East Road Quest

Chapter 1 - An Angel Who Lost His Wings



Chapter 1 An Angel Who Lost His Wings

A long, long time ago, a boy woke up from his sleep. He didn’t know how long he had been asleep. He didn’t care about that.

The boy was curious about something else.

“Who am I?”

The boy wandered around, asking everywhere.

People answered his question. Just a kid, a lost boy, a poor orphan…

Then there were people who started cursing at him. Fool, beggar, motherless brat, an idiot who doesn’t even know who he is!

The boy didn’t understand why they cursed at him. It was because he had never troubled anyone. He hadn’t hit them, he hadn’t stolen their food, and he hadn’t cursed at them first. On the other hand, he realized that those who hit people, stole food, and threatened others with knives were not cursed at, but rather respected.

The boy drew a conclusion.

“People curse those weaker than themselves! It’s not the strong who curse the weak, but the weak who curse those even weaker. Then I just need to show that I’m not weak.”

To show that he wasn’t weak, the boy started to punish those who cursed at him.

When he punished one person, that one brought two more. When he punished those two, they brought twenty. When he punished those twenty, two hundred appeared, and when he punished those two hundred, two thousand showed up.

The old man who led the two thousand was called the king by the people. The boy explained to the king.

“I just did it because I didn’t want to be cursed at.”

“Yes. People no longer mock you. Instead, they are afraid of you.”

The king made a request to the boy.

“So now, please leave my kingdom. If you want money, I will give you money. If you want land, I will give you an estate.”

The boy refused.

“I don’t need that. I just want to know who I am.”

“If you are that curious, why not seek out the sage who knows all the wisdom of the world?”

“Do you think that person will know who I am?”

“Of course, he would. But I don’t know where he is. I only know that he exists somewhere.”

“Thank you. Then I will leave this place.” As the boy left, the king sighed in relief and mocked him.

“How does he expect to find a sage whose name or residence he doesn’t know? This is the first time I’ve seen such a foolish boy in my life. Even if he searches for a hundred years, he probably won’t find him!”

The boy crossed seas and mountains, searched the snow-covered plains that hadn’t melted for ten thousand years, and even the insides of whale bellies.

A hundred years passed that way.

The boy found the sage.

The boy asked the sage, “Who am I?”

“That is a very difficult question.” Instead of answering, the sage gave the boy a book.

“But the wisdom of the world lies within books. I don’t know much myself, but if you read, you might find out who you are.”

The boy read all the books the sage had.

“I’ve read all the books, but I still can’t figure out who I am. I need to read more books.”

“But these are all the books I have.”

“Then tell me the place in this country with the most books.”

“Sorry, but I have the most books in this country.”

“Then where is the place with the most books in the world?”

“It’s very far away. If you ride a horse and run for half a year, you will come to a city called Roxandria. The library there has all the books in the world. But the journey there is long and arduous.”

“I don’t mind. As long as there are many books, it doesn’t matter if it takes a hundred years, not just half a year.”

The boy crossed mountains and valleys, rivers and seas for half a year to find Roxandria.

In the Roxandria library, there really was no book that was missing.

The boy read and read, and after decades of reading, he finished all the books in Roxandria. After closing the last book, the boy knew who he was.

“I am an angel.”

The philosophers of Roxandria did not believe him.

“You are not an angel.”

The philosophers used a hundred methods of proof to demonstrate that the boy was not an angel. Even though he had read all the books in Roxandria, the boy did not know how to refute the philosophers’ methods of proof.

“This is strange. I have obtained all the knowledge in the world, yet I cannot find a way to prove that I am an angel. But I feel like I am an angel. Is there another method of proof?”

One of the philosophers said,

“If you cannot trust our words, why not ask an angel directly? An angel would know whether or not you are an angel.”

“That’s a good idea. So where can I find an angel? I have read all the books in the world, but none mentioned where angels live.”

“If you are an angel, you should be able to find the place that is not written anywhere.”

“That makes sense. Then I will go and find an angel.”

The boy set out to find an angel. The philosophers laughed at him.

“He read so many books and eventually lost his mind. Poor child. Even if he searches for a hundred years, he will never find the land of angels.”

The boy wandered for another hundred years.

He crossed mountain ranges that blocked the sky, climbed above the clouds, and swam into the deep seas where fish with luminous eyes swam.

Eventually, the boy found the land of angels. But at the entrance to the land of angels, an angel stood guard, preventing the boy from entering.

The boy asked the angel,

“Am I an angel? I must be an angel, right?”

The angel answered as if proving the philosophers of Roxandria right.

“There is no such thing as an angel without wings. But you have no wings. Therefore, you are not an angel.”

The boy became angry.

“There must be angels without wings.”

“We call angels without wings fallen angels. And a fallen angel is a demon.”

“I’m not a demon. Because I haven’t done anything bad.”

“Angels are very strong. But you are very weak. Therefore, you are not an angel.”

“I am very strong. Probably stronger than you.”

The boy insisted stubbornly, and the angel laughed.

“Fine. Then let’s see how strong you are. Fight me.”

The boy fought the angel, but he couldn’t break through the angel’s spear and shield of fire. The angel mocked him.

“See? You can’t even defeat the weakest of angels. Therefore, you are not an angel.”

The boy was indignant.

“No. If I had a spear and shield of fire like yours, I could defeat you easily.”

“These are weapons given to me at birth. They are natural for an angel, but you don’t have such weapons, do you? Therefore, you are not an angel.”

The boy grew more determined.

“Then I will get such weapons and come back. You will fight me again.”

The boy left the land of angels, vowing revenge.

The boy sought the greatest blacksmith in the world to obtain weapons that could defeat the angel’s spear and shield of fire. However, the boy easily broke the blacksmith’s finest weapon with his fingers.

“Is there no weapon stronger than this?” the boy demanded. The blacksmith replied,

“The weapons I make are designed to kill humans. There is no human blacksmith who can create a weapon to kill an angel.”

“Then who can?”

“According to legend, a dwarf blacksmith can make a sword that can cut through anything. Why don’t you go to the land of the dwarves?”

“How can I get there?”

“They say there’s an elf who knows of an old man who might know the entrance to the depths of the earth.”

“Then I need to find the elf who knows this rumor.”

The boy believed the blacksmith’s words and left.

The blacksmith laughed.

“Believing such a lie so readily, he must be a fool. That child is definitely crazy. But seeing him break my sword like that, he’s a truly terrifying madman. I hope he never shows up here again.”

After wandering for ten years, the boy found the elf who knew the rumor.

The elf shared the rumor, allowing him to find the old man.

The old man told him about three entrances that might lead to the world of the dwarves.

The first cave was the home of a raccoon.

The second cave was the home of a bear.

The third cave was the entrance to the underground world.

The boy finally entered the land of the dwarves.

He sought out the best dwarf blacksmith and made his request.

“Make me a weapon to fight an angel.”

The dwarf blacksmith refused.

“No. Dwarves must not fight angels.”

“I’m not asking you to fight.”

“Even if you fight with a weapon I made, the angels will retaliate against us. The angels’ revenge is terrifying.”

“I am also terrifying!”

“You are not terrifying.”

“Fine. If you don’t make it, I will destroy this underground world. To prove it, I will break that stone pillar over there.” The boy shattered the stone pillar.

“Oh my gosh. This mysterious child is going to kill us all!”

Terrified, the blacksmith reported this to the dwarf king.

The dwarf king came and made a proposal to the boy.

“To make a weapon to fight an angel, we need the right materials. But we don’t have such materials.”

“If I bring the materials, will you make it?”

“Yes.”

“Where can I find it? Just tell me, and I’ll bring it.”

“In the center of the angel’s land, there is a large round stone called Umparuthon. Bring just one of those, and we can make your weapon.”

“Alright. I’ll bring it.”

The boy returned to the land of the angels. The dwarf king laughed.

“That foolish, pitiful boy. He doesn’t know how precious Umparuthon is to the angels. He’ll die trying to steal it from them, and our problem will be solved.”

The boy went back to the land of angels. Since he had been there before, it was easy to find again.

The boy sought out the same guard from before.

“I’ve come to take the stone called Umparuthon.”

The angel asked, “That stone is very precious to us. What do you intend to use it for?”

“I’m going to make a weapon. And with that weapon, I’ll fight you. Didn’t we promise that?”

“This stone is so hard and heavy that no blacksmith can melt it. You can’t make a weapon out of it.”

“Yes, I can.”

“No, you can’t.”

“Yes, I can.”

After arguing and fighting, the exhausted angel guard made a proposal.

“Then let’s do this. If you take this stone and manage to make a weapon, I’ll pretend I don’t know anything about it. But if you fail to make a weapon out of this stone, you’ll be punished by carrying this stone on your back for the rest of your life. Do you promise?”

“Agreed.”

The boy carried Umparuthon and left the land of angels.

The guard laughed.

“How foolish. The only ones who can make a weapon out of Umparuthon are the dwarves, and they never make weapons to fight angels. That poor boy is bound to receive a severe punishment now.”

The boy carried the stone to the land of the dwarves.

“Here, now make a weapon out of this.”

The dwarf king, who hadn’t expected the boy to actually bring Umparuthon, was startled. After some thought, he said,

“We have three master craftsmen, each capable of making the best weapon. They will each make a weapon, and you will have the chance to choose just one. But once you choose, that’s it.”

“That’s fine. One is enough.”

“Do you promise?”

“I promise!”

The king ordered the blacksmiths to make weapons out of Umparuthon.

The first dwarf craftsman made a returning hammer. No matter how far it was thrown, it would always hit its target and then return to its thrower, ensuring it was never lost. The craftsman only showed the hammer but did not let the boy touch it.

The second was a sword that could cut through anything. Be it a person, an animal, an angel, a demon, iron, water, or air. The craftsman only showed the blade and not the handle.

The last was an unbreakable staff. No matter how hard it struck or what it struck, it would never be damaged. It could even change size, making it easy to carry. However, this craftsman also only showed the staff but did not let the boy touch it.

The boy pondered. From the descriptions, any of the three weapons seemed capable of defeating the angel.

He wanted to try each one before choosing, but he couldn’t due to his promise.

In fact, the dwarf king had tricked him.

The returning hammer was designed to return with greater force, smashing even its owner’s head.

The sword that could cut anything was made with a blade extending to the handle, slicing off the user’s fingers the moment they gripped it.

The unbreakable staff was so heavy that no one could lift it.

The dwarf king was ready to watch the boy struggle with the staff, hoping he would be crushed under its weight. He laughed.

“Now that boy won’t get a weapon and will lose the bet, carrying Umparuthon for the rest of his life.”

Finally, the boy chose the unbreakable staff as his weapon.

The boy picked up the staff.

And he swung it with ease.

The dwarf king was astonished.

The boy left a humiliating remark for the dwarves and departed the underground world.

“Thank you. I’ll use it well.”

The boy returned to the land of angels.

And he fought the angel he had lost to before.

Not long after the fight began, the angel’s spear and shield shattered. The boy spoke triumphantly.

“Now, I’m an angel. So give me the position that angels hold.”

The defeated angel spoke dejectedly.

“The only ones who can give such positions are the four archangels and one angel chief.”

“Then I have to meet the angel chief.” The boy went to the angel chief and demanded.

“Give me the position of an angel.”

The angel chief pondered.

“If I refuse, you’ll want to fight me too, won’t you?”

“I will.”

“If you fight me with that weapon, this place will be destroyed.”

“That’s right. I don’t care.”

“I care. Because I’m the angel chief. If such a thing happens while the four archangels are away, I would be embarrassed.”

“What if you’re embarrassed?”

“An angel must not be embarrassed. Because they’re angels.”

“Angels must not be embarrassed. I shouldn’t be embarrassed either! So what will you do for me?”

After contemplating, the angel chief spoke.

“Let’s do this. In our heavenly garden, there is a grapevine that blooms only once every hundred years. If even one grape is stolen, it would be a disaster. There’s a vacant position for the captain of the heavenly garden guards. Can you take that position?”

“Fine. If I’m guarding it, no one would dare think of stealing the grapes!”

The boy was happy while guarding the grapevine. However, even after guarding for over ten years, there wasn’t a single thief, and not even a single bug that nibbled on the grapes could be seen.

“This is strange? I thought this would be a very difficult task.”

One day, the boy overheard a conversation between two angels.

“Is that kid still guarding the vineyard?”

“Yes, seeing him proudly calling himself the captain while guarding a vineyard that hasn’t been touched by thieves for ten thousand years, it’s pitiful.”

The boy was furious.

“You tricked me! I’ve been humiliated. Angels aren’t supposed to be humiliated!”

The boy immediately ran to the vineyard and ate all the grapes that were just ripe enough to harvest. Still not satisfied, he drank all the heavenly wine made from those grapes that had been aged for a thousand years. Drunk, the boy barged into the angels’ party, slurring his words.

“You all tricked me. I thought at least angels wouldn’t deceive me! I came here for nothing. I don’t need to be like an angel anymore.”

The boy smashed the party with an unbreakable staff and left the land of angels.

To punish the boy who ruined the heavenly garden’s grapes and disrupted the party, the angels were mobilized. However, the boy, who had traveled every corner of the human world, could hide from the angels’ grasp.

“If he’s hiding in that mountain, then burning the mountain should suffice.”

The fire angel stepped forward and burned the mountain, only to destroy an innocent mountain village.

“If he’s hiding on that coast, then drowning it should suffice.”

The water angel stepped forward and caused a tsunami, only to submerge a poor coastal village.

Even when caught occasionally, the boy fought off the angels with his unbreakable staff and escaped again.

The boy laughed mockingly.

“Ha ha, foolish angels. Living in the sky all the time, you know nothing about the earth? I’ll never be caught by you. Enjoy your embarrassment.”

The angel chief, after contemplating, went to a reclusive angel living in the human world to discuss the matter. He wanted to ask about finding the boy hiding in the human world. However, the recluse instead scolded the angel chief.

“You deceived a child, angel chief.”

“Alright. It was my mistake. I admit it. But we can’t just leave it as it is. What should we do now?”

“Coincidentally, there is someone who has consulted me about a similar issue. The king of the dwarves. He complained about the underground world being mocked and their weapons stolen. In short, he wanted revenge. If you cooperate, we can solve this together.”

“What should I help with?”

“I understand you have more Umparuton. Give me one. And withdraw the angel army. Leave the rest to me.”

Though anxious, the angel chief handed over another Umparuton and withdrew the army.

The recluse took the Umparuton and went to the dwarf king.

“I’ll give you another Umparuton. With this, create an unbreakable chain and shackles that can bind a person’s limbs.”

The dwarves made them as the recluse requested.

The recluse took the unbreakable Umparuton chain and shackles, transformed into a dwarf, and summoned the troublesome boy to the Red Desert. The boy feared only the angel chief, so he appeared without suspicion when called by a small dwarf.

“I heard you had a drinking contest with the dwarf drunkard Everick and won. So I came to have a contest with you too.”

The recluse proposed.

The boy, who loved contests, quickly agreed.

“What kind of contest? Just tell me.”

“Let’s see who can cross this Red Desert faster. If you win, I’ll give you armor made by our dwarves.”

“I’m tough without armor.”

“But this armor is made of the same Umparuton as your staff.”

“Really? With that, I could defeat the angels I’ve never beaten before.”

“But if you lose, you must wear these shackles on your wrists and ankles. That’s the condition of the contest.”

The boy sneered inwardly.

“You must have some trick up your sleeve. But that Umparuton armor is too tempting. If it looks like I’ll lose, I can just run away!”

The race began, and they started running simultaneously. As soon as they started, the short-legged dwarf sped past the boy. He was so fast that when the boy was only halfway through the Red Desert, the dwarf had already crossed it.

The boy, flustered, said.

“This race is strange. Let’s have another contest.”

“Fine. But you must wear the shackles as promised before we have another contest.”

Reluctantly, the boy wore the shackles on his wrists and ankles.

“You suggested the first contest, so I’ll decide the next one.”

The boy insisted.

The recluse agreed.

“Go ahead.”

“Let’s have an eating contest.”

“Fine. But if you lose this time, you must attach this iron chain to the shackles you’re wearing.”

“And if I win, the armor is mine.”

“Of course.”

The boy sneered inwardly.

“There’s no way I can lose to this little guy with a tiny stomach.”

An enormous amount of food, enough for a hundred people, was prepared on a huge table. The dwarf and the boy signaled each other and began eating from opposite ends.

As soon as they started, the boy devoured bread, meat, and fruit at a frightening speed. However, the dwarf ate not only the food but also the table and plates.

The boy’s eating slowed as he became full, but the dwarf’s speed only increased.

The boy had no choice but to admit defeat.

“Let’s do it one more time. Contests and bets are always supposed to be three rounds.”

“That’s true. I agree. But you have to wear this chain first, as promised.”

As soon as the boy was chained to the shackles, he proposed a contest.

“The final contest will be a fight with me. If I win, you not only remove all these chains and shackles but also give me the armor.”

“That would put me at a disadvantage. Dwarves aren’t strong enough to fight angels. Instead, wear this shackle on your neck. It’s very heavy, so it will make things a bit fairer.”

It looked more like a necklace than a shackle, so it didn’t appear threatening to the boy at all.

“That’s nothing to me. But if I win, I will kill you. That’s natural in a fight.”

The dwarf retorted.

“If you lose, I’ll punish you by keeping you bound to this chain forever.”

“If you can, go ahead and try.”

The boy lifted his unbreakable staff and attacked the dwarf. The dwarf, in turn, pulled out a staff that looked exactly the same and fought back.

No matter how much the two staffs clashed, they didn’t break.

“Oh my, you had the same weapon as me. And you’re as strong as I am. How is this possible?”

They fought day and night for three days without a victor.

When the boy sat down to rest, the dwarf also sat down. When the boy barely managed to get up, the dwarf quickly rose too. The boy eventually couldn’t muster the will to continue fighting and gave up.

“I lost.”

“As promised, you’ll be bound to this iron chain forever.”

“I don’t want that.”

The boy tried to run away. However, exhausted and already chained, he was quickly caught by the dwarf.

“Why did I lose to you?” the boy asked in a resentful voice. The dwarf dragged the boy to an underground cave in the desert and explained.

“The first race you had was actually against my thoughts. No matter how fast you are, you can’t be faster than my thoughts. The second eating contest, it was not me who ate the food but fire. No matter how quickly and much you eat, you can’t eat faster and more than fire. And the final fight was against yourself. No matter how strong you are, you can’t defeat yourself.”

“This is a scam! It’s a lie!”

The boy shouted and struggled to break free from the chains. But the chains made from Umparuton didn’t budge.

Ignoring the boy’s protests, the dwarf explained.

“You might not have won the first two contests, but you could have won the third. I’ll keep you here until you figure out how to defeat yourself…”

The boy cried.

“You tricked me too. Everyone deceives me.”

“Yes, everyone deceived you. Because you are too strong.”

“That’s not my fault.”

“That’s right. You didn’t do anything wrong. But things were going wrong. I couldn’t just leave you like that.”

The dwarf transformed into an angel and vanished.

The boy fell asleep, waiting for the day he would be freed from the chains…

For the first hundred years, the boy thought he would repay anyone who rescued him with gratitude.

For the next hundred years, he decided he would apologize to the angels and dwarves once he got out.

In the following hundred years, he vowed to serve as a lifelong servant to anyone who freed him.

But no one came to rescue him. The boy grew increasingly angry.

So, for the next hundred years, he changed his mind. He decided to take revenge on the angels and dwarves once he got out.

For the following hundred years, he resolved to kill the first person who freed him and then destroy the world.

After five hundred years, a man finally freed the boy.

The boy decided to kill him as he had planned.

He knew that spilling the man’s blood would corrupt him, but he didn’t care.

 


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