Chapter 212
Chapter 212
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 212
Chapter Title: Souls, and Souls (12)
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Callisto handed me a chicken leg with a dazed look on her face.
“Theo. Me. Me.”
“Hold on. I’ll cut it up for you.”
I lightly pressed down on Legion’s head, which was craning its neck toward me. Legion shook its head a few times before obediently opening its mouth again, waiting for me to feed it.
“Lizard…….”
While I shredded the chicken leg meat into small pieces, Callisto muttered from the side. Lizard? How rude. But with Legion urging me on, I couldn’t bother correcting her and just fed the meat into its mouth.
“Theo. Tasty.”
“You like it?”
When I tried to tear up some romaine leaves to feed it too, Legion suddenly clamped its mouth shut. What’s with this guy?
“Theo. Me. Meat.”
“No. You have to eat a balanced diet.”
“Theo. Me. Meat.”
“Hey now. Open up quick. You eat this, then you get more meat.”
Was it because the romaine had no sauce? Legion grumbled for a while in front of the green leaves before finally opening its mouth, squeezing its eyes shut, and wildly chewing the romaine I put in before swallowing it down.
“Ughh.”
“Legion. Chew slowly.”
It eats the vegetables in stews just fine. Does it hate raw veggies because they taste like grass? Anyway, true to my word, I fed Legion another piece of chicken leg meat. Unlike with the romaine, it savored the chicken slowly.
“Tasty?”
“Theo. Tasty. This.”
“Good. Want some butternut squash?”
“Theo. Me. Squash. Like.”
Probably likes the honey. I fed it the soft, boiled squash that broke apart easily, and Legion chomped away happily, making crunching sounds.
It’s starting to develop preferences in food now. Proof it’s growing up, huh?
“Phew, that was good.”
With our meal about done, I stood up. Callisto had barely touched her lunchbox, still staring at me in a daze. Oh, right. I should probably explain a bit to her.
-Woof! Woof woof!
……Just as I thought that, Argos’s barking rang out. While we’d been eating, Argos had been patrolling the area and seemed to have spotted something. I headed toward the sound of its barks. Hoofbeats echoed from afar. Could it be…….
-Woof woof!!
Before I could think further, something huge barreled toward me, sending me tumbling to the ground. Cough, cough! As dust swirled in the wind making me cough, something hot and wet lapped wildly at my face.
“Isla!”
Isla had returned. It licked my face nonstop, tail wagging furiously. Argos nearby was leaping around joyfully too. Ptui! I pushed away Isla’s fluffy chest and got back up.
-Snort!
At the same time, Storm appeared from behind. Eldo on the wagon. I tried to check El’s expression, but it was too dark to see clearly.
“El!”
I called out happily, and El jumped down from the wagon, rushing over and hugging me like Isla.
“Master!”
Its voice was choked with emotion. No way? I forced down my anxiety and patted its back.
“You did well. El…….”
“Sob, sob…….”
“……Louis, is he.”
I grabbed El’s shoulders to ask, but the words stuck in my throat. I was afraid El might bring ‘bad’ news. Louis, Louis……. As I trailed off, El looked up. Its face was streaked with tears. The moment our eyes met, I steeled myself. And…….
“……he’s.”
“…….”
“……a-alive, he’s alive……!”
“……!”
The news El brought was astonishing.
The temples had all closed for rituals preparing for the full moon of the ‘Hunter’s Gate,’ leaving us in despair. But the temple of Nemea, goddess of mercy and the moon, was open. It was as if moonlight had guided them straight to it.
El had rushed the wagon there. Having seen Louis’s condition, El sensed he’d die if they were even a little late. Upon arriving, El screamed for them to save him. Startled priests rushed out, and when they pulled Louis from the wagon…….
El said tears wouldn’t stop, thinking he was already a corpse. But the priests’ response was beyond her imagination.
—……The wound has ‘stopped’!
That’s right. The wound piercing Louis had literally ‘stopped.’ Even as they pulled him out and moved him, only the blood already spilled dripped off—no fresh blood flowed from the puncture. Everyone was shocked, but there was no time to investigate. The priests took Louis and began healing. And the moment El confirmed he was in a state of ‘not dying,’ she raced back here.
Sniff, sniff. I pulled out a handkerchief and wiped El’s tear- and snot-streaked face.
“You did great, El. Louis is alive thanks to you.”
I understood the pressure El must have felt driving the wagon— the burden, no, the fear of a life hanging in your hands. I patted its shoulder until it calmed.
“I-it’s thanks to you, Master……. The priests said so too. They didn’t know who, but immediate healing kept his condition stable…….”
“Even if I healed him, without you bringing Louis there, no miracle would’ve happened.”
“R-really……?”
“Yeah. El, you saved Louis.”
Sniff, sniff. El wiped its red eyes on its sleeve and, as if remembering something, pulled a small lump from its inner pocket.
-Peep…….
Ppippi. I hurriedly took Ppippi in both hands. It curled up weakly, tucking its head under its wing. Its body felt a bit cold, maybe trembling.
‘No way, the one who saved Louis was……!’
The wound ‘stopping’—all thanks to Ppippi? It overexerted itself granting my request……!
-Shine……!
I quickly shared my mana, warming its tiny body a little, but Ppippi didn’t move. It curled tighter, so I gently wrapped it in soft cloth and tucked it into my inner pocket.
“……Thanks, Ppippi.”
Sensing Ppippi’s poor state, Legion yielded its spot in my pocket and climbed to my shoulder. Good kid.
Anyway, Louis is safe. That’s a relief.
Now all that’s left is stopping the Crows’ conspiracy in the Sequoia Forest.
“…….”
Easier said than done.
I led El back to the campfire. I handed it a lunchbox, and gave Isla, who’d guarded the wagon, a slab of raw short ribs. Isla grabbed the massive rib rack from the round-horned buffalo in its mouth and headed to the wagon, tearing into the meat with gusto. Argos joined in, the two getting along nicely.
“Lloyd.”
I approached Lloyd tending the horses and told him about Louis. Hearing Louis had survived, he let out a deep sigh before smiling faintly in relief.
“……Louis is a tough one.”
“Yes. He’ll pull through for sure.”
“Thanks, Theodore. Lu’s like a little brother to me…….”
“No need to thank me; I didn’t do much.”
I waved it off with a light laugh and returned to the campfire. El had devoured its lunchbox in seconds, while Callisto eyed it with a look of disgust. I pulled another lunchbox from my subspace ring and handed it to El before speaking.
“We’ve lost Louis as a fighter, but we’ll be fine.”
“……You think? Louis was pretty skilled…….”
Chomp, chomp, gulp, chomp, chomp, gulp. El, eating its lunchbox like a drink, trailed off uncertainly. I smiled and nodded toward the forest. There, the Karak pack was devouring the piled-up crops we’d left.
“The Karaks will fill Louis’s spot.”
“……Whoa, whoaaa! Those are Karaks! The savage beasts no one but orcs can tame!”
“No need to tame them. Just make friends.”
“You’re amazing, Master!”
El gawked admiringly at the Karaks in the dark. One, two, three……. Nine, ten! Realizing there were ten Karaks, it stopped eating, mouth agape, exclaiming nonstop.
“After midnight, when the moon is highest, we head into the forest.”
Crackle, crackle went the campfire, followed by El’s gulp of swallowed tension.
“No need to be nervous, El.”
“……I-I’m not nervous!”
“They plan to hold a ‘ritual.’ During the ritual, they’ll have weaknesses exposed no matter what.”
That’s right. If they’re using mercenaries as sacrifices, they’ll need to focus on subduing them and preparing the tricky ritual—plenty of openings.
Especially with the orc unit as a double trap……. They must think nothing can stop them now. They’ll definitely get ‘careless.’
“We strike at that gap.”
I gazed at the red moon rising over the ridge. Its bloody light soaked the earth, creating an ominous atmosphere.
‘……Am I the nervous one?’
Realizing my chilled fingertips, a chuckle escaped. Nice pep talk—don’t be nervous—yet here I am scared.
I took a deep breath, checking my circulating mana. Even excluding what I was sharing with Ppippi, I had plenty. My soul bond with Legion was strengthening, letting it share more of my mana. Plus, I’d learned [Forest Giant], no slouch as the druid’s ultimate combat skill……
‘No problem.’