Chapter 141
Chapter 141
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 141
Chapter Title: An Interrupted Ceremony
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He was clearly on high alert.
A complete hostility, different from the other Titans.
Do-jae could feel it from Harkes.
“Did I do something wrong? If anything, this should be better for you.”
“I will simply pay the 200,000 daka.”
“Wait, that’s not a small amount of money… Are you rich?”
“It is fine. Things will be a little tight, but it is my son’s mistake.”
“Are you really trying to solve with money something we can settle with words? You don’t even know what information I’m after…”
“No. Sometimes, money speaks louder than words.”
“Haa…”
Why was the debtor worrying about the creditor?
Without even knowing what Do-jae wanted to ask, Harkes stubbornly refused.
“Should I give it to you right now?”
“Forget it… I don’t need that kind of money. And…”
Do-jae opened his subspace.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say he had tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of meat stored in his subspace, enough to fit several pigs.
It wasn’t like he’d be in trouble for not taking payment for the meat Teus ate, and more importantly, he felt a little guilty accepting 200,000 daka for it.
“Wh-What!”
Harkes was shocked to see the subspace.
Teus, on the other hand, had shown no particular reaction.
Lately, everyone around Do-jae had grown accustomed to his subspace, so it had been a while since he’d seen a reaction like this.
“Ah, don’t worry. It’s nothing special.”
Do-jae nonchalantly pulled out some pork.
A full ten pounds.
Teus alone had devoured over three pounds in an instant, so he figured an adult Titan would need at least this much and generously offered it.
“And this, too. It’ll taste good if you sprinkle it on.”
He also took out a container of herb salt.
Meat is delicious on its own, but a little salt makes it several times better, doesn’t it?
“Well, I’m off. Enjoy the meal with Teus.”
Do-jae prepared to leave Harkes without a second thought.
Even if it wasn’t Harkes, he’d heard there were two other leaders here.
He figured at least one of them would be willing to talk.
It was mentally easier to find another leader quickly than to argue with Harkes, who wouldn’t even engage in conversation.
“Wait a moment!”
Just as Do-jae was about to take a step.
Harkes approached and grabbed him.
When the massive palm, the size of a tennis racket, gripped Do-jae’s shoulder, it felt like his bones would break.
“Ahem. Do Titans have no awareness of their own strength?”
“Ah… my apologies.”
“What is it? Not enough meat? I can give you more if you need it.”
“No. This much meat is more than enough, and I am grateful. But…”
Do-jae smirked.
He wasn’t refusing the meat, nor was he asking for more.
He found Harkes, a man of both conscience and thrift, amusing.
“The thing that just appeared behind you. I wish to see it again.”
“The subspace? Is it that fascinating? It’s no trouble.”
Do-jae opened his subspace once more.
The empty air seemed to rip and tear apart, revealing a shimmering, undulating space.
Neither transparent nor opaque, the subspace unfolded like a crumpled sheet of clear vinyl.
“As I thought…”
“If you’re done admiring it, may I go? I’m a busy man, you see…”
“Wait. There is something I wish to show you.”
Do-jae stopped in his tracks and turned his head to look at Harkes.
The Titan wore a solemn expression.
He turned back around and nodded.
Through the Eye of the Golem, he saw Harkes’s state had shifted from wary to curious.
***
The very center of the Titan village.
Titans were gathering one by one in the wide plaza.
They were taking their places to celebrate the birth of a new warrior, which would soon begin.
“The young one is quite remarkable. Like father, like son, is it?”
“Of course. He inherited Harkes’s outstanding physique and Celtia’s powerful life force. It’s only natural.”
While the Titans chatted amongst themselves, another Titan walked to the middle of the plaza.
Holding a chisel and hammer, he ascended a set of stairs and stood before a massive stone wall.
He then placed his tools down and began to offer a prayer.
“It looks like it’s about to start!”
“Heh. I wonder when I’ll get to go up there.”
*Fweeeet-!*
*Whoosh-!*
The Titans, thoroughly excited, whistled and clapped.
It was a celebratory rite to welcome Teus, who would soon appear.
“He’s coming!”
Teus stood composed at the bottom of the stairs leading to the stone wall.
A Titan’s coming-of-age ceremony signified their becoming a warrior. While it was always an occasion for great celebration, Teus’s ceremony was bound to be even grander.
After all, his father, Harkes, was the most trusted and revered of the three leaders.
*Thud, thud-.*
Teus ascended the stairs with a confident stride.
But he was still a child, and his nervousness was palpable.
Next, ‘Pellos,’ the leader in charge of the village’s rituals, appeared holding a sword.
“Here and now, a new Titan warrior is about to be born!”
*Wooooah-!*
Pellos shouted in a solemn yet grand voice. Cheers erupted from the gathered Titans.
“Teus. Come here.”
At Pellos’s call, Teus hesitantly approached.
His expression was frozen stiff, but the slight upward curve of his lips revealed just how happy he was.
“This sword is a famed blade once used by our ancestor, Pageros, who displayed great valor during the Hundred Years' War. Whether by chance or fate, it has fallen to your turn to receive this sword.”
Pellos handed the sword, sheathed in leather, to Teus.
Teus accepted it with trembling hands.
He gazed at it, overcome with emotion.
“To all Titans, I declare this. From this day forward, Teus is a brave Titan warrior, and I expect you to treat him with the respect he deserves. Should anyone disregard or exclude Teus because of his youth, I, Pellos, and the other two leaders will not forgive it.”
Pellos grabbed Teus’s arm.
He turned him to face the Titans and raised his arm high.
*Wooooah-!*
The cheers of the Titans echoed, threatening to shake the plaza apart.
Watching them, Teus couldn’t contain his overwhelming emotions and raised both his arms, waving enthusiastically.
“Beranos. Inscribe Teus’s name in the hall.”
Pellos called to Beranos, who was waiting.
Having finished his prayer, Beranos picked up his chisel and hammer once more.
The great Hall of Warriors, where the names of all Titan warriors were carved.
Just as Beranos placed the chisel and was about to strike it with the hammer.
“Stop!”
A voice interrupted the grand celebration.
It was none other than Harkes.
***
A short while ago.
Back to where Do-jae and Harkes were.
“Something you want to show me?”
“That is correct. There is something I would like you to see.”
“Why me? You were just trying to chase me away a moment ago.”
“My apologies. The aura you exude made me uneasy.”
“Hmm.”
Do-jae scratched his head.
Until now, he had been the one sensing auras.
He could see them directly with the Eye of the Golem, but after obtaining the Nerves of the Golem, he could feel the more fundamental energies of mana and life.
But hearing that Harkes had sensed an aura from him gave him an odd feeling.
It was an awkward feeling, like worrying if your feet smelled after taking off your shoes at a dinner party.
“I may have misunderstood. I apologize. A man who can open a space like that would not be dangerous.”
“Apology accepted. But what does being able to open a space have to do with anything?”
“It is relevant. I will tell you a story from our hidden history.”
***
More than 1,000 years ago.
We, who are born warriors, were ostracized by the other races despite our strong and superior bodies.
It was because we were beings to be feared.
To the other races, we Titans were a terrifying and awe-inspiring people.
We journeyed deep into the forest.
A place untouched by other races.
It was teeming with monsters, but for us warriors, that was no problem.
However, as time passed, we became more isolated.
Confined to a corner of the rainforest, we were marginalized, and our race slowly headed toward extinction.
We could not stand by and do nothing.
We had to leave this small village and strive for prosperity.
It was then that a certain Titan appeared.
Her name was Eurabia.
Born a Titan, she became a goddess and led us to the outside world.
Afterward, the Titans left the rainforest and roamed the continent.
The other races no longer feared us, and a time of peace followed.
Thus, under Eurabia’s protection, the Titans flourished for 700 years, until we were swept up in a long, hundred-year war.
***
“So… you’re saying I might have some connection to this goddess?”
“That is correct. That is undoubtedly the power of the goddess Eurabia. I am curious as to why you possess that ability.”
Do-jae looked into Harkes’s eyes.
They were filled with a certain expectation.
If the Titan legend was true, the sixth or seventh Ascetic would be ‘Eurabia.’
But it was also possible that wasn’t the case. The ‘Subspace’ skill was one of the first skills he acquired right after becoming a Golemancer.
Unlike the other Golem skills, which appeared each time an Ascetic emerged, the Subspace skill had appeared without an Ascetic’s arrival.
There was a chance Eurabia wasn’t an Ascetic.
“Can you explain what the goddess’s power is exactly?”
“That is not difficult, but you will understand more easily if you see the painting.”
“A painting?”
“Behind the stone slab in the Hall of Warriors, there is a painting to honor the goddess Eurabia. I wish to show it to you.”
“Alright. Let’s go.”
***
And so, for that reason, Do-jae and Harkes arrived at the Hall of Warriors.
But as soon as Harkes arrived, he had suddenly gone up and stopped the coming-of-age ceremony.
“My son is not yet worthy of being a warrior.”
“Dad? What do you mean!”
Harkes snatched the sword from Teus’s hands.
Teus’s expression turned sullen.
Tears began to well up in his eyes.
But Harkes’s stance was firm.
“The ceremony must be postponed! Pellos, my apologies, but please dismiss the Titans.”
“What is the meaning of this commotion, Harkes! Even for you, interrupting the ceremony is unacceptable.”
“I am sorry. But my son is not worthy of being called a warrior. This child did not complete his coming-of-age with his own strength.”
“Explain what you mean. If you do not, even you will be brought to trial for the crime of interference.”
Pellos glared, his eyes blazing.
Harkes’s appearance had chilled the atmosphere, and he felt his ritual had been completely ruined.
“I will explain in due time. For now, the other Titans…”
“No, explain now. This occasion is for your son, but it is also for all Titans. If you do not explain your reasons here, your own qualifications as a leader will be questioned.”
“…Very well. My son, Teus…”
*Snatch-.*
In that instant, a figure in a hooded robe snatched the sword from Harkes’s hand.
“This thing is huge…”
Then, he approached Teus and pressed it firmly into his hand.
“This is yours. Now, wipe those tears.”
Do-jae took off his robe and smiled warmly.