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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Jjescus ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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Chapter: 165
The Hwang siblings approached.
Hwang Danyo was walking ahead, and Hwang Gongyoung was strolling behind.
It was Hwang Gongyoung who spoke first.
I hesitated, unsure of how to respond to his question. My mind was still racing with the chief's words.
"I was just thinking," I said.
Hwang Gongyoung rubbed his shoulder and tilted his head.
"Did Grandma tell you a scary story? Your face looks pale."
I shook my head.
"No, nothing like that."
"Ah, I guess she didn't tell you where to go. Right?" Hwang Danyo said.
She smiled faintly and suddenly walked into a thatched cottage on the other side of the yard. As I watched her back, Hwang Gongyoung nodded, gesturing for me to follow.
Following her suggestion, I entered the cottage. Hwang Danyo, who had already gone in, poked her head out of a room in the corner and beckoned to me.
"Here, stay in this room."
It was old but clean, as if it was swept and dusted every day. I nodded.
However...
"Did the chief say anything?"
When I asked the siblings, they looked at me curiously.
"The chief said she wanted to introduce us, but..."
She trailed off, leaving me with more questions than answers.
Hwang Danyo thought for a moment, then scratched the back of her head.
"Introduce us? To you?"
She looked at Hwang Gongyoung.
Hwang Gongyoung replied, "Why?"
They looked at each other and nodded. It seemed like a meaningless question.
But I couldn't shake the feeling that the chief had emphasized introducing them for a reason. Hadn't she avoided mentioning anyone else in the village?
"Well, maybe I'll ask again tomorrow."
It seemed like the siblings didn't know the reason either. I guess there was nothing else I could do.
I nodded.
* * *
Early the next morning, I felt someone approaching.
I opened my eyes to the still-dark sky. It was too early for dawn.
Listening carefully, I guessed it was Jawoon.
I went out to meet him, and as expected, Jawoon was approaching.
“You’re an early riser,” I said, standing a few steps away. Jawoon stopped when there was only about a step between us.
“I'm not much of a sleeper,” he replied.
“Oh, I see.”
I looked down. Jawoon was carrying something familiar: my sword.
He held out the weapon he had taken and kept while I was unconscious from the monster’s poison.
“I apologize again for taking your things without asking, and for only returning them now.”
“No, it’s…,” I replied, taking the sword he offered. “If a stranger shows up with a dangerous weapon, it’s only natural to take it away. I understand completely. I would have done the same.”
Jawoon chuckled.
“You speak as if you’ve had that experience.”
“Well…” I chuckled awkwardly. It was true. When I was Baek Yeon, after Blood Cloud Fortress fell and I survived alone, vowing to forget my identity, so many people had hunted me.
Soldiers from Huawei, or madmen who wanted to cut off my head and claim the reward for a noble title…
Especially the latter. Those guys were truly obsessed. They were so desperate that they were willing to risk their lives.
Even though they had come to kill me, none of them had even managed to scratch my neck.
Suddenly, I raised my hand to touch my neck. This neck was so valuable, I thought.
“You don’t have to have personal experience to make that judgment.”
Jawoon nodded. I drew the sword I had received from him out of habit.
A sharp metallic sound rang out. The blade seemed to shine brighter than usual.
“I noticed the blade was damaged, so I sharpened it a bit.”
“Ah, I see.”
It wasn’t just my imagination; the blade really was shining.
I smiled and returned the sword to its sheath. Then I bowed slightly.
“Thank you. I was worried about what to do since the blade was damaged.”
“It seems like a precious sword, given as a gift. You shouldn't treat it carelessly.”
Jawoon looked at my sword.
“The fact that you carried it this far means it must be valuable to you.”
For some reason, his expression seemed dark. Maybe it was because of the night.
“I don’t have anything left to protect anymore, but that doesn’t mean you’re the same.”
Hearing that, I recalled my assumption that Jawoon’s past had been dark and remained silent.
“Well, I’ll be going now.”
Leaving already?
I looked up at the eastern sky. Although the scenery in the demon realm was different from the night sky I was used to, I could still tell when the sun was about to rise.
The faintly brightening eastern sky signaled the approaching dawn.
“Don’t people here eat breakfast?”
“Of course they do. Why do you ask?”
“Then why don’t you wait and…?”
“No.”
Jawoon replied firmly. It wasn’t a refusal or a denial; it was a flat-out “no.”
“I’ll be a disturbance.”
“You don’t seem like a disturbance.”
“That’s why I came to deliver your things at this hour. I came secretly. I don’t want to be seen.”
I see. If he didn’t want to, there was nothing I could do.
I nodded.
“Right.”
But then he turned back to me.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
He seemed to have forgotten something.
“The moon will rise tonight.”
“The moon?”
The nights in the demon realm were not as dark as the nights I was used to. But there was no moon either.
A moon, suddenly? That was a strange thing to say, something I'd never heard of before.
Jawoon nodded and continued. "The moon will rise tonight. And it will appear every night for the next fortnight."
So what? Was he telling me to go look at it?
"On nights when the moon is out, the monsters become more ferocious, so we'll form a night watch. You'll probably be included."
"Is that so?" I asked reflexively.
"Someone might die, so it's best to be prepared. Newcomers to the village are usually the first to be drafted."
"I'll keep that in mind."
Jawoon seemed to be warning me because he thought I might die. Of course, my thoughts were different.
"Well, I'll be going now."
With those words, Jawoon turned and left.
I watched him until he was out of sight, then looked up at the sky.
There was no sign of a moon, but the sky was slightly brighter than before.
The dark, heavy night sky was gradually fading into dawn. A thin fog swirled through it, making the sky seem even more mysterious. The sky of the demon realm had a more bizarre hue, with layers of purple and ash gray spreading thinly.
But even in the darkness where not even the stars shone properly, the dawn that was gradually brightening was only a slightly clear gray.
If it hadn't been for the faint hint of red in the scenery, I would have thought the sky was completely covered in mist.
I searched the lifeless landscape for a pair of black wings but gave up. Miracles like that wouldn't happen.
Disappointed, I returned to the cottage and took out the dagger Jawoon had returned. I thought for a moment about the spell Soldier Do had cast on it.
But it was also said to be a deadly poison that could kill me. What a strange thing.
Feeling helpless, I stared at the dagger, then hid it in my clothes. I was worried that the village chief might notice it, as it was an enchanted object.
After a while, the outside became noisy. People started to gather as they had the day before, and the smell of cooking food spread.
I sneaked outside, and there was the chief. When she saw me, she glanced at me and then quickly turned away.
It was clearly intentional. But before I could resume our interrupted conversation, others approached the chief and started talking to her.
I quietly sat in a corner of the yard and helped an old woman carry firewood. After eating, the chief gathered everyone and began to speak in a solemn tone.
"As you all know, the nights with the moon will begin today."
The faces of the villagers darkened. They looked worried. Osang, the man I had argued with, looked tense but also had a gleam of anticipation in his eyes.
Was he hoping for a monster to appear? He seemed to be a novice who had never really fought a monster, despite challenging me.
I was annoyed but kept quiet.
"We need to form a night watch."
The chief called out several names from a list she had prepared. After calling out a few names, she called my name.
"Baek Yeon."
People glanced at me. Then their gaze shifted to the next person whose name was called.
I repeated my name in my head. It felt strange being called Baek Yeon. It seemed like I had already adapted to Yegyeong's life.
The chief called a few more names, and then added Jawoon at the end. Since the village wasn't very large, there weren't many people. Most of the able-bodied men were mentioned by the chief.
After adding a few more words, the chief finished speaking, and the people dispersed. But the chief remained where she was and stared at me.
Finally, I could resume our interrupted conversation. Before I could approach her, she turned away from me.
"Follow me."
I nodded and followed her.
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Jjescus ]
[Proofreader - Starfall ]
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