A Tale Of A Scribe Who Retires To The Countryside [EN]: Chapter 410

410. The End of the World

Gulbahar’s claim that treasure was piled up like mountains astonished everyone, but they quickly understood. The Kadir brigands had plundered an enormous amount of loot over the years. Besides, the ransoms they received must have been substantial, so the statement that gold, silver, and precious treasures were piled up like mountains was by no means an exaggeration.

“Um, well, you see.”

Chief Gulbahar swallowed hard and spoke to No-gun. He didn’t care about the sudden use of honorifics or the sharp gaze of Behram, the Kadir brigands’ second-in-command.

“Wouldn’t you like to share the treasure? No, you don’t even need to share it.”

Gulbahar quickly waved his hand and continued.

“Just entrust the disposal to us. We’ll take care of everything.”

The person who held the power of life and death in this place was No-gun. Moreover, the hidden treasure of the Kadir brigands was more than worth risking one’s life for. However, No-gun’s reaction was different from what they expected.

“Not interested.”

No-gun said briefly. But Gulbahar couldn’t accept those words so easily.

“No, think about it carefully. You might be able to take it all, but disposal won’t be easy. Even if you go to Tianzhu [ancient Chinese name for India], how will you cross the border with so much? Besides, aren’t the warriors of the Suren Order already spread out everywhere?”

Gulbahar said, spitting as he spoke. The mountain of treasure, which he hadn’t even seen yet, vividly floated before Gulbahar’s eyes, tempting him, but No-gun’s reaction remained indifferent.

“I said I’m not interested.”

“It’s not something you can just say so simply!”

Gulbahar, who had been listening to the translation with an anxious face, became frustrated and burst out in anger. But he soon apologized.

“No, I’m sorry. That’s not what I meant… Then let’s at least take a look. You don’t even know what’s there, do you? Let’s check it out first, and then leave the rest to us, and we’ll take care of everything…”

He mixed honorifics and casual speech out of desperation. But No-gun chuckled and looked at Gulbahar.

“If this hideout is raided,”

No-gun said with a look of pity.

“Do you think that Kadir guy will just stand by?”

Gulbahar was speechless. There was no way they would just stand by. Having their hideout raided was a matter of the brigands’ pride, regardless of the scale of the loss.

“I’m telling you again, I’m not interested. I don’t want to get involved in troublesome things either.”

“But…!”.

“If you really want to do it that badly, you guys do it. We’ll leave as we are.”

At No-gun’s words, Gulbahar closed his mouth. If No-gun and his group just left, they would be the first to die.

“So, you’re saying you won’t do anything to this village?”

A strange light flickered in the eyes of Behram, the deputy commander of Kadir. Right now, this place was completely under the control of No-gun and his group. Their martial arts skills alone were something they could never handle, and with the three demonic beasts, who would dare to resist? But No-gun was saying that he would just leave after hearing about the Kadir brigands’ enormous treasure.

“Yeah. Well, I feel a bit sorry that everything was destroyed because of us…”

No-gun replied in a voice that didn’t sound sorry at all.

“At least that child tried to save us, didn’t she?”

No-gun pointed to Zaina with a nod. Zaina, who was clinging tightly to Seorin, was trembling.

“All kindness deserves to be rewarded. Whatever it may be.”

Looking at Zaina, No-gun smiled. He was dumbfounded when she put poison in the water and then warned them to run away later, but it was clear that she had tried to save Son-bin’s group.

“Promise me you won’t harm this child. Then we’ll leave quietly as we are.”

In fact, that was half an excuse. But Behram frowned and slowly nodded.

“In the authority of the Kadir deputy commander,”

Behram said to Zaina.

“Zaina, I release you. You are free to stay here or leave as you wish.”

“R-really?”

Zaina looked surprised.

“Yes. Take as much wealth as you want. Your kindness, though not wise, is worth rewarding for the results it brought.”

Zaina nodded eagerly, afraid that Behram might change his mind.

“Never return here again. We will abandon this place, and I and the other villagers will no longer remember your existence.”

Behram said as if he already knew Zaina’s choice. Zaina replied with a serious expression.

“Yes, I understand.”

Behram nodded. With that, Zaina’s choice was made.

“That’s good.”

Seorin said, looking at Zaina. No-gun sighed as he saw Zaina’s face turning red.

“Ah, youth is good.”

Seeing the clever Zaina blushing reminded him of the young Dang Woon-young. How could he forget those pure, foolish, and beautiful days? Suddenly, No-gun missed Young-mae so much.

That day, Zaina and Rahman, the imperial guard, left for Tianzhu on horseback. Rahman had promised to help Zaina start a new life, but it was also because Zaina wanted to escape the Kadir brigands’ influence.

The bandits also divided themselves among three or four horses and fled the village as if they were running away. They were constantly anxious, as if the brigands would attack them at any moment, and they kept glancing at Behram and No-gun. When No-gun told them they could leave, they ran away as if their tails were on fire.

The warriors of the Suren Order headed to the nearest village on foot. This was partly because there were no horses left in the village due to the rampaging of the Demonic Dragon, but it was also because No-gun was concerned that they might chase after Rahman. Even though the nearest village was quite far, it was a distance that the warriors, who had recovered their inner strength, could handle.

After spending the night, Son-bin’s group prepared to leave the village the next morning.

“H-heok! You, you’re riding the demonic beasts?”

Hwang Bang-ju was horrified. But Seorin, as well as Sa Soo-yeon, Dang Wol-ah, and even Geom-hee, were sparkling with anticipation.

“There aren’t any horses left anyway… Is it okay?”

No-gun frowned. But that was for a different reason than Hwang Bang-ju’s worries.

“If you ride them carelessly, it’ll put a strain on the beasts’ spines. It’s better to lead four-legged beasts than to ride them. So, the force should be applied this way, not that way…”

It was the right thing to say, but the demonic beasts were so strong that they didn’t care about the weight of the group. In fact, one of them could easily carry the entire Son-bin group.

“I want to ride the Black Leopard!”

Seorin raised her hand.

“Black Leopard? Are these guys leopards?”

No-gun frowned and looked at the demonic beasts. They were large in size, but their bodies were sleek, making them look more like leopards than tigers. But he couldn’t be sure. These demonic beasts were already completely different creatures from the existing wild animals.

“Well, what does it matter what their names are? Then is this guy the White Leopard?”

“Snow Leopard! Because it’s as white as snow.”

“There’s no consistency? Then what about that red one? Blood Leopard?”

“Uh, just Red Leopard.”

At Seorin’s answer, No-gun sighed and turned to Dang Wol-ah.

“You named them, didn’t you?”

Dang Wol-ah quietly nodded. No-gun thought the names were too simple for such fearsome demonic beasts, but he soon shrugged. What did it matter anyway? Son-bin’s group divided themselves among the three demonic beasts. Until then, no one from the village had appeared except for Behram. Behram silently watched the group leave the village.

With No-gun’s complaint that he would have made saddles if he had time, Son-bin’s group, riding on the three demonic beasts, left the ruined Kadir hideout. They were heading towards Mount Taftan, the volcano that no one approached and was still spewing fire.

***

Mount Taftan was clearly visible from afar. The white smoke rising from the mountainside, climbing diagonally along the ridge, showed that this mountain was still an active volcano. It was also quite high, with white snow covering the summit. Snow in this desolate place was truly a mysterious sight.

“A, a lake formed after the volcano erupted! Th, there are several places!”

Hwang Bang-ju shouted loudly the words he had heard from Zaina and Behram. Although Mount Taftan was close to being a forbidden area, it wasn’t as if no one had ever visited it.

“B, basically, it’s just stones, a, a very desolate mountain! It snows quite a bit in winter, too!”

Hwang Bang-ju’s voice, shouting with all his might, was clearly heard by the group. But no one responded. Riding on the backs of the galloping demonic beasts was a more nerve-wracking experience than they had thought.

“Ugh!”

Hwang Bang-ju finally couldn’t bear it and screamed. He couldn’t endure the thrilling and gut-wrenching sensation that came with each leap of the demonic beast. If No-gun hadn’t been protecting him with his inner strength from behind, he would have fainted long ago. Perhaps it would be better for Hwang Bang-ju to lose consciousness.

“Ahahaha!”

But there were also people who enjoyed this experience. Seorin was laughing and enjoying it, and Sa Soo-yeon and Dang Wol-ah also had bright expressions. Geom-hee was still embracing her sword without even holding onto the demonic beast’s fur, but it was clear that she was enjoying it, judging by her flushed cheeks. And Son-bin was somewhere in between them and Hwang Bang-ju. It was difficult at first, but not unbearable, and after some time, it even felt comfortable.

“Uwaaaaaaa.”

After the demonic beasts galloped for a long time, dragging Hwang Bang-ju’s screams like a tail, Son-bin’s group finally arrived at Mount Taftan. Krrrr. The demonic beasts stopped galloping, whimpering softly. They didn’t lower their bodies to make it easier to get off, but the group wasn’t inconvenienced by that. The exceptions were Son-bin and Hwang Bang-ju.

“Aigoo…”

Hwang Bang-ju, with No-gun’s help, got off the ground and groaned, supporting himself with both hands. Son-bin knew how he felt, as if just not shaking was enough to make him feel alive, so he decided to rest here for a while.

“Hmph. It smells like a volcano.”

No-gun frowned, looking up at Mount Taftan. White smoke rose in the blue sky, and a slightly acrid smell was carried in the wind.

“There are yellow stones over there!”

Seorin said, pointing to the shade of the valley. Yellow stones were visible next to the narrow stream of water. It was the sulfur component that had been ejected from the volcano and dried up.

“What do we do now?”

No-gun turned to Son-bin and asked. Son-bin, who had been patting Hwang Bang-ju’s back, raised his head and looked up at Mount Taftan.

“Do we climb the mountain?”

Seorin asked, but Son-bin shook his head.

“No, there’s no need to do that.”

Son-bin said quietly.

“The path will reveal itself to us.”

At that answer, No-gun frowned.

“Reveal itself?”

“Yes.”

Son-bin nodded. The ‘fragment of God’ that Empress Saraswati had mentioned was clearly telling him.

“Probably soon…”

Whooooosh.

Suddenly, the wind blew. A common gust of wind in this area brought a cloud of sand, instantly obscuring everything.

‘Hmm.’

No-gun frowned and sharpened his senses. He instinctively knew that this sandstorm that was obscuring his vision was no ordinary one.

Whooooo.

But nothing suspicious happened. The sand dust that had filled the surroundings slowly subsided with the wind. The presence of the group and the three demonic beasts, which had been briefly invisible, remained the same. But immediately after the sandstorm subsided, No-gun couldn’t help but widen his eyes.

“…This is!”

There was nothing wrong with the group. But the scenery he saw had completely changed.

“Heok! Wh, where is this?”

Hwang Bang-ju, who hadn’t regained his senses, was startled and jumped up. Mount Taftan, which had been soaring high into the sky, had disappeared without a trace. No, to be precise, it was still there. If the huge red rocky mountain in front of him was Taftan, that is.

Krrrr.

Heat and vibrations were felt beneath his feet. Acrid smoke was rising from here and there, and the heat radiating from the ground made the surroundings hot and humid. The surroundings were filled with large, rough red rocks, making it seem as if the world had changed in an instant.

“Wow, what’s going on?”

Seorin said with wide eyes. Sa Soo-yeon and Dang Wol-ah couldn’t hide their surprised expressions either, and even Geom-hee’s eyes flickered with a strange light. The only ones who were calmly accepting this sudden situation were Son-bin and the three demonic beasts.

“Where is this?”

No-gun asked Son-bin. Son-bin replied quietly.

“I don’t know. Where this is, or when…”

No-gun’s white eyebrows furrowed at the incomprehensible answer. Was it not just the place that had changed?

“But one thing is certain.”

Son-bin continued in a calm voice.

“This is the path to the Gate of Naraka [Buddhist hell].”

A huge red valley was revealed in the direction of Son-bin’s gaze. Like a sharp crack that had split the mountain and the earth, the red valley stretched steeply underground.

“This is it?”

No-gun frowned. Anyone could see that it was not a naturally formed valley. It stretched downwards with a constant width and slope, as if someone had cut the mountain and the earth with a huge sword but stopped halfway.

“Do we have to go here?”

Hwang Bang-ju said with a tearful face. No-gun also didn’t feel like it. In fact, the valley in front of them was incredibly wide. It didn’t feel dark or ominous, and it was even a wondrous sight that evoked admiration. But knowing what might be at the end of this, he couldn’t just purely admire it.

“Let’s go.”

No-gun said.

“If we have to go anyway, there’s no reason to dawdle here.”

He was right. Son-bin’s group slowly began to move forward, following the valley in front of them. The path was not difficult. It simply stretched straight with a constant slope, which was natural. At first, they thought it was just a gentle downhill slope, but in the middle, there were piles of collapsed stones and the remains of huge stairs. Before they were weathered and buried by the wind, there must have been rows of large stairs. Stairs of enormous size that would probably only suit a giant. How long had they walked? When the left and right sides of the valley became incredibly high and the sky above their heads looked as small as the palm of their hand, the path ended and a huge wall blocked the group.

“Hmm.”

No-gun let out a soft groan. It was a bizarre style of architecture that he had never seen before. No, it was unclear whether it could even be called architecture. The huge gray door, which seemed to have been carved into the red stone wall from the beginning, was looking down on Son-bin’s group with an overwhelming size.

“What we’ve been seeing since earlier…”

No-gun couldn’t continue speaking. It was larger and more magnificent than any building he had ever seen. A resolute yet elegant structure like the tip of a sword pointing towards the sky, and unknown patterns covering the entire building. This majestic and bizarre building that appeared before the group evoked a sense of awe, as if they were standing before an unknown ancient temple or imperial palace.

“Is this it?”

Son-bin nodded. His expression was stiff.

Step, step.

Without guarding or looking around, Son-bin walked towards the huge door. And he reached out and lightly placed his hand on the door.

Krrrr.

No-gun widened his eyes. The seemingly heavy door was lightly opening at Son-bin’s gesture. No, it didn’t feel light. Even now, a low vibration was echoing throughout the valley.

Thump, whooosh.

The huge door opened and wind blew from inside. A musty smell, like when entering an old house, rushed out. Son-bin, looking into the dark interior that was not clearly visible, turned his head and looked at the group.

“Shall we go?”

“Let’s go.”

No-gun didn’t hesitate. Sa Soo-yeon also nodded with a firm expression.

“You guys.”

Son-bin said, looking back at the three demonic beasts.

“Wait here.”

The demonic beasts lowered their heads and obeyed Son-bin’s words. Hwang Bang-ju was curious as to how they understood Son-bin’s words, but he soon shook it off. There were many other things he couldn’t understand anyway.

Step.

Son-bin stepped inside. Hwang Bang-ju hesitated a little, but he didn’t have the guts to stay with the three demonic beasts. No-gun, Hwang Bang-ju, Sa Soo-yeon, Dang Wol-ah, Seorin, and Geom-hee stepped inside the gray door.

Krrr, thump.

The huge door closed again with a vibration. The three demonic beasts quietly sat down, resting their heads on their front paws, and fell into a death-like sleep. The red valley was once again plunged into silence. The desolate scene, with only the occasional sandstorm passing by, seemed to say that this was the end of the world.

(Author’s words)

A cat can also wait. If it feels like it.