The Sacred Place of Lizard Den (3)

Lizard Den.

“That’s Lizard Den over there. It’s where my kin live together.”

Following Kaiyak’s guidance, Yona stood on the mountain ridge and momentarily held her breath as she looked down at the sight.

Then she looked down at the scenery of Lizard Den as if to imprint every detail in her eyes.

The appearance of walls built by weaving unknown straw, perhaps rice straw.

And within the space enclosed by those walls, houses with roofs similarly thatched with straw.

Fairly spacious wooden plank verandas, and flat stones laid out as footrests.

Those sights resembled so closely the thatched houses in Yona’s memories.

Although there would be many differences if examined in detail, nevertheless, Yona was so pleased by the sight that she forgot to speak.

“Come on, let’s go down quickly. Everyone will be waiting.”

Only after Kaiyak’s urging did Yona and Alec follow his lead down the mountain ridge.

Even on the way down, there were stairs made by carving the earth and fixing wooden planks in place.

With each step down those stairs, Yona found the appearance of Lizard Den increasingly familiar.

“Kaiyak!”

As soon as they entered Lizard Den, more than ten Lizardmen came running and instantly surrounded Alec, Yona, and Kaiyak.

Although no one showed hostility or malice, those huge bodies surrounding them instinctively caused fear, and Yona trembled slightly.

“No need to be afraid, Yona. There’s no one here who will harm you.”

“Oh, okay.”

Yona answered in a small voice and looked around.

Indeed, looking closely, each Lizardman had slightly different features.

In other words, it’s difficult to distinguish them until you look carefully.

Kaiyak was particularly large among them, and while the other Lizardmen were a bit smaller than Kaiyak, they were still about two heads taller than Yona, giving quite an intimidating presence.

“You’re that cleric who helped us earlier, aren’t you?”

One of the Lizardmen stepped forward.

And before Yona could answer, he knelt down and bowed deeply.

“I apologize for the delay in greeting our life’s benefactor. Please forgive our rudeness.”

As soon as he bowed, all the other Lizardmen also knelt and bowed to Yona.

This made Yona the one who was actually flustered, and not knowing what to do, she fidgeted before turning to look at Kaiyak.

“They’re thanking you because everyone was able to return alive thanks to you. No need to feel embarrassed.”

Kaiyak had an expression that said this was natural.

Both Alec and Yona were flustered and didn’t know how to handle this situation.

*

“This village, though it may not look like it, has quite a deep tradition. From the way the village is built to the manners, we maintain exactly what we learned from Hero Siwoo.”

Kaiyak tore off a well-cooked chicken leg and held it out to Yona.

After hesitating for a moment, Yona took it and cautiously took a bite, then her eyes widened.

“This, this taste…?”

“Seems like it suits your taste. That’s good. Alec doesn’t seem to like it much though.”

As he said, Alec was holding a piece of chicken dripping with broth, looking perplexed about how to eat it.

It was awkward to tear apart with a fork, but holding it and eating with hands would make the broth drip everywhere. The name of this dish was samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup).

Although it tasted a bit different from what was in Yona’s memories, it was definitely samgyetang, cooked by boiling various vegetables and freshwater shellfish that could be gathered from rivers together with chicken.

“This is also one of the traditional dishes passed down. Does it suit your taste?”

Yona had already finished one chicken leg.

Yona, who was now holding up her bowl and slurping down the broth, answered by blinking her eyes as soon as they met Kaiyak’s, without him needing to ask further.

Rice cooked with mountain vegetables, grilled fish seasoned with salt, blanched vegetables seasoned with a few condiments.

It was a meal that suited Yona’s taste, and she ate until her stomach was full for the first time in a long while.

What came out after the meal was nurungji-boiled water (scorched rice tea).

Yona emptied another bowl of the steaming, fragrant nurungji-boiled water, and was patting her stomach with an expression that was pained but satisfied.

“Well, now that we’ve all filled our stomachs. Shall we talk about our side of the story?”

“Okay.”

Alec, who had barely eaten, apparently not finding the food to his taste, but still tried to eat because Yona was excited explaining how similar it was to the food she ate in her world, also sat closer to Kaiyak with shining eyes.

“So, to state the current situation first. We Lizardmen are a race that serves the water god, and that sacred place is considered holy because it’s said that the water god sleeps there.”

Kaiyak opened a drawer in the corner of the room and took out a long pipe.

Then a small Lizardman next to Kaiyak quickly brought out a small box and pushed a few leaves into the pipe, and another small Lizardman lit those leaves.

Pale tobacco smoke rose from the pipe.

Every time Kaiyak took a deep breath and exhaled, hazy smoke rose, but strangely, there was no acrid smell characteristic of tobacco.

“That sacred place… turned black like that. We don’t know the reason. It was sudden. To be precise, from the day after I arrived at Lizard Den after going to North Cantasia.”

Kaiyak’s home is in North Cantasia.

While he was away from home, his family left North Cantasia and returned to Lizard Den, and Kaiyak, not knowing this, went to the North Cantasia River and then returned to Lizard Den after hearing about the move.

And the day after he arrived, something strange happened to the sacred place.

Without any warning signs, the sacred place turned into a black muddy stream.

“It’s a very familiar incident, isn’t it? Alec, Yona.”

Through the hazy tobacco smoke, Kaiyak’s yellow eyes flashed brightly as he looked alternately at Alec and Yona.

Although it’s hard to read a Lizardman’s eyes, both Yona and Alec felt the same sense of déjà vu from this story.

“…It seems similar to what happened in Mr. James’ village.”

After a long while, Yona finally spoke.

It was the same as what happened to the divine tree in that village where they met James.

The only difference was that the divine tree had a reason for it, while the sacred place did not.

Except for that, the phenomenon was the same—

“Yes, it’s similar. More than similar, it’s exactly the same except for one thing.”

Kaiyak exhaled a long stream of tobacco smoke.

He turned the pipe over and tapped out the ashes into an ashtray, and as soon as he put down the pipe, the little Lizardmen quickly cleared it away.

“So, Yona.”

Yona had been quietly watching those little Lizardmen, who were so cute, wagging their short stubby tails like mini-Kaiyaks while bustling about doing their tasks.

Then, at the sudden voice calling her, Yona turned her gaze to Kaiyak.

“I want to make a request to you.”

“A request?”

“Yes. A request.”

Kaiyak straightened his posture from his previously slanted sitting position.

His eyes, which had been hazy and somewhat lacking in enthusiasm, once again flashed brightly as he looked at Yona.

“Please purify that sacred place, Yona. Alec, I’d like you to help too. As you saw earlier, Yona, it’s too much for us alone.”

Kaiyak’s expression was utterly serious.

*

“The Cheonsin says, the wicked have no place to stand.”

“The Cheonsin says, you shall stand at the vanguard.”

“The Cheonsin says, advance without fear.”

“The Cheonsin says, I shall guide you with light.”

With each prayer recited, a low mechanical sound reverberated from the armor.

Every time the “giiing—” sound was heard, holiness arose, and eventually that holiness transformed into golden patterns with an intense flash.

Rising but not smoke, it is loyalty towards the god,

Burning but not flame, it is affection towards the god,

Soaring but without wings, it is yearning towards the god,

Sinking but without pain, it is immersion towards the god.

Thud, thud—

Each time the risen holiness transformed into golden patterns, the silver armor added buffs along with the patterns.

Scarlet quietly inhaled with closed eyes.

Spikes protruded from the grasped morning star, and the shield held in the other hand increased in sturdiness.

“Sir Scarlet, the vanguard… are you alright?”

Scarlet didn’t turn around even at Bigrind’s voice.

It would be impolite not to turn around when the Saint herself came close and spoke, but it couldn’t be helped now while praying to the Cheonsin.

“There’s no problem. Even if there were a problem, it would become not a problem.”

Every time Scarlet opened his mouth, holiness rose.

Trying hard to suppress his intense excitement, Scarlet finally turned to look at Bigrind.

Bigrind in her saint’s attire, no longer wearing the holy robe.

To the Saint, who still looked like a small and frail girl, Scarlet smiled, even though it couldn’t be seen behind his helmet.

“I will open the path ahead. Saint, please be careful.”

“…Yes, Sir Scarlet.”

It’s time to march.

Scarlet would enter the fog at the very front, and through the rope firmly fixed to his waist, he would also play the role of guiding the allies advancing from the rear while communicating intentions.

“Then, I shall begin.”

Scarlet turned around.

Into the fog that had risen so thickly that one could barely see ahead, Scarlet took a step.

The fog that had been creeping closer was pushed back by the holiness thickly enveloping his body.

“In the name of the Cheonsin, I shall make you rest in eternal torment.”

Death to the wicked.

A hellishly painful eternal rest.

Scarlet repeated those words as he slowly stepped into the fog.