Chapter 32

He looked like what people commonly referred to as a 'yaksha.'

His unkempt, shaggy hair and beard were not just peculiar but even frightening.

At that moment, the crows began to caw wildly.

Flap, the sound of wings flapping faded into the distance.

Paralyzed with shock, I couldn't move, and the yaksha slowly raised his hand.

Could he be about to hit us? If I were hit by a yaksha, I would surely die. I closed my eyes tightly without realizing it.

But feeling no sensation, I cautiously opened my eyes.

The yaksha was holding a bottle to his mouth and gulping down its contents.

Red liquid dripped down. The faint smell of alcohol suggested that the bottle contained liquor.

The smell alone was enough to tell that it was potent, yet he drank it all at once.

I looked at the man with a slightly surprised expression.

At that moment, Asel quickly hid us behind him and spoke.

"Hello. It's been a while since I last saw you."

"……"

"Do you remember me…?"

The yaksha took his mouth away from the bottle and scanned me and Damian from head to toe.

It felt as if he was marking us with his eyes.

Finally, he spoke.

"I clearly warned you that bringing children here would be dangerous."

His rough, deep voice was not just cold but chilling.

"Yes, I know, but…"

Asel, who was answering, suddenly made a gasping sound and clamped his mouth shut.

A faint smell of alcohol and sourness carried by the wind could be detected.

It seemed that the source of the smell Asel mentioned was this man.

'He must be drinking this potent liquor without even bathing.'

Is there a reason for this?

"I'll, I'll quickly retreat. I'm sorry."

Asel, looking pale and even green, said.

Asel, holding my and Damian's hands, bowed to the yaksha.

"Excuse me, Mr. Veborg."

Veborg?

My eyes widened at the unexpected name.

The man waved his hand as if urging us to leave quickly, and Asel hurriedly led us away.

"Phew… We're alive."

Asel let out a sigh of relief when we arrived at the duke's castle.

"Asel, Asel. That person is Mr. Veborg?"

"You know Mr. Veborg?"

"The nobleman mentioned him as a blacksmith last time."

At my question, Asel nodded.

"Yes. There isn't a single weapon in the duke's castle that hasn't been handled by Mr. Veborg. He is the most skilled in the empire."

"But…"

He doesn't look like it. I swallowed the question lingering in my mouth. It would be rude to ask.

"Of course, that's all old news."

Asel, perceptive as always, said with a troubled expression.

"Is it because he can't see?"

"It's not just that, um…"

Asel seemed hesitant.

Then, he sighed deeply and slowly spoke.

The words that came out of Asel's mouth were shocking.

"Mr. Veborg's daughter drowned in that red lake?"

"Yes. It happened a while ago, and everyone in the duke's castle knows about it."

"Then…"

The refusal of treatment was also because of that…

I muttered to myself.

I could faintly understand the feeling of locking himself in a room and drinking potent liquor all day.

"But it's not just because of his eyes."

"What do you mean?"

"Mr. Veborg became like this after Lady Yuria passed away."

Yuria was the name of the late Duchess Shuetsu.

"After his daughter passed away, Mr. Veborg was very distressed. Around that time, Lady Yuria came to the duke's castle."

Asel told me that the late Veborg's daughter and Yuria were around the same age.

He also added that the beloved Yuria helped Veborg overcome his depression.

"…But after Lady Yuria also passed away, it seemed like he lost his second daughter. Since then, he has been locked in his cabin, drinking all day. The duke's castle's chief physician says he refuses treatment."

"I see…"

Now I understood the reason for his refusal of treatment.

He must feel like he's carrying all the despair in the world.

"Anyway, now you know, right? You must never go near the red lake."

"Yes."

At my answer, Damian also nodded obediently.

"Alright, that's enough for today's walk. Let's go inside."

Asel led us inside. I kept glancing back as we walked in, holding hands.

The red lake hidden by the grass seemed to loom in front of my eyes.

* * *

On the table, empty bottles were scattered haphazardly.

A man, as if in a stupor, lay sleeping.

Outside the window, the crows cawed.

The sound woke the man.

He reached out, fumbling on the table. The empty bottles clattered as they rolled off.

Clang!

Unable to resist the momentum, a glass fell to the floor.

"Damn…"

The man muttered a curse as he sat up.

His heavy eyelids lifted, and his vision was blurry. Unconsciously, he rubbed his right eye, then paused.

His hand hovered over the useless eye patch.

"…I can't get used to it."

Veborg muttered hopelessly and lowered his hand.

It was time to really stop drinking.

He couldn't keep going like this.

Sigh. He let out a deep sigh. The pungent smell of alcohol spread through the air.

Veborg, scratching his tangled beard, looked around.

All the bottles were empty. He must have drunk them habitually again.

Veborg sighed and got up from his seat.

At that moment, a severe headache hit him. He groaned and pressed his forehead.

Knock, knock, knock!

Someone was pounding on the door.

'Who at this hour…'

Veborg, pressing his forehead, approached the door. The knocking grew more intense, as if the person couldn't wait a moment longer.

"A, Veborg!"

The familiar face greeted him as he opened the door.

Dr. Diern, the chief physician of the duke's castle.

"What brings you here at this late hour?"

"What do you mean, 'what brings me here'? Who else would come to your house besides me?"

Diern's joke made Veborg's brow furrow irritably.

It was true.

People in the duke's castle rarely visited Veborg, feeling sorry for him.

Even when they accidentally met, they would quickly run away.

"Are you taking your medicine properly?"

Veborg turned his gaze away, annoyed.

Diern, as if expecting this, chuckled and held out a small bottle.

"I knew you would say that. Your medicine is running out, isn't it?"

Diern shook the bottle a couple of times. The red liquid inside swayed, an unpleasant color.

"…This medicine isn't helping. It's making my eyes hurt even more."

"Have you never heard of withdrawal symptoms?"

"Never heard of it."

Veborg said irritably, and Diern clicked his tongue.

"It means the treatment is working. It's a temporary reaction. Wouldn't it be strange if your eyes suddenly got better?"

"…"

"Or do you not trust me? The chief physician of the duke's castle?"

Diern said, putting on airs.

Veborg almost retorted that the chief physician was his late father, but he closed his mouth.

Even if he had lost his social skills from isolation, he still had some sense.

Veborg sighed deeply and reluctantly took the bottle.

Diern's voice became lighter.

"The usage is the same as before. Three times a day. Just put the medicine in both eyes."

"…This time, it has to work."

"Of course it will!"

Diern said confidently.

"Go ahead and use it. I need to see with my own eyes that you're using it properly."

"There's no need to do that…"

"Everyone in the duke's castle hopes you get better soon."

Veborg, who was about to refuse, hesitated and sighed, then opened the bottle.

Pushing the eye patch aside, he dropped the red liquid into his blurry eye.

For a brief moment, Diern smiled.

Veborg frowned.

No matter how many times he experienced it, he couldn't get used to the pain.

"Good medicine is always potent. Well done."

Diern patted Veborg's shoulder.

"Since I've delivered the medicine, I'll be on my way. Don't come out."

Diern quickly left Veborg's cabin.

Instantly, crows flew toward him.

"Ah, these pests. Get lost!"

Diern shooed the crows away with a shushing sound.

'This place is so unlucky, even the crows are here.'

Diern clicked his tongue and quickly left the red lake.

When he reached a deserted area, he stopped.

Diern put his hand in his pocket.

A small image orb came out.

Clearing his throat, Diern spoke to the orb.

"Yes. Everything is proceeding smoothly. Of course."

Taking an extremely low stance, Diern then said confidently.

"Now, he won't even be able to use one eye."