Reset Life – Chapter 117

Chapter 117: You Will Become That (3)

I crossed my arms and said,

“Let’s bring the conversation back to the starting point. Is it a problem that I have odd eyes? For now, this proves my lineage, but I’ve seen three people with odd eyes since I arrived here. There must be more, right?”

“Odd eyes are not the problem. Your blue eye is the problem.”

“This one? Isn’t it genetic?”

“That’s what you think. Black eyes and blue eyes have a very special meaning in this place. I was trying to bring it up slowly because I guessed you would look like that……!”

The cigarette smoke scattering helplessly into the air looked truly pathetic. It seems I’ve caused trouble again.

I scratched my head and said,

“It’s already spilled water, isn’t it? We can’t pick it up again, so let’s hear the background story.”

“Ugh, if you weren’t my grandson, I would have set your hair on fire.”

“Isn’t this the first time you’ve seen your grandson? Please look at me kindly.”

“How can I look kindly at a fully grown man? Anyway……”

Summeor took one last puff of smoke and put away her pipe.

“Listen, you foolish grandson. ‘Back then,’ I didn’t know you were my grandson. I didn’t even know where your mother went to give birth and die. But there was no problem. The Guard simply hunted what you call monsters and inherited the duty entrusted by our ancestors.”

That ‘back then’ must be referring to before she and I died. Levidian, perhaps understanding it as a simple past tense, only nodded.

Hmm, it’s not time to tell her yet.

“The duty entrusted by your ancestors?”

“Yes. I don’t know how it’s known in the outside world, but the Guard has been protecting the outside world from Greners. The Guard has never left Grenoian.”

“Grener? Grenoian? Are you referring to the monsters and the Gray Forest?”

“Yes.”

Well, since the language here and outside seems different, the proper nouns would also be different. Besides, they are much easier terms to use than ‘monsters’ or ‘Gray Forest.’

“But you said you’ve been protecting the outside world?”

“It’s an old story. Our ancestors made a pact with the hero of the Herduke family in the past. We would not let Greners out of this forest, and if there were any Greners that went outside, the hero of Herduke would deal with them. The problem is, the monsters always ran towards the west.”

“Towards the west? Why?”

“Because the Sair River flows in the east. I don’t know why, but the water of the Sair River is like poison to those Greners. If a Grener falls into the Sair River, it melts away in an instant. There are no other special effects. It’s just clear and delicious water. Originally, the hero of Herduke intended to drown all the Greners in the Sair River.”

“Oh? That’s the first time I’m hearing this. Then why not just draw the water and sprinkle it on them? The Sair River is a river that holds an endless supply of water.”

“Weaknesses exist everywhere. If you are just 100 meters away from the Sair River, it loses its effect on Greners. I don’t know why. It’s the same even if you draw the water with magic and sprinkle it.”

“Ah, I see.”

I nodded. Come to think of it, if you compare the east and west sides of the continent, there are more monsters in the west. I never knew the Sair River had such an effect.

Above all, the Gray Forest is the perfect place to drive the monsters into the Sair River. Since both sides are blocked up to the Sair River, you can drown them all if you just apply enough pressure.

It’s just a pity that it didn’t turn out that way.

Summeor continued her story.

“As you know, the situation ‘now’ is completely different from ‘back then.’ The reason is that ‘back then,’ I only focused on getting rid of Greners. But now, there’s something else I need to worry about. It’s because a prophecy that didn’t exist ‘back then’ has appeared ‘this time.’”

“A prophecy?”

“That’s why I was trying to send you to Mirgaram. At this point…… Dear, you must be tired, so go and rest. Go out and find Ban or Kun for guidance.”

“M-me?”

Levidian, who had been listening to the story with a blank expression, tilted her head. Summeor nodded, and she looked at me.

I smiled bitterly and shook my head.

“I’m sorry, but please rest.”

“Yes. Alright, Risel, if you say so.”

Perhaps sensing that the story was getting quite serious, or perhaps knowing that I would eventually have to tell her everything, she nodded obediently.

Grandmother chuckled.

“You’re whipped.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Huh?”

Levidian smiled brightly and said to Summeor.

“I’m already caught. I don’t think there’s anything left to catch. Then, Risel, I’ll go first.”

Even as Levidian left the common area with a refreshing gait, I could only stare blankly at her back.

It was only because of my grandmother’s explosive laughter that I was able to move even a little.

“AHAHAHAHAHA! Grandson, you’ve met a truly amazing woman! HAHAHA!”

“I think so too. Sigh, that’s my fate.”

I smiled bitterly. It’s both burdensome and joyful that Levidian seems to be getting bolder.

Yes, her words are true. It’s been a long time since I was caught by her.

Thanks to this, the atmosphere has eased considerably. No, it’s eased to the point of being stretched because my grandmother kept laughing so hard that I was worried she might pass out.

“AHAHAHA, ha, huhul. It’s been a while since I’ve laughed like this.”

“Congratulations.”

“Forget it. What congratulations. Anyway, both you and I are in a strange situation. When was it for you?”

“Year 382. And I woke up in 372.”

“You’ve come back longer than me. It was the year after next for me, and it was 4 years ago. Around this time in my previous life, I sent Kun to the Herduke family.”

“I remember. I remember him because I saw him then. But how did you know it was me?”

“It was simple. I sent a few people out to gather some information and then I pinpointed the parts that were different from my memory. I also had the feeling that you would come here someday. So, I’ve been diligently doing fortune telling recently, and the results came out about half a month ago.”

Perhaps because I followed in the footsteps of Lime-hyung or Duke Ecoshian, I didn’t feel awkward talking to someone who had reset. Besides, the person in front of me is my grandmother, who I can strangely communicate well with.

“Let’s go back to the story. The Gray Forest was quiet before, what’s the reason?”

“Didn’t I tell you? I was inheriting the duty of my ancestors. Our mission is to thoroughly reduce the number of Greners so that they don’t get close to the western wall. The reason the forest is noisy this time is because the prophecy is preventing that from happening properly. All the Guard clans, including Mopum, believe in that prophecy and are clinging to their lives, so they can’t stop the monsters heading west. Tsk tsk. Foolish things.”

“All the clans? Then just how many people live in this forest?”

“At least 200 million. Among them, our Mopum clan is the largest. About 3 million.”

200 million people?!

I suppressed the shock that was about to burst out of my mouth. It’s a bit surprising, but it’s not an unbelievable number. Even just Mopum was a sky city with a width of 50 meters, a height of 300 meters, and an unknown length. And there must be a huge number of people living in the caves of the cliff as well.

“But if 200 million people live here, there must be millions of well-trained warriors. Despite that, you can’t wipe out all the monsters?”

“You fool, how big do you think Grenoian is? And Greners not only reproduce among themselves, but they also arise naturally from the environment. It’s not like that for the outsiders, but the land here is so unique that such things happen. Eradication is close to impossible.”

“It truly is an unknown land.”

“Anyway, in the past, we poured our strength into a large-scale extermination of Greners. So, there weren’t many that went west. After securing some leeway, I sent Kun to your father to make a secret pact. Wouldn’t it be nice for those who inherited the duties of the past to help each other? At that time, I was planning to unify this land. I sent Kun to ask for cooperation in that matter.”

“Wow, as expected of Grandmother. You have a grand vision. But what did you want to unify it for?”

“I wanted to find a way to eradicate Greners with the combined strength of the entire Guard. As you might guess, those who are divided often fight amongst themselves.”

I nodded in admiration. This is not something anyone can think of. If the monsters were eradicated from this land, a new nation could be born.

However, it’s an impossible dream. Grandmother will pass away in the year after next, before I die.

“You might be offended if I say this, but there was nothing wrong with the Gray Forest even before I died.”

“Huhul. Of course. Because there was no prophecy about ‘Hajifsia’ back then.”

“Huh? Hajifsia? What’s that? Come to think of it, you’ve been talking about a prophecy since a while ago.”

And it seems like Kun muttered something like that while looking into my eyes.

Grandmother laughed cheerfully and said,

“It means ‘the one who unites.’ It’s an old legend. ‘Born in Mirgaram, Hajifsia leads Grenoian, and the Guard will shed its duty like a snake sheds its skin. Black eyes see the past, blue eyes see the future, and the future will be eternally bright.’ This refers to an odd-eyed person with black and blue eyes.”

Black eyes and blue eyes? That sounds like my eyes?

“Uh, are odd eyes with black and blue eyes rare?”

“Rare? They’ve never appeared before. You’re the first. That’s why Kun was so surprised. Right now, he’s probably busy chattering away to the warriors.”

“Then…… Does that mean I’m the Hajifsia? The prophesied being who will lead the Guard? Hoo, I was a pretty amazing person, more than I thought.”

“This guy, even thunder would be surprised by his bullshit.”

The ability to make someone speechless is probably a common trait of our grandmother’s bloodline. What a wonderful saying. Even thunder would be surprised by bullshit. Let’s remember that.

No, more importantly!

“Then what is it?”

“If you weren’t just thinking about playing tricks on Kun, I was going to send you to Mirgaram first to confirm that. Or I would have just sent you with a stone.”

“But you said there were no odd-eyed people with black and blue eyes?”

“The problem is your blood. As you might guess, the Guard is a hybrid species of what the outside world calls demons and humans. Odd eyes were a characteristic of that. Especially when a human and a pure-blooded demon meet, they always have eyes like yours. Your mother was a rare case where the old blood awakened. Otherwise, how do you think I would have guessed your eye color?”

Thinking about my grandmother’s words, my birth is a miracle of probability.

In other words, coincidence.

“But didn’t you say there are no coincidences?”

“I just said that to sound cool. Why, does it taste bitter?”

“It feels like I have a hundred unripe persimmons in my mouth. What is this, no decorum.”

“Get old and see what you have left.”

My grandmother and I sighed at the same time, wishing the ground would swallow us up. We’ve never met before, but we get along so well, there’s no doubt I’m from this bloodline.

“So, what are you going to do now?”

“What else! It would be perfect if you were the Hajifsia. Because you’ll find a way to eradicate the Greners in Mirgaram. At least there’s a prophecy that didn’t exist in my previous life. The appearance of Hajifsia.”

“When?”

“3 years ago.”

“That’s exactly when I died and came back to life. Then there’s a chance I could be it, isn’t there?”

Grandmother looked at me and sighed deeply. Then she looked at me with a deep gaze.

“I’ll confess something. Huh? What’s with that expression?”

“I have a beautiful bride-to-be. Besides, confessing to your grandson is against human ethics. Above all, think about this huge age difference. It’s absurd……”

“Shall I burn you white?”

“I’ll listen with an open mind.”

A skilled shaman can cast spells with just their will. Grandmother, who had a fierce expression, clicked her tongue and extinguished the bright red fire that was enveloping her hand.

“Even if you were the Hajifsia, I was going to send you out with just a gray stone. I would have just listened to the method of eradicating the monsters and wouldn’t have told you anything else.”

“Why?”

“You blockhead. Do you want to live here with your granny forever?”

“Ah……”

I understand.

According to the legend, the one who should lead the Guard is Hajifsia. There’s no guarantee it’s me, but if I am Hajifsia, I have the responsibility to lead them.

“I’ve heard roughly about what you’re doing. And the reason you came here to find the Shadow Stone is probably because you messed something up and your daughter-in-law got cursed or something. And since you’ve come back to life, you must have something you want. At least, being the leader of Grenoian isn’t on your list of things you want, is it?”

“Th-that’s true.”

“It’s a relief if it’s not you. We can just say the legend was referring to someone else. But if you are Hajifsia…… I wouldn’t care, but you would, wouldn’t you?”

“Ugh……”

It’s a situation that makes me groan involuntarily. This way, I have no choice but to hope that I’m not the person from the legend. No, I’m not that great of a guy in the first place, am I?

Damn it. What kind of trouble is this just because I showed my eyes?

“Phew, that’s all I have to say. Do you have any more questions?”

“This is a problem. I’d rather it wasn’t me. But what kind of place is Mirgaram? Is there something there that can tell me whether I’m the protagonist of the legend or not?”

“Of course there is. Because it’s where the dragons live.”

“Huh?”

I tried to guess my grandmother’s age. She looks at least seventy years old on the outside, but was I mistaken in thinking she looked healthy? She’s out of her mind.

Dragons! Aren’t they creatures that went extinct more than 1,000 years ago?

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