The Forest Race Clonne

Chapter 61

“Is it possible that Semeion, of all people, couldn’t recognize him? He’s the First Knight and the strongest warrior!”

“Yes, Semeion is indeed the strongest warrior among our race. If he’s in a normal state..”

“…What?”

The atmosphere around them plummeted rapidly. It was as though time had stopped; the silence was so profound that even breath sounds seemed muted.

“What do you mean by that? Are you saying Semeion is not in a normal state right now?”

Kalph’s voice wavered slightly as he questioned. Everyone stared at Aska with tense expressions. Even Syran, who had been clinging tightly to me, lifted his head to gaze at Aska. But Aska didn’t reply immediately. It seemed he wasn’t holding back but rather deciding where to start explaining.

“Let’s go inside and talk…”

“No, we’ll do it here. Isn’t this important? If it concerns our race, everyone has the right to know.”

“…”

“Now that I think about it, you asked earlier if Semeion seemed okay, right? What’s going on with Semeion? What happened?”

“Does this have anything to do with the Demonic Beast’s seal being broken? What do you know? Stop beating around the bush! Where are the King and Rashian? Why didn’t they come with you?”

Questions came out in a torrent, like a waterfall. After watching for a moment, Aska finally spoke.

“Kalph, haven’t you noticed anything strange lately?”

“What? Something strange?”

“Like your energy being weaker than usual, or feeling like your strength isn’t under your control, or that your senses are dulled…”

“…What exactly are you getting at?”

“So it hasn’t reached you yet. Well, inside the village, there wouldn’t be many occasions to push your power to the limit. It would be hard to notice.”

“Damn it! What the hell are you saying? Explain it clearly!”

Kalph, gritting his teeth, grabbed Aska by the collar. Despite the rough treatment, Aska’s expression didn’t change. He neither resisted nor tried to free his collar, simply holding Kalph’s gaze.

“Listen closely, Kalph.”

The room fell so silent that even the sound of a pin dropping could be heard. In the heavy, leaden silence, Aska’s low voice resonated.

“The King has been sealed. And… Rashian is dead.”

* * *

A dull thud echoed somewhere. It was the sound of someone whose legs had given out, collapsing to the ground. But neither the fallen individual nor those around them reacted. Everyone stared blankly at Aska. Even Kalph, who was gripping Aska’s collar, was no exception.

“What the hell are you talking about…?”

Kalph’s bloodshot eyes wavered violently, like a storm. His hand, gripping Aska’s collar, tightened further, making his knuckles stand out.

“What did you just say? Who did you say is what now?”

“Kalph.”

“The King is sealed? Rashian is dead? You come back after decades and say this? After all this time with no news, you suddenly show up and say this?”

“Calm down.”

“Calm down? How can I be calm? This is a joke, right? You’re joking, aren’t you? Say it’s a lie! Tell me you’re joking because you had nothing better to do after coming back after so long!”

Kalph’s eyes flared with anger. His breathing grew irregular and unstable, caught between rage and the urge to cry. Aska, who had been observing quietly with sunken eyes, released a low sigh.

“I’m sorry.”

Silence lingered for a while. Though unspoken, countless meanings were exchanged through their gazes. Soon, Kalph let out a bitter laugh and released Aska’s collar. He staggered backward, his steps unsteady.

“Lord K-Kalph.”

“Lord Kalph.”

When the concerned onlookers tried to approach, he raised a hand to stop them. His expression was calm, but his hand, running through his hair, trembled violently. He seemed to notice this himself and took several deep breaths, clenching his fists tightly.

“Are you alright, Kalph?”

“Do you think anyone could be alright in this kind of situation?”

At the fierce retort, Aska remained silent. Kalph, glaring at him, swallowed hard.

“Explain everything. What happened?”

“You’re too agitated right now. It would be better to hear this once you’ve calmed down.”

“No. Just tell me. Things are bad enough already, and waiting won’t make it any better. Just shut up and explain.”

Finding no words to argue, Aska lowered his gaze quietly. Then he began, speaking in a slow, measured pace.

“There was an ambush.”

“When, where, and by whom?”

“The location was a remote village in Bukryeong, and the attack was carried out by troops that suddenly appeared at dawn.”

At the mention of troops, the murmurs grew louder. This wasn’t a chance encounter; it indicated a military operation conducted by professionally trained soldiers.

“They knew exactly who we were from the start. They had precise knowledge of our weaknesses and habits. Choosing Bukryeong as the attack site was likely strategic, knowing we are vulnerable to cold.”

“Bukryeong has a strong atmosphere of rejecting outsiders. I’ve heard that there are races that indiscriminately attack anyone who enters their territory, regardless of who they are. Is there a possibility that it was them?”

It was Talis who raised the question. While everyone seemed to consider that a valid point, Aska calmly shook his head. The next words he spoke caused everyone to hold their breath.

“There was a Demonic Beast mixed in with the command unit.”

“…!”

“In the chaos, I thought I might have been mistaken, but it wasn’t an illusion. He dealt a critical blow to the King.”

“This can’t be…”

“Seeing the Demonic Beasts appearing here now confirms that it wasn’t a mistake.”

“Are you saying humans have allied with the Demonic Beast?”

Kalph’s knuckles whitened as he clenched his fists tightly. This wasn’t a new revelation for me. The Demonic Beast that infiltrated the imperial palace had also formed an alliance with humans. Regardless of the circumstances, it was clear that human factions were involved.

“So when exactly did all of this happen?”

Cutting through the murmuring crowd, Kalph asked. Aska hesitated briefly but eventually spoke under the pressing stares.

“It was the year 215 of the Decus calendar.”

“215?”

Kalph’s expression shifted.

“It’s the year 225 now.”

“Yes.”

“Are you telling me this happened ten years ago? Did I hear you correctly? The King was sealed ten years ago?”

“Yes.”

This time, not even a sigh was heard. Everyone stood stunned, unable to process what was being said. Kalph cursed under his breath and reached out to grab Aska by the collar again.

“You bastard, you’d better have a good explanation for why you’re only now crawling back. If your explanation doesn’t convince me, I’ll kill you myself.”

“…We needed time to recover our strength.”

“What…?”

“After sealing the King and barely escaping, Semeion and I weren’t in our normal state either. We fell into a prolonged state of hibernation. Only recently have we woken up and regained the ability to move.”

The hand gripping Aska’s collar fell weakly to his side. Kalph’s eyes, wide open, began to fill with tears. He stared blankly for a moment before covering his face with one hand and bowing his head.

“Damn it…”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize, you idiot! Do you think I wanted to hear your apology?”

Though his voice had softened noticeably. Among the bystanders, there were many who also started to shed tears. While I didn’t fully understand what hibernation state was, it sounded like a dreadful condition. Recovering strength over ten years certainly suggested the severity of their state.

“How much have you recovered now?”

“About half of my former capabilities.”

“This is insane. And Semeion?”

“He’s in worse condition than I am.”

“Of course, which is why he didn’t even recognize an Aesang right in front of him…”

Kalph raked his fingers through his hair irritably and closed his eyes tightly, clearly struggling to calm himself.

“I’m having trouble understanding the situation. There were three of the top Knights. How did you end up getting beaten so badly? Even with a Demonic Beast among them, this doesn’t make sense.”

“We were unlucky in many ways.”

“Sure, that’s clear from how things ended up. But why didn’t Semeion come with you? Why are you here alone?”

“When I woke up, he had already left. He left a note saying he would be moving separately for a while to investigate something.”

“Damn it, what does he think he can do in that condition? Talis, try to establish a connection with Semeion immediately.”

“Yes, Lord Kalph.”

Talis nodded heavily and summoned his Guardian. Despite repeated attempts, the Guardian’s crimson wings fluttered in vain without any response. Talis’s expression grew darker with worry.

“There’s no connection, Lord Kalph. It seems Lord Semeion has blocked us from his end.”

“That guy, he cut off contact even in this situation?”

“He may want to receive it but simply can’t. He has to conserve as much energy as possible.”

Aska’s soft words caused Kalph’s expression to waver again, disrupting whatever he was about to yell.

“…Damn, this really is a mess.”

At Kalph’s muttered words, someone finally broke into sobs. The heavy, sinking atmosphere was abruptly shifted by Kalph, who widened his eyes in resolute determination.

“Everyone, pull yourselves together. The situation is indeed very bad, but it’s not the worst. The King isn’t dead; he’s sealed. He’s still alive. We haven’t lost yet.”

“But, Lord Kalph…”

“Shut up! What difference will crying make? We need to focus on what we can do now! We need to rescue the King! Rashian died to buy us this time! Are we going to let his death be in vain?”

Those who had been sniffling clenched their mouths shut and steeled their gazes.

—–
(T/N): Damn 10yrs.