HIF 28

Forest of the Fallen Night

As soon as I finished speaking, everyone seemed to freeze for a moment. Taking advantage of the silence, I logically and methodically explained why I should go along.

At one point, it seemed like someone tried to interrupt me, but I firmly raised my voice.

Originally, these things had to be asserted strongly. And what I said wasn’t wrong either. It would be beneficial for everyone if I went along.

Perhaps my thoughts got through, as it was eventually concluded that I would go too.

I shrugged my shoulders at Min Joo-hyuk, who was looking at me with a somewhat complicated gaze. It wasn’t something to make such a serious face about.

Park Yul’s voice was heard from the front.

“Yi-han-ah. First of all, it’s not that I told you to stay because you’d be a bother.”

It seemed like we needed to clarify this, so Park Yul added that and made eye contact with me.

“You can come back right away if you go. If it gets tough, tell me anytime.”

Raen approached me as I nodded beside me. Raen gently draped his arm over my shoulder. Raen’s robe softly covered my back.

“Yi-han, we’re moving now. It’ll be very dark, so don’t be scared.”

A sudden strong wind blew. The location had changed in an instant.

The fresh yet slightly damp forest scent and the faint sound of crickets chirping. Against a pitch-black darkness, a blue Status Window floated before my eyes.

「You have arrived at the ‘Forest of the Fallen Night’ area.」

Forest of the Fallen Night? So that’s why it’s so dark? As soon as I thought that, the Status Window flickered as if distorting. Black letters flashed momentarily across the Status Window, which was shaking as if malfunctioning.

「Remember for me.」

With that short sentence, the Status Window abruptly turned off. The blue light vanished suddenly. It felt like the surroundings had suddenly become quiet.

I couldn’t see anything. Perhaps because the bright light that was before my eyes disappeared in an instant, I couldn’t even tell if my eyes were open or closed in the deep darkness.

My breath felt choked. Unconsciously, I took a step back. Simultaneously, I felt a firm hand supporting my back.

“Yi-han.”

Raen’s gentle voice was heard. Right, I wasn’t left alone here. My breath, which had suddenly been blocked, seemed to flow again.

A faint light spread out from the front. Song Ha-gyun was floating a white, rectangular box in the air. Song Ha-gyun’s eyes looking at me seemed filled with concern.

“Seon Yi-han, should we just go back?”

Min Joo-hyuk’s voice was heard right beside me.

I was fine now. It wasn’t dark anymore, and most importantly, I wasn’t alone in this place now.

I’m okay, I answered quietly, and Park Yul extended a hand toward me.

“Then shall we go together, Yi-han-ah.”

In the darkness where even the leaves were dyed pitch black, his eyes sparkled as if holding a lone recording.

Holding Park Yul’s hand, I took a step forward. I could feel Park Yul gripping my hand firmly.

“Let’s go.”

As if my muffled ears had cleared, the sound of crickets chirping could be heard again.

Right. There was nothing to be scared of. Underfoot, the grassy ground crunched as I stepped on it.

◇

After walking a bit, flat ground came into view.

Park Yul stood in one spot, seemingly lost in thought, then used magic to instantly create a tent of appropriate size in front of it. It looked familiar.

Min Joo-hyuk, who had been circling the area widely with Raen while deploying magic, rushed over to me.

“Sit here.”

Min Joo-hyuk used magic to drag a large log from somewhere and instantly trimmed it neatly. It definitely wasn’t the skill of someone who had only done it once or twice.

Had they done this every time? As I was blankly thinking, Min Joo-hyuk poured out thin branches in front of me.

“Hey, Seon Yi-han. Watch closely.”

Min Joo-hyuk lightly flicked his finger. Simultaneously, flames roared up.

The branches caught fire with a crackling sound. Thin smoke rose above the flames. The surroundings brightened, and the faint smell of burning wood spread.

It was amazing. Magic itself was amazing, but seeing flames ignite so instantly before my eyes was even more surprising.

As I stared wide-eyed at Min Joo-hyuk, he laughed and ruffled my hair. The red light of the campfire flickered on Min Joo-hyuk’s face as he plopped down beside me.

“How is it?”

He had an expression that seemed to want to see my reaction. I felt sorry for him, but I wasn’t originally the type to express things so grandly.

Still, I nodded my head as enthusiastically as I could. Min Joo-hyuk’s expression, which had briefly passed by, seemed somewhat satisfied.

I turned my gaze and quietly watched the burning campfire. Come to think of it, if they can create light with magic, why bother lighting a fire?

As soon as I asked, Min Joo-hyuk chuckled and answered immediately.

“For romance!”

Did I hear that right? I turned my head back toward Min Joo-hyuk. Min Joo-hyuk was still smiling brightly and making eye contact with me.

Really, for that reason? No, of course, lighting a campfire in the forest has its romance… Then I felt a gentle warmth enveloping my shoulder.

“That’s one reason, and doing it this way is also more efficient.”

It was Raen’s voice. Raen, who had gracefully sat down beside me, continued.

“It’s better to save even the small amount of Mana used to maintain magic. Just in case.”

Ah, I see. Now I completely understood. Min Joo-hyuk, why did you have to… when you could have explained it like this from the start… As I was thinking that, Min Joo-hyuk’s voice was heard from beside me.

“Raen, romance is a more important reason than efficiency!”

He was serious.

As Min Joo-hyuk said, it being romantic was also true. Just as I was slowly coming to agree, Raen’s voice tinged with laughter came from beside me.

“That’s right. Ju-hyeok liked this kind of atmosphere. I like it too.”

Min Joo-hyuk nodded, seemingly satisfied. Raen calmly uttered the next words.

“But what’s more important doesn’t change.”

“…!”

Min Joo-hyuk opened his eyes wide and looked at Raen. He had a shocked expression. As I always think, his expressions are really rich.

As if he couldn’t back down, Min Joo-hyuk quickly continued.

“Raen, I think we should hear Park Yul’s opinion on this too.”

“Leader would say both reasons are equally important.”

“Then to Song Ha-gyun…”

“He’d probably say reasons like that don’t really matter.”

Raen’s words sounded plausible. They were answers Park Yul and Song Ha-gyun might give. As I was quietly thinking, Min Joo-hyuk suddenly turned his head toward me.

“Seon Yi-han! What do you think?”

Ah, I didn’t expect him to ask me too.

Min Joo-hyuk gave me a look that seemed to say he trusted me. As I quietly met that gaze, I felt an urge to say the exact opposite of what Min Joo-hyuk hoped for.

Should I really do that? While pondering, I turned my head and looked at Raen. Raen was looking at me with a faint smile. …Aha.

Min Joo-hyuk, get a grip. Right now, you’re the only one being serious here…

With a touch of pity, I patted Min Joo-hyuk’s back a couple of times. I gave the most neutral answer.

“Since what each person thinks is important is different, you’re both right.”

“Right. So what do you think is important?”

Min Joo-hyuk was more persistent than I thought. That was possible. Everyone has a few things they can’t back down from. Of course, I didn’t know Min Joo-hyuk’s thing he couldn’t back down from would be this.

In the end, I just said whatever.

“Well. Romance is good, and being efficient is good too. Anyway, there’s some reason for it, right? That’s the most important thing, isn’t it?”

Min Joo-hyuk stared at me intently. He seemed to be waiting for what would come next. This is the end?

“Why do you think that?”

Raen’s gentle voice was heard. I turned my head.

Raen still had a faint smile at the corner of his mouth. However, his golden eyes, flickering with the flames, somehow seemed calmly settled. I hadn’t thought about it beforehand, but I opened my mouth again.

“If it becomes an important reason for someone, then it’s no longer existing without any meaning…”

I turned my gaze and looked at the campfire before me. A small spark jumped tiny into the darkness. Hot heat transmitted over. The flames were burning vividly here.

“I thought that was enough.”

After finishing speaking, that thought came to me. It seems I’ve become someone who can answer sudden questions quite well now.

The memory of not being able to utter a single word properly on the day I first met Raen is still vivid. People grow like this, I thought. I felt proud.

“Hey, Seon Yi-han.”

Min Joo-hyuk messed up my hair with one hand. There were no further words. When I turned my head to look, Min Joo-hyuk’s face looked strange. I couldn’t tell what expression it was.

Raen quietly held my hand and then let go.

“Yi-han. Everything in the world has a reason. Not just someone’s reason, but an important reason inherent in its very existence.”

“…Huh?”

Raen’s words were sudden. Min Joo-hyuk calmly continued from beside me.

“It means nothing exists without meaning.”

“That’s right. So I hope Yi-han can also find his own reason.”

I felt the gazes of the two turning toward me. However, not grasping the context of the conversation, I didn’t know what to say.

Min Joo-hyuk, who was looking at my face, grinned. Then he pinched my cheek and stretched it, lightly continuing.

“Right. Don’t think too hard. Well, if that reason happens to be romance, even better.”

“…Ah.”

“Raen, did you hear that?”

What was there to hear? It meant he should take his hand off quickly.

I couldn’t just stand by and let this misinterpretation happen. The System also arbitrarily… No, let’s not think about this. It was already in the past.

Removing Min Joo-hyuk’s hand, I firmly opened my mouth.

“I didn’t give any answer.”

“Did you hear that, Ju-hyeok?”

“…Yes.”

Min Joo-hyuk noticeably quieted down. I’ll let it slide just this time. I slowly continued.

“I never said I disliked it. I’ll think about it.”

I looked at the flickering campfire. My heart seemed to calm down again. The hot heat melted into the cold winter air. My body warmed up.

White smoke was seeping into the darkness. I raised my head, following the smoke that rose slowly as if dispersing. The pitch-black sky came into view.

Forest of the Fallen Night. I thought it was a fitting name. The pitch-black void spread out as if the darkest hour of night had fallen.

I stretched one hand high toward the dark sky that felt pressing down. Of course, nothing caught in my hand.

It was just deep darkness.