Father's Next Relic?
‘The next relic Father will forge?’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
Merka and Rania couldn’t gauge what Adel meant at all, so they held their tongues and simply exchanged glances.
‘Oppa, have you heard something?’
‘Beats me. No idea.’
Rania shot Merka a questioning look with her eyes, but he just shook his head and shrugged, drawing a slight frown from her.
‘Unlike the other brothers, Oppa’s been right here in the village the whole time. If anyone should know, it’d be the one who’s served at Father’s side closer than anyone else… Just what kind of freak is that guy?’
She stared at Adel in wonder.
‘Is he testing Father? Who in the tribe has the guts to pull something like that?’
And on top of that, curiosity stirred within her. She couldn’t predict how Adel’s unexpected boldness would play out.
“The next relic, huh… Adel, you always say the most intriguing things. As if you know what I’m planning to make.”
“I don’t, sir.”
“You don’t? Yet you want it anyway?”
“Yes, sir.”
Yong-a eyed Adel with curiosity at his response. He wondered what the young man—who stood tall and unflinching even before Hien—would say next.
“You wish to see the Ancestral Tomb.”
Adel nodded slowly.
Ancestral Tomb. Just uttering the name took tremendous courage.
It was where the relics of the Ulan tribe’s past kings had been forged.
“No need for surprise. The tribe’s king must complete one relic before his death. The ten relics I possess are from the kings before me, after all.”
Hien curled one corner of his mouth upward.
“A king’s relic is like a tombstone. It’s a grueling journey, finished only at the end.”
“Then the relic Father plans to make…”
“Means he intends to become the next king.”
Silence fell in that instant.
Everyone stared at Adel with trembling eyes.
“Do you wish for my death?”
“Of course not. The Ulan tribe has flourished thanks to you, Father. I know full well that your long life serves the tribe best.”
“Then? Does wanting to see the Ancestral Tomb mean you’re asking me to hand over the throne?”
“How dare he… You hunted a dragon, sure, but for the likes of you to set foot in the Ancestral Tomb? Father, none of the other brothers have ever—”
“Quiet.”
Rania, mid-shout, clamped her mouth shut.
“Rania. It seems you’ve let my words go in one ear and out the other. None of you have broken my ritual records. None of you forged a contract with Garon upon graduating the nest.”
“That’s…!”
“You know full well that the lack of precedent speaks to your own inadequacies.”
Rania’s face flushed crimson at Hien’s words. Her glare felt like it could burn holes through him.
‘Father’s deliberately provoking Rania noona. Trying to stoke her resentment toward me, most likely.’
Hien was a hegemon no one in the desert could touch, but he was no mere brute. Having confirmed Hul’s attitude toward Adel, he clearly grasped the brothers’ dynamics already.
‘Hul supports Merka hyung, but Merka has no interest in the throne. Syrin covets it but falls short.’
And then Adel had appeared amid all that.
Accomplished, yet not without edge; ambitious, yet not flighty.
‘Father must see him as perfect for the role.’
He intended to use Adel as a catalyst to ignite his sons’ competitive fires.
But that also meant the one in that position would draw the wariness of all his brothers.
‘Whether he becomes the target or the archer is up to him.’
Adel understood Hien’s intent crystal clear.
In truth, before his regression, he’d had no connection whatsoever to Hien. He’d awakened his talent for archery by chance, passed the ritual, and become a hunter—but Hien had already passed from the world before Adel could prove himself.
The Hien in his memories was merely a figure who looked down on all.
Yet ironically, after Hien’s death and the ensuing carnage, Adel had finally come to understand him.
Probably because he himself had become a powerhouse.
“Father, you’re mistaken. I won’t claim my achievements were mere luck. But they can’t be the measure of my brothers’ capabilities.”
“……!!”
“……!!”
“I don’t command the loyalty of crowds like Merka hyung. I can’t hunt the seas like Rania noona. And I’ve never felled a colossal beast like Hul hyung.”
Though his words clearly praised them, Merka and Rania paled.
“They’re already leagues ahead of me. They’re in no position to be compared to the likes of me.”
“I see. So you’re saying your brothers surpass you.”
“Yes, sir.”
Hien gave a faint smile.
“Then you must want to die.”
He asked in the gentlest of tones.
A chill ran down their spines.
But the words from his mouth were anything but gentle.
Who would take this for a father-son talk? Perhaps it was only possible in the Ulan tribe.
‘No, even in Ulan, that’s impossible. Crazy… Does that kid have three lives or what?’
Rania had forgotten any resentment toward Adel moments ago. Now she just feared Hien might sever his head right there.
“Please, steady yourself, my king.”
It was then that Yong-a, who had watched silently, spoke for the first time.
“The White Ghost pushes his sons too hard. Strife matters in the desert, but it’s not the only path to kingship.”
“You side with the boy as well?”
“Never. I am ever on the king’s side. But Adel is only fourteen. Brotherhood suits him better than rivalry.”
Yong-a glanced at Adel.
“Heh heh, you worry too much. I was merely chatting with my dear son.”
The other brothers paled at Hien’s words, but Adel just smirked.
“This gathering is to reward Adel’s merits. He not only averted a rift with the Bi-gong clan but captured a necromancer from the church. Grace befits him more than wrath.”
“You think showing him the Ancestral Tomb is fitting recompense?”
“No, my lord. The Ancestral Tomb houses the relics of all past Ulan kings. Adel’s feats are grand, but that’s too much.”
“Then?”
“If his merits fall short, assign him a task to match. Give him a new mission.”
Hien let out a low sigh, seemingly displeased with Yong-a’s suggestion.
“Hmm. Granting access to the Ancestral Tomb is like revealing Ulan’s history, as you know. Is there a task of equal weight?”
“How about this? The mission you gave me, my lord. It needs finishing.”
Even as Hien’s advisor, Yong-a had been away from the tribe for quite some time.
‘Come to think of it, in my past life, the first I saw of him was at Father’s funeral.’
Because of Adel, the future had shifted, bringing him back sooner than planned.
‘I don’t know what Father tasked him with, but since he didn’t reappear until the war with the Forgotten Church, it must be crucial.’
Adel wondered what secret mission he’d been handling.
“What if you entrust him with the matter in Ruinxen?”
‘……Ruinxen?’
Adel frowned slightly at Yong-a’s words.
Coincidence?
He recalled the place the Forgotten Church necromancer had mentioned in his dying breath.
‘Something’s there, huh? Surely Yong-a isn’t tangled up with the Forgotten Church.’
The diviner was unpredictable, even to Adel.
He’d seemed essential for conquering the desert, but if he was with the Forgotten ones, he’d become a target for elimination.
“Hmm……”
While Adel harbored suspicions, Hien rested his chin in thought.
“Ruinxen is a free city. Freedom means no laws. It won’t be easy.”
“I’ll follow whatever orders come, sir. Isn’t that the rule of the desert where Hien is the law?”
“You see me as the law?”
“Of course. For now.”
Hien grinned at Adel’s reply, reminded of their first bold exchange.
“You still refuse to be tamed. You voice thoughts none of your brothers dare utter.”
Thud—thud—thud—
He rose from the throne and approached Adel slowly.
With each step, the overwhelming pressure made it hard to breathe.
“But words demand responsibility. Be untamed if you wish, but learn to stand alone for it.”
Thump.
Hien gripped Adel’s shoulder.
A sharp ache shot through him, as if his bones might shatter.
‘What raw strength…’
No blessing—just pure power.
His youth played a part, but Adel’s legs trembled under the force that could crush him any moment.
“Fail to do so, and you’ll be devoured. Fine, it may suit. Yong-a, brief him on your task.”
Hien lifted his hand from Adel’s shoulder.
“Return alive, and I’ll acknowledge you.”
Strangely, Adel saw in him a god anticipating amusing spectacle.
‘……A monster. Or perhaps touching the realm of gods.’
He’d known Hien was strong, but without seeing his true power even in his past life, this single touch revealed the chasm between them.
‘I want to surpass him.’
Adel thought, gazing at his towering back.
“Myurn.”
“Yes, my lord. Your command?”
“Lend the boy the third bow. He’ll need it for the mission.”
Rania and Merka stood speechless at Hien’s shocking decision.
“……The third bow?”
“Father. You’re not truly thinking of giving him the Lion Bow, are you? That bow will only bring blood.”
Merka’s voice shook.
“Are you afraid?”
But ignoring his plea, Hien asked Adel calmly.
“No, sir.”
Adel knew.
“It’s just…”
Backing down now would make all his gains for naught.
“I understand it’s a mission that will draw blood.”
Hien’s face lit with satisfaction.
* * *
“Adel. Why demand such an absurd reward? There were safer… no, more certain ones available.”
As they exited the tent, Merka asked.
“Hul’s a sly one, telling you to ask for the seventh bow.”
“I don’t see it that way. You know Hul hyung better than anyone, hyung. He must think I’m worthy to challenge for that bow.”
“So he acknowledges you.”
Merka had half-expected it. Knowing Hul wasn’t one to put others in tough spots, he just shrugged.
Honestly, that acknowledgment shocked him more.
‘What about that kid captivated Hul oppa enough to shift his stance?’
Rania grew curious, wanting to learn more about Adel.
“But the Ancestral Tomb? Ridiculous.”
She shook her head with a tsk.
“Something I wouldn’t even dream of… What an enigmatic guy we’ve got here.”
He intrigued her, but his unpredictability worried her the whole time.
“Little bro. Finish this and come visit the strait alive. I’ll show you serpent hunting.”
Adel smiled and nodded. It was surely her best offer.
“By the way, Yong-a. Were you in Ruinxen all this time you were away?”
“Yes. On Hien’s orders, investigating something there.”
He answered Merka’s question as he followed the trio.
“What’s my task?”
“A hunter’s mission, so hunting, naturally. Though… the prey will differ from what you’re used to.”
His expression was as inscrutable and calm as their first meeting.
“What’s the prey?”
“Humans.”
A mission that would indeed draw blood.