# Chapter 30
During his pursuit of Ludin, he imagined numerous scenes of reunion.
In his imagination, Ludin was sometimes crying, sometimes wearing a cold expression. At times, he would hurt Wimu again with a vile face. Each time, Wimu approached him with a miserable heart, telling him that whatever he said, at least for now, he would believe everything.
But among those numerous scenes, there was nothing like this.
‘What in the world is this…?’
What surrounded Ludin was luxurious food that would have made anyone swallow in anticipation had it not been for this situation. The neatly arranged food seemed to have been touched by human hands, standing in a row guarding Ludin’s side. Between them, his limp body didn’t move at all. His gloomy gaze only reached the dust floating helplessly in the air.
Wimu approached him a little closer on trembling legs. He couldn’t believe his eyes. There was no way he could be lying here in this state. Nothing made sense.
“Ludin…?”
The head of Ludin, who had been lying like a corpse, moved slightly. Wimu got goosebumps. The moment he confirmed that the man whose identity he had been trying to deny was indeed his friend, all the emotions he had built up toward him for a long time completely crumbled.
“Ludin!!”
Wimu threw the bowl in front of him to the floor and reached out to shake his shoulders. The food scattered and the floor became a mess with the sound of something breaking loudly, but all of Wimu’s attention was focused on Ludin. His body, which swayed with the touch, couldn’t maintain its center on its own and kept slipping down. Focus gradually returned to Ludin’s two eyes, which had been hazily fixed, as Wimu called his name again.
“…Who is it?”
“It’s Wimu. Please, try to come to your senses…”
He repeatedly told him his name until Ludin could stably fix his gaze on him. Ludin’s mind flowed very slowly, as if underwater. It took a long time for him to realize that his body was being shaken, to notice that someone was making noise, and to recognize that it was someone other than Devan standing in front of him. Finally, sensing the difference, Ludin’s body began to tremble.
“Why…? Where is Devan?”
“What?”
Wimu’s mouth fell open. It was a name he had never expected. He had guessed that Ludin couldn’t have escaped the palace alone, but he hadn’t anticipated that the helper would be Devan. He knew of no connection between him and Ludin. Surprised by the unexpected name for a moment, Wimu noticed that Ludin’s body was swaying more and more precariously.
“How… did you find me? Is it Kadilen? If Devan knows… he’ll kill everyone… after how I saved him…”
“Ludin?”
“Huh.”
Ludin, who had been speaking frantically, stopped breathing. Wimu, who had been flustered by his intensifying trembling, noticed his unstable breathing and hurriedly tried to calm him down.
“It’s okay. That person isn’t here. Look at me.”
“Kuhak…”
“What on earth did they…”
Wimu, who had barely suppressed his trembling body, placed his hand on Ludin’s still heaving chest and muttered in confusion. Another question was layered on top of the many question marks that had piled up. He thought that once he met him and heard a clear confession, he would be able to sort everything out. Both his confused heart and his determination with Kadilen to lead the new regime stably.
But seeing Ludin’s eyes trembling endlessly as he gasped for breath, a maddening fear came first. He felt like turning around and running away, even with the elusive truth right in front of him. He had a feeling that whatever he heard would be different from his expectations. He felt suffocated as well.
If he turned away from Ludin like this, could he live without ever knowing his terrible mistake?
He looked around blankly while listening to his rough breathing. Things he hadn’t noticed earlier because he was too distraught came into view. A heavy iron chain was placed in a corner. Wimu tried not to imagine what had been tied to the ring at the end of that chain. What was even more distressing was the fact that dust had accumulated thickly on that tool. Ludin was lying helplessly in a room without an owner. It meant his will was at rock bottom, to the point where chains were unnecessary.
The food still retained warmth, suggesting that Devan hadn’t been gone long. There were no windows or clocks in the room. Though it was filled with luxurious furniture, they showed no signs of use. Ludin was thinner and paler than before, but what worried Wimu most was his mental state.
Even when he was confined in a narrow wooden box while the rebel army traveled a long distance, even when he bled while receiving mockery and contempt from soldiers at the temple, there had been light in his eyes. It was the clear will that could be seen in someone with a firm purpose.
But now, Ludin’s eyes were empty. Wimu was terrified to the point of pain that he couldn’t read any emotion in them.
All this time, even while chasing Ludin, Wimu hadn’t been able to come up with a clear answer about why he had disappeared. A small crack had formed in his solid belief through the letters in Zendal’s box, and before this crack could bring him down, he had only had the desperate desire to find Ludin and hear his explanation.
Kadilen had also delayed his decision about Ludin because he couldn’t know the exact reason for his disappearance. Everything might have been a misunderstanding, and Ludin might have run away out of frustration, unable to find a knot to untangle it. Or even that might have been intended by Ludin, with the possibility of luring them into a trap or escaping to save his life and devise a new plan. Either way, Wimu thought he had escaped with a purpose. But the situation before his eyes was different from his expectations.
‘Probably imprisoned…’
Wimu scanned the room again with a heavy heart. He had searched this place where the cave was located before. They had thoroughly searched the entire mountain and had definitely passed by this spot. While he couldn’t know exactly why they had discovered it now, he guessed, based on Ludin’s words, that it was because Devan was away. While Wimu and the soldiers were searching the mountains with eyes ablaze, Ludin had been lying here with his legs bound by iron chains.
Until the chains were no longer necessary.
“I’ll just quietly die here.”
“…”
After catching his breath for a while, Ludin spoke with difficulty. After he finished speaking and Wimu realized what his sentence meant, he felt a heat rising all the way to the top of his head.
“…What did you say?”
“Do you really have to kill me yourself?”
“…”
Wimu, at a loss for words, stared at him blankly. There was no resentment or sarcasm in Ludin’s voice. It was just a tired, weak plea. As Ludin waited quietly for him during Wimu’s silence, he suddenly seemed to remember something and added while coughing.
“…This way, the curse will be resolved too.”
At those words, Wimu, who had been in a daze, came back to his senses. After hesitation, he quietly asked. It was a question he had wanted to ask countless times during the month he had been chasing Ludin. His voice trembled like the wind.
“That curse… is it real?”
With each syllable he uttered, he had to suppress the emotion that was welling up. Though it was a short sentence, every word hurt his heart. He knew it was a question asked too late. Since hearing about the curse through his master’s lips, he had never asked him directly. He couldn’t believe that he had only raised this question after everything was over.
Ludin kept his mouth shut for a while. During that suffocating time, Wimu wanted to run away several times. He wanted to flee far away without hearing any answer, to hate Ludin freely as before. He gritted his teeth and lowered his head.
Ludin, who had blinked slowly several times, didn’t immediately understand the meaning of the question and remained still. His gaze, which didn’t reach anywhere, had been continuously emptied and re-emptied, leaving no warmth.
“…Why does that matter.”
It wasn’t an answer to Wimu’s question. Ludin, whispering softly as if talking to himself, curled up and lay down as if embracing his worn heart. Nothing mattered, and nothing changed. He didn’t know what else to explain. There was no need for that either. In his foggy mind, only a faint feeling remained.
A wish for everything to pass quickly. Even that was so faint, it was blurry beyond his own recognition.
Hearing Ludin’s whisper, Wimu clenched his fist until it bled. The many questions that had risen to the tip of his throat burned hotly before disappearing. At this moment, he wished he were blind and deaf. He wanted to believe that he was merely repeating the nightmare he had had earlier. It felt as if asking something more, taking just one more step, would reveal the truth. But at Ludin’s sigh-like words, his stiffened head instinctively closed his mouth. A warning was sounding from somewhere.
Ludin, who had been curled up and lying down, closed his eyes as if he had lost strength. He seemed to have quickly forgotten that someone was beside him.
Wimu, after confirming that he had fallen asleep, went outside without time to think. His head was so dizzy that the sky flipped over several times. As soon as he stepped outside the cave, he vomited what was inside him. Having not eaten proper food for days, only bitter gastric acid rose painfully.
Day was breaking.
Until the sun had fully risen, Wimu sat outside the cave in a daze. With a stone weakly held in his hand to confront Devan should he come, even though he knew he would be no match for him.
Occasionally, screams from Ludin in his sleep could be heard from inside. When he rushed in to check, Ludin was trembling, screaming desperately as if stabbed by a knife. Wimu, unable to comfort him, just listened with a miserable heart until the painful sound stopped.
Barely suppressing his desire to scream alongside him.
When dawn breaks, he will take him to the palace. Kadilen will ask in detail what he couldn’t ask. After hearing all those answers, what can he do?
He desperately hoped there was still something he could do.
* * *
Devan had left the cave after darkness had fallen.
The behavior of those searching the mountain had been becoming increasingly concerning lately. As night fell, they seemed to have settled in a nearby village. Ludin was asleep, and he had only intended to go down briefly to determine the exact location of the village and the size of the search party.
The search party was scattered throughout the village. As it took longer than expected, Devan anxiously shifted his gaze to the top of the mountain. Dawn was already breaking, and he needed to find out where they would move when morning came. He regretted not setting up proper barriers, thinking it would only be a moment. There would be no problem for now since all the soldiers were here, but he was worried about the future.
Perhaps they would have to move their hiding place.
As Devan was hiding his body and observing the movements of the soldiers for more detailed confirmation, he suddenly felt a strange sensation.
It was a feeling he had experienced only once before. A day that remained in his memory as one that was exciting but ultimately miserable enough to lose his sanity.
But there was no reason for this signal to come now. Only one person possessed it, and right now, he was lying in the room where he had confined him. A long time had passed since Ludin had shown any resistance. Since he couldn’t have escaped, he needed to confirm the identity of the person who had it. Devan withdrew his gaze from the soldiers and turned around.
In an instant, the location changed, and Devan was standing in an unfamiliar open space.
He looked around with cautious eyes, searching for the person who had called him. Under the cool blue dawn sky, one person stood. It was a familiar face.
“So it was this, indeed.”
“How did you…?”
“It’s Jiman.”
In his hand was a raw stone.
“As soon as I was released from prison, I fled far from the palace. Rumors were circulating that Lord Luan might still be alive. I thought that if we found the prince, he might help us. Because he wouldn’t know yet that Ludin had betrayed His Majesty.”
“And then?”
“While tracking him, I discovered this stone in his belongings. Ludin called you from the wooden box. It’s certain that he called you with this, but I didn’t know how, so it took some time.”
Jiman continued his explanation calmly. Devan was a bit dazed, just listening to his words. He was an unexpected person, but he didn’t feel particularly threatening. He knew he was Ludin’s person.
“I don’t know what happened between you and him. But I know that you cared for Ludin. Please help.”
“Help with what? You want me to help him avoid punishment?”
Devan asked with his arms crossed. Jiman had left the palace right after the execution ceremony, so there was much he didn’t know. He probably didn’t know that Ludin had escaped from the palace, or that it was he who had taken him. Devan hesitated whether to tell him Ludin’s whereabouts. As Devan looked at him measuringly, Jiman calmly opened his mouth.
“Please let him spend his remaining time peacefully.”
“Remaining time? Why not just ask me to help him avoid execution?”
“…You don’t know yet?”
Jiman tilted his head as if surprised. Offended by his ambiguous question, Devan snapped sharply.
“What don’t I know?”
“He…”
Jiman swallowed hesitantly. Devan narrowed his eyes, waiting for his next words.
“He has an illness. He doesn’t have much time left.”
“…What?”
