Chapter 191 Surprisingly, No Tears
Gark and Hark did not ask about Ragia, as they would know she was not breathing. They did not ask about how Ragia fought and died but just placed their hands on their chests. They held Go Woongjin and Lee Hyunhak’s corpses with their armor, and I was sorry that the mage was gone. I opened my mouth.
“The mage?”
“He escaped.”
Hark answered quickly, like he was embarrassed at letting his opponent go. However, his wounds and burns showed that his fight had been serious. I was grateful. I lifted Ragia and started to walk slowly.
“The woman will be kept alive.”
Hark nodded and lifted Park Hyeri up. Her screams rang in the air as we walked, and while I had gotten my revenge, there were still other things to do. My target was the Spider Clan Leader, and I thought she would not be able to teleport without a price. I would take my time to get her and watch Park Hyeri’s reactions. She would die when my revenge was complete.
I thought the Spider Clan would be connected to the Holy Sword of the West or the South King and contacted Jang Ye Ri.
[Are you all right?]
She sounded worried, and I told her I was fine.
[How is your situation?]
[It was as you had told me. The atmosphere was strange even though the Spider Clan did not show themselves directly, and I told the North Queen what you said.]
[Is that so. Anything else?]
[The Holy Sword and the South King seemed nervous. While I had not heard much about the meeting agenda since I had been preparing my soldiers, they would have asked about forming an alliance. They would have overtaken the North Queen and me if we had refused. I am grateful.]
[I did what I had to do.]
It seemed that those two really had moved the Spider Clan, and it was more probable when considering the Holy Sword had been Jang Gi Young’s guest.
[I am grateful that you’re all right. Did you get something?]
[Yes, but not enough. I want to ask you a difficult favor. Can you keep an amicable relationship with the Holy Sword and the South King?]
[I can do that.]
Jang Ye RI stopped there, and I thought she would have sensed my emotions from the ring. I was still agitated and nervous. I heard her voice again.
[… Do not be so sad.]
[Thank you.]
I felt a dull pain in my chest and looked at Ragia as I walked. She was still smiling, and I wished I could have heard what she had said just before she died. I felt responsible for Ragia’s death just because I had not expected her arrival. I had been stupid. While I was not perfect, I thought I could have prevented this. I had been too confident, and this was my price.
Baek Ahyeon, Jung Hayeon, and Orbo came to greet us, and they also did not ask me anything. The two women held back tears while Orbo showed his respects.
“For Blood Dagger!”
“For Blood Dagger!”
We were silent as we entered the village, and other tribe members stepped back as we walked. I saw that no one looked angry but only respectful. Baek Ahyeon and her disciples went to treat Gark, Hark, and Park Hyeri. Ragia had sent the casters back to the tribe were all well, and I thought she had changed. While she had become more thoughtful of others, it saddened me that she had been killed because of it. I wondered what had gone through Ragia’s mind.
I saw Mev running toward me, and I saw that raindrops had begun to fall.
“Leader? What…”
I knew that Mev and Ragia had respected each other behind snarky banter, and she looked down at Ragia’s corpse in my arms. Mev touched Ragia’s arm, and tears filled as it remained limp. However, she did not cry because she needed to honor this death.
“She died saving other tribe members.”
Ragia had been honorable to the end, and I thought she deserved to be buried here. I patted her head and stepped forward to a slot still undeveloped near my tent. I raised my Levatain to flatten the ground with blades of fire, and Hakajin took Ragia from me to treat her wounds.
We washed her body with warm water, and Hakajin healed her wounds before the burial. I wanted her to be buried without those scars.
“She will live with us here.”
The members nodded at my words, and while there were no rules for a funeral here, everyone watched as Ragi was buried. I was surprised to see the young Green Skins cry, as that meant Ragia had paid attention to them.
When she was buried, I took a tooth from the beast’s skeleton that was large enough to be a gravestone. I carved a sentence before settling it in front of her gave as everyone watched.
[Ragia, who had given her all for the Blood Dagger Clan rests here.]
“For Ragia, who had been honorable!”
“For Ragia, who had been honorable!”
The crowd began to chant, and Mev cried along with Jung Hayeon and Baek Ahyeon. It was still raining, and no one left even though it started to pour. I did not cry, as I thought showing tears was disrespectful towards Ragia. No tribe leader should cry in front of his members, as everyone would be watching my back. However, my shoulders started to shake.
I felt Gark’s gaze on me, and he spoke slowly to the others. He seemed astonished.
“We will gather here again tomorrow.”
I did not stop Gark, and other tribe members all went back to their tents. It seemed Gark had thought quickly. I continued to stare at Ragia’s gravestone until I was the only one under the rain. The raindrops continued to fall, and I did not cry as I watched the spot for quite a long time.