950 Episode 4 Divided Path (I)

Graph-Zaza was born alive in the world as the second brother of the Zaza family.

Soon it will be the eldest brother who will succeed to the seat of head. However, his second brother, Graph-Zaza, had been trapped in this harsh teaching since he was a child.

"The hunter's work is harsh, and no matter how hard he gets, he can rot in the woods young. I was actually my second brother, but my brother returned his soul earlier than my father, so I took over the throne."

Zaza's father, who was the head of the family, said so with a stricter look.

"And if you both return your souls, the main house will be moved to another branch. It will not be a shame to this house, but there is no doubt that you will lose great pride. Do your best to train the hunters so your family doesn't feel that way."

Graph-Zaza was stupid, so he did what his father said. In addition, it was the same for my brother. From his grandfather to his father, he never ceased to bleed the house of Zaza, which was inherited from his father to himself, and he was disciplining his body and mind from an early age.

But no matter how much training you get, you can't avoid all the dangers.

The first major wound was Graph-Zaza. About a year and a half later, as an apprentice hunter, he was attacked from the front by a hungry gibber.

Graph-Zaza was an instinct as a hunter and swore to a giant gibba.

The tip of the sword dived into Gibba's mouth and seemed to penetrate the brain as it was - but Gibba's rush did not weaken the momentum, and Graph-Zaza fell off the rocky cliff.

From there, the memory is broken.

When I realized it, Graph-Zaza spoke of anguish in a dim place.

Your whole body is burning.

Above all, my head, shoulders and back were terrible. It feels as if you've been poking a bunch of burnt iron skewers. The suffering was unprecedented.

"Don't die, Graph! Will you lead Zaza's house with me? Leave me alone and don't give me my soul back!

Was it my brother who was shouting like that? Graph-Zaza couldn't even recognize it.

"Your sword took down Gibba! You're another hunter! Live and work together! I will never forgive you for returning your soul without even having a child!

Graph-Zaza was exposed to a fire that was more painful than death.

Nevertheless, I never remembered that I wanted to die easy.

Live and become the power of Zaza - that was the only Graph-Zaza's last goodness in agony.

And how many days have passed since then?

The burnt iron skewers boiled in muddy water and became painful, and Graph-Zaza finally recovered enough to grasp the surrounding situation.

This is Zaza's main house, where she used to sleep. Graph-Zaza was lying face to face on her bedding, and beside her there was her mother.

"Ah, the graph... you finally woke up. You've been wandering the edge of death for five days...."

My mother, who was always steadfast, cried all the time.

The hand lifts something that was on the rug. It was a hunter's clothing, even the fur on Gibba's head.

"Look, I've tailored the hunter's clothes with the guinea pig fur that you took out... if you regain your strength, I'll have to celebrate..."

"Hmm... I think the gibber I took down was even bigger..."

Graph = As Zaza squeezes out her tingling throat, her mother laughs and spills new tears.

"The guinea pig fur is only the part of the head that is cooked in boiling water, then cooked by fire, and then dried and hardened... Most guinea pigs have a bigger head than humans, so if you don't, you won't be able to tailor it to hunters' clothes...?

The mother then grabbed the hand of Graph-Zaza, who was still unable to move.

"You're a fine hunter... and the parents will be back soon... so we prayed to the woods every day to cheer you up..."

If it had been my father or brother who had been deeply hurt, I would have done the same. That's why Graph-Zaza didn't think it was special. It was just a bite of the joy I was born into as a man of Zaza.

◇

Graph-Zaza was able to walk on his feet two days later.

However, the wound was not healed at all, so I spent a long time at home. Graph-Zaza, who fell off the cliff with Gibba, had his head, shoulders and back skin cut into a rock.

"But the bones didn't break. Zaza's strong blood protected you. If the wound is healed, you will serve as the hunter of Zaza again."

That's what the stricter father said.

The words filled Graph-Zaza's heart as much as those of his mother, brother and sisters.

Graph-Zaza began his training as a hunter only a few months later. It was such a deep wound.

Where the skin on the shoulders and back peeled off, the hue of red and black meat still peeled off. I can't see it with my own eyes, but the right half of my head is similar. My right ear was also ripped off, and there was only a hole in it.

"Hmm. That's a terrible scar. But that scar will be your praise."

My eldest brother and others said that.

"Are wounds honored? I don't think it's a shame, but it's something to be proud of.

Graph-Zaza replied that way, but his eldest brother insisted "no."

"You have regained your strength without returning your soul with such a deep hand. It would be praiseworthy and proud, because I tried to take Gibba down. That's what I think."

"I haven't regained any power yet. I can't be proud until I've been dressed as a hunter."

Graph-Zaza was given hunter's clothes about two months later. The father-in-law decided that I should hold out until I could work as a hunter again.

That must have been the right decision. Graph-Zaza, who was given the hunter's clothes, was able to fill his chest with pride and joy while encouraging his work from the next day.

Graph = All the boys in the main house born after Zaza returned their souls with a sick spirit when they were young, so only their eldest brother and I can inherit the seat of head soon. Graphic-Zaza struggled to survive the day, chasing his majestic and powerful father's back.

Then a little over a year later, when Graph-Zaza was sixteen, he was finally able to gain the seat of champion in comparison to the power of the Harvest Festival.

Of course, my eldest brother and the heads of the northern settlements had nothing to do with it, but they were nevertheless able to become eight brave men.

At the Harvest Festival feast, Graph-Zaza was severely conveyed by the parents.

"From the next Parents' Meeting, I will take you as a gift. Do not be ashamed of yourself as a hunter of Zaza."

That role was most praiseworthy to Graph-Zaza.

My eldest brother, who was listening in the same place, laughed enviously.

"This is a job that cannot be fulfilled by the eldest brother who inherited it. Let me know what kind of hunters there are in the rest of the family later."

When the parents left the house, it was the custom around the forest that the eldest brother who inherited it would protect the house.

In addition, the people of Zaza who live in the northern settlements do not have the opportunity to meet their non-blood counterparts. Moreover, since the Harvest Festival was scheduled to be held once a year in the parent village of Sun, no such exchanges were deepened with the blood family except Dom and Jean.

(Speaking of which, I only remember Zatsu-Sung, the chief of the Sun family. The northern hunter was as decent as Chief Zatsu-Sung.)

And since the other heroes are usually filled with hunters from the north, the hunters of the other blood tribes are hardly remembered. At best, it is about each of the parents who have been invited to a wedding feast in the northern settlement. Since all the people who served were unmarried young men, there was no such person as would inspire Graph-Zaza's interest.

(That's what my father used to say when he said that Lou's blood family seemed to have quite a hunter. Next thing you know, there are a lot of families and family members... such as Saudis and rats. I'm really looking forward to seeing how many hunters there are)

And Graph-Zaza didn't recognize the eldest brother of the Sun family.

Graph-Zaza's father and chief Zats-Sung were of the same age, so if he was his eldest brother, he would not have been separated from himself for many years. So far, it was thought that there was nothing more conspicuous than strength.

(By the time he takes over the seat of chief, I or my brother will be the head of the Zaza family. Should we keep a firm bond in the present?)

With that in mind, Graph-Zaza celebrated the day of the parents' meeting.

The tenth day of the blue moon. With a view to Jomtien, a large number of hunters gathered in the square to try to settle in Sun.

There were more than 50 clans around the forest at that time. Then there will be more than 100 hunters. Without response, Graph-Zaza was forced to play his chest.

(But... not many hunters seem to have that kind of power.)

The Sung family and the northern clan are regarded as the bravest around the forest. Growing up surrounded by hunters like that, Graphic-Zaza's eyes became more difficult to see naturally.

And the hunters around them are looking towards Graph-Zaza. Since only Zaza and Jean are used for hunter's clothes up to the fur on Gibba's head, it is presumed that this is the hunter in the north. Graph-Zaza had to behave more resolutely than usual to counter those gazes.

"It's time to become Jomtien. Wait for the chief in the shrine."

Nodded by his father-in-law, Graphic-Zaza set out for an altar hall in the center of the square. Dom and Jean's hunters follow it. The largest family in the northern settlement is Zaza's house, so it naturally leads the bloodline.

At the shrine, the parents of other blood families were waiting. Dana and Javilla, and Din and Lid's hunters. To this were added the three families of the northern family, and the seven families were the families of the elder Sun.

Looks like the other blood parents haven't changed their looks. I just saw her face at last year's harvest festival and wedding feast. I don't feel any outstanding power, but I don't see any signs of vulnerability. Compared to the heads of other small families, it is much more tough. As a graph-zaza, which was just for the parents, I had to be satisfied with it.

(But compared to the Sung family and the northern family, it is still not enough. In contrast, that red-haired hunter... seems to be spilling a lot of temper.)

The hunter sat in the front row at the right end. Graph-Zaza is a burning red-haired hunter with a larger figure than his father. The age would still be about the same as Graph-Zaza's father.

After a while, the hunters of chiefs Zatsu-Sung and Sun came to the hall.

The hunters who spoke with the blood clan also kept quiet. Zatsu-Sung is not only a good hunter, he also has a fiery temper.

The power was as we saw at last year's Harvest Festival. The upper back is not so big, but it has a thick body and is full of majesty and power. It was as if the body was wrapped in a black flame.

(But... I wonder who the men are.)

Though the other heads of household brought only one offering at a time, Zatsu-Sung had as many as three men. There are men who look a little younger than Zatsu-Sung, and then there are young people who look the same as Graph-Zaza.

(Those big idiots over there must be Sung's eldest brother. I don't remember seeing it at the Harvest Festival last year... but it seems to be quite powerful.)

The young men were more graphic than the red-haired hunters who fought at the right end of the hall. In addition, his eyebrows were protruding in front of him, his lower jaw was stretched, and his face was as tight as a rock. The thickness of the arms and so on appeared to be around the waist of the women.

After all, the other young man has a very unreliable attitude. My physical condition is quite good, but I strangely and calmly wander my gaze. With Zatsu-Sung and another young man in a terrible temper, your young man looked like a Geese rat.

The crowd walking at the rear feels like a shadow. Even though he's not that old yet, his gaze is calming down like an old man. He was kind of a strange crowd.

"Are all the parents here...? Now, I'd like to start a parents' meeting....."

The chief Zatsu-Sung proclaimed so with a loud voice like a clamor.

Then the red-haired hunter shouted "Wait" sharply.

"Before that, who are those men? I've never seen that face before."

"Lou's parents are in a hurry... I was just about to explain..."

Zats-sung laughed like a beast.

The black eyes look horizontally at a young man with a large figure.

"For most humans, this will be the first time I've ever seen you... you can name yourself..."

"Hmm. The great chief Zatsu-Sung has forgiven me, so let me name him. I am Migi-Sung, the eldest brother of Sun's branch."

Migi-Sung said so with a cloudy voice.

The small eyes that glowed under the raised eyebrows looked around the heads of the shrine as if they were shuddering something.

"Young people who had just been given hunter clothes were allowed to visit the Parents' Council thanks to the warmth of the great chief Zatse-Sung. I don't care if I go ahead with the meeting."

"The eldest brother of the branch...? Your crowd must have been the head of the branch. So you mean the boy of the crowd?

The red-haired hunter - Lou's parents asked him.

In that word, Migi-Sung hoisted the edge of his giant mouth.

"This Tae-sung is a very pleasant joke for my father. Does Tae-sung and I look alike somewhere?

Apparently, the shadowy crowd is named Tae-sung.

Anyway, it is a rude and courteous behavior. Lou's parents glanced back at Migi-Sung's distorted smile while burning blue eyes.

"If you're not a parent and child, that's fine. Rather, let me explain why you are sitting in that seat."

"On the day this Migi-Sung first entered the woods at the age of 13, he was going to take down the gibba... the hunter with so much power is rare, so I thought I'd learn a lot from him now..."

Zatsu-Sung answered with a smile at the beast.

"It hasn't been months since then, so Migi-Sung is still 13 years old... but how many of these people can match Migi-Sung in power...?

You're thirteen years old in that figure. That's certainly a rare thing. "

Lou's parents also abandoned him with their blue eyes on fire.

"Well, it's about getting pride commensurate with that power. No matter how powerful they are, they will rot in the woods if they are too slow."

"Fufu. I don't think you can take my life."

Without further ado, the parents' meeting began in a disturbing atmosphere - Graph-Zaza was unable to suppress the surprise. If she sucks, Migi-Sung may be bigger than anyone else here, but she's still a few months old in the woods.

(This is certainly a surprise. Besides, you killed Gibba the first day you went into the woods...?

Graph-Zaza took Gibba after about a year and a half, and he has a deep burden on his whole body. It was the comfort of being reminded of the difference in strength.

(I didn't see him compared to last year's power because he wasn't even an apprentice hunter yet. This is what I'm looking forward to compared to this year's strength)

And Graph-Zaza sneaked up on his father.

"Parent. Who the hell is that cowardly Sung family?

"During the parents' meeting, you need to put in extra words.... that's my eldest brother, Zulo-Sung."

After all, Graph-Zaza was right. This weak man was the eldest brother of the family, not Migi-Sung.

Even with the start of the parents' meeting, Zulo-Sung's eyes were constantly wandering or lying down. Graph-Zaza, which does not have the "eye power of the weak" and so on, cannot correctly read its power, but it can be seen at a glance that the hunter's soul is not grown within Zuro-Sun.

(I'm sure he's the same age as me. This means the eldest brother of the main house... is too unreliable)

The parents' meeting itself ended without a disturbing situation.

At dusk, Zats-Sung and the others leave the shrine, and dinner is served by the women of Sun. It wasn't a steady banquet, so it was a very simple dinner with only gibberish meat, alias and poitan.

Dinner will be served in circles of blood. I don't seem to have much habit of communicating with the rest of the clan. It didn't matter, but Graph-Zaza was dissatisfied with one thing.

"Parent. Aren't the chiefs and Sung's hunters going to have dinner together?

"Hmm, I suppose they're eating dinner with their families at each house. What's wrong with that?

"Because I came to Sung's house, I was hoping that I could deepen my ties with the chiefs. If that's not enough, that's a shame."

Then Dana's parents made a speech.

"But the rest of the crowd, in the same place as the chief Zatsu-Sung, would be nervous without saying goodbye? I'm not even allowed to slap you lightly in front of the chief."

"That might be true... but I wanted to talk to people like Zuro-Sun and Miggy-Sun."

"... Migi-Sung," said Dom's parents.

"It certainly seems like a rare hunter. Perhaps the chief... expects his children to return their souls sooner rather than later?

"What do you mean? It was Jean's parents who responded. I'm serious enough to beat Dom's parents.

"The second brother of the Seung Hon family was a very promising young man, but he returned his soul last year. My youngest brother has plenty of temper, but he is not very well endowed with physique. So, my eldest brother is like that. I don't think my eldest brother will be able to work longer than his father's chief."

Dom's parents had a quiet temper, but they talked about it for a long time this day. Of course, it is a low voice that cannot be heard by those who are not surrounded by blood.

"If all the sons of Zats-Sung were to return their souls in their youth, the main house would be moved to another branch. I don't know what kind of bloodline Migi-Sung is, but if he is the eldest brother of the branch, will he gradually become the head of the family?

"I see... if we move the main house to Migi-Sung's house, he will become the next chief."

"Hmm. If I were thirteen years old, I'd be no match for the power of a hunter.... of course, I don't want my children to give back their souls."

"That's right," said Graph-Zaza's father.

"Recently, it seems that Lou's blood family has been much stronger. I want Zatsu-Sung to raise the next chief correctly so that he can control all his clans."

While listening to his fathers, Graphic-Zaza was a little overjoyed. Even the northern settlements had never seen such seriousness when the blood parents spoke so seriously.

(We must support the Sung family as a family of elders. It must be as important a job as hunting guinea pigs)

The young Graph-Zaza's chest was flaming with such thoughts.

- And behind his head, Zulo-Sung's faint face blurred.

(He's probably as young as me, so I don't know what kind of growth he's going to achieve yet. First, the eldest brother of the main family should do more than anyone else)

Graph-Zaza thought so.

And I really wanted to have a little more word with Zouro-Sun this evening - and that's how I felt.