Chapter 295
Chapter 295
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 295
Chapter Title: Sky Mountain Range (1)
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“Gasp! Gasp!”
Her breath hitched in her throat.
A Majin woman with two black horns sprouting from her forehead was climbing a rugged mountain path.
“Wh-Where in the world did monsters like that come from?”
She was well aware that beings called the Awakened existed in the world beyond the barrier.
But she had never imagined they would be strong enough to dare fight and win against the Majin.
“If only we had our army…”
The woman bit her red lip in frustration.
Following the Heavenly Demon’s command, a large number of Majin stationed in the beastmen kingdom had been withdrawn, leaving them with far too little strength to deal with the Awakened from beyond the barrier.
The only one they could rely on was Kalike.
‘That fool.’
Recalling how Kalike had died so pointlessly after running his mouth, the woman cursed under her breath.
“Haa. How long will it take to go around the Sky Mountain Range…?”
A deep sigh escaped her lips.
The kingdom of the Majin, Niflheim, was located in the deepest part of the Demon Realm.
If she could cross the Sky Mountain Range, she could get there within a month, but if not, she would have to travel for at least three months straight.
As she walked on, grumbling to herself.
*Slither.*
She heard something crawling through the bushes.
An eerie sensation crept down her spine.
“Wh-Who’s there?!”
The startled woman whipped her head around.
From between the bushes, a snake emerged.
The black-scaled snake flicked its long tongue as it approached her.
“Haa… What, it was just a snake.”
The Demon Realm wasn't just teeming with monsters.
Though their species and forms were slightly different from those on Earth, ordinary plants and animals also lived in the forests.
For a normal person, a snake appearing on a forest path would be more than enough reason to be wary, but she was a Majin blessed by the Heavenly Demon.
From her perspective, there was little difference between a snake and a worm.
“Startling me for no reason.”
The Majin woman, with an annoyed expression, raised her foot to stomp on the tongue-flicking snake.
Just then.
*Shhh-rurururuk!*
“Kyaaaaah!”
The black snake shot up with explosive speed and coiled around her body.
It was just a snake, barely two fingers thick, wrapping around her, yet a colossal force squeezed her as if she were in a giant’s grip.
“Wh-What? What is this?!”
The Majin woman looked around, her face filled with terror.
The shadow cast beneath a tree writhed as if it were a living creature, and from within it, a woman walked out.
A woman with a captivating beauty that didn't match her slender, girlish frame.
Dressed in a jet-black dress so long it dragged on the ground, the woman approached the Majin bound by the black snake.
“Hello?”
A cold hand caressed her cheek.
An eerie shiver ran down her spine, and her body reacted before her mind could.
“Ah, uh.”
A fear that felt like it was choking the life out of her.
The Majin woman trembled, feeling her pants grow damp.
*I’m going to die.*
A gut feeling, nearly a certainty, filled her mind.
“I have something to ask… can you answer me?”
“Y-Yes, yes…”
The Majin woman stammered, nodding her head.
Cassia flicked her long, snake-like tongue and smiled darkly.
“Where is the Heavenly Demon right now?”
Her emerald eyes glinted menacingly.
* * *
“Well then, we’ll be on our way.”
In front of the Silver Mane tribe's village.
The members of the Silver Mane tribe had gathered in a large crowd to see off Oh-jin’s party, who were ready to depart.
“Come back anytime, warrior!”
“The Silver Mane tribe will await your safe return!”
The beastman warriors beat their chests with hearty laughter.
Oh-jin nodded with a faint smile.
“Mr. Oh-jin, take this.”
Leoru handed Oh-jin a horn flute the size of his palm.
“What’s this?”
“It’s a flute that emits a sound monsters dislike. It’s not incredibly effective… but it should be useful for buying a little time.”
He must have hastily prepared it after hearing they intended to cross the Sky Mountain Range.
“Thank you.”
Oh-jin took the horn flute from Leoru and blew it lightly.
*Tweet.*
Contrary to what he expected, a rather clear sound came out.
“Monsters dislike this kind of sound?”
He had expected something like nails on a chalkboard, but it was completely different.
“Yes. Of course, there are many kinds of monsters, so its effectiveness varies, but it will certainly work on monsters with developed hearing.”
“Hmm. I see.”
He didn't quite understand the principle, but if Leoru was this confident, it must be effective.
“Then, I will pray for your safe passage across the mountains.”
Leoru bowed politely.
“I hope you’ll be able to rebuild your kingdom safely as well, Leoru.”
“Yes.”
“And… you remember what I told you, right?”
“You mean that one of the Majin might still be around?”
Of the five Majin who had been in the kingdom, four were dead.
Looking through the records he had investigated in the kingdom before, the missing Majin was the only female among the five.
If he could, he would have loved to search the entire kingdom to find her and tie up all loose ends.
But for Oh-jin, who needed to get to the Draconian Kingdom as quickly as possible, he couldn't afford to waste time searching for a single Majin whose fate was unknown.
“Khahaha! Don’t you worry, warrior! Kalike might have been a problem, but a single ordinary Majin is nothing for the Silver Mane tribe!”
The beastman warrior who had taught Riru some strange things at the drinking party the night before thumped his chest and laughed heartily.
True.
As he said, a single Majin probably wouldn't be a big problem.
After all, the Silver Mane tribe had been the ones to kill the two Majin in the royal castle.
“We’ll be going now.”
Just as Oh-jin bowed his head and started to turn.
“*Sniffle. Sob!*”
“Are you… really leaving?”
Leo and Riru, who had been hiding behind Leoru, stepped forward, their eyes welling up with tears.
They hadn't known each other for long, but it seemed they had grown quite attached.
Oh-jin chuckled and patted the two children on the head.
“I’ll come back after things are settled in the Draconian Kingdom, so be good until then, okay?”
“*Sniffle… Hmph!* I’ll be waiting, big brother!”
Leo wiped his tears and exclaimed bravely.
“Big Brother Oh-jin…”
Riru, glancing furtively at Leoru, took a step closer to Oh-jin.
*Mwah.*
The girl gave Oh-jin a surprise kiss on the cheek.
“R-Riru!”
Leoru jumped in shock.
Riru shyly twisted her neatly braided silver hair with her fingers and smiled.
“See you again, big brother! I’ll be waiting!”
“Uh, yeah.”
Feeling a chilling murderous aura emanating from Isabella and Ha-eun behind him, Oh-jin hastily turned away.
“…Are you hitting on little kids now?”
Ha-eun jabbed Oh-jin’s side with her elbow, shooting him a sharp glare.
Isabella bit her nails and muttered in an icy voice.
“Huhu. She was a good child… such a shame.”
“No.”
*Saying it like that makes it sound like Riru is about to die.*
“Alright, let’s get going.”
“Grrr. Do you even know the way, brat?”
“I got the gist of it yesterday.”
Oh-jin started walking in the direction of the Sky Mountain Range.
‘It would be nice to have a ride.’
With the body of an Awakened, he could move faster than a horse, but since it was such a long journey, the toll on his stamina was inevitable.
‘I miss you, Poppy.’
Oh-jin clicked his tongue, remembering Poppy, who could run for twelve hours straight without a single sign of exhaustion.
As they were making their way toward the Sky Mountain Range.
*Wooooong!*
The pendant on his necklace began to glow.
[It is I!]
Vega appeared, spinning once in a motion that seemed fit for a fanfare.
Oh-jin waved his hand with a pleased expression.
“Are you feeling better?”
[After a good rest, some of the restrictions have been lifted. Of course, I will not be able to bestow my blessing upon thee for a while… but I should be able to travel with thee like this.]
“That’s a relief.”
Not being able to receive her blessing was a bit disappointing, but just having Vega by his side was reassuring.
[By the way, has the matter of the Khan Kingdom been resolved?]
The last thing Vega remembered was Oh-jin successfully defeating Kalike.
She had been reverse-summoned to the Sanctuary right after, so she didn't know how the situation had unfolded.
“Yeah. It’s all taken care of.”
Oh-jin explained to her what had happened after she was reverse-summoned to the Sanctuary.
[…So that is what happened.]
Vega looked at Riak with a sympathetic expression.
She fluttered over to Riak and, with a gentle smile, stroked the silver wolf's head.
[You must have been heartbroken.]
“…Hmph. It was a fitting end for a fool.”
Riak gave a bitter smile and continued walking.
Vega, perched on Riak’s head, continued to stroke his fur as if proud of him.
[In any case, art thou leaving right away, so soon after the Khan Kingdom's matter has been resolved?]
“I don’t have the luxury of resting peacefully.”
[However…]
Vega looked at Oh-jin with a worried expression.
A Constellation's blessing placed a great strain not only on the Constellation but also on the Awakened.
Especially a blessing bestowed by the Constellation of the North Star.
He was acting as if nothing was wrong, but Oh-jin’s body was likely not in a normal state right now.
[Haa. Must thee truly vex me so to be satisfied?]
Vega let out a deep sigh and shook her head.
Oh-jin simply shrugged in response and quickened his pace.
After walking for several hours.
They hadn't even made it out of the forest surrounding the kingdom, let alone reached the Sky Mountain Range.
“Stop.”
Riak, who was leading the way, came to an abrupt halt.
Sniffing the ground, Riak scanned the area ahead with sharp eyes.
“A monster?”
“Indeed.”
Activating the Stigma of Canes Venatici, he could sense a monster approaching from a distance.
“It seems to be a pretty big one.”
The footsteps echoed with considerable weight, suggesting a monster of some size.
*Thump! Thump! Thump!*
It seemed to have spotted Oh-jin’s party as well, as the ground-shaking footsteps grew rapidly closer.
“Prepare for battle.”
“Yes, Mr. Oh-jin.”
“Damn it… I’m still not over my hangover.”
Ha-eun grumbled and pulled a pack of cigarettes from her pocket.
Just as a spark flickered at the end of the cigarette between her fingers.
“Grrrr!”
A massive monster with the head of an eagle, the mane of a lion, and the tail of a snake burst through the dense trees.
“Huh?”
“Grrrrrrr!”
Oh-jin’s eyes widened.
The monster approached, wagging its snake-like tail from side to side like a dog greeting its owner.
“Poppy?”
Just as he was about to wave happily at the approaching Poppy.
“You’re… the one that attacked Mr. Oh-jin back then…”
Isabella glared at Poppy with cold eyes.
*Grit.*
Grinding her teeth fiercely, Isabella created a blood-red scythe and charged at Poppy.
“Ah, no!”
*Poppy!*