‘Has it come down to this?’
Snoc’s mana properties were completely skewed towards the earth. Since he was able to use the magical beast’s powers freely, it was natural that they would be highly compatible in personality and temperament. However, Snoc adamantly refused to form a contract.
As Zich predicted, Snoc’s mentality must have been greatly shaken up. He first tried to persuade Snoc gently.
“I don’t know what exactly that man said to you, but it was part of his plan to make you go berserk. There’s a high possibility that he was the one who hired Drew to trick you.”
When Zich mentioned Drew, Snoc flinched. Taking that as a good sign, Zich continued, “He probably said stuff to form a drift between you and the magical beast, but you shouldn’t take any of that to heart. It wouldn’t be bad for you to make a contract with—”
“No, I don’t want to!”
“…”
Snoc was more stubborn than he predicted. It had been a while since Zich didn’t know what to do. As Snoc’s resistance continued, Sam intervened.
“What are you saying! This is not the time to act emotionally! Think of your safety first!”
“The only reason why you were able to get your consciousness back is because I made the berserk side of you faint. If your berserk side awakens, you will lose consciousness again.”
Zich further supported Sam’s words.
“Yeah, listen to him! You are still not safe!”
“…”
Snoc’s complexion grew pale; his trembling eyes revealed his troubled heart. But Snoc was still reluctant to make a formal contract.
‘Is there something I’m missing?’
Snoc’s reaction was too intense for a simple misunderstanding. Even with Sam’s constant pestering, Snoc maintained his silence and showed his unwillingness to form a contract.
‘No, it seems like he doesn’t know what to do.’
Zich tilted his head and continued to think.
‘Just judging by his reaction, it’s like I asked him to make a contract with his archnemeis who killed his parents or something—!’
At that moment, Zich recalled several pieces of information.
‘If Nowem is really the mining monster from the myth, he must have been sealed in the Iruce Mine. And he was released from the seal for some reason.’
Zich didn’t know how Nowem was released, but that was not the important part. The important part was what happened after the seal was released.
‘Since he is a magical beast of the earth, a lot of the earth’s energy would have been stored inside the seal. Once the seal was broken, all of the energy inside of it must have been released at once.’
An earthquake probably happened as a result.
‘Earthquakes are dangerous everywhere, but I’m sure it’s more dangerous inside a mine since the caves can collapse.’
Zich tried to recall a conversation he had with Sam in the bar. Sam got drunk and lamented to Zich about Snoc’s sad life. It was then that Zich found out why Snoc hated working as a miner so much.
‘If I recall properly, Snoc’s dad died from a collapsed mine shaft.’
What if the reason for the collapse was because of Nowem’s release? And what if the robed man mentally attacked Snoc with this information? No matter what the reason or direct cause was, Nowem had played a critical part in the death of Snoc’s father.
‘If this is true, no wonder Snoc is acting like this.’
Zich foresaw a lot of difficulties in persuading Snoc.
“Hmmm…”
To confirm his predictions, Zich began to question Snoc.
“Did the man who kidnapped you say that Nowem was the one who killed your father?”
“!!!”
Snoc’s eyes shook, and his shocked face confirmed Zich’s thoughts.
‘Your father’s killer… Hmmm, this is going to be hard.’
Zich looked towards Sam for guidance. However, Zich realized the situation had become even more complicated when he saw that Sam’s face was completely frozen.
‘Now that I remember it, Sam told me that his father also died in the same mine shaft that Snoc’s father died in.’
That complicated the situation even more. To Snoc, Nowem not only caused his father to die but also his best friend’s father to die. Zich could understand why Snoc was so adamant about not forming a contract with Nowem.
Then he remembered what the robed man said: ‘But Snoc will never be able to accept Nowem. Even if he goes over that hurdle, there would be another hurdle that he would have to go over. That’s his fate that was decided before we formulated this plan.’
‘He was talking about this.’
Even if Snoc managed to forgive Nowem for causing his father’s death, Sam was also another victim. Moreover, Sam and Snoc were as close as brothers, and Sam was the only family Snoc had. Everything was messed up.
‘I guess it can’t be helped.’
Forming a contract with Nowem was the best possible scenario, but Zich was not going to force Snoc to make a contract with a being that caused his father’s death. On the other hand, Zich also could not leave the situation like this. After some time, Snoc would definitely go back to berserk mode again.
Zich lightly swiped the handle of his sword.
‘Will this be possible?’
Zich checked his amount of mana and his ability to control it.
‘Will I be cutting it close?’
Sword that penetrated essence. Even among Zich’s skills, it was one of his highest-level skills. If he used this skill, he could take out Nowem.
‘But the problem is that in my current state, I might accidentally kill Snoc as well.’
No, there was actually a very high chance Zich might also kill him. But since Snoc was fervent about not making a contract, Zich wanted to tell him of this option.
“Even though this would be very dangerous for you, what if I tell you that there’s a way for me to kill Nowem?”
“W-what?” Snoc stuttered in shock. Zich thought Snoc was shocked because he said it would be ‘very dangerous for you.’ In order to explain this option more in detail, Zich was about to speak, but Sam spoke first.
“It’s fine now.”
Sam took one step forward. Zich was not sure, but there seemed to be determination on Sam’s face. As if to fasten Snoc’s face in place, Sam tightly pressed onto Snoc’s cheeks. At Sam’s sudden movement, Snoc was taken back and his eyes moved around.
“Snoc.”
“Y-yeah?”
“Please answer my question honestly.”
“Oh, okay.”
“You feel attached to that magical beast, right?”
Snoc’s eyes began to spin around in a frenzy, as if Sam’s words had hit the mark.
“W-what are you saying! How can I feel attached to that bastard who killed our fathers—!”
“Don’t lie. It’s easy to tell when you are lying. I can tell that you are acting out even more, because you don’t actually hate him.”
“N-no, that is not true…”
Snoc’s voice grew fainter and fainter until it completely disappeared.
“Did he purposely kill our parents?”
“No, of course not!”
Snoc quickly denied Sam’s words; he had also thought of something like that for a brief moment, but he could now confidently say no.
“In my dream, I was able to see Nowem’s memories for a bit! He came out only because the seal on him broke!”
Snoc himself was surprised that he was in such a hurry to defend Nowem. It was clear that Snoc’s psychological state was unstable right now.
“I thought so because you would have wanted to cut him off without any hesitation.”
But Sam could not just let things go.
“But it still doesn’t change the fact that Nowem killed our fathers.”
Moreover, both of their mothers died from overwork after their fathers’ deaths. From their perspective, Nowem was a being that destroyed their entire families.
Sam stared at Snoc. Even though Snoc was stubborn to a fault and caused some troubles, he was the only family Sam now had. As an “older brother,” he could not leave Snoc in his time of need. Looking at Snoc, Sam made a firm decision. He calmed his troubled heart and looked within himself if this was what he really wanted to do—the answer was a resounding yes.
Sam smiled at Snoc who looked as if he did not know what to do and said, “I will forgive him.”
“…What?”
“I’m going to forgive Nowem.”
Sam’s low voice seeped into people’s ears and lingered there. Snoc and even Zich and Hans were surprised—that was how significant his words were.
“That magical beast is precious to you, right? It’s like he was a part of your family.”
Snoc would not be so troubled like this if he didn’t consider Nowem a part of his family.
“I can’t speak for you, but I’m going to forgive him. So you don’t have to feel guilty about me. I want you to make a decision based on your own feelings; whether or not you will accept or reject him is all up to you.”
“…How are you able to do that? How can you forgive him so easily? Nowem was the one who caused our fathers to die.”
“It’s not easy. I made this decision after a lot of contemplation. You were the one who told me that he didn’t cause our father’s deaths on purpose. And think of your favorite song.”
Snoc’s favorite song was about the monster (most definitely, Nowem) sealed deep inside the mines.
“If he is the monster in that story, I’m sure he’s an okay guy. Moreover, that song has been passed down in your family for generations. Destiny might be tying you two together.”
“…”
Snoc could not understand why Sam was even using destiny to persuade him. He just looked blankly up at Sam’s face. Sam was about to say something more, but he closed his mouth and thought he needed to speak from his heart to persuade him.
“I’m not making up random explanations to persuade you. I really do think this, but there is another reason why I forgave him.”
Then Sam said without a trace of dishonesty on his face, “As an older brother, is it so strange to want my younger brother to be happy?”
“!!!”
Snoc felt as if he had been hit by a hammer on the back of his head—that was how much Sam’s brotherly love touched him. The tears in Sam’s eyes revealed how sincere he was.
“Would it really be okay to…”
Snoc began to slowly open up his heart after his brother’s kind words, “Would it really be okay for me to forgive Nowem? Can I accept him?”
“I already told you I forgave him. It’s all up to you. Think about what choice will make you happy and not have regrets in the future.”
“I was really angry when I found out that Nowem caused our fathers to die. My whole mind was filled with anger. But Sam, no matter how hard I try, I can’t hate him.”
Because of this, it was harder for Snoc to accept him. He felt guilty to their deceased fathers and to Sam.
Quietly watching the situation, Zich interrupted, “Then why don’t you try forming a contract first? You can sign the contract and calm your mind first, and then make a decision after you face the magical beast again. In your emotional state, there’s a high possibility that if you make a decision right now, you might make a choice that you will regret in the future.”
Moreover, an immature person like Snoc was more likely to make a rash decision.
“What are you going to do?” Sam asked again. There was newfound determination in Snoc’s eyes.
* * *
“He will be okay, right?”
With a worried expression on his face, Sam looked down at Snoc who lay still as if he was dead. Only a few moments had passed since Snoc went into sleep to face Nowem, but Sam was already worried. His frantic appearance right now completely contrasted the appearance he made when he calmly persuaded Snoc.
Hans tilted his head at the two very different sides of Snoc, but Zich had a better grasp of human nature.
‘This is what makes us human.’
Humans could boldy throw away their own hatred and pain to say a comforting word to another person; but the next moment, they could also become meek and anxious after only a few minutes.
But both of these actions had the same fundamental roots.
‘Is it familial love?’
This kind of love was different from the love that Lubella tried to spread to the masses. It was a love between one individual to another; a love that could be done by anyone who treasured their family. Who could say that Sam’s love was of lesser value than Lubella’s?
Zich could not really understand Sam’s love for Snoc; he had never experienced love from a family, and he just understood it as a concept that existed in this world.
‘But I guess it's a good sight to see.’
Sam looked as if he would grab the back of his neck and faint at any moment. In order to turn Sam’s mind away from Snoc, Zich asked a question.
“How were you able to come all the way here?”
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