episode_0005

60 years ago from now.

There was a huge war called the ‘Continental War’.

The war that devastated half of the continent and took countless lives was started by the devil.

Kingdoms were doomed by the claws of demons and beasts, and the number of humans who lost their homes was countless.

The war lasted 10 years.

Regardless of nobles and commoners, men and women, everyone responded to the demon invasion.

Even children under the age of 10 took up arms.

To protect yourself or your family.

It was a war that terrified all humans and other races on the continent.

Paramon also participated in that war.

He was a renowned knight and an imperial nobleman.

Even before he reached the age of 40, he reached the level of sword master, which is said to have reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship.

Even if you look through the history of the empire, no one has reached that level earlier than him.

I thought he could cut down any number of monsters and demons with his sword.

His arrogance returned to a cold and painful reality.

The people of the territory he protected were torn limb from limb and died, and the knights, soldiers, and servants who followed him all died miserably, without distinction.

His sword, which had sworn to protect the weak and become the shield of the empire, failed to protect anything.

As the war continued, the people around him disappeared.

I was resentful of my proud status as a sword master.

Because he was strong, he could not die along with his comrades.

However, there was no power to save all of his comrades.

One person’s power was insufficient to stop numerous demons and beasts.

I cut and cut again, blaming my damn sword skills.

Even his colleagues who were struggling in pain.

Many of his subordinates who perished under his inexperienced command remained with him even after the war ended.

Each person’s fate appeared in his dreams every night.

The broken swords of his companions while riding together were embedded in his dreams.

I let go of the sword that felt like a curse.

A sword that couldn’t protect anything.

There was no reason to hold it in my hand.

I wandered around like that for a while, traveling all over the continent.

They went to the place where they died and painstakingly chipped away at the statues.

As their faces were completed, the pieces of stone that had been chipped away became embedded in their entire bodies as a source of utmost sadness.

Did you say that among the blessings given to humans is forgetfulness?

I tore that blessing countless times to remember its face.

The more it happened, the more severe the sadness and pain became, but they could not stop Paramon.

Because we had to remember those who had passed away.

I hoped the statue wouldn’t fall like they did.

He asked his fellow wizards to spend all his money to create a barrier and hid them from the monsters’ eyes.

It would probably be impossible to find the statues unless you were a person with advanced skills.

But today.

A young man with gray hair came to visit.

He had the mana of an ordinary person, but no matter how much he looked at it, he was not a knight or a wizard.

So how did they break through the barrier and come in?

How did they trick his senses and approach him?

The young man soon uttered surprising words.

It told the story of a knight who was born without arms, and the story of a knight who threw himself off a cliff saying he would not die at the hands of demons.

He told the story of a young soldier who stayed alone in the snow, saying he did not want to be a burden.

He even knew the story of a subordinate who secretly talked about wanting to have a green leaf on his family’s emblem.

It was a story about a person who had forgotten even about himself, remembering only his face and the end.

It was not nonsense spun by a conman or a madman.

His eyes, which had to remember countless people, were not weak enough to be deceived by something like that.

I guess the hammer is on the floor because I know those things are true.

It was the first time that the hammer I had held in my hand my entire life fell apart, not by myself.

***

“Tsk, tsk, tsk….Stop doing such useless things.”

“….”

“What are you doing holding on to the dead who have already passed away?”

“Are you saying I caught them?”

“The dead cannot go because of Yeonggam.”

A sound like I was clicking my tongue in frustration kept coming out of my mouth.

These were souls who had already achieved what they had hoped for.

These are souls who have already reached Buddhahood.

“How do you know whether the dead are here or not?”

“Truly….you still don’t believe it? Let’s see.”

rattle –

“Um….is your name Tilburg?”

The old man’s expression became even harder.

No emotion penetrated the hardened face that seemed to be hiding feelings of nostalgia.

“He just said he was sorry for the injuries that were caused to his body.”

“……”

“Why did the gentleman over here become a dead person at such a young age?…”

The old man’s eyes turned to the sky where I was looking.

“They say he killed a guy with the dagger that the old man gave him.”

“….”

“Younggam, can you still not believe me? Take it one by one and tell me everything?”

The old man’s stiff mouth began to move.

“Are they really here?”

The old man’s eyes, staring blankly into space, were trembling to the point where it was pitiful to see.

“Was it because of the statue I made that kept me from leaving?”

I could hear sadness and pain in the old man’s voice.

The cries of souls who sympathized with him could be heard.

The emotions made my head dizzy, as if they were mine.

The old man’s voice hovered in the air once again.

“You guys leave. I will remember you.”

A voice that was constantly trembling went towards another empty space.

“It’s Bilenov! Leave! I will tell my descendants about the laurel tree.”

The old man’s voice never stopped.

The names of everyone he remembered were coming out.

With the memories I cherished.

“I will achieve everything that you could not achieve. Everyone leave! I will never make a statue again.”

I couldn’t interrupt what the old man was saying.

This is what a shaman does.

Resolving the resentment between the dead and the living and finding the right path.

In order for the old man to release the karma and guilt he had accumulated throughout his life, he had no choice but to let go of everything.

If you can figure it all out and find the right path, that is truly fortunate.

But unfortunately, none of the words the old man said were correct.

“Tsk tsk….what about these pieces…and the souls here have already done everything they need to do.”

It is just a statue made of stone.

There was a lot of sincerity and emotion involved, but the dead could not be forcibly captured.

“Then why are they bound here?”

The resentment of the living can be relieved by the living.

But if I was intertwined with the sorrow of the dead, that was why I was there.

“It’s because of inspiration.”

rattle –

The bells started making sounds again.

“No one blames the old man.”

rattle –

“I don’t want you to carve such a piece, I want you to be happy.”

rattle –

A soul came to me following the sound of the bell.

A soul seeping into me as if I was leaning in for a moment.

My tone of voice changed once again and I began to pour out the habits that the deceased had when he was alive.

He appeared to be drunk while speaking, and even his unique intonation and facial expression were identical to those of the deceased.

“Truly… I was worried that he might not be a very knowledgeable leader… Did you really like it when he said he wished he had one more arm? ”

“F…Platz? Is that you?”

rattle –

Another soul leaned into me.

“Captain! You like meat and alcohol, right? Eat some of that and buy it.”

“Allad….!!”

rattle –

“Well, it was fun riding a horse with the leader. LOL….”

“Tyla! My dear friend…! Are you sure?”

rattle –

Many souls entrusted themselves to me and poured out what they wanted to say.

There wasn’t a single feeling that wasn’t warm.

There was not a single soul who did not feel sorry for the old man.

And there was only one thing they wished for while remaining in this world.

“Live happily.”

“Ahh….Ah….”

The old man’s face was distorted as if it would break.

What they want is to remember them.

It wasn’t even about revenge.

That expression is probably because he realized that he wanted to be happy.

The living and the dead shared their feelings with each other.

The wishes that were lost to each other have finally found their place.

And right there, all my strength was exhausted.

Still, I’m glad I did everything I had to do.

rattle –

The sound of the bells died down and I could barely open my mouth.

Because after all the fuss, I couldn’t bear it anymore.

“Bar…give me some food….”

“Who are you….!!”

Paramon’s face became sad.

How hungry was it during the war that people looked for food until they died?

I felt sorry for the fact that there was a colleague I didn’t remember.

“I’ll prepare it right away. Who is it…!! Please tell me your name…!!”

My mouth was trembling and I could barely get the words out.

“I….”

“Yes…yes…! Come on…!”

“It’s me….”

“I’m sorry…I can’t recognize you with just this…!”

“It’s me…Chris…”

“Chris…..?”

I never thought an expression like this would come out of that hard face.

In the end, he seemed very sorry that he couldn’t remember his name.

The tears welling up in my eyes seemed to represent those emotions.

“No…it’s not the soul, it’s me…”

“……”

“I’ve been starving since yesterday…”

“……..”