#44
“Jaeyoung, you can’t do that to your brother. Do you know Yoon Je-ha? “We will stay together now.”
“I don’t mind hanging out with you, but I told you not to come near me. Hey, you fall further. Just hold your hand again!”
“Sehyun, were you out early again?”
“Why don’t you stop talking about the weakest group?”
Afterwards, Kwak Jeong-han and Baek Do-hyeon, who walked leisurely, also exchanged words one by one, and the surroundings quickly became noisy. Se-hyeon looked at Yoon Je-ha, who was awkwardly wriggling his hands, then looked back at Baek Do-hyeon and Kwak Jeong-han and smiled.
“You know that if you cross paths with Yoon Je-ha from now on, you’ll get kicked out.”
“… … .”
“… … .”
Baek Do-hyeon and Kwak Jeong-han had somewhat disapproving expressions. No, it was more accurate to say that it looked like he had a lot to say. But for now, Kwak Jeong-han nodded with effort. On the other hand, Baek Do-hyun did not let go of his grim expression as he looked Yoon Je-ha up and down until the meal began.
Still, it seemed like there were no bad feelings as no one was trying to push Yoon Je-ha away. Se-hyeon looked apologetically at Yoon Je-ha as he squirmed as he ate, and only turned his head when white fish meat appeared in his plate.
It was Lee Jae-young who was handing over the filleted fish. Why was the sight of applying thorns with delicate hands and profound eyes so serious? I couldn’t help but eat it. Actually, I felt very special.
Perhaps it was because it had been a long time since we had eaten together with everyone, or perhaps it was because it was a glimmer of peace amidst the anxiety of war, but it was the most peaceful meal I had had in a long time.
In fact, it may have been the specialness of the last meal that made it that way.
“I’d like to see you for a moment after eating. Do you all have time?”
Everyone’s eyes were focused on Sehyun. However, everyone nodded in the affirmative without saying anything.
Everyone probably already guesses what Sehyun will say. Even Lee Jae-young did the same.
I don’t know what he was thinking, but Lee Jae-young’s sullen expression said it all. Se-hyeon gently stroked Jae-young Lee’s head as if to tell him not to worry, and then went back to eating his last meal.
The news of Sehyeon’s breakup to everyone had to be postponed for a while as dark clouds began to form in the sky after the meal. Before long, cool rain was pouring down on the village.
It was my first mountain rain since coming to Elix. The rain falling steadily drenched the village and dampened the air.
Normally, everyone would have closed their doors and sat at home waiting for the rain to stop. They should have greeted the first rain by lying down and taking a nap, resting for a day, or by asking the village chief to make a tent for them, but without even making such memories, all the villagers had to endure the rain that continued to fall. did.
The reason everyone had no choice but to be exposed to the cold rain was because the Archduke stepped on muddy water with puddles. This was why Sehyeon postponed the conversation.
Two men were being dragged out by the backs of the archduke’s hands. Behind the Archduke, Kim Gap-Jun was also coming out with both arms tied up by the Kural tribe.
“Look carefully! “Our king tried to betray us!”
A loud voice echoed throughout the village, spreading through the sound of rain. It was only 30 minutes ago that everyone was trying to get inside the house, shivering from the pouring rain. The person who stopped this was the Grand Duke, who issued a strict order to gather in the square without leaving a single person out.
Because of this, people had to chatter their teeth and gather in the square under the cold rain until the Archduke came out. It was the same for Sehyun and the others.
The Archduke did not appear until a long time later. The stranger, who was hiding in the village chief’s warehouse, was dragged out in a grim manner. Then, he threw the two strangers who were pleading for their lives in front of the crowd. A fierce rain began to pound and drench the men’s bodies.
“Please, save me… ! We ran away to live… !”
“We didn’t do anything wrong! It’s true!”
All the residents could not hide their confusion at the sight of the strangers desperately soaking in the rain. But no one whispered anything. All I could do was look at Kim Gap-Jun, who had been captured from the Kural tribe, with a strange look in his eyes. Eyes immediately flocked to me, wanting an explanation.
However, the answer came from the Archduke, not Kim Gap-Jun.
“Our king last night brought into the village a stranger whose origin and identity were unknown. In addition, even though he heard the important facts they brought, he tried to hide the whereabouts of these people and cover it up. Even though the survival of the village was at stake, he tried to ignore it… ! He tried to ignore the village’s crisis! Therefore, I, the Grand Duke, decided that this matter could not be ignored, and so I came here to resolve this matter on behalf of our crazy king.”
The archduke’s shining gaze turned to Kim Gap-jun, who was dragged out like a criminal. Kim Gap-Jun also glared at the Archduke fiercely. Only after several looks that could have been chewed to death did Kim Gap-Jun open his mouth.
“Stop f*cking with me and go away, you bastard. Do you think I got kicked once or twice because of you? Let’s see if it goes your way. Go all the way, f*ck! Everyone, don’t listen to what this bastard says! “This bastard is someone who would kill anyone of his own kind!”
“Do not listen to the mad king. The king committed deception to cover up the fact of the enemy’s invasion and surrender to the enemy. This means that he is a corrupt person who gave up the people as living sacrifices and tried to undermine the survival of the empire. “If you don’t believe me, let me know.”
Wherever the Archduke extended his hand, there were trembling strangers. They were startled and hunched over as all eyes were on them. The sunken under eyes and sunken cheeks made them look like they were about to die.
“Tell them exactly what you know.”
The Archduke stomped his huge foot and growled. The strangers were mesmerized and trembled at the sight of the beast threateningly twisting the bridge of its nose. Then he began to stutter and speak gibberish.
“Well, we… That’s because I just want to live… . Well, my village… Burning… Ugh… Many people… He died… . Just barely… Just us… We were the only ones to get out… .”
“Please, save me… . anything… I’ll just do whatever it takes… ! Oh, I’ll tell you everything I know! We were just attacked… Ugh… . I just got attacked and had no choice… You’re here… .”
“Who were the people who attacked?”
“I don’t know… ! I really don’t know! The only thing that happened was that the airship had a boat and snake shape… .”
“I said, if you don’t surrender, they will all be killed! So our chief surrendered… . Ugh, I was shouting surrender… They dragged people around like dogs… . I do not know. What happened to them… “I really don’t know.”
“You dragged me like a dog? Ha, your compatriots would already be torn limb from limb and dead. “That’s what surrender is.”
“Hey, look at what that bastard is saying. If you don’t want to die, don’t be swayed by those words! It’s not good to listen to the Archduke! Because of that guy, I have destroyed nine empires! “Don’t move if you don’t want to die!”
As Kim Gap-Jun continued to speak, the villagers’ complexions gradually became whiter. Among them, there were people who were rolling their eyes, trying to gauge the authenticity of the village chief and the grand duke and wondering where to place the line. Sehyeon looked coldly at the Archduke, who was laughing with madness in the gap.
He was currently inciting the residents. What the Archduke wants is probably a riot. If a riot broke out and a large number of residents fled, the intention was to call in their own people to make up for the number.
In the end, the Archduke could not abandon the villain until the end.
“You are the ones who should not be swayed by the king’s words. I’m just trying to give it a chance. “Everyone has a chance to live.”
The Archduke smiled grotesquely, showing his white teeth. The eyes clearly exposed in the rain were extremely creepy. The residents who faced the strange sight were horrified and retreated. There were also those who kept their mouths shut and tried to ignore everything.
While everyone was panicking, Sehyeon’s group was quietly watching the situation unfold. Kwak Jeong-han, who could not see anything, whispered in a suppressed voice as if he was chewing.
“… Sehyun, do I have to just watch?”
“If we step forward now, it will only add to the confusion. The Archduke is trying to incite the residents to riot. “If you intervene here, the riot will only accelerate.”
“If a riot breaks out… “What happens?”
“There will be a desertion, and the Grand Duke will try to fill the void with the Kural tribe to fight against the invading nation. Just look at him trying to stop the village chief from surrendering. And those who escaped… “You will be killed by the Kural people.”
Kwak Jeong-han gritted his teeth. As soon as the residents escape, the Grand Duke will hunt them down and raise the level of the Kural tribe. Of course, their growth will be insufficient to resist the invading empire, but even if the power gap is large, they will oppose and resist the invading country.
For their race and pride.
