The Unspoken Apology
“Um… Bro.”
“Hmm? What is it?”
“Is it okay if I stay here a little longer? There’s still something I need to say…”
Haru nodded without a moment’s hesitation as he watched Blanser fidgeting like a nervous puppy about to take a dump. He could easily guess what was on the warrior’s mind.
“Of course. Do as you like, Maru. We’ll wait outside.”
“Yes, Oppa!”
Druk. The door clicked shut behind them, leaving only the two men inside the room.
“….”
‘What did they need to talk about…?’
Their relationship had never been easy to describe. If anything, they were closer than distant rivals.
Yet looking back, the start had been nothing but ordinary. Junior was the son of the Machine Duke and the next generation’s candidate for The One. Blanser was the only successor and disciple of the Grand Duke, sharing a similar fate. But they had never truly cared for each other.
That changed the day Junior suddenly vanished. Rumors of the Seven Stars’ ruins had driven him away, and searching for him had left everyone exhausted.
Even Haru had nearly fainted trying to rescue strangers with no connection to him. That was the end of it. At least Blanser wouldn’t have made a fuss. After all, such things happen in life, and everyone had survived in the end.
But the real problem was that it wasn’t the end of the matter.
Although he had been manipulated by Elien, Blanser had struck a fatal blow to Teraden with his own hands. After everything concluded, he had lost all will to fight and appeared utterly pathetic.
To see someone Haru had quietly come to respect behave like that was deeply unsettling.
From that point on, he had treated Junior with sharp coldness. And as a result, the room had been filled with awkward silence ever since.
“…”
Both of them were too reserved to ever approach others with false warmth.
After a short, awkward silence, Blanser was the first to speak.
“I’m sorry.”
The man sitting across from Junior suddenly lowered his head deeply.
Junior’s eyebrows drew together.
‘What did I do wrong…?’
Blanser never lowered himself to anyone. Not even to Haru, Teraden, or the few others he had known for years. If anything, arrogance and conceit defined him more than Teraden.
His strength, his confidence, and his identity as a descendant of the Seven Stars made that almost natural.
Yet here he was, bowing to Junior. It took enormous courage.
“Ever since that incident, I’ve been upset with you. You’ve caused our brothers great harm.”
Junior knew Blanser had been avoiding him. He didn’t take it to heart.
“I already know you dislike me. No need to force an apology.”
“No, when I heard the yokai’s proposal, I feared you might betray our brothers again this time.”
Blanser slowly raised his head. Junior’s eyes met his, and he spoke flatly.
“I owe them one life-saving grace. I only did what I was supposed to. If I hadn’t been there, you would have made the same choice anyway, right?”
“Of course I would have. But I can’t swear that someone as level-headed as you would have made that decision without a single moment of doubt.”
“….”
“Do you remember what I said to you right after that incident?”
‘Our brothers won’t blame you, but I can never allow you to let them suffer because of you. If it happens again…’
‘Don’t worry. I’ll take my own life before I drag them down twice.’
‘I’ll keep an eye on you.’
Junior nodded slowly, recalling those words.
“You proved it with your actions that day. I’ll apologize to everyone I’ve treated harshly and suspected.”
It was the first time the two had had such a serious conversation for so long. When they worked together under Haru’s orders, they only fought or bantered. Not a single word of honesty.
Junior had always treated him with friendliness after the incident because Blanser’s influence had saved him. But Blanser had never reciprocated.
Now, thanks to this event, he had changed his mind. By watching Junior risk his life, Blanser had come to genuinely respect him.
Finally, as if making a decision, Blanser spoke with solemn gravity.
“This time, you nearly lost your life trying to protect our brothers. I’ll repay that debt. One day, I’ll give you my life.”
“What? What did you just say…?”
Junior’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“Hurry and get up. We need to settle this once and for all. I’ll be waiting.”
Before Junior could ask again, Blanser stood and left the room without another glance.
He could no longer bear to look at the man’s flushed ears.
Haru, listening silently from outside, watched Blanser’s retreating figure with a faint smile.
‘Too bad. Teraden should have heard this too. I’ll tell him when we get back.’
* * *
After dinner, the group returned to the dorms.
Haru first went to the room beside Teraden’s instead of his own.
Creak. Clunk.
The inside was unnaturally quiet, as if no one lived there at all.
Feygal had practically dragged Teraden away, so Haru’s guess had been spot-on.
‘He’s already asleep?’
While checking on Junior’s condition, Blanser had said…
Startled by the sudden commotion, Haru froze mid-sentence.
“Teraden? What the hell!”
A panicked voice came from beside him.
Teraden, who should have been lying motionlessly in bed, had vanished without a trace.
Leaving his bed for nearly ten days was already an extraordinary act; seeing him gone now left Haru stunned.
“Brother? What’s wrong?”
Blanser rushed in from the next room, hearing Haru’s urgent tone.
“Teraden is missing.”
“What?”
“He’s disappeared.”
“….”
It took Blanser a moment to process the situation.
Then he began to panic, declaring Teraden nonexistent and throwing the room into chaos.
“Wh-what? Teraden disappeared…! Did he get kidnapped? Then… he’s gone? Ki-ki-yoooouuuut!!”
“Whoa, calm down.”
Haru gently patted the wildly gesturing Blanser, holding the note Teraden had left behind.
Thankfully, Haru had found it quickly; otherwise the scene might have turned ugly.
After calming Blanser, Haru unfolded the crumpled paper and read it carefully.
- I need to go somewhere for a bit. It doesn’t look dangerous. I’ll be back before you know it. Don’t worry. If it seems too late, head to Hwabaek first. I’ll meet you there. Anyway, meet me when I get back.
“W-what does it say? Is it from a kidnapper?”
“…No. This is Teraden’s handwriting. He’s safe. No need to worry.”
Haru finally spoke again. ‘But where did he go?’
* * *
At the same time.
Tatak. Tadadak.
Teraden, who had been lying still with eyes closed around the campfire, suddenly jerked awake as a tiny pebble struck his forehead.
“….”
Took.
When he didn’t react, the pebble struck him again.
“Damn it, why are you throwing stones at someone who’s just lying there? Stop.”
Tatak. Tadadak.
Feygal, having successfully gotten Teraden’s attention, grinned at the blazing fire.
“Hmph. Now tell me. Why were you pretending to be in such distress?”
Feygal had deliberately acted sleepy to coax out his friend’s true feelings. A cold night was the perfect setting for honest talk.
“…It wasn’t that strong.”
“What? You? Where did that ridiculous idea come from? Not even one of the participants who reached the third gate could beat you… Wait, did the ambush have something to do with it?”
“….”
Teraden answered in silence.
“I heard the attacker was a high-level yokai expert. Against someone like that, even the Six Danjus would be in trouble. The fact that you held your own until the Pillars arrived is impressive in itself. And worrying about it so early seems pointless.”
“But the 1st Seat of our bloodline casually killed that yokai with a wave of his hand.”
“Ha!”
Feygal let out a dramatic sigh. “Listen carefully. There are countless strong people scattered across the continent. From the Ten Dukes boasting their overwhelming power to the leaders of the Arirang Church headed by the Pope, the Danjus who command the continent’s armies, and the Four Sacred Beasts who live hidden in the barren lands.
“Um? What does that even have to do with—”
“I’m not finished yet. Keep listening.”
“….”
Feygal cleared his throat and continued. “Finally, the two Grand Dukes descended from the Seven Stars and the Seven Pillars who protect the continent. There are also several hidden experts who haven’t revealed themselves. Anyway, what do these people have in common?”
“What is it?”
“They all serve The One, the pinnacle of the continent.”
“….”
“Now you understand, don’t you? How ridiculous your words are. A child who hasn’t even started walking is already looking up at The One. Pathetic.”
Teraden fell silent for a moment before speaking again.
“Honestly, if I just—”
“Zzz…”
But Feygal had already fallen into a deep sleep.
“What? Sleeping?”
“Zzz…”
“No, he was giving me a serious talk and now he’s snoring!”
‘This guy… I’ll just turn away and go back to sleep.’
Teraden turned his back on the fire, annoyed.
‘Thinking that hard about it… I was pretty much the same back then.’
Feygal, who had been snoring to provoke him, finally drifted off into deep thought.