Episode 30
Episode 30
Yong or Dragon.
Though their roles, personalities, and even appearances differ between Eastern and Western traditions, in Black Nightmare, they weren't particularly distinct.
It was merely a difference in outward appearance, much like how humans have different skin colors or looks.
But these creatures share one common trait.
They're utterly ill-mannered.
Extremely so.
Whether it's because they're born strong or raised that way, I can't say.
Anyway, they're so ill-mannered that you need to make a good first impression.
Otherwise, they'll never cooperate.
"Did you bring a gift?"
While preparing to meet the dragonkin, I looked at the item Aron had brought.
A small spherical object.
Wrapped in cloth, I couldn't tell what it was.
"Not a gift, but something I borrowed a long time ago. Since I have the chance now, I thought I'd return it."
"What is it? Something important?"
"What was it called again? Yeouiju? Something like that."
I tilted my head at the oddly mismatched term.
"Yeouiju? Why is that here?"
"I borrowed it when I went to capture the Demon King but couldn't return it. Right after catching him, I got cursed and was trapped in the forest."
"No, that's not what I meant..."
Yeouiju has an Eastern feel, doesn't it?
But strictly speaking, Black Nightmare is a Western medieval fantasy.
"Never mind. Let's just return that too while we're at it."
I let out a deep sigh.
Right, since everything is a game, these are just acceptable features, I thought.
"But why did these two come?"
Crossing my arms, I tapped the floor loudly with my foot.
My gaze moved from Aron to the two others.
Seoryeong unni lying naturally on the floor, and Eri sitting in a chair beside her. Seeing their nonchalant attitudes, irritation surged through me.
"Did you tell them to come along?"
"I'd prefer to go just the two of us, but for safety, we should all go together. Outside the forest, I'm only about Swordmaster level, so it could be dangerous."
"Swordmaster level..."
I was about to say that should be enough but stopped.
The opponent we're about to meet is at minimum a dragon, and if things go badly, we might even encounter the Cult of the End.
Both in-game and in the story setting, the Cult of the End is stronger than the Demon King, and they're crazy to boot, so one Swordmaster would definitely be insufficient.
'If we bring the other two along...'
Since both have experience capturing the Demon King, they're clearly not weak.
It's not like I'm in a position to evaluate their strength anyway.
Eventually, I reluctantly nodded.
"Might indeed be insufficient. Then we should all go together."
At my dissatisfied tone, Aron quickly added.
"We'll only travel together partway before splitting up. Both of them have places they need to go."
"Really? That's a relief then."
Seoryeong unni, who had been watching from the side, got up from the floor and slowly approached. Whispering softly in my ear, she pointed at Eri who was sitting.
"Mia, you'll be fine as long as you watch out for that fox-eared one."
"Suddenly?"
From my perspective, unni seems dangerous too.
"What is this lust-crazed beast saying now?"
Eri, who had been watching intently from her chair, chuckled.
As if not to be outdone, she retorted sharply.
"Could it be that a supposed gumiho can't even seduce one man and is clinging to a young wolf? Ah, that couldn't be, could it?"
At her characteristically sly tone, Seoryeong unni immediately turned around.
Her tail stood straight up as she spoke to Eri.
"Still, I'm better than a High Elf who's lived for thousands of years. Talking about being anxious after thousands of years without managing to seduce a single man."
Before Eri could respond, Seoryeong unni clapped her hands and continued.
"Ah! Though, at your age, you probably can't even have children anymore? Why not just give up?"
"Wouldn't an intellectual elf still be better than a lust-crazed beast?"
This journey seemed like it wouldn't be easy.
*
Edge of the Forest of Temptation.
I watched the nervous Seoryeong unni and Eri standing at the forest's boundary.
They were waiting to take the panacea and step outside the forest.
Their previously confident demeanor had vanished, and they were fidgeting while eyeing each other cautiously. Watching this, Aron finally walked out of the forest first.
Step. Step.
He walked through the forest without hesitation and finally emerged outside.
"See. No problems at all. My power weakened slightly, but not significantly."
At his casual tone as he turned around, Seoryeong unni and Eri finally moved.
They awkwardly took steps forward one by one and eventually emerged from the forest.
"Wow, I'm really out...?"
"Indeed. I thought I'd be trapped there until I died."
They alternated looking between the receding forest and the ground they stood on, then suddenly began to cry.
Seoryeong unni plopped down on the ground and wailed like a child, while Eri, affected by the scene, discreetly wiped away tears while scolding her.
Not expecting them to cry this much, I quietly approached Aron.
"How long were they trapped exactly? About 10 years?"
"Not sure. I didn't keep track of dates either. I thought it would only make it harder if I became conscious of it. Probably at least 50 years haven't passed."
"So they're all at least 50 years old?"
"Well, their physical age remains early 20s. But mentally, yes."
So the people in front of me are all over 70?
Eri mentioned being over 1000 years old anyway, so 50 years might not make much difference. Whether 1000 or 1050, she's still a grandmother.
Perhaps sensing my gaze, Eri looked at me.
"Mia, I think you're having bad thoughts."
"No way. I was just wondering if I should start calling you grandmother and grandfather from today."
At that remark, Seoryeong unni also looked at me in surprise, and Aron widened his eyes as he approached.
"What kind of talk is that all of a sudden."
"Hearing your ages, I suddenly feel like I should use honorifics."
Around 70 years is similar to my grandparents' age in my previous life.
As someone from the Land of Courtesy, this age gap isn't something I can easily overlook.
"Why the awkward honorifics? More importantly, have you thought about how we'll get to Red Canyon?"
"Hmm, I was thinking of taking a carriage from Mihok Village."
"We have no money at all - can we take a carriage?"
"We just need to offer to provide escort. If we show we can fight decently, they'll let us ride. Those people are always short on manpower."
Adventurers don't usually take such jobs, and mercenaries require substantial payment per hire. So it's common to give rides to people going the same direction and get escort protection as a bonus.
"Let's head to the village first. If we're lucky and there are knight orders or mercenary groups, we can ask for help."
"Those people who came with you?"
I nodded lightly.
"They're somewhat famous, so people in the same industry will recognize them. Otherwise, we can just demonstrate our skills and get a carriage ride."
"That's a relief then. Speaking of which, is that a restaurant over there? It's huge."
Arriving at Mihok Village, I saw the large restaurant where we had our meeting.
Even as darkness gradually fell, the place was brightly lit, and voices could be heard from inside.
"It's a restaurant that serves multiple purposes. Let's go in and get some help from the owner."
Since they mainly deal with mercenaries and adventurers, the owner knew this industry well.
Opening the door and entering, the boisterous atmosphere washed over me.
People were drinking, talking, and laughing.
"Huh?!"
I made eye contact with the owner who was moving around with a beer mug, attending to customers.
Having seen me relatively recently, he seemed to recognize me.
"Isn't this Mia-nim? Everyone said you died in the forest... I'm glad to see you're alright."
He strode over, gave me a once-over, and smiled.
Though rough-looking, his smile kept him from appearing threatening.
In fact, he seemed clearly nervous.
I didn't mind his slow appraisal - it was just his way of assessing a customer's intentions or value.
Similar to gauging an opponent's strength before a fight.
"I got lucky and survived. These friends here saved me."
I gestured to Aron, Eri, and Seoryeong unni who had come with me.
"Could we get some help? I need to return to my mercenary group, but I got lost in the forest and have no money."
"What exactly do you need?"
"Just help finding a carriage to Sudo. And if you could mention that I'm the vice-leader of the Flames of Harmony, that should be enough."
I intentionally didn't mention needing money.
No matter how famous a mercenary, getting someone to lend money isn't easy.
Especially in a place like this where might makes right, my words could unintentionally sound like threats to those without power.
Realizing my request wasn't difficult, his tense expression relaxed.
The owner laughed heartily.
"Hahaha! I can help with that much. Let me get you all something to drink while you wait. I'll find the fastest carriage available."
"Yes, thank you then."
The three watching from the side expressed admiration.
"I thought you'd just smash everything and use force, but you resolved it peacefully?"
"Indeed. When you said mercenary, I expected you to flip at least one table."
"Maybe this is just Mia's natural personality."
Their reactions actually made me flustered.
"What do you think mercenaries are? That's just being thugs."
"They're violent types operating on the border between legal and illegal. Add a bit of roughness and ill manners, and you have your typical mercenary, right?"
At Aron's answer, both Eri and Seoryeong unni nodded.
Since it wasn't entirely wrong, I thought for a moment before conceding.
"Right. That's the old-school mercenary way."
After hearing Aron's words, I felt this night was somewhat un-mercenary-like.
Next time, I should start by yelling.
Or maybe flip a table for no reason.