Chapter 65: The Blind Sage of Spades
Narretar
There are warriors who are feared.
There are kings who are respected.
And then...
There are a handful of people whose very existence becomes a legend.
People whose names are spoken with reverence.
People whose words can shape the fate of kingdoms.
Tonight...
One such legend arrived at Restart Village.
---
Two days had passed since Alistair entered the Death Forest.
The crimson sun slowly disappeared beyond the horizon.
Its fading light painted the distant trees in shades of red and gold.
The quiet road leading toward Restart Village echoed with the steady sound of horse hooves.
Clop...
Clop...
Clop...
A simple wooden carriage slowly emerged from the forest.
Leading it...
Was Alistair.
His black cloak fluttered gently in the evening wind as he calmly guided the horses toward the village gates.
His expression remained composed.
His eyes stayed focused on the road ahead.
Behind him...
The endless Death Forest slowly disappeared into the distance.
Two days ago, he had entered those cursed woods for one reason.
To escort a very important person safely through them.
The man inside the carriage was not a merchant.
Not a nobleman.
Not a soldier.
He was someone far more unusual.
A Sage.
A Sage from the Kingdom of Spades.
The old man had decided to travel around the world.
But instead of choosing a safe route...
He had chosen to cross the Death Forest.
For an ordinary traveller, that decision would have sounded almost suicidal.
The Death Forest was not a place where people simply travelled.
It was a place where even experienced warriors could disappear.
Magical beasts wandered beneath its ancient trees.
Monsters lurked in the darkness.
The deeper regions were said to contain creatures powerful enough to destroy entire groups of adventurers.
Yet the Sage wanted to pass through it.
And Brald White had understood immediately that allowing the old man to travel alone would be reckless.
So Brald had made a decision.
He would send the person he trusted most.
Alistair.
His most reliable man.
The one person Brald believed could safely escort the Sage through the Death Forest.
And Alistair had accepted without hesitation.
For two days...
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He had guided the carriage through the dangerous forest.
And somehow...
The journey had remained strangely peaceful.
---
Inside the carriage sat the old Sage.
His body looked incredibly frail.
His snow-white hair reached his shoulders.
Deep wrinkles covered his face.
His hands trembled slightly with age.
His eyes...
Remained closed.
Not because he wished them to be.
But because he had been born blind.
Yet despite his fragile appearance...
There was something strangely peaceful about him.
He sat completely still.
His breathing was slow.
His posture relaxed.
As if the dangerous forest outside did not concern him at all.
He was known throughout the world as a Sage.
A man from the Kingdom of Spades.
A man believed to have lived for more than six hundred years.
No ordinary human should have survived for so long.
How he had remained alive...
Nobody knew.
It was one of the world's greatest mysteries.
And perhaps the strangest thing about him...
Was that his blindness had never prevented him from understanding the world around him.
He could hear things others could not.
Feel changes in the air.
Notice movements without seeing them.
And most importantly...
He possessed an Ultimate Skill.
An ability unlike anything ordinary.
The ability...
To witness the future.
Not merely the future of one person.
But sometimes...
The future of kingdoms.
Nations.
Perhaps...
Even the destiny of the entire world.
That was why kings treated him with the highest respect.
And that was why Brald had considered his safe passage through the Death Forest so important.
---
The village gates slowly opened.
Waiting outside stood Brald White along with nearly every villager.
The moment the carriage entered...
Everyone became quiet.
The villagers respectfully lowered their heads.
No one shouted.
No one mocked.
No one disturbed the old Sage.
Only silence welcomed him.
The horses slowly came to a stop.
Clop...
Brald stepped forward.
He looked toward the carriage.
Then toward Alistair.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"You made it."
Alistair calmly nodded.
"Yes."
Brald's eyes briefly moved toward the Death Forest behind him.
"You brought him through safely."
"That was my duty."
Alistair's answer was simple.
Brald smiled.
"And you were the right person for it."
For Brald...
There had never been much doubt.
If someone needed to cross the Death Forest safely...
He trusted Alistair more than anyone.
Brald turned toward the carriage.
"Welcome to Restart Village, Great Sage."
"It is an honour to receive you."
The old Sage slowly turned his head toward Brald.
His eyes remained closed.
He gave only a slight nod.
He rarely spoke.
His silence carried more weight than most people's speeches.
---
For many years, one strange habit of the Sage had become famous throughout the continent.
He would eat almost any food placed before him.
Almost anything.
But...
If someone asked—
"Would you like to eat this?"
He would refuse it.
Without exception.
However...
If the food was quietly placed before him without asking...
He would accept it peacefully.
No one understood why.
Perhaps...
Only the Sage himself knew the answer.
Brald had heard the story many times.
So he decided not to make the mistake of asking.
---
Brald personally prepared the evening meal.
Inside the Sage's room, he carefully arranged every dish on the wooden table.
Fresh bread.
Warm soup.
Roasted meat.
Seasonal vegetables.
A pot of herbal tea.
Everything was placed quietly before the old man.
Brald didn't say a word about the food.
He simply placed it down.
Then he bowed respectfully.
And walked outside.
Click.
The wooden door gently closed behind him.
Inside...
The Sage remained still for a moment.
Then his hand slowly moved toward the table.
---
Outside...
The villagers whispered among themselves.
"I heard he can see the future."
"They say even kings seek his guidance."
"Imagine living for six hundred years..."
"Truly unbelievable..."
"He came all the way from the Kingdom of Spades."
"Why would he travel through the Death Forest?"
"Perhaps he wants to see the world."
Despite their curiosity...
Not a single villager spoke disrespectfully.
Not one insult.
Not one mocking word.
Only admiration.
---
Standing beside Lily, little T listened carefully to everyone's conversations.
Her bright eyes sparkled with excitement.
She tugged gently on her mother's sleeve.
"Mom..."
Lily looked down.
"Yes?"
T pointed toward the Sage's room.
"Is he really six hundred years old?"
Lily smiled.
"That's what people say."
T's eyes widened.
"Then he's older than Grandpa Brald?"
Lily thought for a moment.
"Much older."
T looked amazed.
"Then he must know everything!"
Lily gently stroked her hair.
"Perhaps not everything."
T looked confused.
"Then why does everyone respect him?"
Lily smiled.
"Because true respect isn't earned only through age or power."
She paused.
"It's earned through kindness, honesty, wisdom, and the way you treat others."
T listened carefully.
Then she nodded seriously.
"I'll remember."
Lily smiled.
"I know you will."
---
A short distance away...
V and Kai watched the carriage with fascination.
Kai folded his arms.
"So..."
"Do you think he can actually see the future?"
V remained quiet for a moment.
"...I don't know."
Kai scratched his head.
"But everyone respects him."
"There has to be a reason."
V looked toward the Sage's room.
"He has lived for a very long time."
"Maybe he has seen things we can't imagine."
Kai looked thoughtful.
"If he can really see the future..."
"I wonder if he already knows what we'll become."
Before V could answer...
T suddenly jumped into the conversation.
"My future is easy!"
Kai blinked.
"Oh?"
T proudly placed both hands on her waist.
"I'm going to become someone everyone admires!"
Kai laughed.
"I believe you."
V smiled warmly.
"You'll definitely make it."
T beamed with happiness after hearing her brother's encouragement.
---
Near the village entrance...
Brald and Alistair stood together beneath the fading evening sky.
Brald looked toward him.
"You've returned safely."
Alistair nodded.
Brald glanced toward the Death Forest.
"Two days."
"That was a long journey."
Alistair remained calm.
"It was peaceful."
Brald raised an eyebrow.
"Peaceful?"
"No monsters approached."
"No magical beasts attacked."
"The forest was unusually quiet."
Brald slowly exhaled.
"That's strange."
"It is."
Alistair looked toward the distant trees.
"Perhaps the forest simply didn't want to interfere."
Brald gave a small smile.
"Perhaps."
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Brald looked at Alistair.
"I knew I could trust you with this."
Alistair turned toward him.
"You chose me because of that."
"Yes."
Brald smiled.
"You're the person I trust most."
Alistair said nothing.
But his expression softened slightly.
Brald looked toward the Sage's room.
"He wanted to travel the world."
"Yet he chose the Death Forest as his path."
Alistair nodded.
"And now?"
"He is safe."
Brald smiled.
"Then your mission is complete."
Alistair looked toward the peaceful village.
"For now."
Brald chuckled.
"Knowing you..."
"That probably means you'll find another mission before the night ends."
Alistair gave him a quiet look.
Brald laughed.
For a brief moment...
The two warriors simply stood together.
Watching the peaceful lights of Restart Village shine beneath the darkening sky.
The villagers returned to their homes.
Children laughed in the distance.
The river flowed quietly.
The wind moved gently through the trees.
Everything looked peaceful.
Normal.
Safe.
But inside one small room...
An old Sage sat quietly beside a wooden table.
His blind eyes remained closed.
His hand stopped above the cup of herbal tea.
For the first time since arriving...
His expression changed.
Only slightly.
Almost imperceptibly.
He turned his face toward the window.
Toward the distant darkness.
Toward something...
No one else could see.
His lips barely moved.
"...So."
Silence.
Then his eyes remained closed once again.
Outside...
The moon slowly rose above Restart Village.
And somewhere beyond the village...
The future quietly waited.
Neither Brald...
Nor Alistair...
Nor anyone else in the village knew...
That the arrival of the Blind Sage of Spades was not simply the arrival of another traveller.
It was the beginning of something...
That would eventually reach far beyond Restart Village.