Chapter 386: Decision (3)
Translator: miraclerifle
Editor: Borderline Masochist
Choi Han looked refreshed after saying everything he needed to say. Strong passion could be felt coming from him.
He then waited for Cale’s response.
Cale opened his mouth to respond.
However, someone started to speak first.
“There is no way the smart Choi Han would say something like that!”
Choi Han and Cale both looked toward Raon after hearing the sudden shout.
Raon shook his head side to side before looking toward Choi Han the same way that he looks at Mercenary King Bud and continued to speak.
“We have all been fighting together since the beginning! Why do we need to combine our powers again when we have already been doing that?! Choi Han! You cannot become like the Mercenary King!”
Cale started to chuckle. He then responded in a serious tone.
“Choi Han is definitely smarter than Bud.”
“That is true! Human, you really are smart! You are sliiiiiiiiighty! Just slightly less smart than I am!”
“Yes, yes.”
Cale patted Raon's soft back.
He then realized something.
‘...Did he lose some weight?’
Raon's cheeks that had been chubby until they got to the Castle of Light were slightly less chubby. Cale started to frown.
He recalled Hong’s haggard face that had been shaking. He also thought about how On did not gain weight, unlike Hong and Raon.
Then those trashy bastards from the Cat tribe and the White Star popped up in his mind.
“...These damn bastards that need to be beaten to death.”
Choi Han and Raon flinched.
“Raon.”
“What is it, human?”
“Take out an apple pie.”
“Oh! Alright!”
Raon quickly took out an apple pie and pushed it toward Cale with sparkling eyes. Cale picked it up.
He then started to speak.
“Ah.”
“Ah?”
Raon, who repeated after Cale, felt a slice of an apple pie being pushed into his mouth. Raon closed his mouth with a part of the apple pie dangling outside.
“Eat up.”
Raon grabbed the slice of apple pie with both paws and started to eat even though he didn’t know what was going on. Cale mumbled to himself as he watched.
“...Can’t believe he lost some weight.”
Choi Han, who was watching this from the side, started to think.
‘Who?
Who lost weight?’
Choi Han blankly watched Raon’s chubby cheeks becoming extremely full because of the apple pie in his mouth.
He then started to laugh.
“Haha-”
It felt as if his heart was being tickled.
He really did choose the right path.
Everything was the same as usual and there was no despair, loneliness, or pain even though he said that they needed to all fight together against the White Star.
“Human, do you know why Choi Han is laughing by himself like that?”
“I don't know. How would I know? Well, I guess it is good to laugh.”
“Mm, that is true! It is good to laugh! Choi Han, laugh a lot! I will cancel the comment about you being similar to the Mercenary King!”
Choi Han started to laugh even louder.
Raon continued to nibble on the apple pie with wide eyes as he had never seen Choi Han laugh this loudly before.
However, Raon soon stopped eating and blankly stared at Choi Han.
Choi Han had started to speak after laughing for a while.
“To be honest with you, Cale-nim, I have been alive for a very long time.”
Plop.
The apple pie in Raon's two paws fell to the ground. Choi Han didn’t care as he continued to speak.
“That is why I am actually older than you, Cale-nim. I am older than Mr. Ron as well.”
Raon's eyes blinked a few times as he looked toward Choi Han.
Choi Han was still smiling as he continued to speak.
“I age very slowly. I think I will live for a very, very long time.”
Choi Han wanted to let everything out. He thought that this was the right moment to do it.
He thought it would be okay to say it now in front of these people.
He couldn’t tell them everything, but he thought that there was no need to keep it so tightly hidden away.
“I also came from a very far away place. I am probably the only one in this world who can read the words in this book.”
Choi Han could see Cale looking at him without many changes to his expression.
Cale was always like this. His expression changed sometimes when he was scamming his enemies, but usually, it was always this stoic and emotionless.
However, that expression quickly changed if something happened to one of their group members.
It was something that everybody other than Cale himself knew about.
It was not just for the people in their group.
During the war that started at the beginning of the year, Cale's face was filled with emotion every time he activated his shield with his allies standing behind him.
Choi Han felt the silence in the room for a moment before continuing to speak.
His voice was as pure as his usual expression.
“My family and friends are all in that far away place. I came here when I was 17 and have lived alone for tens of years, for an uncountable number of years since then. But that is not the case anymore.”
Raon was still unable to pick up the piece of apple pie from the ground. Choi Han smiled at Raon before looking toward Cale.
Choi Han could see Cale starting to frown. Cale looked as if he was contemplating something for a while before finally starting to speak.
“...Choi Han.”
The oath of death, the curse from breaking it would make it so that he could not enter.
That was why he had told his subordinates to guard around the door.
‘Guard it for 100 days for all I care. I’m not leaving that way.’
Cale chuckled as he started to walk again.
Choi Han and Raon followed behind him.
However, the two of them soon stopped walking again.
“Ah.”
Cale stopped walking and turned toward Choi Han as he started to speak.
“The words that you read.”
“...The Korean?”
Cale nodded his head after hearing Choi Han slowly ask back.
“Yes, that. That Korean thing. That seems to be a language that cannot be translated using Eruhaben-nim’s translations spell.”
He casually commented as if it was nothing.
“Teach it to me later.”
“Ah.”
Choi Han let out a short gasp. He then watched as Cale continued to speak.
“It’s kind of hard right now, but later when we go back home. Teach it to me then. By then I won't have anything to do since I’ll be a slacker.”
Cale nodded his head as if he was satisfied with his own words.
‘It is hard to pretend that I don't know Korean, so I might as well pretend to learn from Choi Han so I can use Korean as well. Ah, I'll need to make sure Raon's name isn’t revealed.’
It was a brilliant plan.
‘I'm just going to be a slacker after we take care of the White Star anyway. His highness promised that he’ll let me be a slacker.’
Cale trusted Alberu's words. Of course, he was planning to make it happen whether he trusted Alberu’s words or not.
Choi Han remained quiet for a moment before slowly responding.
“Yes, Cale-nim, I will definitely teach it to you!”
“I'm going to learn it as well! I am smarter than the weak human, so I will learn it faster.”
Cale shook his head after hearing Raon flutter his wings and shout with passion.
Choi Han chuckled thinking that the way Raon had shaken his head earlier looked the same as Cale right now.
“I will teach whoever wants to learn.”
Choi Jung Gun had not taught anyone Korean.
However, Choi Han wanted to teach his new family the language of his hometown and chat with them in Korean.
“I will tell you stories about my hometown at that time as well.”
That was Choi Han’s method.
“You returned so quickly.”
Bud waved his hand as he sat in a corner of the castle drinking.
The two Dragons, Beacrox, and Ron also welcomed Cale, Choi Han, and Raon who returned through the secret passage. On and Hong had already run over to Raon as soon as they entered.
“Did you find anything?”
Ancient Dragon Eruhaben approached as he asked.
Then the ancient Dragon had a slightly confused expression after seeing Raon's actions.
Ooooooooong-
Raon took out a video communication device as soon as he came out of the passage and into the castle.
The video communication device surrounded in black mana started to glow as it connected.
Cale was making a call.
Eruhaben who was watching this could hear Cale's voice.
“Yes, Eruhaben-nim, we found something big.”
‘Found something big?’
Eruhaben turned toward Cale.
“...What did you find?”
Cale looked toward Choi Han. Choi Han smiled and nodded his head.
It had happened on the way back to the castle through the secret passage.
‘The book has clues about two earth attribute ancient powers.’
Choi Han had explained about Choi Jung Gun's records.
Of course, Cale remembered all of the information as well, however, he calmly listened to Choi Han’s explanation.
‘First is the earth attribute ancient power you gained from the Forest of Darkness's underground area, Cale-nim. The owner of that power was the Guardian of Boulder.’
Cale turned away from Choi Han and looked toward Eruhaben.
Choi Han had talked about the second earth attribute ancient power that the ancient White Star had possessed. Of course, the story was already in Cale’s mind.
Cale recalled a portion of Choi Jung Gun’s records.
It was the part that was written in Korean so that only a foreigner from Korea would be able to read it.
< I have no way of knowing exactly where the White Star's earth attribute ancient power went, however, there are potential locations for it. >
“Human, it is connected!”
The call was connected before he could respond to the ancient Dragon.
Cale thought about the potential spots that Choi Jung Gun had listed.
< The land with the strongest earth power in both the Eastern and Western continents combined. That was where the final battle happened. That was the place the Guardian of Boulder blocked the sky. >
Cale knew about that place.
The Roan Kingdom.
< I'm certain that the White Star's power is located not far from where Mr. Super Rock’s power is located. This is because the two powers are similar. It is almost like they are twins. >
Cale turned toward the video communication device.
- ...You- you-
A person who seemed to have been woken up had a shocked expression on his face.
“Ah.”
Cale finally remembered how he looked right now.
The fake blood he received from the Mercenary King. He had rinsed his mouth, but he was covered in fake blood from head to toe.
Cale smiled and started to speak to the person on the call.
“I didn't get hurt very much. I am fine, your highness.”
- ...You're driving me nuts.
Crown prince Alberu Crossman started to frown.