Wolves of Hader

I couldn't say anything.

It felt like my mind had gone completely blank.

That our house was descended from a hero?

And to hear that we were from the Yan tribe, and led the seven divine beasts. It must have been a significant secret, seeing how tense the two of them were. Now that I heard it, it made sense.

"Why did human hero Hanuk and our ancestor become enemies? Weren't they both heroes?"

The viscount sighed and replied.

"Do you know about the split among the heroes?"

"I do."

"We brought you here so you could find that out. We have seen the future, but you can see the past. Only a descendant of a hero can see that."

"See the past?"

"Yes. Your father, too, as a descendant of Yan's hero 'Rod,' saw the past."

"So that's how it was."

Rod, the hero of Yan.

Of course, it was the first time I heard of him.

"Then, do you think the split among the heroes began with the conflict between Hanuk and Rod?"

"It wasn't just a conflict between the two. According to Dran's records, except for the hero of Gadisil, the six other heroes refused to follow Hanuk, who was the leader."

"Was Hanuk originally the leader?"

"This is my guess—but he probably appointed himself. Hanuk was a prince of the ancient Divine Kingdom. For him, it would have been natural to become the leader."

A prince, a priest, and one who possessed divinity.

He was about as close to the will of god as one could be.

To him, the other races were nothing but barbarians.

Eilin's father added,

"The heroes were each fighting devils in their own way, and they didn't even know they were heroes. Then, to confront an extremely powerful foe, they all gathered at one place. Failing to stop that powerful devil meant the world would face destruction."

"But because of their division, they failed."

"And so it happened."

No matter what kind of hero Hanuk was, I didn't think Rod, the hero of Yan, would have competed with him. The pressing situation would have made defeating the devil the utmost priority.

"The elders in Dran's domain said the split happened because of something Dran's hero said by mistake. Any guesses on that?"

"Probably because something that should have been hidden was not kept secret. That could have been the cause of the split, or the root of Hanuk and Rod becoming enemies."

Hanuk was said to have disappeared.

Maybe, in truth, it wasn't like that.

"Did Hanuk fall or disappear in that battle?"

The viscount shook his head.

"No. He simply went his own way."

"Even in the middle of a war?"

"He had no intention of saving the world. When he left, he spoke a word to the hero of Gadisil. No one knew it would become a curse and testament."

"What did he say?"

A sigh escaped from the viscount's mouth.

"That his descendants would one day rule the world. When that time came, he would eliminate all things filthy and lowly, so only the holy ones would remain."

Things filthy and lowly in the world.

Was he planning to turn the world into one for the nobles only, turning commoners into slaves?

"Even he likely didn't expect that the curse of the one who left would become a testament. After that, the continent was overrun by devils, and the Divine Kingdom also perished."

"I heard that just before its downfall, the Divine Kingdom received an oracle. The contents aren't clear, but it was probably to carry out Hanuk's testament."

The two of them let out a cynical laugh.

"Is such an oracle real?"

"It's a lie. After Hanuk disappeared and the Divine Kingdom collapsed, the royals whose hatred had reached its peak announced a false oracle. Just to justify ruling over the world."

That's understandable for the period.

It was a world dominated by devils.

But now, things are different.

"Is there a reason the Syren family still tries to uphold that testament? It no longer serves well as justification."

Their wry smiles deepened.

"It also means the revival of the Divine Kingdom."

"So what the grand duke is trying to achieve now is..."

"The Holy Empire."

That was it.

He wanted to unify the entire continent and establish a Holy Empire. To become a ruler of terror, worse than the Order.

If the Syren family lacked strength, it would just be an absurd ambition. There would be no reason to follow the testament. But the grand duke has the power to unite the whole continent.

The long-standing ambition of the house, carried for over a thousand years.

The grand duke wanted to realize the dreams etched deep by the ancestors, with blood-soaked hatred.

If it is possible, what could stop him? It is the resolution of a deep grudge of bloodline and also supplies immense motive to the grand duke's personal ambition.

Therefore, the house's testament becomes their justification.

A deeply rooted cause, originating from the curse of hero Hanuk, and continued as the oracle of the ancient Divine Kingdom.

Is there a greater justification for the dominion of an absolute ruler who swallows the world? Moreover, the grand duke is the descendant of the Divine Kingdom's royal family, adding the pretext of being the will of god.

"Did Hanuk never appear again?"

"He didn't. Even united, their strength was lacking, and with one leaving and two dying, the world fell and the divine beasts disappeared."

"One remained, though."

"Yes. That one is—"

The two showed a smile.

"The Hader wolves."

So that's what it was.

My father once said the Hader wolves were divine beasts. It wasn't just talk; they really were divine beasts.

They never left our bloodline all along. When we migrated east, they started living in the east too. But then, why were they in the west?

"Rod didn't return to Yan?"

"I heard he had children and lived for a while in the western mountains. After the children were grown, the old couple went back to Yan. The descendants stayed in the west."

Could our bloodline still exist in Yan?

Probably not, since the old couple returned home.

"But Syren family and us are brothers of the first emperor. How can our blood be different?"

"The three had no common blood. It was a time of war between kingdoms, and there were many orphans. An extraordinary hunter took in the three orphans and raised them."

"How do you know that?"

"Your father saw it."

"He saw it?"

Eilin's father spoke.

"The past your father saw was from that time. He witnessed the youth of the three brothers and learned of the Syren family's secret testament then."

A hunter who took in three orphans.

Not an ordinary person, clearly. He recognized three children with a great fate.

Or perhaps, thanks to that hunter, the emperor was born, and that's how our house and the Syren family came to be. What kind of being would simply observe like that?

Why didn't Yan's hero return to his homeland, but chose to live in the western mountains? Did Holy Knight Hanuk roam, trying to kill him? Or was he waiting for someone?

"The grand duke would have known our house was a bloodline that could hinder his ambition. Why wasn't he aware?"

"There were many houses named after wolves even before the empire. He couldn't have known which house was Rod's bloodline. Besides, your house wasn't seen as much of a threat."

"I see."

I organized my tangled thoughts for a moment.

It truly was a significant secret.

But was there more to hide here?

"I don't see any crucial part you can't tell me."

"There is something we can't say. Everything we've said so far is a fact, but one thing remains hidden. That, we simply cannot share."

"Would the grand duke hide it because of us?"

"Possibly. We don't know if he knows it yet—but if you act, he'll notice. And then you'd be in great danger."

I remembered my trip to Dran's domain.

"The elder in Dran once said, 'We cannot repeat the same mistake.' Is that related to what's crucial here?"

The two of them nodded.

"Yes, it makes sense from Dran's perspective. The times are completely different now, but it shows their resolve not to make a slip again. We're a little different."

"So, you can tell me a bit more, then."

"Yes. As I mentioned before, only if you know, can we pass it on to you."

I'm glad—I was meaning to ask anyway.

"What is it?"

"We will tell you when you leave this place. For now, you should know where you are."

"Aren't we in Amir's dominion?"

Both nodded.

Eilin's father pointed to the seat of honor.

"Do you know what those orbs are?"

Neither Eilin nor I knew, shaking our heads.

"They are the souls of seven dragons."

"Souls?"

"The souls of the seven dragons who died during the ancient war are in those orbs. They were the ones who created this sacred ground. Amir's people are descended from them."

So that's why the hair color.

Their hair was all different colors, depending on the bloodline of the dragons. So, the ancestor of Black Mane was a black dragon...

"Is the soul of Asgard here, too?"

"It is. He was furious that you trespassed and stole from his palace. Hahaha!"

"Hahaha!"

That old man in the black robe turned out to be Asgard.

I would never have guessed he was the soul of a dragon.

"Why did the dragons die?"

"They never told us. And since they're probably still watching, it's uncomfortable to mention it. The war must have been that desperate and fierce."

My guess was that the devils ambushed the dragons, starting the war. Since dragons were the strongest, their deaths meant their nests became the Guardian's habitat.

"Do you know about the lairs of the legendary monsters?"

"Of course. They were the dwellings of the dragons."

"I see."

No wonder people said there was treasure there.

"Then what are the monsters?"

"They're divine beasts and demonic beasts under a curse."

"That fits. But I still can't understand how dragons could have lost to the devils."

"We don't know either. Even the dragons themselves don't know how they died."

"How could that be?"

"It's a strange thing."

Eilin's father continued.

"That's why we called you here. We have a favor to ask—and wanted to give you some gifts in return."

"What is it?"

"Let's show you what we've prepared first."

Eilin's father went to the door and returned with two boxes of different sizes.

He set them on the table.

"Open the small box, please."

I opened the small box.

Inside were thin sky-blue rings.

Thirty-three in total.

"What are these?"

"Magic communication rings."

The guard had touched something and reported in earlier. He must have worn such a ring. There's enough of them to be quite helpful to us.

Then I opened the larger box.

Inside were six orbs of different colors, looking similar to those with dragon souls.

"These are soul orbs."

"How do you use them?"

"With these, you can see the past. Only descendants of heroes can see the past through these orbs."

"Is that really possible?"

Both men nodded.

"The dragons are curious how they were taken down—it's not something that should have happened. That's why they spent so long making such devices."

This felt odd.

Is it really that important to know?

Will anything change if I see it?

The viscount spoke again.

"Another reason is to prepare for another possible invasion of devils. You must have seen the demon gate in Lord Asgard's palace?"

"I saw it."

"There are more such places, not only among the dragons' seven lairs. You must find the hidden ones, too."

I had already guessed.

It was always possible that the devils would return.

"Are these six orbs enough to see the past...?"

The viscount paused, then asked,

"But why hasn't Allen come?"

"You know Allen?"

"Of course. We even held him when he was a baby. I never imagined he'd grow up so oddly, though."

"Does he have something special?"

They both smiled.

"Allen is a descendant of the hero Brembor."

Both Eilin and I dropped our jaws.

So much finally made sense.

Back in the council of elders, the chairman had persuaded the others with just a few whispered words. Allen had displayed an unusual strength.

"That's why Elder Lembo sent him to us. He, too, is a descendant of a hero."

"Yes."

When I told them I'd met Aktun, descendant of hero Tak, all the elders of Dran had been surprised. They saw it as fate drawing the descendants of heroes together.

Urald and Wundbark, and the old Dran man Makshim who accompanied Aktun—they all knew of my bloodline. That's why they held back their words, worried something might go wrong.

"It's not just Allen and Aktun."

"Who else is there?"

Eilin's father looked at Eilin.

The viscount pointed at the door.

Eilin would know, as the owner of the holy sword.

But why point at the door?

"You mean the captain of the guard earlier?"

"He's my son."

Drrian Viscount's first son?

He certainly didn't look human.

"Is he a descendant, too?"

The viscount shook his head.

"No. Amir's hero died in battle. But my son, too, saw a future in which he walks with you. I doubted it, but he grew into that role on his own."

So that's how it was.

All three friends' children would become the heroes of a new age. Drrian Viscount must have married a human-demi Amir hybrid, not Elin.

"Then what of the emperor's blood?"

Eilin's father laughed.

And the viscount looked apologetic.

"He's already at your side."

"At my side?"

Wait!

They'd said both of the viscount's sons were blond.

So, could it be!

"Priest Roman?"

The two of them just smiled.

How could all this be.