Chapter 82
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 82
Chapter Title: Fall
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A cold darkness without a single ray of light.
A single being was falling into the depths of that darkness.
“...”
Her mind was already devoid of any thoughts. Only fragmentary scenes flashed by like a lantern show, replaying before her eyes.
It felt just like a dream.
Memories of watching fireworks together, eating dessert at a cafe together, strolling hand in hand down the street, meeting Yujin in the imperial palace garden.
And...
—“Jane!!!”
The memory of Yujin, covered in blood, crying out and pulling away as he left her behind.
Why?
Why him...
‘...Ah.’
At that moment, Jane's mind snapped awake.
But...
‘...I can’t move...’
She couldn’t move. It felt like something down below was dragging her in.
No strength entered her body, her consciousness kept fading, and fragmentary scenes continued to flash before her eyes.
Her body kept sinking into the darkness below.
...
Eyes... I mustn’t close them...
The interior of the village was more ordinary than expected.
I’d thought a mysterious village hidden in the middle of the desert might be something special, but surprisingly, there was nothing different at all.
Just the look of a typical small village where people lived utterly mundane daily lives.
But that very ordinariness made it all the more intriguing.
Because when something extraordinary masquerades as the mundane, it stands out even more.
Like how a normal person becomes the freak in a one-eyed village.
“...A curious place.”
“Heh heh. Every traveler who’s visited our village so far has said the exact same thing.”
“Travelers who’ve come to the village so far... Have a lot of people visited?”
From the nuance of his words, it sounded like quite a few.
Who would come to a village in the heart of this hellish desert—one shrouded in mysterious fog, no less?
“Hmm. Not that many. Just one every now and then when we’re about to forget them. You lot are the unusual ones, actually. Five all at once...”
One every now and then?
Was this place some kind of fated crossroads?
Moreover, that meant there were definitely people mad enough to venture in and out of the Eternal Desert.
Based on our experiences so far, anyone who could safely cross the Eternal Desert and reach this place would need at least Master-level strength.
‘...’
Yujin and the others’ eyes darkened.
On the continent, Master-level forces capable of moving in secret were practically nonexistent outside of Pandemonium.
Masters affiliated with nations had no reason to venture outside; they had to keep rival countries in check from their posts. The Empire was no different.
Each sector had at least one Master or Archmage deployed.
Yujin, moving freely now, was the sole exception.
Well... if a nation’s Masters mobilized in earnest, who knows—but it would be obvious either way.
A massive vacancy would appear somewhere.
Besides, there was no reason for them to come all the way to the depths of the Eternal Desert. Which meant the previous visitors were either Pandemonium’s Seven Deadly Sins Seats... or unknown powerhouses.
‘...Jane.’
Jane suddenly crossed my mind.
—“Wrath is burning her life away in the Eternal Desert right now.”
Lust had definitely said Jane was burning through her life in the Eternal Desert.
Whether it was a lie to deceive Yujin or a cruel truth meant to deliver despair.
It was hard to judge yet, but I considered it highly credible.
Anomalies were unfolding, after all. Even the Emperor back in the Empire had thought the same before we set out for this place.
‘...Calm down.’
I barely steadied my heavying heart.
“...Why is this village here?”
“Hmm? What do you mean by that?”
“No matter how I look at it, there’s no reason for a village to exist in a place like this. What’s it even for?”
The elder guiding us through the village stopped and turned around.
Silence hung tensely between us in an instant.
The feeling that one wrong move could spark bloodshed.
Though only the elder and the villagers would end up dying.
...
“...No need to be so on guard. I’ll explain slowly, so why not follow me and rest your weary bones first?”
“You’ve dealt with this often, I see.”
He seemed awfully practiced at it.
For better or worse.
The elder said nothing more and resumed walking.
Yujin’s group stared at each other for a moment before following once more.
The elder led us to a house of decent size.
“I’ll give you rooms inside. Rest here.”
“...”
The room the elder showed us was utterly ordinary. No spells or magical wards—just a lone bed.
“When do we talk?”
“Hmm...”
The elder stared steadily at Yujin.
Clearly under immense pressure, yet he looked perfectly composed. No ordinary man.
...Then again, living in a village like this was abnormal from the start.
“Dinner’s soon, so shall we talk over a meal? I’ll answer your questions then.”
“...”
With that, the elder left. Yujin saw no need to stop him.
Our side held the overwhelming advantage in strength, and he didn’t seem to be lying.
As we waited, sharing our thoughts, the elder returned with dinner.
And so the evening meal began.
‘No poison... seems safe.’
For now, it was ordinary fare.
Though types I’d never tried before... they looked similar to Kara Kingdom dishes, at least.
Lucas beside me was eating heartily without a hint of suspicion.
Seeing that, we began to eat little by little.
During the meal, the elder spoke up.
“I haven’t introduced myself yet. I’m Brucker, the village chief. Just call me Village Chief.”
“Village Chief... I’m Yujin.”
The women who followed with their introductions, along with Lucas, didn’t reveal their affiliations.
“I see.”
As the plates began to empty, Yujin turned to the Village Chief.
“Village Chief. What the hell is this village?”
The question carried layers of meaning.
Why did a village exist in the heart of the Eternal Desert? What was the mysterious fog enveloping it?
How recently had those ‘travelers’ passed through?
And... had the red-haired woman, Jane, visited this village?
“Hmm... Simple. Our village has always been a sanctuary for travelers.”
“A sanctuary for travelers?”
How many even came here?
“Or you could call it a crossroads.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Our village has existed here since ancient times unrecorded in any history. Transients pass through as transients do, while those who confront their fate and seek to defy it linger briefly—and the cycle repeats.”
“...”
“Amid that endless flow, we’ve preserved our identity. Worshiping the Wind God and devoting ourselves to the land.”
...Cryptic.
I couldn’t grasp what he was getting at.
A glance sideways showed Lucia, Irene, and Lua looking just as baffled.
‘...Wind God? Never heard of such a deity.’
Devotion to the land? What could a tiny village like this even do for it?
Were they some weird cult into human sacrifice or something?
...
‘...Plausible.’
No doubt they’d endured in isolation for ages. A bizarre faith springing up wouldn’t be strange.
Occasional outsiders dubbed ‘travelers’ passed through, sure—but that hardly mattered.
If a handful of foreigners could change a closed community, old Earth’s Joseon wouldn’t have crumbled so pathetically.
...Anyway.
“You look utterly lost.”
“That’s because you’re not explaining properly, Village Chief.”
“Hmm? I explained just fine.”
“...Ha.”
I let out a small scoff. Unable to take it anymore, Lucia asked in my stead.
“Village Chief. What is this Wind God?”
“The Wind God is the Wind God.”
“...What kind of being is the Wind God?”
“A vast and mighty existence that protects us and the land.”
...Nope.
No communication at all.
This time, Irene stepped up.
“What’s with the fog surrounding the village? Ordinary people would get trapped in it and die after a lifetime.”
“Hmm. The fog? That’s the Wind God’s blessing safeguarding our village.”
“...Pardon?”
“Thanks to that blessing, we’ve lived in safety across countless ages.”
This seemed like actual useful information. If the Wind God created the fog, it might be tied to some earthly entity.
“I... see. Then, when was the most recent ‘traveler’?”
“Hmm... Traveler. About two months ago, I believe.”
The Village Chief’s expression darkened ever so slightly as he spoke.
‘...?’
“I remember it vividly. Truly beautiful. A woman with fiery red hair and golden eyes.”
“Red hair... and golden eyes...?”
...No way.
“Village Chief, tell me more about that woman—”
Thud———
Thud———
Thud———