Chapter 161
Chapter 161
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: Old Story, New Knights and Moonlight Pomegranate Stone (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
That flute sound.
We looked at each other.
We weren't surprised or flustered. We'd already heard from the villagers about how to deal with this phenomenon. What to do to avoid being enchanted by the flute sound.
Sing a song.
I said gravely.
"Who's going first?"
"Anything's fine, right?"
Kyle gazed toward the end of the gorge where the sound was coming from.
Nothing was visible at the end of the gorge, where darkness was beginning to settle. Just as the rumors said.
No one had ever found the source of the sound.
We just needed to get out of here.
'I don't know many songs,' Ray muttered beside me, and Kyle began to sing.
It was a low, powerful voice.
"Under the red flag, the enemy's heads laid low. Blood on our sleeves and scorched grass fields. Hey, hey. Advance, warriors. All the blood-soaked land is ours…."
"Wait!"
Was this guy insane?
I shouted urgently beside Ray, whose eyes were wide open.
Kyle, who had been singing calmly, turned to me with a puzzled look.
His yellow eyes blinked.
"Why?"
"Why?"
This guy really had no idea what was wrong.
"What the hell kind of lyrics are those?"
"It's a song our tribe used to sing when marching to battle."
"Don't sing something so brutal!"
Wouldn't you get executed for singing that in the Empire?
I blocked Kyle's mouth, who was saying 'Any song's fine. This is the only one I know,' unable to hide my astonishment.
With my palm over Kyle's mouth, I turned to Ray.
"Ray, you'd better sing."
"…Surprisingly, yeah."
"Sing anything."
Ignoring Kyle, who was raising his eyebrows, I urged him on.
He must know some song from the count's family.
Ray, looking reluctant and staring ahead, hesitantly opened his mouth.
Unlike before, a soft, emotional song flowed out.
"When the whole continent sleeps quietly, when the sheep and mice all slumber—, only the wind brushing the grass leaves breaks the silence…."
"It's a lullaby?"
Kyle muttered as he pushed my hand away.
A lullaby was way better than that savage war chant.
As I opened my mouth to reply, Ray flushed red and snapped.
"I only know this one!"
"No, I didn't say anything."
"Hilde, you sing!"
Kyle held out his palm in explanation, but Ray wasn't listening.
I blinked and pointed to my chest with a finger.
Ray grumbled, his cheeks still flushed.
"You've got to sing something too!"
Why was he getting mad?
It wasn't like I was trying to weasel out.
Ray and Kyle looked at me reluctantly. But thankfully, Kyle stayed quiet, and I quickly nodded.
I only knew one type of song anyway.
I knew plenty of tunes, but they were all hymns. I'd learned every song from the priests, so that was natural.
There was one priestess who was dead serious about teaching me hymns….
I smirked thinking of her, then began to sing.
Since the two men didn't stop me, I kept singing until we were out of the gorge.
"What was that."
The flute sound cut off, and I stopped singing. Ray's voice came right away.
In the settling darkness, he was staring with wide eyes.
"Why are you so good?"
"Am I? Thanks. I sang it every seventh day."
"It's holy."
Kyle joined in with a voice laced with amusement.
"The archbishop would've made you a priest if he'd heard it."
Not quite.
I got nitpicked by her every time. She was serious about hymns and always found fault with mine. Make your voice rounder, don't use your throat, endless nagging.
I only heard praise once.
When the temple was burning.
Even that probably wasn't entirely sincere. She must've sensed it was the end and just said something nice.
"Man, I'm hungry."
I muttered, pushing away the surging nostalgia and sorrow with hunger pangs.
"We came out of the rock crevice, so let's find something quick to eat."
"Good idea."
Kyle grinned, his beastly eyes crinkling.
'Oh god, we're finally out of Redhorn,' Ray muttered.
Matching their strides, I walked into the thorny forest ahead.
***
"Isn't that it?"
The ghost forest, so dense that sunlight stopped filtering in at some point.
We spotted a gray cliff in the middle of that forest.
Atop the cliff grew a massive pomegranate stone.
"We just pick that?"
"Easier than I thought."
Beside Ray pointing at the pomegranate stone, I muttered to myself.
"Is this really the end?"
Weren't there tons of victims or whatever?
Of course, the journey here wasn't a cakewalk. But if I asked if it was that hard, no, it wasn't. Any decent adventurer could make it.
No need to send three knights.
So why….
As I wondered, Kyle rummaged through his bundle beside me.
"They say poison gas comes out if you climb up there."
He straightened up and handed me a weird cloth.
"Wear this and go up."
"Me?"
I pointed at my face with my index finger.
Kyle nodded, offering a checkered handkerchief and lumpy clothes like animal intestines.
Naturally?
"Since when was I assigned the climbing role?"
"I'm no good at rock climbing."
Kyle's response was brazen.
"You know. I'm from the plains. If there's trouble, I'll back you up right away, so don't worry too much."
"And Ray."
"I'm not as good as you either."
Ray's quick reply revealed his true feelings.
He'd die before wearing that checkered handkerchief and animal gut clothes.
"Especially not confident climbing that high cliff in unfamiliar clothes…. Hurry up and go. The poison gas isn't that lethal."
"Who picked the checkered one anyway."
"Kisis."
"That bastard."
"Hilde. It'll look good on you no matter what."
Kyle answered calmly. Beside me cursing, Ray smiled fakely.
"You're handsome."
Beautiful friendship.
Grumbling, I draped the baggy white clothes over myself and covered my nose and mouth with the checkered handkerchief.
No idea how this was supposed to block poison gas.
But it sure looked ridiculous. Kyle laughed freely at my prepared look.
"Funny?"
The black lion of a man couldn't even lift his head, doubled over against a tree.
At least Ray was decent. He was at least trying to hold back his laughter.
Though his flushed red face grated on me.
"You two are on meal duty for a while."
Grumbling, I climbed the cliff.
I felt the unique texture of the cliff. Strangely soft rock. Maybe saturated with moisture, making it squishy? Poison gas comes out up top—related to this odd feel?
Pondering, I climbed diligently.
The knights' gazes stuck to my back.
Kyle whistled sharply.
"Looking good!"
I suppressed the surging violent urge.
"Loosen up! Almost there!"
Ray's voice didn't comfort me either.
I'd pay them back for this humiliation when I got down. The cliff was tall but not hard to climb. I finished sullenly.
Even the top was strangely soft. Stepping on the squishy surface, I approached the massive pomegranate stone.
A gem as big as my lower body.
Just cut it off?
I examined the red pomegranate stone, then drew my sword.
At that moment, a long scar on the flat surface right by the stone caught my eye. A deep, long gash in the ground.
Is the poison gas from here?
I poked the long curve with my sword tip.
Nothing happened.
The curve too perfect, I poked a few more times. No change.
Probably a mark from some beast or monster dragging its foot.
I turned away and sliced the pomegranate stone with my sword.
Red smoke rose.
"You okay?"
Kyle and Ray shouted from below.
To show it was nothing, I waved my left arm. Poison gas, but not serious as Ray said. Eyes stung a bit, but no real harm.
Not continuous either—wait, and it'd blow away in the wind.
Once gone, I'd go down.
Holding the pomegranate stone, I waited for the smoke to disperse.
While taking off the pointless white clothes.
Didn't have to wait long.
"Good job!"
Kyle's shout.
"Ditch the handkerchief and come down!"
Grinning at Ray's words, I tossed the handkerchief.
Preparing to descend with the massive pomegranate stone.
At the same time, the scar by the stone's root deepened.
"Huh?"
I blinked at the widening scar.
"…Huh?"
Why was the scar growing?
Why wasn't smooth ground appearing under the scar? And why keep growing?
Why was the ground unnaturally white? Not dirt or rock—like covered in membrane?
As if this soft ground had been blanketed by that membrane.
Like an eyelid covering the eyeball…?
Oh.
Big trouble.
The moment I realized, I jumped down to the cliff base.
"Big trouble."
I said, running to the men giving me odd looks.
"This isn't a cliff."
"What?"
"What'd you say?"
"Run."
I declared, weaving between Kyle furrowing his brows and Ray blinking.
We had to run.
Eyes that big—what the hell.
"I poked the eye."
"What eye?"
"The cliff's eye."
"Huh?"
How big was the main body?
"The cliff has an eye?"
"You poked the eye?"
"Damn, it's awake!"
A heavy presence stirred.
Without stopping my sprint, I shouted.
"That's not a cliff!"
Desperately.
"It's alive!"
Rooooaaar!
A roar shook the forest.
I ran without looking back. Kyle and Ray gasped in shock behind me. But as skilled as they were, they didn't freeze.
The two quickly caught up.
Ray ran on my left, yelling.
"What the hell is that thing!"
That's what I wanted to know.
"What is it!"
"One hit and we're dead, right?"
Kyle glanced back at the rock-like heaving creature.
He ran on my right.
His black hair whipped wildly back.
"What did you do to wake it up?"
I poked the eye….
No time to say I never thought it was an eye. No time to speak. We tore through the dense forest like mad. Didn't know what it was, but instinct said put distance first.
Instinct from countless battles.
Clutching the quartz stone till it might shatter, I cursed inwardly.
Kisis, you son of a bitch!
"Uwaaak!"
Boom!
One step.
Whatever limb—arm, leg, whatever—hit the ground, creating a massive crater.
The shockwave from behind nearly sent us tumbling forward.
Thankfully, all three recovered and kept running.
Dense greenery flashing by fast.
Grass, tree, grass, tree. Giant tree! Nearly crashed into giant trunks multiple times.
To Ray and Kyle clearing trees ahead, I yelled.
"Out of the forest first!"
More freedom to move.
"If it follows that far, we counterattack together!"
"Sounds good! Please!"
"Not too fast, thank god."
Ray agreed, Kyle glanced back and muttered.
"Don't wanna get smashed by that."
Same here.
I didn't want to die at all. Especially not this stupidly. So Kyle, Ray, and I raced across the forest like maniacs, bursting out with decent distance from the giant creature.
Trees vanished, opening to barren wasteland.
A small village and oasis at the wasteland's end.
"Can't lead it to the village!"
Kyle yelled urgently.
"Lure it to the oasis!"
"Wise call."
I bolted toward the oasis.
Quartz stone tucked firmly at my side, never looking back, steadily running as I shouted.
"It probably won't follow that far!"
Wrong.
It followed us to the oasis.
Slow but stupidly huge, closing in with massive strides per step.
Rock-like creature….
"Listen."
Seeing it approach us standing side by side swords drawn, I muttered low.
"Let's do this."