Chapter 146: The Secret
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 146: The Secret
“My mother definitely called me a demon.”
“…”
I finally understood the reason for that inexplicable sense of familiarity. It seemed I felt a kinship with her not just because we were both Green Skins, but because we were both demons. I also began to understand why this woman had shown me such mysterious goodwill. The only difference between us was the color of her skin. I had never seen a demon with white skin, but I figured her mother must have been a rare type.
I looked at the crudely severed horns on her head and spoke.
“They’ve been cut.”
“I-it’s embarrassing.”
Having grown up among humans, it was natural for her to be ignorant of our ways, but it seemed the instinct to be ashamed of severed horns remained. She appeared to be envious of my own massive horns, which soared upwards.
I slowly walked toward Jang Ye Ri. Fortunately, she didn’t avoid or become wary of me. I had made it clear I had no intention of attacking, but it was likely also because she felt that same inexplicable familiarity with me.
When I touched her head, I could see the miserably severed stumps of her horns on either side, hidden beneath her long hair. It was hard to even call them horns. The cross-sections were incredibly rough. It looked as if they hadn’t been cut off in one go, but hacked at repeatedly.
“Did you cut them yourself?”
She said nothing in response. It seemed she had. I thought it might have been to survive, or perhaps an extreme choice made to live among humans.
The illegitimate child of the ruler of the East and a demon slave. I felt like I was finally seeing why she harbored such hatred for her father and brother, the reason for the great massacre that was to come.
“A shame. They would have been quite magnificent if they were still here.”
Though they were poorly cut, judging by their base, they must have been quite large. She seemed to be a high-ranking demon, just like me. Their color must have been beautiful as well. Unlike my own horns, which were a bit rough and dull, Jang Ye Ri’s horns were exceptionally smooth and closer to an ivory color.
“Yours are magnificent… My mother’s were, too.”
Jang Ye Ri stood on her tiptoes, reaching a hand toward me. I didn’t stop her.
Her hand extended with extreme caution, and her face held a kind of longing. The way she so carefully stroked the base of my horns where they connected to my forehead, and then the middle, was as if she were handling a truly precious treasure. What I felt from her touch was a yearning for her own kind, a yearning for her mother.
“Is your mother alive?”
“…”
“I asked something I shouldn’t have.”
“No. It doesn’t matter. It was a long time ago… My mother died when I was two. She passed away, unable to endure the endless torment and humiliation. I remember it clearly.”
Green Skins mature quickly. Considering the children in my clan who could already speak and run around at only a year old, it wasn’t a stretch for Jang Ye Ri to remember things from her early childhood.
“I cut my horns myself when I was three. It was to please my father, and to survive. It was also to live among humans. A year after I was born, I was subjected to various experiments, and by the time I was learning to speak, I was separated from my mother. I only saw her occasionally.”
I figured that must have been when her father decided to raise her.
“So it started then.”
That must have been when she began to fixate on the demon race. It wasn’t me she had been investigating in detail. It was likely the entire demon race—an unspecified majority, so to speak. As soon as she was able to act independently, she must have continuously gathered information on demons.
Among the information she acquired was news of a demon who could speak the human language. From her perspective, it was impossible not to be curious. Demons were already quite rare on the continent compared to races like Orcs or Goblins. After that, she must have received news of me in one way or another, perhaps even tracking my movements. I assumed that besides whoever handled her personal intelligence network, she was the only one who knew the truth.
To be precise, what she was searching for were her roots. She had cut her horns, but she could never truly become one with humans. Though raised in their world, this demon’s identity lay with her own kind. I spoke to her once more.
“I’m curious if you can speak the Green Skin language.”
“…”
“Other than knowing a few words, not at all… So… what will you do? I’ve shown you everything I can. Now it’s your turn to decide.”
It felt like she was changing the subject a bit hastily, as if she didn’t have much time left for this negotiation.
I had to think it over carefully. If I didn’t know the confirmed future, I would have refused outright. But I knew the confirmed future of the ‘Witch.’ In the end, she achieves her dream.
The great massacre that would earn her the name ‘Witch’ was proof of that. The rebellion—or what amounted to one—that Jang Ye Ri was about to stage would surely succeed. Getting involved was definitely not a bad choice.
“Green Skins do not lie. I accept.”
“Is that so… Thank you.”
For the first time in a while, I contacted Baek Ahyeon. I felt a little sorry, but I needed to borrow the Ring of Covenant.
[Baek Ahyeon.]
[Ye-yes! My Savior!]
Her voice was incredibly excited, likely because it had been a while since I’d contacted her through the ring. But it only took an instant for that high-pitched tone to plummet. The moment I said I needed to borrow the Ring of Covenant, her voice dropped lower than the depths of the sea.
After explaining the situation to Baek Ahyeon, I began leading Jang Ye Ri to the designated meeting place. The fact that she followed me without a hint of suspicion showed that her faith in my race was quite firm.
The silence felt strangely burdensome, so I looked at Jang Ye Ri from my seat on Abar and spoke. She had pulled her hood back up. It seemed she was still embarrassed to show her severed horns.
“I have an additional demand.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“The Spider’s whereabouts. Park Hyeri’s location.”
“I will let you know as soon as I find out. I also have a request. I would like to have a few weapons returned, if possible.”
To make the rumors currently circulating in the city more concrete, it wouldn’t be a bad idea for one or two of the stolen weapons to reappear. They were probably weapons used by the summoners who followed her.
“So you have followers.”
“Not many, but yes. I’m not the only one dissatisfied with the current state of the East. There are those who resent my father, those who resent my brother, and those who disapprove of slavery. There are also those who are purely jealous. The number of people I can truly trust can be counted on one hand, but I’ve restricted information about you, so you can rest assured.”
“Hmm…”
“It would be good if we could have some cultural exchange after this is over.”
It seemed she was curious about how I lived, about our way of life. Though she spoke as if she didn’t care either way, she sounded a little nervous. From her perspective, seeing for herself how our race lived must be one of the things she truly wanted to achieve. In fact, her initial proposal of an alliance seemed to be more for her own sake than for mine.
As we continued on, Baek Ahyeon came into view. She was with a few clan members, who I assumed were her escorts. The Orcs saw me and placed their hands over their chests. I returned the greeting in the same manner.
“For Blood Dagger!”
But the one even more excited than them was Baek Ahyeon. Even though it hadn’t been that long since we’d last seen each other, the sight of her running toward me like a child was striking.
“My Savior!”
I was worried she might misstep and fall into the swamp. Soon, Baek Ahyeon arrived before me and immediately became wary of Jang Ye Ri beside me. Realizing that the person next to me was the one who would be receiving the ring, her expression instantly grew anxious.
She had been extremely anxious about giving the ring to Orbo in the past; it was only natural that she couldn’t bear the thought of giving it to a human who appeared to be a woman. Although I had explained earlier that I wasn’t abandoning a follower but merely borrowing the ring for a short time, it seemed she still couldn’t nod in agreement with a happy heart.
“So you are the West’s Saint. A pleasure to meet you.”
“…”
Baek Ahyeon didn’t answer Jang Ye Ri. Instead, she just shot a resentful glare at her. Seeing this, Jang Ye Ri began to mutter to herself. Her voice was bitter, much like Baek Ahyeon’s.
“I see… Hmm… So that’s how it is…”
The atmosphere was strange. At this rate, it wouldn’t resolve itself, so I looked at Jang Ye Ri and slowly spoke.
“You must have known that I was in contact with the West’s Saint in some way.”
“Roughly, yes.”
I showed her the ring on my hand and spoke.
“It’s an item called the Ring of Covenant. It allows communication with someone far away. During the plan, we will communicate through this ring. It would be best to keep the channel open at all times, except in special circumstances.”
Jang Ye Ri nodded. I glanced over at Baek Ahyeon, who was looking at me with an expression that pleaded, please don’t do this. My heart ached, but I extended my hand firmly. Baek Ahyeon, too, began to cautiously extend her hand toward me.
“My… My Savior… hic…”
Even though I’d said I was only borrowing it for a moment, she seemed heartbroken. In the end, I saw Baek Ahyeon extend her hand toward me with her eyes squeezed shut. I began to slide the ring off the trembling ring finger of her left hand. As she watched the ring come off, Baek Ahyeon glared fiercely at Jang Ye Ri.
Jang Ye Ri must have known it wasn’t hostility but a simple display of jealousy, as she didn’t express any complaints toward me.
However, Jang Ye Ri’s next action was quite a spectacle. She naturally extended her left hand. Not to take the ring, but as if asking me to put it on for her, she presented the back of her hand with her ring finger raised. Seeing this, Baek Ahyeon glared at Jang Ye Ri with an even more terrifying expression, but Jang Ye Ri simply lifted her chin slightly and looked back at Baek Ahyeon with an arrogant expression.
Even though I stood there for a moment, holding the ring blankly, Jang Ye Ri made no move to take it. So, I slowly began to slide the ring onto her finger. She must have been nervous, because her hand began to tremble, just like Baek Ahyeon’s had. The moment the ring was fully on Jang Ye Ri’s finger, Baek Ahyeon burst into tears.
“Sob…”
I squeezed Baek Ahyeon’s hand with my free one as if to say don’t worry, but it seemed there was no stopping the tears. I made a mental note to go to the Item Shop as soon as I returned and buy her a suitable ring.
[This is a strange feeling… It feels like we’re connected.]
[It certainly does.]
When I looked at Jang Ye Ri, she looked back at me and smiled. I had no idea how my relationship with this woman would develop, but I had a feeling that today’s meeting was not bad at all.