Hwee-Kyung continued to climb with her injured body and put her hand on the last ledge of the bedrock. She suddenly felt fatigued when the thought that the ledge would be the last one she had to climb onto crossed her mind. Even if her body were in a better condition, the climb still would have been a life risking one. It would have been better if there was a foothold on which she could step her uninjured right foot to help herself up, but there wasn’t.
‘It’s okay. Enduring is what I’m best at.’
Hwee-Kyung took a deep breath to prepare herself for the pain.
Then as she was about to put her weight onto her swollen left ankle, she heard a voice from above.
“Take my hand.”
“Huh?”
Hwee-Kyung looked up. There was a hand reaching down from the shadow cast by the bedrock.
It was a Lizardman. The Lizardman in a few layers of silk clothing. Hwee-Kyung knew that the layers were used to maintain the Lizardman’s ideal body temperatures, since Lizardmen were sensitive to change in temperature.
‘But there’s only one tribe wealthy enough to wear layers of clothing made of silk.’
In fact, Hwee-Kyung already knew which tribe the Lizardman was from even if it weren’t for the clothes. The Lizardman had black scales.
Then the Lizardman from the Black-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe waved his hand and jokingly said, “My hand is getting lonely.”
Hwee-Hyung couldn’t just simply reach out and grab the hand. She believed that her vigilance was what had kept her alive until now.
“Who are you?”
“Are you just going to stay like that?”
“Have you been watching me this whole time?”
“I think it’s a better idea for you to come up here and have this conversation rather than talking like this, but to answer your question, yes.” 𝑖.𝘤ℴ𝘮
Hwee-Kyung didn’t think the Lizardman would be a vagrant robber. However, she had to keep in mind the possibility that the Lizardman could be a troublesome writer.
“Even if you helped me up, I don’t have anything to give you. I’m broke.”
As if he found her concern ridiculous, the Lizardman asked, “Is that really what you’re thinking about while hanging off of a cliff?”
“Yes, because I can go up by myself too.”
“I know that. But I saw that you were going to use your injured foot to push yourself up.”
“…Damn it.”
“And I’m not going to ask for anything.”
Done talking, the Lizardman bent down towards her. Hwee-Kyung could smell the unique scent of the Lizardmen’s scales. Some people thought the Lizardmen scales had a fishy odor, so they would cover their noses, but others just thought of water and bushes. Hwee-Kyung was one of the latter.
As Hwee-Kyung hesitated, the Lizardman grabbed Hwee-Kyung’s wrist and pulled her up. And while she was still reeling from the surprise, she found herself being lowered to the ground.
“Don’t you think it’s a better idea to put your right foot down first?” asked the Lizardman.
“I know that too.”
Hwee-Kyung set her right foot down on the ground while still dangling and leaned against the wall of another cliff. Then the Lizardman let go of her wrist.
‘Did he just pull me up with one hand? Now I see why the Lizardmen of the Black-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe are all called strong.’
While Hwee-Kyung was surprised, the Lizardman was also puzzled.
The Lizardman looked back and forth between her and the road near the cliff and asked, “This road is wide enough for a person to barely pass by. One side of the road is where a rockslide can happen at any time, and the other side is a valley with a several meter drop. Were you thinking of pushing a wheelbarrow full of stuff down this kind of road? It’s a relief that this is the extent of your injury.”
“There wouldn’t have been any problems if it hadn’t been for the broken wheel.”
“Wheels can always break and cause trouble. Shouldn’t you have kept that in mind?”
Given the current technological level, the Lizardman had a point.
Hwee-Kyung knew what to do in difficult situations.
“So, who are you?”
“Sorry, I haven’t introduced myself yet. I am Sairan Muel, from the Black-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe.”
“Sairan Muel?”
“You can ignore the Muel part. It’s a name that was passed down, but neither I nor my father know what it means. It’s not a common name used among the Lizardmen, but my father wanted me to keep it. That’s why I always introduce myself as Sairan Muel. You can just call me Sairan.”
Hwee-Kyung nodded.
“Okay. Well, I thought I should at least say thank you since I did receive your help. Thank you, Sairan.”
After Hwee-Kyung thanked Sairan, she tried to limp past him and go on her way. But Sairan blocked her.
“I’m sorry, but I haven’t finished talking.”
“…Damn it, I knew this would happen. I told you I don’t have anything.”
“That’s not what I mean, Hwee-Kyung.”
When her name came out of Sairan’s mouth, she reached for the obsidian knife kept at her waist. Hwee-Kyung knew that her identity must not be revealed.
Hwee-Seo, who took over Automation after his mother, decided to lead Automation in a different way after she was assassinated. And that way was to hide his identity. He only made his true identity known to members of the four trusted families in the castle. He had them act as his hands and feet and, at the same time, made the four families vigilant of each other.
There was risk to live this way, but Hwee-Seo managed to settle matters well within his capabilities. What had seemed like close calls didn’t even seem dangerous looking back, and were considered stunts to him several years later. And no one could ignore a stuntman that had several years of experience.
Hwee-Seo also wanted the identities of his children to be kept hidden, and his children had to follow his order. If they didn’t put in enough effort to hide their identities, they wouldn’t be qualified to become a successor, wouldn’t get the attention of their father, and they could meet an untimely demise.
Hwee-Kyung knew that black-scaled Lizardmen were strong, but her obsidian knife was sharp, and it was long enough to pierce one’s heart. She instinctively almost unsheathed her knife, but refrained from doing so at the moment.
Hwee-Kyung thought, ‘Even if I end up using my knife, I first need to know how he knew my name. It won’t matter that I use my knife after I get information out of him… And it’s certainly not because he helped me.’
In addition, Sairan was showing both his palms to indicate that he had no intentions of getting into trouble.
Sairan then said, “I came to look for you.”
“Look for me? Did you know who I was? How did you find out?”
“I don’t know who you are all that well. Lakrak only told me your name.”
“Lakrak?”
Hwee-Kyung recalled the familiar name. It didn’t take too long for her to recall who it was.
“Are you talking about Lakrak, the show-off hunter, thunder lizard, first chosen one, tribal chief of the Black-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe?”
“…We just call him Chief.”
Hwee-Kyung had heard the rumor that the Ears Cut Tribe and the Black-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe were preparing for a fight in the wilderness. It was a rumor going on among the citizens of Automation as they were the center of the whole fight.
If Sairan wasn’t lying, knowing how Lakrak came to know Hwee-Kyung’s name wouldn’t matter. The Black-Scaled Lizardmen would have done anything they could to find out. The next question was more important.
“Why did he ask you to find me?”
“Hm, to be honest, I don’t know for sure either. But I do think I can explain to you part of the reason.”
“Okay, tell me that part.”
Sairan organized his thoughts and asked, “Are you aware of the two recent rumors spreading throughout Automation?”
“…Which ones? The second son of the To family succeeding in horseback riding? Or the second daughter of the Soo family giving birth to twins? Or that the fishmonger finally brought living fish to the market?”
“…Is that last one real?”
“No. I checked. It was a lie. They’re all salted.”
“Well, anyways, I wasn’t talking about any of those rumors. It’s one you should’ve known. Even I, an outsider, heard of it… You haven’t been to Automation recently, have you?”
“You’re right. I had to buy silk and went as far as possible to buy it at a cheap price. I was lucky enough to find someone that I could buy silk from. What on earth is the rumor you’re talking about?”
Sairan replied, “There are two rumors, to be exact. One is that the second child of the lord will become the next lord of Automation, and the other is that the fourth child will become the next lord of Automation.”
Hwee-Kyung frowned for a moment.
“They’re false rumors.”
“I know you are Hwee-Seo’s fourth child.”
Hwee-Kyung shook her head.
“I guess you don’t understand because you’re not human and you don’t live in Automation, but fighting doesn’t necessarily mean fighting with knives. Those rumors are a part of the fight between my siblings, who are trying to become the next lord of Automation. I’m not sure why, but it seems that my second brother and I have gotten dragged into a rumor, and I’m sure there is someone who will benefit from this.”
In reality, Hwee-Kyung did know well about the successor fight. But there was no reason to explain it to a Lizardman she didn’t even know.
‘My first brother and older sister aren’t the type to spread false rumors. It’s unlikely they did it. Then was it my second brother or my younger sister? My younger sister is a feeble person, so she wouldn’t have been able to resist the urge to benefit from a false rumor, but she wouldn’t really benefit from this kind of rumor. It’s likely that my second brother was behind it. He always enjoys making things up behind peoples’ backs. He probably wanted to make himself a victim of a false rumor, but thought he would get too much attention brought only to himself, so he got me involved. How childish.’
Hwee-Kyung then said, “Anyways, those rumors have nothing to do with me, or you for that matter. Why don’t you just say that the Black-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe sent you to get information about Automation? It seems you’ve somehow found out I am one of the lord’s children, but I am an outcast. There’s nothing you can get out of me. It would have been better to look into another sibling.”
Hwee-Kyung finished her spiel and examined Sairan’s attitude. And since she had gotten what she needed to know from the Lizardman, the Lizardman had to die. Hwee-Kyung tightly grabbed the hilt of the knife. Even though Sairan was just standing still, there didn’t seem to be a place where Hwee-Kyung could properly stab him. And because of the height difference, Hwee-Kyung thought she wouldn’t be able to get him. Being strong also meant being fast. Hwee-Kyung already knew that there was a higher chance of failure than the chance of success if she were to attack the Lizardman.
‘What if I fail to kill him?’
Then she would be subject to the ire of the Black-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe that she had heard rumors about. However, she also couldn’t just send Sairan away. If word spread that she let an outsider go even when she had the chance to stop him, and especially if her father found out about it…she would die anyway. She had a sibling who died for that.
‘…Rather than living with father’s disappointment, it would be better to experience the anger of a Lizardman.’
Sairan then said to Hwee-Kyung, who had made up her mind, “I think you’ve misunderstood something. Looking for you was Lakrak’s first command. I need to carry out the second command as well.”
“Second command?”
“I was commanded to protect you.”
Hwee-Kyung felt an uncomfortable feeling somewhere in her heart. It was a feeling she had been ignoring for a long time because others had ignored her. It was strange, and because she hadn’t felt it in a long time, she couldn’t put a name to it. Hwee-Kyung thought in her head that she didn’t want to know what the feeling was, but somewhere in her heart she heard a voice.
Do you want me to tell you what it is?
‘Shut up.’
It’s called warmth.
‘I told you to shut up, didn’t I?’
The voice soon faded, and Hwee-Kyung thought it was ridiculous.
‘Has my heart become soft for this Lizardman I met only a moment ago just because he said such words?’
But it was inevitable that she would feel that way. As far as Hwee-Kyung could remember, no one had ever offered to protect her. Her tight grasp around the hilt of her knife had already loosened. Hwee-Kyung had no intention to stab the one who said he would protect her. She always thought that she was a strict person, but people who remembered her thought of her as a person who became weak when it came to affection.
Hwee-Kyung stuttered, “W-Wha…what are you talking about?”
Sairan didn’t know much about human emotions. Therefore, he calmly told Hwee-Kyung what he knew.
“You said it was a false rumor, but your siblings won’t think so. Neither would the other families. Chief Lakrak said that the succession ceremony for Automation is approaching. Everyone is paying attention to the big change that will happen. Therefore, people will react sensitively to even the smallest rumors, and they will want to reduce unnecessary variables. Given the circumstances, the weakest ones are the ones who are eliminated first.”
Hwee-Kyung collected herself while Sairan was talking.
“…Even if I agree with all that you just said, I can protect myself. So go back where you came from. I have no reason to receive help from the Black-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe. And like I mentioned before, I don’t have anything to offer. Look into another sibling.”
“I can’t do that. I have received commands from the tribal chief to protect no other sibling, but the fourth child. And neither I nor my tribal chief want anything from you.”
Hwee-Kyung sighed. She didn’t think that using logic would make the Lizardman go away. So she would have to use emotions.
‘I didn’t want to have to show him this much.’
Hwee-Kyung let go of her knife and walked towards Sairan. It seemed Sairan was surprised as Hwee-Kyung approached him with empty hands.
“What is it?” asked Sairan.
“Look at this.”
Hwee-Kyung used her hand to lift her bangs. There was a pair of cylindrical bumps on her forehead. The cross section was so rough that anyone with a keen eye could see that they were cut by hands.
“As you can tell, they’re horns. Well, parts where there used to be horns, to be exact. Horn stumps, one could call them.”
“…Do they grow back?” asked Sairan.
Hwee-Kyung nodded and said, “Yes. So I cut them whenever they grow long. Everyone who knows me says I’m cursed because of these horns. There also are people who say such a thing just because they feel distaste that a person has horns, but…”
“But?”
“Those who know me well avoid and hate me more. Because I really am cursed.”
Sairan crossed his arms and looked at Hwee-Kyung here and there.
“You do seem a bit messy, but it doesn’t look like you’re cursed. They really hate you just because of those cute horns?”
“I’m not joking.”
Hwee-Kyung pointed to her horn stumps and continued to say, “I was born tearing my mother’s stomach with these horns. And because of that, she died. One of my siblings also eventually died because of my horns. Apart from that, unfortunate things always happen to those around me. That’s the real reason why I’m a loner.”
Sairan looked down at Hwee-Kyung with no facial expressions for a moment and said, “I’m sorry to hear that, Hwee-Kyung. My condolences. But my mission doesn’t change whether you’re cursed or not. It’s assigned to me by my tribal chief, and I am here to carry out the will of the Black-Scaled Lizardmen Tribe.”
“What if I refuse?”
Sairan replied in a calm voice, “I’ll still protect you. I have the willingness and the ability to do so.”
𝑖𝘦.𝑐𝘰𝘮