Chapter 2
Ji-woo let out a short, surprised gasp. But surprisingly, she didn’t feel intense pain. Compared to the deep laceration the knife left, the pain was a dull prick, like being stuck with a needle. Drops of blood fell but soon stopped. Not even a scar remained.
“This is the most certain proof that you, Akarna, have received the god’s blessing. And…”
This time, the priest cut his own hand with the knife. Before Ji-woo could say anything, he pulled her hand and let a drop of her blood, still beaded on her palm, fall onto his wound.
The blood droplet seeped into the wound, and just as Ji-woo’s wound had healed, his wound also closed.
“This is proof that you, Akarna, have descended to convey the god’s will to the earth.”
The old priest gave a kind smile to Ji-woo, who was staring with her mouth open in surprise.
“Shall I show you more?”
“…”
“You can say ‘yes’ or ‘no.'”
“…No.”
It was a proposal that, despite seeming kind at first glance, didn’t even consider the option of not accepting this situation.
From that day on, Seo Ji-woo lived in the temple of this strange world. Before she could even adapt to the environment, she had to accept her position here.
Akarna was a term denoting a fairly high position within the temple. Without even time to explain her own name, Seo Ji-woo was treated as Akarna and called Akarna. She became so focused on adapting that she nearly forgot her own name.
The language was a truly big problem. Only being able to understand the unfamiliar language didn’t allow for smooth communication. It was fortunate she could at least pick up on what was being said, but whenever she tried to speak, it came out clumsy. Because she couldn’t speak properly, the attending servants and priests grew frustrated, and she couldn’t shake the feeling that they sometimes ignored her.
In the midst of all this, she had to perform the duties of Akarna. The duty to care for the sick and purify the polluted land. It was said that the person called Akarna here had to do such things. She had to give her blood to the injured or sick, and help them purify the land being eroded by mana.
She couldn’t possibly be happy with such duties suddenly thrust upon her. She wasn’t some Akarna. Even less so a guardian of a god. If a real god existed and had entrusted her with some duty, wouldn’t it have given some explanation first?
But the temple didn’t care at all about her opinions. Stripped of the freedom a modern person enjoyed, she had to go when told to go, and come when told to come.
Moreover, while the temple needed Akarna, they didn’t actually care about Seo Ji-woo’s well-being. They believed that if Ji-woo died, the Akarna residing in that body would simply find another body.
If Ji-woo was negligent in her duties as Akarna, they would kill her without hesitation, considering that Akarna had chosen the wrong body. The venerable elders of the temple said it in refined tones, but that was the gist of it.
Even if she left the temple and tried to run away, this world was too unfamiliar to Seo Ji-woo. This was a world with a strict class system, and as a foreigner unfamiliar with the language and culture, if she left here alone, she would only be reduced to a slave. The only way for the completely unconnected Ji-woo to live while being somewhat treated with respect was to stay at the temple.
In the end, Ji-woo only grew more depressed day by day. When she finally had time alone, Ji-woo would often squat in the shadow of the temple building and blankly stare into space, passing the time.
Even though everything was unfamiliar, the sky was the same as the one she had seen from Earth. So when she looked at it like this, she could forget reality, even if just a little.
“Why are you crying in a place like this?”
That was when she first met him.
Without getting up from her spot, Ji-woo turned her gaze from the sky toward the direction of the voice.
He was a stranger accompanied by two or three knights. A face she hadn’t seen in over a year of living at the temple.
Standing with his back to the sun, he seemed to radiate light, so she couldn’t look directly at him at first. He was beautiful.
Despite the light behind him, his striking black hair was vivid. Beneath a cool forehead and thick brow bones, his brightly shining red eyes gave a reliable impression, like the sun. His high nose bridge and strong jawline even made him look elegant.
Ji-woo wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand. She thought the man had said something strange, but indeed, tears were stained on her hand.
The man, staring intently at Ji-woo, held out a handkerchief. Since she couldn’t just ignore the gesture, Ji-woo expressed her gratitude, even with a short phrase.
“…Thank you.”
“Hmm?”
The man didn’t seem displeased. Just puzzled.
Ji-woo, who still didn’t know how to use formal, respectful language, broke out in a cold sweat. The man didn’t press her, but the knights behind him looked even more surprised. A strange, fidgety standoff continued.
The one who resolved this situation was a temple attendant looking for Akarna.
“Ah, Akarna! There you are!”
The attendant, who had scurried over to Ji-woo as she floundered before the man, noticed the situation and, trembling with fear, still stepped in front of Akarna to offer an excuse.
“Your Highness, the Crown Prince of the Empire. A-Akarna does not yet know the language of the lower realms well.”
“Akarna? This person?”
The Crown Prince, looking down at Ji-woo, shortly after gave a picturesque smile.
“‘Does not yet know well’ means she is learning, correct?”
“Yes. Yes, Your Highness.”
“Then, Akarna, would you like to learn words and letters from me?”
Ji-woo and the attendant were both surprised. To the wary Ji-woo, the Crown Prince didn’t stop smiling and extended his hand.
“I came to meet Akarna for this very audience anyway, so it seems I have come at the right time. The Empire is greatly indebted to Akarna. I also wish to be of help to Akarna through this opportunity. As it happens, I will be staying in the capital for a while, so you can keep me company during that time.”
More than anything, Ji-woo desperately needed a way to communicate. The temple only offered the binary choice of ‘yes’ or ‘no’, and even when she rarely managed to voice a different opinion, it was usually refused on the grounds that she must be an exemplary Akarna for the temple.
Whether inside the temple or when dispatched to other regions, Ji-woo had only ever seen people treat Akarna with difficulty or burdensome reverence. Her lack of progress in learning anything was entirely due to people’s attitude towards her.
He was the first person to approach Akarna like this. Ji-woo, starved for human connection, took the Crown Prince’s hand.
His name was Aleph.
Aleph Kavauud, Crown Prince of the Empire.
The largest and most powerful nation in this world. He was the Crown Prince of the Kavauud Empire and a hero who had led the nation to victory in wars against other countries. He seemed to be of a similar age to her, yet he had traversed battlefields and even led them to victory. She felt curiosity and admiration towards him.
He proved to be a good teacher for Akarna. Since she had no problem understanding speech, once she set her mind to learning to speak and write, the acquisition was as easy as flowing water.
“Akarna learns quickly. Have you ever studied systematically?”
Rather, it was the Crown Prince, who had offered to teach, who found Ji-woo’s rapid learning fascinating.
“I went to school since I was little.”
“Since you were little. Having the opportunity to learn at a young age is not easy, even in the Empire… It seems you experienced it for a long time?”
The Crown Prince suddenly took her hand. Ji-woo’s heart nearly dropped, but he was merely checking the deep marks left by a pen on her hand.
Ji-woo tried to calm her pounding heart and said.
“Yes. Um… about sixteen years?”
“You look young.”
While the Empire developed faster and advanced in every way compared to others, public education was not as developed as in modern-day Korea. What era or country on Earth could she compare this place to? Considering the people’s appearances and way of life, Western Europe might be accurate.
In the end, Ji-woo chose her words carefully, but could only give an old-fashioned answer.
“It was common in my hometown.”
“Regardless, I enjoy teaching you, so it’s good.”
The Crown Prince was someone who had not only lived a life in the palace but had also traversed battlefields, mingling with various people. So Ji-woo was able to learn not just one way of speaking, but several languages and accents through him.
But that wasn’t the important part. The Crown Prince, who appeared when Ji-woo was being dragged here and there, not only helped clear her overwhelming schedule but even secured sweet rest time for Akarna.
In fact, Ji-woo, accustomed to Korea’s overtime work culture, had been living without even realizing how tough it was. No, actually, even if she had realized, it wouldn’t have mattered.
The temple did not actively try to solve Akarna’s communication difficulties. So, although it might have been a small thing for the Crown Prince, Ji-woo felt immense gratitude towards him.
Then, one day during a lesson, he said.
“We can’t just have frustrating studies all the time. Would you like to go out with me?”
