Chapter 22…………………………………
“Then, inside there….”
“The reason I didn’t say anything was that it was, after all, on the way to Moju. But before even reaching the hill, I realized it wasn’t here. That means someone had already broken the seal and taken the fragment. The Daoist who appeared just then is hiding something.”
“That might be an excessive assumption.”
“Perhaps. But doesn’t the timing strike you as strange?”
“I’ve heard that the hill has been in this state for quite some time. But the one who stole it wouldn’t appear again…”
“They might be trying to erase evidence.”
Gahwa bit her lip anxiously. She had no idea how things were unfolding.
‘So someone else besides me is after the Yeouiju fragment?’
“Anyway, we’ll find out soon enough.”
At the Dragon’s words, Gahwa repeated the word in her mind: “Tomorrow.”
At that, Gahwa looked toward the direction the Daoist had disappeared. Just then, the bushes shook, and he appeared between them.
Gahwa and the Dragon greeted him and Soso casually, as if nothing had happened.
It had been an unsettling night in many ways.
Gahwa awoke early at dawn. Her restless mind had kept her from sleeping well, making her sensitive even to the smallest sounds.
Tap.
Opening her eyes at the sound of sparks, she looked around drowsily.
The Daoist was standing watch in front of the fire altar. Gahwa carefully got up so as not to wake the sleeping Soso nestled in her arms and approached him.
Noticing her presence, the Daoist brightened.
“Gong, you’re awake? You could sleep a bit longer, you know.”
“I’m fine.”
“Shall we wake everyone once it’s fully daylight?”
“Yes. That would be best.”
He spoke with his usual calm demeanor, smiling gently and tossing off trivial remarks. Gahwa answered lightly while observing him carefully.
Because of the conversation with the Dragon the day before, every action of his seemed suspicious. But dawn arrived without any significant results.
Gahwa thought the shrine would be the last opportunity. She woke the others, fed them breakfast, and headed straight to the shrine.
As she had been told beforehand, the shrine’s seal had been broken.
The seal drawn on the floor was partially erased, and one side of the shrine’s doors and roof was damaged.
Seeing it crushed as if someone had smashed it, the Daoist clicked his tongue.
“They really forced it open with sheer strength.”
Tsk.
He clicked his tongue again and carefully stepped over the seal into the shrine.
Gahwa and the Dragon followed behind. Soso peeked out from Gahwa’s arms, only her eyes visible, looking around as if cautiously exploring.
“At least the inside seems fine.”
The Daoist exhaled heavily.
Though he had worried the roof’s collapse would have caused more damage, the interior was clean once the debris was cleared.
Since the collapse was near the door, it was a relief that the main altar at the center remained intact.
“Anyway.”
The Daoist muttered as he approached the altar where the divine artifact had once been. He swept his hand across the now-empty cushion, and the dust shifted along with it.
The thick layer of dust indicated how long the artifact had been gone.
“Phew… it seems the divine artifact was taken over twenty days ago, after breaking the seal. Since it was neglected all this time, the hill became overrun with yokai.”
The Daoist blew the dust from his hands and added his explanation.
At his words, Gahwa looked around.
Between the broken wooden planks were large dirt footprints. Judging by the size and pattern, they belonged to a single person.
Glancing, Gahwa compared them with the Daoist’s feet, but they were clearly different. She turned her head to see if there were other traces.
The shrine’s ceiling was higher than the average man’s reach. Finger marks on the broken roof indicated someone had forced it.
So the culprit was strong, large, and had big feet.
Although the Daoist was tall, he was only slightly taller than an average man—far from enough to reach the roof.
None of these matched him.
‘Did I let the Dragon’s words lead me into baseless suspicion?’
Lost in thought, she noticed the Dragon talking with the Daoist while watching the empty cushion.
“Do you know what divine artifact was originally here?”
“…The artifact? I’ve seen it a few times while passing through the hills.”
“You’ve seen it, so you know what it is?”
“Yes. I believe it was a necklace.”
A fleeting smile passed across the Dragon’s lips, but it was too quick for anyone to notice.
The Daoist also didn’t notice and turned to retrieve a brush and talisman from his satchel. Gahwa craned her neck, curious.
“What are you doing?”
“Repairing the shrine isn’t something I can manage.”
“Even with Daoist arts, it’s difficult?”
“Yes. I can restore the seal and replace the artifact, but I cannot reconstruct the roof.”
“You can revive the seal?”
“Don’t worry. I brought a substitute divine artifact. I’ll place it, overlay the seal, and that’s sufficient. As for the damaged roof, I’ll just cover it up.”
He wrote something on a small piece of paper. Glancing, Gahwa saw it was a note requesting someone to repair the roof.
“All done.”
The Daoist put away the brush, took out a talisman, and threw it into the air. With a dramatic gesture and command, the talisman transformed instantly and landed on his arm. He tied a note to a bird’s leg and released it into the sky.
“This takes care of the roof. Shall we step outside briefly?”
Following his instruction, everyone except the Daoist stepped outside the seal’s boundary.
“All preparations are complete.”
The Daoist took out ink, a brush, and a lightning-shaped ritual tool from his satchel—a Vajra with intricate patterns.
“That is…”
“A replacement for the stolen divine artifact. It’s the Vajra used long ago by a venerable Zen master. It’s powerful enough to substitute the previous artifact and will calm the hills.”
Placing the Vajra on the altar, he used the talisman to enlarge the brush and ink bottle, using the ink to repair the broken seal.
It looked like a beautiful sword dance. The spectacle was so rare that even Soso, normally distrustful of the Daoist, seemed entranced.
“This completes the seal repair.”
Once mostly finished, he added another layer to the seal, then put away the brush and ink. The completed seal glimmered briefly, then the light faded.
“Now all that remains are the yokai overrunning the hills.”
The Daoist put away his tools and turned. At his words, Gahwa, who had been silently watching, stepped forward.
There was one remaining issue: the reason she and the Dragon were passing through these hills.
“The yokai are one problem, but recovering the stolen divine artifact is also important, isn’t it?”
“Oh—I was only contracted to repair the broken seal.”
But his response was unexpected, and Gahwa’s expression sank slightly.
She had hoped he would take the lead in recovering the artifact if he wasn’t the culprit. Being a Daoist strict with discipline, she believed his character would lead him to act accordingly.
Gahwa asked to confirm:
“So you’re saying you won’t retrieve it?”
“Yes. My work ends here. The payment I received is only enough to repair the seal; it doesn’t cover any extra effort.”
Mentioning payment, he drew a firm line. His attitude was clearly different from usual.
Perhaps that was why his smile felt cold today.
Then Gahwa realized:
They only shared the same destination.
From the start, she had unconsciously relied on his friendly demeanor.
The Dragon was right.
Whether he took the artifact or not, she should not have trusted him.
Her mother had warned her not to trust anyone. Recovering the Yeouiju would have to be done alone.
Gahwa looked at the Daoist again. He was suspicious, but there was no concrete evidence tying him to the theft.
Without proof, she could not accuse him recklessly. Resolving her thoughts, she nodded.
“Understood. Then it’s best we part ways when the path forks after descending the hills. Our goal has already been achieved.”
“Already talking about parting? It’s a shame the journey is almost over. I look forward to accompanying you until the hike ends, Gong.”
The Daoist smiled slyly. The smile made Gahwa uncomfortable, and she turned her back first.
As she moved ahead, she heard his question from behind:
“Do you intend to retrieve the divine artifact? It’s unrelated to this matter, isn’t it?”
It caught her off guard.
She maintained her expression and answered without looking back.
“You said it protects people from yokai. I just thought it important to recover it.”
Her response was partly false but plausible, and the Daoist accepted it with a laugh.
“Ah, I see. I was merely curious why you concern yourself with something unrelated. Now, shall we depart before it gets too late? We must reach Taean before sunset to spend the night at the inn.”
With that, the Daoist walked ahead. Gahwa stepped forward, glancing at the Dragon.
He watched the Daoist with an unreadable expression. Gahwa silently hoped this journey would soon end.
“Finally, we can see Moju.”
Following the Daoist’s gesture, Gahwa turned her head to a new landscape.
“Wow—.”
Moju gave off a different atmosphere from the hills and Hwajo.
The weather resembled the capital, Juan, but perhaps due to the sea, it was more humid.
Along the distant coastline, large-leafed trees lined up, stretching far into the distance.
Compared to the northern hills and Hwajo, the climate was milder, so snow didn’t accumulate but melted quickly.
Gahwa looked up at the falling snow. During their passage across the hills, the season had gradually shifted into winter.
