Chapter 58 – 057 the Village – Yulkam
Hwanin had a moderate chat with the border collie-haired man who seemed to be very sociable.
Small talk was perfect for building sociality and increasing intimacy.
“The atmosphere in the village is very nice. It is a great place where the air is clear and clean, and the river that runs through the town gives a clean feeling.”
Unsurprisingly, at the praise of the village, the border collie man waggled his tail left and right, clearly showing his liking.
= Big~. Perhaps because he is a spiritual master, he also has excellent eyes to see. As you said, this village is the birthplace of Saint Luora, who single-handedly stopped a large procession of the dead long ago! At that time, the name of the village was different, but to honor the noble achievements of her saintess, the name of her village was also changed to Yulkam…….=
I listened to the Border Collie man’s story in one ear and focused on the two words that came out of his mouth.
Saintess. And the dead
Her saintess seems to have a different meaning from the saintess she knows. And the dead…….
‘Does it mean something like the undead, not just a dead person?’
It is a world where monsters exist. Wouldn’t it be undead?
Hwanin gave a moderate amount of chuimsae to what the man with the border collie said, then turned his gaze to the red soul.
Epnis said that a soul master is a person who can bestow rest and tranquility on the soul and prevent it from turning into a mixture.
Soul. Mixed. The dead saintess. God’s Garden. Dirty soul…….
I have a feeling.
‘That soul must be mixed.’
If so, the dead would not simply refer to the dead, but would mean something like the undead.
Certainly, it would be shocking to see a dead relative rise from the grave as a rotting corpse or skeleton. And if the history of souls prevents such a phenomenon, if it guarantees an important factor for the religious afterlife?
He was a Hwanin who finally understood the excessive kindness and hospitality of the villagers.
Hwanin’s gaze turned to the red wolf male soul.
Then, did that soul change that way because of the accumulation of dissatisfaction?
“…….”
I don’t know how she thinks and thinks without a body, but Ryuhi’s older sister, Lua’s spirit, has shown action to save her younger brother.
Even if you become a soul, if you know how to think, you will naturally feel satisfaction and dissatisfaction, so such changes can happen.
‘If I go further from that state, will I become a dead person?’
I have a strong desire to check it out.
Is that man’s body really coming up through the ground? Does it attack people? Are you being treated like a monster?
And the soul that has fulfilled its command ascends to heaven in the form of whitish smoke, or, to put it better, a halo of light.
If that is the phenomenon of going to a place called God’s Garden, I wonder what will happen to the undead soul.
= I, there…… Soul sir. Is there something over there?=
The border collie man who had been talking excitedly asked, with his half-folded ears drooping even more, with a dejected face, as if he sensed something from Hwanin’s gaze toward the empty wooden fence.
After thinking briefly, Hwanin answered honestly.
“I see a red spirit.”
=Hey!?=
“…… ?”
Looking at the border collie man who was so surprised that he couldn’t understand it, the man bowed his head to Hwanin and ran to the village like a shotgun shouting at the top of his voice.
= It’s mixed! Confusion appeared!! Misfortune happens ah!!=
Hwanin was slightly surprised by the behavior of the border collie man.
As expected, that red soul was mixed. But is it dangerous enough to act like that?
There is an uneasy feeling in the mixture, but I don’t think it will be directly harmful.
By analogy, it is like this. If you eat poisonous mushrooms, you die, but you don’t die by seeing them. And seeing the mixture is like seeing a poisonous mushroom.
Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding Ding…… !
I looked up at the watchtower at the sound of the bell, and saw a brown wolf-headed man with a bow on his back ringing the bell frantically.
Apparently, he seemed to have overheard all the conversations between Hwanin and the Border Collie.
The emergency rations stiffen their heads as if they don’t like the loud sound of the bell, and they squeal toward the watchtower.
Hwanin-do looked at the watchtower and turned his gaze to the sight of the villagers gathering one by one.
‘If I do well, it will benefit me.’
Within 10 minutes, most of the villagers had gathered, including those who were engaged in farming and animal husbandry outside.
Not just people. In Hwanin’s eyes, he could see the gathering of pale souls.
The villagers’ reactions were divided into two parts.
= I heard that confusion appeared?=
=Spirit Master found it.=
=There were no signs of the dead yet?=
=I went to my father’s grave this morning and it was fine. The Illail flowers I planted around were also fine.=
People who are nervous about the appearance of confusion and try to figure out the situation while trying to come up with countermeasures.
= It’s good that you have a spirit master. If it wasn’t for that, a big disaster would have happened.=
=The beast god took care of it.=
= I’m glad, I’m really glad…….=
And the people who are just glad that the spirits are in town.
‘Confused.’
The village headman, who arrived later than the others, broke through the crowd in gasps and approached.
=Soul Master! Is it true that there is confusion?!=
“I come from very far away. For that reason, we have yet to fully define mixed presence, but if it is a red, evil spirit, it is definitely there.”
The village chief immediately looked in the direction Hwanin’s finger pointed, but he couldn’t see anything in his eyes. Of course, the same goes for the gathered villagers.
As the noise grew, the village chief looked back at the villagers with ferocious eyes, motioned for them to be quiet, and opened his mouth to Hwanin carefully.
= I heard the story from the children. You fell into the forest labyrinth due to a transmission accident from a very far place.=
“Yes. As a result, I am ignorant of your culture and customs. May I ask you to explain the confluence?”
Then, it was the village chief who gladly explained about the mixed disaster.
= Mixture is a phenomenon that occurs in the process of being corrupted by being exposed to bad things and bad energy. The biggest feature is that it has an ominous color like raw blood, and the longer the mixed state, the more likely it is that other souls affected by it become mixed.=
When the density of the mixture increases, the full-fledged disaster begins.
The soul itself turns into an evil spirit and attacks people, or infiltrates nearby corpses and rises as a demon. Of course, confluence does not enter in search of its own body. It is written on any corpse nearby.
The problem continues here.
The spirit whose body has been defiled is also angered and despaired, turning into a mixture. The mixed soul also nests in the corpse of another person, and then the soul whose corpse has been polluted becomes angry…….
Honjae, whose quality has deteriorated further in the process, is known to steal the body of a living person.
In this way, a chain reaction of mixed effects continued, and there was an example where a small town with a slow response was completely evaporated.
=A strong mixture makes even the dead body move. By then it was too late. You have no choice but to give up the village.=
‘There must be a reason the villagers overreacted.’
Hwanin nodded his head knowingly to the village chief, who knew relatively detailed information thanks to his age, and asked again.
“Do you know anything about how to solve that mess?”
=A common and simple way is to plant an ilyle flower at the graveside.=
“Elyle flowers?”
=The gods took pity on the mortals who suffered from mixed effects, and sowed this flower in the world. It is a sky-blue flower that blooms in hot, cold, humid and dry places. If the color of the Illail flowers changes, it is proof that a hybrid has appeared nearby…… It’s painful, but after all the graves are dug up, the bodies are collected and a memorial service is held. And make up.=
Is cremation a form of burial that is avoided in this world?
“Is there any way to return the mixture to its original soul?”
= It’s a village, so I’m good at it……. Ah! I remember hearing that there are very few soul priests and that there are many ways to honor the mixed presence. But it’s well over 30 years old, so what about now?
‘Then I’m sure there won’t be any suspicion no matter what method I use.’
At that time, one of the village chief’s wives appeared holding an armful of sky blue flowers resembling helmet flowers.
“Is that flower Illaille?”
=Yes, Mr. Soul.=
“Give me this.”
After receiving some of the flowers, he approaches the red spirit who is staring at one spot without moving in a daze.
Support position…….
As the distance drew closer, the flowers in Hwanin’s arms crackled and withered black. It was proof that that red soul was mixed.
Koop!
Emergency food flies into the sky as if they don’t like acrid smoke. Hwanin also threw the bouquet of purple flowers on the ground and stepped back.
= Huh! A lil flower, a flower…… !=
= Ugh. Really mixed up It’s really confusing…… !=
=Can you guys keep your mouth shut!=
Young wolf-haired men sting and shut their mouths at the village chief’s resentment.
Not only did he not open his mouth, but the village chief and the older people in the village were also taken aback.
This is an era where people believe that when good things happen, they have the protection of their ancestors, and when bad things happen, it’s because they couldn’t serve their ancestors better.
In a world where the custom of being anxious about the thought that the souls of ancestors or family members are mixed, material damage is avoided, but the bereaved themselves will not find rest after death is widespread.
Hwanin, who has heard all the conversations of the villagers who are worried that there might be a problem with their ancestral spirits…….
‘Why did it change like that? Can I give orders to a soul in that state?’
I didn’t care as much as the snow. Rather, I was more interested in the mixture.
Can you handle that soul? What would happen if I spread the program with that soul? Can it destroy the soul?
For Hwanin, whose desire to gather information grew stronger, the noise around him was one of the things he didn’t want to hear.
“Please be quiet for a moment.”
The hum of 150 people disappeared at once at Hwanin’s low voice.
In front of the wooden fence where silence fell as if no one was there. Hwanin stretched out his hand on his back, then put it down awkwardly and looked back at the village chief.
“I need to bring a wand…….”
= Ah! You’re referring to the antler-adorned staff. Bigundt, hurry up and get it.=
=Yes!=
The village chief’s son quickly brought a staff of deer antlers and passed it to Hwanin with both hands.
Hwanin holding a staff, holding a pearl-colored stone in his left hand, slowly walked toward the red soul.
‘Rua’s soul couldn’t speak and couldn’t communicate, but her eyes and actions showed that she wanted something.’
Hwanin thought that communication would be possible, although it is unknown whether the wish came true or whether it was natural because it was time for him to become a Buddha.
And when I left only about 4m from the red soul, the soul slowly looked back at Hwanin.
Hwanin, who met eyes with the red soul, asked with his eyes. What do you want
—…….
“…….”
It was momentary, but Hwanin was certain that he felt the emotions of the red soul.
A burning rage. Resentment and revenge.
It feels the opposite of Lua’s soul, which contained only sadness and hope in clear and clean emotions.
‘Did he get murdered?’
When he glances at the villagers and sees the red spirit again, the red spirit slowly turns his head and looks at the villagers.
Dozens of ideas and hypotheses come to mind quickly, disassemble and reassemble, sink and float again.
In the meantime, the red spirit moved in front of the dog-headed man who resembled a pit bull terrier and glared at him with a vengeful look.
“…….”
A situation where the villagers swallow their saliva and stare only at themselves.
Hwanin found Ryuhi and Epnis, Huini and Ennel standing there nervously.
He beckons them to come here without giving any information.
“Everyone. Could you come over here for a moment?”
Realizing that Hwanin was calling them, the women rushed to Hwanin without saying a word.
Among them, Epnis showed no abnormalities in his body even though he came through the red soul.
‘Looks like it hasn’t affected people yet.’
The village chief cautiously asked Hwanin with a worried face.
=Spirit Master? What’s going on…….=
“There is something else to check. I will speak to the village chief in a moment.”
=Yes…….=
Moving away from the village chief and the villagers who were suspicious, Hwanin asked Ryuhi.
“Let’s go to a place where the villagers can’t hear the conversation.”
=Yes, Mr. Eunin. This is it.=
The place Ryuhi led was a small log cabin that looked like it could accommodate two people.
It was a place where large and small log cabins were huddled together like drawing a semicircle around an empty lot, but to Hwanin, it looked like an ordinary residential area.
“If you have something to draw, please bring it.”
=I don’t have anything good, so it’s just charcoal. Is it okay?=
“Yes.”
=Wait a minute.=
As Ryuhi disappears into her house, Huini secretly holds Hwanin’s arm between her bosom and asks.
= Eun-in. Did you have a good night?=
“The village chief gave me a nice room. Thanks to you, I had a good rest.”
Hehe.=
Maybe he just wanted to talk to me, and after that, he just laughshehewithout saying anything. Seeing that, Ennel also hugs her other arm as if competing and glances at Huini.
Epnis glared at her sister with her pitiful eyes, corrected her expression, and asked her phantom.
=You must have been tired from arriving yesterday and being bothered by people…… Wouldn’t it be dangerous to psychic the mixture right away?=
“It looks cool, but it’s hard to look away. You can see what the villagers want.”
= It has been half a century since the spirit master came to the village, so it must have been because the villagers had high expectations. I’ll apologize instead.=
“There will be many similar incidents in the future. Just think of it as experiencing it beforehand.”
Epnis received a nuance from Hwanin’s answer that he was leaving the village alone. So, sadness welled up in his heart, but he deliberately did not show it.
As soon as she got back to town, she felt an invisible wall erected from the men.
It’s natural. There is no shortage of women in the village, but who wants a woman who has been harassed by a monster?
No one in the village asked what happened in the labyrinth, but there are things you can know without hearing.
At least her parents are still alive, and her sisters, Huini and Ennel, are on the better side. Now, Ryuhi is left alone without her family or relatives…….
Hwan-in, who was not interested in what Epnis was thinking, was only concerned with the spirits of a man and a woman who had followed him and entered her house.
Seeing her two spirits slowly chasing Ryuhi, she almost seemed like her guardian spirit.
In fact, that’s not going to happen. If she was really her guardian spirit, she would have followed her to the labyrinth.
Hwanin, who was thinking about what the relationship between those spirits and Ryuhi would be like, saw Ryuhi bring her charcoal-tanned leather and gently pushed her sister away who was clinging to her arm.
“The reason I called you guys separately is to ask about confluence.”
When she talks while accepting the charcoal and leather, she responds with an attitude that Ryuhi is not confident about.
=If it’s like that, the chief would know best…….=
“I guess so. But you are the only people I can trust the most in town right now.”
To the slightly moved women, Hwanin quickly drew the red soul’s impression and asked.
“Tell me everything you know about this person.”
