A few days had passed since Dusik’s speech at the village hall.
Since that day, people who looked like professors and students often came to the village and started asking about various things.
They asked things like how the rainfall was or what the harvest yield had been.
Perhaps thanks to these sights, Hyeon Goon had a more bustling atmosphere than before. It was because of the belief that some positive change would come.
I was curious to see if it would be resolved well, but I couldn’t pay it deep attention. My focus was currently concentrated elsewhere.
“…. This is harder than I thought.”
I let out a breath after mixing the nurseries and steamed rice I had worked hard to prepare. After declaring that I would try making Makgeolli, I had been giving it a shot, but there were more things to care about than I expected.
There was the temperature and the humidity. It was completely different from making tea.
“It’s already the second failure.”
The thought of giving up crept in, but I firmly suppressed it. I had no intention of taking back words I had already spoken. It was more constructive to use that time to try again.
I mixed the ingredients diligently, put them in a bottle, and sealed it. At this time tomorrow, I would have to mix it hard again. I would do that for ten days, and then another ten days for fermentation.
‘Let’s succeed properly this time.’
If it turned out well, I would be able to try various other things. As I put the bottle under the pantry with a determined expression, Norani scurried over.
“Mister, are you done with work?”
“Yeah, all done.”
“Then let’s go! Let’s go home!”
“Sure, sure. Where’s Naru?”
“He couldn’t come today.”
“Really?”
It was unusual for Naru to be absent. Since he started consistently consuming Green Dawn, Naru had been fine even if he stayed at the teahouse for a long time. For Naru to be away to that extent…
‘Does Naru have to use a lot of power?’
“Yeah… I guess so. Probably?”
“You don’t know either, Norani?”
“Nope. Naru just dashed away.”
“Dashed away?”
“Dashed away.”
I stood up, stroking the head of Norani, whose cuteness had doubled with her added hand gestures. Since Naru wasn’t here, it was just the two of us heading home for the first time in a while.
‘I guess I’ll be sleeping with Norani after a long time.’
With that thought, I was finishing the cleanup of the teahouse.
*Ding.*
A late guest had arrived.
***
“Ahem, excuse me for the late hour. Did I come too late?”
An elderly man wearing a fedora and a suit smiled broadly at me. As I watched the guest, Norani, who was beside me, widened her eyes.
“It’s Ludrick!”
“Long time no see, Norani. How long has it been?”
“Hmm… I don’t know. 100 nights? I think it was longer than that.”
Norani counted the days on her fingers. Meanwhile, the guest approached and spoke elegantly and politely.
“I’m late with my introductions. I am Ludrick, the Spirit of Night. Or I am also called the Spirit of Rest.”
Night and rest. It reminded me of someone.
“By any chance, what is your relationship with Yuae?”
“She is like a cute child to me. Though, of course, Yuae has lived much longer than I have.”
“I see.”
“Yuae has probably seen 100 generations of Night Spirits like me. You’ve heard about it, haven’t you?”
“Yes, I know about it.”
But hearing it and experiencing it were two different things. Ludrick smiled gently at me.
“When you live long, you see everything there is to see, both good and bad. That’s why emotions get dull and one becomes cold.”
“…. I can understand that to some extent.”
In my life before the Return, I was on the verge of sixty. Even though they call it the age of 100 these days, sixty was more than half a lifetime. It wasn’t that I didn’t understand those words.
“But Yuae’s emotions have become diverse lately. Although the emotion she mainly shows is annoyance.”
“Ha, haha…”
I wasn’t sure if I should see that as good or bad news. It was subtle, but it was certainly better than living with a single shade of emotionlessness.
“I was told that the one who changed Yuae was you. Lee Chan-seong, was it?”
“I apologize for the late introduction. I am Lee Chan-seong, the Owner of the Sunny Teahouse.”
“There’s no need to be so formal. It has only been twenty years since I was born.”
“I see.”
“In fact, it would be better if you spoke comfortably to me. Since your actual age is much greater.”
That was true. However, speaking casually felt strange, as if I were talking down to an elder. Furthermore, looking at his way of speaking, how could I speak casually?
As I couldn’t decide easily and only gave an awkward smile, Ludrick nodded as if he understood.
“You are truly polite.”
“I’m grateful you think so. Instead, I’ll use formal speech but call you ‘Ludrick’. Would that be all right?”
“I don’t mind at all.”
“Understood. To commemorate your visit here, shall I give you a cup of tea?”
“Hmm…, before that. May I say one thing first?”
“What is it?”
“I’d like to see you alone.”
He wanted Norani not to be present. That was what he meant. When I glanced at Norani, she jumped up from her seat first.
“I got it! I’ll go into the room!”
“Thanks, Norani.”
“It’s nothing. See you later, Ludrick!”
“Haha, see you later.”
Norani waved her hand and scurried into the room. Immediately afterward, Ludrick let out a long breath.
“I suppose I’m showing a disgraceful sight.”
“Not at all. Is it because of the energy?”
“That’s right.”
Ludrick was the Spirit of Night, and Norani was the Spirit of the Sun. And based on their respective powers, Norani’s power was greater. It was somewhat expected that Ludrick would struggle in real-time.
“If it’s very difficult, would you like Norani to go to the Spirit Realm for a while?”
“There’s no need for that. I won’t be staying long anyway.”
“Is that so?”
If that was the case, I should make the tea a bit faster. The tea to be made now was for the Spirit of Night, ‘Night Serenade’.
There was no need to bring the tea ingredients from the Warehouse. The ingredients used for Norani’s tea and Green Dawn would suffice. As I was about to take the ingredients from the pantry, Ludrick reached out his hand to me.
“Before you prepare the tea, may I give you a small gift?”
“A gift?”
“Yes, a very small gift.”
Ludrick opened his palm and showed a small crystal. A similar energy to the Moon Fragment that Yuae had made before was swirling around it.
“Ludrick, is your power contained in this?”
“You recognize it immediately. This is a Night Fragment. I made it by splitting my power.”
At those words, I immediately pushed Ludrick’s hand away.
“Then I cannot accept it.”
“…. Why is that?”
“Yuae said she became too strong because she received the power of other spirits. Excessively so.”
She said she became excessively strong as she came to possess powers that weren’t originally hers. The owners of the power Yuae possessed wouldn’t be just one or two. But the fact that the Spirit of Night would be included in those one or two was, in a way, a natural deduction.
“That’s why it was okay to give her a fragment, but you’re different, Ludrick. It looks like this was made by splitting your life force. Am I wrong?”
“Hmm… You’re not wrong.”
“So I cannot accept it.”
“However, you’re not right either.”
“Eh?”
“In any case, my lifespan is almost at an end.”
Ludrick placed the Night Fragment on the table. The fragment, which looked like it was carved from black obsidian, was oxidizing from the edges.
“Night Spirits have a shorter life expectancy compared to other spirits. The longest-lived generation was twenty-two years by human standards.”
“Your lifespan is short?”
“Given that not everyone’s life is the same. Ah, don’t be too sad. Although it may look short to you, it’s sufficient time for us. And our death is different from the death of humans.”
“Isn’t death just death?”
“We return to the embrace of the Mother of Nature. And then we are born again. If I had to say, you can think of it as reincarnation.”
“Reincarnation.”
When you face death, you are born again.
“So death isn’t a complete end.”
“…. But don’t you completely forget your previous memories?”
“Isn’t the important thing ‘me’? If I exist, such memories can be built up again.”
It sounded right, yet it also didn’t; they were difficult words. Perhaps because my expression was ambiguous, Ludrick smiled broadly.
“I suppose I’ve said things that are too difficult. Honestly, since you’re a human, it will be hard to completely understand our providence.”
“I suppose so.”
“Still, just keep this one thing in mind. Whether you accept this or not, my life is reaching its end. If you don’t accept it, I’ll be disappointed.”
“…. Isn’t that almost a threat?”
If I didn’t accept it after hearing that, I’d be a lowlife. I carefully gathered the Night Fragment placed in front of me.
“Understood. I will use this in a precious place.”
“Haha. Please use it generously. Then I’ll be happy too.”
“I can’t do that. Considering what kind of item it is.”
“Hmm… You are certainly a good person.”
“Thank you for the compliment.”
After replying, I carefully put away the Night Fragment and began preparing to brew the tea in earnest. I measured and mixed the necessary tea leaves. As I was heating the water to steep the tea, Ludrick spoke.
“While I’m at it, about the proposal you made to Yuae.”
“Wait, do you know about that too, Ludrick?”
“It’s a story that has spread throughout the Spirit Realm. You wouldn’t be a spirit if you didn’t know that news. I’m curious… Are you confident?”
“Yes.”
The answer came immediately. I wondered if it was because it had been a long time since I felt certain that this was the answer.
“You are overflowing with confidence.”
“If I weren’t confident, I wouldn’t have even brought it up.”
“Yes, I suppose so.”
A deep smile hung on Ludrick’s lips. I caught a glimpse of that smile as I steeped the first water. I threw away the tea from the first steeping immediately. In tea for the Spirit of Night, the first water is poison. What was needed was the subtle tea from the second steeping.
A black light with low transparency. I placed the tea containing that light in front of Ludrick.
“Here is Night Serenade for the Spirit of Night.”
“Thank you. It’s a welcome tea. A nostalgic tea.”
Saying so, Ludrick immediately took a sip of the tea. Then he smiled with satisfaction.
“I didn’t think I’d be able to drink it again before this life ended.”
“Is the taste the same as what you had before?”
“It is. Light and subtle. This is truly the taste of night. As expected… You are the son of \88$%.”
“…. Pardon?”
What did he just say? What came out of Ludrick’s mouth was clearly language, but I couldn’t easily understand it. Was it like looking at a pixelated picture?
Just as I was about to ask again, Norani, who had gone into the room, rushed out. But Norani’s atmosphere was quite different.
‘I remember seeing that atmosphere once before…’
“Ludrick.”
“Oh, my. Norani is…”
“…. You shouldn’t say that.”
“Hmm? Ah, ahh…. Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“My goodness. I’ve made a mistake.”
Ludrick spoke politely toward Norani and then bowed his head toward me.
“I’m sorry about this. I said something I shouldn’t have.”
“No, what do you mean by…”
“Please forget it. I beg of you.”
Ludrick’s words were heavy. Was it because the black-lit powder blooming from his body had become even thicker?
“Is there a reason you shouldn’t say it?”
“That’s right. At least, not right now.”
“That’s…”
“Shh.”
I turned my head to ask Norani, whom I had been feeling a sense of incongruity from earlier, but Ludrick raised a finger to his lips.
“The same applies to that person.”
“This is really…”
Seeing him refer to her as ‘that person’, it was certain she was the existence that had spoken through Norani’s body before. It also became clear that the existence was of a higher status than the spirits here.
My mouth itched for a moment, but I soon raised both hands in a sign of surrender.
“Fine, I understand.”
“Will you follow my lead?”
“Because I don’t want to trouble Ludrick. And didn’t you say ‘not yet’? That means the time will come.”
Saying it wasn’t now meant that the time would come someday. Ludrick smiled warmly and said, “Correct. It’s just not right now.”
“I’ll wait. That’s okay, right?”
This time, my question was directed at Norani. To be precise, to the existence borrowing Norani’s body. The existence nodded and said, “Next time, you won’t be seeing me like this; you’ll see me properly. Please wait a little longer. I’ll tell you many stories then.”
“Understood. Instead, answer one question for me. That much is possible, right?”
“Only for a question I can answer. And… I don’t have much time.”
“I won’t take much of your time.”
I had already thought of the question.
“Are you Madeleine?”