Chapter Text
Chapter 56: Path of No Return Part 2 (76-78)
Litana was cautious, but soon she started to speak.
“Get him a blanket.”
She couldn’t help her mentality of a Queen, who was taught that she needed to protect the weak.
The red-haired man, Cale, was shaking as he approached Litana’s group.
– Weak human, beware of catching a cold. But why is your expression different than usual? Are you very sick?
Raon’s voice, which required him to use a paw’s worth of strength, reached Cale’s mind. However, Cale was hiding his plot from Raon, as he simply received the blanket and responded with a gentle smile and a respectful attitude.
“Thank you very much.”
He didn’t look like his trash self, but an upright noble.
Antonio snorted.
His grandmother had a similar thought, hiding her amused if slightly condescending laugh behind her wine glass.
The young master was great at fooling others and an expert at fooling himself.
The kitten On looked toward Cale with disbelief.
Cale was slowly setting the bait.
They were taking the bait.
“He was so believable,” one of her subordinates who accompanied her that day whispered. He draped his baffled self across the table, almost knocking over some plates. “I really thought he was suffering.”
One consoled him, “He didn’t lie though? The young master was drenched to the bone, even though he had mages he didn’t use magic to keep himself dry. Sure, it was all for the ploy, but the level of dedication and honesty is something else. I admire him.”
“You admire him? For being able to fool us?”
“Yes? He fooled us but tell me where did we lose out? What disadvantages did we get? Who did we lose?”
“…good points.”
Litana blushed.
It was true, they were pretty gullible, and with ‘they’ she naturally meant herself. She was still annoyed and that won’t change any time soon, however, her anger was directed at herself and not the young master. He could have asked for so much more, demanding shares, riches, people, and more, and yet he accepted the small piece of land she gave him; humbly allowing her to build a villa for him since she felt bad about it.
The young master was really great.
All of the members of Litana’s group had odd expressions on their faces while they were watching Cale, who slowly walked to a corner of the cave and sat down.
“Thank you for giving me a place to stay tonight.”
It was a gentle and respectful tone.
“If he says thank you one more time, I am getting the cross,” Kim Rok Soo muttered.
What kind of self-proclaimed trash said thank you as often as that idiot did? No matter acting or not, a good trash knew what compromises to make and what was acceptable.
Whereas Kim Rok Soo was proper trash, Cale was recyclable trash that acted all bad but instead helped the climate.
Pffff, amateur.
Naturally, Cale was the one who said it.
Litana shook her head at the average-looking red-haired man.
“…”
Many thoughts crossed many minds, nobody said anything out of respecting Litana’s last shred of dignity.
Unfortunately, Maes and his younger siblings didn’t get the memo.
One of the younger ones whispered as covertly as any child could to his neighbor, “I think the queen needs glasses.”
The other child nodded solemnly.
Litana blushed a bright red, having overheard their conversation.
In her defense, he was drenched, had a ripped coat, parts of his were hidden behind a shivering kitten, the area was more than foggy, and she was both emotionally as well as physically tired.
“It is only normal between travelers. You seem to be cold from the rain, so please rest by the fire.”
However, her subordinates remained wary of him. Even if he looked shabby from the rain, he was still a stranger.
– What rain! He wasn’t hit by rain at all! I did it with warm water!
Raon was complaining about what Litana said.
Cale had ripped his raincoat nearby the cave while Raon used warm water and temperature maintaining magic on him before he moved toward the cave.
Ah.
So, his acting went further than expected.
Litana sighed.
Kim Rok Soo laughed openly.
Cale found everything to be a bother and was questioning the sanity of his older counterpart.
Cale patted On’s back for acting her part well.
Meeeow.
On seemed to be anxious as she looked up at Cale.
Litana was looking at the two of them with a stealthily sharp gaze.
‘He doesn’t seem like a normal person.’
Litana didn’t sense it when her subordinate had pointed his spear at Cale earlier, but taking another look at Cale, the person in front of her had a different feel than a traveler or adventurer.
He seemed healthy, but his posture and walk made it clear that he had not practice any sort of martial arts. However, he did not seem like he was a mage nor any other type of strong individual either.
Alberu sneezed, suddenly feeling very glad that he wasn’t watching this scene.
The glint in Cale’s eyes was something that gave him nightmares. Out of reflex, he touched the spot where he kept an emergency golden plaque.
Her intuition was spot on.
– You seem as strong as the tip of my claw again.
Cale’s body was surrounded by the Dominating Aura right now.
Clopeh remembered being on the receiving end of this legendary power. He recalled how his bones felt as if they were being ground by a knife, his body was pressed down harshly as air in his lungs became a luxury, and his mind was dominated heavily by fear and oppression.
This was the power of a ruler. Of a legend.
No, of god in human flesh!
It was a modus operandi he was all too familiar with. Ruling through fear and oppression was for some not the way to go, but in all honesty, if someone had the power to back it up, fear would morph into respect. The sense of being oppressed would change to feeling the protection the other was offering.
‘After all,’ Clopeh smiled, his eyes a poisonous green. ‘You’d have a ruler above you that was known for something rather than a wimp whose only seemingly redeeming quality was being kind and foolish.’
Kindness killed you while fear was a survival instinct.
His legend was kind to his followers while showing no mercy to his enemies. Clopeh will follow him step by step, making sure that his legend’s kindness hasn’t been wasted on anyone worthless.
While Litana was observing Cale, Cale was also observing Litana through the corner of his eye.
The people of the Southern Jungle, otherwise known as the Southerners, were known for their bronze skin and firm physique. Having a natural location like the jungle as their home, they were very close to nature.
Close to nature.
That closeness to nature developed into a very different culture when comparing the Whipper Kingdom’s citizens and the Southerners of the Jungle.
While the Whipper Kingdom developed a sense of, ‘survival of the fittest,’ and, ‘struggle,’ the Southerners developed a sense of, ‘win-win,’ and, ‘leader and followers.’
Harol nodded.
The young master’s words were true. In the beginning and until he arrived, at least. The changes he brought also delivered new concepts to them. Ways to survive and strive and not just exist in desperation.
The ‘leader and followers’ concept has definitely been implemented in their hierarchy, an obvious example being Toonka, their commander.
Harol remembered when Toonka learned the value of life, choosing to listen to their useless king even though he knew he wouldn’t agree. Yet he still listened because the lives of his subordinates were at stake.
Meanwhile, Toonka was pouting at the screen. It looked utterly ridiculous since he was a grown man, towering over two meters, and had a face that could scare war veterans into an early grave.
An awkward silence filled the cave. The voice that broke the silence was Cale’s casual voice.
“The rain seems to be getting stronger. We should leave the forest tomorrow, right, On?”
The expression on the man’s face as he gently spoke to the kitten was as warm as the fire.
Basen was feeling jealous.
The care and love in his brother’s eyes may be overemphasized, but they weren’t dishonest. He truly loves the children, and Basen knew he was being unreasonable, but at that moment, he also wanted to get a hug and have his brother’s caring eyes directed at himself.
A daring thought entered his mind.
Lily was currently occupying Kim Rok Soo, Big Brother 1.
Big Brother 2, their Cale, was in another room and couldn’t be reached.
His dark brown eyes stared ahead, gazing at a slightly panicking Cale, who was doing his best not to touch Lily for fear of making her fall from her precarious position on Kim Rok Soo’s lap. The other side next to Cale was empty.
He couldn’t but he wanted to.
With a sad sigh, he watched the screen again.
Violan noticed his intention. She harshly elbowed Deruth, who naturally missed the whole thing, and pointed at a down-looking Basen when her husband looked at her in confusion. Still not getting the point, she rolled her eyes and decided to do it herself.
“Basen,” she got his attention. “How about you go to Cale? He is looking a bit lonely. I would also be more reassured with you near Lily since she likes to run off. Tell Kim Rok Soo that we’ll look after his niece and not to worry.”
The niece in question was peacefully snoring in Violan’s lap.
Basen jumped. He resembled a younger Cale who would stare dead ahead when someone, most of the time Ron, caught him with his literal hands in the cookie jar. It was adorable.
“Go.” She commanded again.
With shaky steps, he walked toward the rather empty table. With Crown Prince Alberu, Rosalyn, the kids, Cale, and so many more gone, there were only Mary, Lock, and Tasha left. That was until Tasha kidnapped two wayward drunkards.
Lily invited herself and Basen was in the process of doing the same.
Various pairs of eyes looked at him as he approached with hesitant steps.
“Mo-Mother asked me to tell you that your niece is in safe hands,” he stuttered with a red face, mentally kicking himself for being so embarrassed.
Kim Rok Soo, having gotten used to being a parent himself, immediately saw what Violan did. He mentally gave her a thumbs up.
“Really? That’s good to know. Thanks.”
Basen nodded. He eyed the place next to Cale hesitantly.
“Join us,” Kim Rok Soo invited him. He directly pointed at the space next to Cale, who was doing a rather amusing impression of a fish. The previous wordless conversation the duo had was still fresh on Cale’s mind.
Seeing the hesitation, Cale patted the place next to him with his hand, clearly inviting his younger brother to sit. Basen sat down shily.
It wasn’t so bad, Cale decided when Basen started a conversation, asking him if he was fine.
However, On was looking at him with disbelief.
– …Why are you acting like this?
Raon was confused as well.
“It’s scamming time!” The wolf children cheered.
Lock was highly concerned.
Litana and her subordinates all looked toward Cale with stiff expressions. Litana was able to make a guess based on what the man had just said.
“Umm, Mr.-.”
“You can just call me Cale.”
“Yes, Mr. Cale.”
Litana could see that the man had a magic bag on him, but did not have a sword or anything else, as if he had just come into the forest for a stroll. He also seemed to know his way around.
He had an odd atmosphere around him.
She suddenly thought of something.
‘…Is he a dragon?’
“We should do a drinking game! Every time someone mistakes him for a dragon, we have to empty a glass!” Cage proposed to Taylor who looked intrigued.
Sonata also joined in, finding the duo’s enthusiasm to be infectious.
“They’ll die of alcohol poisoning,” Antonio despaired.
She recalled the legend about the dragon that would grant your wish. The legend did not say anything about the dragon’s appearance nor how it showed up. Litana knew her thoughts were probably wrong, but she could not help but become full of anticipation.
It was at that moment. Litana made eye contact with this man named Cale and could see him start to smile.
“I am not a dragon.”
Ah.
She flinched as she let out a gasp. She could see Cale brushing back his wet red hair that had fallen onto his face.
Litana had been disappointed when the young master denied being a dragon.
Although, now that she thought about it, he may not be a dragon but he had close enough connections and abilities to count as one.
For f*ck’s sake, one dragon was still harping on about being good so that the young master will praise him.
(Rasheel sneezed, interrupting his monologue.
Mila sighed in relief, her ears started bleeding a while ago.
The Dragon Half-Blood looked somehow both scandalized as well as awed.
Dodori wasn’t paying them any attention whatsoever.)
The young master may not be a dragon, Litana decided, but his charisma and strength made him more valuable than one.
“However, I do know the way in here.”
“…How?”
Litana and her subordinates, who had no issues around the complicated and irrational Jungle, were lost in this forest. However, this man in front of them knew the way in here?
Seeing Litana’s confusion on her face, Cale started to smile and answered back.
“This child is from the Cat tribe.”
Cale petted On with a gentle gaze that seemed to fit the gaze of a saint.
“I happened to run into this child in the slums on a rainy day like this in the past.”
He looked out the past. He seemed to be nostalgic about the day they had met. On recalled that day as well and knew that it was not such a nostalgic moment.
“Wasn’t it?” Tasha asked, partially amused.
On was a bright girl, capable and smart. However, her past left her insecure. The fear of abandonment was probably always on her mind, even if she didn’t want to.
Cale may be over-acting here, but Tasha would never doubt the love and care he was feeling. The moment the three met must have been interesting.
The kids’ backstory wasn’t something Tasha was in the know of. Alberu probably had no idea as well. Even Choi Han met them afterward.
What happened to them?
Saying she knew nothing was wrong. Cale’s report on his small expedition, which started with him undercover at a school and somehow evolved into directly kidnapping a king, ending with a loud boom as always, was vague and made no sense.
The cat tribe was mentioned multiple times. Ron had been angry and to get that man to show anger openly meant that the tribe must have been the lowest of the low.
Tasha instinctively snarled.
She hoped that particular scene would be shown. Cale responded, “Nothing much,” which was bullsh*t and he knew it, she knew it, and the kids knew it.
However, she kept her mouth shut and her tail started to shake with uncertainty.
“This child, On, can control the fog.”
“What a rare power.”
Litana thought about the fog covering Oorim and let out her admiration.
“It is. I learned about this place while traveling out from my territory. I read in an ancient text that this place was controlled by the fog.”
Litana turned her gaze from On to look back at Cale. She sensed elegance in his actions and tone the longer she spent with him. He was definitely at least a noble.
“That was why I headed to this place with this child.”
Cale’s eyes started to sparkle by the fire. Litana and her subordinates could see it as well. Cale’s calm yet passionate voice filled the cave.
“We came here because we thought that we could use our power to give hope to the people who lost their way, as well as their family members who are desperately waiting for them.”
“He’s laying it on thick, damn.”
Kim Rok Soo was in awe. He was inspired. This was the highest form of bullsh*tting he had seen for a long while. Even the typical K-drama he loved to watch as a guilty pleasure was nothing compared to Cale’s shamelessness and acting skills.
Add those facts to the handsome face Cale inherited from yours truly and this play just became a whole lot funnier.
Kim Rok Soo took out a piece of paper he had stolen from Clopeh earlier and a pen.
– …That wasn’t it.
Raon was mumbling to himself while On was just quietly wagging her tail.
Cale had a tiny smile on his face after seeing Litana’s gaze starting to change.
“Thankfully, I was right. We were able to see the path once On controlled the fog.”
He quickly explained the secret of the fog. He explained how it could make someone hallucinate and cause mana disturbance as well.
“I see.”
Litana couldn’t hide the bitterness in her heart.
“The legend… it probably does not exist.”
If it was fog and mana disturbance, the legend about the dragon causing this was definitely a lie. Disappointment filled Litana and her subordinates’ faces. However, at the same time, Litana thought it may be for the better.
It was a much better situation now than when she was debating whether she had to set this forest on fire.
“I can see how the queen and the young master are friends.”
“Well, they are definitely on the same wavelength.”
“…everything ends with explosions. Why am I not surprised?”
The comments kept flooding in, filling the room with humorful statements. Even Litana, who was in the middle of mirroring her past self via drowning in bitterness and self-loathing, had to blink as a smile formed on her face from all the more and more ridiculous speculations that kept going around.
“At this point, I wouldn’t be surprised if a whole world burns at some point in the future.”
Gashan kept quiet.
He wanted to laugh too but nature was oddly sheepish when the last comment was placed. A sense of foreboding surrounded him.
Did he want to know?
…no.
“Then is it possible for us to ask you to guide us to the exit when you are leaving tomorrow?”
“Of course. We have to help each other in times of need.”
Litana’s gaze became more gentle and warm toward Cale. He was as good of a person as he looked. She probably felt that odd aura around him because he was such a good person.
Cale then had a disappointed look on his face as he looked toward him.
“I’m sorry. I’m sure you had a desperate wish as well.”
“That is okay. There is nothing I can do about it. I am just glad that I do not need to set the forest on fire.”
“She even said it out aloud…”
Glenn pointed out, exasperated.
Litana looked to the side, her blushing face staying a lovely red. She hoped the scene was over soon, her body couldn’t handle this much embarrassment.
“A good person, huh?” Cale asked amused.
He looked like a good person. How?
Squinting his eyes, Cale had to grudgingly agree that his body double did a good job of acting innocent. He widened their usual more narrow and fierce eyes, making them appear soft. The slight uptilt of his lips removed Cale’s preferred resting bitch face and the fact that the double was slimmer in both face and body made him look more fragile.
Even his choice of clothes was smart. Simple but elegant, a choice Cale would be caught dead in. Why be a noble and not dress like it? Another advantage of looking obviously like a noble is that people normally leave him alone.
The kitten looked incredibly fluffy, even when wet. Cale wanted to pet her.
Fire. That word made Cale’s eyes sparkle for a moment before it quickly disappeared.
“Of course, it did,” Rei sighed.
Rex sat next to him, furiously nodding along. It didn’t surprise any of them. Not after being in the same proximity as the young master longer than ten minutes.
Hannah cheered Cale on, liking where his thoughts were going. The only other sane person was Jack, Rei thought only to facepalm at his next words.
“Fire is pretty, I agree.”
They were all doomed.
“Fire. It is a very scary word. I can feel how much struggle you must have faced since you are a Southerner who treasures nature.”
“Do you know about the south?”
“Not much, but I have read about it in books. I enjoy traveling and love beautiful sights.”
“He isn’t even lying since he actually read about it in a book.”
They suddenly remembered that most of their world was first presented to him via words.
Litana wondered if the writer had enough skill to truly describe the wonders of her Jungle. Every day, she wakes up, gasping in delight when the sun hits the trees, showing her world in beautiful colors. The various shades of green accompanied by whatever color pallet their current season saw them as deserving of.
The glittering of water hitting the shore, the blinding shine of the sand when the gloriously golden sun hits them right, the deep shades of brown when it rained and muddy tracks littered the floor, and so much more.
She would never be able to describe her home in words.
Not just the jungle. It suddenly made people wonder what he thought when seeing landmarks that he previously only knew about from words.
– Hoh, I see I see, weak human.
Cale felt the chills after hearing Raon’s response but continued to speak as brightly as possible.
“Like father, like son,” Tasha giggled.
Mary smiled as well. Raon-nim was adorable.
“I read about how beautiful the Jungle’s mountains, lake and everything else is. Now that we will be able to get out of this Oorim, I plan to visit there in the future.”
“I see.”
Litana was full of disappointment, bitterness and sorriness. She could not lie or feign ignorance to this person who was looking forward to the beautiful scenery of the Jungle.
Her subordinates’ faces turned gloomy as well.
“Unfortunately, the Jungle you will see once you get out of this Oorim will not be beautiful.”
“…What do you mean?”
The Jungle was about a day’s worth of travel from Oorim. It was quite wide as it took up the majority of the south. However, why would Litana have come to this Oorim?
It was because it was close to the location of fire.
“There is a fire in the Jungle?”
“What? Then shouldn’t you put it out right away?”
“… It is a fire that doesn’t spread but also one we cannot put out.”
Seeing Cale’s chaotic gaze, Litana started to explain about the fire in the jungle.
“One day, Section 1 of the Jungle, oh, the section of the jungle by this Oorim is Section 1, a sudden fire started there. Water, magic, incantations, nothing seemed to work on it. We were very worried, but it just remained in Section 1 without spreading elsewhere.”
She started to mumble with a bitter expression.
“I’m not sure whether that is good or bad.”
It was an odd fire.
However, Cale knew the identity of this fire.
A fire that could not be put out through magic or incantations.
The answer was alchemy.
It made so much sense, now that Litana knew of its origin. However, when they were facing the problem, there was so much going on that they didn’t even entertain the thought of it being an attack from the Empire.
Alchemy was more scientific than magic. There was an Empire that was very developed in Alchemy and nothing else.
The Mogoru Empire.
The Empire with the Alchemists’ Bell Tower was the one who caused this fire.
‘To be more accurate, it is the imperial prince of the Mogoru Empire.’
Just mentioning Adin in front of them gained the screen various snarls, shouts, and gazes filled with hatred.
Whenever his name was brought up, an image of a blackened tower of corpses appeared in their heads.
Even the White Star seemed more human compared to the known crimes Adin committed, and the White Star was a bastard who aimed for godhood.
The imperial prince who was worried about Litana who managed to unify the fifteen sections of the Jungle had stealthily caused this fire.
However, no secrets could remain secrets forever. By the end of volume 4, Litana, who caused a fire in Oorim to escape finds out that the imperial prince is responsible for the Jungle’s fire and partners with Toonka, even though his philosophy of ‘survival of the fittest’ was not a match with theirs, to take on the Mogoru Empire.
This surprised both Toonka and Litana.
They remembered the pure hatred their counterparts were displaying, acting like anything but allies.
“What happened?” Litana asked, aghast.
Even Toonka had no words.
The Queen who rides a Black Panther instead of a horse led her warriors to protect the Jungle.
‘But that isn’t my problem.’
Cale did not want to take part in that at all. He was just going to take care of the fire and get paid for it, before taking care of a few other things and returning to the Henituse territory.
“…”
Nobody said anything.
Someone dry coughed but that was it.
Nothing.
It was because he did not want to see the imperial prince of the Mogoru Empire.
‘He’s not a good person.’
Crown Prince Alberu and the Empire’s imperial prince were similar people.
Tasha thanked their lucky stars that Alberu and Cale weren’t there. Her nephew would probably pop a vein, discreetly crying while punishing Cale via cookie deprivation and workload increase.
Crisis averted.
That was why Cale could consider him to be a peer, but it was a bit different.
Crown Prince Alberu cared about justice. That was why it was easy for Cale to talk to and put him to use.
“Put him to use?” Valentino parroted, dumbfounded.
Prince John blinked, not being able to follow Cale’s thoughts.
Rex, King of Mogoru, who was used to being commanded around by Cale, just nodded. King or no king, Cale would still find a way to exploit and use you while somehow making it beneficial for both parties.
Deruth still wasn’t used to Cale’s brazen way of handling things. Directly pointing out the usefulness of a person and not even shying away from higher-ranking nobles. He was glad that their future sun was Alberu, a man who was known for his sharp mind and excellent leadership abilities, and more importantly, his acceptance of Cale’s way of handling things.
Vaguely, Deruth remembered an instance when Zed in his younger years ruined a noble and his whole family for daring to order him around. It was before he was announced as the next ruler and before he killed off all of his siblings and father.
Zed also smiled prettily, happily twisting the knife in the wound he caused himself. His smiles were fake and not believable. He stopped trying to fake his way through after massacring his family since there was nobody he needed to fool.
Alberu was similar, only he was more charismatic. A smile from the crown prince had more impact than the obviously false attempt of Zed. Especially since Alberu’s actions carried honesty and care for his people.
Alberu and Cale were shrewd but never lost their humanity and compassion.
Deruth couldn’t be more thankful.
However, the Imperial Prince was not like that.
He only cared for himself.
He was also very sly and insidious.
He was similar to Cale but different.
Kim Rok Soo rolled his eyes.
Of course, the insecure bastard that Cale was, he naturally had to compare himself to the literal words kind of garbage that their word produced.
Cale pushed away his thoughts about the Imperial Prince who wanted to take control of everything at the center of the Western Continent and quickly moved the muscles of his face.
He made himself look concerned.
“Is it a big fire?”
“…I have never seen such a large fire in my life. It shoots high up into the sky whether it is day or night, making it feel like there is an explosion every day.”
“Then it is probably difficult to approach as well.”
“Yes. Neither animals nor humans can get close. Just getting close makes it feel like we will get burnt.”
“Terrible, sigh, it is very terrible.”
Litana looked toward Cale who seemed to truly feel disappointment about it and felt grateful. It was rare to find a citizen from the center of the continent who cared so much about the South or nature.
“However, we will do our best to put the fire out.”
“I see.”
Another reason why Litana believed Cale and his honesty.
He acted all ‘I am a scammer, poor unfortunate souls, I will loot you dry,’ and so on, but he still did what he promised. He showed concern. Just that alone made him better than the rest.
Section One was near the Whipper Kingdom, not neighboring any other country. Her attempts at getting help were laughed off. The sense of urgency when she shared the news of the devastating fire was pushed away when she mentioned that it didn’t spread.
Even residents of the other sectors were sparse in their sympathy for the other jungle sector.
It angered her tremendously. She needed to help, to douse the fire. The anger fueled by desperation was what made her foolishly decide to follow a legend in the hope of finding a cure.
Well, at least, they did find a cure or more like, the cure found them.
Litana grinned.
She could see Cale who was nodding his head suddenly fall into a state of deep contemplation. However, it did not last long.
It was very short. However, his eyes seemed to be full of determination.
“I, sigh.”
He brushed his face after suddenly stopping and sighing. However, he ended up looking at Litana with determination once again.
“Please take me to the fire.”
“Excuse me?”
The Litana Cale knew about was someone who was weak against the weak and tried to give anything she could to the good. She also returned any wrong at ten times the pain while trying to return any grace at one thousand times what she received.
Cale had a very genuine expression on his face as he started to speak with a purposefully slightly shaky voice.
“I believe I may be able to put out the fire.”
“What?”
Raon started to shout in Cale’s head.
– Weak human, what are you doing? You are very weird today! You are weak! What are you trying to do?
Cale did not care as he still had a determined expression on his face.
“I believe I will be able to put it out.”
Silence filled the cave once again. Litana turned away from Cale in order to look toward her subordinates.
She was trying to see if she had heard correctly.
Her subordinates had the same expression that she had.
“Mr. Cale, may I ask you to explain?”
Litana, who had been leaning on the cave wall, sat up straight. The leather armor had dried with the fire, showing off her toned warrior body.
Many stared respectfully.
Litana looked like the warrior queen that she was. The light from the fire, while showing Cale in a gentle light, made her appear more fierce and regal; more commanding. Her eyes glittered with suspicion and a tiny amount of hope. Her subordinates were suspicious as well. Who would scold them?
Billos sighed.
This was such a young master move that he wasn’t even surprised anymore. Their first meeting went pretty similar as well. Cale just directly told him what he thought, asking Billos if he wanted to keep living in the shadows or finally grow out of them. Earth-shaking words were spoken like they were common.
Still, Billos wouldn’t change a thing.
A part of him was scared of the future. The Hunter business and the fall of his family’s merchant business was a thorn in his eyes. He almost died, after all. The young master saved him once again.
Billos will never be able to repay his debts and he was fine with that. As long as he can continue building his business, making his name appear without the bastard label, and watch the young master slap people in the face, he’d be good.
“I am a citizen of the Roan Kingdom.”
“You are from the Northeast. We are people who work in the jungle as warriors.”
“I see. I am from a small territory in the corner of the Roan Kingdom. Mm.”
Cale scratched his cheek as if he felt awkward listening to Litana call herself just a, ‘warrior,’ and cautiously continued.
Glenn was slightly confused.
“How did she know he was from the northeast? He didn’t share that part yet or his last name.”
Sonata blinked. Good question.
“I am from a small noble family. Thanks to that, I do not lack the funds to travel. I also have a crew that travels with me.”
Deruth wanted to object. What small? Who small? We small?
However, he took it as small in a way of just the five of them since the Henituse family handled it differently compared to other families. Cousins, uncles, brothers, sisters, aunts, and so on, immediately lose the right of succession when they are pushed out.
It has been done that way for hundreds of years and Deruth is quite happy with their practice. Naturally, some annoying relatives pop up from time to time, but he can just look down at them long enough for them to get uncomfortable and leave.
“A crew?”
“Yes. I came into the forest alone with On, but there are people who trust and follow me.”
Litana and her subordinates who valued the, ‘leader and followers,’ philosophy looked toward Cale a bit more gentler now.
“Anyways, as I traveled around, I was able to come across a fateful encounter.”
“A fateful encounter?”
Cale had a bitter smile on his face and started to scrunch his eyes like he was recalling a difficult memory.
“Yes. I was caught up in an ocean whirlpool and barely managed to get out. Once I got out, I found this fateful encounter inside a cave. At that moment, I was able to find an injured person and save them. I was relieved to know maybe that was the reason I ended up getting caught up in the whirlpool, ah.”
Paseton blinked.
But wasn’t the fire extinguished with another ancient power? The one the young master gained from the cave he found Paseton in was the power to control the whirlpools.
…the tale was probably the more dramatic and fitting one for the narrative, Paseton assumed.
Lock remembered the struggle of climbing a certain mountain, being besieged by animals and bandits alike, while the freezing cold luckily didn’t bother him as much. The journey was dangerous as it was rewarding, especially since the young master believed in him, giving him the sole mission.
He didn’t disappoint, Lock beamed.
He suddenly put on an embarrassed smile.
“I’m sorry. That wasn’t the story I was trying to say.”
“It looks like Mr. Cale has saved a lot of people.”
Litana looked toward the calm Cat tribe child On before looking back at Cale. This respectful and courteous noble did not even act arrogant because he was a noble.
“No, I just couldn’t walk by without doing anything.”
“You mean, you couldn’t walk by without looting at least something valuable,” Archie scoffed.
Witira elbowed him, gaining a pained complaint in return. She naturally ignored him.
Meanwhile, Litana was sitting on the edge of her seat. She wanted to know more, somehow getting invested in her own story.
He seemed very modest and good.
“…right.”
“…”
Basen swore he heard some crickets with how silent the room suddenly got.
“Anyways, there was a power I managed to gain at that time.”
“What power?”
Litana realized Cale had gotten to the point and asked.
“Fire Suppressing Water. It is able to suppress any and all fires.”
Litana and her subordinates’ eyes all became cloudy. It definitely sounded different than your average water.
The sky eating water was salty.
The sky eating water was angry.
The sky eating water was complaining loudly inside Cale’s mind, having the feeling that somewhere else another water power was being praised. It just knew that if it was there, the other water power could have gone home crying.
Not knowing who and where all the sky eating water could do was complaining to its fellow ancient powers and Cale, who was looking dead-eyed.
And that would be accurate. This water was different than your regular water.
No matter what kind of fire it was, if it had the word, ‘fire,’ in it, it could suppress it.
“But what if something fire-esk isn’t named something with fire?”
“And what would that be?”
“Cremation?”
“…that is still something involved with fire, you know that? To cremate something, you need to set it on fire.”
“True.”
“Also, I think that the word ‘fire’ itself isn’t meant literally but rather the concept of fire. The water ancient power can douse or extinguish any concept that involves burning.”
Originally, Toonka would have found this fateful encounter and used it as a base to develop a body that cannot be burnt.
“Oh,” Toonka said.
It would have been nice to have a fire-resistant body, however, he preferred having his friend with him. They beat the Empire bastards anyway.
However, Cale was not afraid of getting burnt because of his, ‘Vitality of the Heart.’ It would hurt a bit, but the Vitality of the Heart would let him recover right away. Why would he use something like this in addition to that?
“Cale, no,” Deruth complained loudly. Violan facepalmed next to him.
Before this viewing session is over, he’ll have a full head of gray hairs. He just knew it.
Instead, Cale had put that water into the, ‘Absorbing Necklace,’ that Lock had brought back.
Paseton gasped.
He combined various powers, how smart.
Litana noticed something else that hadn’t been said yet. The young master didn’t want to involve himself into any trouble yet the level of preparation was far too high. Not only did he spend a power with finite supply on her forest, he planned ahead on how to get it to her.
He was fully prepared and had the true intention of saving her jungle. No matter what anyone said, Litana knew she was right. The young master was a saint, someone that saved and helped simply because he could.
She folded her hands in a prayer-like pose, staring at the screen with shining eyes.
Cale cautiously added on.
“However, there is a limit to how much I can use, so I am not sure if it will be enough.”
“Ah.”
Litana let out a gasp. She opened and closed her mouth a couple times before finally asking.
“It sounds like a precious power. Is it okay to use it for us?”
Cale worked hard to prevent the corners of his lips from moving upward.
There definitely was a limit to how much he could use.
‘It is limited to putting out a fire about the size of the entire Western continent?’
As long as Cale was not putting out a fire that burned across the entire Western Continent, he had enough to last him a lifetime. However, it wasn’t like he had lied to her.
“That, how should I address you?”
“…You can call me Lina.”
One of her subordinates flinched. Cale pretended not to see and called out Litana’s fake name.
“Miss Lina.”
Litana remembered sadly that the young master stopped calling her Lina after her identity was ‘revealed’. Maybe she can con him into calling her Lina again? She liked the way it rolled off his tongue.
“Yes?”
“There is no precious or not precious when it comes to powers. I believe the important thing is how you use that power.”
Litana and her subordinates could see that Cale’s eyes were clearer than ever.
“If I can use this power of mine to save the nature, the animals, the plants, as well as people and their livelihood, I believe I definitely need to use it.”
Litana subconsciously started to clench her fists. Her heart was also beating quickly.
“Of course, now that it has recognized me as its master, I need to personally go there to use it. It might take some time and be burdensome.”
“…Do you need to go into the fire to use it?”
“I think inside the fire might be difficult, but I probably have to at least get near it.”
Cale could see Litana starting to frown. Both gratitude and sorriness filled her heart. It was the same for her subordinates as well. Of course, two of them were still wary of Cale, but even they were grateful to Cale.
Cale then launched the final blow.
“I will be very happy if my power can be of assistance. I want to save and help everyone.”
There were literal sparkles around Cale as he said the last two sentences.
The spectators had to avert their eyes in fear of getting blinded by the absurd level of radiance. Clopeh went down on his knees, hands held high as if he was worshiping his god, which was probably exactly what he was doing at the moment.
Clopeh had tears in his eyes. With shaking hands, he thanked the actual gods for allowing him to see the greatness of his legend in so many ways. Oh, he was so blessed to be able to witness the kindness and power of his legend!
The god of war looked down in concern.
This didn’t look right, but he was too scared of Clopeh to interfere.
– This isn’t the weak human I know. No, you are a good person, but still, this isn’t like you. Anyways, saving someone is a great deed!
The four-year-old became chaotic before coming to a conclusion. On the other hand, On just yawned and looked away from Cale.
“Thank you very very much.”
Cale put a gentle smile on his face in response. However, his eyes were coldly observing Litana and her subordinates.
Litana had come to the forest, leaving behind the jungle and people she needed to protect, with a single ray of hope. They had been here for two weeks with no results.
To them, Cale was no different than the dragon of legend.
Rasheel scoffed.
The human wasn’t a dragon. If he had Rasheel with him that day, the fire wouldn’t have been a problem. In fact, if Cale would have had the support of Rasheel earlier on, the dragon was sure that the battle wouldn’t have gotten so ridiculous. His attribute was perfect for beating up loudmouthed intruders and Rasheel was good at using it.
He continued mentally praising himself, lamenting about their late meeting, when it was in fact his fault for sleeping during the conflict, ignoring the elves that came by to ask him for help.
“How could we repay you for your gratitude?”
“Gratitude? No. I have not done anything yet. I just have a feeling that I was drawn into the forest for this exact reason.”
Litana admired Cale, who did not show even an ounce of greed. He really seemed to be a good-natured person.
Pay back revenge at ten fold, while paying back gratitude to the best of her abilities.
“Mr. Cale, I still want to repay you for your gratitude somehow. You are going to guide us and go to the fire to use a limited power. We cannot accept it all without giving anything back.”
“No, I’m really okay.”
Cale put on an awkward expression. He then seemed to contemplate something for a bit before clapping his hand like he had thought of something.
“Ah!”
He looked embarrassed as he started to speak to Litana and her subordinates.
“I read about Section 1 in a book about the Jungle. I read that the combination of the vibrant jungle and clear coastline makes it very beautiful. It said that the sunset there was amazing. I remember thinking that it would be great if I could have a villa in Section 1 as I read that.”
Section 1 was the section that was currently on fire.
The eastern shores of Section 1 were filled with rare materials like gold.
“Aha, and there is the lovely young master we all love and know,” Taylor grinned.
Cage nodded, sagely.
“Can’t work for free. That goes against his work ethic.”
The duo laughed shamelessly and loudly.
In the novel, a shaman from the Eastern continent will end up putting out the fire in about a month. The shaman goes over to the shore to gather some sea water when he happens to find a gold ore.
“A shaman from the eastern continent?” someone asked, confused.
There was such a powerful person?
Litana grimaced. She connected the dots a while ago when Queen Jopis, who so far had been suspiciously quiet, ranted about her sister with her counterpart defending the seemingly kind and gentle queen.
“Elisneh,” Jopis spit out the name with so much venom that even her sweet tea suddenly tasted sour. She put down the cup, looking at the amber liquid with anger.
Her sister may have been dealt with, yet that didn’t remove her crimes. There was still so much that needed to be done so that her citizens could live better lives.
Jopis couldn’t wait for Side A to see the battle that took place in her lands, showing off her dear sister’s mad side to that foolish jungle queen.
The other Elisneh should be glad that she wasn’t here, otherwise Jopis’ dogs would have made mincemeat out of her eons ago.
That gold ore was just the tip of this, ‘Magic Stone,’ mound.
It wasn’t a full mine, but just a pile of buried Magic Stones of the highest quality. The shaman keeps it a secret before gathering it all and running away.
“Running away? But the other queen knows her quite well?” an elf echoed, voicing his confusion.
Queen Litana from Side A passionately defended the shaman, who was almost definitely Elsineh, swearing by her innocence and good heart.
Shickler frowned thoughtfully.
“Well, assuming the young master was just narrating his own opinion and not how it was recorded in the book,” he pronounced the word ‘book’ hesitantly, “then maybe ‘running away’ was just her secretly pocketing the magic stones while still keeping in contact.”
Witira hummed, “Didn’t the young master do something similar?” She immediately elaborated when Paseton threw her a scandalized look. “I mean, he also didn’t share the news and took the stones. They were used for the good of us all, no doubt, especially when I think about the sudden increase in magic stones that the Roan army had. It all makes so much more sense now.”
Paseton grudgingly agreed with her point.
“It was better that way. If he openly shared the information about the magic stones, not only would internal struggles on Queen Litana’s side arise, but why should he share? The Jungle and its inhabitants were nothing more than strangers and we all know how much the young master loves the Roan Kingdom. Why would he willingly give another country precious resources when he knew all too well that his home was struggling?”
Paseton’s argument was valid. Everyone belonged to a country or a tribe. If there was a chance to strengthen their home, they would take it without any doubt or hesitation.
He ended his explanation with a wry smile. “Also, we should be glad that it was the young master and not any other person that picked them up.”
Archie sneered jokingly, “Yes, we can be glad just two islands went down and not more.”
“…”
Too soon. Far too soon, Paseton sweatdropped.
“May I go over to Section 1 to look at the sunset once the fire is out?”
Litana was suddenly at a loss of words. The beautiful Section 1 shoreline. However, that place was on fire as well. The man in front of her should know that, even after the fire is put out, the sights there would be terrible. However, the fact that he didn’t ask for land or money and just to go visit there was surprising to her.
“Ah,” Litana gasped, the embarrassed blush was returning.
However, she knew enough of the young master’s character that she found more amusem*nt than doubt in his words.
The shoreline has been revitalized. Hundreds of trees had been planted, the sands had been cleaned, and even the waters were carefully sifted, separating rubble from nature. Her people built a villa fitting for a king near the shore, yet it was the young master who helped with his people in his free time to make a beautiful scenery ethereal once again.
She once caught him cleaning with his whirlpool power and when she asked, he gave a lazy reply, “I need to practice and the beach is convenient.”
Litana giggled. Now that she knew him even better, he probably actually believed what he said.
The young master was really innocent in the way he handled emotions. It made him precious and more than worthy of protection.
That was why she was the first to bring it up.
“I don’t think seeing it is enough.”
“Excuse me?”
“I will build a villa there for you. If you are not satisfied with Section 1, I will build it anywhere in the Jungle for you.”
“N, no, there is no need for that. That’s too much! I really am okay.”
Cale had to work really hard to keep his lips from forming a smile.
The smile on Cale’s face was adorable.
He tried really hard to keep himself from smiling gleefully, yet sometimes his lips would twitch. The gleam in his eyes was also unmistakable happiness.
Cale never got presents in his previous life. He worked hard for everything he had, never expecting much from people around him. Even nowadays, Lock remembered fondly the awe in the young master’s eyes when his siblings brought him freshly picked flowers as a present.
They all noticed the pure happiness on his face, so whenever they left for longer than a day or two, they’d bring back presents.
Miss Rosalyn recently came back with various southern clothes and dried meat. Mister Ron and Beacrox brought jewels and hides back from the eastern continent. Prince Alberu was always armed with dozens of pastries when he visited.
Lock recalled how Bud and Glenn dragged along a whole albino bear a few weeks ago. The hide was cleaned and made into a soft coat for the young master while they all enjoyed the hearty stew Beacrox made out of the meat.
Giving the young master presents was a secret joy they all shared.
“No, I will build a villa for you.”
“Ah, well, if you insist.”
Cale put on an expression of, ‘there’s nothing I can do,’ as he answered.
“If I am able to help you put out the fire, the villa is too much. May I just ask for a small plot of land where I can build a villa?”
Litana could tell that, although Cale said he was from a small noble family, that really may not be the case. Based on the material of his clothes, the size of his magic bag, as well as his elegance, he definitely was someone who could easily buy things like villas or land.
Deruth nodded proudly.
They had more than enough money.
Some eyed his family with envy.
“Yes, of course. I will give you as much land as you want. In fact, I insist. I will only be satisfied if you do so.”
‘Great.’
Cale held back his cheer and let out a sigh as he nodded.
“Yes, I will make sure to do so.”
He made it look like he had no interest in the land of the Jungle, but had agreed since Litana insisted. That made Litana decide that, if everything goes well, she would give more than what Cale wants to accept in order to repay this debt of gratitude.
Cale knew very well about Litana’s nature. Cale made eye contact with On as he continued to pet her.
‘Your goal is the land, right?’
On’s gaze seemed to be asking that question, but Cale pretended not to notice as he opened his magic bag.
“Such a smart girl,” Tasha complimented wistfully.
Mary nodded.
On was as smart as she was lovely.
“Would you like something to eat? All of you look a bit famished.”
“Ah, that.”
Cale took out the food he had Beacrox make for him from the bag. He knew the most basic way of turning someone to your side.
‘Someone who feeds you is a good person.’
As innocent as the comment was, after finding out about Cale’s backstory, Kim Rok Soo hated how calm the other was.
Worst of all, even after getting to know Cale from the scenes they watched and the interactions Kim Rok Soo had with others after switching bodies, he couldn’t say for sure if Cale was talking from his own experience or from what he observed.
Why was this man so damn complicated but also so annoying that he couldn’t look away?!
Kim Rok Soo wondered if someone out there had a Cale guide and was willing to share.
(Lee Soo Hyuk sneezed.)
That was how he had earned Choi Han’s trust as well.
“…”
It wasn’t wrong, but Choi Han was more of a puppy than a human when near Cale, so he didn’t count.
They didn’t mention how feral he could get when Cale was missing…
Cale touched the blanket that Litana’s subordinate had handed him as he continued to speak.
“You can treat it as the cost of this blanket. Let’s share a meal together and move tomorrow.”
The atmosphere went from casual to very friendly.
“First, we will return to the village where my crew is at and then cut through the forest to the Jungle. Please go on and eat.”
Cale continued to lay it on thick for Litana and her subordiantes.
“You can’t use any strength to save the jungle if you don’t eat.”
Cale’s words made Litana and her subordinates think about the people waiting for them. As for Cale, the Magic Stones were waiting for him.
“Of course, they were,” Hannah commented sarcastically.
Jack looked at her annoyed, silently asking his sister to behave. Her mature response was to stick out her tongue.
This was boring. No fight, no blood, no deaths. Hannah wanted to see more battles, especially the ones she missed since it was fun to see new faces covered in blood. She hoped that the next scene involved a battle or two.
And blood, can’t forget the blood part.
Litana looked toward the food that was still fresh and warm because it had been in the magic bag and grabbed the fork that Cale handed her. She then started to mumble.
“The legend was not very far away.”
“Excuse me?”
Cale had heard the whole thing, but pretended like he did not hear a word.
“No, nothing. This is delicious, Mr. Cale.”
“I’m glad.”
Litana and her subordinates were able to have a relaxing and full night for the first time in two weeks. On peeked at Cale, who watched them with satisfaction before letting out a sigh.
Clopeh looked interested.
The jungle queen called the legend a legend, rightfully labeling him. She deserved more attention, he decided after looking at her and seeing the excitement on her face.
She seemed like a worthy candidate to gain entrance to their church.
“Mr. Cale, this is amazing.”
“Right? On is amazing.”
Cale peeked at Litana and her subordinates, who were following behind him. Looking at the six of them under the sun made it very easy to see that they were strong warriors.
There were two different types of warriors in the Southern continent.
Someone like Toonka was the, ‘fighter,’ type while the Northern Knights were more the, ‘warriors.’ The people of the Jungle were a mix of the two. They were both good at fighting and at training their martial arts or weapon arts.
“Miss Lina, we are almost at Hoik Village.”
Cale could see Litana and her subordinates tighten the raincoats around them after hearing his words. They had suddenly ended up crossing the border, so they were covering themselves up as much as possible with their dark blue raincoats.
Litana was especially making sure to cover her black hair. The royal family had pitch black hair. Since she was on a smaller side for a Southerner and was working hard in order to hide her identity, it was difficult for anyone to tell that Litana was a strong warrior.
However, Cale knew the truth.
‘One level under Choi Han.’
She was much stronger than Toonka.
“What!” Toonka shouted.
Immediately a grin formed on his face. It wasn’t pretty and looked deranged, borderline insane as he stared at her without blinking.
“Fight me!” he screamed gleefully with his fist held sky-high.
Litana wordlessly pointed at the incredibly hard-to-miss sign that was plastered on almost every surface.
‘No fighting, please.
I repeat, no fighting.
For those who are too dense or stupid to know what it means, let me explain. No fighting means not using any object – fleshy or inorganic – in a confrontation with another person. No, it doesn’t matter what you think about your opponent or if they deserve to be called a person or not.
No means no.
No. Fighting.’
Toonka scowled.
Meanwhile, Litana was incredibly flattered by the young master’s evaluation of her, yet she wasn’t stupid enough to forget that this was before Choi Han had his various breakthroughs. If they were compared now, she would be nothing more than a small rabbit trying to frighten a menacing and hungry lion.
One level under Choi Han meant that she was very strong. Once she got on her Black Panther and used her spears, nobody was able to catch her. She was like the reaper of death to her enemies, even in broad daylight, as she moved around in the jungle that was dark from the shadows of the forest. That was how she had become the Queen who unified the Jungle.
The head of the Jungle needed to both be empathetic and strong. They needed to protect their tribe.
The various leaders present agreed with the statement.
Every country has its own principles and rules. Some needed strength, a strong front that frightens away possible conflicts. Others needed to be good at politics, de-escalating situations and forging bonds via words.
Litana embodied what the Jungle needed.
She was its queen and ruler. Rightfully so.
“We are almost there.”
Cale could feel Litana’s group behind him as he started to walk forward once again. On was controlling the fog to open up a path for them.
The fog started to move away.
“Ah.”
Litana’s subordinates let out a gasp. They could feel that they were finally getting out of this, ‘Path of No Return.’ Cale just continued to walk in silence.
Litana and her subordinates trusted Cale even more as they watched him leisurely walk down the path.
Drip. Drip.
The rain fell on the new raincoat that Cale had received from Litana.
– We are here.
Finally, the fog lifted and they could see the entrance of Hoik Village. He had returned.
“Ha.”
A gasp-like laughter escaped from Cale’s mouth.
Meeeow!
On jumped out of Cale’s arms and started to run.
Meeow!
Hong ran toward her as well. The siblings ran into each other and started to rub their cheeks against each other.
They had been separated for a day, yet they welcomed each other as if weeks had passed. Valentino was envious of their sibling bond. His siblings would laugh gleefully and maybe even dance on his grave should he pass thanks to ‘unfortunate’ circ*mstances.
Alberu, if he was here would’ve said the same.
Only the Breck Kingdom was weird.
Cale had his arms crossed as he watched the two kittens before starting to frown after seeing the people standing next to the slab.
“Why are you all out here in the rain?”
Hans, Choi Han and Rosalyn were all waiting for him. None of them responded, instead, they all just pretended as if they didn’t hear him.
“Young master-nim, as the deputy butler, I could not go to sleep.”
“Cale-nim, it is cold. Who are the people behind you?”
“Young master Cale, did you have a good trip?”
Cale uncrossed his arms and headed to them. He stood in front of them and started to speak.
“I’m back.”
Cale didn’t want to see the smiles on their faces, so he turned around. His gaze then fell on the people who were staring at him. It was the families of the people who had gone in and never came back.
Cale headed toward the old man who was sitting next to the slab. It was the same one who had warned him about going into the forest. He then crouched down next to the old man. The old man’s eyes were shaking in disbelief.
Cale confidently spoke to the old man.
“Old man.”
Cale, no, Kim Rok Soo, knew what it was like to wait for something that was never going to come back. He knew that his parents were dead, but, at one point, he had hoped that they would come back if he waited long enough. Cale looked directly into the old man’s eyes.
“There is no dragon.”
The legend was no more.
The old man’s eyes slowly started to tear up. The old man quietly looked down at the ground before nodding his head over and over. Cale walked past the old man and the others before casually adding on.
“I saw some clothes and skeletons in the forest. I can bring them for you if you’d like.”
That was the only thing Cale could do for them.
He returned to his crew and started to speak to Choi Han and the rest, who were looking back and forth between him and Litana’s group, who were wearing a different style of clothing.
“Pack our stuff.”
He pointed to the forest.
“We are heading to the Jungle.”
The fire that enveloped the entire Section 1 of the Jungle. It was time for Cale to suppress that fire on his own.
Cale’s back looked strong as he comforted the people who were left behind by their loved ones.
He offered to deliver their corpses without expecting anything. During the earlier stages of the apocalypse, finding the corpse of someone you knew was a luxury. Most were eaten by the monsters or destroyed in battle. Others were taken by nature, never to be found again by their loved ones.
It became an unspoken agreement that no matter how heavy the conflict between parties was, they’d do their best to leave the corpses in a state that allowed others to be identified.
The path of no return was still standing. Even though Cale disproved the legend, some foolishly hopeful still traveled in desperate attempts to have their wishes fulfilled.
On, the bright little girl, made her extra pocket money by teleporting every two weeks into the path, collecting the various lost people in exchange for money from the village. The village gained money thanks to sponsorships as well as because of its prime location.
With the death count staying incredibly low, more people traveled there. Most didn’t enter the path, instead, they studied the mist, explored the area around the path, and some even built houses in the area. Many plants grew there like weeds thanks to the foggy climate.
Some still died, either because they didn’t prepare correctly or because of conflicts while on the path. On always made sure to take some knights with her in case corpses needed to be collected. Cale didn’t want her to touch them or deliver them on her own.
The screen turned black, a clear indication that the scene was over.
With nothing to do, the various groups enjoyed some snacks and drinks, waiting for the others to return.
Meanwhile, Side A was facing a crisis.
