Chapter 311
The wizard Gondulbor froze like a frog before a snake at the sight of the figure from his memories standing right before him.
The woman before him possessed a beauty that would captivate any man at a glance, but Gondulbor could see none of that.
To put it bluntly, even a demon crawling out of hell would look prettier in comparison.
To Gondulbor, Kaira was nothing more than a cursed connection, neither more nor less.
“Master?”
“Are you talking to me?”
It was Ringug and Yu-hyun who were surprised at Gondulbor’s outburst.
“Th-that voice! How could I ever forget it?”
Gondulbor’s limbs trembled. For an old man to be so frightened, he cut a rather pathetic figure.
Yu-hyun found his reaction even more peculiar. It was the kind of reaction one might expect from someone seeing Kaira after a long time.
“Oh.”
Ringug clapped his hands as if he had suddenly remembered something.
“Sis. It seems like Grandfather Gondulbor doesn’t know about you.”
“Doesn’t know about me? Didn’t everyone here know?”
Yu-hyun thought of how many Tellers had come to the Gard before him. There had been more than a few, easily into the double digits. But was it possible for Gondulbor to be unaware of this?
“Grandfather has never left this place.”
The answer that came back was astonishing.
“Wizards are like that. They build their own hideouts in some corner, seclude themselves, and live quietly for decades. Grandfather Gondulbor is one of those types. Plus, there’s something unusual about you, sis.”
“Unusual about me?”
“You’re the first one to come to the headquarters.”
Yu-hyun finally understood. Previous Tellers didn’t think of fighting directly, so they had no reason to come to the headquarters to receive equipment.
From what Bella had said, most previous Tellers either stayed at inns or caused a ruckus at Lean’s residence.
Yu-hyun was the first to come to the headquarters beneath the spire.
And because Gondulbor had always been cooped up in his workshop, making artifacts or maintaining magic circles, he was unaware of any outside news.
His eccentric personality also meant he had no close relationships, and others didn’t bother to inform him.
Thus, to Gondulbor, it seemed like his master, whom he thought disappeared 32 years ago, had suddenly returned.
‘But his reaction seems overly serious for that.’
He was barely standing; it was almost like he had fainted while standing. Gondulbor trembled with his head bowed, too scared to look at Yu-hyun.
From his reaction, it was clear that something significant had happened with the real Kaira.
Sigh.
Yu-hyun sighed, causing Gondulbor to tremble even more.
“I’m not going to eat you, so don’t be afraid.”
“M-Master?”
“I’m not your master. I just look like this due to certain circumstances. I’m not the real one.”
“W-what do you mean…?”
Gondulbor couldn’t easily believe the words. No matter how he looked, she resembled his master who appeared in his nightmares.
Gondulbor wondered if his master was pretending to deceive him, but he shook his head, remembering her personality.
Even after 32 years, he didn’t think her personality would have changed.
Which meant that the Kaira before him wasn’t his real master.
“C-come in.”
Gondulbor tried to sound strong, but he still couldn’t look at Yu-hyun directly.
The inside of the workshop was a mess, cluttered to the point where there was hardly any room to step. Various artifacts, experimental tubes, and herbs were scattered everywhere.
It was a wonder where he had acquired such things in such an environment.
After hearing the full story from Ringug, Gondulbor asked in a disbelieving voice.
“So, this person before me isn’t my master?”
“Yes, that’s right. Why would we lie about something like that?”
“Good heavens. I knew there were all sorts of strange beings, but I never imagined there would be a Teller who looked like this.”
“It’s unbelievable, but it’s true.”
“I believe you. I have to. There’s no way my master would use such words. The idea of someone else taking my master’s form makes much more sense.”
“By the way, grandfather, were you a disciple of Kaira?”
“That was a long time ago, you fool!”
Gondulbor glared at Ringug, clearly unwilling to recall those days.
“…Do you think I learned rune magic from just anyone? It was from the greatest of the Great Five Sisters, Master Kaira. She was a master of rune magic.”
“Wow! That’s amazing!”
“Amazing, my foot.”
Gondulbor unconsciously said such words and then glanced at Yu-hyun.
Even knowing she wasn’t his master, he couldn’t help but feel intimidated.
“You have no idea how hellish it was to learn rune magic from her. It was a truly terrible time. I felt so stupid every time I thought back on it, I wanted to tear my hair out.”
“Was it really that hard?”
“It was like a living hell. My master tolerated no compromise when it came to rune magic. Her near-perfectionist attitude made my life miserable. It was the first time I ever felt that 24 hours in a day was too short.”
“I wouldn’t know. This is the first I’m hearing of it.”
“Well, now you know!”
In summary, Gondulbor had learned rune magic under Kaira, but the process was so harsh and grueling that he developed a trauma, reacting with convulsions at the mere sight of his master.
“…Of course, thanks to her teachings, I survived until now and contributed to feeding people in the Gardian, but those memories are hard to forget.”
“What kind of person was Kaira?”
Yu-hyun asked the question.
From Gondulbor’s perspective, it was bizarre for someone who looked like Kaira to ask what she was like.
After convincing himself that this was just someone who looked like his master and not the real one, he answered honestly.
“She was cold, intelligent, and strong. Even among the Great Five Sisters, as the eldest, she was also very kind.”
“If she was kind, why were you so scared?”
“That kindness didn’t apply to teaching rune magic!”
Gondulbor explained that Kaira could be the most ruthless person when teaching rune magic.
In any case, from his words, Kaira was a woman who was cold, intelligent, considerate, and an exemplar to all.
“She was one of the Great Five Sisters, apostles of the gods. She was on a different level than people like us.”
“You’ve mentioned the Great Five Sisters often. Who exactly are they?”
This time, it was Yu-hyun who asked.
Gondulbor, now somewhat accustomed to Yu-hyun’s appearance, no longer reacted dramatically.
“As I said, they are the apostles of the gods. Specifically, they guide the new god.”
“A new god?”
“Yes. Our world originally had one god. In other worlds, they are called the Divine Spirit. Divine Spirits are usually known to be eternal beings. But our world’s Divine Spirit was different.”
“How so?”
“While Divine Spirits are said to live forever, our world’s god did not. They wanted to pass on their power to the next generation.”
“Pass on their power?”
It seemed impossible for a Divine Spirit to do that, but Yu-hyun thought it wasn’t entirely unfeasible.
Divine Spirits indeed lived for a very long time, without a defined lifespan.
But that didn’t mean they couldn’t die.
Perhaps the Divine Spirit of this world, for some reason, was dying and wanted to pass on its power to a new successor.
“Those who gather and teach the successors to inherit this power are the Great Five Sisters.”
Each of the five sisters selected one candidate.
They would choose five candidates and teach them diligently, eventually selecting the final one.
Thus, the Great Five Sisters were called the apostles of the gods and the heralds of the new god’s birth.
And Kaira, the owner of Yu-hyun’s artificial body, was one of them.
“What happened to the Great Five Sisters?”
“…I don’t know. I only heard rumors that they went out to resolve the Curse of the Frozen Land that engulfed the world 32 years ago.”
But they hadn’t returned.
This meant that even the Great Five Sisters failed to resolve the Curse of the Frozen Land.
‘Then why do I possess this artificial body?’
The Great Five Sisters failed. But since then, Tellers exiled to this world all took on Kaira’s appearance.
‘Kaira must have made some kind of deal with the system.’
Failing to resolve the Curse of the Frozen Land would lead to the world’s destruction.
At that point, Kaira made some kind of deal with the system.
‘The system told me to reveal the truth of this world. And it placed Tellers in Kaira’s artificial body. Kaira failed to stop the Curse of the Frozen Land. This means… my top priority with this artificial body is clear.’
Finding and resolving the cause of the Curse of the Frozen Land.
It was an almost impossible task. Finding the cause of the massive curse that froze the entire world was one thing, but resolving a curse that even the Great Five Sisters failed to solve was another.
Yu-hyun finally realized that the story that composed his body.
Was the last fragment Kaira left in this world.
‘Does Lean know this?’
If not, should he inform him? Yu-hyun thought it was something worth considering.
“Anyway, that’s all I know.”
“That was more than enough. Thank you.”
“Hngh. To think I’m getting thanked by someone who looks like my terrifying master. What a life.”
Gondulbor patted his back and stood up.
“
Ringug. Get the equipment ready. You came to me for gear as an explorer, right?”
“Yes.”
“I just finished repairing something new. Take it. The size should fit perfectly. Don’t forget to take weapons and pouches too.”
Gondulbor asked Yu-hyun to leave, saying he had done all he could and was tired.
Since Yu-hyun had only come for the equipment and didn’t expect to hear the story, he nodded.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I’ve got good gear.”
“Ah, don’t mention it. It was something I had to do anyway.”
“Still, it would have been harder and taken longer without you. Since I don’t have much time, it’s a great help to finish everything in a day.”
“If you put it that way, I guess I benefited too. Thanks to you, I heard an interesting story from Grandfather. So, what will you do now?”
“What do you mean? Why do you think I came for this?”
“Oh, so when are you leaving?”
Yu-hyun’s answer to that question was enough to shock Ringug.
“Tomorrow.”
* * *
The next morning.
Yu-hyun stepped out of the inn and surveyed the outside. This place made it difficult to distinguish between day and night. The city, built inside an ice mountain where light didn’t reach, never saw sunlight.
Even if it did, the relentless snowstorm would prevent the sun from being seen.
Perhaps that’s why.
The city’s morning, untouched by light, remained heavy and gloomy.
The air that touched the skin was warm, but the people couldn’t feel it. They lived desperately, just to survive another day.
“There he is.”
“From yesterday…”
As Yu-hyun passed by, the Gardians who recognized him either glanced at him or averted their eyes.
Overcoming Frechen seemed to have been beneficial, as the hostility from the previous day had visibly decreased.
Even so, the negative impression had only risen to nearly neutral.
‘Whether I can move forward depends on how well I do today.’
When he arrived at the plaza at the appointed time, explorers dressed in leather armor and checking their weapons were already there.
They had been forewarned, so they only glanced at Yu-hyun briefly without taking further action.
Just then, Lean, the leader of the explorers, appeared after Yu-hyun arrived.
Seeing Yu-hyun, Lean slightly frowned, perhaps not expecting him to actually join.
Yu-hyun waved slightly, but Lean deliberately ignored it.
“Is everyone here?”
“Yes, everyone is present.”
“Missing members… I see. Have their belongings been taken care of?”
“As always.”
At Rayon’s words, Lean nodded with a stoic expression.
“As I always say, our top priority is our safety. More than finding out why the Curse of the Frozen Land spread, I value the lives of our members more. So don’t push yourselves too hard, and make sure to come back safely today as well.”
“Yes!”
“Don’t worry!”
The members all shouted energetically.
“Alright, let’s go.”
At Lean’s words, everyone moved in unison. Yu-hyun followed behind.
As they crossed the magic circle that guarded the city walls, the warmth disappeared, replaced by a chill.
The explorers walked along the narrow ice paths. The path out felt narrower and more uneven than when they entered.
On that winding ice path, people walked in a line.
Even with death lurking outside, their steps did not falter. Though each step was heavy, they never stopped.
Another exploration, countless by now.
Praying that today’s journey, endless and grand, would finally come to an end.
They took their first step into the white snowstorm.