Is This Romance Fantasy or Just Fantasy?
Is This Romance Fantasy or Just Fantasy?
The day after receiving my share of food.
I took Serkai to the training grounds set up at the edge of the forest.
"You're here."
The training grounds, normally bustling with warriors and children, were empty. Standing beside Vargen were Truga-ssi and a muscular woman I'd seen around Bakery Street.
"Iren, this child is Serkai. Please take good care of her."
The woman called Iren carefully lifted Serkai into her arms. Despite her rough appearance, her touch was gentle.
"But, ajusshi, why are you here?"
Shouldn't Truga-ajusshi be preparing to sell his goods at this hour? Not that it mattered much since it was winter anyway.
"I'm here to translate what this grumpy bastard says. I'll also teach you some common sense about the world. But only for today. Starting tomorrow, I'll be busy too."
I watched Serkai disappear toward Bakery Street with Iren, then turned my head.
"First, come this way."
Vargen gestured. In the center of the wide clearing were heavy rocks, stones, spears, and logs meant for training.
"A Warrior recognized by Winter grows stronger the more he's pushed to his limits."
I looked at Truga-ajusshi.
"What exactly is a Warrior recognized by Winter?"
Truga-ajusshi sat on a nearby log and spoke.
"For now, train by lifting the heaviest things you can manage. We don't have much time, so I'll explain while you work."
I felt like spitting but held back. Getting hit would only make things worse.
"Haah... fine."
Sighing, I walked toward the stones and started testing each one.
This one's... surprisingly light. This one's light too...
How should I put it—I could definitely feel the change in my body.
Weights that would have been heavy before now felt light.
Like I'd gained strength greater than any adult.
Eventually, even the largest stone felt light, so I picked a boulder of moderate weight.
"Hmph. That's the kind warriors usually use. As expected of a Warrior recognized by Winter."
"Ugh... so, what IS a Warrior recognized by Winter!?"
This was the second time I'd asked!
I was holding a boulder as big as my body, squatting and standing while shouting at Truga. The ajusshi grinned and opened his mouth.
"Alright. You've been called 'The One Embraced by Winter,' but do you know what that really means?"
"Ugh... no, I don't..."
I just went along with whatever they called me here, and other people called me that too, so I adapted.
"The One Embraced by Winter was originally part of an ancient ritual. A ceremony for mixed-bloods who didn't belong to Herkan but wanted to join the community. Exactly the ritual your mother, Mirkai, performed."
Heat surged through my body as sweat dripped down. Still, my ears stayed sharp, listening closely.
The memory was still vivid.
Calling abandoning a baby in the forest a 'ritual'—what kind of savage ceremony was that? No wonder they were called barbarians.
"Five years later, if a child survived alone in the forest, we took it as proof that Winter had embraced them and accepted them into Herkan. Winter is our enemy, yet also something we coexist with."
"Haah... haah... so being 'The One Embraced by Winter'... was a word of recognition...?"
My legs were trembling.
Had I done ten squats? I was already exhausted.
The moment I tried to put down the boulder, Vargen's shout filled the training grounds.
"Don't stop! A Warrior recognized by Winter grows stronger the more he pushes himself! Endure! Bear it!"
Ah, fuck.
I felt like cursing. Grinding my teeth and holding on, Truga's voice came again.
"And the Warrior recognized by Winter originates from a legendary figure called the God of War."
Strangely enough, every time I pushed my body to its limits, heat spread from deep within my heart, channeling strength through my entire body. That was the only reason I could keep going.
"Long ago, there was a time when all the tribes were scattered. The God of War was 'The One Embraced by Winter' who became a member of Herkan—but he wasn't satisfied with that."
Stealing a glance while bearing the weight, I saw Truga had already closed his eyes, lost in the old tale.
"He fought against Winter. He trained himself relentlessly and pushed himself to the brink without end. As a result, he obtained the power of regeneration. Yes—the power of fire to overcome Winter."
The sweat on my body evaporated from the heat, rising as white steam. Was this the power of fire?
"In the end, he was acknowledged by the Divine Beast Frozen White Wolf and became one who wouldn't waver before Winter. That is a Warrior recognized by Winter. And he eventually gathered the scattered tribes and unified them under the name Herkan."
Truga opened his eyes.
"Yes, just like you. The fact that the wound you got yesterday healed so quickly is proof."
"Enough."
At Vargen's words, I dropped the boulder like throwing it and collapsed to the ground.
THUD!
"Haah... haah... hoooh... Okay, I get that now... But... what about that red-eyed wolf?"
Sweat dripped from my chin, soaking the ground. Just then, Vargen's voice came.
"You still don't know?"
I looked up, gasping for breath, to see Vargen standing with his arms crossed, looking down at me.
"In this world, there is a periodic event called the Black Sun, when the sun turns black."
Truga continued.
"As that time approaches, the world grows chaotic. Variants like the red-eyed Frost Wolf you caught yesterday begin to appear."
"Variants?"
At my question, Truga spoke.
"Yes. Simple variants. When the time draws near, animals start to change—but not drastically yet."
I took ragged breaths and organized my thoughts.
Come to think of it, in the world I'd seen in novels, monsters were just treated as normal. Was that because the sun turned black?
That meant things would only get worse.
"So... when the Black Sun fully rises..."
Silence fell for a moment. Then Truga's mouth opened.
"...All animals turn into monsters. Strange phenomena appear all over the world. Times become harder to survive. And eventually, the Demon King appears."
The Demon King? Suddenly? Was this a hero's tale?
"Wh-what... Is the Demon King the cause of all this?"
"No one knows."
Vargen continued in a heavy voice.
"No one knows why the Demon King appears when the Black Sun fully rises, or why monsters appear in the world. The temples in the Empire say it's the demon race's fault."
Truga nodded in agreement.
"Yes. Whether it's the Imperials or people from other kingdoms, most say that time comes because of the demon race. After all, the Demon King only appears among them."
"Only appears among the demon race..."
Something felt like it was on the tip of my tongue.
"You won't understand right now. The only reality we face is that harder times are coming and we need to prepare."
Vargen said that and gestured with his chin.
"Now, do it again. From now on, repeat this every day until your body reaches its limit."
"Every... every day...?"
Crazy. How was that possible?
But my body was honest. No matter how hard it was, it wasn't impossible to lift.
The sweat hitting the ground grew heavier as the sun slowly climbed to the center.
No matter how much I trained, instead of losing strength, I felt the Core inside my heart slowly growing larger.
THUD!
I dropped the boulder again, breathing raggedly.
It was already afternoon. I was hungry. But a sudden thought made me open my mouth.
"Haah... haah... But... what's this 'Second Heart' thing...?"
Vargen, who had his eyes closed, opened them.
"...A Second Heart means exactly that. It's your second heart and the vessel of your soul."
I had no idea what he was talking about, so I looked at Truga.
"Hmph. It's something called the Core. A vessel for your soul. That's what they call it in the Empire."
Truga gestured toward Vargen with his chin.
"The Core has eight stages total. The first four stages are about completing and stabilizing the Core; beyond that, it's about coloring it with your own hue. That bastard's at stage five."
"Stage five...?"
Stage five... wasn't that not that strong?
But as soon as I thought that, Truga snorted.
"It's easy to misunderstand with stages, but there are those familiar with each stage and those new to it. One stage is as different as heaven and earth."
Truga picked up a small stone and a large one alternately as he explained.
"For example, a stage five warrior is like this big rock. No matter how many small stones hit it, they can't match the big one. The higher the stage, the bigger and harder the rock becomes."
...Was Vargen really that strong?
I looked at Vargen, trying to sense something, but felt nothing.
"Up to stage four, you can reach it with effort. If you're an ordinary person who works hard your whole life, that is. But from stage five onward, it's different. Something beyond effort is needed."
"Haah... hoooh... Beyond effort...? You mean talent or something?"
"If you want to call it talent, then yes. Because you have to deny yourself and accept yourself at the same time."
I really had no idea what that meant.
"Anyway, thinking that far is premature. You've only just stepped through the doorway. You can grow more."
With that, Truga stood up and looked at the sky.
"The sun's already high. Let's eat and continue."
"Mm. Eating well is also training."
I sighed deeply as I watched Truga and Vargen head back to the village.
It seemed like tough days lay ahead.
Putting strength into my trembling legs, I followed after them.
As I entered Bakery Street, the smell of meat hit me hard.
We called it Bakery Street, but it was essentially a place with campfires lined up in a row.
Usually, the women worked here, processing the hides and meat of beasts the warriors caught.
Crossing the center of the village, I went to the end of the hearths. There, I could see people eating. This was the village square—a kind of dining area.
When Vargen, Truga, and I entered, people's gazes focused on us for a moment before turning away. Just the usual sight of our villagers. Everyone silently tore at meat and drank blood soup.
Looking around, I spotted the ajumma in the corner playing with Serkai.
"Serkai!"
When I called, the kid looked over at me, then ran over with a bright smile.
Poog
"Oh dear, you'll fall running like that."
"Heheh..."
I gently hugged her and wiped the food off her mouth with my thumb. Must have fed her some porridge. Good.
Lifting the kid up, I bowed my head to the ajumma in thanks. She grinned and nodded back.
After that, I ate in silence.
Quietly tearing at meat and drinking the soup boiled with blood. I was so used to it now that I could even rate it. This blood soup? About 80 points? The meat was always delicious anyway.
In the afternoon, I trained with Vargen again.
Tak! Tak!
"Focus more on your legs. Strength comes from a solid foundation."
"He means lower your center of gravity. It'll make movement easier."
We lightly sparred with staff weapons, striking each other while he corrected my posture.
Something I could never do well even in modern times, I was now doing to the point of exhaustion.
"Haah... haah..."
My breathing grew ragged, my lungs felt like they'd burst. But at the same time, I was happy.
Because I could feel myself growing in real time.
The heat circulated through my body, regenerating damaged parts. My muscles grew tougher and harder, and all my organs grew stronger along with my skeletal growth.
I never knew growth—something I'd never experienced in modern times—could feel this joyful.
Thanks to that, I trained until evening without noticing the time.
As the sun set, the training stopped.
"Today's training ends here."
"And starting tomorrow, you'll have to train alone. From tomorrow, I'll be busy with hunting and such."
I wiped my sweat and nodded.
I had a general feel for it. Training alone would be enough.
On our way back together, I spoke to Truga-ajusshi.
"Ajusshi, can you write?"
"Writing? I need to know it to trade with the Empire folks. Why?"
"Could you teach me too?"
Suddenly, everyone's footsteps stopped.
Vargen and Truga looked at me.
"...What do you want to learn writing for?"
The sudden change in atmosphere made me roll my eyes.
What? Did I mess up? Did writing have some important meaning here?
Truga, after some thought, crossed his arms and spoke.
"...Tell me your thoughts. Why do you want to learn to write?"
It seemed learning to write meant more than I'd thought.