Chapter 7 …
‘Now that I think about it, it’s around this time that the rampaging of the ghostly creatures begins.’
It is now 12 years before the original story’s timeline.
This is the point where fierce battles begin to erupt once again in a world that has been relatively peaceful until now.
Honestly, this world’s setting is far too harsh for someone aiming for an ordinary, happy life.
‘Of course, I plan to live a long life in a safe and peaceful place!’
[That’s right. We must first ensure your life doesn’t meet ruin.]
Right, right.
The world’s destruction? The protagonist will probably handle that just fine!
From now on, the battles with the ghostly creatures and the resulting damage will only grow larger. More people will die…
But there’s no way I can prevent all of that. What’s important to me is…
“I’m just going to protect myself and my Lord. Ah, and my Lord’s family too.”
[Family?]
“Because my Lord lost his family to ghostly creatures once before. So that something like that doesn’t happen again…”
“What? Are you talking about me?”
“Eeek! You scared me!”
Startled by the sudden voice, I turned around.
My Lord was standing at the entrance to the barracks, having appeared out of nowhere.
“My Lord!”
“Hey there.”
“Wow! How did you get back so quickly?”
He said he was going to subjugate the entire mountain range, so how is he back after just a few days?
At my words, my Lord grinned and raised the corner of his mouth.
“Something like that was nothing.”
“So, does that mean the subjugation is all finished?”
“Whoa, whoa.”
As I approached him, my Lord gestured for me to stop and stepped back.
Huh?
“Don’t come close. I’m filthy.”
“Ah.”
“I came straight here after finishing the subjugation.”
Now that I looked, my Lord’s body was covered in stains of dirt and blood.
When I sniffed the air, I could faintly smell a stench; it seemed he had been drenched in ghostly creature blood.
“More importantly, what were you muttering to yourself about? Was it about me?”
“Ah, that…”
My Lord asked again, having likely heard me talking with Duri.
I rolled my eyes and decided to brazen my way through this one too, just like last time.
“I was making a resolution… to myself.”
“A resolution? What kind of resolution?”
I put my hands on my hips and declared proudly.
“That I would protect you, my Lord. Ah, and your family too.”
“What?”
“Since you protected me, my Lord, I will protect you too!”
Well, that was essentially the truth.
As I puffed out my chin proudly after speaking, I heard my Lord let out a hollow laugh.
“Well, I’ll be… Really…”
“Why? I really did resolve to protect you.”
“Okay. Fine, do that. Thanks.”
My Lord unconsciously tried to put his hand on my head but stopped midway, then pulled his hand back and just rubbed his own nose instead.
“Look at this reliable little runt.”
“Hehehe.”
“What a relief. Now that we have our little hero, we should be able to make it to the city safely.”
“The city?”
“That’s right. We’re leaving tomorrow. We’re setting off early, so get some sleep quickly, little hero.”
At my Lord’s words, my mouth fell wide open.
Finally!
The next day, truly from the early morning, everyone was busily moving about, packing up the barracks and setting off!
“Wooow!”
“Whoa, careful. You might fall.”
I rode on a horse at the front with my Lord.
After riding for a long time, the place we arrived at was…
“Here, write your name.”
A large building inside a city.
Inside the building, people were bustling about.
‘No matter how I look at it, this doesn’t seem like a city.’
As I looked around curiously, my Lord was writing something down.
Then he handed me a piece of paper too.
“What is this?”
“A guardianship contract.”
“Huh?”
It was, in fact, a guardianship contract between my Lord and me. After finishing his signature with a flourish, my Lord looked at me and raised an eyebrow.
“What are you doing? Write your name.”
“You’re going to be my guardian?”
“Yeah. What, did you think I brought you here to make you work or something?”
Wow, amazing!
With a pounding heart, I carefully wrote my name on the paper.
“Oho. You write well.”
“Heheh.”
After submitting the documents with my Lord and stepping outside, I saw a street packed with people bustling about everywhere.
From all around, I could hear the calls of merchants selling their wares, the sounds of haggling, and general chatter.
It was a complete contrast to the scenery I had seen until now.
“Wooow…”
“Overwhelming, right? Wait here for a bit. I’ll go call a carriage.”
To me, who had spent my entire life secluded in the mountain valley of Cheonsugwan, this was a whole new world!
While my Lord went to fetch a carriage, I decided to wait for a while at the building’s entrance.
Just then, a loud voice cut through the noisy sounds.
“Are you crazy, you brat! So ungrateful!”
What’s that?
I turned my head towards the shout full of curses and saw a fuming middle-aged man not far away.
And in front of him, a boy had fallen to the ground.
“Just my rotten luck! How dare this wretch suspect me?”
The middle-aged man who had knocked the boy down was shouting angrily, hopping mad.
Passersby frowned, but that was it. No one stepped forward; they just went on their way.
‘He’s going to kill that kid at this rate.’
My jaw dropped as the relentless kicking continued. I didn’t know the circumstances, but that was too dangerous!
“Get lost, you filthy thing! Won’t you get lost?!”
The furious man, who was in a rage, ran into his shop and came back out holding a club.
Even seeing that, the boy didn’t resist or run away. He just slowly got to his feet.
The boy who stood up seemed to be in his early teens. He still clearly looked like a child.
Since his back was to me, I could only see a glimpse of his profile.
I noticed his slightly tanned skin.
“I took you in out of pity because you’re young, and you, an outsider, don’t even know gratitude!”
The man raised the hand holding the club towards the boy. The thick club swung down swiftly towards the boy.
“Gasp!”
A startled scream escaped my lips when I saw that.
If he gets hit, he’ll die! He’ll really die if that hits him!
‘Duri, Duri, Duri!’
This is just wrong!
I shouted Duri’s name and reached my hand out towards the boy.
A light shot from my fingertips towards the boy. The light quickly formed characters above the boy’s head.
A Guardian Talisman. A talisman that protects the body.
‘At least protect his head!’
I swiftly sent the talisman and ran towards them.
Just as the light of the Guardian Talisman enveloped the boy transparently, the club struck him.
Thwack—! A dull sound was heard.
“Just my rotten luck!”
The man who had swung the club spat, “Ptooey!” and went back inside the building.
‘…Is he okay?’
I was about to check on the boy’s condition when he suddenly whipped his head around to look back.
Despite being young, he had distinct and clear features.
Slightly dark, tanned skin—a characteristic of outsiders. Short, cropped black hair.
“…!”
In an instant, my eyes met the boy’s. I gasped in surprise.
‘What?’
Why is he looking this way all of a sudden?
The talisman shouldn’t be visible to others…
But the boy’s eyes were fixed directly on me.
Eyes wide open in surprise.
Only one side of the boy’s face was lit by the sunlight.
The eye on the unlit side appeared as a pure black pupil, while the eye touched by the light seemed to be a dark purple.
‘Huh?’
Purple pupils…?
In that instant, a piece of information flashed through my mind.
An outsider status, with rare purple eyes. As far as I knew, there was only one person with these characteristics. It couldn’t be…
“San?”
The protagonist?
The original story’s protagonist, ‘San’.
Without realizing it, his name escaped my lips. Then, the boy’s purple eyes wavered.
‘Did I just run into the protagonist of this novel?’
Just as my mouth was about to drop open in shock, I felt someone grab my shoulder.
“Kid!”
“Eeek!”
Startled, I quickly turned my head and saw my Lord, who looked just as surprised.
“What the. I told you to wait quietly. You weren’t here, so I got worried.”
“Ahh… You scared me.”
“Let’s go. The carriage is ready.”
“Ah, wait a moment!”
I stopped my Lord, who was holding my hand and leading me away, and turned to look back again.
“Huh? Where did he go?”
But the boy—no, San—was nowhere to be seen; he had disappeared in that short time.
“What is it?”
“Nothing, there was a boy here? Where did he go?”
“A boy?”
“Yes. A boy, an outsider with purple eyes… About this tall?”
At my words, my Lord frowned and looked around.
“I didn’t see him. Do you know him?”
“Uh…”
Do I know him?
I couldn’t exactly tell the truth. I just glossed over it.
“No. It’s just… He was getting hit, and no one was paying any attention.”
My Lord, who looked in that direction, clicked his tongue as if he understood.
“The war ended decades ago, but still.”
“The war?”
“A long time ago, there was a big war between the kingdom of Pyeongguk and Garyeo Kingdom. In the end, Garyeo Kingdom won, and Pyeongguk was destroyed. It was such a fierce war that there are still people who dislike those from Pyeongguk.”
Discrimination against people from the destroyed Pyeongguk was also a topic in the original story.
‘But I didn’t know it was this severe.’
In the original story’s timeline, the protagonist was already grown and possessed exceptional abilities. While not everyone viewed him favorably, his skills were acknowledged.
Maybe that’s why.
Seeing the scene of such direct discrimination and contempt towards the protagonist was a bit shocking.
“What, are you concerned?”
“……”
I had been lost in thought for a moment, but at my Lord’s words, I shook my head.
“No. Let’s hurry to the carriage!”
The protagonist had already disappeared somewhere, and there was no way for me to help him right now anyway. Besides…
[Interfering recklessly in the protagonist’s life is also dangerous.]
I nodded at Duri’s words.
The protagonist had a lot to do in the future. He was a character with the mission to save the world from the brink of destruction by fighting the evil spirits!
‘He has his own life plan, after all.’
The protagonist in the original novel had the ability to regress.
Having gone through numerous failures and regressions, the protagonist devoted himself to defeating the final evil spirit.
Repeating death and staking his entire life, he ultimately succeeded in protecting the world.
‘So rather than meddling just because I’m concerned, it’s better to leave him be.’
…It would be a lie to say I wasn’t concerned. Having made up my mind, I turned away.
“Wow! We’re really going to my Lord’s city now!”
Finally!
Down a narrow alley branching off from the bustling street, someone came running.
“Huff!”
The alley was much less crowded.
Finally stopping his run, the boy let out a heavy breath.
In a place where the sunlight didn’t reach, blocked by the buildings, the dark-eyed boy, San’s, pupils shook.
