STM 175

A castle shrouded in fog. Though it might look like natural morning fog, to my eyes it now looked as nothing more than a shackle. That symbol of the curse had become a goal that Tairok strived to achieve, and now it had become my goal as well.

It wasn’t not just that lifting the curse would revive Kun’s divine beast and close the Eye of Hell. I don’t know when it had happened, but I must have been influenced by Tubain. I wanted to do at least one good thing for this place. Like lifting that terrible curse.

“You are looking at it just like the Grand Duke.”

I turned my head, feeling awkward because of Rick’s words.

“I wasn’t trying to act like the landlord.”

“No! You are the landlord.”

Rick shouted in alarm. Seeing him look so serious made me feel really awkward as the one who made the joke. My jokes had hit their mark too low in Tubain. I started to miss home a little.

“Lord Lu is not only the master of Kun, but a sacred being who leads all of Tubain.”

I got goosebumps. Who would’ve thought I’d miss his initial wariness of me so much it brought tears to my eyes.

“Rick, don’t ever say anything that embarrassing again.”

“But it’s the truth?”

“The divine beast said so.”

Just as I expected from Haas’s cousin, it worked like a charm. Rick covered his mouth with his hand and nodded vigorously.

“You came to bring news of the Grand Duke, am I right?”

“Whoa, did the divine beast tell you that too?!”

“I can figure that much out on my own.”

Rick was disappointed to hear it wasn’t the divine beast, but fortunately, he was perceptive enough to read my expression.

“Hmm, I hear the Grand Duke has accepted the surrender of Sarne Castle.”

“He went alone? And this quickly?”

“Yes. They say the soldiers of Sarne couldn’t even put up a proper defense against the Grand Duke’s awe-inspiring presence and all fell to their knees. They must have given up any thought of daring to resist the power of the divine beast.”

Rick puffed out his chest. But I didn’t take it at face value.

“What’s the real reason they surrendered so quickly?”

“Ah, well… apparently, there was no one in command of the castle.”

“You mean the Grand Duke Sarne actually fled?”

“Yes,” came the unbelievable reply from Rick’s mouth. I was speechless for a moment before shouting furiously.

“What kind of commander in the world abandons his men?!”

Rick flinched, and I sighed belatedly. However, I couldn’t help but curse. What a fucking bastard.

In the world I came from, there were people who ran away like that. Eventually, they’d either be found dead or come crawling back to the shelter, begging to be taken in again, looking like a beggar.

“Isn’t the Sword Master there too?”

“They say Sarne Bayan hasn’t been seen either.”

Huh? That’s a bit strange. Rick must have thought the same, because he lowered his voice.

“Unlike the selfish Grand Duke Sarne, Bayan is a woman who values honor. She’s not the type to run away, so it’s really perplexing.”

Did she leave for another reason? The first thing that came to mind was Black Bear, whom she had been relentlessly pursuing. She’ll be fine, right? Black Bear is the strongest-willed person I’ve ever met. But there was something else that worried me more.

“So, what about the clue to breaking the curse?”

“Ah, well…”

Just from the way Rick trailed off, I could guess the situation.

“They say it wasn’t inside the castle.”

‎

‎

‎

“Your Highness, this man is one of the aides who used to follow Duke Sarne around.”

A knight dragged a gaunt man over and forced him to his knees before Tairok. The aide trembled and quickly bowed his head to the ground. The knight, who had already questioned him, gave Tairok a brief report.

“It is said that the ancient texts related to the curse were personally taken by Grand Duke Sarne before he vanished. However, since Grand Duke Sarne traveled through a portal, this man has no idea where they went.”

Thud.

As Tairok took a step forward, the aide threw himself face-down on the ground and pleaded.

“P-please spare my life. I know nothing.”

“You’d have to know something to spare you.”

Tairok spoke expressionlessly and gave a nod to the knight. The knight immediately grabbed the aide’s shoulders and hair, and lifted him up so he could see his face.

As their eyes met, the aide gasped and looked down, but the knight yanked his hair as a warning not to move. Tairok, still holding his gaze, ordered the knight.

“If he says nothing by the time I count to ten, cut off his left hand. Then his right hand, his left foot, his right foot. And then tear the flesh from his body, piece by piece.”

“Yes,” the knight replied, and Tairok immediately started.

“One.”

The aide, now as pale as a corpse, forced himself to speak.

“Uh, he might have gone to that place. He insisted until the very end that he had to find the power of the divine beast…”

“Two.”

“Mun-Mungkun Valley!”

‎

‎

I never imagined it would be this hard to find a clue to break the curse. My gaze returned to the castle shrouded in fog.

“All we have to do is capture Grand Duke Sarne.”

Rick responded positively. Taken aback by this, I couldn’t help but raise my eyebrows slightly. Rick gave an awkward smile when he saw my expression.

“It’s still better than before, when we were at a complete loss because we couldn’t find a way to break the curse. Back then, everyone except the Grand Duke had given up. Sometimes I thought the Grand Duke had given up too, but I figured he was just doing his best.”

Giving up while doing your best. Those seemingly contradictory words struck a chord deep within me. I had been like that once too. That was me before I came here.

“His Grace has worked so hard, I believe the fruits of his labor are not far off.”

Rick’s optimism continued, but I, on the contrary, felt my spirits dampen. I know now that effort doesn’t always lead to results. Even if you work several times harder than others, luck might fall into the lap of a lazy slacker and place a trophy in their hands.

Then why should we even try? For Doctor Kim, my aunt, the answer to this question was simple.

‘Because variables other than luck can be controlled by my own effort. I don’t want to live my life just hoping for luck. But this is simply my choice, it’s not the definitive answer to life. So I have to accept the consequences of my choice. You shouldn’t feel wronged because you didn’t achieve what you wanted, or think that time was all wasted. Effort isn’t just for some point in the future. It’s an existential proof of my will in the present.”

Right, I shouldn’t place the value of my current efforts in the future. I shook my head.

“The future is unpredictable. However, it’s true that His Grace’s efforts have brought good results in the present.”

“Of course. You have no idea how remarkable the results are.”

Rick began boasting about the Grand Duke.

“They say that the people of Sarne were floored by the power of the divine beast the Grand Duke wields that they were trembling in their boots. According to those who entered the castle late, they were so terrified by the Grand Duke’s majesty that just seeing our Kun’s crest made them throw themselves face-down on the ground…”

“I get it. You’re saying the Grand Duke used the divine beast’s power well.”

“Of course, it wasn’t quite as impressive as when he was slaying monsters, but they say the sight of countless water arrows whizzing through the air all at once was spectacular.”

Anyway, since Tairok used his power, the serpent divine beast must be in a good mood… My thoughts were interrupted when I absentmindedly looked out the window. The divine beast was floating in midair, staring right at me.

I smiled in delight and was about to wave, but hesitated. The divine beast, who supposedly felt so refreshed after using its power, was just floating there in midair, its tail completely still.

“Lord Lu, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I just have something on my mind.”

So, move over a bit. I gave him a look, and only then did he step away from my side. It was a surprising improvement, considering he used to hate even talking to me, but I had no time to marvel at it. I opened the window and examined the serpent again. Why does it look so listless?

“Didn’t you like that Tairok used your power?”

[Kun fights well. Annoying.]

Well, that hadn’t changed, so it was nothing special.

“Then why are you in a bad mood?”

[Mood always changes.]

No, that’s not it… I was about to explain my frustration when I remembered that it was a non-human being who didn’t communicate well. I had to ask the question in their way.

For example, by stating the answer first and then checking if it’s correct. If the serpent divine beast was in a bad mood, it probably meant things weren’t going well before he came here.

“Where did you go before meeting me?”

A benevolent light flickered in its eyes, as deep and blue as the sea.

[Friend. Greeting.]

It went to say hello to a friend, so why was it feeling down? Confused, I tried to guess who the divine beast’s friend might be. It must be another divine beast , the bear would by Black Bear’s side, and Kun’s divine beast is still asleep under the curse. So the only one left was… Huh? Montaine?

“Did something happen to the divine beast with deer antlers?”