Chapter 401: Do You Dare to Hit Me in the Back of the Head? (4)

Unlike the lively Cale, the three people from the Kingdom of Lan were in a state of extreme tension.

Tap, tap.

The only sound that echoed through the place was the steady rhythm of footsteps.

The path Queen Tamahi took was eerily empty—no warrior, no servant in sight.

Only Tamahi herself, Charun, the head servant, Cale, and Eruhaben advanced in silence.

At the end of that path, in a quiet corner of the Kingdom of Lan’s palace, stood a small room.

Once abandoned, it had later been transformed into Queen Tamahi’s chamber of meditation.

Actually… this was the meeting point with the Wanderers.
Tamahi never forgot the day—when, alongside Hinpa Gong, she had encountered one here… and chosen to surrender.

Thump, thump, thump.

Her heart pounded, tension gripping her whole body.

Gulp.
Beside her, Charun, the venerable master, swallowed hard.
When she glanced sideways, cold sweat traced down the old man’s forehead, his stiff, unyielding expression unable to mask his unease.
Exactly.
While everyone else was strung tight with tension, the Dragon and Cale Henituse remained utterly calm.

Thump, thump, thump.

Looking at their faces, it seemed that the beating intensified even more.

However, Tamahi didn't dislike that tension.

…Always, whenever I came here, a wave of helplessness would overwhelm me.
A helplessness that only deepened as time passed — the weight of defeat. Despair.

Eventually, I no longer felt nerves upon entering this room,
because I had already surrendered to the belief that nothing could change.

But now… now it is different.

But now, she—together with Master Charun and the head servant—felt nervous.
For the first time, the possibility of something new stretched open before them.
Moreover… we have been given the chance to strike at the Wanderer and the forces of the God of Chaos.
How could her heart not race?
Surely neither Charun nor the head servant trembled from fear,
but from anticipation. From excitement.
Let us be tense.
Tamahi welcomed that tension,
because in this moment, it was the most fitting emotion they could carry.

“Open it.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The silence in the room—so heavy it bordered on the eerie—yielded to her command.
At once, the head servant moved toward the door, and in response, both Eruhaben and Cale stepped forward to open it together.
Crrrick—
the stone door embedded in the wall groaned as it slowly gave way.

Beyond it stretched the front yard of the chamber: a barren expanse of arid soil, stripped of life—an austere space, suited for meditation.
And there, a figure stood.

“……”
A woman, her expression severe, fixed her gaze upon them.

The instant Tamahi’s eyes met hers, the Queen’s own tension sharpened.

The woman’s eyes drifted, slow and deliberate—across Tamahi, then Cale, Eruhaben, Charun, and the head servant—before fixing, unyielding, once more on Tamahi.

“Enter.”

The Queen of the Kingdom of Lan could step into this place only with the Wanderer’s consent.

It was, indeed, a peculiar — and unsettling — reality.

However, Tamahi, still nervous, stepped into the room.

“You, stay here and wait!”

She gave the order to the bodyguard stationed at the entrance.
Ba-dump, ba-dump—
her heart pounded heavily in her chest.
Crrrick—
the bodyguard pulled the stone door shut from the outside.
Thud.
With that final echo, the door sealed completely—
and the Queen stepped into the Wanderer’s domain, cut off from the world beyond.

“……”

The Wanderer’s gaze was still fixed on her.
Tamahi swallowed hard.

“……”

At last, after a long silence, the Wanderer’s lips parted:

“It shows… she’s far too afraid. As if…”
Her voice lingered, sharp and deliberate.
“…as if she felt knives stabbing her from every direction.”

At that moment, Tamahi closed her eyes tightly.

“…….”

The Wanderer was silent.

Around the woman standing at the center of the courtyard, not even the faintest breeze stirred.
The air was calm, utterly silent — and yet that very stillness carried a strange peace.

“……”

No one dared to speak.
Everyone, except for Tamahi, kept their heads bowed.
Even the head servant remained motionless, bent low at the waist without so much as a tremor.

“……”

At last, Tamahi opened her eyes once more.
She met the gaze of the Wanderer — a woman whose name she did not even know, a figure she could only call the Wanderer.

“Speak.”

With that single word of permission, Tamahi forced herself to begin.
Her lips were parched, her mouth dry, as though the air itself had turned to dust.

She couldn’t bring herself to speak right away.
Her nerves made her seem almost pitiful—but she had no time to dwell on that.

“Y… yes. I’m hurt.”

To the unspoken question of whether she felt pain, Tamahi answered with quiet resolve.

“Lies, after all, are always exposed.”

Thump, thump, thump.
Her heart pounded. The tension pressing on her chest might look like fear or terror, but to Tamahi it was the strain of seizing an opportunity — the chance to land a decisive blow against the enemy.

“Though it was only for a moment, I clung to the illusion that I could escape from the grasp.”

The Wanderer’s voice cut through the air.
“Are you speaking of the martial arts competition?”

“Yes.”

The Queen answered with courtesy, yet a flicker of resentment edged her tone.

“But that competition, too, ended in failure. And because it ended so—”

“…….”

Tamahi broke eye contact with the Wanderer, she continued in a trembling voice.

“I have understood that one should not pursue illusions. One must hold on to reality.”

“……”
The Wanderer only watched her. That silent gaze pressed her to go on, and Tamahi forced herself to speak again.
I must not falter. I must mix lies with truth.
Thump, thump, thump—
her heart raced. Sweat dampened her palms.

“Did you come in search of Wanderer Sohyi and Hinpa Gong?”

Tamahi’s voice trembled as she spoke.
“It was Hinpa Gong who said that.”
No, actually Hinpa Gong didn't say anything.

“He said that if the martial arts competition was held, it could attract the Wanderers. And then—”
He never said that.

Thump, thump, thump.
Gradually, the pounding in her chest eased.
How strange. Why is it that when I lie… I feel so calm?
“He also said that once lured, the Wanderers would take care of themselves — according to Hinpa Gong.”

She remembered the conversation with Cale Henituse.

‘...Actually, I'm afraid of the Wanderer. I don't know if I can lie smoothly in front of her.’

‘Just do it naturally. Simply blame everything on Hinpa Gong. That will solve everything.’

“He said the Wanderers would resolve themselves with their own power.”

But Hinpa Gong never said anything like that.

“Furthermore, he claimed his strength came from the God of Chaos — that the Wanderers could never oppose a god, and that if the cult of the God of Chaos received worship, they would not meddle in the kingdom’s affairs.”
In reality, Hinpa Gong had never spoken such words.
But the dead cannot explain themselves.

Tamahi's voice was gaining strength little by little.

“Honestly, I considered that it was preferable to worship Hinpa Gong's god rather than lose this kingdom to the Wanderers. That's why I proceeded according to his words.”

I have never had the slightest intention of worshipping the God of Chaos.

“But—”

Her words faltered, cut short.

“!”

A strange energy settled on her shoulders.

“Mmm.”

The head servant swallowed, and Master Charun's fingers trembled.

Tamahi closed her eyes tightly.

Ice!

Frost settled on her shoulders, and a cold energy—capable of making the entire body tremble—extended from her head down.

Damn!

The strength of that woman manifested silently, freezing everything around her.

...The heart.

Once, the Wanderer had managed to freeze the heart of one of Tamahi's bodyguards to instill fear.

And Tamahi was scared.

The bodyguard, who was dying silently, had his heart completely frozen.

Who could defeat that woman who causes silent deaths?

This person possesses the power to cover the world in ice with her gaze.

Tension took hold of her again, but at the same time, Tamahi's eyes sharpened.

But I have seen another scene…

Cale, Heavenly Demon, and Choi Han.

The image created by those three was truly amazing. With them, they could face the Wanderer who stood before us.

“But the moment I saw the ally Hinpa Gong brought, I realized I had made a serious mistake.”

The icy energy stopped for a moment.

“…Ally?”

The Wanderer reacted for the first time.

“Yes.”

Tamahi closed her eyes.

“That ally subdued Sohyi and managed to silence all the chaos.”
“—Yet, though he silenced the chaos, he himself was pure chaos.”

“!”

A strange light flickered in the Wanderer’s eyes.
Tamahi opened her eyes wide and continued.
“His terror forced people to their knees, their heads bowed in submission. He ruled the very air, crushing thought itself, until all one could do was yield before him.”

In Tamahi’s eyes and voice, the Wanderer discerned no lie.

That was, undoubtedly, the truth born of experience.

“Terror and chaos?”

“Yes. That energy, which I experienced for the first time in my life, left me completely disconcerted. And Wanderer Sohyi couldn't offer even the slightest type of resistance. But—”

Tamahi paused and continued.

“…That person and Hinpa Gong clashed. Hinpa Gong exploded and died.”
It could not be called a lie; Tamahi’s gaze was too sincere.
In truth, there was even a trace of joy at Hinpa Gong’s death — an emotion that could not be fabricated.
“…That’s right.”
The Wanderer spoke, and the frost that had weighed on everyone’s shoulders melted away.
I understand.
She had accepted Tamahi’s words. Realizing this, Tamahi let out a long breath of relief.
For once, she had spoken without deceit.

The Wanderer, after confirming all this, looked away.

“Then… you are the one who saw Hinpa Gong’s death?”

The information that Master Charun had given the Wanderer before coming to receive the Queen explained, in part, the half-day delay.

“Yes.”

Queen Tamahi gestured to the head servant, who brought out a person.

“We had to wait for him to regain consciousness to be able to hear his account, and it took time to present him to the Wanderer.”

Even as Tamahi spoke, the Wanderer's gaze remained fixed on that person, whose face was almost completely wrapped in bandages; in the areas that weren't covered, bleeding wounds and burns were visible that had left his skin disfigured. Also, his hands trembled uncontrollably, and his entire body trembled.

Clack. Clack. Clack.

The sound of his teeth clattering filled the silence — not from cold, but from fear.

“He was one of the lowest-ranking servants who attended Hinpa Gong.”

Tamahi explained the identity of that individual.

The Wanderer addressed the servant, who didn't even look up, and asked.

“Is it possible to speak with him?”

At that question, Queen Tamahi sighed.

“Mmm.”

Then, she shook her head and continued.

“He only repeats himself. I cannot say whether his words are true. But I brought him here so you could hear them for yourself.”

“…….”

The Wanderer observed the servant for a long moment before finally speaking.

“What did you see?”

Yet doubt lingered; she did not wholly accept Queen Tamahi’s words.

Sohyi is not weak.

Though eccentric in her own way, she had possessed a tenacity surpassing even that of the Wanderer, one born with heroic qualities.
How could someone like her fall so easily — vanish without a trace?

Of course, the last message Sohyi sent claimed that the God of Chaos had attacked her.
…And most likely, that was the truth.

Only someone of the stature of the God of Chaos could face the Wanderer.

As much as the Queen tried to rebel, she could never subdue Sohyi in that way.

Hinpa Gong’s fall. Sohyi’s disappearance.

All of this suggested that it was the God of Chaos.

And lately, stories about the God of Chaos are being heard in the New World.

Certainly, they were plotting something there, although she wasn't convinced yet.

It's time to be careful.

It's the final stage for the Absolute God.

Now, even the smallest detail must be treated with caution.

So, if the God of Chaos has really interfered…

If that conclusion were to be reached, I wouldn't let it pass.

Because he dared to interfere with our affairs.

He could not be allowed to obstruct the end the Five Color Blood Family had long awaited.

“What…?”

She asked again, addressing the servant, who was trembling so much that he couldn't even look at her.

“What did you see?”

At that very moment, the servant raised his head. His trembling hands clawed at his face as if to hide it.
He forced out broken words:
“Th-the…!! The eyes…!”

With those words, the Wanderer was convinced.

The God of Chaos.

He had witnessed the power of the God of Chaos.

The eyes…

That's something that can't be understood without experiencing it firsthand.

“Gray eyes, the eyes are approaching…!”

“!”

They are approaching.

She also knew that.

The God of Chaos always unleashed eyes from surging waves of gray energy.

The servant repeated those lines over and over again, trembling more and more, shrinking like a terrified person, without the Wanderer paying much attention, as if facing waves coming from all sides, as if colliding with a wall, muttering only about the eyes.

“Ha.”

The Wanderer, without realizing it, let out a laugh.

It's the truth.

The God of Chaos had really taken Sohyi and was trying to interfere with their affairs.

She ignored the servant, who refused to look her in the eye.

And then—

“Well!”

Master Charun, unable to hide his bewilderment, began to move.

“!”

The Wanderer, turning her head, stopped short.

The servant clawed at his own throat, trying to choke himself, and screamed: “At the beginning… let's go back to the beginning…! Let's surrender our lives…!”

“Enough, enough!”

But his attempt went no further.

Charun and the head servant quickly immobilized his limbs.

Charun took some ropes from his coat and tied the servant tightly.

The servant, in a deplorable state, was observed by the Wanderer, whose eyes lit up with a peculiar gleam.

Did he say that we have to go back to the beginning and surrender our lives?

Only she could fully understand the meaning of those words.

“I'm sorry. While he kept repeating those words and on the verge of death, I had to restrain myself, which unfortunately delayed this meeting.”

“It's alright.”

The Wanderer, while listening to the Queen's excuse, thought.

The Primordial Night.

A place where not only were the devotees of the God of Chaos, but also fanatics; a sanctuary that, it was said, those fanatics established in honor of the god and in which real madness was committed.

“I understand.”

…The picture became clearer.

The Wanderer understood what her next goal would be; there was something else she needed to confirm.

She suddenly interrupted the Queen.

“Why did Hinpa Gong die?”

“I don't know. There was no trace left, so the cause couldn't be determined.”

The Queen shook her head, and the Wanderer slowly nodded.

“Exactly. It remains unknown, doesn’t it?”

If she had claimed certainty, suspicion would have deepened. There was no falsehood in Queen Tamahi’s words; she truly had no answer. Hinpa Gong had simply been fighting Cale when, without warning, he self-destructed.

“…”

The Wanderer, after seeing the servant immobilized and as he calmed down, observed him briefly.

The man, filthy with dust and worn down from his struggles, was in a pitiful state.

“…! Ah… ah!”

Too exhausted to keep struggling, he collapsed on the ground, gasping for breath.

The Wanderer turned her gaze away, without a trace of pity.

That man, Consumed by Chaos, he was already as good as dead — and that was none of her business.

“Is Hinpa Gong's house remain intact?”

“Yes. Shall I guide you?”

“Take me there.”

The Wanderer proceeded to the next task.

The Queen moved to guide her, and she followed.

“…….”

Then, Cale looked up to observe the Wanderer's silhouette head-on, recording every aspect of her bearing and aura.

At that moment, Super Rock’s voice resounded.

– Originally. This is really similar to the Ancient Power.

The energy the Wanderer used.

The frost that settled on Queen’s shoulders.

Also, when using her power, she enveloped her surroundings with a manifestation similar to the aura of Choi Han and Cale.

Super Rock commented.

– She's stronger than Sohyi. She can't be compared.

Cale gave a slight nod.

Although her strength was small, her power seemed to have no end.

Perhaps it was because of her stillness that it was appreciated even better.

Even if Cale, Heavenly Demon, and Choi Han joined forces, they couldn't defeat her.

That Wanderer… is truly strong.

I wonder what level she is within the Five Color Blood Family.

Surely, at the very least, among the upper ranks.

– Ice!

While Cale recorded every detail of the Wanderer, an Ancient Power reacted.

– Ice!

Since the frost began to descend on Cale's shoulders, that power responded in a peculiar way.

– It's cold. And it doesn't make any sound. Like a predator that, upon seeing its favorite prey, renews its hunger.

– I, on the other hand, am burning and thundering.

The Fire of Destruction, Cheapskate couldn't hide his interest.

“Hmm?”

The very moment Cale began to feel a subtle discomfort from that reaction, Cheapskate spoke.

– …Interesting. It's worth trying.

A new Wanderer.

Surprisingly, the one who showed the most interest in that presence was Cheapskate, the Fire of Destruction.

 -----
P/R Thoughts: Queen Tamahi lies with precision, the Wanderer’s icy might freezes the air, and even Cheapskate feels a dangerous thrill at her overwhelming power.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Mayank]