943 Episode 1 At the End of Long Darkness (1)

Approximately sixteen years ago - Zei-Sung was finally recognized as a one-man hunter after taking out the gibba with his own hands.

"Well done, Zei. You did a great job."

A branch parent, the parent of the upbringing, calls with a laughing voice.

However, Zei-Sung was stuck in a wave of blood pulsating inside him, and was unable to respond to it.

At his feet, a bloody gibbon fell down.

It would be a much heavier gibber than Zei-Sung. It was incredible the fact that I slashed it down under one sword.

But it is true that the sword that Zei-Sung gripped with both hands is wet with Gibba's blood, and the heavy feeling of slashing it down remains in the palm of his hand.

Zei-Sung was finally able to get rid of Gibba with this hand.

From the bottom of my hot stomach, it seemed as if a fever of joy was spreading up.

"I'm not stunned anymore, Zei. The sun is already leaning heavily. Before that day goes down, we have to peel off the fur and harvest horns and fangs."

"Uh-huh. I'm familiar."

"We'll keep an eye on the surroundings so you can peel off the fur.... that fur hunter's clothes are proof that you're alone."

Always harsh parents' voices echo with laughter that can't be hidden.

With difficulty, Zei-Sung worked to get rid of Gibba.

At that time, Zei-Sung was only 15 years old, just two years after entering the forest as an apprentice hunter.

The approximate hunter finishes his apprenticeship in less than two years. Zei-Sung was more than happy that he was also able to show his strength as a hunter as soon as he turned 15.

Zei-Sung has no parents. My parents returned their souls when Zei-Sung was young.

Zei-Sung, who was not yet five years old, was taken over by the rest of the family and raised there until today. So today, about ten years later, it is finally recognized as a one-man hunter.

(Now I'm a real hunter too. If the Lou family invades, I'll slash you down like a gibbon.)

While peeling thick fur from still warm Gibba's flesh, Zei-Sung broke a new spirit of struggle.

The Seung and Lou families have had bad relationships since Zei-Sung was very young. From what I heard, it seems that the Lou family impersonated suspicions unusual to the Sung family and said that they would not give up the seat of chieftaincy.

(Although Migi-Sung certainly has a rough temper, he can't kill the rest of the crowd for no reason. Until you tell such lies, you're taking the seat of chieftaincy... you're an unforgivable idiot.)

Zei-Sung was often thought to be too quiet, but today she seems to have been captured by Daw Aung, who took down the gibba.

"Come on, Zei. You need some help?

"No, it's done. Should I take the meat off my feet?

"Hmm. There must still be some meat left in the house... but tomorrow's your celebration. In any case, I'll give you the meat of the gibbon."

Parents who are replacing Zei-Sung's father have a glimpse of how they look more happy than Zei-Sung himself. That gave Zei-Sung a deep joy.

However, the joy never lasted long.

When I returned to Sung's settlement with my fur wrapped feet, Tae-sung, the head of another branch, was waiting for me.

"Oh, Tae-sung. Look at this. Finally, Zei tried to kill Gibba with his own hands."

Even if this parent called, Tae-sung nodded "umu" with a dark look.

"It's a big deal.... by the way, I need to talk to you. I want you to go to the main house."

"What? From now on? It's almost dark now."

"I can't take long. To gather the heads of all the branches, chief Zatsu-Sung says."

The parents tightened their expression when they heard the name Zatsu-Sung.

"Well, there's no way.... you guys go home first. Let me wait for dinner."

The parents then disappeared into the dark with Tae-sun.

Zei-Sung looks back at his eldest brother, who came back from the woods with his eyebrows closed.

"What's going on here? What's the trouble?

Well then. The settlement seems to be peaceful, and we don't have to worry about it. "

That's what my eldest brother said, but Zei-Sung didn't fall for it.

But maybe it wasn't funny because I was the one who got rid of Gibba. Zei-Sung secretly loved Tai-Sung, who had extraordinary powers as a hunter.

(People don't seem to care much because the power of Chiefs Zats-sung and Migi-sung is so prominent... even Tae-sung should be the next most powerful hunter.)

In addition, Tae-sung has a great deal of trust from his chief, Zat-sung, and also accompanies him when he receives compensation from Genos' nobles. Still, temperament is sedimentary, and there is no tall place. Zei-Sung had always wanted to apprentice such Tai-Sung.

(Migi-Sung and others are foolishly brave. If half of Tae-sung is deposited, it may be neglected)

With that in mind, Zei-Sung returned to his home.

Instead of entering the main house, she turned her foot to the cabin behind her. There was white air rising from your window along with a fragrant scent.

"Oh, welcome home, Zei. You brought me fur and meat?

The parent's companion, who was simmering the iron pot, looked back with a smile.

Zei-Sung responded with "umu" as he watched his cheeks loosen.

"I want the meat to be soaked in pico leaves because the fur is dried over there.... I took care of this gibbon."

"Well, really! That's amazing, Zei!

My eldest sister and youngest sister who worked with me also looked back at me with a smile. The next sister was returning her soul with a sickness, and now the family of this house is all.

"Amazing, Zei! Now you're alone!

"I could have used that meat for dinner a little earlier! Well, we're celebrating tomorrow, okay?"

Everyone sincerely congratulated Zei-Sung. Even though the blood connection was thin, the people in this house recognized Zei-Sung as a family without distinction.

(It was thanks to everyone that I was able to empower myself as a hunter without shame.... thank you)

It was embarrassing to talk face to face, so Zei-Sung snapped like that in his heart.

Until this moment, everyone was delighted.

It was only after the parents who had been called to the main house returned.

"I have something to tell you."

The head of the family, who was hanging in the hall of the house, said so with a pale face.

Dinner is already ready, but you won't even be allowed to eat it. The parents who sparkled their eyes in a tight face were as if they were strangers.

"But before I do, I swear to you first. From now on, do not pass on the words I speak to the rest of the family.... even if it's a family such as Zaza or Dom."

"To your family? That doesn't make sense."

When his eldest brother said so, the parents blurred their eyes even more fiercely.

"That certainly makes sense around the woods. However, this evening, a new code was established by chief Zatsu-Sung. Whoever transgresses this code will return his soul and atone for his sins. And... it extends not only to the person, but also to the blood-separated family."

That's how the parents started talking.

A new code in the Sung family - the incredible code of stopping gibber hunting and filling your bellies with the grace of the forest.

◇

For some time afterwards, Zei-Sung was going to spend his days in the comfort of floating feet from the ground.

Hunting guinea pigs was supposed to be my greatest pride, but I was forbidden to do it overnight.

The outsiders do not treat the people around the forest as human beings. In this state, the people around the forest will eventually be destroyed. In order to prevent it, the people around the forest must secretly accumulate power - that was the word that came from the chief Zats-Sung. Yesterday, after dinner, the entire family of the Sung family were gathered in the shrine and soon received the words of the chief Zatse-Sung.

"It was the nobles eighty years ago who forbid harvesting the grace of the forest in the first place... The fragile and despicable nobles of Genos would have come up with such an arrangement out of fear of the power of the people around the forest... But the chief of Gaze was unable to dispense with his abominable orders and became the word of the nobles... For that reason, the people around the forest lost their natural power, and there were not many people in the small clan who suffered from hunger... As the chief of the forest, I had to correct the mistakes of the former chief..."

As the black eyes were burning brightly, the chief Zatsu-Sung said so.

"But now the Sung family is in a state of threat to the peace of the Lou family... even if they try to establish a new code of mine, they must try not to take away the seat of chieftaincy again for that reason... and the northern hunters of the Sung family, on the other hand, are extremely powerful, but they are incapable of thinking... it must be difficult to understand my words correctly with the old code around the forest..."

Therefore, the Sung family accumulates more power in secret than ever before.

And when the northern hunters are strong enough to obey by force, destroy the Lou family, and let all the families keep the new code. At last, the people around the forest will be able to obtain the power not to yield to any existence in the outside world - that was the grand strategy of the chief Zatsu-Sung.

(But I can't believe you're forbidden to hunt guinea pigs... is this really a real thing?

I forbade gibberish hunting to save my family's life. There were many people in the Sung family who returned their souls with hunting and sickness, so the most dangerous gibber hunting work was first discontinued.

Just set a trap as usual, and feed the guinea pig you caught. Until now, only the flesh of the feet had been able to satisfy hunger, so if you eat the flesh of the torso, you will not starve - that was the word conveyed by the parents.

Moreover, if you harvest the grace of the forest from the neighborhood of the settlement, the grain of the gibber will be lost, so you can ensure more safety. Anyway, I was ordered to avoid danger now and give the highest priority to saving power.

(I was just admitted by a single hunter.....)

In that way, it seemed as if the cold wind was blowing too much into Zei-Sung's heart.

I'm forbidden from hunting gibberish, so I don't need new hunter clothes. Gibba's fur, which she brought home yesterday, was sold out to the township.

"But we must acquire the power that neither Zaza nor Lou can defeat. It is not permissible to fail to train without performing your gibber hunting duties. To be ashamed of my mother's woods, you should put more effort into training than ever before."

Last night, the parents said so to themselves.

Besides, there is no way to defy the chief. It must have been a code around the forest to believe in the right path shown by the chief.

Besides, there is no such thing as a person who can defy the chief Zatsu-Sung, and it will not exist in the Sun family. Not only did he have superior powers as a hunter, but Zatsu-Sung was more powerful than Gibba when he was a scarier beast.

Just remembering those burning black eyes, Zei-Sung's spine ran cold. Migi-Sung, known as the rough one, was like a toddler in front of Zats-Sung.

(That's why Tae-sung had such a dark face. Even Tae-sung couldn't convince Zat-sung)

Then, Zei-Sung poured his heart into thin air.

(Then I'll be a better hunter than anyone else without performing my gibber hunting job. If we can achieve our purpose, we should be allowed to live as hunters again.)

Zei-Sung was then forced into training from that day on.

Looking around traps and harvesting forest grace can take less than half a day to complete. All other time is devoted to the training of the Hunter. Otherwise, there was no way to exude Zei-Sung's inner enthusiasm.

(But is it really possible to protect such secrets from all the clans?

Zei-Sung thought so, but the secrets of the Sun family were never revealed.

For this reason, Zatsu-Sung had various strategies in place.

First, the harvest festival was to be held only with the blood near the house.

Until now, Din and Lid, who were far away from home, had their own harvest festivals, but the northern family, Dana and Havilla were to put themselves in the same habit.

That way, only the parents' meeting and wedding feast will allow the rest of the people to step into Sung's house.

On such days, dinner and banquet dishes must be prepared. It is made up of the meat of the gibba caught in a trap and the ingredients bought in the stadium town. If you don't have enough bronze, you can use your reward. After that, if only my family kept their mouth shut, there would never be any secrets.

And one more thing, there's a new code.

It was stated that no wife or son-in-law should be given to a family member.

Even if the other person is a family member, if you leave Sung's house and become your family, you may be able to give him a secret in some way. It was an arrangement to prevent such a danger.

Of course, we should be careful when we welcome our daughter-in-law and son-in-law. For a while, the wedding was repeated only within the Sung family, and the family ties were deepened, so it was notified.

Thus, one year passed and two years passed - when Zei-Sung was seventeen years old.

Zei-Sung, who was encouraging the practice that day, was summoned to the house to hear unexpected words.

"It's Zei. I want you to have a wedding with the ladies who will welcome you from Din."

Zei-Sung accidentally lost his words.

The parents were somehow depressed, not even looking at Zei-Sung's face, and talked indifferently.

"The wedding feast will be held in three days. It's sudden, but stay with me."

"Wait a minute. Who the hell are those women? I barely know the women of Din....."

"The opponent will be Din's youngest sister. You went to Din's settlement the other day to celebrate Din and Lid's wedding?

It certainly was. At the wedding feast, the parents of the blood family had the habit of offering unmarried men and women, but since there were far fewer unmarried people in Sung, Zei-Sung finally took on the role.

It was a very nervous act to go to the remaining settlements as a gift from the chief Zatse-Sun. Besides, since we had a big secret, there was no loose time to enjoy the feast. That's how Zei-Sung was thinking about whether he should have a wedding as soon as possible so he wouldn't have to take on such a role.

"Din's ladies met me that night? I've been beside the chief for a long time and I haven't talked to any strangers."

The parents shook their necks sideways with such a hard look.

"I barely remember seeing you there... but at this point, I want you to know that you've seen you there."

"What the hell is that? I don't know what that means at all. I want you to explain it more clearly. In the first place, I was told by my family to refrain from welcoming my daughter-in-law..."

"... that's what Chief Zatsu-Sung ordered me to do."

With a heavy sigh, the parents exhaled such words.

"Two years have passed since the Sung family set a new code... but few people returned their souls due to the illness, so the Sung family has barely grown. Therefore he was commanded to take his wife and son-in-law from his family as soon as possible. This is the first attempt."

"So I have to partner with a crowd of women who don't even remember their faces, just to increase the number of families in the Sung family."

Zei-Sung had a seizure and was about to laugh.

It was suppressed because it saw the light of anguish in the eyes of the parents.

"With me, I want you to accompany me with the person of your choice. But you're the only man in my house who hasn't given a wedding... and I won't allow you to disobey the chief."

"It is the code around the forest to obey the chief. But isn't it against the Forest Code to lie and marry a partner?

That said, Zei-Sung tried to get up.

"I'm seventeen years old, and two years ago I was hunting for a gibber on my own. It's not called a child in the woods."

"Wait, what are you going to do?

"I'll talk to the chief. Unless you do, you're not going to be convinced."

Stop it! Stop it!

The parents pressed Zei-Sung's shoulders with both hands.

With so much force exerted by the bones, Zei-Sung frowned.

"Why? Am I saying something funny?

"Nothing's wrong. But it's an old habit around the woods. We must abide by the new code of chieftaincy."

There was a light of fear and confusion in the parents' eyes.

Zei-Sung forgets the pain in his shoulder and sees it in his eyes.

"Two years ago, we swore to obey the words of our chief Zatsu-Sung. This is also one of those vows. You're never allowed to break it."

"If I refuse the wedding, everyone living in this house will return their souls? Such brutality should never be tolerated."

"... you don't understand the horrors of Zatsu-Sung and Migi-Sung."

The parents were shaking their shoulders small.

That brave, strict parent is trembling like a toddler.

Zei-Sung felt something important fall out of his mind.

"... okay. I will obey my parents."

"Really? Betrayal is never forgiven, is it?

"... everyone who has raised me up to this point has lived in this house. I'm not going to risk it."

Zei-Sung took his parents' fingertips off while pushing and killing their inner feelings.

"Besides, it's easier to tell a lie to someone you don't even know than to tell a lie to someone you're new to. I'm sorry to hear about Din's ladies, but I can't help but curse the fate of my chosen partner."

That being said, Zei-Sung left the house.

Inside your chest, there's only a feeling of emptiness. I couldn't help feeling angry when the parents who loved me as much as my real father showed up.

Parents no longer have the luxury of caring for their family, Zei-Sung.

Zei-Sung felt abandoned by his loved one.

Had Zei-Sung been a helpless child, he would have cried without a soul.

But Zei-Sung is a seventeen-year-old hunter. Zei-Sung swallowed an unfamiliar feeling rising from the bottom of his stomach and saw the clear blue sky.

(I don't have a favorite crowd anyway. What do you know about a partner who gets it with a lie? I will continue to work on the hunter training)

That's how Zei-Sung thought at the time.

◇

Three days later - the women came to Sung's house.

A small, thin crowd of willow lines. I was a year younger than Zei-Sung and didn't look very sturdy.

The wedding feast is solemnly held while few words are exchanged. In the meantime, Zei-Sung's heart remained empty. The appearance of the feast lit by the fire of the ritual only seemed to be misleading.

After all the feasts, the women are welcomed into the house.

Since the number of rooms was relaxed, Zei-Sung was required to continue living in the same house as before. In the past two years, his eldest brother had married his wife from another branch, and his eldest sister had married another branch, so the number of families remained unchanged.

"I am deeply honored that I will never be able to get married to the close Sun family. Thank you for being a family member of the same family."

While wearing the banquet costume, the women of Din - no, the women who became Zei-Sung's companions - hung their heads deep.

The families are watching him with a vague expression. Everyone knows that it is a lie that Zei-Sung met this daughter. My youngest sister and others looked very sorry.

"Well then, welcome to Zei's room.... I'm begging you, Zei."

That's what parents call it with their contemplated eyes.

The secret code of the Sung family was supposed to be told from the mouth of Zei-Sung. Zei-Sung nodded silently and then led his companion women to his room.

"Well... you have something to tell me."

As he closed the door and lowered his hips to the side of the bedding, Zei-Sung said so.

The women stared back at Zei-Sung from the other side of the seven-coloured thin matter. And Zei-sung of the servant mouthed in his clear sight.

"Oh, you're going to be my partner, and you're going to live with Sung's husband. Then you have to accept this story as a Sung family member."

"Yes, what can I tell you?

Zei-Sung tried to kill his feelings while talking about the code of secrecy.

While listening to that, the crowd became stunned. But unexpectedly, he didn't look disturbed.

"Such a secret... existed in the Sung family... stopping gibber hunting and filling hunger with the grace of the forest... I didn't even imagine."

"No one can imagine such a thing. If you vandalize the grace of the forest, it is the natural code to skin your head."

Zei-Sung felt a calm feeling filling his chest.

"Tomorrow you will commit the same heinous crime. If this is revealed to the rest of the family, all the people in the Sung family will return their souls.... it would be a shame to marry a house like this."

"Unfortunately... that's not true, but... I've never thought about the end of the forest before. It's also difficult for me to understand the heart of my chief Zatsu-Sung... so I don't have to say goodbye, it looks horrible."

That's how the women smiled.

"But... in the Sung family, all their families are putting themselves in that new code, right?

"Of course. If you disobey the chief, you will return your soul."

"If so, I would like to bear the same hardship as the family of the Sung family."

The women are still smiling at Hisoya.

With that appearance, Zei-Sung became even more disturbed.

"So you're not dissatisfied? You're no longer allowed to reveal secrets to your real family?

"I left Din's house and became Sun's family. You won't be allowed to be dissatisfied."

"But... but it's a lie that I've seen you before. You were just invited by the Sung family to grow your family?

Impulsively, Zei-Sung ran like that.

But the women are still smiling.

"I understand that. I'm sure you don't remember me... that's what I thought."

"Then why didn't you say no to the bride?

"I was never allowed to refuse the offer from the Sung family, and I...."

And the women reddened their cheeks beyond the thin matter.

"... I've seen you before. If I were to have a wedding with a crowd other than you, I think I've suffered more than anything but... I can make my own feelings come true, so there's no dissatisfaction or regret."

"Nh... what are you talking about? I don't think we have a word in common.

"Yes, but I've been watching you at the feast. Still, my eyes never met, so it's impossible for you to look at me... and I could have guessed that this would be a forced wedding."

That said, the women leaned back slightly.

"Keep any secrets for you. So... could you please make me your partner...?