(TL: Happy new year. Managed to finish this chapter just now, so here it is.)
(TL: Not edited.)
‘Mm??"
It really happened without warning. At the very least, it felt like the whole thing happened like a bolt of lightning coming from nowhere to Seol Ji-Hu, who had been checking out his teammates cautiously packing the burial goods until then.
The chamber that had been a mixture of green and yellow suddenly changed colour to subtle shade of red. And, as if the owner of the tomb was getting angrier, the whole s.p.a.ce seemed to get dyed in a deeper shade of red in an instant.
Utterly shocked by this occurrence, Seol Ji-Hu turned around and found Alex and Klara in the midst of touching burial goods found on the left sarcophagus.
To be more precise, Alex was reaching out to that very same keepsake as if his mind had been bewitched, while Klara was busy stroking a brilliant necklace with blue gemstones engraved within with an enraptured face.
There was no time to even think about anything.
"What are you two doing?!" (Seol Ji-Hu)
The two people flinched grandly. Alex quickly pulled his hand back, but Klara looked back at the youth with an unimpressed expression on her face, and without further hesitation, picked the necklace up. And the chamber became washed in the colour of blood.
"Klara!" (Alex)
"Argh, what?! Can"t I even look….?" (Klara)
When Alex belatedly tried to stop her, Klara displayed her annoyance, before her expression became dazed by what happened next. Seol Ji-Hu wordlessly sprinted towards her, and s.n.a.t.c.hed the necklace away. He quickly placed the necklace back on the lid, prompting Klara to spat out "Huh". She then began chuckling in disbelief.
"What the h.e.l.l do you think you"re doing?" (Klara)
"That"s what I want to ask you." (Seol Ji-Hu)
Seol Ji-Hu"s tone of voice was not friendly at all. Sure, he still spoke in a courteous manner as before, but his voice definitely contained a trace of anger.
"Did you not see the contents of that paper just now?" (Seol Ji-Hu)
"I did. So what?" (Klara)
"Then, why?" (Seol Ji-Hu)
"I saw it, so what about it?" (Klara)
Klara retorted back. Seol Ji-Hu"s eyes narrowed to a slit.
"Hey, you. Don"t you think you"re getting too full of yourself?" (Klara)
Klara crossed her arms and a mocking grin formed on her lips.
"Looks like you"re mistaken about something here. Samuel said that, even if the result of the ceremony wasn"t good, you should follow his suggestion. He said nothing about following what"s on the paper even if the results were good. Same story for me, as well for the others." (Klara)
"….You wish to kill yourself that badly, huh." (Seol Ji-Hu)
"Get the f*ck out of here. How can you be so sure? How the f*ck do you know the b*tch buried below that lid is strong or not?" (Klara)
Klara"s sharp tone of voice caused Seol Ji-Hu to glare back at her.
"So, you can"t be satisfied by what"s on the walls. Is that it?" (Seol Ji-Hu)
"Right. I"m not. If you got nothing else to say, get out of my way. Oh, and here"s an advice for you. Knowing your place will be good for your health in the future." (Klara)
She too didn"t lose and shot a glare back, before taking large strides towards him. She shoved him away and walked right past.
"What a loser. Do you have any idea how much you can make by selling that thing? An item from the Empire will fetch…." (Klara)
Just as she reached her right hand out towards the necklace again, Seol Ji-Hu grabbed and yanked her wrist away.
"….You better let me go." (Klara)
Klara"s avarice-filled eyes turned towards him.
"You want to have a go? Is that it?" (Klara)
"Do not touch it." (Seol Ji-Hu)
Seol Ji-Hu"s own voice became icy. Klara snorted Hmph, and her left hand reached out to the necklace. In that moment, Seol Ji-Hu"s eyes began to gleam quite dangerously.
"I said, don"t touch it!" (Seol Ji-Hu)
His angry roar reverberated in the burial chamber, and at the same time…
"Aaaahkk?!" (Klara)
Klara was flung away with force, and she crash-landed on the ground.
"YOU!!" (Klara)
Klara"s shoulder and lower back clattered hard against the ground and she frowned deeply, but then, she shot back up right away in indignation.
"What are you two doing? Stop, Seol, Klara!" (Alex)
Alex panicked grandly and tried to intervene.
"What"s going on here?"
Other members of expedition turned their focus here now. But, regardless of all that….
"D-did you lose your d*mn mind?! How dare you touch me!" (Klara)
"Shut your mouth." (Seol Ji-Hu)
"What… You really wanna have a go at me?! Fine!" (Klara)
Klara spat those words out in pure anger, then reached behind her back to pull her bow out and nocked an arrow.
"Calm down, Klara!" (Alex)
Freaking out now, Alex helplessly flailed his arms about. And, just as Klara took aim at Seol Ji-Hu and pulled the string back…
RUMBLE-!!
The burial chamber that remained still suddenly began trembling noisily. The surrounding view as seen through ‘Nine Eyes" began flickering in four colours of yellow, orange, red and black. There had never been a time like this before where several colours showed up at once.
"What"s this? Where is this sound coming from?" (Dylan)
Dylan was about to intervene between the two people, but he stopped in his tracks to take a cautious look around. Seol Ji-Hu looked behind him, and he paled from fright right away. He could see that the left sarcophagus was vibrating like a smartphone.
In that moment, for some inexplicable reason…. Seol Ji-Hu gently placed his hand on the lid unconsciously.
‘I"m sorry." (Seol Ji-Hu)
Perhaps, he was sympathising with this woman"s circ.u.mstances. Of course, the experiences the two went through, the experiences they had to be subjected to, were completely different. However, they still shared a similar fate, and that would be them being cast out by their respective families, whether through one"s own actions or through other"s.
Seol Ji-Hu had felt that he no longer had a place to stay back on Earth, and perhaps because of that, he could empathise with this woman"s state of mind, even if it was little. More importantly, she had calmed her anger and showed her goodwill just because he held a pathetic little excuse of an appeas.e.m.e.nt ceremony, so there was no way he"d betray her expectations.
‘I"ll never let anyone touch it." (Seol Ji-Hu)
It was then, something mysterious happened. Maybe Seol Ji-Hu"s thoughts had been heard, because of the vibrating coffin lid gradually stopped moving.
He quietly stared at the sarcophagus for a little while longer, before turning around. Klara and her somewhat surprised face had been aiming at the sarcophagus until then, but she quickly changed her target back to him.
"What a good timing this is. Hey, kid, stop showing off and get the h.e.l.l away from there." (Klara)
"Don"t you have any respect for the dead?" (Seol Ji-Hu)
"Gimme a break. You"ve been running your slick mouth on and on, but in the end, that was your true reason?" (Klara)
Klara smirked derisively, before her expressions became serious.
"You can keep your princ.i.p.als when you"re back on Earth. Get the h.e.l.l away from there, if you don"t want to get hit." (Klara)
"And what if I don"t?" (Seol Ji-Hu)
"In that case, it can"t be helped. You started this, so don"t blame me when you die." (Klara)
As her speech and conduct became worse, Seol Ji-Hu let off a hollow chuckle.
"…Fine." (Seol Ji-Hu)
His magic spear might be broken, but he still had another one.
"If you really want it, then try to take it over my dead body." (Seol Ji-Hu)
He pulled his spear out and took aim at Klara as well, his Magic Power beginning to soar. When the youth slightly lowered his posture as he got ready to really fight her, Klara began gritting her teeth.
It was then.
"That is enough." (Samuel)
Samuel quickly jumped in between the two and tried to diffuse the volatile situation.
"Klara, lower your bow." (Samuel)
"S-Samuel?? But, that b*stard started it!" (Klara)
"It was you and Alex who acted like idiots first. You know now that there is a vengeful spirit here, so who told you to touch whatever you felt like? How were you planning to take care of the aftermath?" (Samuel)
Klara chewed on her lower lip. Shortly afterwards, she lowered her bow, but it was clear to see how indignant she was.
"Seol, please lower your spear as well." (Samuel)
After confirming that she had lowered her weapon, Samuel asked Seol next. Seol Ji-Hu also lowered his spear, but didn"t step away from the sarcophagus. Samuel placed his hands on his waist.
"Fuuuu…."
He let out a big groan and softly opened his mouth.
"I"ll be straight with you. Actually, I agree with Klara"s opinion." (Samuel)
"Samuel." (Seol Ji-Hu)
"Yes, I know what that lady had to go through was lamentable. But, that is all. We"re Earthlings at the end of the day." (Samuel)
"And she was a Paradiser." (Seol Ji-Hu) (TL: Should I use this word to describe the original inhabitants of the Lost Paradise? The author simply used combination of Hanja words "paradise person")
Samuel quietly studied the coldly-replying youth.
"….Now that I think about it, how long did you say you"ve been in Paradise for?" (Samuel)
"That has nothing to do with this." (Seol Ji-Hu)
"Do you by any chance know why this place is called the Lost Paradise?" (Samuel)
That was a sudden and unexpected question. Seol Ji-Hu shook his head.
"It"s simple. Only a few chosen can come here, and opportunities can be found awaiting pretty much everywhere." (Samuel)
"Opportunities, is it?" (Seol Ji-Hu)
"I"m talking about the burial goods behind you, the ones on the coffin. If my eyes aren"t deceiving me, then they are from the Empire." (Samuel)
Just as Seol Ji-Hu tried to open his mouth, Samuel raised his hand slightly first.
"I"m sure you wanted to ask me this - if those things are that incredible. Indeed, they are incredible. No, wait. They are beyond incredible. The Empire might have fallen at the hands of the Parasite, but still, the level of magic science they boasted was the most advanced in the entire Paradise. Stuff from the current kingdom can"t even compare to them." (Samuel)
Even still, Seol Ji-Hu didn"t show any signs of moving.
"Don"t you understand? Let me be straight with you once more. Just one item from there, and we all can become incredibly rich." (Samuel)
"Don"t you think your greed is getting excessive?" (Seol Ji-Hu)
Samuel thought for a brief second, before a bitter smile formed on his lips.
"Greed, is it. If you meant to ask whether I wasn"t scared of dying or not, then yes, I am prepared to risk it. I"m not kidding. Forget about bronze or silver, we can get Gold coins here. Do you know how much Earth currency you can get from a single Gold coin?" (Samuel)
"No, I don"t. I"m not interested in knowing, either." (Seol Ji-Hu)
Samuel smacked his lips after realising that Seol Ji-Hu wasn"t going to be convinced like this.
"Honestly speaking, I"d like to heed your wish if it were any other circ.u.mstances. Sure, the things on the walls are very good, but the items on the coffin exceed their value greatly." (Samuel)
"Meaning, you will take them away no matter what." (Seol Ji-Hu)
"Listen till the end, please. What you"re trying to say here is that, while I"m willing to take the risk and take those items, you don"t want to risk it and leave with only what we are allowed to take. I believe we both are not wrong in this situation." (Samuel)
What was he trying to get at? Seol Ji-Hu didn"t let his vigilance down and stared at Samuel.
"So, I propose we do it like this. Let"s decide with a vote." (Samuel)
"A vote?" (Seol Ji-Hu)
"Right. Since we"re at loggerheads, we let the majority decide." (Samuel)
"And what if I don"t want to follow the result of the vote?" (Seol Ji-Hu)
"That won"t be allowed." (Samuel)
Samuel gravely shook his head.
"As long as you remain a part of this expedition, we must act as one, whether you like it or not. There are times when you"ll have to do things that you don"t want to, and you"ll also have to back down regardless of your princ.i.p.als. If you continue to insist on doing whatever you want, then I can no longer recognise you as one of the expedition anymore." (Samuel)
Samuel s.h.i.+fted his gaze away from the youth as if to indicate that he"d not hear Seol"s opinions anymore, and scanned around him.
"Seol is obviously against, and well, Klara, you are definitely voting ‘for", am I right?" (Samuel)
"Of course." (Klara)
Klara"s complexion had brightened considerably by now, and she leaned her head back as if she wanted to gloat.
"One vote yes, and one vote against. Let"s get started. I"m for it." (Samuel)
Samuel immediately voted for yes.
"Uhm… I"m voting for yes, too." (Alex)
Alex raised his hand, and hurriedly avoided meeting Seol"s gaze while mumbling timidly.
"S-sorry about this, Seol. But, I…." (Alex)
He then opened and closed his lips a couple of times before lowering his gaze altogether.
"Well, since Samuel wants to, I"m also voting yes." (Grace)
Grace shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.
"Four votes yes, and one vote against." (Samuel)
Just one more vote for ‘yes" would determine the end result of this situation. Samuel looked at the four people who hadn"t cast their votes yet.
Seol Ji-Hu closed his eyes as the situation barrelled towards the inevitable conclusion. All sorts of thoughts fleeted in and out of his mind. Should he fight, or escape alone? Should he reveal the truth of ‘Nine Eyes" and try changing their minds? Whatever the case may be, he needed to decide quickly.
"I"m against it." (Hugo)
It was then, a manly voice resounded out. It was Hugo.
"Against it?" (Klara)
"I don"t wanna touch that woman"s coffin if I can help it. That"s all." (Hugo)
When Klara asked him with a disbelieving tone of voice, Hugo replied curtly. It was a short-enough answer that perfectly suited his personality.
"Hmm." (Dylan)
Dylan stroked his chin for a bit before quietly voicing his opinion.
"Against." (Dylan)
Samuel"s brows quivered slightly.
"Dylan, you… are against it?" (Samuel)
"Mm. I understand where you"re coming from, but I agree with Seol"s deduction he came up with on the outside. When I think about the fate of Kahn"s team, it"s the right idea not to touch the coffin." (Dylan)
When Dylan clearly stated his case, Cho Hong helplessly scratched her head.
"Aooo…. This is so screwed up. Seriously now." (Cho Hong)
Her unwilling eyes lingered on the coffin for a bit, before meeting Seol Ji-Hu"s. She licked her lips for a while, before grunting out her vote.
"….Eiii, d*mn it. I vote against, too." (Cho Hong)
And so, four votes ‘yes", and four votes ‘against". All the members of Carpe Diem had sided with Seol Ji-Hu. Having not antic.i.p.ated this result, the members of Samuel"s team got visibly fl.u.s.tered.
There was only one remaining vote.
Ian remained silent until then, before slowly opening his mouth.
"On the outside, this friend spoke of a certain inverse calculation. I can empathise with it to a degree, but it"s still based on my hypothesis and thus, it can"t be thought of as a confirmed fact." (Ian)
Then, he stared at Samuel.
"However, Samuel…." (Ian)
"Yes?" (Samuel)
"Were you aware of the fact that, several times during this expedition, you"ve revealed how much of a rush you were in?" (Samuel)
"I did…. that?" (Samuel)
Samuel blinked his eyes several times.
"Once, before the battle with the Lioners, and right after. And when the quill pen of the consciousness was used, and finally, when you were having a heated discussion with this young friend." (Ian)
"No, wait, I was just…." (Samuel)
"Rather than you judging yourself, others judging you can be far more accurate more often than not." (Ian)
He spoke of truth. Ian"s serious, grave tone of voice continued on.
"I pondered a long while, wondering whether I should mention this or not. The reasons why I kept my mouth shut until now was, firstly, I respected the authority of the leader of the expedition. Secondly, I didn"t want to s.n.a.t.c.h that authority from you, and finally, because I knew of your circ.u.mstances." (Ian)
When ‘circ.u.mstances" were mentioned, Samuel became completely lost for words.
"Indeed, what happened was truly a lamentable matter. I do sympathise with your efforts to revitalise your team as it"s going through very rough waters. However, from where I stand, it looks like that you have not learned anything from ‘her" death and are trying to repeat the mistake of the past." (Ian)
"…………"
"I won"t bore you any more. I believe that we can return with what he have managed to achieve so far, and be thoroughly pleased with the rewards waiting for us back home. There is no reason to take on any further risk. And therefore, my answer is against." (Ian)
"M-Master Ian." (Samuel)
"There will be other expeditions in the future. I pray that you don"t bet everything on this one." (Ian)
That was something Seol Ji-Hu heard Samuel say a little while ago.
Samuel clenched his fist tightly, and slowly turned around. Klara looked utterly dismayed, while deep pain was etched on Alex"s face. But, Grace didn"t seem to care either way.
Samuel held their gazes for a little while, before slowly lowering his head.
"….I understand." (Samuel)
Only then did Ian form a refres.h.i.+ng grin.
"A trustworthy leader is a leader who knows when to retreat. You made the right choice." (Ian)
A weak smile struggled to form on Samuel"s lips.
"Let"s get out of here. We"ve collected all the burial goods on the walls, after all." (Samuel)
"Mm." (Ian)
Samuel and Ian headed towards the exit with quick steps. Other members of the expedition all turned around one by one to leave, but Seol Ji-Hu remained until the end and guarded his position.
Well, he couldn"t be sure that someone might have another idea. He was thinking of leaving last after confirming that everyone had left first.
"You must be really happy now." (Klara)
Klara gritted her teeth and sneered at him. Seol Ji-Hu couldn"t understand why she was being this angry and this embittered.
"Yeah, you must be really f*cking happy now that you can keep that petty princ.i.p.al of yours." (Klara)
"Oii. That"s enough from you." (Cho Hong)
When a mace suddenly came flying at her face, Klara freaked out and quickly took several steps back.
"Ch-Cho Hong? Even you?" (Klara)
"The decision"s been made already. Stop arguing." (Cho Hong)
"Why are you only picking on me?!" (Klara)
"Cuz, you keep making problems." (Cho Hong)
Cho Hong began emitting that uniquely cold glare of hers.
Seol Ji-Hu slowly opened his mouth.
"Cho-Hong. Please stop." (Seol Ji-Hu)
"Ng? No, hang on. I was just…" (Cho Hong)
"I know. I know, but she"s not worth your effort." (Seol Ji-Hu)
After hearing something rather unexpected coming from the youth, Cho-Hong"s eyes went extra round.
"What did you just say?! Hah, you think you won"t become like me later?!" (Klara)
Being on the receiving end of a biting remark, Klara"s expression crumpled unsightly and she began to growl in anger.
"You just wait and see. Two years, no, one, and you will definitely be regretting this day bitterly. Mark my words." (Klara)
"If you wish to make a prediction, then I should make one as well." (Seol Ji-Hu)
Seol Ji-Hu formed a mocking grin.
"You, if you continue to act in this idiotic manner, not knowing what"s what, you will die sooner than you think." (Seol Ji-Hu)
"Whwhat?!" (Klara)
"You should thank Samuel when you have the chance. Right now, I can"t really figure out why a guy like that lets a loose cannon like you hang around him." (Seol Ji-Hu)
After listening to deeply insulting words, Klara began stuttering as if she was greatly shaken to the core.
"S-stop making me laugh! What the h.e.l.l do you know?! You"re just a level 1 newbie!" (Klara)
"I wonder about that. I thought that I contributed far more than you have in this expedition." (Seol Ji-Hu)
Seol Ji-Hu"s words remained frigid. So much so that even Cho Hong was taken aback as well. She always thought that the youth was a kind-hearted and well-behaved kid. This was her first time seeing such an expression from Seol.
"…Keuk!"
Almost instantly, Klara"s eyes became moist and she angrily ran out of the exit. Seol Ji-Hu slowly let a sigh escape from his mouth.
"Hey, you…." (Cho Hong)
"Cho Hong." (Seol Ji-Hu)
"Uh?"
"Thanks." (Seol Ji-Hu)
"Uh, uh, uh, well, I, uh…" (Cho Hong)
Cho Hong went, Hmph, at the youth"s thanks, and turned around. While slowly walking away, she sneaked a glance and saw his back as he stared at the sarcophagus.
‘He had that kind of side to him too?" (Cho Hong)
Cho Hong tilted her head this way and that, before wrapping her hands around her neck area. For some reason, that area felt unusually warmer than before.
‘It"s done." (Seol Ji-Hu)
With this, he had kept his promise with the woman"s spirit.
Seol Ji-Hu corrected the necklace that had been misplaced slightly when he had to return it in haste. He even proceeded to carefully pat away the layer of acc.u.mulated dust on the lid, and turned around to leave.
"I"m sorry about all the commotion. If I find another chance in the future, I"ll come visit again." (Seol Ji-Hu)
He left with those parting words; he began smiling softly as he sensed that a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.
It wasn"t as if he couldn"t understand what Samuel was saying. But, apart from the a.s.surance given by the colour of the chamber as seen through ‘Nine Eyes", ending things this way certainly felt much better to him.
Money and fame? Of course they sounded nice.
However, none of them compared to his own self-worth he had regained after such a struggle.
Plop.
The sound of something falling came from behind him, but Seol didn"t hear it and just closed the exit door.
< 58.="" goodwill="" with="" goodwill,="" malice="" with="" malice=""> Fin.
(TL: Ok, the next chapter is over twice as long as this one – over 11,000 Korean words which should translate to around 5000-6000 English words – so I can"t be certain when I"ll be able to release it. Maybe I"ll cut it in half or something….)