chapter 17: The Children of Luobeidra(4)
Roberta touched her slightly parted lips, thinking of the tower's master. Even excluding the Dwarves and Elves, there were too many candidates.
According to the scriptures, when Dieus, King of the Heavens, built a bridge between the Heavens and the earth, Kē, the mother of the earth, first set foot on the ground. After her, all the gods, including Nenus who contemplates the sea, descended and created their offspring.
The gods were few, but their power was magnificent, and under their great protection, countless lives were born. Among them were the creations of the evil gods Kunkhan, Takna, and Galpa.
Still, it was fine when the gods resided in the sky. For even as the world filled with life and mixed indiscriminately, the Heavens orchestrated all. The Heavens even embraced the creations that sided with the evil gods.
But when the master of the Heavens vanished, the tribes of the earth made enemies of all creation, and countless lives perished.
Roberta surmised that the master of the tower was one of those races that had perished. The species itself had vanished, which was why not even an oral tradition remained. How could one forget the past of a species that still existed?
Ulrich’s answer was different.
"They were human."
Roberta blinked, wondering if she had misheard.
"I'm saying that humans built this tower."
"Humans from before history… you mean?"
"Yes."
When humans discuss history, they mark its beginning from the rise of the first human empire. The era before our history, as they call it, encompasses the age of the Elves, the Dwarves, and the gods.
Why is it so crudely bundled together? Because humans left almost no records from that era. They were a trivial race, unworthy of the attention of even the Dwarves and Elves.
Occasionally, a few heroes or myths were passed down orally and recorded, but almost nothing was recorded as destiny to be passed down to the present day.
Roberta looked again at the inscription engraved on the wall and ran her fingers over it. It was but a fragment of an ancient civilization, and to her, it was merely a bizarre pattern. It was the same even when she carefully looked around the tower's interior.
Having never studied archaeology, how could she tell whether humans or lizards had built it?
And yet, he was saying that humans from before history built this tower?
"This was a place where humans lived, who sought to build their own civilization, around the time the age of the Dwarves was ending and the age of the Elves was dawning."
She wondered how he could possibly know such a thing. Of course, even if she asked, the answer would be obvious, and she wouldn't be able to tell truth from fiction anyway. But, as always, she asked.
"Is this another story you witnessed yourself?"
A peculiar light flickered in Ulrich's eyes.
It was for a fleeting moment, but Roberta saw it.
It was for a fleeting moment, but Roberta saw it.
"…Did I say something wrong?"
"No, I just found it unexpected."
"Pardon?"
Ulrich stroked his chin with his left hand and said,
"I was wondering if you were asking because you believe my words. If I were to answer yes to that question, how old do you think I would have to be?"
He would have to have lived for at least ten thousand years.
Roberta stammered, "Uh, umm," before closing her mouth. At her reaction, Ulrich let out a light laugh and shook his head.
"Unfortunately, their aspirations have nothing to do with me. I did not witness it. I heard the story, passed down from mouth to mouth by their descendants, long after time had passed."
The civilization Ulrich had heard of was one built by a group of humans who had sailed on a ship and settled on an island. They had no king, and no hereditary class system. Instead, they formed a popular assembly in the city and elected two leaders every year.
Each member had different talents and achievements, but they were said to have respected and treated one another with special care. Ordinary people gathered their opinions to lead the state, and the strong respected their decisions.
Ever since the gods of the Heavens had departed, the tribes of the earth had each asserted the logic of power to become kings and feudal lords, so such a sight was peculiar.
He found it strange and had asked the reason why.
A descendant had replied.
- When the great ones of the Heavens created humans, who was the king, and who was the seed of a feudal lord? Among us, only Hestio became a child of the Heavens, but does he rule over us now?
Ulrich gripped his teacup tightly and nodded.
"Isn't that truly remarkable?"
"Yes, well… it is remarkable."
Roberta could only offer an awkward smile.
The story of having no king and ordinary people electing their leaders didn't quite resonate with her. She was a person of an age where it was natural to serve the gods, the Emperor, and the King.
The idea that someone stronger or of nobler blood should follow the instructions of an ordinary person felt unrealistic.
If she felt that way, how would Duke Bailen, a descendant of a royal family, react? When she looked at him, he wore a slightly displeased expression, but considering who was speaking, he seemed to be holding his tongue just as she was.
"In truth, there were many civilizations before our history, not just this one. The humans of that age may have been physically weaker than other races, but they were mentally mature. They sought to stand on their own rather than beg for their lives at the mercy of other races."
It was praise, but it didn't feel like praise, Roberta thought.
Doesn't history speak for itself? There is no human history before the empire.
The civilization Ulrich was praising had been destroyed in the distant past, its very name lost to time. Do human civilizations from before history not exist today? It is only a matter of conjecture. No one knew where they were, what they did, or how they aspired, and no one even cared.
"But they failed. No matter how they rose up with their ideals, they were ultimately a mere handful. Even if you gather dust, who will wait until it becomes a great mountain? Every civilization was destroyed as soon as it was born."
*That makes sense,* Roberta thought.
According to some texts, it was an age when the strength of one person could overturn mountains. Ulrich himself had said that the Elves had pulled an island to the mainland and joined them. In such an age, it couldn't have been easy for humans to survive.
The humans from before history may have treated others with respect and reason, but the other races would not have. What reason would they have to respect another race with whom they shared not a drop of blood, and who were even evil?
According to some texts, it was an age when the strength of one person could overturn mountains. Ulrich himself had said that the Elves had pulled an island to the mainland and joined them. Such an age is not one of abundant wealth and high value of life. That age has not come even today, so the strong take more. And the weak serve the strong.
"The scriptures praise Hestio as a gentle father who led the East until just before human history began. But to put it another way, doesn't the name Hestio mean that he failed to open the door to history?"
"That's—"
Ulrich raised a hand, cutting Roberta off.
"This tower is the result. The end of the civilization built by the descendants of Hestio. The gentle father raised a family, but a family is too small a unit."
"Only after a very long time had passed since the gods left did they realize that fact. That what the age required was not harmony but unification, not a gentle father but a cold master."
She knew what came next without having to hear it.
It was a story detailed in the scriptures. Humans grew up in Hestio's embrace and spread throughout the world, but they each went their separate ways and met unjust ends.
Hestio was said to have grieved as so many of his descendants were killed, and the very existence of the human race was threatened.
Thus, he gathered the humans in one place to form a group, and as the age of the Elves waned, that group took a human as their master and built a civilization.
That was the first empire, the first Emperor.
"I said it just a moment ago. History is what appears only after repeated failures finally lead to success. Because people change through failure. Otherwise, they are simply weeded out."
Ulrich stroked the inscription as if caressing it.
"That is what the civilizations before history are. They may feel worthless to you today, but these failures left the name of Hestio in the pre-historic era and created the Emperor."
When he finished speaking, a silence fell inside the tower. As always, after listening to him, all she could do was worry about what to say next. Roberta kept her mouth shut and quietly watched the bonfire.
Roberta opened her eyes. Seeing the slivers of light seeping through the cracks in the tower, she knew it was morning. She lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling, then shivered. She was wearing several layers of winter clothing with a blanket on top, yet the cold was still sharp enough to bite at her flesh.
*Crack, crackle.* The sound of burning firewood made her turn her head to see Ulrich sitting before the bonfire. He held a teacup in his right hand. As always, he would have brewed Songhwacha.
*Really, what an incomprehensible taste.*
Ulrich didn't seem to notice that Roberta had woken up and was watching him. He sipped his tea and added dry kindling to the fire.
What was he thinking? She was curious what the old man with the eternally youthful appearance was recalling in the silence. Perhaps he was contemplating the next story to tell.
After watching him for a long while from her spot, she pushed herself up.
"You're awake."
"Good morning… though it's not much of one, is it, Lord?"
"Well, if you didn't have a nightmare, it's a good morning."
Ulrich smiled gently and picked up another teacup from the bonfire, handing it to her. Thankfully, it wasn't Songhwacha. It was just melted ice.
She craved something a little sweet, but she didn't let it show as she moistened her throat. As the warmth traveled down her throat, she felt the chill recede slightly.
"Good morning… though it's not much of one, is it, Lord?"
"Well, if you didn't have any nightmares, it's a good morning."
Ulrich smiled gently and picked up another teacup from the campfire, handing it to her. Thankfully, it wasn't Songhwacha. Just melted ice.
She craved something a little sweet, but she didn't let it show as she moistened her throat. As the warmth traveled down her throat, she felt the chill recede slightly.
"Shall I wake the others?"
"Let them sleep a little longer. There's no need to hurry now."
Roberta sat beside him and sipped from her cup.
"You mean we're almost there?"
Yes, we'll arrive today, at the earliest.
"That's faster than I thought..."
Today, she thought, recalling the mountain they had set as their destination. Wasn't it too far to reach in a single day? It seemed like a distance they couldn't cover even by speed-walking through the night.
Ulrich never spoke idly. There must be another way. Believing this, she smiled silently. The thought that the end of their hardship was finally in sight naturally put her at ease.
Of course, the return journey still remained, but she could think about that when the time came.
"Roberta, have you experienced a Magyeong before?"
Yes. Lord Alonso requested my company. But back then, I didn't really think it was as dangerous as this place. No, it was dangerous, but... how should I put it?
"It wasn't horrifying, I suppose."
...Yes. That's right.
Roberta waited for Ulrich to continue, but he fell silent. Only the sound of the crackling campfire remained between them, and she fidgeted with the hands holding her cup, feeling the awkwardness.
"Lord, may I ask a question?"
You don't need to read my mood. Ask anytime.
"How will this journey end?"
She asked cautiously, almost in a whisper, and glanced around. Besides the two of them, the rest of the party was fast asleep, so exhausted that not even the cold could wake them.
Ulrich added another piece of firewood to the campfire.
My thoughts haven't changed.
She looked down at her teacup.
But there are times when you must go on, even when you know the outcome.
After his words trailed off, a long silence followed.
......
And after a long while, Ulrich turned his head.
It wasn't toward her. He was looking outside. Then, a sound was heard. It was a scream that pierced the very soul, a sound that could not have come from a human mouth.
Roberta shot to her feet reflexively. The entire party was awake. This was the Ice Peninsula, an uninhabited land that even Emperor Taiwon could not conquer. What reason could there be for such a loud noise in a place like this?
Following Ulrich, she armed herself and went outside. The light was blinding. A cold wind blew, the chill still present, but the sunlight reflecting off the snow-covered plains stabbed at her eyes.
A Giant?
In the distance, a group could be seen approaching. Though there were only four of them, each one was so massive that they covered the ground with enormous strides.
They were Giants. A race created by the evil god Takna when he resided in the Heavens.
"A Giant?"
In the distance, a group could be seen approaching. Though there were only four of them, each one was so massive that they covered the ground with enormous strides.
They were Giants. A race created by the evil god Takna when he resided in the Heavens.
They were clad in what looked like animal hides, but they were so hairy it seemed they hardly needed to wear anything at all. If only they were hunched over, one might mistake them for bipedal apes.
Duke Bailen's party, emerging late, stood beside Ulrich. As they drew their swords and stood guard, Ulrich shook his head and made them step back.
"Stay back. There's no need to fight."
He said, walking forward alone.
"As you can see, Giants are like bipedal apes. Their intelligence is just as low, but they are still considered a sentient race. Therefore, unlike monsters, they don't indiscriminately devour people. Usually."
No sooner had he finished speaking than one of the Giants thrust its arm forward violently. Ulrich leaned slightly to the side. An instant later, a spear slammed into the ground where he had been standing. It looked to be made from the bone of a monster.
Roberta glanced back and forth between the spear and Ulrich. He was some distance ahead, his back to her, so she couldn't see his expression. But at some point, he had taken a whip in hand.
He let the whip hang long and said.
"Of course, there are ignorant brutes like this among them."
The Giant that had thrown the spear charged forward with a monstrous roar.
Though the ground was thick with snow, when the Giant took a step, it wasn't a *crunch, crunch*, but a *thud, thud*. Indeed, they were Giants who retained their mythical form, befitting creatures of the evil god Takna.
When she saw them from a distance, she had only a vague sense of their size, but standing before Ulrich, the Giant was twice his height. Roberta...
As the opponent entered the whip's range, Ulrich extended his right arm to the side and swung it wide. The whip wrapped around the Giant's right ankle and pulled, and it toppled over effortlessly.
The Giant, lying in the snow, didn't get up. Its seething fighting spirit vanished like a mirage, and a look of bewilderment crossed its bearded face. Then, as if remembering something, it moved its mouth.
Ulrich cracked the whip against the ground with a violent spray.
"Do you remember now?"
The Giant cowered on the ground and spat out words haltingly.
"Human. King, hit me."
"Bring me Uar. Tell him I am waiting here!"
When he cracked the whip once more, the Giant fled in preemptive fear. Watching the pathetic display, so unbefitting its size, Roberta wore a look of disbelief.
"Aren't you going to catch it?"
"They may be foolish, but they aren't evil."
Ulrich added as he coiled his whip.
"We're here now. They will guide us the rest of the way."
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