Episode 7: Seems to Have Kidnapped Someone
I smiled and flipped to the next page of the book. Under a drawing of an apple, there was a word written:
“Abgi (Apple).”
I was amazed again. Even though I couldn’t read before, this felt easy to understand. Maybe it was because I already knew how to speak the language.
I kept flipping through the pages and reading the words. After reading about 30 words, I brought a fork from the house. Then, I squatted down and used the fork to write in the dirt:
“Abgi (apple), Nakeviera (playground), Sekache (carriage), Sekataran (word)…”
It was my first time writing, so my letters were messy. But when I compared them with the book, I didn’t make any spelling mistakes.
“I’m good at memorizing and writing…”
Was I a genius?
Feeling proud, I kept going until I yawned. I was sleepy—probably from dealing with Huz earlier. I laid back in the chair, my body feeling as soft and droopy as melted cheese.
A light breeze blew my hair. I grabbed it—my coral-colored hair that tickled my arm—and pulled it forward.
My hair used to be bright blond, but now it was a soft red, like the color of apricots or cat fur. Only the braided part was scarlet, like it had been dyed.
“Even my eyes have changed…”
I used to have scarlet eyes, but now they were dull, as if someone had mixed in dirt. And they were still changing.
“Do witches’ bodies change as they grow up?”
I touched the skin around my eyes, which looked beige now.
“A witch…”
I whispered it softly and let go of my hair.
The Curse Connection
“I’m the key to breaking Huz’s curse.”
Huz and I had matching marks. They even reacted to each other, like they were connected.
Maybe the mark meant I was the witch meant to lift his curse. If so, then from the moment I was born, I was tied to his fate.
A bitter smile crossed my face.
“So much suffering, just because of this…”
For a moment, I hated Huz. If he hadn’t been cursed, maybe I wouldn’t have been born with the mark.
But… it wasn’t his fault.
“He didn’t choose to be cursed…”
Blaming him wouldn’t change anything.
I sighed and covered my eyes with my arm. A soft warmth passed over me. When I looked up, the sun peeked out and shined a gentle ray of light, like it was comforting me before hiding again.
A Memory of Joy
—“Joy is such a pretty child. She has pretty feathers and a kind heart. She’s the prettiest bird in the world… Huh? Joy? Where are you going?”
Joy was an old friend. She always comforted me when I cried but ran away when I praised her. I smiled at the memory.
“Alright. When Huz comes back, I’ll ask why he was cursed.”
If we knew the reason, maybe we could fix it.
I closed my eyes and let sleep wrap around me like a warm blanket.
Meanwhile, 10km from Kabellu’s Center…
There was a village hidden in the forest called the Village of Truth.
It was home to the best researchers and scholars from different countries—Argentite, Helga, Lartina, and Lichrekhev.
Why were such talented people living in a wasteland like Kabellu? It goes back a long way…
1830 Years Ago
An invisible, dangerous energy called the “intangible force” exploded twice in Northeast Kabellu. It destroyed everything—land, people, and nature.
The area became known as “Kabellu of the End.” People avoided it. It was a forbidden zone because if you even went near, you’d be ripped apart by the twisted space.
After 1700 years, the outer areas of Kabellu began to recover. These parts turned out to be more fertile than anywhere else.
Guess who found out first?
Criminals.
They wanted a place to hide, and Kabellu was perfect. So they moved in, turning it into a lawless zone.
When the world’s leaders realized this, they didn’t want to lose such valuable land. So they came up with a plan: send elite scholars and researchers to study Kabellu and prepare to reclaim it.
Then Came Huzga Dias
Less than a month after the research village was built, Huzga Dias attacked.
The first director managed to injure him, and Huz retreated… for a while.
But Huz returned, stronger than ever, and destroyed the village, killing everyone—including the director—and burning all the research data.
Every time they rebuilt, Huz would destroy everything again. Research couldn’t move forward.
So the countries changed their strategy. They added a new rule:
Only researchers with combat skills could join.
The new version of the village was stronger—led by a powerful wizard as director, guarded by elite fighters, and even stronger than the Imperial Guard.
Thanks to their efforts, the Village of Truth recently celebrated its 100th anniversary.
“The 100th Anniversary Sucks.”
Ser Justo, the youngest knight commander from the Argentite Empire, grumbled while spitting out cherry seeds.
“Why celebrate something like that? They’ve been begging for support for 100 years!”
Ser was a powerful woman with light brown hair and blue eyes. She was the second daughter of a noble duke and blessed by Unus, the god of fairness. At just 28, she was already a master swordswoman—the “lioness”.
She glanced at her sword.
“Should I just fix this mess myself?”
She took a deep breath and calmed down.
Her duty was to protect the village and clean up the criminals in Kabellu. As someone who hated crime, she gladly accepted this mission.
But things weren’t going as she hoped.
“What is he doing now?”
Ser frowned at the report in her hand.
Once a month, she got updates about Huzga Dias. The latest one was… strange.
He had started robbing shops.
But not for money.
He stole:
- Beautiful plates, bowls, forks, knives
- Large amounts of food by threatening chefs
- Books—fairy tales and long novels
- Medicines—mostly powdered, tasteless ones for digestion and nutrition
Ser stared at the report.
“But he only eats raw meat…”
Huz had a small appetite, almost like the undead. Why was he suddenly collecting books and medicine?
“Did he… kidnap someone?”
But even that didn’t fully make sense. Kidnappers usually barely feed their victims. Huz seemed to be taking care of someone.
“Very suspicious.”
Ser narrowed her eyes and picked up another cherry. She threw it like a bullet at Ian, her vice-captain, who was flirting with a researcher.
Thwack! It exploded on the back of his head.
“Ow!”
Ian turned around, startled. Ser waved him over.
“Stop flirting, Ian.”
“You could’ve killed me with that cherry!”
“Come on, I didn’t throw it that hard.”
“You could kill someone with pudding.”
“Wrong. I could kill you with whipped cream.”
Ian pouted. Ser smacked him again.
“We’re going on patrol tomorrow. Be ready at 6 AM.”
“What?! We just finished a five-day patrol!”
“The more you suffer, the tougher you get.”
“Leader, I get that you’re bored, but our job is to protect the village. Hunting criminals is a side mission.”
“Nope. This patrol is for rescue.”
“Rescue?”
“I think Huzga Dias… kidnapped someone.”
Ian’s eyes widened.
