C508
Choi Han stopped his steps.
"!"
The body of the Great General's youngest son, Ashifrang, stiffened.
Sreung.
Choi Han slowly put his sword back into the scabbard.
Tuduk.
Ashifrang swallowed hard as he saw his cut hair.
In an instant, Choi Han had arrived right in front of him.
"Choi Han!"
Hearing Cale's voice approaching with surprise and urgency from behind, Choi Han stared at Ashifrang and spoke calmly.
"Just in case he was an enemy, I hurried over to verify it first."
Gulp.
Ashifrang swallowed again at those words.
‘Absolutely not.’
That gaze.
That swordsman with that bloody gaze had truly intended to cut Ashifrang. It was a lie that he only moved to verify his identity.
‘He doesn't tolerate it.’
And the lie was correct.
Of course, Choi Han had no intention of killing Ashifrang. Because hearing General Perry's voice behind him, he seemed to be an ally.
‘I heard it. About the young master's true identity.’
A short while ago, Ron had approached Choi Han and told him.
That he had finally heard from Cale's own mouth about his true identity.
‘Then?’
‘I must become stronger. To follow him and to protect him.’
Both Beacrox and Ron wanted to become stronger.
To follow him and to protect him. Just that single person, Cale Henituse.
Choi Han, while accompanying the Marine Union this time, quietly observed his surroundings. Especially, he evaluated Cale.
Choi Han, who had not yet fully manifested his Singularity.
He was evaluating how much stronger he needed to become to protect Cale and stand in front of him.
In the midst of that, Choi Han could not tolerate an attack blatantly directed at Cale at all.
‘...I am becoming sharper.’
He felt that he was becoming a bit sharper and tenser.
The more he felt his own insufficiency, the more he changed.
Until now, he thought he had at least fulfilled his role as Cale-nim's sword.
‘...Now-’
Could he say that now?
A sense of oppression was gradually stimulating Choi Han.
‘Yes.’
Like when, after falling into the Forest of Darkness for the first time, he emerged from the confusion of not knowing what to do.
When he was able to live in a certain way, he felt that oppression.
‘I must become stronger.’
The path is decided.
Then, he just needs to decide how far to advance along that path.
‘It's not far.’
Choi Han felt that his patience, his limit point, was not far away.
‘Mujeon, was it called?’
The Singularity of someone who used the sword, who practiced martial arts.
If he obtains information about that, he might be able to manifest his own Singularity, which is currently just a seed.
Choi Han looked at Cale with a serene expression.
"Ah, really?"
Cale, who approached afterward, sighed in relief at Choi Han's words.
Then, he turned his gaze toward Ashifrang.
"Choi Han is actually quite gentle, it seems you got scared. Haha!"
Cale, smiling kindly, pushed Choi Han behind him and reached out his hand to Ashifrang.
‘Gentle? Who?’
Ashifrang's pupils shook at the fixed gaze of Choi Han, who was watching him from behind Cale. Even so, Cale spoke again to the dazed Ashifrang.
"It seems he was surprised by the suddenness. I am Cale Henituse, coming with General Perry."
Cale, seeing that Ashifrang, who seemed very surprised, did not try to shake his hand, clicked his tongue inwardly and stepped back.
"General Perry will explain it to you."
Huu.
General Perry, who came running afterward, exhaled and approached Ashifrang.
"Sister-"
Leaving Ashifrang, who finally came to his senses, behind, Perry spoke to Cale.
"I will speak with him alone for a moment."
"As you wish."
Cale kindly granted them time alone.
He headed back to the ship and said to Choi Han beside him.
"You can take it easy."
Tok tok.
Choi Han's eyes widened at the tap of Cale's hand on his shoulder.
He quickly looked at Cale, but he was boarding the anchored ship as if nothing happened.
‘...Cale-nim.’
Choi Han felt once again that, unlike his indifferent appearance, Cale was someone who thought of his people more than anyone else.
With a slightly more relieved expression, Choi Han followed Cale and boarded the ship.
And he waited for the conversation between General Perry and Ashifrang to end.
General Perry soon returned.
"You can move."
Cale got off the ship following her words.
Only Choi Han, Alberu Crossman, and the average 10-year-olds followed him. There was also one person from Perry's side.
"See you later, young master."
The rest of the group, including Ron, decided to enter Island 1 a little earlier than the others, two days later, on the day the grand council would begin.
‘Inside Island 1, there will surely be those who follow other generals.’
That is why General Perry suggested going secretly to the place where the Great General resides with the minimum number of people.
Cale also accepted this.
"You will act as Ashifrang-nim's subordinates."
Cale's identity was decided.
"Mmm."
Ashifrang swallowed hard seeing these people who suddenly became his subordinates.
‘Are they as strong as they say?’
He heard a general explanation from General Perry.
Also, about General 3's conspiracy.
"...Follow me."
Ashifrang, hugging his broken spear, suppressed his sadness and vigilance and went into the cave.
"Was Ashifrang-nim guarding this place?"
Ashifrang did not answer Cale's question.
‘Even if he is strong, he won't be stronger than my father!’
And if my older sister, General 7, comes, that guy can be ignored.
Ashifrang did not see Cale, who seemed weak unlike the black-haired swordsman from a moment ago, as particularly strong. Especially his attitude of approaching with respect and kindness made him seem weak.
Gulp.
However, when General Perry nudged him in the side, Ashifrang had to speak.
"That's right."
Huu.
General Perry exhaled and spoke.
"Although one can be self-sufficient inside Island 1, even that has limits."
"Sister!"
Ashifrang got angry thinking why she had to mention that content, but soon closed his mouth.
"……."
Because Choi Han, who had made eye contact, was watching him silently with his hand on his sword hilt.
"...Oh my."
Ashifrang sighed, but did not stop walking.
‘My father said that in case of emergency, I should listen to General Perry and General 7.’
In the past, when he was a child, his father told him that if anything happened, he should trust General 7, his own blood, and General Perry, whom he had treated like an older sister.
‘Especially Perry is a girl with an upright heart. She cherishes Island 1, Island 16, and beyond that, this sea. So you can trust her.’
Remembering his father's words, Ashifrang allowed General Perry to take these people to Island 1.
Of course, it was not without conditions.
"The moment you do anything foolish, the Council of 17 will fall apart."
The secret passage of the cave. A peculiarly shaped teleportation Magic Formation, which was reached only after descending endlessly underground.
It was said to be a combination of magic and Magic Formations.
-Oh! Human, this shape is a bit peculiar!
Raon showed interest in it. But Cale's attention was drawn first to the few people guarding that formation.
"Vice Chief Ebo will stay here."
Ebo, General Perry's younger brother.
He was the only person from Perry's side who came.
Ashifrang spoke with an impassive expression.
"If I don't contact them every half day, they will kill Vice Chief Ebo."
Mmm.
Choi Han let out a groan.
But neither General Perry nor her younger brother Ebo showed any change in expression.
Cale's gaze turned toward Perry.
Ssiik.
Perry smiled.
"Of course, if that side pulls any tricks, I will immediately order my subordinates to kill Vice Chief Ebo."
Ashifrang continued speaking calmly.
"Also, if my subordinates don't contact me every 2 hours, or if I sense any change in their status."
His gaze turned toward Cale and the other outsiders.
"I will assume your companions have done something and will take my own measures."
Ashifrang asked calmly.
"Will you still accept?"
It was his minimum measure of precaution.
"Yes."
Cale nodded his head seeing Perry answer before him.
"Thank you."
Cale thanked General Perry. Although he still felt hesitant about Cale, both General Perry and Ebo showed him trust first.
"...Let's go."
Ashifrang, seeing the two people whose trust seemed more solid than expected, relaxed his expression, and soon began to activate the formation.
Deep in the underground cave.
When a bright light burst from there.
"General Perry knows, but the place we will arrive at is our home."
Ashifrang, receiving Cale's gaze, added.
"It is the residence of my father, the Great General."
Paaaat!
Soon, a bright light covered Cale, and Cale opened his eyes in another place.
"Is it underground?"
"Yes. It is the center of an underground channel beneath the residence."
Cale looked at Ashifrang and Perry.
Among the information about Island 1, there was no content about such a large underground channel.
"It is an underground channel large enough to use in a war. Actually, it looks more like a passage than a channel."
At Cale's words, Ashifrang sighed.
"That's right. Only Guardian General Perry, our bloodline, and a few know about it."
Cale, after observing the center of the huge underground passage that extended in all directions, raised his head.
There was a path to the surface.
"Let's go."
General Perry took the lead.
Ashifrang sighed and followed her, and Cale and his group also moved behind them.
-Human, I can feel mana energy here! It seems there is magic deployed everywhere! There also seem to be Magic Formations!
While listening to Raon's explanation, Cale looked at Alberu. The two could guess each other's intentions without speaking.
‘First, the Great General.’
After verifying with him, they planned to immediately search for King Zed Crossman.
Swiik.
Cale moved while checking the mirror, the Divine Item of the God of Death, which still showed no changes.
The God of Death. He must also find a body for him to descend.
‘One at a time.’
Cale decided not to rush.
Tap tap.
Going up the underground stairs and opening the door, Perry came out.
"!"
"…!"
Soldiers who were surprised for a moment and then calmed down upon seeing Ashifrang.
Cale, upon reaching the surface, swallowed hard seeing the hallway and the soldiers filling it.
‘It is strict.’
The security of the residence was quite rigorous.
‘The King won't be among them, right?’
Both the residence garden visible from the hallway window and outside its walls. Even in various places on Island 1, visible from beneath the Great General's residence at the very top, numerous soldiers were coming and going.
‘How did he infiltrate?’
How did the King infiltrate such a place and how does he travel between inside and outside the game?
Cale, seeing the state of vigilance stricter than expected, felt doubts.
‘...The King is not that strong.’
Furthermore, his bodyguard was not particularly strong either.
Of course, based on Choi Han as the standard.
"……."
But Cale, for now, followed Perry in silence.
And finally, upon reaching the third floor of the residence and arriving in front of the only door on that third floor, he understood that the time had come.
‘The Great General.’
He would finally be able to meet the Great General, who was said to have been unconscious for months.
"Retreat."
At Perry's words, the knights in front of the door looked at Ashifrang.
He nodded his head and spoke.
"Everyone go down."
The knights, of course, and the troops deployed all over the third floor also retreated.
When Cale looked at them with curiosity due to their behavior completely different from guarding them, Ashifrang spoke.
"I will inform you about my father's condition."
Ah.
Cale understood why he had withdrawn the soldiers.
Since there might be those among the ones maintaining this strict security who serve other generals, they gave maximum priority to the confidentiality of the information regarding the Great General.
"My father loses consciousness and sleeps or wakes up repeatedly."
Huh?
It was different from being unconscious.
Even people did not believe this and said that perhaps the Great General was already dead.
But sometimes he wakes up?
"However-"
Ashifrang hesitated for a moment, but seeing General Perry's gaze, he sighed and spoke.
Given that the Council of 17 would take place, his father's condition would be known anyway.
"However, when he sleeps, his heart does not beat."
Huh?
Cale's eyes widened.
If the heart doesn't beat, isn't he dead?
"And when he is awake, he is in a state of madness."
Mmm?
Seeing the doubt in Cale's eyes, Ashifrang, with a very irritated expression, blurted out.
"It means he mutters nonsense in a state of not being in his right mind."
"Ashifrang-nim!"
At Perry's voice laden with reproach, Ashifrang, with an expression of discontent, swallowed his frustration inside.
"...Anyway, since he is in that state, I tell you not to be surprised if you enter and see the Great General, so behave accordingly."
He closed his eyes slightly.
"For your information, neither the famous doctors of the Marine Union, nor the priests, nor even the famous doctors of the continent could identify the disease."
Cale spoke for the first time.
"Did it happen suddenly?"
Ashifrang's expression became strange.
"Who knows."
He seemed to have a suspicion but couldn't express it.
Then, General Perry looked at Ashifrang with a doubtful expression.
"...Did it not happen suddenly?"
But Ashifrang avoided her gaze.
He had the expression of someone who wanted to say something but couldn't, without being convinced.
"I don't know. Let's go in quickly."
He opened the door without hesitation.
"It is probably the time when my father is awake. Even in his madness, he rarely acts violently, he just mutters quietly, so there is no need to worry."
His expression was bitter.
"If the madness gets worse and he has an attack, we will knock him unconscious by force if necessary."
Criii-
The door opening.
The scene beyond entered his view.
An old space where sunlight entered.
A single bed was placed lonely in the center.
The servants and doctors who were waiting bowed their heads and stepped back.
It seemed they had heard the commotion outside the door.
Tap tap.
Ashifrang heading toward the bed.
Cale could see an old man sitting dazedly on the bed.
"...Great General-"
Perry's voice contained resentment.
The Great General.
Someone worthy of that name was not on the bed.
Gaunt, with dark circles under his eyes, empty pupils.
And he could be seen muttering something endlessly.
‘...His condition is not good.’
Above all, his whole body was trembling.
He was also full of cold sweat.
It seemed that wiping it was of no use.
As if he had had a terrible nightmare. Or as if he were inside a nightmare now.
An old man who trembled endlessly and muttered something.
He muttered so quietly that what he was saying could not be heard. His empty pupils moved aimlessly.
"Father."
Ashifrang called him, but the old man did not answer.
There was no reaction to Perry's call either.
"Haa."
General Perry, who let out a sigh, looked at Cale and asked.
"Sir Cale Henituse, do you want to observe more?"
It was at that moment.
"!"
Cale's eyes widened.
The moment General Perry called him.
"Ah, father!"
Ashifrang shouted in surprise.
Cale could see the old man, who was looking into the void aimlessly, turn his gaze here.
The old man's large open pupils.
The gaunt old man, who was still sweating cold sweat and trembling, looked directly at Cale.
‘Huh?’
Is he looking at me now?
The moment Cale realized it, immediately afterward he understood something.
‘It's not me.’
The old man's gaze was directed past Cale's shoulder.
"Father, father! Do you hear a voice now?"
When Ashifrang, surprised, ran toward his father.
The old man was still looking here.
Not at Cale, but a little beyond that shoulder.
The old man, who had even stopped muttering.
His mouth opened.
Unlike when he muttered quietly, he tried to emit a sound.
"Uh, ah-"
But it seemed difficult to emit a sound.
The old man couldn't speak properly.
However,
"Ah, ah, ah!"
Several times, after trying, he finally managed to say a word.
"Ah, Alberu-"
At that moment, Cale could hear the voice of Crown Prince Alberu Crossman behind him.
It was the first time he heard his voice like that.
An infinitely trembling voice, as if he couldn't believe it.
"...Father?"
Huh?
Cale looked alternately at the old man with the unknown face and Alberu Crossman, who seemed surprised by his own words and was closing his mouth.
Half of the day, his heart stops.
The other half of the day, submerged in madness, muttering.
The Great General.
‘It can't be-’
Is that possible?
Cale turned pale at the thought that came to his mind.
Well now..wdy know..let's just say, the thick plottens..
ReplyDeleteBtw, I had an hunch that the Zed might have been the Great General. But I dismissed that guess since the General seemed to be an NPC that has been there even before Zed disappeared.
But with the fact that the Great General sleeps with no heartbeat immediately got me thinking that Zed somehow isekai'd as the General. It seems that he's in a weird player+NPC situation. Interesting