Hillen trembled with fear.
It seemed like we had come too far to tell the truth.
'I didn't mean for it to turn out like this... '
Hillen saw her mother die and her family torn apart.
Her father was a drunk and neglected his young children, and Andrew grew to hate him for it.
Before her mother passed away, the family had tried to make her happy together, but Andrew, Basto, and Hillen were no longer together in any of that.
Hillen was afraid.
She wonders if this is how families will be scattered.
She wonders if her father drank too much and collapsed on the side of the road, and died in his sleep.
She wonders if her brother will never come home.
Worries and anxieties continued to build up inside her.
Then one day, her body, unable to withstand the stress, broke out in pain.
As she was sick and unable to get out of bed for a whole day, Andrew, who had not said a word at home, came to her.
“Hillen, are you okay? Have some soup too.”
Hillen felt like crying at the sight of Andrew looking after her affectionately, bringing her a steaming bowl of soup.
It's been a while since she last spoke to Andrew.
“I bought some medicine.”
Her father also stayed home that day and didn't drink.
That day, Hillen was happy.
A warm, comforting breeze blew through the house, which had been filled with a cold silence for the first time in a long while.
'When I'm sick... things get better.'
It was from that day on.
Young Hillen, who was not even ten years old at the time, thought.
Let's keep pretending to be sick.
But she didn't know it then.
She never thought that pretending to be sick would last this long.
Every time Andrew wandered out again, every time her father's addiction to alcohol worsened, Hillen became ill.
The number of days she spends lying down has increased more than the number of days she gets out of bed.
As she was lying there like that and skipping meals under the pretense of being sick, at some point, she became really weak and had no energy.
Still, there was nothing Hillen could do.
'I have to be sick.'
Then at least her brother or father won't suddenly disappear like her mother.
Hillen was especially anxious because it seemed like Andrew might leave the family completely.
If she doesn't eat more and lose more energy, Andrew won't leave.
Hillen didn't want to lose her family anymore.
Yeah, that's all.
She absolutely did not want this situation to come to this.
“Please save me...”
Behind the thin wooden door, Leviche's younger brother, Edzel, could be heard sobbing.
He was a good boy who sometimes came with Leviche and made Hillen happy.
This time, he must have come to the forest to hunt with his friends to stock up on winter food to help his family.
'Brother, please...'
She regrets it so much.
She really didn't know that Edzel would be sacrificed as a result of her pretending to be sick.
Of course, Andrew betrays Ronheim.
At that moment, Hillen, who was trapped helplessly, shedding tears, heard the sound of someone roughly knocking on the cabin entrance from outside.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“...!”
Startled, Hillen held his breath and listened outside.
Then, she quickly raised her head at the sound of a familiar voice.
“Andrew! Andrew! I know you’re there!”
Andrew was also startled by the voice he heard outside.
The wizards rose from their seats, chanted magic spells, and went into a state of alert.
'Shit.'
Andrew swallowed his swear words and spoke to the wizards.
“I know that person.”
They, too, had ears, so they could hear and understand.
The man outside the door says he is Andrew's father.
One of the wizards grabbed Andrew by the collar.
"What if he came with knights! Damn it, I shouldn't have trusted barbarians! What on earth was the Empress thinking...!"
Although he was angry and swearing, Andrew's pride was not as hurt by his words as he thought.
It was because he was more concerned with the hand holding his collar than with the words the wizard was saying.
'It's powerless.'
Andrew, the knight, snickered inwardly at the sight of the wizard's arms exposed beneath the flowing sleeves of his robes.
It was a smooth arm without any muscle.
'Don't you even know how to grab someone by the collar?'
It's not like someone has to teach you something like that.
It felt like the wizard was hanging on to Andrew rather than holding him.
Still, Andrew knew that the wizard's fear was not in his brawn.
He spoke cautiously, trying to please the wizards.
“Don’t worry, he probably didn’t come with the knights.”
“How can you be sure of that?”
“He is a spy like me.”
The wizard who had been holding Andrew by the collar frowned and glared at him.
“I haven’t heard that there are more people.”
A wizard raised his hand, a blazing hand, and glared at the door where Hillen was.
“If you do something stupid, your younger sister will be the first to die.”
“Hey, calm down!”
Andrew hurriedly stopped the wizard, lifted Edzel from the corner, and put the knife to the child's neck.
"It was good that we spared the children. Even if that man were to come with knights, if we take the children hostage, no one will dare attack us. Callius cares for every single citizen of Ronheim."
He could feel Edzel trembling.
“Hey, bro...”
“Be quiet!”
Andrew opened the door with a knife held to Edzel's neck, yelling fiercely.
Behind the door stood Basto, bleeding, his eyes fierce.
“What are you doing here, Father?”
“Andrew.”
“Why did you come all the way here and think about seeing me again when you could just have a drink or something?”
“Andrew, don’t do this.”
Basto glanced at Edzel, who was held in Andrew's arms, and shook his head.
Even in his eyes, he could see the wizards behind Andrew, ready to use their magic at any moment.
Basto wasn't afraid, since he hadn't come here to live in the first place.
He just wanted to change Andrew's mind and make him leave this place.
But when he actually saw Andrew with the wizards, he couldn't decide what to do.
However, he wasn't sure how long his body, which was not in good shape to spend time worrying outside, could endure the blizzard.
There are no plans.
It was Basto who decided to give it a try.
“Please, Andrew. Whatever you’re trying to do, stop.”
Then Andrew threw Edzel aside in an instant and put the knife to Basto's neck.
"What do you know! How did you come here? Huh? Are you trying to sell me and Hillen to Callius this time?"
“I shook off the tailing.”
Basto lowered his voice.
Andrew held the knife so tightly that blood flowed from his neck, but he whispered to his son without blinking.
"Run. It's not too late. Run. Away from Ronheim. Then you can live. You can forget everything and live on. Please, I, your father, will help you."
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Andrew spoke fiercely and tightened his grip on the sword.
"You shouldn't have come here. You! Do you understand? You're going to die here now! Do you even realize what you've done?"
“Andrew.”
"Now you're making me kill my father with my own hands? Why won't you leave me alone? Why on earth! Why did you come here to die by my hand?"
Anger burned in Andrew's eyes.
"It's already been done. I won't regret it like you. I won't abandon my family because of regret. I'll save Hillen. I'm different from you."
The blood flowing from Basto's neck was soaking Andrew's hands.
“You have to die here.”
“It won’t help even if I try to stop you.”
Callius sighed, as if he had not expected anything from Granada's tough stance.
It was a difficult task.
Even though she had great martial arts skills, she was still 67 years old.
Unless it was an extremely urgent matter, even sturdy knights would have difficulty venturing out of their homes through a blizzard, so they sent out the aged Granada.
But Granada, with its face showing that it was not afraid of death, gave off an aura more terrifying than that of the Grim Reaper.
"First."
Callius spoke to Granada as if to calm her down.
“Listen to the children’s parents and then judge.”
There were many people in the audience room.
Among the castle's employees and knights, there were relatives of the man's parents or longtime neighbors. They all seemed anxiously awaiting Callius.
Among them, Karl and Leviche, the family members of the missing Edzel, were standing next to their parents with gloomy faces.
“Is there any place in the forest where the children might have gone?”
In response to Callius's question, one of the children's fathers took out a map of the forest used by hunters and pointed to a spot on it with his finger.
"A herd of nyaks has been appearing in this area recently. They must have gone out to hunt nyaks, so they must have come this way."
The parents had worried and anxious faces, but they remained calm and unwavering, as if they believed their children would hold up well.
“The children know the forest geography well, so they won’t get lost.”
Edzel's mother spoke in a trembling voice.
The parents didn't look at me like they thought their children had been victims of wild animals or had been in an accident.
They were concerned about the increased security against outsiders and the ominous stories surrounding Andrew.
At that moment, Granada's expression, which was looking at the map together, became more serious than before.
“This place is...!”
It seemed like we had come too far to tell the truth.
'I didn't mean for it to turn out like this... '
Hillen saw her mother die and her family torn apart.
Her father was a drunk and neglected his young children, and Andrew grew to hate him for it.
Before her mother passed away, the family had tried to make her happy together, but Andrew, Basto, and Hillen were no longer together in any of that.
Hillen was afraid.
She wonders if this is how families will be scattered.
She wonders if her father drank too much and collapsed on the side of the road, and died in his sleep.
She wonders if her brother will never come home.
Worries and anxieties continued to build up inside her.
Then one day, her body, unable to withstand the stress, broke out in pain.
As she was sick and unable to get out of bed for a whole day, Andrew, who had not said a word at home, came to her.
“Hillen, are you okay? Have some soup too.”
Hillen felt like crying at the sight of Andrew looking after her affectionately, bringing her a steaming bowl of soup.
It's been a while since she last spoke to Andrew.
“I bought some medicine.”
Her father also stayed home that day and didn't drink.
That day, Hillen was happy.
A warm, comforting breeze blew through the house, which had been filled with a cold silence for the first time in a long while.
'When I'm sick... things get better.'
It was from that day on.
Young Hillen, who was not even ten years old at the time, thought.
Let's keep pretending to be sick.
But she didn't know it then.
She never thought that pretending to be sick would last this long.
Every time Andrew wandered out again, every time her father's addiction to alcohol worsened, Hillen became ill.
The number of days she spends lying down has increased more than the number of days she gets out of bed.
As she was lying there like that and skipping meals under the pretense of being sick, at some point, she became really weak and had no energy.
Still, there was nothing Hillen could do.
'I have to be sick.'
Then at least her brother or father won't suddenly disappear like her mother.
Hillen was especially anxious because it seemed like Andrew might leave the family completely.
If she doesn't eat more and lose more energy, Andrew won't leave.
Hillen didn't want to lose her family anymore.
Yeah, that's all.
She absolutely did not want this situation to come to this.
“Please save me...”
Behind the thin wooden door, Leviche's younger brother, Edzel, could be heard sobbing.
He was a good boy who sometimes came with Leviche and made Hillen happy.
This time, he must have come to the forest to hunt with his friends to stock up on winter food to help his family.
'Brother, please...'
She regrets it so much.
She really didn't know that Edzel would be sacrificed as a result of her pretending to be sick.
Of course, Andrew betrays Ronheim.
At that moment, Hillen, who was trapped helplessly, shedding tears, heard the sound of someone roughly knocking on the cabin entrance from outside.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“...!”
Startled, Hillen held his breath and listened outside.
Then, she quickly raised her head at the sound of a familiar voice.
“Andrew! Andrew! I know you’re there!”
***
Andrew was also startled by the voice he heard outside.
The wizards rose from their seats, chanted magic spells, and went into a state of alert.
'Shit.'
Andrew swallowed his swear words and spoke to the wizards.
“I know that person.”
They, too, had ears, so they could hear and understand.
The man outside the door says he is Andrew's father.
One of the wizards grabbed Andrew by the collar.
"What if he came with knights! Damn it, I shouldn't have trusted barbarians! What on earth was the Empress thinking...!"
Although he was angry and swearing, Andrew's pride was not as hurt by his words as he thought.
It was because he was more concerned with the hand holding his collar than with the words the wizard was saying.
'It's powerless.'
Andrew, the knight, snickered inwardly at the sight of the wizard's arms exposed beneath the flowing sleeves of his robes.
It was a smooth arm without any muscle.
'Don't you even know how to grab someone by the collar?'
It's not like someone has to teach you something like that.
It felt like the wizard was hanging on to Andrew rather than holding him.
Still, Andrew knew that the wizard's fear was not in his brawn.
He spoke cautiously, trying to please the wizards.
“Don’t worry, he probably didn’t come with the knights.”
“How can you be sure of that?”
“He is a spy like me.”
The wizard who had been holding Andrew by the collar frowned and glared at him.
“I haven’t heard that there are more people.”
A wizard raised his hand, a blazing hand, and glared at the door where Hillen was.
“If you do something stupid, your younger sister will be the first to die.”
“Hey, calm down!”
Andrew hurriedly stopped the wizard, lifted Edzel from the corner, and put the knife to the child's neck.
"It was good that we spared the children. Even if that man were to come with knights, if we take the children hostage, no one will dare attack us. Callius cares for every single citizen of Ronheim."
He could feel Edzel trembling.
“Hey, bro...”
“Be quiet!”
Andrew opened the door with a knife held to Edzel's neck, yelling fiercely.
Behind the door stood Basto, bleeding, his eyes fierce.
“What are you doing here, Father?”
“Andrew.”
“Why did you come all the way here and think about seeing me again when you could just have a drink or something?”
“Andrew, don’t do this.”
Basto glanced at Edzel, who was held in Andrew's arms, and shook his head.
Even in his eyes, he could see the wizards behind Andrew, ready to use their magic at any moment.
Basto wasn't afraid, since he hadn't come here to live in the first place.
He just wanted to change Andrew's mind and make him leave this place.
But when he actually saw Andrew with the wizards, he couldn't decide what to do.
However, he wasn't sure how long his body, which was not in good shape to spend time worrying outside, could endure the blizzard.
There are no plans.
It was Basto who decided to give it a try.
“Please, Andrew. Whatever you’re trying to do, stop.”
Then Andrew threw Edzel aside in an instant and put the knife to Basto's neck.
"What do you know! How did you come here? Huh? Are you trying to sell me and Hillen to Callius this time?"
“I shook off the tailing.”
Basto lowered his voice.
Andrew held the knife so tightly that blood flowed from his neck, but he whispered to his son without blinking.
"Run. It's not too late. Run. Away from Ronheim. Then you can live. You can forget everything and live on. Please, I, your father, will help you."
“Don’t talk nonsense.”
Andrew spoke fiercely and tightened his grip on the sword.
"You shouldn't have come here. You! Do you understand? You're going to die here now! Do you even realize what you've done?"
“Andrew.”
"Now you're making me kill my father with my own hands? Why won't you leave me alone? Why on earth! Why did you come here to die by my hand?"
Anger burned in Andrew's eyes.
"It's already been done. I won't regret it like you. I won't abandon my family because of regret. I'll save Hillen. I'm different from you."
The blood flowing from Basto's neck was soaking Andrew's hands.
“You have to die here.”
***
“It won’t help even if I try to stop you.”
Callius sighed, as if he had not expected anything from Granada's tough stance.
It was a difficult task.
Even though she had great martial arts skills, she was still 67 years old.
Unless it was an extremely urgent matter, even sturdy knights would have difficulty venturing out of their homes through a blizzard, so they sent out the aged Granada.
But Granada, with its face showing that it was not afraid of death, gave off an aura more terrifying than that of the Grim Reaper.
"First."
Callius spoke to Granada as if to calm her down.
“Listen to the children’s parents and then judge.”
There were many people in the audience room.
Among the castle's employees and knights, there were relatives of the man's parents or longtime neighbors. They all seemed anxiously awaiting Callius.
Among them, Karl and Leviche, the family members of the missing Edzel, were standing next to their parents with gloomy faces.
“Is there any place in the forest where the children might have gone?”
In response to Callius's question, one of the children's fathers took out a map of the forest used by hunters and pointed to a spot on it with his finger.
"A herd of nyaks has been appearing in this area recently. They must have gone out to hunt nyaks, so they must have come this way."
The parents had worried and anxious faces, but they remained calm and unwavering, as if they believed their children would hold up well.
“The children know the forest geography well, so they won’t get lost.”
Edzel's mother spoke in a trembling voice.
The parents didn't look at me like they thought their children had been victims of wild animals or had been in an accident.
They were concerned about the increased security against outsiders and the ominous stories surrounding Andrew.
At that moment, Granada's expression, which was looking at the map together, became more serious than before.
“This place is...!”
Comments
Post a Comment