—————————————
[I can’t call you anymore]
The next day.
The great man opened his eyes only in the afternoon.
“Pour it,
drink it. My body was heavy, like the day after drinking too much. It was because she had overexerted herself from fighting the demon in Lily’s body the day before.
Tap, tap, tap.
Daein raised his upper body from the bed and worked hard to loosen his creaking bones. Then, I sat cross-legged and started practicing Ungong.
Ssssssut.
The magical power spread to every corner of my body and I checked my body condition. The internal injuries sustained the night before were recovering quite smoothly.
“Seup… hoo-.”
After the intense battle, Daein deliberately did not receive recovery magic or drink potions.
In order to imprint new martial arts skills in the body, it is best to allow the muscles to naturally recover slowly so that they can remember the pain and adapt to it.
After a while, the great man opened his eyes. A bright blue light flashed from his eyes and slowly disappeared.
“Whoa…”
At that time, the elder knocked outside the door and came inside.
“Are you feeling okay?”
“Thanks to. Thank you for your consideration.”
The elder placed the tray he had brought down on the table. It was a tray filled with warm soup and fresh vegetables.
“Would you like to have lunch together?”
An irresistible scent wafted from the tray. Moreover, the opponent is the most powerful person in the elf forest and a very beautiful woman.
The great man said with a grin.
“There is no reason to refuse.”
The two sat facing each other at the table. The great man took a bite of an apple and said.
“How’s the little one doing?”
Although I heard a rough explanation last night, Daein asked if anything had changed overnight.
“The aftereffects of baptism still remain, but they will be fine after a few days of recuperation within the sacred tree.”
Lily was in the ‘Recovery Room’ inside the sacred tree.
The elder said that there seemed to be no major problem with Lily other than that her physical strength had weakened considerably.
“If you eat good food and rest for a few days, you will feel much better. There’s just one thing I’m worried about…”
“Is there some problem?”
The elder spoke to the great man, whose expression hardened, in a voice full of concern.
“They ate a surprising amount. Even in the morning, I eat 3 servings by myself… I wonder if it’s some kind of side effect…”
I said something and that was it. The great man sighed softly and said.
“That’s just the way it is.”
“yes? But it’s for 3 people…”
‘If I hadn’t been sick, I would have eaten 5 servings.’
The great man, who did not want to further surprise the elder, simply told him that it was okay.
‘I’ll take care of other errands first and then stop by the little boy in the evening.’
There was no need for a separate caregiver to be by my side. Because Jang Young-shin had been nursing the little boy all day since last night.
The great man looked at the great elder with a serious face.
“Thank you for your help. I’m serious.”
If it weren’t for her, Daein wouldn’t have been able to deal with the demon in Lily’s body like he did now.
I guess I only realized it and did it much later. Until then, Lily would continue to be in pain.
The Great Elder smiled softly and said.
“Because you saved my granddaughter Alina. “I just returned the favor.”
No matter how you look at it, Grand Elder was no older than his 20s, so whenever she called Alina ‘granddaughter’, he felt quite uncomfortable.
The great man shook his head and said.
Now it was time to get to the point.
“It was a contract between me and the princess. How you helped us is another story. And I have a clear relationship with the source.”
Anyway, I had to stay here for a few more days because of the little boy.
I also had to wait for Abraxas’ reply.
It would be nice to just sit around and wait, but I also wanted to do some productive activities.
For example,
“Favor should be repaid with grace.”
Hearing the great man’s words, the great elder smiled and shook his head.
“You can just feel comfortable as a guest. We don’t really need anything…”
“Foggy Forest. ” “Shouldn’t we investigate?”
Startle.
The great elder looked at the great man with a surprised face.
“What is that name?”
What came out of the great man’s mouth was a name known only to elves.
foggy forest.
It is a place where many elves have entered and gone missing and is off-limits, and a disaster for the elves that is slowly expanding its area.
In particular, the fog of the Fog Forest was fatal to the elves. It paralyzed the senses and caused mental problems.
‘But to other races, it’s just an annoying fog.’
The great man said.
“I overheard someone talking.”
A few years later, among the superhumans who entered the foggy forest at the request of the elves, there were also great humans.
“I’ll investigate the Forest of Fog. “I heard that the fog has no particular effect on other races?”
The elder was unable to answer hastily.
“But…”
Investigation of the Fog Forest was clearly necessary.
Currently, the elves are using magic and spirits to prevent the expansion of the fog forest as much as possible, but even this is becoming increasingly difficult for them.
However, he was hesitant to entrust such a dangerous task to his benefactor.
“The Fog Forest is a dangerous place, even for a sword master.”
Of course, Daein knew better than anyone else how dangerous it was.
Daein said with a friendly smile.
“It’s no problem, leave it to me.”
The elder thought for a moment before opening his mouth.
“Then, I will make a formal request and pay a reasonable fee.”
‘I knew so.’
The great man suppressed the smile that was about to bloom on his lips. Instead, he shook his head with a stern expression.
Getting paid here is trivial.
Besides, there was already an abundance of money.
“What are you talking about. “You said you were returning the favor.”
“But…”
“That’s enough. “I don’t need it.”
In the end, the great elder had no choice but to accept the great man’s offer. That’s why she desperately needed to investigate the Fog Forest.
After a while, the great man came out of the elder’s house and walked down the street. Attached to his belt was a shalit that had undergone a dramatic change.
A quick glance.
The elves glanced at the great man. There was no elf who didn’t know that he had slain a demon last night.
The elves’ gazes toward Daein were filled with borderline hostility and a bit of curiosity.
Looks that do not feel friendly at all. But the great man looked around calmly.
“The scenery is really amazing.”
A scenery as beautiful as a picture. Beautiful elves walking up and down the streets. Spirits flying freely.
And to say that the sacred tree soaring through the clouds in the center of the city was amazing was not enough.
It made me wonder if a painter was asked to draw paradise, he would probably draw this place.
“Of course, there is no place like this to build a villa.”
The great man’s plan was as follows.
Go to the Fog Forest, solve problems, collect artifacts,
become a benefactor of the elves, and build a villa here.
And they come once every season and have fun.
Just imagining it made him happy, and a happy smile formed on his face.
“At this rate, you’re killing two birds with one stone, no, you’re killing three birds with one stone.”
The great man walked around and looked at several places to build a villa.
“It’s okay here, it’s okay there, it’s pretty good there too…”
After deciding on a few candidates, Daein walked briskly.
There was a place to stop for a while before heading to the Forest of Fog.
*
*
*
Leonard was sitting on an outdoor bench, basking in the sun.
“…….”
The old knight looked at the world blankly. Flowing clouds and scenery. I quietly listened to the voices of chirping birds.
But that gaze was empty and vain.
Leonard was dying.
“If it’s not today, it’s tomorrow…”
The body that used to break stones and cut steel is now old and sick, and I can’t even walk properly without a cane.
The knight could no longer lift his sword.
And the lord he was supposed to protect was now in a safe place even without him.
The eyes of the old man, who had lost all motivation to live, were quickly losing their light.
As Leonard sighed softly, a familiar voice was heard from next to him.
“Old man. “How are you feeling?”
The great man sat down next to Leonard and said hello. A smile appeared on Leonard’s wrinkled mouth.
“you. I heard he did something else as soon as he came. “You said you killed the devil?”
“Has the rumor gotten this far already?”
“The princess stopped by this morning and talked to me. “You were so excited when you said that…”
Leonard burst into laughter as he caught a glimpse of Alina, who was blushing and talking like a girl.
The great man looked around and asked.
“Where is the princess now? “I can’t even see Hawkin.”
“You are very busy preparing the grand announcement. Hawkin is accompanying him…”
Leonard’s expression darkened slightly, as if he was bitter about his situation of not being able to follow his master.
“what’s the problem? “You can just think of it as a vacation and rest.”
After saying that, the great man took out the Geomwangbirok from his arms.
“It’s that book again.”
Leonard’s eyes lit up when he saw a familiar book. I saw the great man reading that book several times in the carriage.
“Is that that much fun?”
The great man nodded as he opened the bookshelf.
“so so. “This was also written by an old man.”
“…Hearing that makes me want to read it.”
The great man grumbled as he searched for the page he wanted in a thick book.
“This thick book is almost all about bragging. “As I read it, I get the feeling that I shouldn’t become an old person like this when I get older?”
At that moment, Leonard burst into laughter.
“Puhuhuh!”
I was just grateful. Visiting a dying old man and spending time with him. It was an insignificant conversation, but it warmed my heart very much.
Leonard’s face brightened.
He said calmly, looking at the sky as if it was nothing.
“I saw beyond the wall.”
“…….”
Daein was concentrating on finding the desired page. There was no answer, but Leonard continued talking.
“During the final fight at the border wall, when I squeezed out all the strength and mana left in my body. “For a moment, I saw beyond the wall.”
The level of becoming a sword master that I have longed for my whole life.
It was only a moment, but Leonard thought he caught a glimpse of it.
“It might be an illusion. In the end, we didn’t reach it. Still…”
Whirrick. Whirling.
The only sound I could hear was the sound of paper turning next to me. Leonard didn’t care and continued talking to himself.
“I wish it had been a little faster. “If only it had been one year sooner, not three years…”
A little bit of enlightenment. Or some kind of opportunity.
If I could take just one more step, I could overcome the wall and reach the point.
But for some people, that one step could take a lifetime. Leonard was still struggling, stuck between the walls.
The old man’s dry eyes turned red and bloodshot.
“Why did they show it only at the very end, making me regret it so much?…”
At that time, I heard a great man’s voice next to me.
“I finally found it.”
The great man began to read a passage he found in Geomhwangbirok.
“The body withered like a sick chicken, and there was not even a handful of mana in the dantian.”
“What…”
This was the part that described how the Geomwang felt when he overcame the injury suffered by the Heavenly Demon and barely regained his martial arts skills.
“If anyone had seen me, they would have thought I was already a corpse.”
“…….”
Leonard listened quietly. Daein continued to read Geomhwangbirok in a calm voice.
“I lay down on the floor of the cave with my eyes closed and began to reflect on my life from the beginning. How did I feel on the first day I picked up the sword….”
“…….”
In fact, even the great man had no idea whether this method would work or not.
The final enlightenment may come with the slightest chance, or it may not come from any stimulus whatsoever.
I just read it to the elderly in the hope that they would understand something.
“There were things I could understand as I faced the slow approach of death. For a long time I forgot about the sword. What I was after was simply strong martial arts…”
And that method elicited an unexpected response.
“Huh…”
Tears flowed from Leonard’s eyes. Leonard, as if amazed himself, wiped away his tears with the back of his hand.
Noh Knight resonated with the writings left by Geomwang.
Although the world they lived in, their origins, and their talents were all different, I deeply sympathized with them as someone who held a sword and as someone who was about to die.
But it ended there.
Leonard’s gray eyes became brighter, but there was no further change.
widely.
The great man closed the book and looked at Leonard with a regretful expression.
‘Did it ultimately fail?’
Then Leonard said:
“Can you show me his sword skills?”
“…….”
The great man stood up and pulled Shalit from his belt.
Slurp.
The ink-colored sword blade that appeared was aimed at Leonard.
“This is my first time doing it in front of others… I’m only doing it once, so watch carefully.”
Daein took a few steps back and started dancing.
Mana was not loaded. The speed wasn’t fast either.
Because I didn’t practice hard, I was even sloppy.
Still, Daein did his best. I danced the sword dance slowly so that Leonard could see clearly.
And at some point,
suddenly.
Leonard stood up and started dancing.
Using the staff he was holding as a sword, he slashed the air, stabbed it, blocked it, then slashed it again and stabbed it.
Whirly!
The leaves on the floor swirled and rose into the air.
The old knight’s sword dance became faster and faster, and as he did so, his body radiated white light.
“…….”
The great man withdrew his sword and stepped back. He quietly watched the moment the knight, in a trance, jumped over the wall.
Daein was not the only onlooker. The elves passing by on the street also watched the scene in fascination.
The moment the sword dance reaches its peak
– Paaaaaa!
A dazzling light burst out. And where the light disappeared, Leonard, a knight who was at least 30 years younger, stood with his eyes closed.
The great man, who saw that, chuckled.
“I can’t even call you old people anymore.”
[I can’t sing it anymore] The end
ⓒ Ganjjajang
