Chapter 37 : Each Their Own Cliff (4)
Chapter 37: Each Their Own Cliff (4)
Hindir read the letter over and over for a long time.
As if he meant to memorize it completely, he kept reading until darkness fell.
After night came, he read it again under the company of moonlight.
And when the deep darkness just before dawn spread across the sky, Hindir finally raised his head.
During his focus, the Imugi Seol had remained asleep, coiled around the peak.
Teran had written that it might become a dragon, but even after five hundred years, it remained an Imugi.
Seeing how the creature Teran had once called a snake had become an Imugi now, it really might turn into a dragon someday.
Or perhaps it was staying behind because of a promise made with Teran.
"Seol."
At Hindir's call, the creature opened only its middle eye slightly.
"Thank you for everything until now."
A soft snort rustled Hindir’s cloak.
"I'm back now, so you can leave too."
At those words, Seol fully opened the rest of its eyes and slowly rose.
"Well, I wouldn't mind if you occasionally checked on the Cheongweol Tree."
Seol quietly looked down at Hindir, then eventually turned and headed down the mountain.
And watching the departing creature, Hindir bowed his head once more.
Wondering if perhaps Charun hadn't been the only one who had lived a long life as a slave.
He decided to bring the scroll Teran had left to the village and show it to everyone.
After all, it wasn’t meant for him alone, but for all descendants.
However, handing over the parts about the Muscle-Heart Technique just as they were felt a bit dangerous.
He already knew about it himself, and he couldn’t pass on an unverified danger to them.
He would confirm it himself first and only pass it on when he was certain.
Thud—
"Hm?"
Just as he was standing up, Hindir discovered another parchment that had rolled out from within the metal casing.
[In honor of my friend who left without seeing my sword, I leave behind this Oxcart Sword.]
As he unrolled the scroll and saw the phrase at the beginning, Hindir’s expression hardened.
He realized what it was.
Teran’s swordsmanship, completed over a lifetime.
All of his insights were written here.
“……”
This wasn’t left behind for Charun.
Until the very last moment he had seen him, Teran hadn’t had a disciple.
Even if he had taken on a student later, considering Teran’s remaining lifespan and all he had prepared for Charun, proper transmission wouldn’t have been possible.
So this must’ve been left behind with the hope that, even in the distant future, someone who could inherit everything might appear in the world.
‘I’ll find its rightful owner.’
In truth, the moment he saw it, one person came to Hindir’s mind.
‘Moritz.’
The moment he saw her wield that heavy sword, he had thought it resembled Teran’s.
And Dardiom, who had claimed to be her teacher, had called his sword the Oxcart Sword before his death.
Oxcart Sword (望友劒) and Oxcart Sword (輓牛劍).
What a strange coincidence, wasn’t it?
Hindir had said upon seeing the Oxcart Sword—
That it wasn’t hers.
He had already suspected that the roots of that sword lay with Teran.
‘Wandering the world without an owner, huh.’
He figured Moritz would know more if he asked.
After checking the metal case again for anything he might have missed, Hindir headed toward the Cheongweol Tree.
He emptied the bag he had packed before leaving the village and began plucking the Cheongweol fruit one by one.
A total of twenty-four Cheongweol fruits.
Hindir took a big bite out of one of them and, feeling the cool mana fill his body, chewed and swallowed it thoroughly.
Unusually, it had no seed, so he could eat the whole thing, and his hollow heart core began to surge with mana.
The lingering chill from Parno was swept away by the pure cold contained within the Cheongweol, and only now did he feel his body truly cleansed.
Just as its reputation said, the Cheongweol was incredibly effective.
It felt at least three times more potent than Blood-Hero’s core.
Satisfied, he nodded.
"When the day comes to pass on the Muscle-Heart Technique to the descendants, I’ll return again."
As if bidding farewell to an old friend, he quietly placed his hand on the Cheongweol Tree and took his leave.
By the time Hindir came down, the village was in complete chaos.
The cause was none other than Seol.
Rumors had spread that a dragon suddenly appeared from beneath the cliff, holding a red orb in its mouth as it soared into the sky.
Those who hadn’t seen it accused the others of lying, while those who had insisted it was real—right in the middle of it all, Hindir appeared.
“Hindir! Are you okay?”
“Hey! We heard a dragon came out of the cliff. Weren’t you down there?”
Seff and Kanar ran over frantically.
“I’m fine. Is anyone hurt?”
“Uh… Before the dragon showed up, there was an earthquake or something, and Baltan fell while climbing the cliff. Well, that aside…”
“Hey! Hindir!”
Kanar cut off Seff mid-sentence and interjected.
“This might sound like a weird question, but… was that red orb in the dragon’s mouth… you?”
“Hmm? You saw that?”
Hindir asked back, seemingly quite surprised.
It was a fair distance away, and he was surprised they had managed to see it.
“W-Wait, you’re saying that was really you?”
As Kanar asked again, Seff started laughing and slapped his back.
“Ahaha! See? What did I tell you? You can always tell with family—bam!—just like that.”
“Are you out of your mind? So you're saying your nephew got carried into the sky by a dragon, and you were arguing over whether it was him or not?”
As the two bickered, Hindir smiled lightly and spoke.
“It wasn’t a dragon, but an Imugi.”
“An Imugi? Something that dangerous was near us?”
Kanar’s expression turned to shock, then his eyes widened even further.
“You didn’t… fight it, did you?”
“I did fight it, but we didn’t settle anything. It wasn’t an opponent to fight.”
“W-Wow…”
“More importantly, Aunt.”
“Huh?”
“Could you gather the villagers? There’s something I need to tell everyone.”
It was sudden, but Seff realized it was serious and nodded.
“I understand. I’ll tell them to gather at the plaza right away. Kanar.”
“Got it.”
After spreading the word with Kanar, she returned and walked toward the plaza with Hindir, asking along the way,
“What’s going on?”
“This.”
Hindir handed her the letter Teran had left behind for Charun.
“Haha, there aren’t many people in this village who can read, but looks like you’ve found just the right person.”
Snickering, Seff began reading, but her pace gradually slowed until she finally came to a full stop.
“W-What is this?”
“It’s the root we lost.”
“…Where did you get this?”
“I found it while wandering outside the village.”
“……”
“That’s what I’d like you to say.”
“You just found it, huh?”
“Yes. But I think a bit of a lie will make it more believable. Saying I found this outside would also naturally explain my return.”
Seff already suspected that Hindir carried a secret he couldn’t share.
And that there was a reason why he insisted on complicating the explanation.
“……”
Without answering right away, Seff finished reading the rest of the letter.
Then she closed her eyes, sank into her thoughts briefly, and finally came to a decision.
“You brought something called Cheongweol?”
Hindir opened his bag to show her.
Radiant like sapphire, with a cool yet sweet fragrance.
It looked like an Ice Crystal carved into the shape of a fruit.
Though Seff had never seen a Spirit Elixir herself, if this wasn’t one, then what else could be called a Spirit Elixir?
“Alright. According to what’s written here, you found a snake called Seol and met it in person. And the snake took you up the cliff behind the village, where you found this thing called Cheongweol and confirmed that everything written here was true. That’s when you decided to reveal it to all of us.”
“That’s correct.”
“But what about this torn part?”
“I believed what was written there could endanger everyone if seen unprepared, so I damaged it. When the time is right, I’ll return it to the clan.”
“You…”
It felt like he had known everything from the beginning.
But if she tried to probe for confirmation, the fragile bond with her nephew might be shattered for good—so Seff held her tongue.
“Whew… Either way, this is an incredible find. Truth be told, we do have a few oral tales from the ancestors, but hardly anyone believed them anymore. The more we tried to believe, the more miserable our reality became. But deep down, everyone felt it—what is this heat boiling inside our bodies? Maybe those stories whispered through the generations were true after all.”
Seff stared down quietly at Teran’s letter as she spoke.
“But once you came back, people began to hope. Of course, when we think about the ones still out there—like Parno or that fearsome Snowy King in the Great Snowfields—we are still too fragile and vulnerable. But now, this has been found…”
They had lived as rootless slaves, but this letter proved that the legitimacy burning in their chests was no delusion.
“Now, at last, we can begin again.”
Seff’s eyes burned hot.
They were unmistakably the eyes of a warrior.
Teran’s will.
Charun’s history.
It was impossible to capture all of it in a single letter.
But it was enough to erase the last doubt in the hearts of those gathered at the plaza.
They were not born as slaves.
They were warriors who once lived more passionately and freely than anyone.
Out of the twenty-four Cheongweol fruits Hindir had brought, he crushed twenty one by one into a large cauldron.
Then he mixed them into a thick blend and shared it with everyone.
“Mmm!”
“How can this be…!”
As expected of a superior Spirit Elixir, its effects were clearly felt.
Though they didn’t consume the whole fruit, and the effects were somewhat diminished, it was still more than enough for the current Charun.
The elderly, as if they had turned back the clock ten years, felt their energy restored and their chronic pains vanish completely.
Those with injuries could see their wounds healing before their eyes, and their bodies grew strong enough to scale cliffs right then and there.
“Hindir.”
Seff called Hindir to the center.
Hindir stepped forward slowly.
For a moment, the surroundings fell silent, and all eyes focused on him.
Even just standing there, his presence drew everyone’s attention.
Even those who once thought him arrogant now found themselves overwhelmed by the natural majesty he exuded.
“Now, we will step into a wider world.”
Hindir spoke in a calm voice.
“Just as our ancestors once did, across the vast snowfields, across the sea, to every corner of the continent—there will be no place we cannot go. But that will take preparation, and right now, it would be reckless. Still, this future is certain. And the first step will begin with leaving this place.”
Hindir looked over the descendants for a moment, then asked a question with an obvious answer.
“Is there anyone who wishes to remain in the past?”
Everyone answered with their eyes—everyone except one.
Baltan raised his hand.
“I can’t leave.”
“Why not?”
“Because I won’t leave until I’ve conquered that cliff.”
Just hours ago, Baltan had broken his arm.
But after eating the Cheongweol, the bone had nearly healed.
And now this overflowing strength—what was it?
He used to think Hindir was just an arrogant brute who looked down on others because he got stronger, but now… he seemed like the savior of Larka Village—no, of Charun itself.
It wasn’t an exaggeration.
And he wasn’t the only one who thought so; many others felt the same.
That’s why he wanted so badly to climb that cliff.
He felt that only by reaching the top could he keep up with Hindir.
Others began raising their hands one by one as well.
“You know I got the highest last time, right? I’m the one with the most to prove.”
“Pfft, nonsense. You just jumped at the end and slapped the rock with your palm.”
Watching the fire of competition burn in them, Hindir couldn’t help but smile.
It was impossible not to find them endearing as they finally chose to become warriors themselves.
He had originally planned to leave Larka Village as soon as the next day, but now it seemed he’d have to delay a few days.
That might make things a bit more dangerous…
But there was no way he could turn away from those eyes.