0. Opening (6)

People were coming.

As the last remaining survivor of the cabin, Lanneque was obliged to welcome guests.

"Logging... I should log."

A bow was tied on his back. The quiver was a hindrance, so only three arrows were loaded into the shin protector.

[Aaaaaaaagh!]

Before the screams, there was the sound of a person's shin bone being smashed. Lanneque grinned and went back to the back of the house.

[Pauseok]

He knew all too well that human vertebrae were easier to cut than trees. And that a lumbering ax is not suitable for striking down, but that there is no problem with splitting a human head. He was able to learn it with his body with several experiences.

[Boink]

Now it is possible to shoot an arrow at a person's head without hesitation. He makes a lot of noise when he gets hit on the back, so it's better to shoot a head.

There was no more hesitation. They were no match for Lanneque, who knew exactly the location of every single leaf in the grass about this place. Finding it easier to cut people down than to deal with tree stumps, the woodcutter eventually brandished his axe and felled everyone. And the remains of the logging were cut into pieces to make them easy to carry and scattered in the deep forest.

After doing this, he always cried in front of his family's grave. In the distance, the sound of fighting beasts was heard. They must be fighting each other over a piece of wood.

The child who couldn't bear the sadness eventually became a monster. Now I don't know how I am different than those beasts.

"Is this what you want?"

A man wearing a white robe and holding a cane asked, standing in front of him. He doesn't seem... Like an enemy. He didn't even have blades, and he would have come from behind if he was going to attack.

"I didn't... I didn't wish for it."

The weeping monster said that, tearing at the floor.

He shouldn't have run to the city. If he had dealt with the enemies with the ax in the workshop, he would have been able to save his sister or grandmother.

Why did he wake up late that day? Why didn't he work more diligently even after being scolded? So what if you hear the screams as hallucinations?

He just wished he had shot the arrow properly before that. Why did he have to bring in other enemies nearby? The only thing to give to the enemy is death and anger, so why couldn't he do that himself?

It would have been better if he had been more harsh, if he could have dealt with the enemy decisively.

No one would have died if he had been a better son to his parents, if he had known the reality and could deal with his enemies.

Rather, his parents would still be safe and alive if he hadn't been born and if a better person had been born instead of him.

Therefore...

"Stop."

When he came to his senses, the ax blade was touching his neck. The person who was holding him back was pushing him with a cane that was thin compared to the blade of an axe, but strangely he couldn't resist.

"You shot the arrow then."

[Thud]

The cane knocked on the floor. The sound is strangely high and spreads far... It made Lanneque's mind blank for a moment.

"Ah..."

The anger disappeared from his head as if he was coming to his senses. And he realized that that didn't actually happen.

The reason why he heard the auditory hallucination was because he heard the person screaming until the end. Because the scream of the person who was shot in the back by an arrow and unable to move from the leg down did not leave his head. The father grabbed the boy by the shoulder and handed him a small hatchet.

'You have to finish.'

Even though he said nothing, that was what the boy thought he said. So he shed tears and eased the man from the pain with the axe. That person's screams won't leave his ears.

"It's a contradiction. You have auditory hallucinations because of the memory of that time. But you were hearing hallucinations even when you missed the person and didn't hit the arrow."

A tactile sensation similar to that of bursting a soft fruit was conveyed through the ax. The splashing in all directions was like the flesh bursting, and the haze as the cold air took away the temperature was like the scent of a fruit.

So the boy heard the scream every time he looked at the forest. The scream that he created and stopped himself.

"What just..."

"This is the result when you missed the arrow.

Didn't the thieves break in last week and get your mother stoned?"

And Lanneque must have put an arrow through the thief's back.

"Yes..."

As the child wiped away his tears and stood up, nodding, the graveyard at the back of the house disappeared completely. The lumbering ax next to him was nowhere to be seen.

"You must be too soft. It's not easy, of course. But it's about keeping the enemy's screams into your heart."

"Derek... Are you a wizard?"

Derek just smiled at him. Because he could not give an exact answer.

"You're so nice. You don't have to take to heart the screams of those who came to harm your family. If you had saved him, your family would have died."

"But... But my heart ached. I was crying."

Derek hugged the child and gently stroked the child's head.

"You can't help it. It's a karma that you can't help but build up in life. You have to carry it."

"But... So, whenever people come here, I..."

"You're protecting your family. Those people are bad."

Even if you don't want to kill people, you can't help it if you want to protect someone. When a robber comes in, you have to arm yourself to protect your family.

"Is the world always this cruel?"

Derek was able to say nothing and just hugged the child.

"Is a life always this hard?"

The child wept as he thought of the upcoming attack by the thieves and the wound of his mother.

"I will help you as much as possible. Let's go back to reality."

Derek had no choice but to hug Lanneque, avoiding answering. It's because it is life. You are left with no choice but to move on even though it sometimes gets hard.

[Jingle]

The world began to collapse with the sound of the bell again. The child closed his eyes and hugged Derek tightly.