Chapter 81

A slum in southern Carnosia.  The small town at the foot of the cliff was always foggy overhead.

Therefore, the shape of the village was not clearly visible from the top of the cliff.

At first glance, the scene when the fog had lifted looked like a group of abandoned houses.

So a rumor circulated among those who climbed the mountain.  It was said that the place at the bottom of the cliff was the den of monsters.

It was said that those monsters drag people down from the cliff, making it impossible to leave their village forever.

“It’s a den of demons, isn’t it really funny?  No one would have thought that a priest would be in a place like this.”

The middle-aged man who had been reciting rumors grinned at the old man.  An old man in shabby plain clothes, healing the wounds of the child in front of him, clicked his tongue.

“It’s better that way.  Because of those childish rumors, no bandits have ever invaded this town.”

Contrary to the somewhat blunt voice, the hand that healed the child's injured ankle was very kind.  White light from the old man's wrinkled fingertips covered her deeply scratched wounds and swollen ankles.

Watching her scars disappear in an instant, the child who had just been whining about her pain just wiped away her tears and gleamed in her eyes.

“Grandfather, are you a wizard?” 

(*kids call old people grandpa or grandma without being related.)

When the child, who had completely stopped crying, asked a question with bright eyes, a young man standing by her side on behalf of the old man answered.

"No.This man is greater than a wizard.”

“Wow… !”

As the child exclaimed, the old man who was staring at her, finally finished the treatment.  Seeing her clean ankles without a trace of injuries, the child jumped in excitement.

"Thank you!"

After the child nodded and ran outside, the old man got up.

“I don’t know if you’re overdoing it.”

As the old man straightened his back, the young man hurriedly brought water.

“How difficult is it to do something with the basics?”

The old man gulped and emptied his glass of water with a look of reassurance. The young man who took the empty glass from him responded.

"Well, you’re old now.”

The old man, Kalosa, was a priest over 300 years old.  But his appearance only seemed to be an old man of about seventy.

It was several decades ago that Kalosa began staying in this village. It was a time when a plague began to circulate in the village.

Since it was such a poor slum, it had no support from the state, and as a result they never sent help.

Meanwhile, thanks to Kalosa, who appeared like a savior, the plague in the village disappeared within a month.

Since then, Kalosa has been a member of this village without any compensation.

“It’s very foggy today.  As if anything would happen."

The man who followed Kalosa out murmured. Fog, which was thicker than usual, covered the streets all over the place.

As Kalosa was walking down the street with his hand behind his back, he saw someone hurriedly running through the mist from afar.

“Priest!”

Someone who was sweating profusely shouted and hurriedly pointed in a certain direction. 

"Hey, it’s a dead man down the cliff over there!"

The unconscious man, who was carried in by two young men who belonged to a strong family in the village, had one of his arms completely crushed.

Judging from the fact that he was found under the cliff, it seemed that there was a fall accident, but the man's injuries were not that serious considering the height of the cliff, probably because he used some tricks during the fall.

Kalosa murmured, scattering a healing light on the bloody man's shoulder.

"He's not dead, he's just unconscious.  Stop the fuss and get out of here.”

In response to the order, which seemed to be annoying, the two men who were standing impatiently turned their feet.

When his surroundings became quiet, Kalosa squinted his eyes, scanning the injured man's whereabouts.

Just by looking at him, Kalosa could tell that he was not an ordinary person.

Not to mention the clothes he was wearing, he was different from ordinary people in his appearance.

This was because there had been countless people for hundreds of years who used to threaten him and say nonsense, such as becoming their doctor because they would give him millions of gold.

“Well, I can’t just leave him…”

Kalosa lowered his hand and placed it on the injured man's shoulder, where the blood had stopped.

After closing the gaping skin by suturing it with strong force, Kalosa finally removed his hand.

It would take three or four days for the unconscious man to wake up, as it has a healing power with a temporary anesthetic effect.  For a moment, Kalosa looked at the unconscious man's body.  There were many old-looking scars all over his strong, muscular body.

“How reckless the young man has been using his body.”

With a sigh, he shook his head and left the room.

***

It was a sunny day.

“Your Highness.”

Fernan slowly opened his eyes to the clear voice calling him.

Julia, who was walking in front of him who was standing idly, looked back and raised the corners of her lips, and the sunlight was reflected in her gently curved blue eyes.

His heart throbbed greatly.  Fernan slowly reached out to her.

He took one step at a time and approached her, but for some reason, Julia did not reach his hand.  Rather, she only moved further and further away.

He wanted to tell her not to go, but his voice didn't come out.

Meanwhile, the sun had completely disappeared, and a hazy mist obscured his vision. In an instant, Julia's appearance completely disappeared.

He frantically pierced the fog and went looking for Julia.

Where is Julia, where did she go.. …

All that came out of his throat was a rough scratching moan.  The pain increased as if someone had put a knife in his throat.

As he leaned against the shapeless wall and scanned his surroundings with bloodshot eyes, the fog gradually cleared up.

Through the cleared fog, he could see the back of Julia standing upright.

In the snowy background she stood at the edge of a sheer cliff.

A river of winter was flowing beneath it.

“Your Highness.”

Not a friendly voice, but a call of deep resignation stopped him.

Dark blue eyes without a single ray of light turned towards Fernan.

“… Being with you was hell for me.”

So, as if begging him to let her go, Julia bowed her exhausted face.

“Unfortunately, what I've been through is enough.”

Fernan hurriedly ran to her, muttering as if he had no expectations.

But this time it was the same. No matter how hard he tried to take a step, his feet were dragged into deeper mud.

“D*mn it, no, Julia…”

Fernan tried to get out of the mud with all his might despite the pain as if his legs were about to be ripped apart, but Julia leaned her body down the cliff.

Watching her fall, Fernan rushed down the cliff.

“ …  ha ha ha.”

When he opened his eyes again, he was standing in front of a large door.

Not even the sheer cliff, Julia who was drowning in the river, nor the pouring snow were nowhere to be found.

He opened the door urgently like a madman and stepped inside.  This time, the chilly summer wind and the blue sea beyond were revealed.

In his bloody gaze, Julia, walking slowly on the sand, entered.  Her eyes looking at him were gloomy.

“Are you satisfied now?”

Eyes full of resentment and hatred stared at him.

Fernan, who was unable to speak, took her hand.  At that moment, the background changed again, and this time an all-white and quiet room greeted him.

A woman, lying neatly in the reversed picture, came in. It was Julia, who showed her pale face with her eyes closed, showed no movement.The only lips that showed redness.

Red blood flowed from her lips to her delicate chin.

“It means that the more she uses her power, the more her body will be damaged.”

At that moment, the words he had once heard suddenly poured into his ears.

“If you had let her go from the beginning, she wouldn't have used her powers.”

At the same time, Julia cried again and threw up blood. Her slender body drooped and she collapsed.

No no…Fernan hurriedly ran to her side, knelt down and embraced her body.

But there was nothing in his hand.

He gasped for breath and struggled to lift his head, but again there was nothing in his arms.

No slender body, no warmth, no body scent, nothing.  Fernan, who had been trembling violently, stretched out his hand in the empty air.

“Did I kill Julia?  I, I..”

“… Hey, hey!"

A stubborn voice from somewhere broke his thoughts completely.

Fernan, who raised his eyelids, bounced off the bed. As he breathed heavily and touched his mouth, he trembled. A scream-like tinnitus poured into his ears.

Panting in pain for a long time, he finally lifted his head and saw a small, shabby room.  And there was an old man standing next to him.