◈ 707. [Side Story] An unbridgeable goal (2)
Crossroads. Inside the collapsed city.
“Ugh….”
Junior groaned in front of the remains of the inn building ‘Etty’s Honey’.
“It completely collapsed, my God….”
During the Night Bringer’s first breath, the inn ‘Eti’s Honey’, which was swept away by the range of the breath, completely collapsed.
Fortunately, there were no casualties, but Junior lost the lodging he had been using for over two years. Naturally, all the luggage inside was lost.
“Oh my book!”
Junior, who found his luggage in the rubble, let out a strange snorting sound that was half cheering and half screaming, and then rushed over to remove the rubble.
“How much does one book cost? It would be so unfair to lose them all…”
Junior’s collapsed bookshelf was lying among the collapsed bricks and sand. Junior quickly retrieved his books.
It wasn’t a mess, with cuts and tears, but we did our best to salvage what we could. As I dug into it, other things started to come out.
Even the magic items I cherished. The diary I wrote non-stop every day after coming here. And I saved it and couldn’t bear to eat it, so I kept it in the cupboard and forgot about it…
“Kek Baeknyeonsam?!”
Also a gift from my mom.
It was Baeknyeonsam, the herb root that he had found in Jupiter’s belongings and was trying to send in a letter to himself.
All the dishes and cups in the cupboard were smashed, but the only thing that was kept in a paper bag was strangely intact.
Junior laughed as he held up this old herb root.
“Wow, you’re safe. I cherished it so much that I almost threw it away. “I need to eat it quickly.”
Junior recalled the dosage and efficacy of Baeknyeonsam.
“Could I boil it, add honey and drink it like tea? The effect is nourishment, tonic, rejuvenation, and mental and physical stability….”
Junior eventually made an “Ah” sound.
It would be fine for him to eat it, but he thought of someone who needed the benefits of this herb more immediately.
“Mom, you want me to eat alone…?”
I thought about it for a moment, but then
I said, “…Eight, no! “Mom will also be happy to see more friends for her daughter!”
Junior snorted and grabbed the Baeknyeonsam, believing that he would support his decision either way.
***
Barracks.
Junior carefully headed to the front room, carrying a carefully brewed 100-year-old ginseng teapot, a jar of honey, and cookies.
“Um…”
I hesitated for a moment, but
then said “Eye!”
I gathered my courage and knocked on the door.
smart!
“Lord Hecate? “Are you inside?”
Junior was extremely nervous and waited for an answer, but there was silence inside the door. Junior is loud again! I cleared my voice and knocked.
“Lord Hecate, this is Junior. “Come with me for a quick refresher.”
“….”
“I made some tea that is good for your health. I also brought snacks. Please hang out. yes?”
There was no answer, but I could feel presence beyond the door.
Junior waited calmly. Then,
squeak,
the door opened slightly.
Hecate’s dry, dry eyes could be seen through the crack in the door of the dark room.
All the red curse had gone out of her eyes and they had turned deep brown.
“…Junior.”
“Hello, Lord Hecate.”
Junior shook the kettle in his hand.
“The tea is getting cold. may I come in?”
“….”
Hecate, who hesitated, slowly leaned back and opened the door. Junior carefully entered the room.
There was no sense of life in the room with the curtains drawn. As if I had been lying in bed and still for the past few days.
First, Junior drew the curtains and opened the window to ventilate. As the cold air penetrated the room, Hecate, who was wearing only thin clothes, held her shoulders and trembled.
“Oh, I’m sorry…!”
Junior, who was struggling because he couldn’t stop ventilating, wrapped the outerwear he had worn on Hecate’s shoulders.
Hecate did not refuse and stayed still.
Junior suddenly thought. Didn’t you do this last time too?
“….”
Under the sunlight that came through the open curtains, Hecate was speechless.
Her beige hair was matted and her eyes were puffy. His lips were dry and his complexion was pale.
Junior also briefly listened to the story. Dusk Bringer has retrieved all of the Glory Knights’ curses.
Along with the curse, he lost all his magic power and could never fight like before again.
‘After that, Lord Lucas came to me several times to offer consolation, but I kept avoiding him.’
I understand that you don’t want to be seen like this by the guy you like, but…
Hecate stood still in her seat with empty eyes. Junior, who was hesitant as he didn’t know what to do, grabbed Hecate and led her to the table.
“Let’s have some warm tea and talk! “This is a herb called Baeknyeonsam, which we use as a tea, and they say it’s really good for your health!”
I roughly wiped away the dust that had accumulated on the table and set out the tea and snacks.
Hecate, who was sitting on the chair across from him, just watched Junior do this.
Junior was sick of the awkwardness and set up the tea cup he brought with him and poured tea into Hecate’s cup and his own cup.
‘I don’t know anything about tea ceremony!’
The good news was that Hecate couldn’t care less about that.
Warm, steaming tea filled each person’s cup. Junior took some honey, poured it into a teacup, and put cookies on a plate.
“now! “Then shall we drink it?”
“….”
Hecate quietly looked down at the teacup with narrow eyes. Junior, who was breaking out in a cold sweat, carefully grabbed the teacup himself and lifted it to his mouth.
‘Nourishing tonic! refreshment! Peace of mind and body! Mind and body! stability!’
I prayed that it would work, and right after I swallowed a sip, I said,
“Puuuuup-!”
I squirted.
‘Khehe cough! what! ‘Why does this taste so bad!’
It had an incredibly bitter and complex scent. I don’t know if it’s good for the body, but the taste wasn’t bad…
‘Mom?! This is 100 years old, right?! It’s good for your body, right?! Didn’t you get scammed somewhere?!’
It was an item that Jupiter had purchased from an unknown person under the Lake Kingdom, so it was certain to be genuine.
However, because the concentration of magical power in the Lake Kingdom is too high, the efficacy and taste are much more compressed than those of Hundred Years Ginseng on earth…. When Junior, who had been sticking out his tongue and gurgling, looked forward with a gasp, Hecate’s eyes widened
. I was looking at myself.
Junior muttered desperately.
“…It’s a dog gag. Gag.”
Following the previous hemoptysis, this time he was making a variety of teas, even though he thought about it.
Then Hecate looked at the teacup in front of her with blank eyes and carefully picked it up… and brought it to her mouth.
“oh! Ah! Wait a minute, I’ll give you some more honey! “It’s very bitter!”
Junior hurriedly opened the honey bottle, but Hecate was already holding the tea cup in her mouth.
And I swallowed it all in one gulp. Junior blinked in surprise.
‘Oh, come to think of it.’
Did this person say that he couldn’t taste anything after being cursed?
“….”
Hecate slowly lifted the teacup from her lips.
Then he slowly tilted his haggard face to the side and said,
“Puuup!”
I squirted.
Junior had a blank look on his face as he watched the tea splashing onto the floor next to him. Hecate, wiping her mouth with a napkin, gestured with a pale face.
“…It’s incredibly bitter. “Give me a jar of honey there.”
“yes? “Can you taste it?”
“I feel like it’s because the curse has escaped.”
Junior was about to say he was glad, but stopped. This was because Hecate did not seem to be happy at all that the curse had been lifted.
Anyway, the Baeknyeonsam tea was extremely bitter and tasteless, and the two women could barely drink it, pouring honey into their respective tea cups and serving it with sweet cookies.
If it didn’t taste this good, there would be no need to drink it, but we both swallowed down to the last drop, probably because we were both possessed of some kind of internal energy.
The teapot is empty, the honey bottle is empty, and all the snacks are gone.
“….”
“….”
The two women were enveloped in silence in an awkward atmosphere.
Junior broke into a cold sweat. I came here because I was worried, but when we actually met face to face, I didn’t know what to say…!
‘No, I’m not one of the people here who has the worst communication skills, right?! ‘Why are you making such a fuss!’
I’m just here to make friends! Let’s talk more comfortably! You can do it, Jupiter Junior! Alright!
When Junior, who had made up his mind, looked at Hecate with clenched fists, Hecate immediately spoke.
“…Junior, don’t you hate me?”
“Why don’t you hate it?!”
Junior, who had reacted violently without realizing it, soon lowered his tone and made a hot sound.
“I have no reason to hate Lord Hecate…?”
“….”
Hecate turned her gaze away from Junior, who was hesitantly watching, and looked outside the door that was opened for ventilation. Junior’s room was right in front.
Following the inn ‘Etty’s Honey’, the two were assigned to rooms across from each other in the barracks.
“I’ll be honest with you, Junior. “Why did I get a seat in Junior’s front room?”
“yes?”
Junior blinked at the unexpected question.
Is there meaning in room arrangement? Didn’t it just happen that way?
And Hecate coldly revealed the truth.
“As the commander of His Majesty’s personal guard knights, I judged that the most dangerous element while His Majesty was here was… Junior.”
“…?!”
“So, to be on guard, I was assigned a lodging as close to Junior as possible.”
Junior’s mouth opened slightly.
“Are you saying I’m in danger? “Why?”
“…He came from the Kingdom of Camilla and achieved the level of an archmage at a young age. “We can’t help but be cautious.”
Junior was from the Kingdom of Camilla, and the empire knew all about her magical achievements.
Before coming from the ecliptic to the Crossroads, Hecate received all of that information.
Hecate added apologetically.
“The war between the Camilla Kingdom and the Everblack Empire was led directly by Your Majesty. “It was also the last war of conquest fought by the Everblack Empire.”
“….”
“Maybe that’s why… I have the deepest resentment. Are terrorist attacks still occurring? There were several attempts to assassinate His Majesty. Because of this, Glory Knights has no choice but to be wary of Junior.”
Even after the war, the guerrillas of Camilla’s kingdom continued to resist tenaciously, and it took several more years for them to be completely suppressed.
Jupiter’s accusation revealed the civilian massacres committed in this war, and the Empire was criticized by the entire world. Even within your own country.
In many ways, it was a war that did more harm than good.
Therefore, from then on, the empire shifted its route of expansion of power through political warfare and religious warfare through the propagation of the goddess religion instead of direct wars of conquest.
The Kingdom of Camilla became the name of the last country swallowed up by the empire.
Almost 20 years have already passed since the war ended. But it could also be said that only 20 years had passed.
Junior was a person from the Kingdom of Camilla and a powerful wizard. In a way, it was natural for the Glory Knights, the knights guarding the emperor’s guard, to be on guard.
“Of course I know. Junior, you personally helped His Majesty the Emperor in the Imperial Capital. I heard that you made a big contribution to dismantling the shutdown protocol. You are greatly trusted by His Highness Prince Ash. “You did an outstanding job in this battle as well.”
“….”
“I just… I did what I had to do professionally since I am a member of the Order of the Royal Guard. “That’s why I was wary of you…”
Hecate, who was speaking incoherently, covered her face with both hands. And he confessed in a suppressed voice.
“…no. I’ll admit it. “I hate Camilla Kingdom people.”
“yes?”
Junior opened his mouth.
A completely unexpected conversation continued.
“My parents were soldiers, but they were involved in an accident and died. “I told you before.”
“Yes…”
“Actually, both of you. “He lost his life in a surprise attack by Camilla Kingdom guerrillas.”
Junior’s fingertips stiffened.
Still covering her face with both hands, Hecate spoke incoherently.
“i know. From the perspective of the Kingdom of Camilla, any imperial soldier has no choice but to be regarded as an invading force. “The supply officers and nursing officers who were dispatched to stabilize public order after the war could also be targets of hatred.”
“….”
“I know, but as someone who lost my parents at a young age, I had no choice but to hate Camilla’s kingdom… and its people… That’s why I was more wary of you…”
Hecate’s trembling shoulders. Junior felt it while watching.
‘Ah…’
The feeling of a valley hidden by a very thin cloth being revealed between two people who were so close that if I stretched out my hand, they could almost touch it.
The feeling that the valley is constantly deepening and widening, widening the gap between the two people.
“I told you that after becoming an orphan, I grew up in a day care facility run by the imperial family that raises the children of veterans.”
“…yes.”
“The name of that facility is White Blossom.”
Hecate’s extravagant last name was actually the name of the orphanage.
“All children who grow up there are trained to give up their lives like straw for His Majesty the Emperor. “Die worthily for your country and have white artificial flowers bloom in front of your tombstone… With that in mind, you are given a new last name.”
“…!”
“I also grew up fighting and dying like that.”
Hecate’s harsh voice gradually became more intense.
“I became a soldier to exterminate, if possible, all enemies of the empire, terrorists who threaten the safety of the empire… and vicious rebels in the Kingdom of Camilla who even kill innocent people!”
“….”
“But now the empire is at peace and has joined hands with all the countries in the world that were enemies. Yeah that’s okay. Because I am the one who is behind the times. “After all, a knight’s job is to follow the monarch’s orders.”
Hecate looked at Junior with trembling eyes.
“But what if I’m not even a knight anymore?”
“….”
“When I lose my curse and my strength and can no longer go to battle. So what does that leave me? My life has no use or value anymore, so what am I? “What on earth have I been living for?”
In the war between humans, she inherited hatred and tried to die fighting as a knight.
In this era of peace where humans unite as one, he lost everything as a knight.
Both purpose and means were lost.
“Now the only thing the world hasn’t taken from me is hate. Hatred of the kingdom of Camilla who killed my parents.”
“….”
“Junior. I don’t want to hate you. But the fact that you come close to me like this… makes me suffer.”
Hecate staggered out of the chair, took off her outer garment, and handed it back to Junior.
She shivered in the cold air, wearing only thin clothing, but gritted her teeth and held out her outer clothing.
“I enjoyed my tea. Thank you so much for your concern. But please don’t come visit me again.”
“….”
“Don’t worry. I’ll disappear quietly within a few days so you don’t feel too uncomfortable. “I’m no longer needed here at the front anyway.”
I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t think of the right language.
In the end, Junior quietly took his outer clothes, organized the tea cup and tea utensils, and left Hecate’s room with her in his arms.
Boom…
the door closed.
Junior, who was staggering, leaned back against the closed door and took a deep breath.
“…It’s useful.”
The taste of the tea left in my mouth was bitter.
Junior lowered his head and muttered softly.
“It’s too bitter, mom….”
