40
Apophis returned about two hours later. Set, who had already finished preparing to move Shango with Isquis, was waiting for him.
Inside the inn room were Set, Yeon Ji-ho, and Isquis. Shango was in another room for isolation.
“Ugh, sorry for being late. I had to urgently find mana herbs…”
Mana herbs were plants that could slightly increase a magician’s mana. However, there were side effects; after using mana herbs, one would not regain mana for several days.
In other words, they were herbs to be used only when it was truly urgent. In such a rural area, there were hardly any mana herbs available, and it took a while to find them at the pharmacy, which was why he was late.
“Can we open the gate?”
Although they had initially said, “Let’s go back,” because they could save Shango, it was not that simple. First of all, Apophis had exhausted almost all his mana just a week ago to come to this world.
The first problem was the lack of mana, and the second was that there was no gate here. They could rent a gate in a larger city, but as criminals, it was impossible for them to rent a gate that was used under strict security.
“Yes, but it will be a one-time temporary gate. It will disappear immediately after we enter. And…”
“…And?”
“I can only send three people.”
Yeon Ji-ho’s mouth opened slightly at the mention of only being able to take three people. Three.
Yeon Ji-ho, who would be the coordinate for the gate, had to go, and the sick Shango was essential as well. And the magician Apophis also had to go.
Set unconsciously chewed on his lip. He might have to part with Yeon Ji-ho, even if just for a moment. The seed of anxiety that had been planted within him sprouted a little, just a tiny bit.
“Once Ji-ho and Shango go, there will be only one spot left. That means I…”
“Apophis. Engrave the gate on my body.”
“W-What?!”
There were only two things needed for gate magic.
Coordinates and the ground to draw the gate. Apophis’s eyes widened as he thought about drawing it on the floor of this inn, like the gate in the wardrobe at Yeon Ji-ho’s house.
“Your Excellency, you mean…”
“A gate engraved on the body allows for round trips, not just one way. Then, you won’t have to work twice.”
“But Your Excellency, as you know, the paint used to draw the gate is ‘Nolrin.’ It is used to ensure it doesn’t get erased, so it will permanently remain on your body.”
Apophis looked at Set with a troubled expression. A gate engraved on the body could indeed allow the user to go and return, but that gate could not be erased again. This was because Nolrin, the main ingredient in magic books, was such a paint.
Using the Duke’s body just for a single round trip was absurd. As Apophis hesitated, Set spoke firmly.
“You, the magician, will stay here with Isquis and find out the locations of the remaining beasts. Apophis, our goal is no longer war.”
“…You mean, it’s not war…”
Apophis’s voice trembled slightly. Had the Gorgon beasts ever moved for anything other than war? His heart raced with anxiety and anticipation.
“We are… leaving this place.”
“Y-You’re not just going alone, are you?”
“Correct.”
Set looked not only at Apophis but also at Isquis, who was standing beside him.
“It means that the Gorgon beasts now have a place to return to.”
Apophis’s eyes widened as if they would tear. He unconsciously raised his hand to cover his mouth, feeling as if his heart would leap out of his chest, and bowed his head deeply.
Isquis’s reaction was not much different. He took a deep breath, hunched his shoulders, and tightly closed his eyes.
To have a place to return to. He had never heard such a thing before. All the Gorgon beasts must have felt the same.
Isquis, who had been given wings to survive on the battlefield, Apophis, who had his tongue half cut off because he was from a plague village, and Shango, who had been sold to a slave trader because of his dark skin.
All of them had tragic stories. But after joining the Gorgon Knights under the previous Duke of Gorgon, they had lived solely as tools for murder. This was no different for their master, Set.
At one time, he had thought it was only natural. It was only natural for those with nowhere to go to live as weapons of war in a knight order formed by such people.
“Didn’t we say, let’s go back?”
He realized late the difference between “we are going back” and “let’s go back.” Small droplets gathered at the feet of Apophis and Isquis. Apophis, who finally raised his head, had red eyes and fiercely opened them.
“Yes. When Your Excellency returns, I will prepare everything so that we can leave without any issues.”
With those words, Apophis silently took out a conical brush. The brush, covered in black Nolrin, soon touched Set’s forearm. Slowly, the shape of the gate began to take form.
Before long, as the base was completed, Apophis set the brush down. He looked at the gate, which shimmered with his mana, and said,
“The coordinates for this gate are, of course, Ji-ho.”
“Right.”
“I’m sorry to say this, but… you must come back with us as well.”
Apophis turned his head and gestured an apology to Yeon Ji-ho, who was standing beside him. Yeon Ji-ho, who already knew he would be used as the coordinate, shook his head.
“It’s okay. I haven’t even properly explored this world yet.”
As he spoke more brightly, Apophis looked relieved and turned back to Set. When he asked for permission to inject mana, Set silently nodded.
Apophis stuffed the mana herbs he had brought into his mouth. It seemed the taste was not very pleasant, as he frowned.
But the effect was certain. Mana quickly filled Apophis’s body, visibly surging around him.
“I will start the gate operation. Isquis, bring Shango!”
Isquis dragged Shango, who was wrapped in white cloth except for his face. Struggling to bring him, who was larger than Isquis, Set easily caught him.
As soon as Set supported Shango, he turned to Yeon Ji-ho and said,
“Ji-ho. Stay as far away from Shango and me as possible, just touch the hem of my clothes with your fingers.”
“I won’t catch measles, it’s fine…!”
“Still, you can’t.”
Set spoke so firmly that Yeon Ji-ho could no longer open his mouth. Eventually, he ended up just barely holding onto the hem of Set’s clothes from behind, and Apophis shouted loudly.
“We’re moving! Close your eyes□□□…”
Just as he was about to say “now,” Apophis’s voice became jumbled. It sounded like the sound was distorted, as if an old television screen was not displaying properly. Or perhaps it didn’t even sound like Korean.
In any case, Yeon Ji-ho tightly closed his eyes. After all, the warnings were there for a reason.
Unlike the last time, this gate was engraved on the body, so it didn’t open and close like a door. Therefore, Yeon Ji-ho held his breath and waited quietly, not knowing how long the movement would take or how long he should keep his eyes closed.
And how long had it been? He felt the hem of Set’s clothes he was holding fall away. Startled, Yeon Ji-ho inhaled sharply.
“Se… Set?”
A wave of anxiety hit him instantly. It was only natural to feel that way when the only thing he was holding onto disappeared.
Could he open his eyes? What if he became lost in the gate? Had they arrived…?
At that moment, something warm wrapped around Yeon Ji-ho’s body.
“Ji-ho, you can open your eyes now.”
At those words, Yeon Ji-ho’s eyelids, which had been trembling, lifted. As soon as he opened his eyes, he found himself face to face with Set, who filled his view. Set was looking at Yeon Ji-ho with a worried expression.
“I moved Shango to the room I was using.”
As Yeon Ji-ho slowly looked around, he saw a familiar sight. It was in front of the wardrobe in his own room. The wardrobe door was wide open, just as it had been when Yeon Ji-ho left.
“We… we’re back?”
“Yes. Safely.”
“Ah…”
With a single word of relief, Yeon Ji-ho sank to the floor. Startled, Set sat down as well.
“Ji-ho? Why… why? Is your leg still hurting?”
“No. I’m relieved… we arrived safely.”
Now that he thought about it, his legs had completely healed. If it had been in Korea, he would have had considerable aftereffects from the injury, but now there was not even a trace left. Yeon Ji-ho realized that he had truly returned from another world and let out a deep breath.
“Let’s go meet a doctor to treat Shango.”
“…Right. And let’s get your legs treated too.”
Set was still anxious, even after seeing that Yeon Ji-ho’s legs were completely healed. With a small smile, Yeon Ji-ho pushed himself up from the floor. Yes, it would be good to get his legs checked as well.
“Where do we need to go to meet the doctor? If you tell me, I’ll take Shango, Ji-ho.”
“No, it’s okay.”
Yeon Ji-ho shook his head gently with a faint smile. He decided not to mention that it was difficult to go to the hospital without an identity here. He had already thought about it separately since coming here.
“It’s right next door.”
The doctor, who had been in charge of pediatrics in this neighborhood for about ten years, was none other than Doctor Soo-cheol.
