empty space.
[What he whispered at that time was only a few words.]
Mother, have you ever heard of a cursed clan that fascinates people like the devil? Somehow, that girl’s eyes are exactly like theirs.
Father, I will take care of the Count’s affairs, so please do not worry about trivial matters and only protect the safety of the continent.
Seongjin’s eyes widened in shock.
[Whose fault do you think is the biggest here?]
No, if that’s true, the person who made the situation worse is by far… … .
[But can you understand that even though ‘moving cause and effect’ has such clear results, the weight of the karma is infinitely lighter compared to ‘creating cause and effect’?]
[…] … !]
Hendrik Sigismund, who was the archduke at the time, soon learned that the emperor was desperately looking for his child. Also, his half-sister, whose face he didn’t even know, was his woman.
Only then did he become fearful of what would happen later, and began to disturb the guild members who came to the territory to investigate, and to deal with outsiders who knew of Amelia’s existence, step by step.
And he encouraged the mother and employees to harass the little girl even more, leading to her death. Later, when Seonghwang, who found out about the truth, investigated, it was made to look as if the girl was sick and suffered a natural death.
[However, despite years of helping others accumulate enough cause and effect to be punished, he himself has not accumulated any cause and effect at all. He even believes without doubt that all of this is done to revive the territory with minimal sacrifice.]
Inorganic eyes without emotion and a calm voice. Nevertheless, Seongjin felt that he was angrier than ever.
[If we were to strictly consider the merits and demerits of his life, which were derived from his own ‘good intentions,’ his soul would certainly be more weighted towards his merits. It is very difficult to watch it quietly.]
-So, even though I know full well what the Margrave is planning, I am leaving it alone. I’m really looking forward to the results.
A faint thought comes from him.
This time it was definitely not an illusion. Seongjin clearly understood what he wanted to say.
[…] The person my father most wants revenge on is Margrave Hendrik.]
Now that he doesn’t have enough accumulated to take heavy revenge like the former countess, he is waiting for him to ‘create’ enough cause and effect to accumulate karma.
Then Seonghwang opened his eyes slightly wide, looked at Seongjin, and then nodded.
[okay. Don’t deny it. So, if possible, I hope that he will somehow accumulate some kind of great karma.]
The gray eyes that used to shine brightly become darker than ever before. And Seongjin once again vaguely heard his true feelings that he did not express.
-I am just standing by and watching him commit a serious and irreversible sin. Even though I clearly knew the consequences, I tried to take advantage of it, so in essence, I and Margrave Hendrick are not that different.
Does Seonghwang know that Seongjin vaguely hears his thoughts?
-Still, I hate him. To the point where I think it’s okay to bear the full burden of the sin of arbitrarily moving cause and effect while ‘knowing’ the outcome.
You probably don’t know. This is a man who has never shown his emotions so openly towards his children.
It was just a fleeting coincidence that occurred due to the combination of Seongjin becoming more adept at coming into contact with thoughts and his inability to store his emotions better than usual.
-Of course, I do not forget that this is also due to my personal resentment and self-satisfaction.
Surprisingly, Seongjin suddenly trembled with an ominous feeling.
Isn’t there someone this man resents more than Margrave Hendrick? as soon as… … .
[…] Father, please tell me. Why did the Margrave bring a medicine cart into his domain? What was he planning in the first place?]
When Seongjin asked in a trembling voice, Seonghwang smiled bitterly and turned around.
[Aren’t you currently in the state of a complete oracle? You can’t teach things like that easily.]
-If you knew that, surely you wouldn’t try to stop me?
[but… … !]
It was when Seongjin was about to say something more to him.
[It would be better to end the story here. You have arrived at your destination.]
As soon as Seonghwang finished speaking, the fog cleared and a gray, faded space unfolded before my eyes.
fantasy,
