944 At the end of the long darkness (2)

Ever since I married my partner from Din's house, Zei-Sung has been able to spend some peace of mind days.

This is by no means the wedding of your choice. Perhaps the chief Zatsu-Sung saw her feelings of admiration and ordered her to marry Zei-Sung.

But Zei-Sung was able to love the women without falsifying his heart.

Just because the women smile, the joy and happiness spreads to Zei-Sung's heart. There was no room for doubt in this emotion.

(I didn't expect to be able to marry an irreplaceable partner in this way....)

The Sung family still has a big secret. However, I felt like I could overcome any hardship if my beloved companion stayed with me.

And a year after the wedding, I was going to be even happier.

My partner conceived a child.

Zei-Sung had such a feeling as to whether it would be all right for him or herself to give such happiness. I had barely talked to my father's replacement parent, but it was enough happiness to compensate for the anguish.

The first dark clouds settled there about six months after the partner conceived the child.

Now the women of another branch are going to take their son-in-law from Zaza.

"Does Zaza's brave hunter refuse to hold such a secret...?

As he stroked his belly, which was getting a lot bigger, his partner said so.

Zei-Sung answers "It's okay" with almost the same comfort as telling himself.

"When it comes to hunters, it's a story of a 15-year-old who's finally been recognized as a single person. If the chief Zats-Sung does everything he can, he won't go against it."

"Yes... I hope so..."

"It's okay," Zei-Sung repeated.

"If you get so sick, you'll get in the way of your belly. Whatever happens, I can protect you. So don't worry, you just think about yourself and your kids."

My partner finally smiled at Zei-Sung's words.

If you want to protect this smile, let them retreat in any hardship. Zei-Sung decided to renew that thought.

So, a few days later...

The feast of the wedding to welcome the hunter of Zaza to his son-in-law was to be fulfilled without delay.

And when the feast is finished, the men of the family shall return to their homes. Previously, it was allowed to reveal the night at the shrine, but after setting up a code of secrecy, it was forbidden. It would have been hard to be angry with the people of Din and Lid, far away from home, but they had no objection to the chief Zatse-sung.

Then they saw their families leaving the village of Sung, and Zei-Sun returned to their houses.

The anomaly occurred after a while.

Zei-Sung, who was resting with his partner, heard signs of disturbance.

(... what, what was that voice?

Zei-Sung woke up instantly, but his partner was resting peacefully.

Careful not to wake it up, he gently snuck out of his bed, and the hall was lit with candlesticks.

"Ah, Zei... did you hear anything funny right now?

It was the partner of the parents. For Zei-Sung, it's an important place for his mother.

"Hmm. That's how I woke up... I think someone was making a scene out there."

"Yeah, so I can't see my parents. Someday, she was out of bed."

The parents' partner looked terribly scared.

Even though she was originally a generous crowd, she has been completely weak since she was given the code of secrecy. Zei-Sung put his hand on his shoulder, which had gotten a lot thinner, and said, "It's okay."

"If the Lou family snuck in, there's no way this whole mess could be over. I'll see what I can do. Wait here."

"Ahh... ah, please, Zei..."

Zei-Sung nodded at you, then took the sword that was hanging on the wall in the hall and went out.

It was a bright night on the moon, so there was no need to prepare candlesticks.

Moreover, the source of the disturbance was immediately discovered. There was a slight spill of light from the entrance to the hall, which was supposed to be unmanned.

Zei-Sung sneaks up on the huge sacred hall with his fingertips on the handle of the sword placed on his waist.

As he tried to peek inside from the gap in the notebook hanging at the entrance, he said, "Who is...? I was thrown with a heavy voice.

This is the voice of chief Zatse-Sun.

Zei-Sung stepped into the book with a firm sense of readiness.

"Excuse me. Something went wrong, so I came to see what was going on..."

So Zei-Sung accidentally swallowed the words.

When I stepped into the shrine, I felt a strong smell of blood.

"What the hell is going on? Somebody got hurt?

Zei-Sung approached the illuminated altar.

About three people are sitting in front of the altar, and about three more are standing around it. The chiefs Zats-sung, Tai-sung and Migi-sung are sitting, and the men of the Sun family are all standing up.

Zei-Sung, who rushed to the scene, was further dismayed.

Two human remains were rolled at the feet of the standing men.

One of them was the men of Zaza, who had just joined his son-in-law - the other was the head of the branch that raised Zei-Sung.

Parents spill blood and organs from their bellies.

The men in Zaza are so bloody that they don't know the color of their skin.

They were already breathing, each holding a sword in his hand.

"What, this... looks like they killed each other?

Confused, Zei-Sung looked around at the crowd.

But the crowd only stood up with vain eyes.

It was Migi-Sung who answered the words of Zei-Sung with an earthen bottle of fruit liquor.

"It's true that we killed each other. Surrounded by four hunters, I don't think we should take one with us... I think we should praise Zaza's hunter."

Migi-Sung, whose face was as harsh as carving a rock, said so with an ugly smile.

"What do you mean? Why do parents and this crowd have to kill each other?... no, four hunters?

"Ah. The people lined up there took care of Zaza's hunters. It would be outrageous to have four of them."

"I don't know what it means. Why did you do that?

The crowd still won't answer.

Then Zaz-Sung stood up with a sleigh.

In the darkness, black eyes are burning brightly.

"The hunter of Zaza refused to obey our code... so he was executed... and I begged you to take care of him, Migi-Sung."

"As I say, great chief.... let's get rid of them. There's a smell of blood in the sacred hall."

Zatsu-Sung left the hall without looking back.

After the figure disappears completely, Migi-Sung mocks it even more ugly.

"Zaza may have strong blood, but this won't help with stubbornness. After all, you should refrain from taking your son-in-law from the northern settlement, Tae-sung.

…………

"Nevertheless, taking a step backwards for a young man who's just turned fifteen... the head of the branch is going to faint. Even if you lose such a weak person, you can't spare me at all."

"Hey!" Zei-Sung stuck in Migi-Sung.

"This parent is like the father who raised me! If you're gonna fool me, I'm not gonna shut up!

"Hmm? So what do we do?

Migi-Sung's giant body was overflowing with a dark sense of killing.

The moment you perceive it, an incredible impact pops over Zei-Sung's side of the head. It was after I fell to the ground that I realized that Migi-Sung had beaten me up with the agility of an animal.

"No, Migi-Sung. Now they shall mourn first."

"Oh, I'll bury you at the edge of the woods. I'll tell Zaza's house that I gave back my soul in a hunting job."

Migi-Sung left the church with a laugh.

Tae-sung looks down at Zee-sun with a vague look.

"I want you to help me mourn. The first thing we need to do is bring the bodies to the edge of the woods."

"If I'm going to mourn my parents... I have to call my family..."

"I don't need it. If the fire is set on fire in a circular manner, there is a fear that the rest of the family will be tempted. Bury both bodies in secret."

Zei-Sung felt as if he had heard something important breaking down in his heart.

However, this was done in accordance with the code established by the chief Zatsu-Sung. There was no way that Sung's people could do better than that.

(It must have been a shameful thing to return my soul with my brother's sword, not a gibbon.)

While holding the body of the parent who was still warm, Zei-Sung thought so.

However, the dead face of the parents had an unexpectedly calm expression.

It was as if they were delighted to have been freed from the agony of a long time.

◇

After the parent returned the soul, the partner went after him and returned the soul.

I suppose my heart came first when I was told that my beloved partner had died where I was originally weak. When the illness caused the fever, I was exhausted in just a few days.

(If you lose your partner in this way, it's only natural. It's only been a year and a half since the wedding, and I can't stand that kind of misfortune.)

Sei-sung, who had witnessed the mercilessness of his chief Zats-sung and others, had to embrace even more gloomy feelings.

If Zei-Sung's partner hadn't accepted the code of secrecy, he might have been executed on the spot. Imagining like that, my stomach burned with rage.

(Are we really on the right track? How will our children be able to live in comfort?

Then came a situation that seemed to chase Zei-Sung's anguish.

The elder Zatsu-Sung fell ill.

Zei-Sung was as comfortable as if he had heard something very funny.

(You think that Zats-sung fell to a sick man? Are you going to return your soul to the woods without fulfilling your will?

Inside Zei-Sung, a disturbing flame was set on fire.

It is a flame of passion, neither anger nor sorrow. Zatsu-Sung was never young, but he hasn't fulfilled his dangerous guinea pig hunt, so he's still not old enough to give back his soul. And while keeping Zei-Sung and his people tied up in such a code, it didn't seem like an unacceptable act to quickly return their souls alone.

(In any case, the seat of chief will be inherited by Migi-Sung, not by the shrewd Zuro-Sun. Even so... are you going to make it easier on your own without seeing our suffering?

Zei-Sung thought that way.

And it felt like two of the same thoughts were simmering in Sung's settlement.

Furthermore, the mutiny did not stop there.

A few days after Zatsu-Sung fell to the devil, now Migi-Sung is returning his soul.

Migi-Sung was told to perform the work ordered by the aristocrats, along with several men. In the meantime, it was said that Gibba had stabbed me to death.

"What the hell is going on? Didn't Migi-Sung inherit the seat of chief?

"The eldest brother of the main house is Zulo-Sung. Normally speaking, Zouro-Sun inherited it instead of Migi-Sung....."

"However, I will not be chief of the clan such as Zuro-Sung. And we have to keep the code of secrecy."

It was whispered like that in a place out of the human ear of the main house.

Everyone is caught up in great anxiety. And the anxiety included faint expectations.

If it was Zorro-Sung, who was a coward, he would have abandoned the code of secrecy and said that he should go back to his life - that's not how it seemed.

"No, but he lives on his own without training as a hunter. You can't do a hunter's job with that."

"But do you think he can cross with Zaza and Dom? If you are afraid that secrets will be revealed, or..."

As far as those words were concerned, it was clear that everyone was tired of living in secret.

The people of the Sung family have been living in secret for nearly four years. No matter how much training I had, I didn't have time to hunt gibbers, and every time I had a parents' meeting or a feast, I lived in fear of the eyes of the rest of my clan - such a life was not happy.

"Of course Zatsu-Sung has a great ambition. But if Zatsu-Sung leaves the throne of chieftaincy, shouldn't he look for new ways to defeat the Lou family?

"Oh, after all this time, Sung's family has barely grown. In this way, we may not be able to build strength for years to come."

In such a storm, he was told to gather all his family together in the hall of worship. It was five days after Migi-Sung returned his soul.

Perhaps Zuro-Sung will succeed to the throne of chieftaincy. Everyone in the branch fell in love with the chapel with great anxiety and expectations.

The convening was at noon, but the hall with no windows was as dark as night.

The candlestick is lit only around the altar where the chief sits.

After a while, the family of the main house stepped into the shrine.

The lead is still Zuro-Sung. He is about ten years older than Zei-Sung, who turned 19 the other day. He is naturally overflowing with hunter style, but he is lazy and fat.

Next are his eldest brother, Diga-Sung, and his second brother, Dod-Sun. They were still under the age of ten, dressed in toddler costumes, always looking scared.

Aula-Sung, Zuro-Sun's partner, does not appear. Probably because his youngest brother Mida-Sung and his youngest sister Zwei-Sung are young children under the age of five, he is taking care of them at home.

Finally, Zats-Sung appeared.

To the left and right are Tae-sung, who became a family member of the main family a while ago, and his eldest sister, Yamil Sung.

In that appearance, Zei-Sung remembered all the chills.

I don't know why. The three of them felt as if they were wrapped in terrible and ominous air.

(What, this feeling... Zatsu-Sung is so weak...)

Zatsu-Sung, who had a more powerful appearance than anyone else, had lost weight without seeing a shadow. It seems that half of your hair has fallen off and you are only 20 years old.

However, his eyes were illuminated by the same black fire as before.

Even though Tae-sung seems likely to fall if he doesn't support him, he is also full of nervousness. It was as powerful as a beast in human skin.

"Well done, my fellow countrymen... I want you to listen to something very important today..."

Zatsu-Sung, who sat in front of the altar, said so with a murmured voice.

The middle chief's seat is still open. Immediately to the right was Zatsu-Sung, while to the left was Zouro-Sun sitting.

"I am sick and physically incapacitated, so I have to leave the seat of chief for now... the new chief will be my eldest brother, Zulo-Sung... Zulo-Sung, sit at the chief's seat..."

Answering "Yes" with a hard voice, Zuro-Sung moved to the middle seat.

That loose face is also drawing tension. He was more afraid of his father than anyone else.

"Zuro-Sung is still young, and he doesn't have enough power as a hunter... For that part, the family of the Sung family will unite to support him... I want him to live correctly under his new chief, Zuro-Sun..."

First of all, an unusual greeting.

Then one of the branch heads asked to speak as if he had made up his mind.

"I would like to ask Chieftain Zuro-Sung and his predecessor Zatse-Sung. How do we... live from now on?

"Hmm... how...?

Zuro-Sung does not speak in silence, and Zat-Sun slowly turns to his parents.

The head of the branch stretched his body as he was staring at his glittering black eyes.

"Of course, it's about the code of secrecy that Zatsu-Sung, the elder chief, once laid down. If the seat of chief is inherited by Zulu-Sung... will Zulu-Sung be our guide in the future?

"Of course... if so, it would be the role of the new chief, Zulo-Sung..."

Zats-sung smiled with a thin face and looked back at his son.

Zulo-Sung stubbornly turned to the front and said, "Uh-huh!" and nodded.

"Wow, we will continue to live under the code agreed upon by the great ancestor Zatsu-Sung! That kind of thing doesn't even bother to discuss!

There were too many cold wind signs blowing through the dim hall.

People are looking at each other in a confused way. The same was true of Zei-Sung and his partner.

In the meantime, Zatsu-Sung's cracked laughter echoes.

"I don't know how you feel... does this new chief, Zuro-Sung, have the power to lead the bloodline to the right path... do you think you're wrong about that...?

Of course, no one answered.

Zatsu-Sung distorts his face in a pleasant and irresistible manner.

"But don't worry... my blood has been passed down correctly... even if I leave my chief's throne, my will will will will never disappear..."

and - Zatsu-Sung's broken fingertips were placed subtly on Yamil-Sung's shoulders.

Yamil Sung at that time is still an eleven-year-old girl. Although I am older than my daughter of the same age, my body is also slender and there is nothing strange about it.

However, Zei-Sung, whose eyes were staring in the dark, was unexpectedly breathtaking.

Yamil Sung's black eyes, sitting next to Zatsu-Sung, were lit up with gazes that seemed unusual to him.

It is a sharp and rational look that seems to see everything through.

And Yamil-Sung had a cold smile on his beautiful side.

It was also a ruthless smile unlike a toddler.

In the past, it was rumored that Migi-Sung would wait for his eldest sister, Yamil-Sung, to turn 15 before offering his wedding.

It wasn't a mystery that Miggie Sung, the head of the branch, had no choice but to tie blood to the people in the main house in order to become the new head of the clan.

(Zatsu-Sung may not only have relied on Migi-Sung but also identified Yamil-Sung as his successor.)

Zei-Sung felt the light of hope that was sprouting in his heart suddenly disappear.

Zatsu-Sung sounds even more ominous.

"Still... I don't think you're going to get rid of that kind of talk right now... are you guys making a mistake...?

"What is a mistake?

The head of the branch who first raised his voice challenged him with an unreliable trembling voice.

Zats-Sung said after looking around at everyone on the spot.

"Did we set a code of secrecy to regain our rightful power as a people around the woods... I wonder if we lost it after four years...?

"Yes, no, of course, I'm going to know that....."

"If that's the case... you can't say something like that..."

It was as if Zatsu-Sung's thin flesh had swollen twice as much.

The young children and the women are swallowing the scream. Even Zei-Sung couldn't help but circle his waist without lowering his sword.

"Originally, vandalizing the grace of the forest was a great taboo… but we dared to commit a taboo for the greater good… abandoning it on the way is never acceptable… So do you think you can erase the years that have passed…? Secrets are tightly guarded, but Mother Forest sees everything... and you can never erase this memory yourself... abandoning the secret code from now on means deceiving all the people of your clan while committing a great crime that was once skinned off your head and living with nothing to eat... You should think about it first if such a despicable act is allowed as a people around the forest..."

Zatsu-Sung's crunchy voice soaked into Zei-Sung's heart as if it were a stew of boiled poisonous herbs.

"How much shame can a man live with such a sin... and we are killing the men of Zaza with our own hands... that brave northern clan will not forgive such an imitation... nor can we forget such a great sin...?

…………

"We have to prove with our own presence that this is the right thing to do... even if we commit the taboo of vandalizing the grace of the forest, we will fulfill our great will... we will no longer be left with a path to atone for our sins..."

As Zatsu-Sung clapped his mouth, there was a heavy silence in the hall.

It was vain silence, as if there were no living human beings here.

And Yamil-Sung, with his black eyes shining cold, smiled like a venomous snake.

◇

Then, a few months later - after the moon of purple and silver, which the people of the town think is a year apart - it is a tea moon with the rainy season as its current date.

Zei-Sung's partner finally gave birth to a baby.

A little bit small, but a very energetic girl. The name was decided to be Thur-Sung.

"My blue eyes are just like yours...."

That's what the partner said, but Zei-Sung felt alive with his beloved partner.

But in either case, the daughter was the hope of the Zei-Sung people themselves.

There is dark air in Sung's house, but this girl must be protected at all costs. Since the other families living in the same house had become completely unreliable, Zei-Sung was prepared to protect his beloved partner and daughter with his own strength.

I think it will be a happy day for a while.

Even though your heart is eroded by the code of secrecy, you can gain a unique strength by even seeing the smiles of your partner and daughter. I could feel like that if I wanted to protect my precious family, I would try to overcome any hardship.

However, such days were to collapse after only a year.

One night during the rainy season, when Thur-Sung turned one year old and soon arrived at the red moon - cold rain - his ailing companion returned his soul.

"I'm sorry... it looks like I've been..."

My partner, who had been asleep for days with a high fever, was completely thin and thin.

He gripped his fingertips and said, "Don't be silly," Zei-Sung narrowed down the words of encouragement.

"You're still young. Live without succumbing to such a sickness. Are you going to leave Tour and return his soul to the woods?

"I wasn't much stronger than I was... but I was able to leave Tour in the world... and I don't regret anything..."

With a dead face, his partner smiled as softly as ever.

"Best regards, Tour... please give her a happy life..."

At the end of the words, the partner took a breath.

Zei-Sung holds Toor-Sung, who was lying in a grass cage, as he bites his back teeth.

"... Tulle, say goodbye to my mother."

Toor-Sung, who was finally a year old, only looked back at Zei-Sung with his jewel-like blue eyes.

While embracing the small body, Zei-Sung was about to burst into tears without a voice.