Chapter 161: To the Continent (2)
“Mikhail Reverk.”
Soone was calling .
It was a na that should have been forgotten, yet one I could never forget.
“Mikhail Reverk.”
The one calling that na was none other than Emperor Tarkin I.
He looked down at with the sa face from my last mory, unchanged in every way.
That arrogant gaze, the filthy expression that always looked at like I was an insect.
But where was this place?
“If a lowly creature like you gained a new life, you should have hidden in a corner and lived gratefully. Why have you returned to this place to throw your life away again?”
The emperor’s voice, unchanged and revolting, stirred a fiery rage within .
What had changed was that now I could curse that smug face to my heart’s content.
“…!”
What was this?
I tried to shout, but my tongue felt stiff, my voice trapped.
This damned…
“Mikhail, foolish and stupid creature. There’s no need to feel wronged. If you had just obeyed like a dog, accepting the scraps I gave, you might have preserved your pathetic life. But because you dared to crave a human’s life and forgot your place, this is the result.”
As the emperor mocked with a wave of his hand, the pitch-black surroundings suddenly lit up.
And I saw them.
My comrades, with whom I had devoted everything to live alongside, all drenched in blood, bound, and forced to kneel.
“This is the price.”
In that mont, their blood-soaked faces turned toward in unison.
Their expressions were filled with despair and fear.
“Captain…!”
“Captain…!”
Their voices, calling out to , were laced with sobs.
I, too, tried to move toward them in a frenzy of unbearable pain, but I couldn’t budge an inch.
Their screams echoed, and at the sa ti, gleaming blades struck their necks.
―Slash!
“Arghhh!!!”
Blood sprayed, and the sight of their heads falling unfolded vividly before my eyes.
Their blood splattered onto my face.
“Hahahahaha!”
The emperor’s demonic laughter enveloped the entire world.
That voice, so repulsive it made my skin crawl.
“Hahaha!!”
I tried to scream with all my might.
But my mouth wouldn’t open, and only tears poured from my eyes.
“Ugh… ughhh…!!”
In the midst of body-shattering rage and pain, I couldn’t move a single finger.
They could take my life.
I didn’t care if I died.
If only I could smash that bastard’s laughing face, if only I could twist and break that despicable emperor’s neck!
“Hahahaha!!! Foolish creature! You will accomplish nothing! Not in this life either!”
Unable to hold back, I roared with all my strength.
‘Stop…!’
But no sound ca out.
In my increasingly maddening mind, I desperately clenched my entire body.
‘Stop… stop… stop!!’
My comrades were dying even at this mont.
The rage and despair I felt as I faced them tore through my throat.
“Stop it, you bastard!!!”
***
“Stop it, you bastard!!!”
Tornted by a vicious nightmare, Evan woke up, gasping for breath.
“Ah.”
On one side of his sand-covered face, dried tears left long streaks, while the other side was washed clean by the incoming seawater.
‘Was it a dream…?’
The dream was too vivid to dismiss, so he struggled to calm his fiercely pounding heart.
Letting out a long sigh, he rubbed his face to wipe away the dried tears.
‘Right, no matter how hard I try to forget, I can never be free. Not until I sever the cursed bond with that emperor.’
Thanks to this nightmare, his purpose for coming here beca clear once again.
He was enduring this ordeal to confirm whether the emperor was alive or dead.
‘So, I must see it through to the end.’
Steeling his resolve, Evan stood up and surveyed his surroundings.
―Swish.
The gentle waves lapping at the sandy beach offered a stark contrast to the storm, as if it had been an illusion, bringing an almost surreal peace.
‘It’s like I’ve drifted to a resort… Not a great start. Or maybe this is a good one?’
Evan and his group had clung desperately to the ship’s railings until it capsized.
But the second massive wave was too much to withstand.
The ship itself sank completely, rendering any grip aningless.
Yet, perhaps due to their experience surviving extre situations, they fought to stay conscious while swimming, only to eventually pass out.
And now, it seed they had all washed up on this shore.
‘At least we survived, so that’s sothing…’
Scattered around the beach were Evan’s retainers and a few other crew mbers, collapsed here and there.
Not everyone, but a significant number had miraculously reached the shore.
‘The ship we were on is nowhere in sight. I hope the advance party’s ship made it safely…’
Those carrying the king’s edict to et the emperor directly had all left with the advance party.
They had set out on the sa route but drifted apart slightly,
and their ship was nowhere to be seen in the storm.
He could only pray they had arrived safely.
‘For now, my job is to take care of these people.’
Brushing off the sand from his head, Evan approached Jack, who was lying closest to him.
“Jack, get up. Co on, wake up.”
“Ugh… five more minutes…”
Jack seed to think he was dreaming or that this was his own room.
“Five more minutes? Get up already!”
At Evan’s urging, Jack snapped to attention.
“Young master…?”
“If you’re not hurt, get up and check on the others. Hurry!”
After waking Jack, Evan went to the others one by one to check their condition.
Thankfully, they were only unconscious, with no serious external injuries.
“Co on! How long are you all going to lie there?”
Having roused everyone who had washed ashore, Evan helped them up and assessed their state.
“If you’re not injured, at least wash your face with seawater. We can’t just stay sprawled out here, can we?”
Following Evan’s orders, the survivors staggered to their feet, brushed off the sand, washed their faces, and began to gather.
But gathering didn’t an they had a clear plan.
They’d have to discuss what to do next.
“What now? The captain’s gone, and we don’t even know where we are.”
One crew mber spoke up, his face full of anxiety.
“I’ve been to the continent before, but I’ve never seen a place like this.”
As he said, this wasn’t a designated port, aning no one here knew the lay of the land.
“Did we really make it to the continent? What if we’ve washed up on so deserted island…?”
“No, that’s unlikely. As far as I know, there are no islands near the continent’s coast. But this is a problem. With the captain gone too…”
As everyone sat down, looking dejected, Evan alone stared silently at one spot.
“…”
i, noticing his gaze, approached him.
“Did you find sothing?”
“Yeah, I think I know where we are.”
“Really?”
All eyes turned to Evan.
He pointed toward the back of the beach.
“There.”
Where his finger pointed was a stark contrast to the calm waves and warm sand—
a dark, eerie black forest exuding a sinister atmosphere.
It felt like a place from another world, radiating both fear and nace.
‘That’s where the Zakarin Tribe lives. The Black Forest.’
The very place he had been seeking.
The place Evan had to go to uncover the emperor’s secrets.
The edge of the Black Forest lay before them.
“Let’s go that way. Through that forest, we’ll find the path to the Empire.”
Evan naturally stepped toward the Black Forest.
With his destination in sight, there was no reason not to go.
―Crunch, crunch.
But after a few steps, he felt an odd silence and turned around, only to see that no one was following him.
“What are you doing? Let’s go.”
Despite Evan’s urging, everyone shook their heads in unison, staring at the forest with horrified expressions.
“What, are you scared to go into that forest?”
Once again, the group nodded as one.
“Haa…”
Evan let out a deep sigh, and Jaina, unable to hold back, spoke up.
“Look, there’s bound to be a path if we follow the coast. Why insist on going through that dangerous-looking forest?”
Everyone nodded in agreent.
Unlike the sunlit path along the shore, the place Evan was heading toward felt far too ominous.
“Because that forest is the shortcut.”
At his calm response, Jaina shook her head.
“Don’t talk nonsense. This is your first ti on the continent too. How can you be so sure?”
Evan’s words were true.
Geographically, passing through the Black Forest was the fastest route to the Empire’s heart.
But to those who had only lived in the kingdom, Evan’s knowledge seed unbelievable, and they didn’t trust him.
“Fine! Don’t believe then. I’ll go alone.”
Unable to bear the frustration, Evan strode into the Black Forest alone.
“Young master!”
Jack called out urgently, but Evan had already vanished into the forest’s darkness.
Flustered, Jack hesitated before resolving to follow him.
“I’m going with the young master!”
Following Jack, Gaiard and i also stepped toward the forest.
“I have to see that guy die with my own eyes, so I guess I’m going too.”
“What? Who’s dying? He can’t die! What about my paynt?!”
As they followed Evan, Jaina looked at Anton.
“You’re not going, right, Sir Knight?”
“…”
But Anton had a duty to protect Evan, a duty given by the princess.
“Sorry, but I have my reasons.”
“You’re going?”
Anton nodded and hurriedly followed.
In the end, Jaina was left alone.
She clutched her head, let out a deep sigh, and gave an apologetic look to the others.
“I’d love to go with you all, but… I can’t let anything happen to those guys. You all can take care of yourselves, so let’s et again in the Empire.”
As Jaina ran toward the forest, those left behind stared at the departing group in disbelief.
“Why would they go into such a dangerous place?”
“They barely survived, and now they don’t even value their lives…”
“Let’s just stick to the coast.”
In the end, those who chose the safe coastal path
and Evan’s group, who chose the unknown dangers of the Black Forest, began moving in their respective directions.
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