# Chapter 29
Kadilen was frowning, trying to concentrate on state affairs.
Three days had passed since Wimu left to find Ludin. Each day passed unbearably slowly.
He suppressed the memories of Ludin that threatened to surface at every moment. He couldn’t let his judgment be clouded by emotion. The schemes prepared by Zendal and his son had been countless until now, and this too might be part of their plan.
Even while knowing it was unreasonable to consider the king’s personal letter as part of a plan, Kadilen deliberately denied the facts before him. He was troubled by Ludin’s escape from the palace. The fact that he had an accomplice meant that Ludin’s strategy might still remain in play.
He was someone who had fabricated even his own emotions to successfully transport a curse. There wasn’t enough reason to believe it was the truth now. There were certainly some contradictions. But many things were still confusing. Endless questions repeatedly surfaced in his mind. He wanted to grab Ludin right now and urge him to confess everything.
However, what he feared was that the truth he had firmly believed in all this time might completely collapse with his confession.
Kadilen quickly skimmed through the text written on the stiff paper, feeling its texture. It was full of stories from those trying to see if the new power holder would take their hand. Pressing his dizzy head, he leaned back on the throne that still felt awkward. He thought about what he had protected on his way here.
Someday, Wimu would bring Ludin back. Even if it was his corpse.
Kadilen exhaled a sound that was almost like a groan as he adjusted his uncomfortable position. On the path he had taken to reach this place, there was always the stepping stone called Ludin. The more his ulterior motives were exposed, the more resolute Kadilen’s heart became. There had never been a time when he felt so clearly about what he wanted, what he wished to accomplish.
‘If all of that is an illusion…’
Then what meaning would this throne have?
Kadilen, who had been forcibly holding onto unreadable text, finally crumpled his face and rose from his seat. At his sudden movement, the shoulders of those serving him shrank. Although he hadn’t decided where to go, he left the room without thinking. Behind Kadilen’s heavy footsteps were numerous followers. Soon, people retreated at his wave of hand, and Kadilen irritably threw off his excessively shiny outer garment.
If even this was Ludin’s scheme, he had no intention of simply killing him.
He couldn’t let him have the fortune of meeting death peacefully. Kadilen knew that there were many punishments more painful than death. If even this agony was a trap intended by Ludin, there would be no means to suppress his anger. He would make Ludin pay for his actions until he begged to be killed. Even if he had already become a corpse, he would resurrect him to make him take responsibility. Kadilen gritted his teeth as he stepped outside. It felt suffocating, as if the high ceiling might collapse at any moment.
During the three days since Wimu left to find Ludin, the palace was in the midst of preparations to welcome the new king. Now, no trace of Zendal remained in Kadilen’s room. The only items that had been touched by him were letters that hadn’t been sent to Ludin. Kadilen never looked at those letters again.
What should he ask first when he found Ludin?
If he answered, how much should he believe?
Nothing could be asserted. Watching Wimu who had turned pale and departed after hearing his story, he barely suppressed the desire to join in the search for Ludin. He felt an overwhelming urge to grab him personally and press him to speak.
While enduring a feeling of going mad, Kadilen walked through the corridor. Zendal’s portrait was still hanging on the wall. Upon discovering the painting, Kadilen narrowed his eyes and looked around for someone to order to remove it immediately. But what caught his eyes was another painting.
A painting of Ludin smiling brightly with sincerity.
It felt like a huge rock had suddenly landed on his chest. Kadilen, who had stopped, blankly stared at the painting. The Ludin in the painting wore an expression he had never shown to him. It was markedly different from his usual appearance of yelling and raising thorns.
A natural and dignified smile. He was scared of that unfamiliar appearance.
Horrible thoughts involuntarily penetrated his mind. He hoped that a curse was indeed planted in Ludin’s body. That his judgment had never been wrong, and that this confusion was merely a scheme created by Ludin’s desperate struggle before his final moment. Kadilen raised his cold hand and swept his face. He recalled the candle he had left at the temple. And Ludin sitting in front of it. A miserable, broken appearance completely different from this painting.
* * *
Wimu was frantically riding his horse.
The soldiers who had been panting with exhaustion gradually fell behind. It was the result of forcing a search for a month without proper rest. He wasn’t unaware that the strength of the thoroughly exhausted soldiers was hitting rock bottom. But he couldn’t stop his urgent spurring.
Without even knowing exactly where the person he needed to find was, Wimu ran without even breathing, afraid he might miss him at any moment.
“This is too much. Everyone is exhausted. There’s a village nearby, so if we could rest a bit…”
A cautious soldier’s voice was heard. Ignoring his words, Wimu, who had been far ahead for a long distance, finally opened his mouth.
“What about the western search party?”
“No particular news. If they had found anything, they would have sent a message by now.”
“…”
Fear settled on Wimu’s face. The soldier looked at him with concern. Even when they took a moment to catch their breath, Wimu couldn’t drink water comfortably. In reality, the person who needed to rest was not the soldiers, but Wimu himself. The soldier thought that even now he was enduring through sheer willpower.
He recalled the time when everyone hastily formed ranks at his raised voice. The coronation ceremony had ended, but the festive atmosphere had not dissipated. Soldiers who still had excitement left were sharing the joy of victory in a slightly relaxed state. Until Wimu approached with a pale face and roughly grabbed a soldier’s arm.
‘Where is Ludin!?’
It was an unstable voice with inconsistent pitch. While the surprised soldiers stammered through an explanation of the location and grasped the situation, Wimu’s face grew increasingly white.
Even when he had said he would attack the royal palace, Wimu’s expression had never been so violently shaken. At first, they thought that Ludin, who was always troublesome, had certainly caused a big incident until the end. But as the search continued, the soldiers gradually realized that something was strange. Wimu’s feeling in searching for the missing Ludin was not that of a hunting dog pursuing its prey.
‘If I don’t find him…’
Having started to speak resolutely, Wimu finally couldn’t finish his sentence and distorted his face as if in pain. No one dared to ask him for the exact circumstances. They only knew that Ludin had escaped, and they concentrated on finding him without knowing the reason. Several times they tried to demand an explanation, but Wimu’s hands, slightly trembling despite his flashing eyes, sealed the soldiers’ lips.
“There’s a village nearby that Yunlin manages. Go there, eat food, and rest. I’ll examine the mountainside once more and then join you.”
“But…”
Before the soldier could object, Wimu disappeared, hurriedly spurring his horse with his clothes fluttering. Soon it would be sunset. Wimu, who had been rushing without seeing anything, couldn’t possibly feel the difference in sunlight. Being left alone in the dark mountain was dangerous, even if it was Wimu. The soldier, with a face full of concern, gazed at Wimu, who had already disappeared into a small dot.
Wimu shook his head at his gradually blurring vision. His troublesome body was demanding rest. Even after blinking his cloudy eyes several times, he couldn’t speed up as before. Everything around was filled with trees.
After stopping briefly to quickly look around, he froze abruptly.
The sun was setting without him even knowing when it had gone down. Even if he left right now, by the time he descended halfway down the mountain, darkness would arrive to the point where nothing would be visible.
‘When did I get this far…’
Wimu sighed as he looked down the endless mountain below. Since leaving the palace, the days had been too short. He hadn’t gone far, hadn’t found even a hair of Ludin, yet night was falling. The thought of never finding him made his throat ache as if his chest was constricted. The letter Kadilen discovered was certainly strange. Even if it turned out to be nothing and he felt betrayed by Ludin once again, he at least wanted to hear the explanation from his mouth.
Even if he would be disappointed in him once more, he wanted to quell these raging emotions.
Wimu, who had been lost in thought, soon came to his senses and dismounted. The mountain, where the sun had set, was quickly filling with cold air. The cry of a wild animal was heard from somewhere. Wimu looked around for a place to hide. There were only dense trees. Once the sun, which had begun to turn red, emitted its last light, only pitch-black darkness would circle around Wimu.
‘Fire…’
Wimu instinctively recalled actions for survival. First, he needed to find something to make a fire with. He unconsciously took a step, but due to his depleted strength, his body tilted weakly. Quickly grabbing a tree, he steadied his center. After supporting his tilting body, his legs, which had relaxed tension, collapsed gently. At the sudden movement of its owner, the horse he had been riding pawed the ground anxiously.
There were things to do. Gather something to burn, whether fallen leaves or branches, and find a rock crevice or a valley. If nothing could be found, he needed to dig into the ground to preserve body temperature and hide. The long cry of a beast echoed throughout the mountain once more. Even as he got goosebumps, Wimu, who had sat down, unconsciously closed his eyes.
In a brief dream, he saw Ludin’s corpse. His cold, frozen body still retained the wounds he had received from soldiers at some point. Beside it lay a crumpled paper. It was Ludin’s blood letter.
With trembling hands, Wimu picked up the paper and read the text filled with detached resentment. There was no time to feel anything. It had been decades since he had last shown tears. Nevertheless, as if he had still retained all that water, endless tears like blood flowed from his eyes. He couldn’t control his emotions.
Waking up with a start, Wimu frantically looked around for Ludin’s corpse. But he couldn’t find anything. By now, the entire mountain was enveloped in darkness, with deep night occupying every place his eyes reached. Wimu recognized that he was trembling. He couldn’t distinguish whether it was because of the terrible dream or the cool temperature of the mountain.
‘Light…?’
Unlike before, in a place filled with darkness, even a small light was easily noticeable. After tying the drowsy horse securely to a tree, Wimu carefully stood up. His footsteps echoed in the quiet mountain. The faintly visible dot was gradually changing into a larger light as Wimu approached. Behind Wimu, who was walking as if entranced, came the sound of dry leaves rustling under foot.
Startled, he quickly turned around. A dim outline riding the darkness revealed its identity.
It was a swift mountain beast with sharp fangs.
Wimu backed away, fumbling, and then fled like mad. But it was no match for a four-legged beast. No matter how hard he ran at full speed, the gap between them narrowed rapidly. The body of Wimu, who was running while gasping for breath, swayed greatly. He didn’t get far before tripping on a rock and falling helplessly.
However, at the moment of falling, a warm sensation brushed past his body. Wimu, conscious of both the inexplicable warmth and the faded cry of the beast, jerked his head up.
The sharp gaze of the ferocious beast that had been pursuing him was now directed elsewhere, not at him. As if it hadn’t noticed Wimu sitting right in front, the beast, which had been sniffing, moved fearlessly in another direction. It was the opposite direction from where Wimu had fallen.
Wimu, who had been stunned and motionless, not understanding what was happening, moved cautiously.
Between where the beast had stood and where he had fallen, there was a hazy barrier. When he touched it with trembling hands, the barrier vibrated slightly and gently emitted heat. It was a defensive barrier that someone had artificially set up. Suddenly, as if he had been hit on the head, he had an inexplicable premonition. Wimu hurriedly turned his body to confirm the small light he had been chasing desperately.
That light was coming from a small cave nestled among the dense undergrowth.
Wimu, still unable to calm his trembling body, walked staggeringly towards the cave. The space that had been hidden by large rock crevices gradually came into view.
After hesitating briefly, he entered the cave with reluctance. The roughly cut rock disappeared instantly, and a splendid and cozy space appeared, something that would only be found in a royal palace. It was a room full of sophisticated decorations, difficult to believe was deep in a mountain.
Wimu, who was entering the room in a daze, found his gaze landing on a man.
He was lying helplessly among delicious foods. His naked body was covered with ugly scars, and his ribs were exposed on his extremely thin chest.
Approaching the man with the strange appearance, Wimu met his lifeless eyes.
It was his old friend whom he had been searching frantically for a month.
