"I haven't used a sword in real combat for 15 years. My reactions are dulled, and my strength isn't what it used to be. Doesn't it mean something that even I am no match for it? The world out there is much faster and much more brutal. What kind of expression will you make when you face that reality? Or do you still believe that one sword is enough?"
Van's poignant questions sent a shiver of fear down my spine. If the world was so treacherous that even Van couldn't handle it, could I truly survive out there?
But I quickly composed myself and replied.
"If there's no danger and it's safe enough for me to handle, then it's no longer an adventure. It's just an ordinary trip. If I were strong, I wouldn't leave on an adventure."
"Your mouth is still alive and well."
"To be honest, I have no confidence at all. Along with the overwhelming anticipation of leaving this small village and heading towards the vast world, an unknown fear envelops my entire body."
What if I lose my life meaninglessly as soon as I leave the village? Perhaps I am just a nameless minion who dies easily in stories in that harsh world, if I don't have the treasure I obtained.
"Still, if I don't leave this village, I will eventually slowly rot away in this narrow well, where the same boring routine repeats, having completely lost new dreams. If I'm going to die like a living corpse anyway, I'd rather choose to run towards the dream that makes my heart pound, without regret, and die gloriously."
"If that's the case, then fine. But please, don't die anywhere near this village."
"Why?"
"Because there are too many people here who would grieve if you died. Truly pathetic."
"...Yes!!"
***
The village hall, made of wood, creaked with unusual clarity in the fierce wind blowing from outside.
It was chilling. Even with most of the villagers gathered in one place, it was probably the first time it had ever been this quiet.
No one dared to open their mouth, but their gazes were all focused on me. Their eyes held countless unspoken questions and earnest anticipation.
In the heavy silence, I barely managed to part my lips and speak.
"Has everyone arrived? Assuming you're all here, I'll begin."
After completing all the body recovery work, I had gathered all the adults, except for the village children, in front of the village hall. The villagers, vaguely guessing what was to be said, clutched their chests with agitated expressions, barely suppressing their surging emotions.
"As you all know, for the past few days, I have been recovering the frozen bodies of the unfortunate souls remaining on the Devil's Fangs. And, just last night, all recovery work was completed. I have respectfully laid them to rest inside here, so now, let's go in together."
*Creeeeeeeak...*
The old wooden door, which hadn't been properly oiled for ages, slowly opened with a mournful, sobbing creak of friction.
In heavy silence, the villagers, clutching their chests with trembling hands, cautiously peered inside. But the moment they faced the cold, lifeless bodies of their loved ones laid out within, they collapsed like sandcastles, utterly devastated.
"Ah... ah... Aaaah..."
"Oh dear... who... who is this! Why... why here...!"
"Only now... only now, you've returned..."
Seeing the bodies of their loved ones again after such a long, long time, the villagers unleashed their suppressed grief, recalled the beautiful memories they had shared, and mourned and honored the deceased in their own ways.
I, having quietly bid farewell to each and every person, finding their bodies and honoring their spirits alone, merely stood blankly in the center of the village hall.
Just then, a village woman approached me.
"Pre, Pre... my... my... daughter... where could she be? Why... why don't I see her?"
"Yes... yes?"
At the woman's desperate question, I hesitated, unable to answer easily.
It was possible I had missed her. Or, perhaps she had lost her life in the Mutans' territory and her form couldn't be fully preserved. But I simply didn't have the courage to utter that cruel truth to the woman.
"I... I was lacking. I think I failed to find her. I will... I will search thoroughly again."
Ignoring the woman's heart-wrenching sorrow, I hastily rushed out of the village hall, preparing to head back to the mountain. But the woman gripped my wrist with a trembling hand, shaking her head weakly.
"...No. It's fine. You... you, everyone saw how much you struggled, day and night, wandering that treacherous mountain, trying to recover so many bodies. If she's not there... she's not there. Now... now, it's all done..."
The woman slowly turned with faltering steps and walked out of the village hall. Watching her despair-filled and saddened retreating figure, I couldn't help but let out a deep sigh mixed with regret.
And, not long after, there was someone else who came to me.
This time, however, he was carrying a body in his arms, carefully and tenderly, as if it were a precious treasure laid on the ground.
"Pre... this, this... it's alive, right? Surely, it must be alive! It's a little... a little stiff, but it's so... so clean-looking, and full of life! I heard there are things called 'frozen humans' found inside the Gates of Space and Time in the city. Just like that... if we thaw it well, it can... it can come back to life...!"
At his earnest cry, the gazes of the villagers, who had been mourning the deceased in their own ways, converged on him.
The villagers, harboring a faint hope, began to look at me with desperate eyes.
"Even if they look fine on the outside, with my limited knowledge, I believe the blood expanded and damaged the body... I'm sorry."
The bodies, preserved for a long time in the snow and ice, had melted away the frost covering their faces, appearing almost identical to how they looked when last seen, as if they had just been alive and breathing days ago. They simply seemed to be in a deep sleep, eyes closed with serene expressions.
They were so incredibly... so incredibly vivid, that it felt like I should reach out a warm hand right then and gently wake them. But I simply couldn't. I could only let my hands drop weakly and lower my head.
After each person had taken ample time to share their grief, recall their longing, and bid farewell, the villagers all gathered in the town square and began to pile firewood.
The pile of firewood, reflecting the magnitude of the grief they had endured, was taller and more massive than any other building in the village.
Soft straw was laid on top of the firewood pile, then generously doused with oil, and the carefully recovered frozen bodies were gently laid to rest upon it.
The villagers stood in a wide circle around the wooden pyre, reverently holding up unlit torches.
In the darkness, one person lit their torch and passed the flame to the next. The person who received the flame carefully transferred it to the next. Thus, the procession of fire continued, finally completing a blazing circle.
As flames blazed from everyone's torches, the villagers gazed deeply into each other's eyes and nodded silently. Then, they simultaneously extended their torches towards the wooden pyre, igniting the final flames.
*Crackle... crackle...*
The wooden pyre was instantly engulfed in a massive blaze, brightly illuminating the surrounding area that had been shrouded in darkness.
Seeing the huge pillar of fire burning in the distance, the village children ran towards it with curious expressions, as if something significant had happened.
"What is it, Pre hyung! Is this a festival?"
"Yes, it's a festival."
At my voice, the children became even more curious and asked again.
"What kind of festival?"
I looked warmly into their innocent eyes, gently answering while trying to hide my sadness.
"It's a homecoming ceremony to welcome those who have returned, and a farewell ceremony to those who are leaving."
"Huh? I don't understand a single word."
Explaining the meaning of death and farewell to young children was difficult.
"There's no need to know now. Everything is over."
The red flames burned even more fiercely, turning into ash that scattered widely into the sky with the wind.
Looking at the blazing fire, I quietly clasped my hands together and prayed earnestly.
'Please... please, may everyone find peace...'
After the memorial service, the villagers, one after another, rushed to the tavern and began pulling out every barrel of alcohol they could find.
"I believe today is by no means a sad day, but rather a joyful and meaningful one. It's the day our precious loved ones, who had left us for so long and whom we thought we'd never see again, have returned to us. It's a miraculous day that, ordinarily, could never happen. All of this is thanks to our Pre, who gave his all. So, let us all sincerely thank Pre, warmly bless the souls now returning to the heavens for eternal rest, and raise our glasses together!"
The tables in the tavern were far from enough, so villagers diligently moved old, weathered tables from their own homes into the town square.
People shed some of the heavy sorrow and gloomy feelings that had weighed them down and, using beautiful old memories as their companion, joyfully drank long into the night for the first time in a long while.
Normally, I was hesitant to even touch alcohol for fear of committing some grand eccentricity, but tonight, even the bitter taste of the liquor somehow felt sweet.
Clearly, my father's body was not among the recovered corpses. My father must surely be alive somewhere. My heart fluttered with overwhelming anticipation at the thought that, perhaps, I might accidentally meet him again on a distant adventure.
'After all, my father is incredibly strong. He always went one step ahead of me.'
As the atmosphere reached its peak, I carefully pushed aside the emptied dishes to the edge of the table and tried to carefully stumble onto the creaking, unstable wooden table.
As I struggled to climb onto the table, a villager sitting nearby, like a mischievous child, pinched my backside and playfully pushed me up, yet looked up at me with a bewildered expression.
"Everyone, I, I just have one very short thing to say to you all."
As I stood on the table and raised my voice, the people who had been merrily clinking glasses and chatting stopped what they were doing and all began to focus on me.
"Hey, hey, hey, quiet down! Pre's going to say something!"
"Ooh! Today's hero, our proud Pre! Yes, let's hear what he has to say! Everyone, just focus for a moment!"
I slowly scanned the now quiet village square.
As I carefully looked at the reddened faces of our simple, warm-hearted, kind, and generous villagers, flushed with alcohol, a contented smile spontaneously broke out, yet at the same time, a lump formed in my throat, and I felt as if tears would burst forth.
I swallowed hard, forcing back the tears, and with the widest smile I could muster, I raised my voice and shouted.
"I am now about to leave this beloved village and embark on a thrilling adventure towards a wider world! Everyone, thank you, truly and sincerely, for everything! Someday, please, someday, if we meet again, I would be overjoyed! Now, everyone, let's all raise our glasses for a TOAST~~~!"
Having uttered all the words I wanted to shout with all my might, I unhesitatingly brought the cool beer glass in my hand to my lips.
*Gulp... gulp... gulp... gulp...*
My Adam's apple vibrated coolly, and a glass of beer poured down my throat in one go, *gurgle, gurgle, gurgle*.
"Kyahaha..! Delicious! Truly, incredibly delicious! Don't you think so, everyone?"
At my sudden shout and the immediate turn of events, the villagers, who had been staring blankly at me as if their souls had departed, finally came to their senses and simultaneously erupted into a clamor of shouts.
"What's he talking about!?"
In an instant, the wooden table I was standing on began to shake violently. I lost my balance in the sudden tremor and soared into the air, as if flying.
"Woah~! I'm flying!"
I had made up my mind to embark on an adventure and fully quench the thirst within my heart.
By plunging into this world of Gates of Space and Time and treasures.