Ch.1414. Resolution

A clear, transparent sky stretched overhead, making my heart feel refreshed just by looking at it.

Warm spring breeze gently wafted through the air. Colorful flowers blooming across the field swayed softly.

The young man who had been staring at something with his head bowed for quite some time finally stood up.

His appearance suggested he had just passed boyhood, with baby fat not yet fully gone, giving him a youthful look.

A ray of sunlight descended, softly illuminating his hair as if tousling it. His shaggy blonde hair seemed neglected for a long time, but it somehow suited the atmosphere surrounding him.

Feeling the tickle on his cheek, he brushed his drooping golden hair behind his forehead. Then, eyes as clear and blue as a lake were revealed.

As if lost in deep thought, the boy paused for a moment, looking around the field.

The sound of wind rustling through the bushes, birds chirping in search of mates, bees tirelessly carrying honey… It was a peaceful scene.

Nature always existed in the same form, in its rightful place. Only people changed.

But that change wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. Those who overcame sorrow were bound to grow.

“Rex!”

The boy lowered his gaze at the voice calling from afar. A well-carved tombstone stood embedded in the open plain.

“I’ll come again, Father.”

The boy turned away with a faint smile.

Though he wanted to stay by the grave a little longer, he couldn’t. There were precious people waiting for him. There was a man who wanted him to move forward.

His steps back home were light. As if telling him not to worry about being bound by the past.

As if pleased by this, the sprouts blooming on the grave swayed up and down.

***

Time flew by like an arrow.

It had already been three months since the village was attacked. Burned and collapsed buildings remained as evidence.

The survivors worked together to clear the debris, but it would take a long time to rebuild. The cemetery created for the victims was like a scar.

Many people died. Everyone living in the village experienced the pain of loss without exception. It would take a very long time to shake off the sorrow.

But whether fast or slow, surely, that moment would come someday. That’s what Rex thought.

Slash!

Shaking off his distracting thoughts, he swung his arm, and a thick bundle of straw was cut cleanly like tofu. Rex exhaled evenly and sheathed his greatsword.

He knelt down to examine the cross-section of the fallen straw bundle; it was smooth without any jagged edges.

“Hmm.”

Rex raised the corner of his mouth with a satisfied expression.

Straw cutting. It was his new sword training routine these days.

Though it looked easy from the outside, the thickness of the straw bundles made it quite challenging. If you didn’t hit the striking point accurately, the blade’s path would twist. Then you’d either fail to cut all the way through, or the sword would fly off in a strange direction.

It was training that required subtle skill. At first, Rex struggled as his greatsword kept sinking into the wrong places.

But today would be the last of that. His goal before starting practice was to successfully cut thirty times in a row, and that was precisely the thirtieth.

“Let’s head back.”

Rex rose to his feet, sheathing his greatsword. The sun was firmly fixed in the middle of the sky.

They had agreed to have lunch together, and if he didn’t get home quickly, Anna would be in a foul mood and unleash a torrent of nagging. Terrifying. Rex smiled wryly and moved his legs.

This was Rex’s daily routine these days. As soon as he woke up in the morning, he’d satisfy his hunger with simple snacks prepared by his mother and head straight to the forest behind the house. He’d train his body thoroughly until noon and then return home to eat with his family.

After that, if there was work to be done, he’d do it; if not, he’d return here to swing his greatsword.

He had long since given up on household chores like cleaning the barn or chopping firewood, and there was a good reason for that.

Creak.

As he opened the door and entered, a familiar face appeared. Rex’s eyebrows twitched.

“Oh, Rex. You’re back? Working hard again today.”

“…Joan. If you’re going to be like this, why don’t you just lay out a mat and set up house here?”

“Come on. That again? Don’t you get tired of saying it?”

Joan retorted with a glib voice.

That’s what I should be saying, Rex barely swallowed the words that almost escaped his lips. He’d repeated this conversation so many times that he didn’t even sigh anymore.

Rex pulled out a chair and plopped down. Then he stared at Joan, who kept glancing around nervously from across the table. Joan fidgeted under that gaze.

“Wh-what? Is there something on my face?”

“How long are you going to just read the room? At this rate, years will pass.”

Though he’d cut straight to the point with a vague statement, both of them knew exactly what he meant. When Joan hesitated, Rex finally spoke first.

“You like Anna, don’t you?”

“Wha-what! Hey! Keep it down.”

Joan jumped in surprise and quickly looked around. After confirming that no one had heard, he slumped into his chair limply. Rex let out a hollow laugh with an exasperated expression.

If he’s so concerned, he should just confess already, why drag it out? Despite having the biggest build in the village, his personality was incongruously soft.

Rex didn’t dislike Joan’s character, but even making a fuss by himself should have its limits. It was quite frustrating to watch.

So devoted to this untimely first love, Joan came to Rex’s house every dawn to help with household chores. Thanks to that, Rex was also freed from the shackles of barn cleaning and firewood chopping.

Even though they tried to stay positive, the void left by the head of the family wasn’t easily filled. With Joan helping with tasks difficult for women, Anna and his mother gratefully accepted Joan’s assistance.

‘But that’s good for me. If he wants Anna’s attention, shouldn’t he try something else?’

He had quickly become close with the family, but whether that helped with romance was questionable. He was just too shy.

“Since when?”

Joan fiddled with a wooden cup and answered in a small voice.

“…Probably about three months ago.”

“What do you mean ‘probably’? If you like her, you like her.”

“I don’t know either! Somehow I keep looking at her, wanting to protect her, getting annoyed when other guys are around her, you know that feeling. Wait, why am I telling you this? A-anyway! Don’t say anything silly to your sister. I’ll handle it myself.”

“As if. I had no intention of doing so in the first place.”

“Come on, that’s not right! Not helping a friend’s pure love…”

Joan, who had been muttering to himself, shouted with a face as red as a tomato.

Well, he’s doing it all by himself. Rex made an incredulous expression and sneered. Joan stood up abruptly, radiating an air of disappointment.

That’s when it happened. Just as Joan was about to say something, the door that had been closed all along opened, and Anna appeared. Rex’s mother followed her into the house.

“Hm? When did you get back? Oh, Joan’s here too.”

Anna blinked her round eyes and tilted her head. Joan’s face, already red, turned so crimson that it seemed like it might burst.

If he reacts like this just to a greeting, it’s the one who doesn’t notice that has the problem. Rex clicked his tongue softly.

“Mi-miss. Let me take that. I’ll carry it.”

“Thank you. Are you hungry? Let’s eat soon.”

Joan received Anna’s basket without properly making eye contact and disappeared into the kitchen. Rex watched him scurrying away like a dog greeting its owner with a look of disdain.

Then he turned his head again and spoke to Anna.

“You’re late today?”

“Because of someone who always breaks promises, I just timed it to when you usually return.”

“Yeah… I’m sorry.”

“As long as you understand.”

Anna turned around with a bright smile. As she was about to enter her room, Rex added one more comment, pointing to the kitchen where Joan had gone.

“How long are you going to tease him?”

“Well… Let’s see? I don’t dislike it. At least he’s better than those other guys who just talk smoothly.”

Anna stuck out her tongue and closed her door.

“What’s so good about him…”

Well, love for another person is inherently incomprehensible. She must have fallen hard for him. Rex shook his head and prayed.

Joan, I support your future as you’ve decided to walk this thorny path…

***

As the meal was coming to an end, Rex revealed the thoughts he had been hiding for the past three months to his family.

“I’m leaving the village tomorrow.”

“What?”

Anna was the first to react. She put down her fork on the table as if throwing it. Joan froze as if his brain had been paralyzed by the sudden announcement.

He dropped the bread he was holding with his mouth open, and though it was a comical sight, no one at the table laughed.

As if she had known this would happen, only his mother wore a bitter smile.

A heavy silence settled. Finally, Rex spoke first.

“This isn’t a decision I made just today. I’ve been thinking about it for quite a while.”

“Still! Why tomorrow of all days? You could stay a bit longer. At least…”

Anna protested in a voice that showed she couldn’t understand at all. As a troubled expression appeared on Rex’s face, his mother, who had been quietly observing the situation, intervened.

“Anna, that’s enough. Rex is an adult now.”

“But…!”

“Rex isn’t the kind of child who would make such a decision without reason. Right?”

Rex nodded to his mother in gratitude.

At this point, even Anna couldn’t continue grumbling and closed her mouth. She was still biting her lip nervously, suggesting it would take considerable time for her anger to subside… but Rex had already postponed as much as he could.

If it were up to him, he would have left immediately. He had waited until the family stabilized as much as possible because he was concerned about those staying behind.

“What do you plan to do out there?”

At his mother’s question, Rex thought briefly and answered.

“…First, I’m heading to the city. I’m planning to find work that involves physical activity, but I don’t have anything specific in mind yet, so I might become a mercenary…”

In the midst of speaking, the tragedy from three months ago suddenly came to mind. His determination to go to the city was all because of the memories of that day.

Without strength, precious things could be taken away at any time.

That experience completely transformed Rex’s values. To an extent incomparable with his previous life.

He needed to become stronger. By going out into the wider world and gaining more experience.

“What? A mercenary? You’re joking, right?”

Anna, who had been sitting with a sullen face all along, twisted her lips.

“No.”

“You, you… Still don’t get it? Those guys who attacked the village before, they were mercenaries. And yet you still want to become a mercenary?”

“Not all mercenaries are trash like them. But if you want a definite answer, it’s not confirmed, but I will become a mercenary. Probably.”

“…Ha! Fine, do whatever you want. Do it all! It’s so dangerous outside the village. If you come crying back home later, asking to be let in, know that you’re dead to me!”

“Si-sister!”

Anna glared with narrowed eyes and then stormed out, slamming the door. Joan hurriedly followed after her. Since Joan followed, there’s no need to worry, Rex thought with a bitter smile.

“Son.”

Startled by the sudden warmth on his fingertips, Rex looked down with surprised eyes. His mother’s two palms were wrapped around his hand.

Her skin was so dry and rough that he could naturally feel how hard a life she had lived.

The wrinkled skin was like the annual rings of a tree. A vivid record of her life’s journey.

“I won’t say much. You’re a bright child. Still, as a mother, may I ask one favor?”

“…Of course.”

“I won’t ask you to show your face often. Instead… even if it’s very rarely, just once in a while, I’d like to hear that you’re safe. That’s all this mother wants.”

Somehow it was difficult to speak. Why does the human heart waver so easily? Rex barely parted his reluctant lips.

“I understand. Don’t worry. I’ll contact you often.”

“Good. That’s enough.”

As if she had finally heard the answer she wanted, his mother smiled.

***

There were many items to prepare before embarking on a long journey. Rex neatly packed the necessary things into a large bag and flopped down.

As he pulled the blanket up to his shoulders, it suddenly occurred to him that tomorrow when he woke up, he would be saying goodbye to this blanket forever. It had been with him all his life since childhood.

‘The outside world…’

Night had already fallen, and stars were densely arranged like grains of sand in the pitch-black sky. Rex, who had been staring blankly out the window, turned his body abruptly. His mood was quite unsettled.

Fear or anticipation, perhaps both.

‘I should just sleep.’

Soon Rex closed his eyes. He couldn’t afford to accumulate fatigue by not getting proper sleep. At least the beginning of his journey should go smoothly.

Not long after, his consciousness began to blur.

And then, the giant spoke to him.

[It’s been a while, my warrior.]

It was its first appearance in three months.