Chapter 176: People who returned (3)
jd1-Even though I walk through the dark valley, I am not afraid, for I know He guides me.xrEg
Dr6pEach person’s voice was different, but they all memorized a prayer.71Qy
FSQWRlhA faint scent of incense wafted along with the sounds of prayers recited by the Orthodox priests.04d
OAMrThere was only one stick of incense in the censer, but the smoke it produced was thick and still filled the area around the bed where Vlad and Jean lay.As if trying to dispel the fog that filled the surroundings.nps
ypvNb“…!!”KrD
IB4lAt that moment, Gunther, who had been memorizing the prayer for a while, opened his closed eyes.mLG
2WB‘What’s this?’rWPT
WgFrGqA sinister feeling that cannot be described in words.elP7
MXq7ZBefore I knew it, the hairs stood up on the back of my hand as I held it tightly to pray.5Mgy1a
90ZsnuXIt was a warning issued by the instincts I had developed throughout my life.Y7oz4y
Xh60X9“…Captain!”ciwuc
pRjGunther’s assistant approached, shouting, piercing through the clear sounds of the prayer.4pRk
N0qHe, who had decided to stay outside the door during the ceremony, was now looking at Gunther with a very anxious face.RUBIDvZ
CEB01“Outside is unusual. I think you should go out right now.”60jBNCz
AQrk“…”Kcsp43
FZXgnR5He was an assistant who always faced situations calmly, but now the end of his words trembled.MazDa
tRtsDkqIt was as if he had seen something he couldn’t handle.tEZd
ESYV3“…I understand.”841
HqRbbIn a few words, Gunther was not the only one who heard the assistant’s report.AUfvT
fxyAIJustia, who was praying beside him, looked at Gunther trying to get up with a perplexed expression.hyy11p
mVY“Do it for me. The only person who can replace me now is you.”F8g
e5S2tThere was a starlight that followed Vlad into Jean’s dream.I0E3Nxu
v4EIt was a signal indicating to people not to get lost, a thread that should not be let go of, but now the starlight was trembling slowly.QlSSuWb
e5oCThe fog in the city of Moshiam was thickening.JvTum8
QPO8YWith small shadows suddenly emerging from inside the carriage in which the woman traveled.iRg9x8
m96-Go find him. To your home.vCAsu
lcTvThe children who jumped from the carriage were happy to see Moshiam for the first time in a long time.wqeq
UujdFYXThis was the children’s hometown and a place they longed for.oEnqaU
KVha8***HVAKCWH
vRAQKKuuuung!lj44r
EGbNyzX“Tsk!”MeVwY
KZwmBEpVlad stumbled at the sudden jolt.4GsSQ
fWS3MKA“What happened?”3fFgJO3
rLnazb[It has sunk.]ekA
eQSGGKihano, who had blocked the chapel door with his back, began to click his tongue as he saw the dust falling.LTs
8MfKlX“What has sunk?”waj3QG
iA68i[You saw it too, didn’t you? The tree floating in the air.]Xsinow1
hAlI6fJean’s dreams were slowly being eroded, and above them rose the Qliphoth tree, the subject of the curse.fAgnCUC
ZwxHSr0And the tree’s branches, which were completely upside down, slowly approached Jean’s dream.7hGbER
pwBDvd“You said it would be fine for three days, didn’t you?”JkI9
g05[Things in the world don’t always go as calculated.]VUUQ
gtCHBang, bang, bang!gWQpl5n
3iNqVlad wanted to express his complaint about the suddenly worsening situation, but he felt a vibration behind him and bit his tongue again.yeoD16
KrfE6“How many people were inside in total?”eNNU
10B[The physical number doesn’t matter much, apparently.]v58fi4Y
kmE9KzULike the sound of hail falling.LdUTIIi
Ur0Countless small palms continued to bang on the chapel door tirelessly.7CgiA1
bcyySeCTo get out, or to capture the two.VOhM
2UjE3“If I get out of here, I will definitely kill the son of a bitch who made this curse.”KDHy
L3fn[…Anger can sometimes be a great motivation.]LTNq
cEikCEven without being an expert in curses, he could imagine how many children had died, as much as the sound of the palms resonating in his ears.dl9
Mzp4D9Feeling every vibration from his back, Vlad’s gaze grew fiercer.Kv7ClJX
kMD[You didn’t find the deacon you were looking for in there. So, where could he be?]VDMzf
hDzir8A“…”kcVGm
H60But the burning anger would only be effective at certain appropriate times.0zQG
K0BcNsAsked by Kihano about the nature of the situation, Vlad quickly turned his head, scanning the surroundings.wfC5cMK
odoRIBut unlike the first floor or the basement, Vlad, who had never been in other parts of the church, could not point out with certainty where.OEj9m7
kJWA[The boy named Jean is too terrifying and difficult to handle. If you were that boy, where would you go?]tOn
qCSJIKihano already knew who to look for, but at that moment, Vlad was the connection to Jean.ZS4Rn
KqfaLTo find the young deacon in his dream without a path, he had to think of the threads that connected them.0Fz
2wo“…If it were me, it would be Andreas.”0APbQY9
dXA[Alright.]HT2I
InMdAnd Vlad remembered well why he was standing here.A5eLd
TfgIn Jean’s twisted dream, there would only be one person who would be where he should be.JeN1yGf
Enp7If“But I don’t know where he is…”trMCEYJ
qqR9iLW[As you’ve already thought, the deacon’s dream will tell you the rest.]LHNd
HRuGL“Yes?”LgWFs
s5NcKihano’s finger pointed to Vlad’s chest.Pwu
YjZbV6“What?”Gb3CrLj
EiAFollowing Kihano’s finger, there was something small that now glowed slightly on Vlad’s chest.aC1pFa
IKG[Vlad of Soara. Follow your name.]OJHhvb
975ttH9A precious name given by a true priest and witnessed by a young deacon.0e6
CpmKPIn this place where everything was distorted, Vlad’s ID card was shining brightly.86Apcy
EwuIt was a name he held deep in his heart because it was precious.4MPs
qxzhud***QAJ
AyIarcN“Get all the torches and lanterns out! We must drive away the fog!”AX3
l3nSfWith a loud voice echoing through the mist, the Moshiam church began to glow like fire.ZHmya
ac5ZPInside the torch, which burned brighter than its original firepower, there was a divinity created by the priests as a congratulatory symbol.c81QpFp
XqK4‘Shit!’XGn
FtnGunther is one of the only two knights of the Orthodox Church of the North.X4D6S
ZsGEHowever, what he was seeing now was a wave of malice he had never experienced in his entire life.e0tZpt
Vbrhx“Dad! Mom! I’m here!”7BWzcIW
sCcd“Open the door! Mom! It’s me!”h8G
L2A5There were black shadows wandering through the thick fog.RKiGDP0
ZWeDdUJAlthough they were small and weak, they still had the energy to knock on the door and remained at the door following the memories of when they were alive.kfTPQ
eoxJbsWaiting for the parents to open the door.ppGxN
4oPYYHoping someone would hug them as they cuddled.jwX
tnG8“This is pure malice… Damn bastards.”mF4Co
WJuHe couldn’t see it, but he could hear it.Va9ukV
47D9LThe sound of parents rushing to open the door at the sound of their children’s voices.iz2
9whl1As the doors opened one by one, the lights shining through the fog began to fade one by one.67JeB
G5vUw“You finally crawled out.”LeZ
ZkekVfGunther, with his left eye closed and a fierce expression, saw a strange shape rising beyond the fog.GxE9pOb
Kk8S9What came to mind, twisting, was a tree split exactly in half.7zTnH2
ZWvjJ4An upside-down sky tree, completely ignoring all the laws of this world.DqX3K
IihRCe8Just like in Jean’s dream, the tips of the tree’s branches began to slowly descend below the city.aYeRDMb
DktMAs what was supposed to reach the sky sank into the ground, the laughter of the children who finally found their parents began to spread.FSN
nPw6F***kPxBDP6
DHQphAs time passed, Jean’s dreams became increasingly distorted, disorganizing the Varna church more and more.DMJKfXc
qGgE8QThe chandelier, which should have been on the ceiling, rose from the floor, and the stairs, which were supposed to be silently fixed to the wall, twisted like living snakes.qnbk6w7
SPKYyX“I think I’m going to get dizzy!”ytCKb
Am6z[That’s because physical things don’t mean anything!]eTgRPm
LCl3IrVlad had never felt dizzy, not even at sea, but the staircase twisting like a snake’s spine was an exception.SsB
Tkk9Z1GEven Kihano, who said physical things didn’t matter, seemed unsteady like Vlad.MKCb
tAlC2f“How many floors do I have to climb!?”FkOXHa
LxGXB[Don’t shout! It hurts a lot!]zmfidSR
GtspfqIt was only when Vlad and Kihano, following the golden thread pointed out by the ID they held in their hands, discovered the hallway in front of them, that they could jump from the stairs.c6c
HfFy“Oh… damn.”VeE4
xLv[…It seems like I’m getting old. It wasn’t like this in the past.]byJ2m
v8HBWith his head still spinning, Vlad looked down to the first floor where he had been moments before.v8QU
5WhCDespite having climbed the stairs for quite some time, the children’s gazes looking up at him from below were close enough to see them clearly.ljnvgNs
3jbJfN“Keuok.”7B4Lv8
UWS6FHUVlad swallowed the sour liquid that had filled his esophagus and looked towards the hallway in front of him.0dGOCu
6ck9“This place seems intact too.”vjuD
Z3aJl0m[It hasn’t been corroded yet.]LJ5aO
tejrXcIToc, toc, toc…Lu5y
eVU0ZVQHowever, suddenly, black cracks began to appear on the walls of the hallway, causing fear in Kihano.OOS3vbs
cZ5“…”Om4l
6FC[“…”]i6RVbu
jiPCiThe two looked at each other with pale faces, and without needing to say who would go first, they began to run in the direction indicated by the golden thread.7QnoI5
YUcwXNo“You have a loose tongue, don’t you!”P3x
dh7yYY[…It was just a coincidence that I said it.]9T3
YCsQ1c2Damn it!fRh5Me2
4tSvThe crack in the wall was widening, as if a mouth were opening.52p2K
ihrWLocated between the black cracks were tree branches that had suddenly sunk into Jean’s dreams.nPkC
2eGStrange leaves began to bloom from the branches falling from the sky.BkYaY9
99WqUXO[There it is!]0CW8
PQEBAs the two ran to avoid the crack, a small door began to appear in front of them.1zOjoU
5hBaAbove the bright door with golden threads, there was a plaque that said Priest Andreas.CmKXQ
x8BUg3I“If the door doesn’t open this time…!”yRlNmVK
hpAFJZcVlad, remembering what happened underground, quickly closed his left eye.nUzoV
NzqAs Vlad’s world moved away from Jean’s dream, the cracks that followed began to diminish little by little.lN4s
7FS[Wait a moment!]KVuXr
ZkuVeyoBut this time was different.yhjis
Mp5343FThe basement door was the door that blocked Jean’s fear.2Oo2id
lwQJa-Go ahead!kykL5
upij2wAnd the door in front of me now was the door where the real priest was.CY1orbj
SIKWhen the small door opened, there was an old priest in a robe of pure white.IqQ5Y5
B4c97As always, he gestured for Vlad to enter.0JlCp
wDX“Let’s go!”HJY
471At the end of the hallway, a golden and white figure exactly like him began to run towards the small door that the priest had opened.hzTAp4
gQam38uThe black crack that followed did its best to extend its branches, but in the end, it couldn’t capture the unexpected things that could be seen through the battlefield.4GErSM
LR12TQXThe golden color entered first into the arms opened by the priest.SSJ4f
fVUFe[Sigh!]kL0
RNNJTprAs the white, which had been following like protecting him, entered, the old priest closed the small door as if he had been waiting.3kZKx
sjONA huge impact came, causing the small door to barely bear it.LGqY
LyS4But as Kihano said, physical things were of no use inside.ZYlP4Ze
L6LIo6-It’s okay. Everything is fine.uzP
7bplxVMA memory of Andreas embracing a trembling Jean.326V
NQdc2He was small but sturdy, faithfully protecting the young man’s last barrier.1V0y22Y
GRoXnyIt was such warmth that even the black cracks breaking like waves couldn’t easily break it.yYP
nPXh-You’ve made it this far.AA5JGc9
hjKHxsLVlad, who had slipped inside and was still lying on the ground, saw Andreas smiling at him.XpqWT
FvBsX3QDressed in robes of pure white instead of bishop’s garments, he looked the same as when he distributed white wheat bread on a cold winter day.9itkhg
tPnwzT“I told you I would protect you.”ozK
9VXbbAndreas laughs at Vlad’s response.miwzYq
tWuhBehind him, Jean could be seen clinging to his robe of pure white.9xZ
1eIzo5The young deacon, who for some reason seemed a little younger, smiled faintly as he looked at the knight who had come back for him.Eju1A1O
tWfvFinally, I found him.U3h
dmhaQMThe young deacon at my request.I6RiS1q
r1j4The knights who entered the dream of the young Jean, who had potential, smiled faintly.ecEF
Jx8sK***4IHg
sYNThe corpses were scattered all over the gates of Moshiam.6xov
XDRpeEThe cross-section of the corpse was deeply cracked, as if it could fall apart at any moment, and the internal organs were still visible.0M5D5B
oJ78iq2A man silently bowing his head in front of those corpses.hlrQc53
rpdaNot a single drop of blood flowed on the tip of the sword, which held skill instead of power.KcW8D
6tRVbH“…There’s a dragon.”WH7yRi
Nj1b7UCThere’s something in front of me that needs to be slain.cxPiGw
Qn9Qz“There are spirits…”5pKWvTn
hQwsnMoreover, there’s something that needs protecting.ZzbT
0jIGuIIThe man, seemingly lost in the mist, began to walk slowly upon seeing the church lights burning brightly ahead of him.1fJlw
LWb6GtAnd the knights start to follow him.hHDbM2
c4LHeadless men.dRg
sUFZJaA woman with hair starting green but ending black watched them and clasped her hands as if in prayer.SD2zx7X
aMcAJ8N“If there’s something I can’t finish, I have to come back.”69v6ENU
a3IJ2Like a tree floating in the mist, a man with white hair and a headless knight walked along an inverted path.taik0
tsWxZOvTo finish something left unfinished or to correct something you regret.XhnZ
LPOHS“All of you deserve to return.”yRHeaX
O7uAn unidentified woman smiled as she listened to the sound of children playing all over the city.29e
zVJx4A city shrouded in mist where pure beings, free from life and death, from pain and agony, run freely.6aXDGqI
JQujZUMShe had been dreaming of a world like this all along.7inGT
Mg5uThis isn’t a city burning bright red like the tip of a matchstick under God’s will.9NE
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