Chapter 29. Silasce

When the answer was delayed, Kakantir turned to Ian. Ian lowered his head slightly and replied.

"That is correct."

Was he asking because they were a tribe that served the sky? Or did he ask knowing that another Ian resided within Ian? Winchen smacked his lips, as if mulling over Ian's concise answer.

"You are indeed born of Derga's blood?"

"Undeniably."

"Does your existence signify peace?"

"I swear, peace is the sole reason for my existence."

A smile played on Winchen's lips. Kakan nodded, silently instructing his attendants, and they laid Winchen back on the bed.

"Then we will take our leave."

"Rest well, Chieftain. The desert storms have been fierce lately. It's because the sky has become even hotter."

The old man's weak murmurs lingered in the tent. As Ian stepped outside, the tense members of the Chunryeo tribe watched Kakan's expression.

"Provide Ian Bratz and his companions with a tent."

This was an indirect declaration that Ian was indeed a descendant of the Bratz family. It also signified the official completion of the arduous peace negotiations.

Soo let out a sigh of relief and called to Ian.

"Ian. This way."

"What about me? Do I get the same tent?"

"And why not? Do you expect a separate room for your noble self?"

Soo snapped, and Berik whispered to Ian.

"She's really narrow-minded for a warrior. Why is she always like this to me? If you think about it, you were the one who started mocking me that day, weren't you?"

"Well, Berik. You were the one who actually threw the punch."

"Oh, ho? You're backing out now?"

The tent assigned to Ian was in better condition than expected. Not particularly luxurious, but it didn't feel like they were mistreating him for being a hostage of an enemy nation.

'This is strange. Weren't they supposed to be quite hostile after Derga's older brother died crossing the border?'

Of course, the chieftain then and Kakantir now were different people. Given the easily changeable nature of chieftains, he might be considered ancient history to them.

But shouldn't that mean their perceptions and relationships should have changed even more? These people were not as ruthless as he had heard at the Bratz mansion.

'They are stern but not cold-blooded, free but not barbaric.'

That was Ian's assessment. Berik, unpacking his sand-ridden luggage, asked.

"So, what are we going to do now?"

"First, I need to wash up."

"I mean, besides that. We're not going to live here forever, are we?"

That was true.

But for Ian to return to Barielle, Molin had to lead the inspectors from the capital and behead Derga.

He had probably just reached the capital by now. It would take fifteen days to a month for him to come down and carry out the deed.

"Think of it as a trip. There are countless people here you can't defeat, so if you fight one person each day, a year will pass quickly."

"A year? Are you lying?"

"I'm kidding. Fifteen days. A month at most."

Berik spat curses with his eyes and flopped onto the bed. He didn't care where he was as long as he had a bed, but he couldn't get used to the desert heat.

"Ian."

Swoosh-

Soo entered, pulling back the tent flap. She looked around the room, placing down some clothes and snacks. She seemed to be checking if anything was lacking.

"Eat this for now. Everyone's busy recovering from the journey. I'll come to get you when the sun sets for the homecoming ceremony. Oh, and-"

Soo, about to hurry out, paused and turned back.

"Jangyarung said the storm was really fierce. He said it was the biggest and most threatening one he'd ever encountered. He went through it alone, so nothing was lost, but if the group had encountered it, it would have been troublesome."

"I see."

Was she trying to say thank you? Ian smiled and deflected the credit to Kakantir.

"The chieftain's judgment was truly wise."

Soo's face brightened at the praise of their leader. Then, she quietly slipped out of the tent. Berik, who had been watching blankly, muttered grumpily.

"...She really is only like that to me."

"Are you upset?"

"Forget it!"

Berik waved his hand dismissively and jumped onto the bed. Covered in sand, he immediately fell into a deep sleep. They had spent days outside, exposed to the wind. Ian, after a moment of contemplation, also drifted off to sleep.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Ian's eyes opened to the sound of drums beating somewhere.

It was dark outside. Night had fallen. The only light in the room came from the Milky Way, shining like milk. Just as Ian was about to shake Berik awake, Soo pulled back the tent flap again.

"Ian? Berik?"

"Ugh...."

"Come out quickly. Everyone's waiting."

Still dazed from sleep, Ian and Berik stumbled after Soo. Inside the settlement, a white building stood. As Soo opened the door, an unbelievable sight unfolded.

"Ahahaha!"

"One more time! Hey, are you giving up already?"

"You know what I told you last time? It turned out to be true!"

Chunryeo people, adorned in red pigment and gold, were dancing and playing. Huge quantities of meat and alcohol were piled up between them. Incense filled the air, perhaps from burning candles.

A dancer brushed past, laughing, and the musicians played their instruments even faster.

"Good heavens."

He had never seen or heard of such a banquet. Everything seemed so free under the orange lanterns. Berik, now fully awake, rubbed his cheeks.

"Ian. Berik."

Kakantir, sitting at the head of the table, called to them. He had a dried leaf in his mouth, the same kind that was burning under the torchlight.

'Gurut leaves.'

So those are Gurut leaves. The thought struck Ian, and he took a deep breath. The scent was quite similar to the one he had smelled in Winchen's tent. It seemed it was Gurut leaves, not cinnamon.

"Huh. Why do I feel this way?"

"How do you feel?"

"...I want to beat the shit out of everyone."

"Keep your mouth shut."

The two whispered to each other as they approached Kakantir. Beside him, Nersaren and other high-ranking members of the tribe were enjoying the festivities.

"Did you recover from your journey?"

"Thanks to the chieftain's consideration."

"Good. Sit down."

Everyone seemed to be paying attention to Ian. But it was only for a moment. They soon returned to their revelry, laughing and chatting. Kakantir poured wine into Ian's cup.

"By the way, about the map you gave me. Does anyone in Bratz, including the Count, know of its existence?"

"No. The tutor secretly passed it to me. He immediately left Bratz and headed to Blaster through the upper countries."

Kakantir burst into a satisfied laugh. Then, with a very friendly gesture, he offered Ian some meat. He must have heard the report about the storm from his subordinates.

"Everything you have was given to Chunryeo by Bratz, so may I use this map for the benefit of Chunryeo as well?"

"Please do."

The Chunryeo tribe would accompany them when they returned to Bratz anyway. After that, there would be no need to cross the Great Desert, so what good would it do to keep the map? It was better to give away a small thing to draw a bigger picture.

"Count Derga raised his son well."

"My father would be very pleased to hear that."

The conversation stopped there, as the singing grew louder. While pondering about the Gurut leaves, Ian felt an unfamiliar gaze.

'Hmm?'

Two seats away from Nersaren, a man was staring intently at Ian. When their eyes met, the man raised the corner of his mouth slightly, sending some sort of signal.

"Soo. Who is that?"

When the surroundings were momentarily distracted, Ian gestured toward the man with his chin and asked. Soo, sipping her wine, replied.

"Bumat? He's Nersaren's family. His second stepmother's cousin. He's the chief of food management."

It was hard to understand, but it seemed they were connected by family in their terms. Judging by his proximity to the head table, he must hold a high position. But why was he staring at him?

'This is unsettling.'

Ian deliberately ignored his gaze and asked Soo, as innocently as possible, as if he had no emotion other than curiosity.

"Is everyone chewing on Gurut leaves?"

Soo nodded, and Ian was about to ask if he could try it too. But at that moment, Kakantir held out his wine cup, cutting off the conversation.

"Ian. There are a few rules you must follow to stay safe here."

"Please tell me."

"One of them is to show no interest in Gurut leaves. Questions are not allowed either. We can't help the smoke in daily life, but everything else is prohibited."

That meant there was a big difference between inhaling the smoke and chewing the leaves directly.

The heated atmosphere of the banquet cooled down a little. The people around them, having heard Kakantir's words, unconsciously put up a sharp guard.

"I will keep that in mind."

Ian nodded in response. Berik, next to him, was busy stuffing himself with meat, oblivious to their surroundings.

"Then enjoy yourselves. To our return."

"Yes. Chieftain Kakantir."

Right. This was a homecoming ceremony, not a welcome party for outsiders. Ian, having grasped the general atmosphere, decided to wrap things up.

But then...

"Chieftain!"

A tribesman rushed in and whispered something in Kakantir's ear. He immediately put down what he was eating and signaled to Nersaren. The revelers were too drunk to notice the leaders slipping away.

'What's going on?'

Soo stared at the floor and muttered.

"Chieftain Winchen must have had another seizure. I think the physician just followed them."

"Really? Is his condition that bad?"

"The chieftain does this so that everyone won't worry."

"Is there no solution?"

Soo smiled faintly and shrugged. Everything was according to God's will, and even the physician couldn't stop it. They could only hope that Winchen wouldn't suffer too much.

"Berik. Let's go too."

"Huh? Why? I need to eat more..."

"Hurry."

If something happened to Winchen, it would be less awkward if they weren't here. Soo wouldn't be able to take care of them then, either. If you've enjoyed yourself enough, you should know when to leave. They weren't the main characters here, so this was enough.

Tap tap tap!

And that judgment was correct.

Early in the morning, Ian's eyes opened to a commotion outside. It sounded like a war had broken out.

"Lord Winchen is completely unconscious?"

"Oh... Good heavens. What are we going to do?"

"What about the chieftain? What will he do?"

"He said he's going to recruit people again. The illness is too obvious now, so I guess there's no other choice."

Recruit people? They must be planning to do something to cure Winchen's illness. Ian leaned against the window and closed his eyes. He drifted in and out of sleep, his mind hazy.

"They're looking for Silasce, right?"

"The people who went before haven't even returned yet..."

"Where is there a flower that blooms forever? I doubt it even exists."

At that moment, Ian's eyes snapped open.

What did they just say? A flower that blooms forever? Silasce?

-The flowerpot you bought at the park then.

-It's a strange flower. It stays in full bloom for a long time.

-Do the people at the mansion not know what it is?

-No. They all say they've never seen this plant before. I was worried it might be poisonous, but fortunately, it's not.

Ian recalled the conversation he had with Molin at the mansion. He took out the carefully wrapped flowerpot from the box and tore off the paper. The red flower that had never wilted since he received it at the park.

"...Huh?"

Surely, it couldn't be?

Ian carefully placed the flowerpot on the floor. And he instinctively realized why he had been reincarnated into the body of the illegitimate son, Ian. Everything was unfolding according to God's plan.