CHAPTER 122………………………………..
I glanced at Lichia while ignoring the grumbling of the man beside me.
It wasn’t even something that required persuasion. At the question of whether we could meet the Great Chief, she had simply nodded without hesitation.
The servant who greeted us looked troubled.
“Ah… you’ve come without an appointment. The Great Chief is currently training after a long break, so he cannot receive visitors.”
“……”
“When he is in training, he does not accept anyone.”
I stepped aside and pointed to Lichia, who was sitting on a chair. She had sat down early, saying her legs hurt.
“Tell him again. We came on the Great Chief’s request.”
The servant’s eyes widened—not at my words, but at Lichia.
“Please wait a moment.”
He hurried inside, and less than five minutes later, he rushed back out.
“You may enter.”
An unexpectedly warm reception.
Lichia groaned as she stood up.
“Then… I suppose we should go in.”
She glanced at Kichef and trailed off awkwardly.
I clicked my tongue internally. I had specifically told her not to act overly formal in front of others, but she seemed extremely uncomfortable with the request.
I didn’t know how much I had to persuade her just to get her to agree—and even now she was hesitating like this.
‘What is this? I feel like I’ve seen this before.’
I tilted my head, then smiled faintly.
“Do well in there, Shaman.”
“Yes, Lady Igraine.”
“Just speak casually.”
As if she didn’t want to respond, Lichia cleared her throat and turned away.
Watching her slowly return to the reception room, Kichef muttered in confusion.
“Why is she acting like that today? Did she eat something wrong?”
Pretending not to hear him, I walked to a chair.
“Let’s sit. It’ll take a while.”
Still looking puzzled, Kichef sat beside me.
“At least an hour, right? If there’s drinking involved, maybe two hours…”
THUD! CRASH!
Kichef stopped mid-sentence and blinked.
THUD THUD THUD!
The sound of objects crashing made us both spring to our feet.
“What… what is that?”
We both stared at the Great Chief’s door.
“That old man’s gone crazy!”
Lichia’s sharp shout echoed loudly.
“……”
“……”
Silence fell.
Inside the room, things kept breaking one after another.
“I should go in.”
“Better to leave them alone.”
Unable to hold himself back, Kichef eventually threw the door open.
“What is going on—!”
“Close the door, you idiot!”
A wine cup flew out immediately.
CRASH!
Kichef shut the door faster than he had opened it and laughed awkwardly.
“Haha… they’re really… quite intense in their reunion, aren’t they?”
“Then why did you barge in?”
I clicked my tongue at him, then turned to the servant.
“Do you know why those two don’t get along?”
Unlike Kichef, the servant looked unsurprised, as if he had expected this.
‘I already know the basics from Lichia, but I should hear the Chief’s side too.’
The servant sighed deeply.
“The Great Chief carries a debt of guilt toward Lady Lichia. He believes her eyes became like that because of him.”
“……”
“So he proposed to her.”
I paused.
“Wait—how did it become that?”
“I told her… I would become her eyes.”
“……”
“That is what he said.”
The old servant’s eyes grew misty, as though recalling a romantic, sorrowful memory.
I, unable to relate, clicked my tongue.
“…But how did it end up like that?”
“Lady Lichia rejected the Great Chief’s feelings.”
“And then?”
“The Great Chief did not give up.”
I paused again.
“…He kept going?”
“Yes.”
“Like a stalker?”
The servant flushed red.
“You cannot describe it like that!”
‘Yeah, that’s exactly it.’
I sighed.
“So that’s why Lichia hates him so much.”
“……”
“Didn’t the Chief have a wife?”
“He was widowed a long time ago.”
So there were no issues, apparently.
I crossed my arms and scoffed.
“Even so, if the person involved is clearly disgusted, that’s not exactly a noble way to repay a debt.”
“The Chief knows that. But he still feels pity.”
“……”
“Lady Lichia has been alone all this time, without a clan. She is always by herself.”
I scratched my cheek.
I could vaguely understand the Chief’s concern. Lichia was often avoided because of her harsh reputation.
‘Though after meeting her, I can see why.’
“The Chief has many sons, so succession isn’t an issue. A wife’s position wouldn’t be bad either.”
“……”
“But that’s secondary. I’m just glad they’re meeting today.”
The servant smiled faintly and looked toward the room.
“It’s probably been twenty years since they last spoke like this in the same place.”
Kichef leaned in and whispered in my ear.
“So they’ve been fighting like this for over twenty years? That’s intense.”
“I can hear you, warrior.”
Kichef flinched.
“If you want people not to hear you, lower your voice.”
I glanced at him flatly. He muttered awkwardly.
“If she hates him that much, shouldn’t he just leave her alone?”
“You may not understand, but it can’t be helped.”
“……”
“For the Great Chief, Lady Lichia is his first love that was never fulfilled.”
Kichef looked utterly confused at the combination of “Great Chief,” “Lichia,” and “first love.”
“She was quite beautiful in the past,” the servant added calmly.
A strangely inappropriate statement delivered in a polite tone.
I briefly imagined Lichia hearing that and smashing his head with her staff. She was not the type to forgive something like that just because he was old.
“The Chief liked her deeply. But after the fire that damaged her eyes, everything changed. She became cold, and he was forced into an unwanted marriage. He must have been frustrated.”
“……”
“How happy he must be today…”
The servant trailed off, tears gathering in his wrinkled eyes.
As if on cue, all our attention turned to the door.
It was quiet.
“Seems they’ve calmed down.”
Kichef whispered.
About thirty minutes later—
CREAK.
The door opened.
“Shaman, are you there?”
It was the Great Chief’s voice.
Kichef and I exchanged a glance.
“Why is he calling?”
I shrugged and stood up.
“I’m going in.”
“Is that okay?”
He sounded worried.
“Of course.”
As I stepped inside, I thought:
‘Actually, whether it’s okay or not doesn’t matter much.’
My gaze locked onto the Great Chief, whose eyes were red and swollen. They were so red that tomorrow they would surely turn bruised and dark.
I didn’t even need to ask who did it.
The reception room looked like it had been through a battlefield.
Despite the chaos, the atmosphere between the two was surprisingly calm.
“Anyway, you promised you wouldn’t avoid me.”
“Hmph.”
Lichia turned away with a cold snort.
She didn’t deny it, so it seemed the conversation had ended somewhat peacefully.
The Great Chief wiped his eye with a cold cup of alcohol, looking oddly worn down—far from the respected desert leader he was said to be.
Yet his expression remained serious, which made the scene almost absurd.
“Stubborn old man. Coming all this way when someone clearly doesn’t want to see you.”
Despite Lichia’s grumbling, the Chief looked at her gently.
“I don’t like that others avoid you. I don’t like seeing you alone. So I thought… you could join my clan.”
“I said no.”
Lichia snapped irritably.
The Chief fell silent, then spoke again.
“I can now give you anything you want.”
“I can do it myself.”
“Still… there may be times you need help.”
Lichia’s hand slowly tightened around her staff.
“If you’re going to suggest joining your clan again—”
The Chief quickly stepped back.
“No. I’ve given up on that. You already rejected me.”
He rubbed his eyes.
It wasn’t hard to imagine what had just happened.
‘He must’ve kept pushing and got hit with a staff.’
“I just want to be of help to you.”
“If you put it that way, I’ll remember it. I hear your influence is stronger than Khan’s these days. Impressive.”
It sounded like sarcasm, but the Chief nodded seriously.
“Yes. So I can be useful to you too.”
Lichia twisted her lips, uninterested. The Chief didn’t look away.
I felt awkward.
‘I was the one who got called in, but no one is paying attention to me.’
I felt like a decorative statue occupying space.
The Chief’s cup was empty.
‘Let’s just refill it.’
As I reached for the ladle, Lichia suddenly snatched it away.
“Hey, why are you—”
She froze when I looked at her.
I silently asked with my eyes:
What are you doing?
She swallowed, cleared her throat.
“Why are you pouring it? I’ll do it.”
“You’re in the middle of a conversation. Continue.”
“No, no! The conversation is already over.”
She forcefully took the ladle and began pouring alcohol into the Chief’s cup.
Her movements were anything but natural.
I sighed inwardly.
‘Didn’t I tell her not to make it obvious?’
I glanced at the Chief.
“……”
He remained silent, looking confused.
Watching his suspicious expression made me want to drag Lichia out immediately.
If news spread that I was connected to ancient mythological times, it would cause nothing but trouble.
It would make it harder to root out hidden traitors—and greedy Lord Rockaki would not sit still either. It would be digging my own grave.
Even Lichia herself had said Rockaki would try something, yet her behavior was completely unnatural.
“Here. Drink.”
Lichia gestured impatiently.
“Th-thank you…”
The Chief forced a smile and looked at me again, his expression stern.
“Yes. I called you because I have something to discuss.”
Even though his hands were still wet with spilled alcohol.
I followed his gaze and smiled faintly.
“I’ve been waiting.”
