Chapter 780: Forgiveness
The travelers froze, their faces pale, as they watched the strange boy float effortlessly in the air.
Northern's figure drifted upward, slow and deliberate, before he dropped the girl onto the mount's back. Then, his gaze swept across the others.
There was malice in his eyes. A deep, seething contempt that curled at the edges of his stare like a slow-burning fire.
The moment those cold, dangerous eyes fell upon them, the travelers shuddered. A silent, primal fear gripped their chests, strangling their breath.
Then, his attention snapped to the Shadow Drifter standing at the front.
Northern's hoarse voice crawled out, thick with disgust.
"I am short of words, to be honest. Such rudeness and disregard for someone who put her life on the line to save your pathetic hides."
He paused, his gaze sharpening into something deadly as he glared at the Shadow Drifter.
He wanted to say more. The anger simmered within him, coiling like a serpent, poised to strike.
But the more he tried to speak, the more words failed him.
Because humans were fools.
Whether it was handcrafted stupidity or something woven into the fabric of their very existence, he didn't care.
What he did know-what he had experienced over and over again-was how foolish and ungrateful humans could be. It no longer shocked him.
He had only hoped Roma would learn from this.
Fragility was a sin.
Naivety was a death sentence.
Kindness? A liability.
The cost of helping others was often too cruel, too unfair, and yet, no one cared about fairness or cruelty.
Humans were selfish.
Humans were self-serving.
They fought only for justice when it served their own interests.
Northern clicked his tongue, irritation creeping beneath his skin. 'No...'
He frowned, a shadow passing over his face.
'I can't just let them be.'
His voice dropped, carrying a venomous edge.
"Get off."
A tense, staggering silence followed.
The travelers froze, their already pale faces turning bone white.
"Uh...?"
The Shadow Drifter blinked, his mind refusing to process what he had just heard.
Surely, the Sage wasn't serious.
He wouldn't-
He couldn't possibly-
"All of you," Northern's voice cut through the stunned quiet, each word laced with ruthless finality.
"Get off my mount before I ask it to swallow you whole."
Immediately, their faces crumbled.
The old man, the pregnant woman, and the Drifters fell to their knees, pressing their faces to the ground. Desperation clung to them like a suffocating mist as they clutched at Northern's legs, their voices raw with pleading.
But Northern coldly shifted away.
He did it with measured grace, not careless force, stepping back just enough to evade their grasp. His gaze remained fixed on them, cold and unyielding, cruelty burning in the depth of his eyes.
"Please, don't do this to us!"
"We were foolish-please, forgive us. I beg you, sire, have mercy!"
"Young lad, don't abandon us...!"
"It was Tyr! He's hot-blooded and reckless. Please, just overlook his stupidity! We've been through so much... we-we don't even know what we're doing anymore!"
Words spilled from their lips like shattered glass, cutting against their pride, slicing through
the silence.
And yet -
Northern's expression remained impassive.
Cold.
Not a flicker of empathy crossed his face. Their cries, their desperation-all of it washed over him like an autumn breeze, inconsequential and fleeting.
But then, Roma stepped forward.
Her golden eyes held a flickering light, gentle, yet unwavering.
Northern's brows tensed slightly.
'Don't tell me...'
Roma hesitated.
She knew-of course, she knew-that Northern wasn't acting out of cruelty. He was angry. Disgusted. Not for himself, but for her.
Because of how they treated her.
And yet... his approach was wrong.
She took a breath and spoke, her voice soft yet firm.
"Forgiveness is an important part of our humanity."
Northern's gaze hardened.
"Don't be stupid."
His words struck like ice, sharp and cutting.
"Forgiveness? You would have fallen-possibly died-from how fragile your body is. And if no one was there to tend to you, they would have left you behind. I'm certain if the beast of burden hadn't stopped, they wouldn't have spared you a second glance. They would have kept moving forward and abandoned you without hesitation. And these... are the people you want
to forgive?"
Silence.
Roma's breath hitched slightly. His words stung.
And worse, she couldn't even deny them.
For the first time in a long while, she was left speechless.
Part of her wanted to rage-to scream at them, to give them exactly what they deserved.
But... what would that achieve?
Nothing.
At the end of the day, she would hate herself for it.
She didn't want to be like them. She refused to let the actions of others dictate who she was.
She would choose for herself.
That was, after all, what her mother had taught her-to be a vessel of love and kindness, not because the world deserved it, but because she chose it.
She wasn't doing this for them.
Not for favors.
Not for approval.
Not for righteousness.
She was doing this because it was who she was.
Because in the end, she wanted to live with her choices, not be shackled by circumstances or
the cruelty of others.
And so, she met Northern's gaze, her resolve burning brighter than ever.
"Yes, Rian."
Her voice carried no hesitation.
"I want to forgive them and continue this journey with them."
Northern scowled, irritation flickering across his face as he shook his head.
"You're being unreasonable." His voice was clipped, laced with cold disbelief. "Is this also
what you define as passion?"
Roma paused, blinking at him. Then-
She chuckled.
For a brief second, her face radiated with a quiet, resplendent air, as if she had glimpsed
something beyond his understanding.
"No, silly." Her voice was light, yet firm. "Passion isn't this. They're separate values-"
Her golden eyes flickered with something bright, resolute.
"But bring them together, and you'd have a being that is unbounded... and purposeful."
The disgust in Northern's eyes did not wane.
He shook his head, the weight of his confusion settling heavily on his features.
"I don't understand you. Or how you think."
And he didn't wait for her response.
Instead, he cast the travelers one last, cruel glance before turning away, making his way back
to the edge of the beast's massive neck.
As he settled onto a crate, the creature beneath them lurched forward once more, startint a
slow, unbothered march.
Behind him, the travelers groveled-their voices breaking in hurried gratitude, spilling
apologies at Roma's feet.
But she barely heard them.
Her eyes were fixed on Northern's back, the movement of his shoulders, the sharp edges of his
presence.
Her expression turned pensive.
She wasn't sure why... but she couldn't stop thinking.