Episode 207. Eyes that touch the inner self (3)
“… This can’t be happening.”
Chieftain Inakitu looked around.
A completely pitch-black space. Inyakitu was thrown into the middle of it. This was the first time he had ever experienced something like this. It was so different from the inner worlds he had encountered before.
Was it because he was a citizen of the empire? No. Even for him, who had experienced the inner lives of countless citizens of the empire, this was a place he had never seen before.
The people of the empire who live in a complex world are usually more complex than the inner self of a human being, so it cannot be a space of nothingness like this.
‘Is this really my inner world?’
But it was a useless doubt. There was absolutely no possibility that this was not the inner world.
‘Because my legs are fine.’
He had been unable to walk for several years due to old age. Normally, he would not have been able to move his feet, but not now. His legs were so strong that he recalled his younger days when he would run across the meadows.
“Welcome, Inakitu.”
“… … !”
“They said I could enter the inner world, and it wasn’t a lie.”
A voice filled the room. Rubin approached Inakitu with a faint smile.
“You seem surprised.”
“… Of course, Luhan. This is a first. This kind of complete nothingness. And encountering someone else here.”
Originally, the inner world was an uninhabited landscape. In other words, the meaning of looking into the inner world was that Inakitu alone was walking and exploring a territory that even its owner was not properly aware of.
In this way, the state of his soul is examined.
“Didn’t I tell you, I can control my inner world?”
“…was it since you were born?”
“I don’t know about that.”
Rubin shrugged. It was entirely Haneke who was able to control his inner world. There was no need to explain that to Inakitu.
So Rubin took steps to ensure that Haneke’s presence was not revealed.
“Was this space originally filled only with darkness?”
Inakitu couldn’t figure out what kind of person this young man in front of him was. And he was curious about what he would show him from now on.
At that moment, Rubin held out his hand in front of the Chieftain’s face. He then snapped his fingers.
Tick, a sound rang out and the space they were standing in suddenly changed. A new world was unfolding.
“… … !”
Groan, groan.
‘… Here?’
Inakitu flinched at the sight he was seeing for the first time. Now, the two of them were standing in the middle of a noisy market out of nowhere.
The unique buildings, alleyways, and the fruit and fish on the stalls. To the Tuheun people who had never left the plains before, even this was a new experience.
The most surprising thing was that there was only the sound of people murmuring, but their figures were not visible.
“In my inner world, I am like God, but I cannot create living beings.”
With a tick, Rubin changed again. A deep green began to spread across the two people’s vision.
This time, it was the familiar tussock meadow to Inakitu. Rubin smiled lightly as he looked at her moved face.
“Experience the tidal wave of struggle.”
Then, a tidal wave of turmoil surges in from the other side of the plains. The tidal wave of turmoil is an inevitable natural phenomenon for foreigners. Conversely, it is something that the turbulent people have never experienced before.
Doo doo doo doo-
A gust of wind blew over them, accompanied by the sound of horse hooves. Of course, it couldn’t possibly cause them the pain that a real stranger would experience. That was beyond Rubin’s realm.
Still, Inakitu looked back with a smile, perhaps intrigued by the ripples in the air that passed through him.
“… So this is what it means to control your inner world. Now I have no choice but to believe it.”
Tick.
Rubin snapped his fingers again and created a table and two chairs in front of them.
As I pulled the chair back with my psychic powers, I realized, “Oh no!” I remembered that the Tuheun tribe does not have a table culture.
“It’s okay. I was invited.”
Inakitu sat down on the chair without paying any attention.
“The real body is inside the Chieftain’s tomb. But you say I invited you?”
“Don’t say that. If you don’t call this an invitation, then I’m trespassing. A thief doesn’t invade anyone’s home. By the way, Luhan.”
“yes?”
“Can you possibly make it snow? I’ve never seen snow before. I’ve only heard about it.”
“Well, it wouldn’t be bad to talk in the middle of a snowstorm.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, snow began to fall from the sky. Inakitu raised his head for a moment and stared at the snow like a child.
A table and chair are placed in the middle of a vast meadow. As the snow quickly piles up, the meadow scenery disappears, and only a snowy field is left.
“… … .”
Inyakitu turned his head here and there as if he was curious. Then he closed his eyes and tried to sense something.
“What’s wrong, Inyakitu?”
But instead of answering, he said something strange.
“Luhan, I can see into the layers of the divine word through the eyes of others. In fact, I have glimpsed into the inner worlds of many people throughout my life, and have eavesdropped on the conversations of even more demons. But when I came here, I suddenly remembered a conversation I overheard a long time ago. I decided to check it out.”
“What kind of conversation is this?”
Hana Inakitu asked the question again this time.
“That spirit that Luhan was entangled with before. Of course it was real, right?
A demon is a being that appears on the surface of reality through a passage called a demon shaman.
Most demons become ‘real’ entities that can penetrate the realm of reality and become visible to human eyes and physically affect others. In such cases, demons are treated the same as monsters. Inyakitu asked about this.
“Yes, when I killed it, it flew away right before my eyes.”
“Oh, so you exorcised them? Well done. Usually, once they’ve been exorcised, they get scared and never come back. But sometimes, something really interesting happens.”
When Rubin raised an eyebrow curiously, Inakitu lowered his voice.
“Sometimes there are some strange spirits among them. For example, they harbor a grudge and invade the inner world again to devour that person. However-”
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“but?”
I could guess what would happen next, but Rubin pretended it was the first time he heard it.
“However, such people do not appear as real people, but rather appear in the inner world of humans through objects.”
“Things come through.”
“Yes, things. Let me tell you about one of the conversations I overheard. One of the spirits was talking about how he heard that a certain spirit had infiltrated someone’s inner world and was defeated without fail. But the funniest part is… .”
Inakitu’s eyes sparkled.
“I heard that he was left gnashing his teeth, completely wounded, after being expelled. He was just waiting for the day he could infiltrate the real world again.”
“So, you think that’s me?”
Then Inakitu bursts into laughter.
“No, absolutely not.”
“I’m also curious as to why you think that’s not the case.”
Then he immediately looked around. But there were only two people on the endless snowy field.
“From what I heard, there was another person there.”
“Another person?”
“There was an old man guarding the inner world. So that means the demon was defeated by him. But it looks like there’s no one else here besides us.”
“okay.”
I thought it was a good idea to take measures to keep Haneke from being revealed.
It was obvious how the chieftain would react if he faced Haneke. Haneke was a general in the imperial army, the enemy of the Tuhun tribe.
‘First, let’s find out if Imacarum is here.’
Rubin changed the subject.
“It would be a shame to just talk, so please eat this. As the Chieftain said, I invited you.”
Inakitu soon discovered a large number of glass bottles lined up on the table, filled with all sorts of alcohol and drinks.
“I would like a drink.”
“Then I recommend Caponiglia. It’s a specialty drink from a city in the western part of the continent.”
Soon a glass appeared in Rubin’s hand, and it was quickly filled with caponiglia.
“Wow, what a unique scent.”
“The refreshing feeling will also be different.”
Inakitu held the glass, looked down at the drink, then carefully brought it to his lips. One sip, then another. He slowly pushed it down his throat.
Saaaaah.
At that moment, Rubin’s dark smoke entered Iñakitu’s body through Caponilia. It was a dark smoke so secret that even Iñakitu couldn’t feel it.
I didn’t mean to attack the chieftain. I just wanted to see how he would react to the words I was about to say.
“Chief.”
“Go ahead, Luhan.”
“There’s a rumor that Imacallum has escaped from prison. Have you heard about it?”
In that moment, Iñakitu felt his blood flow tremble violently.
“Imakarum? The wind of the battlefield?”
“Yes, I heard it too. It could be a rumor.”
“… If he escaped from prison, he would have naturally returned to the meadow. Then there’s no way I wouldn’t know.”
“So, you’re saying it’s not here?”
“Yes.”
“Thank goodness. I thought it was just a rumor. It’s a first-class prison in the western part of the continent, so it’s impossible for him to escape from there. Even if he did escape, there would probably be a warrant for his arrest, so he wouldn’t be able to escape for long.”
Before he could sense the signs, Rubin quickly gathered up the dark smoke. He realized that the chieftain was lying.
“Be careful, Chieftain. Those rumors could draw the bounty hunters.”
“…Who would set foot on the plains of Tohun only because of a rumor, without going crazy?”
“Yeah. That’s true.”
Rubin responded with a smile. But Rubin was sure.
‘Imacallum is in the thorny meadows.’
At that moment, Iñakitu, who had finished drinking the caponiglia, picked up another glass bottle that Rubin had created. It was the Roinen family’s liquor, ‘Oakum’.
Inakitu took a sip and, as expected, seemed satisfied. But as he put the glass down, there was a strange sense of wariness in his eyes.
‘I’ve figured out whether or not there’s an imakarum, so now it’s time to start playing.’
Tick.
The heavy snowfall stopped. It was only for a short while, but before they knew it, the snow had piled up to their shins.
“… Chieftain, I think it’s time to get to the point. The reason I came to see you.”
“Okay. I don’t think you came here to sell alcohol or drinks in the meadow.”
“Actually, I came because of the key that the Chieftain is keeping.”
“… The key?”
“The seven watchtowers on the polar barrier. The one at the easternmost end. I would like the key to get there.”
“…Why there?”
Inakitu doubted his ears.
A massive wall located in the northeastern part of the plains. It was built to keep out polar monsters, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe.
The primary goal of the barrier is to stop large monsters.
But conversely, this also meant that small monsters that didn’t cause much trouble were not targets of the barrier.
“I know full well that there are countless gaps in the wall. I also know that little monsters can sneak in and out through them.”
“They are weaklings. Like rats who have lost their place in their group and are caught in the eyes of humans. Is that something you are worried about and want to investigate?”
“That’s impossible. Those who crossed the barrier would be wiped out within a day anyway. Because of the tidal wave of the battle.”
“You know it well. But why do you want to go there?”
When Inakitu looked at him with an expression of incomprehension, Rubin shook his head reluctantly.
“I guess I finally get to reveal my identity. I am an archaeologist. I excavate ruins and relics from all over the continent.”
“I know what that word means, but if it’s to the point of being guided by the Lord of Hiberdad… … .”
“Yes, I have the royal patronage. I am traveling to sites of archaeological value in the northeastern part of the continent.”
“Are you saying that the polar barrier has archaeological value?”
“Rather than focusing on the specific barrier, I’m more interested in the surrounding area.”
Rubin spoke without wavering. It was a setting that had already been established before meeting the Chieftain.
Besides, if you think about it, it wasn’t a wrong statement. Strictly speaking, Rubin’s attempt to go to the eastern watchtower could be said to have archaeological value.
‘Oscar’s divine beast, Cellok’
And the blacksmith’s residence that Selok had told me about led to that place. Of course, there was still a somewhat mysterious part that started from there, but the starting point was the eastern watchtower.
“… I can’t do anything about you, you’re an archaeologist under the patronage of the royal family. I can give you the key as much as you want. However, the key is only for entering the watchtower, not for leaving.”
“Because there shouldn’t be any big gaps in the wall. I know what you mean.”
“I’m sure you have your own secret weapon, but I hope you find something there worth risking your life for.”
“Thank you for your concern.”
“I think it was called Oakum? It’s a personal wish, I’d like to taste it again someday.”
They are a group of people who are destined to never leave the grasslands for their entire lives. This was a polite way of saying that they would meet again in the inner world.
“If I get the chance, by all means.”
Perhaps because it was a conversation in the inner world, it was easy to persuade him. While he was at it, Rubin unraveled another plan.
“I need a guide to the watchtower.”
“Hmm, who would be good… … .”
“Chief of the Clavicle Tribe, I would like Kundalit to guide you.”
Kundalit is the talisman that Imakarum believes in and follows. For Rubin, he was a bait to make Imakarum appear before his eyes.
Even as Inakitu, there was no reason to refuse. Rather, he had chosen Kundalit as the successor to the chieftain.
Also, I was going to recommend Kundalit even if it wasn’t Rubin, because there was no one more trustworthy than him.
Inakitu smiled contentedly.
“Then I will give you proper directions.”
