NOVPUBBefore continuing his hypothesis, Wonsa spoke. 𝓃ℴ𝓋𝓹𝓊𝓫.𝒸𝓸𝓂
“Lord Hwangho, I must be treated as a sinner, not a friend. Please send me to the Ho Tribe’s Abyss.”
As the Ho Tribe members remained silent, Wonsa repeatedly confessed his sins and begged for punishment.
As Wonsa tried to bow his head while speaking those words, he attempted to move but almost collapsed onto the bed, only to be caught by Baekho’s group.
Seeing this, the tigers, who were watching, appeared to be on the verge of exploding in frustration and scowled in a direction Wonsa couldn’t see.
The Abyss of the Ho Tribe was the place where those captured by the Ho Tribe, such as the Bear Tribe or the Wug Tribe, were sent.
There was no way the Ho Tribe would send Wonsa to such a place.
“For what crime? Do you wish for punishment? The Interdimensional Collision that happened first on the Korean Peninsula is not your fault. What happened in the Garden is also not your fault.”
“I failed to stop the betrayal of my friends.”
“If the foolishness of believing you could persuade them is a crime, then ignorance for not knowing their betrayal is also a crime. In that case, all of the Ho Tribe here should be sent to the Abyss as well.”
Hwang Jiho said this while looking toward Baekho’s group and Jeokho.
The two tigers, as if waiting for their moment, interjected with their words.
“I should have killed Fungbaek and Wusa right there. It’s my mistake.”
“As Lord Hwangho said, it seems another crime has been discovered. I guess we must return to the Abyss. Would you give us time to say farewell to our son?”
“Of course. It seems I must choose the next leader. There are very few candidates, except for those who failed to notice the betrayal... I suppose we can temporarily appoint Jukho as a representative.”
The tigers spoke nonchalantly, as if it was nothing, despite the gravity of the situation.
They spoke as if they were being serious, but their words seemed to be a way to stop Wonsa from continuing his talk of crimes and the Abyss.
However, it seemed that Wonsa, seeing them act so earnestly, was unsure what to do.
It seemed those tigers had spoken like this even during the mythological era, only to be met with a storm of dark clouds.
Wonsa, struggling to speak, barely managed to stop them.
As Wonsa stopped asking for punishment, Hwang Jiho spoke again.
“Not everyone is quick to make decisions, brave, or insightful. Your foolish hesitation and doubts caused the trouble, but I don’t consider that a crime.”
“But because of me, Fungbaek and Wusa...”
“Fungbaek and Wusa were caught thanks to the Ho Tribe’s benefactor. There is no need to worry.”
Suddenly, Hwang Jiho brought me into the conversation.
Since Wonsa was feeling guilty about losing his left eye in the Garden incident, mentioning me made him feel even more troubled.
I wanted to tell him not to use me as a scapegoat, but for the sake of Wonsa’s peace of mind, I decided to cooperate.
Wonsa, in anguish, spoke.
“With my power, I hurt the god of loyalty. I am a sinner who harmed the Ho Tribe’s benefactor.”
“The one who attacked my left eye was Docheol. And the reason I lost it was due to my own weakness. It was not your fault.”
“But I did not only take your left eye...”
Wonsa could not continue his words.
Seeing his demeanor, it became clear.
When Seonghyeongwoo’s Light of Compassion activated, Wonsa had seen my past and regrets.
Thinking of how I had treated my family so harshly, it weighed heavily on me.
When I was burning in the furnace, I had accidentally shown things I should not have.
I decided to change the subject to stop Wonsa from speaking about it.
“As I said again, what happened in the Garden wasn’t your fault. If you feel sorry, I’d rather you stop asking for forgiveness in my name.”
“God of Loyalty...”
Wonsa, feeling truly remorseful, stopped asking for forgiveness, mentioning the Ho Tribe’s benefactor.
Hwang Jiho spoke gently, as though trying to persuade Wonsa.
“The Ho Tribe’s benefactor is speaking like this. Will you still ask for punishment? Your only crime is still calling those traitors your friends.”
“...But they were my friends. Now I cannot avoid responsibility.”
“You’re being stubborn. Is there a responsibility or duty in friendships? I don’t believe so. Carrying burdens is one’s choice, but it cannot be used to cover up a crime.”
Hwang Jiho led the persuasion.
Baekho’s group and Jeokho didn’t speak as much as Hwang Jiho, but they added their words at the right moments, making the argument more convincing.
Even Wonsa, who had firmly decided on his course of action, seemed shaken by these words, but I had an internal doubt.
‘No responsibility or duty in friendships? That doesn’t sound like something Hwang Jiho should say.’
Hwang Jiho had kept his position as leader for many years, even when his friends weren’t around.
Could he have done that without feeling some sense of responsibility or duty?
Of course, the recent negligence had led to this mess, but still.
“Wonsa, that’s enough for today. Rest now.”
“...Understood, Lord Hwangho.”
“Why are Baekho and Jeokho treated comfortably, but I alone am given such treatment? When you come again, I expect to see you treating me properly.”
Hwang Jiho muttered, but his expression had softened.
Wonsa still seemed troubled, but since he had stopped asking for punishment, as if he were ready to die at any moment, that was enough for now.
As the Ho Tribe members prepared to leave, they decided to leave a token with Wonsa to keep watch over him.
At that moment, Wonsa spoke again.
“...I have something to tell you.”
Though his voice wasn’t loud, everyone froze, listening intently.
Wonsa hesitated for a moment, then spoke.
“Actually, I’ve selfishly tried to ask the Ho Tribe for help several times. I didn’t do it to survive. I just wanted to let you know that there’s something targeting the Ho Tribe.”
Wonsa had asked for help?
Looking around at the tigers, it seemed they hadn’t noticed at all.
There had been almost no information about Wonsa’s distress signal in this world.
Hwang Jiho seemed to have no idea what Wonsa was referring to either.
“If we had known, we would have come to save you immediately. We’ve only learned about your survival less than a year ago. When did you try to ask for help?”
“After the Interdimensional Collision. After the furnace was moved, a gap appeared, and I had the chance to send my power to the Ho Tribe’s divine territory through the energy veins. It seems it didn’t reach, though.”
The Ho Tribe’s divine territory was the entire Yeonggwang District, which narrowed down to the Yeonggwang High School grounds.
Had there been a distress signal from Wonsa there?
And why was it important to verify this distress signal at this moment?
Wonsa soon answered the second question.
“As expected. I hope it didn’t cause any harm...”
“Harm? Who could have been hurt by your distress signal?”
“Because I was in the furnace for so long, my mind and body were not in good condition. I couldn’t know how my power, sent through the energy veins, would flow. It may have changed into something unexpected.”
Wonsa spoke with a worried expression.
He seemed concerned about how his signal, altered by the energy veins, might have changed and what kind of harm it might have caused.
Hwang Jiho spoke to reassure him.
“After the Interdimensional Collision, many great powers were in play, causing instability in the energy veins. It’s highly likely that your signal never reached. It’s unfortunate we missed it, but there’s no real harm. Don’t worry.”
“If it was a distress signal, wouldn’t it have included Wonsa’s location? We could still trace the route now and gain some help.”
“Didn’t you say that progress was being made by examining Seonghyeongwoo’s corpse to trace the route? Hmm, if both Wonsa and the person with him knew, it would be helpful.”
Currently, Jeokho was collecting information using clues left on Seonghyeongwoo’s body before his death.
As Jeokho said, it might help if they could trace Wonsa’s distress signal.
‘As they say, it’s worth thinking about.’
I reflected on Wonsa’s words and the events in this world.
Wonsa, burning in the furnace for so many years.
After the Interdimensional Collision, a distress signal shot toward Yeonggwang High.
The possibility that the signal had been distorted by the energy veins and energies.
The form of the distress signal, which Wonsa didn’t anticipate and the tigers hadn’t noticed.
‘Could it be related to that?’
There were many strange incidents at Yeonggwang High.
Some of the causes had been identified, but others remained unclear.
As a member of the school’s newspaper club, I had investigated many such cases.
“There’s a ghost story about a screaming ghost in the incinerator of the old building. And the seniors from Class 0, who have graduated, say they saw this ghost while they were still in school. They even caused a ruckus after graduation while trying to perform a ritual to calm it.”
The ghost in the incinerator of the old building, seen by seniors from Class 0.
It might just be the remnants of the power Wonsa sent.
