The mountain forest had finally returned to the silence it had held at the beginning.
The Young Scholar could clearly hear his own heavy, cautious breathing.
After a long while, the Young Scholar carefully and slowly relaxed his shoulders, which had grown stiff from being held so tense.
He looked up.
The sky was pitch-black.
The branches stretched across it, breaking it into shattered fragments.
The earlier commotion felt like a waking dream.
At that moment, the Young Scholar even felt as though there wasn't a sound anywhere around him.
He reached up and rubbed his ears.
He wondered if the earlier commotion had ruptured his eardrums, leaving something wrong with his hearing.
The Young Scholar covered his ears with both hands.
Then he let go.
Silence still filled his ears.
After a few seconds of stunned confusion, he suddenly found it a little funny.
No.
It was hilarious.
He lowered his head and pressed a hand to his forehead.
"...Every time..."
His voice was low and hoarse.
"You leave me looking like a fool."
"It's ridiculous."
"And makes everyone think..."
"I'm crazy."
Even his older brother suspected as much.
He had to admit...
The Black Monster was really something.
Quite something...
The Young Scholar's lips curved into a mocking smile.
Yes.
The Young Scholar wasn't actually crazy.
Of course he knew what some people thought of him.
Including the way his older brother and sister-in-law had wanted to say something but held back.
But he knew they'd misunderstood.
He certainly wasn't crazy.
Although...
He did feel as if the Black Monster was driving him mad.
At long last...
After all these days...
After enduring all these days...
He had finally waited for the Black Monster to show up.
And yet...
The other party had made