#146
“Mr. Aul… !”
Just as Kwak Jeong-han’s blue skin started to bounce, the sound of something crashing down was heard. When I looked up in surprise, there was a huge creature. Owl became as huge as a mountain.
As if fighting a tidal wave, Owl’s huge feet pressed down on the high water vein. The rushing water beneath his feet was like a snake with its neck pressed down. The rough water that broke out under tremendous pressure turned into foam and dispersed.
The pitter-patter of rain gave a sense of coolness. Euncheong’s hand was placed on Sehyeon’s head. Still, he couldn’t stop the rain from drenching the bridge of his nose.
The tsunami that formed the barrier disappeared without a trace with one step from Owl. Instead of a tsunami, what filled the surroundings was foggy rain.
Owl was standing in the fog and rain. It is so huge that it looks like a mountain.
The hard outer shell was glisteningly wet with water. The skin was like a piece of iron that had been quenched hundreds or thousands of times. It was the appearance of the <Giant Steel Shoe> that Owl had obtained.
My eyes were distorted by an unknown emotion. My vision became increasingly blurred. The appearance of Owl, which had become so large that the lake seemed small, completed everything.
A vein of water that covers the world and the shadow of an iron ingot that can even be stepped on.
Sehyun had already gained everything. Ruhak’s dream was already quietly approaching and coming true. He suddenly felt that the end was approaching. I felt uneasy.
However, for now, I could breathe as if my tightly pressed throat had been opened.
“Sehyun, are you okay?!”
Kwak Jeong-han, who cut through the surface of the water, jumped up to the dock and ran towards me. His thin face was filled with despair.
“I’m sorry, Sehyun. Are you hurt anywhere? I wasn’t used to using the skill yet, so I couldn’t adjust it. sorry.”
The hardened blue eyes were stained with self-reproach. Sehyun slowly extended her hand towards Kwak Jeonghan. He tilted Kwak Jeong-han’s upper body and accepted Se-hyeon’s hand.
“when… “When did you get it?”
The cold skin touched Sehyun’s fingertips. It wasn’t this cold even when I was in Yu Si-un’s empire, but now it was like ice. His body temperature was so high that it was a wonder he was still alive.
“When I face Sehyun again… “It happened.”
“… When you cried?”
Kwak Jeong-han smiled bitterly and nodded. On the day when he cried while reminding himself that he wanted to become stronger, Kwak Jeong-han developed a skill called <Faith>. However, <Faith> was not an attack skill.
A cold hand overlapped Sehyun’s hand. Despite his trembling movements, Kwak Jeong-han did not let go of his hand.
“why… “Didn’t you tell me?”
“then… That’s because it didn’t seem like such a great skill. Even when I used it for the first time, it only barely made my sleep turbulent, so it wasn’t enough to tell Sehyun. “I’m finally finding myself.”
“… Are you saying we can grow further than this?”
“yes… . So much so that it is infinite.”
To the extent that it is infinite. If Kwak Jeong-han said this, he was saying that it was not a simple skill. Se-hyeon closed his mouth and caressed Kwak Jeong-han’s cheek. It was at that time that I heard the sound of footsteps approaching my ears.
Se-hyeon’s gaze moved away from Kwak Jeong-han and headed behind him. Owl, who had fought against the tsunami to protect Sehyeon, had now become small again. Even though his drenched face was no different from usual, Sehyun read that it was lonely.
The black eyes took one look at Sehyeon and passed by without a sound. The place Owl was heading was where the soaked basket was placed. Aul picked up the basket with a gloomy look and held it tightly in both hands.
“Mr. Owl.”
Owl looked back at Sehyeon while holding the basket. Normally, I would have hesitated to give it to her, but today I held her tightly and did not give it to her. Se-hyeon, who was worried, approached Owl, made eye contact, and held out his hand.
“It’s okay, Mr. Owl. “The food wouldn’t be wet.”
“A croak.”
“Did you?”
“A croak.”
In fact, Sehyun didn’t know what Owl was talking about. Still, I vaguely understood the meaning of what he was saying. Owl was protecting the basket, saying he would make it again.
“hmm… Then how about this, Mr. Owl.”
“A croak?”
“What are you making here with me?”
The fact that my eyes were fluttering shut seemed to indicate whether I understood something or not. In fact, Se-hyeon still couldn’t decide whether or not it was right to bring Owl into her arms. It might have ended simply because of my selfishness.
That was the future that Sehyeon recommended.
“I am… “I really need Mr. Owl.”
Nevertheless, the reason I recommended it was because Owl was hoping and yearning for it. What he expressed and talked about while sharing Owl’s memories. Owl wanted his need recognized, and he wanted to stay by Sehyeon’s side and share his hardships.
“For the fight ahead… “I really need Owl.”
If you think about it, it was like that. Sehyeon has always been followed by people who are so good that everything is too much for her. Sometimes the situations in which I had to take responsibility for them were suffocating.
Se-hyeon lacked the network to lead the people around him, and he did not have the wit to do so. Nevertheless, he was willing to make sacrifices and entrusted his will to everyone.
There were times when I felt like I was being crushed by the burden, but at the same time, I felt grateful for the vague idea that I wouldn’t have come this far if it weren’t for them.
Even now, if it weren’t for everyone, Sehyun wouldn’t have been able to ask Owl to go with her.
“Mr. Kwak Jeong-han is also there… I also have… You can come and go from Yu Siun’s empire at any time, and besides, there’s a lake here… It won’t be enough for Mr. Owl to survive. So, Mr. Owl.”
Sehyun received a basket from Owl. Throughout the conversation, Owl’s eyes never left Sehyeon. When the last raindrop fell on Owl’s wide-open eyes, Sehyun finished her long sentence by stroking Owl’s wet hair.
“How about becoming my vassal?”
Owl’s head slowly lowered. Owl, who held his hands together and wiggled his fingers, belatedly nodded his head as if embarrassed.
“A croak.”
That was his answer filled with eagerness. Sehyeon stretched out his arms and hugged Owl tightly. I heard a stuttering voice as if I was embarrassed, but it soon subsided and I could only feel a small hand patting Sehyun’s back.
Only when the damp clothes warmed up did Sehyeon let go of Owl. And he stretched out his hand to him.
“Shall we go to the shelter over there and dry some clothes?”
“A croak.”
“Kwak Jeong-han, please come here too.”
At those words, Kwak Jeong-han approached Se-hyeon without hesitation. The gills, which were repeatedly opening and closing, as well as the webbed feet and claws, had all but disappeared without a trace.
As the water seeped into his blue skin, Kwak Jeong-han’s skinny appearance became more visible. There were only traces of desperation. Still, I didn’t blame Sehyun for that.
Because that may have been a means for him to breathe. Each person had a different way of overcoming pain. And Sehyeon had no intention of denying that method.
I wish I could overcome it. And if you don’t get hurt… done.
The footsteps of heroes were heard behind me. I could also hear the sound of the cold wind blowing. Both hands were held at different temperatures. It was the hand of Kwak Jeong-han and Aul.
Sehyeon looked at the lake, where a long wind passed through the silence. There was Kwak Jeong-han in the place where the lake was visible.
Their eyes met, but Kwak Jeong-han said nothing. The endless gaze asked me how I was doing, like an oul. Was he doing well, or did he have any problems? He seemed to be carefully examining the condition of his body.
The first time our eyes met for a long time was when Kwak Jeong-han, who had finished checking, lowered his gaze as if closing his eyes. And at that time, Sehyun also let out the words she had been holding down with a sigh.
“I’d like to change my punishment.”
Kwak Jeong-han’s eyes briefly wavered. I could feel the strength filling the hands I was holding. Se-hyeon continued speaking while gently brushing the back of Kwak Jeong-han’s hand, which was full of energy, with her thumb.
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“I’ll think again about that punishment… Let’s stop doing this now. “It feels like torture, not punishment.”
torture. A bitter smile came out at what I said. Kwak Jeong-han didn’t even respond. But soon he answered, closing his eyes deeply as if convinced.
“… yes. If that’s what Sehyun means… .”
It was a static answer. I also felt like he was taking a step back. The strength in his hands had suddenly loosened, and now he could only feel the deep warmth of his body.
“Shall we go to the shelter first?”
A place where we can talk at length. Se-hyeon walked to the rest area next to the lakeside, holding the hands of Owl and Kwak Jeong-han, who were holding their lunch boxes tightly.
The thick fog that had been covering the chilly weather had cleared away before we knew it. It was also the day that Kwak Jeong-han’s punishment ended.
***
“You’ve gained weight.”
Sehyeon looked back at Ruhak with a surprised expression as he glanced at the words instead of looking at his work. Unlike Sehyeon, Ruhak just blurted out those words and focused his eyes on the documents again.
“… okay?”
“It’s so dry, it looks like the food the frog gives you is worth eating.”
The word ‘frog’ coming out of Ruhak’s mouth somehow didn’t fit. Sehyeon looked down at her body from reading the documents that Fan had collected and handed over. I heard that the heroes’ expressions are good these days, and I wonder if it’s all because of this, and since Owl has been doing various things for them recently, their appetite has definitely improved.
Come to think of it, the vassals did particularly like Owl that much. Unlike Kwak Jeong-han, Kim Gap-jun, or Yoon Je-ha, every time I see him, he smiles and pats Owl on the back. Even though I thought it was a big deal, I just ignored it, but I never thought it would have such a deep meaning.
