Episode 89
“Anyway, I heard about Hae-ta.”
Geo scratched his chin with his index finger.
Even though it was a ransom negotiation, it was the first time in my life that I felt sorry for a stranger.
This was even more so when I thought about the fact that Baek Do-hyun had already made a deal in Pangyo and was likely to come anyway.
‘I feel like I’ve been double-dealt with a second-hand market swindler.’
The old man’s gaze turned intently to Geo. Is that how you say thank you?
“Okay. I got it cheap.”
Honggoya laughed coolly.
“If I had known that Hae-ta would be like that, I would have gone and seen it even if you hadn’t told me. I also don’t want the temple to be ruined.”
Percussion. Clang-.
The teacup is full again.
In contrast to his rough appearance and voice, the old man’s hands were delicate and elegant.
“Why, is it strange?”
“It’s a bit unbalanced. Anyone who looks at it will see that he was born from an alcoholic family.”
“Joe, please… … .”
“I was an alcoholic when I was young.”
Hong Goya laughed. The wounds that the fire had taken away, with the hoarse sound of scraping iron.
“I couldn’t live a single day without alcohol. Especially after that weird black tower showed up.”
A hole in the sky that won’t close.
Countless funerals. The smell of blood and the scent of chrysanthemums that never leaves your nose.
The days when someone I knew yesterday dies today and tomorrow.
Scars covered his hands and face, and the old man’s eyes between the scars hardened with longing.
“At an age when I should be preparing for old age, I lived very intensely. I was more passionate than ever before in my life, and those were the days when I was closest to life and also the days when I was farthest from life.”
“… … .”
“On days like that, I also had many questions about you, Magic King.”
It was quite an arrogant name.
A king.
But there was no name more fitting than that.
First generation hunter Hongoya was a witness who felt the world changing overnight more clearly than anyone else.
How a city that had lost its light regains its color, and how people who have found hope rise again.
He was a living witness who witnessed it more clearly than anyone else.
“I’ve thought about it hundreds, tens of thousands of times. What kind of guy is it that shut down this hell overnight and then went into hiding?”
I couldn’t get it out of my head.
Because I was amazed by that strength, and at the same time, I resented that strength.
The king of magic who appears suddenly when everyone is desperate, and disappears when everyone is excited.
The question that started with, “If I had that kind of power, I wouldn’t have done that,” often ended with the question, “What kind of person is that?”
“But I couldn’t find out because that bastard Eunsa and the center were hiding it on purpose.”
Honggoya looked at Geo.
It was an eye filled with countless years and emotions.
“After all this time, I finally get to see you before my eyes.”
Gyeonjio looking at her with an expressionless face.
The ‘guy’ I met after 10 years was smaller and younger than I thought. His cheeks were fresh, almost boyish, and his steps were weightless.
I was suspicious at first sight, but as soon as I looked into his eyes, I was convinced again.
It was you. It was you.
“If it were the past, I would have asked all sorts of questions. How can you be so young, and yet so strong?”
“But that’s enough. I don’t wonder what kind of person you are anymore.”
I’m satisfied just by meeting you like this. So.
“Please just keep the promise between you and me, the remaining promises we have made.”
Tak. The glass being passed.
Geo accepted the teacup. This tea wasn’t sweet at all.
Honggoya laughed.
“Would you like to meet my niece, Hong Dal-ya, Your Majesty?”
* * *
“Don’t even think about breaking it so recklessly like before.”
Because it’s different from them.
Hong Goya, holding a folding fan in his hand, took the lead.
Crack, crack.
Although it seemed like a space with no changes on the outside, Geo could feel something opening and closing every time the fan sounded repeatedly.
‘There is no such thing as a labyrinth.’
It’s almost like a labyrinth containing a bull-headed monster from Greek mythology.
I wondered if it was really necessary, but after hearing the story, I was convinced in a way.
Children of the Laurel Wreath.
He said that not all of them are born with good eyes.
Also, among them, only a very small number of children are given the name ‘Hongdalya’.
The conditions for birth were very strict from the start.
There must be at least three siblings born on the same day, and one of them must die immediately after birth?
“A kind of sacrifice… … similar to dying while bearing all the impurities that come with the ‘eyes that see the world.’”
“Wow, X is the very definition of barbaric.”
“What can I do? I guess I should think of it as a side effect of coveting powers that are not permitted to humans.”
Honggoya laughed bitterly.
And when the bloody brother ‘Hong Byeol-ya’ dies… … the ‘eyes to see the world’ are finally opened in one of the remaining children.
Then he is ‘Hongdalya’.
The other brother is naturally named ‘Honghae-ya’, because the sun and the moon are a set.
“But this time it was different.”
Honggoya looked back at Honghae, who had lowered her head, and nodded.
“‘Hongdalya’ appeared from the only twins.”
Everyone was shocked.
Hong Dal-ya appeared without the ‘starlight’ that had to die. It was an unprecedented event.
The birth of ‘Dal-ya’, the most powerful and at the same time most dangerous in the history of the clan.
The child must be killed immediately. All ‘Hongdal-yas’ die young, so is there a reason to kill him now? A fierce debate ensued within the family.
As a result, concealment.
So, this Ulsan Byeolga is a kind of labyrinth to hide Hong Dal-ya from the world.
Not to protect the child.
“I, I, Honggoya, said I would take care of them. After all, Dalya only lives for about twenty years. I said I would take responsibility and look after them until then.”
Hong Goya smiled bitterly, saying that he had never intended to become so attached to her, but people’s hearts don’t always work out the way they want.
Geo, who had been listening, asked.
“So what exactly is he looking at?”
Why is it dangerous, and why do I need it?
Hong Goya asked that question to everyone around him.
Geo and her, the two of them, answered.
“The Three Worlds.”
“What does that mean… … “
“Past, Present, and Future.”
「… … .」
“The moon peers into the end of the three worlds.”
And about the sun, it is still unknown, but the star calls death.
It was written in the family register that if the eyes of the stars open, destruction will come to the world. This time, Daedalya was born with those ‘eyes of the stars’.
So, right now, he was burning all his life force to never open those eyes.
“Hong Dal-ya is the only ‘real’ doomsday prophet in existence, and she is also dying desperately.”
「… … .」
“And then one day, that kid started looking only for you.”
We just want to listen to what the poor kid has to say.
Hong Goya finished her story with her grandmother’s face like that.
Knock, knock, knock!
Several layers of sliding doors open in a row.
Well, that’s unpleasant. Geo frowned as soon as he set foot in.
Phew!
A short breeze blows.
Hong Goya and others blankly looked at Geo. Baek Do-hyeon asked in a bewildered manner.
“What did you do? It seems like your breathing is easier… … .”
“I just cleaned it up.”
“No, how about that? Is that possible with magic?”
“Huh. Of course not.”
“Yes? Then how?”
“Since magic doesn’t work, we have to do it with true magic.”
The face of Munchkin who asked why I was asking such a basic question. The pitiful face was incredibly annoying.
‘Is this some kind of statement like, ‘If you don’t have rice, you can just eat bread?’
He was talking nonchalantly about drawing on a magical power more fundamental than magic power, true energy.
The wizard king, who answered in a sarcastic manner, walked between the long doors.
The end, the destruction, the death.
Anyway, all of it is dark and unpleasant stories.
And on top of that, a deep-sea fish like that is looking for me.
Geo could tell just by looking at this.
‘Dead flag angle.’
I just tapped on the calculator and the answer came out.
The regressor right next to me right now, has been (unintentionally) taking the position of that damn munchkin’s helper recently, so the bad ending angle is set properly.
‘Are you sure this isn’t going to be used as fertilizer for that regressor’s growth? Am I going to die and awaken, you son of a bitch, Bitdohyun?’
While listening to Honggoya’s story, I felt a little sad at that thought.
Geo’s mind soon became as peaceful as a river.
‘That’s why people need to have a strong wallet and a strong mind.’
The ‘Lamb’s Spirit’ was neatly placed in one of the inventory slots. Looking at its warm glow, I felt a surge of confidence that I could overcome any hardship.
‘This is the beginning of King Geo’s life, you rascals.’
Come on, everyone.
The steps taken by those with the resurrection item in their backs were majestic.
Geo arrived at the deepest part, in front of the bed under the curtain. He looked down blankly.
Pale lips, pale complexion.
There was a girl like a dry, dead tree branch, dying with every breath.
Hong Dal-ya slowly opened her eyes. She took shallow breaths. She moved her chapped lips.
“… … Yeah.”
“Oh. Mr. Joe has arrived.”
For you who is taking the last leaf, here is the Godjo, the light, the kingjo, the delivery you have been desperately looking for. Tinkle, tinkle.
On Sunday, like a tofu vendor, Gyeonji-oh muttered indifferently.
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