Chapter 106
I had never been to a desert before. It was natural, if you think about it, because there were no deserts in the world I ca from—the Republic of Korea.
Because of that, the sandstorms of the Wasteland of Ruin were a harsh environnt for .
Whoooooooosh—!
Even though Jereuth had wrapped my entire body, including my face, in cloth, sand and dust seeped in through the tiny gaps. It stung.
My throat was scratchy to an extent incomparable to the yellow dust that plagued Korea every spring.
Ahem, ahem—.
As I walked, coughing, Grondar, who was leading the way, said in a bright voice.
“Once we cross that hill, a gorge will appear! It’s the ‘Gorge of Silence,’ where the sandstorms don’t blow!”
While it was a situation where it was difficult for to even open my eyes, Grondar walked as if it was nothing.
I thought Giants were just a race with large bodies and great strength, but it seed there was more to them than that.
‘Are they a strong race that has evolved to endure even in these extre environnts?’
As an aside, when we entered the Wasteland of Ruin, we left Kartum and the other two horses on the mountain. When I asked Jereuth what would happen if they ran away, Jereuth said, 「“Kartum will co from anywhere if he hears my whistle.”」 and that he would bring the other two horses as well.
I did not know what kind of training he had put them through to make that possible, but since Jereuth said it with such confidence, I just took his word for it. Kartum was an incredible steed, so perhaps that was to be expected.
***
After walking through the sandstorm and dust for a while longer.
I finally reached the ‘gorge’ Grondar had ntioned.
It seed like an endless, flat desert wasteland stretched on, but suddenly a sandy gorge appeared before my eyes.
Honestly, I was a bit taken aback. It did not seem like a gorge that could be artificially created…… Is this the mystery of nature?
“Co in! The wind doesn’t blow in here!”
Jereuth followed Grondar, who was leading the way. The King and I followed behind them.
And as we entered the gorge.
“……There’s really no wind at all.”
I could feel the ‘mystery of nature’ just as I had when I first entered the Wasteland of Ruin.
As Grondar had said, there was not a single gust of wind inside the gorge.
As I looked around blankly, Grondar smiled and said.
“Hehe, this place is aweso, right? Only Giants know about this gorge. Sotis, when the sandstorms are too bad, we bring all the supplies from the village and take refuge here.”
“There are tis when the sandstorms are worse than that?”
“Yes. This is weaker than usual, brother. It’s not called the ‘Wasteland of Ruin’ for nothing!”
“……Is that so, Commander?”
When I glanced at Jereuth, he nodded his head.
“That is correct. When I ca here before, it was several tis worse than this.”
“Ah…….”
“But this is my first ti in this gorge.”
Jereuth carefully examined the inside of the gorge and asked Grondar.
“Is this gorge really safe?”
“Of course! I’ve stayed here every ti I ran away from ho after getting scolded by my dad, and nothing has ever happened!”
Grondar shrugged his shoulders as if he was really proud.
A ten-year-old running away from ho and staying in a gorge…… Giants are a truly strong race.
“How long does it take to get from here to the other end of the gorge?”
“It takes about a week at my pace…… but since the old human grandfathers and Brother Leo’s pace is slower than mine, it might take longer.”
“And from the exit of the gorge to the Giant village?”
“About three days. But that’s also based on my pace, so it might take a bit longer if we all go together. It’ll be slower than when I go alone.”
I was surprised by Grondar’s words that it would take over a week just to get to the end of the gorge.
‘Over a week? Do we have enough water and food?’
“Commander, aren’t we running low on water and food?”
“We have enough, so you do not need to worry. I brought food with preservation magic cast on it from the royal capital, and I have been steadily stockpiling food on our way here. We also have enough water to drink for over a month, so we have plenty until we reach the Giant village.”
So while I was training with the King, Jereuth was always busy because he was stockpiling food.
As expected of Jereuth. He was a man to be trusted.
‘Perhaps because Jereuth had prepared everything, the didn’t ntion any difficulties due to a lack of food and water.’
As I was thinking that.
……Cough.
‘A coughing sound?’
I thought I heard the King’s faint cough. But it was mixed with the sound of the wind outside the gorge, so I could not hear it clearly.
Just in case, I asked the King.
“Father, I think you coughed. Are you alright?”
“Ahem, ? No, I did not cough. Did you not mishear?”
The King spoke in his usual voice.
Was it just my imagination that his voice sounded like he was forcing himself to sound strong for so reason?
“If you are not feeling well, please take my necklace―.”
As I was about to take off my necklace and give it to the King.
The King avoided my gaze and stopped my hand.
“That necklace is necessary for you. The longer you wear it, even for a single second, the faster your body will grow stronger and recover.”
“Even so, you do not seem well right now―.”
“―Later.”
“…….”
“I will borrow the necklace later in the Minotaur’s dungeon. I will not need it after that, so you can have it for good.”
The King nonchalantly said, ‘I will not need the necklace after the Minotaur’s dungeon.’
It was a statent that could have been easily overlooked. But for so reason, I felt there was a hidden aning in his words.
Just then, Jereuth spoke, stepping between and the King.
“Your Highness, I apologize for interrupting, but I think we should start moving again. It is better to go a little further before the sun sets and the gorge gets dark.”
“Ah, yes. I understand.”
Jereuth’s tone and actions were also strange. It felt like he was trying to separate from the King, to prevent from properly assessing the King’s condition.
‘Sothing is strange, but…….’
Just yesterday, the King was healthy enough to beat with a tree branch, so what could possibly be wrong?
It must be nothing.
***
Ten days passed.
Nothing special happened during that ti. We walked, and walked, and walked through the gorge.
The King no longer taught the sword. Since entering the gorge, the King had covered his face with a dust cloth and a hood, and had not even spoken to first.
Even though there was not much sand or dust in the gorge, he kept his face covered.
Of course, he would answer if I spoke to him first.
But the King’s voice was strange. I did not know if his voice was hoarse because of the dust or for so other reason, but it was definitely the voice of a sick person.
That did not an I did not train.
Instead of the King, Jereuth taught the sword from ti to ti. Jereuth taught the basics of swordsmanship, and his sword lectures stuck in my head.
I did not know if it was because I had learned the sword so harshly in practice from the King, or if Jereuth was a good teacher, but in any case, it was good that I had beco familiar with the sword.
‘I don’t know how powerful the combination of the theory and light practice I learned from Jereuth and the practical swordsmanship I learned from the King will be…… but I have more confidence than before. I can use a sword too.’
Not only my swordsmanship skills, but my body had also changed. Since I started wearing the King’s necklace, I could clearly feel my body getting healthier, and the results were starting to show.
I had now gained enough flesh and muscle to be considered 「“Quite decent, isn’t he?”」 compared to an ordinary boy.
Well, how much muscle could a thirteen-year-old have…… but my body would get even better if I ate well and rested well when I returned to the royal capital.
“There it is! That’s the end of the gorge!”
Grondar said energetically, pointing to the far front. He was a truly consistent fellow. Full of energy.
When I looked where Grondar was pointing, I could see the end of the gorge. Outside the gorge, sandstorms and dust blocked the gorge like a door.
I did not notice it when we entered the gorge, but looking at it like that, it really did look like a ‘door.’ A ‘door made of sandstorms’ that prevented the silence of the gorge from escaping.
‘More importantly…… I’m going to eat a lot of dust again when we go out there.’
“Father, are you alright? The sandstorm outside the gorge seems severe.”
I turned around and asked the King, who was still wearing his hood and covering his face with a cloth.
“…….”
The King waved his hand as if to say not to worry. He did not speak.
Sothing…… was definitely strange.
Still, since the King said he was fine, I decided not to have any unnecessary thoughts. I followed Grondar and stepped outside the gorge.
While tightening the scarf over my nose and mouth even more.
Step―.
The mont I stepped outside the gorge.
Swoooooooosh—!
“……?”
The sandstorm was suddenly sucked into the gorge.
Like a vacuum cleaner sucking in the outside air.
But the strange thing was, I could clearly feel the wind being sucked into the gorge, but I was completely unaffected.
Not just , but Grondar, the King, and Jereuth were also unaffected by the wind.
I was about to ask Grondar if he knew anything.
But it seed Grondar had never experienced a situation like this either―.
“Huh?”
He made a dazed sound and then turned to and asked.
“Brother, what did you do?”
***
The Giant village.
The village was covered in sand and dust due to the passing of a sandstorm.
For the Giants, it was a daily occurrence.
However, sothing had taken the Giants by surprise.
For the past few days, the sandstorms had suddenly subsided, and the wind was mysteriously calm.
This was none other than the ‘Wasteland of Ruin.’ No matter how weak the wind was, it had always been strong enough to make the tents flutter.
Therefore, such a calm flow of air was, for the Giants, a weather anomaly.
‘What on earth is going on? I’ve lived in this village for almost my entire life, but I’ve never seen a day like this.’
The Giant Elder Barut, finding the unusually quiet wind strange, asked his wife, who was divining beside him.
“Has the divination not co out yet?”
“Well……. I’ll try one more ti.”
Barut asked his wife, 'Haera', who was already re-divining for the severaleth ti, in a worried voice.
“What’s wrong? Did the divination co out badly? Is it perhaps related to the weather being so calm?”
“I don’t know if it’s related or not. It’s just…… the sa divination keeps coming out, but I don’t know what it ans.”
“What does it say?”
At Barut’s repeated question, his wife showed him the divination stone and said.
“It says a king is coming.”
“A king?”
At the word ‘king,’ Barut tilted his head but then rembered sothing.
‘If it’s a king, it might be referring to Philip. When we did a divination when Grondar left the village before, it said Grondar would return to the village soon with three people.’
One of the three people in the divination was the one Barut himself ‘envied the most.’
Another was the one he ‘respected the most but still had so hurt feelings for.’
The last one was ‘Grondar’s lifelong friend.’
‘The ‘friend I envy the most’ is Philip, the human king of the Plank Kingdom. And the ‘friend I respect the most but still have so hurt feelings for’ is Jereuth. So the divination that Haera is getting now, ‘a king is coming,’ probably refers to Philip.’
From Barut’s perspective, it was not particularly new information. He had already expected King Philip to co.
‘Is it nothing special? Then why is the weather so nice?’
As Barut was lost in various thoughts.
His wife added a word.
“But…… the king visiting the village is the ‘King of Giants’.”
“The King of Giants? Not the king of humans? What does that an? Giants don’t have kings?”
“I don’t know either. The divination keeps coming out the sa, and if I interpret all of it…….”
His wife looked at the stone intently and carefully interpreted the divination.
“「Rejoice. The King of Giants, who will bring peace to the Giants with true friendship, is coming. The Gate of Silence has acknowledged him as king…… and the sandstorm, which no longer has a reason to protect the Giants, has left the wasteland.”」.”
“…….”
“「A man who appears weak on the outside. But a king who will lead the Giants to glory more than anyone else. The elder’s son invites the golden king, and by helping that king, they will return to the land where vegetation is lush. ……To the place where the Giants originally lived. Pride is aningless, so accept his rcy. Otherwise, a disaster will befall.」.”
Barut’s wife, Haera.
Her divinations had always been accurate and easy to understand, gaining her attention.
But this divination was difficult to understand right away. Because the term ‘King of Giants,’ which had never existed before, had appeared.
Barut rested his chin on his hand and fell into deep thought.
‘King of Giants, what does that an? Giants have an elder, but that’s just a formality. We are a race without a hierarchy. Who on earth is this king―.’
As Barut was thinking.
“Dad! I brought a friend~!”
In the distance, his archenemy was shouting in a bright voice and waving his hand.
Beside him, two friends he could never forget, no matter how much ti had passed, could be seen.
One was Jereuth in heavy armor, and the other, even though his face was covered with a scarf and a hood, was Philip, whom he could recognize just by his presence.
And the last one.
‘Who is that weak-looking young human? His hair is golden like Victoria’s…… ah.’
A human who appears weak on the outside.
And the golden king invited by the elder’s son.
‘……Is he our king?’
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