Chapter 16. Rudy

by Foreigner · 2026-08-26

It took two days to dig the ground.

Four of us dug.

The shovel was in the storage.

It was something the old men who built the storage used.

Gihun dug the most.

There was no one to stop him.

The pit was dug to the east outside the castle.

It was facing the mountains.

Bedrun chose that spot.

Aron: Why here?

Gihun asked.

Bedrun: The people here have seen that mountain their whole lives.

It took another day to move it.

Gihun does not remember that day well.

What he remembers are two things.

One was the weight.

What was burned is light.

It was too light.

The other was Erarion.

Erarion did not say a word all day.

Seeing him quiet was the third thing.

The first was the night he felt the mana, and the second was yesterday.

Gihun was counting that too.

After burying everything, the four stood in front of it.

Bedrun tried to say something.

He couldn't.

He attempted about three times.

And then he stopped.

Bedrun: ......

Bedrun: I'm sorry.

That was all.

Gihun knelt down.

He placed his hand on the dirt.

Aron: I'm sorry.

Bedrun looked at him.

Aron: Because of me.

Bedrun: Aron.

Aron: If I hadn't come here.

Bedrun: Aron.

Bedrun sat beside him.

Bedrun: These people accepted you.

Aron: ......

Bedrun: That was decided by these people.

Aron: ......

Bedrun: You have nothing to apologize for regarding that outcome.

Gihun did not believe those words.

I didn't believe it, but it got a little better.

That was strange.

That evening, the four of us sat outside the castle walls.

We didn't sleep inside the castle.

No one mentioned it, but all three of us came outside.

Bedrun: We're going to the royal palace.

Bedrun said.

Bedrun: We'll go on the 17th.

Gihun shook his head.

Aron: Brother.

Bedrun: Why?

Aron: What will you say when you get to the royal palace?

Bedrun was momentarily at a loss for words.

Bedrun: They said Seton was attacked.

Aron: By whom?

Bedrun: ......By mercenaries.

Aron: Whose mercenaries were they?

Bedrun: ......

Aron: You don't know, do you?

Gihun spoke up.

Aron: If we don't know the client, what will we do when we get to the royal palace?

Bedrun: ......

Aron: What if that person is there?

Bedrun looked at him.

He stared for a long time.

Bedrun: ......Junsogu.

Aron: Yes.

Bedrun: Junsogu disappeared near the royal palace.

Aron: Yes.

Gihun didn't say anything more than that.

There was nothing more to say.

Bedrun: So where are we going?

Greon asked.

Gihun answered.

Aron: Rudiyo.

Bedrun: ......

Aron: There's a guild there.

Greon: My lord.

Greon said.

Greon: The guild doesn't reveal the client.

Aron: If they don't reveal it, we can find out.

Greon: ......

Aron: Is that not possible?

Greon started to say something but stopped.

What he was going to say was this.

Even a king cannot find out the client from the mercenary guild.

However, Greon did not say that.

Because he had seen this person getting hit by a fireball and shaking off his sleeves during the day.

Bedrun stood up from his seat.

Bedrun: We're going to Rudiyo.

Aron: Yes.

Bedrun: It's far.

Aron: How far?

Bedrun: Two weeks.

Aron: ......

Bedrun: It turns sharply towards the opposite side of the palace.

Gihun thought about that direction for a moment.

It was the opposite side of the palace.

It was the opposite side of home.

'.......'

Gihun thought that it was a good thing.

He felt a bit strange for thinking it was a good thing.

The four of them left early the next morning.

There were three horses.

The fourth horse had died during the day.

Gihun said he would walk.

Aron: It's slower if I ride.

Bedrun: ......

Aron: I'm faster.

Bedrun looked at him for a while.

This time, he didn't tell him to ride.

As they passed the castle gate, Gihun glanced back once.

The castle wall was eight meters high.

The gate was gone.

No one was inside.

Gihun looked back ahead after seeing that.

It was to the west.

About an hour into their journey, the sky darkened.

All four looked up at the same time.

The dummy flew low.

It tried to sit in front.

It failed to land.

It broke two trees.

Erarion: ......

Erarion stopped his horse.

Erarion: Why is that one following us?

Aron: I don't know.

Erarion: You gave it food, remember?

Aron: I'm not giving it any more now.

Gihun went that way.

The dummy pulled its neck out from between the branches.

Aron: Hey.

The dummy looked at him.

Aron: There's no food.

The dummy tilted its head to the side.

Aron: I'm serious, there's really none.

Gihun opened the bag and showed it.

There was one shoe inside.

Aron: See?

The dummy looked at it.

And it didn't leave.

Gihun walked again.

The dummy flew.

It tried to go ahead and sit again.

It failed once more.

Bedrun: Is it going to keep doing that?

Bedrun asked.

Bedrun: It seems like that.

Aron: What about food?

Aron: ......

Bedrun: There must be something on the road.

Four went.

Three rode horses and one walked.

And there was one more in the sky.

Two suns rose.

Gihun was no longer surprised by it.

He looked back once more around noon.

The castle was not visible.

'.......'

Gihun counted names as he walked.

Bedrun was in front.

Greon was there too.

Erarion was also there.

Excluding the three, there were sixty-two.

Gihun began to say it out loud.

He spoke very softly.

He spoke softly enough that it couldn't be heard in front.

Toban.

Mina.

Hereid.

Karin.

Eda.

Beliston.

Greyson.

Raon.

Pet.

Gihun continued to speak after that.

This person got caught while saying everything.

This person was short.

Gihun disliked that the most.