Chapter 191: Strangely, the Tears Didn't Come.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 191: Strangely, the Tears Didn't Come.
Gark and Hark didn't ask about Ragia. They must have already known she was no longer breathing. They didn't ask how she had fought or how she had died. They simply placed their hands on their chests in silence.
In their other hands, they each held the corpses of Go Woongjin and Lee Hyunhak. They had also brought the men’s gear, apparently having collected it as spoils of war. The only slight disappointment was that the magician was nowhere to be seen.
I spoke to Gark and Hark.
“The magician?”
“We lost him,” Hark answered curtly. He seemed mortified, being the only one to return without a complete success. But seeing the scorched marks all over his body and the gaping wound in his chest, I could tell he had fought his own desperate battle. I had no intention of blaming him. In fact, I was grateful.
I lifted Ragia into my arms and began to walk slowly as I spoke.
“We’re taking the human woman alive.”
Hark nodded. He passed the blunt weapon he was holding—Go Woongjin’s—to Gark, then lifted Park Hyeri.
With all four of her limbs severed, Park Hyeri was quite a sight to behold as she shrieked. The constant noise was grating, so we gagged her. And so, the three of us—I, Gark, and Hark—began to move. The first stage of our revenge was complete, but there was still more to be done.
The next target was the master of the Spider Clan. I didn't believe she could use such an absurd teleportation ability without any penalty. There had to be a weakness. I didn't know when we would find it, but if things went as I planned, Park Hyeri’s expression would become even more of a spectacle. She would only die after our revenge was complete. Until then, I vowed to continuously carve pain into her body.
I had no concrete proof, but I was certain there was a connection to the Sword Saint of the West or the King of the South, so I immediately sent a communication to Jang Ye Ri.
[Jang Ye Ri.]
[You! Are… are you alright?]
She must have been worried that I had cut off the communication during such a critical situation, as her voice was rushed.
[I’m fine. What’s the situation on your end?]
[That’s a relief… It was just as you said. The Spider Clan didn’t show themselves directly, but the atmosphere was strange… I relayed your words to the Queen of the North as well.]
It seemed the plan had naturally fallen apart. It wasn't so much that it was canceled because we had captured four of them, but more likely because the Witch of the East and the Queen of the North had heeded my warning and were keeping the situation in check.
[I see. Was there anything else out of the ordinary?]
[The Sword Saint of the West and the King of the South seemed quite anxious. To be honest, I was preparing to move my troops as soon as I heard from you, so I couldn't hear the specific agenda, but it seemed they were about to propose an alliance. If we had refused, they would have undoubtedly tried to capture me and the Queen of the North. I wanted to thank you.]
[I only did what was necessary.]
It seemed highly probable that the Sword Saint and the King of the South were the ones who had mobilized the Spider Clan. The Sword Saint had started a war with the North in my past life, but she was being even more aggressive this time. Then again, I couldn't be certain that she hadn't had a connection with the Spider Clan in my past life, either.
If I considered that they were registered as guests back when Jang Gi Young ruled the East, it made even more sense. At the very least, she had to have a connection with the master of the Spider Clan.
[In any case, I’m glad you’re safe. Was it a success?]
[It was, but it’s not enough. I have a difficult favor to ask. I’d like you to maintain a somewhat close relationship with the Sword Saint and the King of the South. Of course, it doesn't have to be too direct. A simple show of friendship will be enough.]
[That is not a difficult request. I accept.]
Jang Ye Ri paused for a moment. She seemed to have a rough idea of what had happened. I figured my emotions were likely being transmitted through the communication. Given the nature of the Ring of Covenant, my feelings were surely being conveyed. I tried to calm my heart, but it wasn't easy to settle.
Jang Ye Ri spoke in a calm voice.
[…Do not grieve.]
[Thank you.]
My mind was in turmoil. I felt like I was fine, but there was a definite ache in my chest.
I walked on, my gaze falling upon Ragia.
She was still smiling. She had tried to say something before she took her last breath, and it was a profound regret that I hadn't been able to hear her final words.
Her death was no one’s fault, but if I had to assign blame, I thought it might be mine. I was overconfident. I received her help, and thanks to her, my life was spared. But in the end, Ragia was the one who died.
It was a result born from my failure to predict she would come.
‘Stupid.’
Of course, I wasn't a god, nor was I perfect. But the thought that I couldn't prevent something that could have been avoided made me feel a little pathetic.
I had grown stronger, but not more mature. I had the thought that perhaps I was just pretending to be strong.
It wasn't long before Baek Ahyeon, Jung Hayeon, and Orbo of the Shield, who had received Ragia’s message, came out to meet us.
They, too, asked nothing. Orbo simply showed his respects to the fallen executive, while Baek Ahyeon and Jung Hayeon held back their tears.
It would have been strange if they hadn't grown attached. She was an executive they had lived and fought alongside for three whole years; I understood that her death could make them sentimental.
“For Blood Dagger!”
“For Blood Dagger!”
Even after we returned to the settlement, no one approached me to speak. They simply raised their hands in a gesture of respect for the fallen Ragia. I said nothing. I just kept walking, holding Ragia in my arms, and the clan members cleared a path for me.
The faces of the clan members who had originally joined with Ragia contorted in sorrow. The women who had chosen the life of a mother over that of a warrior bowed their heads. There were no resentful gazes. They were simply paying their respects to the leader who had originally guided them.
The Green Skins parted for me as if the Red Sea were splitting, and I came to a stop in the center.
Baek Ahyeon rushed to Gark and Hark, who bore deep wounds, while her other followers were dispatched to treat the captured Park Hyeri.
The shamans Ragia had sent back to the settlement before clashing with Park Hyeri were completely unharmed. They were the ones she had saved.
She had changed.
That much was certain.
The Ragia who had once created factions within the clan for her own safety, the one who would have stopped at nothing to survive, was no longer there. The thought that she had died precisely because of that change left a bitter taste in my mouth.
She had likely spent her entire life living for her own well-being.
She probably never expected that the one time in her entire life she threw herself into danger for someone else would be the very act that returned to her as poison. No, I thought, perhaps she knew. She had made a choice. I wondered if, in her final moments, she had resented herself for it or not.
As I walked deeper into the settlement, I saw Mev running toward me, having heard the news. Funnily enough, it was right around then that a light rain began to fall.
“Chieftain? What… is this?”
It was only natural that Mev’s expression would crumble as she looked at Ragia. They had often bared their teeth at each other, but I knew that, in truth, they cared for one another. Mev had respected Ragia, and Ragia, in her own way, had respected Mev.
“Ragia.”
“Ragia… wake up.”
As if in disbelief, Mev shook the body of Ragia, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully. As Ragia’s arm, which had been cradled in my embrace, fell limp, Mev finally seemed to realize that she was gone. With a dazed expression, she stared at the beautiful serpent who had tormented her.
I could see tears welling in her eyes, but Mev did not let them fall.
“She died saving her clan members.”
It was not a death to be mourned with sorrow.
She was honorable to her last moment. That was an undeniable fact. I thought it best to bury her. She was a Green Skin who had earned the right to be buried in the Brother's Land, and no one would deny it.
I stroked Mev’s head once and continued walking.
I saw a plot of land not far from my tent. It was an undeveloped area.
I raised Levatain, and in an instant, swords of flame shot out, striking the ground. Hakajin, realizing what I intended to do, held out his hands. I passed Ragia to him. He would likely seal her wounds.
I reached out toward Ragia. As I began to wash her beautiful body with warm water, her wounds slowly became visible. They looked like they had been made by a dagger. Beside me, Hakajin chanted a healing spell. Though it couldn't bring a soul back to a body it had already left, I didn't want to bury her with her wounds still open.
She would be buried with her smile intact.
“The Prime Executive will live on with us in the Brother's Land,” I muttered, not realizing I was speaking aloud. Everyone nodded. There was, of course, no funeral rite or formal ceremony. But every Green Skin in the clan began to watch the moment Ragia was laid to rest.
What was unexpected was that all the young Green Skins were crying. Like the Chieftain, the Prime Executive was a great pillar of the clan. She may not have been the strongest warrior, but Ragia was, without a doubt, an excellent executive. The fact that the young ones were reacting this way was no different from saying that she had not only handled external affairs but had also cared deeply for the children who were still young.
And so, Ragia was buried in the Brother's Land.
Not far away, the skull of the Eastern Beast we had hunted before came into view. I drew my sword and sent it flying toward the skull.
Fwoosh!
With a roar of fire, the large tusk attached to the Eastern Beast’s head was severed.
“Levatain.”
Even in the falling rain, the hot flames still blazed. I lifted the tusk of the Eastern Beast with a hand of fire and drove it into the ground where Ragia was buried. With a heavy thud, the earth trembled slightly.
I raised my sword and began to carve letters into the tusk.
Every clan member watched.
[Here lies the Prime Executive Ragia, who gave herself for the rise of the Blood Dagger Clan.]
“For the honorable Prime Executive.”
“For the honorable Prime Executive!”
One by one, they began to quietly chant for the honorable executive. Mev finally couldn't hold back her tears and let them flow. It was the same for Jung Hayeon and Baek Ahyeon.
The rain continued to pour. What had started as a light drizzle now fell harder and harder. A long time passed, but not a single clan member left their spot.
Strangely, the tears didn't come.
The tears definitely didn't come.
I thought that showing tears would be unfitting, especially for the honorably resting Ragia.
There is no chieftain who shows tears in front of his clan. Everyone would be watching my back. And yet, my shoulders began to tremble more and more.
I felt Gark’s gaze on me from my side. He glanced at my face, and then, with a startled expression, he slowly turned to the clan members and spoke.
“We will gather here again tomorrow.”
I didn't bother to stop him. I could feel everyone listening to Gark and returning to their tents. It was likely his own way of showing consideration. I continued to stare at the memorial stone where Ragia was buried. Soon, I was the only one left standing in the falling rain.
Thick raindrops fell continuously on my face and body.
They just kept falling.
No tears fell.
Strangely, and yet with certainty, no tears fell.
For a long, long time, I stood there, gazing at the place where Ragia was buried.