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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Jjescus ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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Chapter: 163
"There's a brother and sister I'd like you to meet..."
After our meal, the village chief mentioned the two people she had talked about earlier.
"I asked around, and they said they went hunting. Strangely, they haven't returned yet, even though it's about time. I think we should go look for them..."
It sounded like she was asking me to go find them. There was no good reason to refuse, so I agreed to the village chief's request.
"Sure, a post-meal walk sounds good."
The village chief looked at Jawoon. "Jawoon, I think it would be good if you went with him."
"Alright."
The man they called Osang glanced at me and smirked. Could it be... that he thought I couldn't go outside the village without Jawoon?
I couldn't help but bristle, and Jawoon nudged me, urging me to go. When I looked back at Osang, he had already left. With no other choice, I started walking.
"About those people the village chief wants me to meet. You said they were siblings, right?"
That's right."
"If those two can go hunting alone, they must be quite skilled, aren't they?"
At my question, Jawoon thought for a moment, seeming to recall something. "Well, I'm not sure. Thanks to the spell the village chief has cast, the monsters around the village aren't very aggressive."
His words confirmed that my feeling wasn't a mistake. I had sensed that the monsters here were a bit gentler than the ones that swarmed the northern wilderness of Wolhan Fortress.
If that spell could be used in the northern region, it would greatly reduce the damage caused by monsters. I wondered if I could learn it.
It would be difficult since I had never even placed a stone in a shrine, but it was worth a try. Of course, that was if the village chief would allow it.
"Is there any way I could learn that spell?"
Jawoon scoffed. "That won't be easy, will it? Even if you could learn that spell, would the village chief teach it to an outsider like you? It's a ridiculous idea."
"If I could prove that I wouldn't leak the secret, wouldn't there be a possibility?"
"That's not the main issue. Since you're not from this village, the village chief won't listen to such a request."
"Come on, if it's about origins, aren't you in the same situation, elder?"
I brought up a topic Jawoon had previously avoided.
"You're not wrong. As I've already said, I wasn't born and raised in this village. I came from outside."
"I don't know how far 'outside' is, but it doesn't seem to be a nearby place. How did you end up here?"
"There were circumstances."
"Did you have to leave your homeland?" I asked cautiously. "I apologize if it's a sensitive question."
Jawoon shook his head. "You're right. I had to leave my homeland. I had to escape."
He must have been framed for a serious crime. "You had to escape..."
"I was falsely accused. In my homeland, they wanted to kill me, so I had no choice but to leave."
It was clear that he had been wrongfully accused of a significant crime.
"Actually, I didn't want to leave."
I observed Jawoon's expression. Perhaps because it was a long time ago, his face was calm.
"But in that place, I would forever be a criminal," he murmured sadly. "I felt wronged. I pleaded my innocence, but no one believed me. No matter how much I cried out, no one listened."
I listened as he spoke so calmly, gazing at him before turning my head to look at the surrounding scenery.
Jawoon wasn't looking at me anyway. While his sudden revelation about his past was a bit startling, I could understand him.
Given our shared status as outsiders, my appearance might have provided him with an opportunity to release the pent-up emotions he'd been carrying.
“Even when I raised my voice, they acted as if they couldn’t hear me. Then I thought, maybe I’m not even human.”
While he was speaking to me, his words weren’t really directed at me. I realized that he would have shared his past with anyone who was an outsider like him, regardless of who it was. It didn’t necessarily have to be me who listened to his story.
“What do you think? Isn’t that right? I’ve always considered myself human. I’ve used human language and read human texts, but no one has ever listened to my words. How can I call myself human then? Isn’t the world about people connecting with each other? If no one listens to you, no matter how loudly you shout, even if you read thousands of books and recite famous passages, your words have no meaning. It’s just noise. It’s like a beast barking or me praying. Yes, if someone were to listen to a dog barking and try to understand its meaning, then that could be considered language.”
I paused for a moment and asked, “So, do the people here listen to what you say?”
“Well, it’s hard to say. But it’s not bad either. At least, the people here don’t point fingers at me. Here, as long as I do my job and fulfill my responsibilities, I can live as a member of the village. Until I no longer want to.”
“But elder, you live alone.”
“That’s my role. Although I live away from the village, it’s my choice to visit the village, isn’t it? No one can blame me for dropping by whenever I want.”
“So, you’re satisfied.”
“Yes. Having a place where I belong, a place where I should be, is the most important thing for me. I have no complaints as long as no one dislikes me. And since they’ve given me a place to stay, there’s no reason for me to leave this village. I’ll probably die here.”
“It seems like you have no intention of going back. Don’t you miss your homeland?” I asked because I missed my homeland every day.
“A place you left on your own is no longer your homeland. I don’t even want to think about it.” Jawoon groaned.
I had nothing to say in response, so I simply shut my mouth. It seemed like Jawoon wasn’t expecting a reply either.
I glanced at him, then fell silent. I waited for him to speak again. If he wanted to change the topic, he would start talking again.
After a while, Jawoon pointed at the ground and said, “It must be around here.”
“‘Do you mean the people you’re looking for, or a monster?” I asked, placing my hand on my sword hilt. Jawoon glanced at my sword and pointed in one direction.
It was hard to see the end of the forest, which was densely packed with trees with oddly twisted branches. It was unbelievable that they would hunt in such a place.
Also, there was a strange smell in this part of the forest. The unknown scent, mixed with the smell of rotten leaves and thick grass, was heavy and sticky, and it filled my lungs with each breath.
“The smell is strange.”
“It’s a hunting ground. There are a lot of small monsters here. But you’re quite perceptive to notice that so quickly, even without going deep inside.”
Oh, I see. I smiled awkwardly.
“There’s no need to be wary. There aren’t any dangerous monsters like the one you caught last time living around here. The siblings should be up ahead.”
Jawoon and I walked in that direction.
As we moved forward, trees entangled with crimson vines surrounded us. Small moss and dark blue mushrooms densely covered the ground beneath the trees.
Jawoon pointed out a few species, saying they were useful for medicine or food. I had seen some of them in the northern wilderness of Wolhansung.
I remembered how I had to conserve my medicine because I hadn’t brought enough when I left on my expedition. I felt a pang of regret, wishing I had known about this beforehand.
While looking at the moss and mushrooms, I suddenly raised my head.
Even though there was no wind, I could hear a whispering sound coming from the trees. It gave me an ominous feeling.
“It’s over there.”
I pointed in the direction of the sound, and Jawoon looked at me quizzically.
Anyway, it wasn't a monster, it was a human making that noise.
"That trap..."
He suddenly quickened his pace, his expression one of realization and alarm. It was as if he'd anticipated something.
As I hurried to catch up, I found the source of the noise.
"Jawoon, quickly!"
And near them was a trap, clearly set by humans. It seemed designed to catch a creature the size of a pony or a cow, but the problem was...
A person was caught in it.
The woman was pacing back and forth, and her face lit up when she saw Jawoon.
"Quick, help Gongyoung! Hurry!"
It was clear she couldn't free her brother from the trap on her own.
The trap was designed to lift the caught creature off the ground, rendering it immobile. It was raised to a height of about twice a person's height. And since it was made to capture a creature as large as a cow, a human would be no match for it.
Jawoon sighed deeply and shouted at the man dangling helplessly in the trap. "What a foolish thing to do..."
He began to scold the siblings as he worked to release the trap. "And you, when your brother got caught in a trap, you should have gone back to the village to get help instead of just pacing back and forth. Did you think a savior would drop from the sky?"
I watched Jawoon grumble. It seemed like he wasn't very close to the villagers, and he didn't seem to deny that fact, yet he appeared to be quite familiar with these siblings.
After a moment, Jawoon released the trap, shook his head, and frowned.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Jjescus ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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