Nymphs and Greco-Roman Mythology # 4
The giant squirrel went bouncing and hopping its way through the valley and the woods.
It descended sheer cliffs as easily as if sprinting across a meadow, squeezed its way through narrow gaps in the caves, and led us somewhere—somewhere, we knew not where. I say "led," because that was precisely what it looked like it was doing. Whenever our footsteps slowed, the ancient-rank giant squirrel would stop a short distance ahead, turn around to look back at us, and bark —Keongkeong!— as if urging us to hurry up.
Just where in the world was it taking us?
The place we arrived at was the very heart of a forest. A soft shaahh—the breeze stirred the branches and leaves, and sunlight filtered through them in fragments like pieces of a beautiful mosaic. It was the sort of spot where you'd want to spread out a picnic mat and eat sandwiches, and the nymphs absolutely loved it.
"This is a forest that is extremely nymph-friendly, I declare…! It has been a long time since this Oinoi last beheld a forest with its natural environment so wonderfully preserved…!"
"This is the kind of forest where nymph sisters seem like they would leap and play, I say…!"
"Mmhmm, this Illinoi agrees, I do…! It is entirely possible that nymph sisters exist here…! This Illinoi shall go on a looking around here and there, I do…!"
━Keongkeong…!
Just then, the giant squirrel—which had vanished somewhere—came leaping down toward us with a soft pat. Clutched in its mouth was some curious grass, and a truly distinctive fragrance wafted off it, sharp and minty-crisp.
When Oinoi saw it, she pressed her hands to her cheeks and beamed with delight.
"Ahh…! That is the herb known as Fairy Menthe, I declare…! It is a trace of Menthenoi, who was this Oinoi's friend…! It has been such a very long time since this Oinoi last discovered it…!"
Fairy Menthe.
It was an exceedingly rare herb, she said—one with a deep connection to Oinoi herself. Soon Illinoi stroked her chin as though she knew something about it too.
"Do you speak of Menthenoi, who was trampled by Persephone and became a flower…? When it comes to the story of Menthenoi, this Illinoi has listened to it once or twice, I do…!"
It was exactly as Illinoi said.
Oinoi once had a friend named Menthenoi, and that friend had grown into an adult nymph and fallen in love with Hades, the god of the underworld. But Persephone, goddess of the verdant groves and Hades's wife, would not tolerate it—and trampled Menthenoi mercilessly. And the more she was trampled, the sweeter and stronger a fragrance she released, until Menthenoi became a flower that poured out scent. That, apparently, was how Oinoi came to love mint-scented spices—anything that reminded her of her friend.
"She herself was running around with Adonis, and yet she trampled Menthenoi and called it punishment—what a very disgusting goddess, I say…! Menthenoi should have called a lawyer over such a nymph-phobic treatment, she should have…!"
Illinoi raged and raged.
They say nymphs love the gods, but apparently that wasn't always quite the case.
Shhk—
Oinoi gathered an armful of Fairy Menthe from the giant squirrel.
"When this Oinoi smells this crisp scent, it brings back memories of Menthenoi, who was this Oinoi's friend…! Menthenoi was a shy and gentle nymph, she was…!"
"I have heard that when nymphs die, they often become flowers, I say…! This Coris may one day become the Ice Flower Coris herself, I say…!"
So when nymphs die, they become flowers or grass.
I felt an odd, quiet solemnity settle over me.
"That might happen in about five thousand years, I say…!"
Well then, that meant she'd outlive me by at least fifty times over.
Nymphs were far longer-lived than I'd imagined.
━Keongkeong…!
Just then the giant squirrel let out a great cry. Then it bounced and hopped in circles around Keongkeongi, wearing an expression absolutely brimming with expectation.
Soon Oinoi added an explanation.
"It is said that when dog-squirrels eat this Fairy Menthe, they can evolve into a dogmint squirrel, I declare…! A dogmint squirrel is a dog-squirrel that releases a truly wonderful fragrance, I declare…!"
What a strange sort of evolution that was. One thing was certain, though: ever since the giant squirrel had lost to Keongkeongi, it had been offering up this rare Fairy Menthe to us as proof of its defeat and token of its submission.
Achilles, who had been watching all of this unfold, finally relaxed the hand that had been resting on the scabbard at his hip the entire time we'd been traveling with the giant squirrel, and let it fall loose to his side.
"By rights, this great dog-squirrel is an ancient-rank beast, but it hardly seems dangerous at all. From what I hear it's still a young one, so it would be best to let it go on living in this forest awhile longer. However…."
There were plenty of roots all across the forest that the giant squirrel had gnawed on. That would be nothing but a nuisance to the people of Zagori Village, who made their living in forestry. It was then that a good idea came to me.
"My, my—look at it eat!"
"I've never seen a squirrel this big in my life! What is a squirrel doing the size of a rhinoceros?!"
The people of Zagori Village, like countryside folk of medieval Europe, were overwhelmingly simple and honest—mostly aunties, uncles, and the elderly. Apparently most of the young people had long since left for the big cities, leaving only the old ones behind. Those aunties, uncles, and grannies all gazed with deep contentment at the great dog-squirrel as it eagerly stuffed its face with almond seeds from a bucket.
"If you give it almonds, peanuts, and fruit, it will stop chewing on your trees."
Dog-squirrels turned out to be pickier eaters than one would expect. Keongkeongi was living proof of that—according to Oinoi, dog-squirrels in their natural state are powerful creatures that eat insects and hunt snakes whole—but when I offered Keongkeongi a mealworm, it simply growled —Grrr…!— as though thoroughly offended. It had grown so accustomed to the peanuts, almonds, and fruits like strawberries I regularly gave it that it wouldn't even glance at anything short of twenty-first-century premium nuts.
The giant squirrel was surely the same.
Chomp chomp, chomp-chomp-chomp.
Beside it, Keongkeongi was eating strawberries too. Watching a dog-squirrel eat a strawberry is a genuinely delightful pastime—I used to search MeTube for videos of it whenever I was bored, and I'd even recommended them to people.
"It is finished, I declare…! The iced mint tea that this Oinoi made with the help of Coris and Illinoi has just been completed…!"
Just then, Oinoi appeared with the other nymphs. In their hands was a large pitcher of tea with ice cubes floating in it, releasing an extremely distinctive fragrance. We all shared the tea together with the people of Zagori Village. The sweet-bittersweet flavor was quite memorable.
"A tea that does the body good. In my own case, I believe my mana can grow no further, but it should make an excellent tea for an awakener whose power is still sprouting like a seed in the soil."
Achilles seemed more interested in the tea's properties than its taste. And true to the keen judgment of the Rank 5 S-Ranker, I could feel the mana inside me—the same mana that had raged like a blast furnace ever since I'd reached A-rank—quietly settling into calm.
"I should drink this before meditation."
━Keongkeong…!
The most enthusiastic reaction of all came from Keongkeongi. It opened its mouth wide —aaah— and stuffed every fruit lying nearby—strawberries, apples, grapes—into it wholesale. For a moment its cheeks bulged… and then, just as quickly, they went completely flat again.
"Ahh…! That is the mysterious cheek pouch that dog-squirrels are sometimes said to possess, I declare…! It is also known as the Squirrel Storage, I declare…!"
Squirrel Storage.
It was a storage magic, she said—one that let the bearer stow all sorts of things away with ease, like an in-game inventory.
Come to think of it, Seo Yerim had her own pocket-dimension inventory too, didn't she? Though she didn't seem to use it much.
Which meant—what, that Keongkeongi had just acquired magic, or some superpower?
"Keongkeongi, you've reached yet another plane of existence, haven't you."
━Keongkeong…!
With the fearsome ancient-rank giant squirrel subdued, the threat to Zagori Village was gone. The giant squirrel had apparently let down its guard as well, obeying the villagers docilely—and they gave it a name: Artemis. Something about its grand, graceful figure reminded them of the goddess of the moon.
"This quiet village is going to be bustling soon."
"Tourists will be coming in droves, you'll see!"
The people adored the big dog-squirrel. It was a soft, fluffy, adorable animal—so perhaps it was only natural.
"Then let us, all us nymph sisters, sing a song of joy, I declare…!"
"A fine idea, I say…!"
"Let's do it, I do…!"
Ditch-ditch ditch water—
As a campfire blazed in the village square, the nymphs sang their song. The elders who heard it closed their eyes from time to time, as if drifting back into old memories.
"There are many stories about nymphs here in our Zagori, you know. Maybe that's because this place is full of mountains and forests, valleys and cliffs…. I always just took them for the old folk's tales, I did."
"So nymphs really do exist in this world. The stories my mother told me long ago were true after all. Heeyah—to think I'd live long enough to see real nymphs with my own eyes."
"Legend and myth were true all along! I say, young man from Korea! You who have come with the nymphs—we have something to give you!"
Bald old Thomas—the man you couldn't quite decide to call a village mayor or a hamlet chief—fetched an ancient comb from his home. It was a finely toothed wooden comb.
"My distant ancestor was a woodcarver. They say he made this comb as a gift for a nymph named Zagoriol, but he never managed to deliver it. I would have you give it to those nymphs in his stead."
"Zagoriol was this Coris's friend, I say…!"
The nymphs took the comb with a delighted —Waaah— and gathered around it. Watching them, village chief Thomas wore a warm smile for a moment—but then his face clouded over, as though something was nagging at him.
Soon Achilles asked, "Grandfather Thomas, is something troubling you?"
"Well, it's like this…. If the nymphs truly exist, then the odds are high that the many prophecies are true as well…. Our village chiefs have passed down, generation to generation, the prophecies that Zagoriol spoke…!"
Village chief Thomas led us somewhere. There, a great boulder stood. Characters that looked as though someone had carved them into the stone wriggled along its surface like earthworms—you could tell they were letters, or writing of some kind, but the content was beyond comprehension.
"What does it say?" Achilles asked.
Thomas, chief of Zagori, shook his head as he rubbed at his close-cropped beard. "I know it is a prophecy warning of danger, but beyond that, I could not say."
"This is written in fairy tongue, I declare…! This Oinoi can read it, I declare…!"
Whoosh—
Oinoi raised her hand. Then she read the letters carved into the boulder aloud.
"When the beasts of old once more breathe their breath into the world,
a typhoon awakened from the deep sea may raise a great wind
and turn the world upside down."
"—So it is written, I declare…!"