Chapter: 913
I walked along with Shin Noya and the turtle.
I wondered how far we would go, but it didn’t take us very far at all.
Outside the outer wall.
It was the exact spot where we had first entered this space. Right there.
An ordinary forest path surrounded by plenty of green trees.
This was the midway point where we paused for a moment during our walk.
I stopped there and looked around.
‘What’s going on here?’
There didn’t seem to be anything different from other places, so I couldn’t understand why we had stopped.
As I was surveying the area for a bit…
“How does it look?”
Shin Noya asked, glancing at the turtle, which was staring blankly into the air.
At his words, the turtle extended its staff and waved it around in the air. And at that moment—
WHOOOOOOSH—!!!
It felt as if waves were forming in the air, creating a sensation of vibrations.
I widened my eyes at the sight.
‘What the…’
There was definitely something there.
I hadn’t felt it until now, but as the turtle took action, it all came to me.
What is that? I squinted and looked more closely.
“Hmmm.”
The turtle mumbled quietly, waved its cane a few more times, then brought it back down sharply onto the ground.
“What a mess…”
That was a remark filled with a sigh.
“Jang Moon-in, I clearly told you to handle it carefully. It seems you’ve ignored my words once more this time, haven’t you?”
The turtle spoke to Shin Noya in a rather uncomfortable tone.
“Didn’t I tell you to be extremely careful?”
“No…”
At those words, Shin Noya’s expression soured, looking quite wronged.
“This time, I didn’t even do anything, so isn’t it a bit hasty to suspect me right away?”
“Huh?”
The turtle made a peculiar expression in reaction to that.
“What do you mean? That you didn’t do it?”
“Exactly. It’s true that I’ve occasionally broken barriers…! But this time, it wasn’t me.”
Afterward, Shin Noya pointed at me with his hand.
“This time, he opened it.”
“Pardon?”
I responded in surprise at those words.
Me?
“That guy?”
The turtle turned its gaze toward me.
“…What have I done?”
Suddenly, it’s my fault? Taken aback, I asked, and Shin Noya added further.
“Didn’t you touch the entrance when you came in here last time?”
“…What… Huh?”
I found myself puzzled by that statement. Until it suddenly clicked. I did remember that happening.
It seemed like Shin Noya was searching for something, and I had touched a strange part while trying to figure it out.
“And what does that mean for me?”
If just touching that caused a mess, wouldn’t that be a little odd?
As I said this, I frowned.
“…Hmm.”
The turtle nodded, adopting an understanding expression.
“In the end, you are to blame, Jang Moon-in.”
“What…? Why is that my fault?”
“Didn’t you invite it? Then it’s your fault.”
“Quit it already! The turtle’s slow with its words, but the meanings it throws are as bad as they get.”
“What the…? This lunatic right now.”
They were really raising a ruckus.
I wondered why they suddenly started bickering.
There shouldn’t be any mess like this.
Even leaving it alone didn’t seem like it would end well, so I had to interrupt.
“Hey, could you both cut it out…? Didn’t you come here for a reason?”
“…”
The old geezers who had been arguing suddenly fell silent.
It felt like they had realized something they had forgotten.
“Right, talking too much when we’re here to work. Let’s just do what we came to do.”
Amidst it all, Shin Noya added a remark as though he hadn’t forgotten his temper, but the turtle ignored him and picked up its staff again.
Of course, its expression still clearly showed frustration. The turtle answered through action.
ZYAAAAA—!!!
Something luminous burst forth from the staff. As soon as I caught sight of it, my body froze in place.
THUMP—!
Not again. My heart pounded away uncontrollably.
It was the same feeling that hit me when I was chased by the turtle earlier.
Is this pain? No. This felt different, beyond mere pain. If it were just pain…
‘You wouldn’t feel like you want to keep seeing it.’
I would have wanted to look away or bolt from the spot immediately.
THUMP—! THUMP—!
All my focus zeroed in on my racing heart.
It felt like some deep instinct was compelling me not to miss a single detail.
At that moment.
“Ra… Eura…”
The turtle mumbled softly, its voice barely making it to my ears even with my senses heightened.
What could it be saying?
I was curious, nearly leaning in to catch its words.
“Phew.”
With that sigh from the turtle, its utterance came to an abrupt halt. It wasn’t a long pause.
And then at that second—
WHOOOOOOOSH—!!!
“…!”
An overwhelming light erupted from the staff, beginning to encircle everything around us. The light was so colorful, it looked akin to a rainbow.
But the colors weren’t the only shocking part.
‘…Incredible.’
A gasp of amazement escaped me while witnessing the dazzling brilliance.
The strain in my eyes morphed into an amazing view within the depths of my gaze.
The crimson light I peered through was filled with enormous threads.
‘How is this even…?’
Those countless threads were so tightly packed and breathtaking that it was hard to even fathom their beauty.
THUMP—! THUMP—!
My heart continued racing even faster. What is this sensation?
I can’t quite put my finger on it. Yet, paradoxically, there are things I can deduce.
‘That’s sorcery.’
I had an inkling from the earlier encounter, but seeing this solidified my conviction.
That’s sorcery.
Not just any sorcery, but one of an incredibly superior level that I had never seen before.
‘This is definitely different from the stuff the Zhuge family and the gods had taught me.’
The North Sea was no exception.
It was entirely distinct from the sorcery I had sought to comprehend.
I wanted to see more. I wanted to know more.
Only after I came upon this revelation did I realize the nature of this strange longing.
‘I crave knowledge.’
Should I call it a thirst for learning?
I longed to delve deeper into that sorcery.
One.
SAAAAAAAAAA—…
The brilliant light that once flourished quickly began to fade.
And as I witnessed it, an intense wave of regret washed over me.
Not yet.
Not yet.
‘I have to see more.’
I wished to see more. I needed more time to grasp what it was.
CRACKLE.
A strange ache surged in my eyes.
Is this because of the mind? Is the pain a consequence of trying to absorb so much information?
It didn’t matter. Yet, I had to see it—
“Stop right there.”
THUMP.
“Huh!?”
I clutched my forehead at the sudden pain. When I glanced at the source, it was the turtle poking me in the forehead with its cane.
Rubbing my throbbing forehead, I stared at the turtle.
“I completely understand the sentiment, but that’s too much.”
“…”
The turtle seemed aware of what I had been doing.
“Turtle…”
WHAM—!
“Ugh!?”
This time, the staff hit the top of my head.
What’s strange is that I’d clearly blocked it with my hand, yet it went through and smacked my scalp.
“That old man is more than enough, so how dare you call me a turtle as well? How impertinent.”
I thought it was acceptable since Shin Noya called it a turtle, but it seemed that was not the case.
“… So, what should I call you?”
“Don’t call me anything.”
“Pardon…?”
“The name I once had has long been abandoned. Anything I once owned has been lost for a long time. Don’t call for me.”
“Then just let me call you turtle.”
“…Long-winded…”
“If you won’t even tell me how to address you when I’m asking nicely, then I’ll just call you whatever I please.”
“…”
The turtle shot daggers at Shin Noya with its eyes, but he didn’t retort back.
Was that a suggestion to act freely?
Or did it mean not to worry since it doesn’t matter anyway?
I couldn’t tell.
The turtle quickly donned an expression of annoyance and fatigue, carelessly waving its cane as it turned away.
“I’ve wrapped up my work, so I’ll be taking my leave.”
“Already? You didn’t do a half-hearted job, did you?”
The turtle glared at Noya for his comment.
“I made it infinitely more precise than last time, so it should be fine for three months. Of course, that is, if you don’t cause any more unnecessary trouble.”
“Hmm… So does that mean I’ll have to fix it again soon?”
“Are you out of your mind?”
“It’s a joke.”
Shin Noya let out a chuckle as he said that. The turtle sighed heavily in response.
“…I’ll be leaving now—.”
“Oh, wait a second.”
Noya halted the turtle mid-step. The turtle’s whiskers trembled at the words.
“What is it now?”
“Before you go, just one more favor, please.”
“I thought we had reached the end of your requests? I’m not taking on any more.”
“Another month of plum tea.”
“Just hear me out first.”
It was quite a greedy conversation.
At the turtle’s words, Shin Noya chuckled and pointed towards me and the Heavenly Horse.
“Could you do ‘that’ for them?”
‘That?’
The turtle glared at Shin Noya as if something about his request didn’t sit well.
“Long story.”
“Huh?”
“I thought I just warned you against doing anything useless.”
“Hey, what do you mean by that? What useless thing am I doing?”
Noya waved his hand dismissively at the turtle’s words, as though they were absolute nonsense.
“I’m just preparing for any unforeseen circumstances.”
“…”
“I’d wager you know this is necessary, right? Stop acting disinterested and just get it done. We’re both busy; wouldn’t it be better to wrap it up quickly?”
“You little brat…”
“What was that?”
“I called you a little brat.”
“I’m not pretending to ignore you…”
Shin Noya scratched his nose awkwardly.
Watching them, I couldn’t help but feel quite amused.
‘Watching them squabble is enjoyable.’
It felt good for a change.
“You know, you’ve got weird eyes.”
“My eyes are just fine as they are.”
“They’re not… They look way worse than usual…”
“Who’s pointing out whose eyes?”
“What’s that, you brat?”
“It’s a compliment, saying you have handsome eyes.”
I couldn’t believe this nobleman with equally fierce eyes shared my sentiments.
But, he was incredibly sharp-witted.
“Ah, whatever, just do it quickly. Do you want to see me throwing a tantrum?”
“What’s the point of throwing a tantrum at your age? What’s the point? Are you planning to throw a fit on the ground?”
“In that case, I should cause a ruckus… in your place.”
“…”
The turtle’s expression immediately soured.
Conversely, I was left speechless from Noya’s words.
‘Wow.’
The level of defiance here is something else.
How can he express threats just as he shows his anger?
I respect that. This isn’t mere flattery; I genuinely mean it. That’s something worth learning!
I nodded seriously as I considered that.
‘I should definitely remember to use this strategy next time.’
I meant it sincerely.
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