Chapter 396: Who Are You(1)
Chapter 396: Who Are You(1)
Several days had passed since Kate headed to the underground temple. Until her return, my daily routine remained much the same, though there was one significant change in the interim.
Lina had been called back to the Imperial Palace on short notice. According to Mari, who attended the same classes as I did, an unexpected situation had broken out at the underground temple.
Coincidentally, the news reached my ears not long after Kate had departed, so I couldn't help but feel a bit concerned.
Her combat prowess was undeniably formidable. As a Grand Inquisitor, she had purged countless heretics and demon worshippers.
She even bore the title 'Blue Flame,' so there was really no need to worry about her strength.
"Daddy. What kind of animal is this?"
"That's a penguin. They usually live in cold regions, but rarely, there are some that live in volcanic areas. Most are quite gentle, but the ones in volcanic zones can be aggressive."
"Then what about this one?"
"This is a hammer-nosed rhino. See how its face looks like a hammer? It can easily smash through trees with that. They live in forests and jungles."
Therefore, for now, I just needed to focus on educating Ariel. I had no reason to go outside, and I couldn't just leave Ariel to her own devices.
Besides, midterm exams had just ended, so Mari had plenty of free time. Since her room was right next door anyway, she had been coming over to my dormitory every single day.
"Ariel, look at this. Doesn't it look just like your daddy?"
Mari, who was lying side-by-side with us on the bed helping teach Ariel, pointed at an animal and asked. Since the book used photographs rather than drawings, the animal's appearance was vividly clear.
The animal in question was none other than a penguin. Specifically, a species that was the largest in this world but had a very cute appearance.
It was easiest to think of it as being similar to the Emperor Penguin from my previous life. By the way, do I still look like a penguin?
"This? The penguin with the round eyes?"
"Yep. Acting all dignified while being unable to hide his cuteness—that’s exactly like your daddy, right?"
"What are you teaching Ariel? And I'm not 'acting' dignified, okay?"
Honestly, it was absurd. Maybe in the past, but now, I didn't have a single ounce of the 'cuteness' Mari mentioned.
Thanks to the physical growth that had kicked in this year and the training I'd undergone through divine power, my body was much sturdier than before.
Not only had my shoulders broadened, but my height had also shot up, reaching 185cm now.
Since my father was a giant over 190cm and my brother Dave was 187cm, I figured my growth would either stop around here or I'd get even taller.
With genes like these, it was easy to deduce just how massive a man Clark must have been. My father had even testified that Clark's very frame surpassed that of a normal human.
Anyway, putting the genetics aside, I watched Mari giggle about the penguin before turning the page.
Among the animals that lived in cold regions like the penguin, there was one that looked exactly like Mari.
"Look. Here's Mommy Mari. Pure white fur and a cute face. What do you think?"
"A bear? It's a white bear!"
It was a polar bear, or what people in my past life affectionately called a 'Cola Bear.' Its appearance was identical to a polar bear.
Its ferocity was the same, too. Occasionally, there were white bears the size of a house, but those were classified as monsters.
"What? Are you saying I'm this big? My hair is white, sure, but I'm not a bear."
When I used the polar bear as a metaphor for her, Mari gave a hollow laugh of disbelief and protested.
I simply shrugged at her rebuttal and replied in a nonchalant voice.
"Bears look innocent and dull on the outside. But the reality is the exact opposite, isn't it? They're ferocious, agile, and relentless. It suits you perfectly."
"Then what about the fat? You're not going to say I have the same fat as a bear, are you?"
"That fat all went to the right places. And besides, a white bear's staple diet is the penguin right here."
"..."
Understanding the hidden meaning in my words, Mari's face turned a subtle shade of red. Ariel, caught between us, just tilted her head in confusion, letting out a little "Huh?"
Seeing Mari's cute reaction, I stroked her hair before turning to the next page. In the meantime, Mari used her leg to give my calf a playful nudge.
It felt like she was saying, 'How can you say that in front of the kid?' which made a chuckle escape my lips.
Usually, she was a tomboyish and lovely woman, but the moment night fell, she changed 180 degrees, so the bear comparison was quite apt.
"Now, now. Next is... a unicorn?"
The next animal was the legendary horned horse, the unicorn. However, that was by the standards of my previous life; here, they were surprisingly common.
If you went through various processes to mask your presence and scent before heading deep into the forest, you could see them quite often.
However, they had incredibly foul tempers and could fire lasers from their horns, so quite a few people died because of them.
On the other hand, true to the legends, they were somewhat submissive in front of virgins, and as long as they weren't provoked first, they just went about their business leisurely.
"Unicorns also act as guardians of the forest. If they sense the forest is becoming tainted, they go there to purify it."
"The forest gets tainted? How?"
"Forests where unicorns live have many rare herbs and animals. Because of that, poachers—bad people—go there often."
In reality, places where unicorns appeared were unknown regions that had barely been touched by human hands.
Unless one belonged to the type that enjoyed travel for its own sake, like explorers, there were still far more places in this world that remained untouched by humanity.
Even the Minerva Empire, which boasted a vast territory, had quite a few regions that were not under its direct management.
‘I wonder if we'll end up fighting the beastkin over this?’
The human population had already reached its limit. Unless an Industrial Revolution truly broke out, it wouldn't increase much further.
On the other hand, the beastkin were just entering a period of explosive population growth, and they required a larger amount of food than humans.
There was a high probability they would clash over this. I pondered the future in my head before turning the page.
Right now, that wasn't what was important; Ariel's education took priority.
"What are you looking at?"
While the three of us were huddled together studying the animal encyclopedia, my father called out to us in a low voice from behind.
At that, we all turned around simultaneously. My father was standing there tall, looking as if he had just finished his special training.
Seeing Adelia heading into the shower room drenched in sweat behind him, it seemed the training session was indeed over.
"I'm showing Ariel what kind of animals are out there."
"Animals?"
"Yes."
"Hmm. Animals, you say..."
My father muttered while scratching his chin, as if reminiscing about the past. A fun thought suddenly occurred to me.
Although my father had served at the border, the border was a place teeming with all sorts of animals and monsters, including the barbarians.
In terms of the Republic of Korea from my past life, you could think of it as the front lines. A place where wild animals that looked like they came straight out of a fantasy world were rampant.
If so, wouldn't there be animals at the border that could compare to these? Curious, I asked my father.
"Father. Are there any animals or monsters you remember seeing that stood out?"
"Hmm? Me?"
"Yes."
"I've caught a giant lizard before."
"..."
Ah, right. This man had a history of subjugating a dragon.
My father rarely mentioned his achievements, saying they reminded him of old wounds. That 'giant lizard' he just mentioned was probably a dragon, but he described it that way.
I was dazed for a moment before shaking my head vigorously. A dragon was too far out of reach to even discuss, so I should ask for something else.
"Anything other than that?"
"Other things... I've caught so many strange things that I'm not sure. If I had to pick one, maybe something about 2 meters long..."
At first, I thought, 'Only 2 meters?' But I couldn't help but be horrified when I heard the name of the animal—no, the creature—that followed.
"A moth?"
"...Pardon?"
"I once saw a moth with a wingspan of about 2 meters. At first, I thought it was a bird, but upon closer inspection, it was a moth."
"..."
"It didn't cause any harm, but it was incredibly creepy."
Just hearing about it was skin-crawling; I couldn't imagine facing it in person. At that size, wasn't it basically a monster anyway?
As expected of a fantasy world's scale. I shuddered at the thought of such a gruesome creature.
"Daddy. What's a moth?"
"I'll show you an insect book later, sweetie."
Since there was a book similar to Fabre's Book of Insects, I could just show her that.
I let out a sigh and glanced at Mari. Her face had turned a pale shade of blue, as if she were imagining the 2-meter moth as well.
She was the type to freak out if a tiny bug flew in front of her face. I heard she once fainted after seeing a cockroach.
‘Cecile said she didn't mind them, right?’
Not just Cecile, but the entire Demon clan generally didn't fear bugs or insects.
Perhaps because Helium was full of all sorts of bizarre foods, they mostly considered insects as a food source. They even used cockroaches for food, so that said it all.
Of course, there would be individual differences. Besides, that was mostly commoner food; other than that, things were pretty similar.
I quickly shook the image of the 2-meter moth out of my head and resumed the lesson. True to a fantasy world, it was filled with all sorts of animals.
Except for one.
‘Why aren't there any giraffes?’
I couldn't find a giraffe in this animal encyclopedia or any other book I searched.
There were dragons, hammer-nosed rhinos, and even unicorns, but no matter how hard I looked, there wasn't a single long-necked giraffe.
I hadn't thought much of it at first, but while teaching Ariel, the thought naturally occurred to me. Feeling puzzled, I quietly asked Mari beside me.
"Mari. Is there no animal with an extremely long neck?"
"An animal with an extremely long neck? What's that?"
"It looks roughly like this..."
I drew the appearance of a giraffe in my notebook. Mari and Ariel stared intently at my drawing.
After looking at the finished sketch, Mari spoke with an expression as if she were looking at something truly bizarre.
"What is this? Is it a legendary animal or something?"
"You've never seen one?"
"Never. Why is there such a grotesquely shaped animal? Isn't it a monster?"
Good grief. To think she'd treat a giraffe as a monster. Of course, giraffes are quite dangerous animals despite their appearance, but they aren't exactly monster material.
What was even more shocking was that she considered it a legendary animal just because its neck was a bit long. This was a place where the existence of dragons and unicorns was common knowledge, which made it even more jarring to me.
Furthermore, there were birds that breathed fire, lightning, and frost; one-eyed cyclopes; and even sky whales that flew through the air.
In a world where all sorts of bizarre creatures existed, only the giraffe was missing. This made no sense.
Just in case, I asked my father, who had just finished washing up...
"What is this now? Is it a monster?"
"...No."
"Then why does it look so strange? It's not like it uses its neck as a whip. If its neck were that vulnerable, it would have gone extinct long ago."
They do use them like whips, Father. They're powerful enough to send a lion flying with one hit. Their back-kicks are also superior to a horse's.
Even though eighteen years had passed since I was reincarnated into this world, there were still moments like this where I was reminded that I was a reincarnator.
‘Or maybe they really did go extinct...’
Knock, knock, knock—
Just as Ariel's lesson ended and I was about to start writing, someone knocked on the door.
As I turned my head toward the door, a familiar voice drifted in from the other side.
[I-Isaac? It's Kate. I've returned with the honored guest I mentioned before.]
Kate, who had left for the underground temple a few days ago, was back. It seemed the 'VIP' Luminous had told her to bring had arrived as well.
Kate was one thing, but since this was a guest mentioned by Luminous himself, I hurried to the door.
Click—
"Good work—"
I started to say she'd done a good job, but the words died in my throat. Setting aside the fact that Kate looked somewhat haggard, what was next to her caught my attention.
She said she was bringing an honored guest, so why was there a large wooden box sitting there? Did she carry that all by herself?
Where on earth was the guest? While various thoughts scrambled through my head, a deep, gravelly voice echoed from inside the wooden box.
[Are we there? I hear a voice.]
The voice of a sturdy, middle-aged man reached my ears. The strange thing was that it didn't sound like it was coming from a mouth, but rather like a recording being played.
I blinked, wondering what was going on, and shifted my gaze to Kate. The moment our eyes met, Kate flinched and subtly turned her head away.
Why? What? Why are you avoiding my eyes? Just as I was becoming puzzled by her behavior, which was so unlike her usual self, the man's voice came from the wooden box again.
[I can come out now, right? I'd appreciate an answer before I break this thing.]
"......Is the person in here?"
"..."
When I asked with a myriad of implications, Kate nodded silently in response. Even then, she continued to avoid my gaze.
It seemed the 'VIP' was indeed inside, but something was off. They could have just walked here; why store them in a wooden box?
It was a situation I couldn't quite grasp, but for now, it seemed best to bring them inside. It was certain there was a person in the box.
"L-let's get inside first. I'll carry this."
"O-oh, no! I'll..."
Kate looked startled when I said I'd carry it. Her expression and behavior were completely different from before, as if she had committed some sort of crime.
I didn't know what had happened at the underground temple, but it was clear that a lot had transpired.
Still, she'd gone through so much trouble; it felt wrong to make her carry it any further.
"No, it's fine. Or, it might not be a bad idea for them to just come out. We've arrived, so there's no need to hide anymore."
[Oh! Right. Sounds like we've arrived!]
CRACK!
The moment I finished speaking, a hole was punched through the center of the box, and something poked out. I lost my words as I stared at the object.
Pure white bone. There was a guard worn on the forearm, but the hand itself was nothing but white bone, devoid of a single scrap of flesh.
Holy shit, what is this?
Creeeeeak—
While I stood there dumbfounded, unable to utter a word, the tightly sealed wooden box was opened.
Like a coffin lid being pried open, the wooden box swung wide.
And what emerged from within was...
[Phew. I thought I was going to die from the stuffiness. Wait, no. I'm already dead.]
"..."
A skeleton. And a talking skeleton at that.
Despite being nothing but bones, he was taller than me and wore a suit of armor. However, that armor was so old and worn that it had long since lost its functionality.
What the hell is this?
[Hm? Ah! Are you perhaps Isaac?]
"Uh... yes?"
[Judging by your reaction, I must be right. I'm your grandpappy.]
"..."
Who are you? And why are you patting my shoulder so familiarly?
"What's all this commotion—"
Just then, my father, having heard the noise, came toward the door and froze in his tracks upon seeing the scene. Simultaneously, the skeleton's gaze shifted toward my father.
As soon as the skeleton saw my father, he wore an expression that seemed truly delighted (at least, that was the impression) and shouted in a voice full of joy.
[Aigo! You rascal! You've grown so much already! You look just like me!]
You're a skeleton. What exactly does he look like?
Normally, this would be a situation where one would suspect an attack by demon worshippers, but was it because it was so absurd?
Though it felt a bit rude to say such a thing, my father quietly asked back with a look of utter bewilderment.
"Who the hell are you?"