Requiem of Subdued Souls

No wonder.

Even when explaining the laws of causality, Seol Young kept feeling confused.

‘I misunderstood it.’

The sight that became black returned to normal. But Seol Young couldn’t see or hear anything. He couldn’t even hear those talking next to him. It was as if his heart would burst.

‘I need to tell someone!’

He hurried to where Zaha was.

“…?”

Seeing how unusual Seol Young’s expression was, he felt confused and felt fear. For him to leave his position and rush to him meant it was about something huge.

“What is it?”

“It’s not that!”

Seol Young said without hesitation.

“Causality is not what we thought it would be! It doesn’t mean that it is cause and effect! It already happened, which means it is bound to happen!”

“What has already happened?”

“Second-rang has already shot Third-rang! In the archery! On that day, Third-rang was in the harp box! No one knew….”

“Time warp.”

“Yes!”

After the congratulations and speeches came the prayers and greetings. Time flowed in a straight line.

However, not in the harp box.

The flow of time seemed to be twisted.

‘That is why it seemed possible!’

The demonic beings that were wounded and died immediately. The image of them came to his mind again.

“That is the trick it uses! It distorts the flow of time! That is why it managed to be this all-present thing!”

The cause and effect.

The thing that was attached to one was divided into two and separated at its will.

That was the power of the law of causality that the evil spirit was using. Because it wasn’t an evil force, it couldn’t be expelled from the harp box. As it was the law of nature, even the King wasn’t free of it.

“Then how do we stop it?”

Zaha asked right away.

“How do we get it out?”

“I don’t remember!”

Seol Young shook his head.

That was the limit, and he couldn’t remember anything more. At that moment, someone hurriedly jumped to where the ritual was happening.

It was an official of the Ministry of Justice who investigated crimes.

“It is dangerous!”

He shouted loudly.

“Get everyone away! That golden harp box kills people!”

What?

The face of the Great Heavenly Pavilion Head changed.

Seol Young, Zaha, and the White Tiger Troops as well.

The Pavilion Head asked,

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“The official didn’t die in an accident! He was killed by this harp box! Stop this ritual right now!”

Everyone was shocked.

“And everyone should back off right now! Someone did something to that harp box! We need to find the criminal behind this right now!”

At that moment, the lid of the harp box opened on its own, and a small light shone that everyone saw.

“Isn’t that spiritual qi?”

“From which troops?”

The people groaned.

Seol Young’s face went pale.

“…!”

Baek Eon, Song Ok, and Hyo Wol were also shocked.

Even if others didn’t know, the White Tiger Troops knew what it was right away.

The glow was clearly in the shape of a small plum blossom, and if taken out, it would radiate a blue light.

It was the spiritual qi of the White Tiger Troops.

‘What the hell just happened?’

Seol Young felt his body tremble.

His hands were ice cold, and Hyo Wol’s righteous weapon that he had been holding had disappeared. There was some mysterious force that couldn’t be explained.

That was what made the righteous weapon end up inside the harp box.

[What is meant to happen will happen.]

A coded text appeared before his eyes, and it dispersed like mist.

[What is meant to happen will happen.]

Right.

The future that hasn’t yet been decided could be changed by breaking through the odds of one thousandth.

But what had already happened in the past couldn’t be changed at all.

The past was fixed.

Under the restraints of that powerful law of causality, which transcended everything, the final result appeared. 𝚋𝚎ｄｎｏｖ𝚎𝚕．𝚌ｏｍ

“That…?”

Hyo Wol turned to Seol Young.

What shone inside the harp box was his weapon, which Seol Young borrowed.

He didn’t know why he took it, but now he understood.

‘He used it to investigate that.’

And he accidentally dropped it inside. Apparently, the others didn’t seem to know that Seol Young was working on it.

Well, there must have been a reason for it.

‘But what now? Do they believe that someone did that…’

Seol Young had been dealing with the supernatural calamities that had been happening, and even though he was suspected to be evil, he worked hard. But this time, it seemed like he could not escape.

He was sure that he would be in real trouble now.

Fortunately, the people didn’t know that it was a weapon of the White Tiger Troops.

‘It is fine.’

Hyo Wol smiled at Seol Young.

‘This third hyung of yours will handle it.’

He was known for his quick movements and quick hands.

He just has to retrieve it before it falls into the hands of the other officials and replace it with something else. He thought that and ran.

“Third-rang!”

Seol Young screamed.

Everything happened too fast.

Before the official from the Ministry of Justice jumped in and found Hyo Wol’s weapon inside, everything happened in the blink of an eye.

“Wait! Third-rang! No!”

“Hyo Wol-rang!”

Seol Young and Zaha both ran after him.

“Third hyung!”

Seol Young stretched out his hand and touched Hyo Wol’s sleeve.

He almost caught him, but with a hair difference, Hyo Wol slipped away, and he went inside the harp box right then.

“No!”

Seol Young screamed.

At that moment, a small light shone from his left hand, and it hit the lid of the harp box that was about to close by itself.

‘Spiritual qi?’

Seol Young was surprised.

‘It is true that I did cast Memory Projection earlier.’

He could only feel a little bit of spiritual qi, though.

He hasn’t recovered everything yet, and the letters around his wrist are still there to calm him.

It was like he had been tricked. It was such a weak force that it was difficult for him to detect.

But when Hyo Wol was in danger of dying in front of him, it sprang out of his hand and hit the top of the harp box to stop it from closing.

“You did well.”

Zaha, who followed Hyo Wol, quickly held the lid. He opened it and went inside with Hyo Wol.

“…?”

Everyone just stared at them in disbelief. What was happening?

They saw it with their own eyes, but it felt like nonsense even then.

According to the legend, the harp box should have two people inside it. However, considering their bodies, wouldn’t it be impossible?

‘No. it will be fine.’

Seol Young realized it.

This scene was familiar.

It was because it was something he had seen through the Life and Death mirror, which they stole from the shrine.

But there was one thing.

There was a very crucial difference. Zaha was also here, but at that time, he was invisible in the Life and Death mirror.

‘I didn’t realize it.’

The question that had been on his mind was cleared up.

Zaha had told him while stealing the mirror,

-Because I also have to check that scene.

The circumstances that led to Hyo Wol entering the harp box. Seol Young thought Zaha was trying to figure it out.

But when he saw it, he wasn’t trying to confirm anything.

‘Is one’s image reflected in the Life and Death mirror or not?’

Whether that was true or not.

Zaha was a dead person in that sense, and he didn’t exist in the world. That also meant that he didn’t exist at all in the timeline.

This was why he wasn’t shown in the mirror, and the harp box didn’t recognize him at all.

Which was why he could follow Hyo Wol inside.

The harp box didn’t recognize it, but there was definitely truth to this.

‘Which means…’

Puak!

The lid of the harp box was pierced, and blood gushed out.

“Ack!”

Everyone screamed, and the lid opened. Hyo Wol, who had turned pale, collapsed, but he didn’t fall.

It was because Zaha held him with one hand.

“High Governor!”

Everyone screamed in shock. The left side of Zaha’s back was covered in blood. Finally, everyone knew—what the blood was that seeped from the top of the harp box.

“It hurts.”

Zaha frowned and set Hyo Wol to the ground. Then he turned to Seol Young.

“Do not worry. Your third hyung is fine.”

Then he added,

“I told you I would block it.”

He did.

“But did that ‘block’ mean to literally block it with your body like this?”

“…”

Seol Young stared at him.