Chapter 590: The Night Parade of a Hundred Demons
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 590: The Night Parade of a Hundred Demons
A demand to jump, sent by a stranger via an owl. It wasn't exactly trustworthy, but I had no reason not to. No matter how we were treated, Shei and I were still under arrest. To break out of this situation, a little jump was a risk worth taking.
“What do you think, Shei-ssi? We got a note like this.”
“Let’s go,” Shei answered immediately.
“Nevida won’t kill you even if we escape. So it’s worth a shot. It’s also a good chance to find out who our allies and enemies are here.”
“But you could die, Shei-ssi.”
“Hughes. It’s okay if I die. I’m a Regressor.”
That’s exactly why you can’t die. The world will just reset.
“That’s a little hard to understand.”
“It’s fine. Just… don’t worry too much about my death. I’ll try to live, but if I can gain something even by dying, that’s enough.”
With that, Shei walked straight toward the owl. Then, realizing his arm still wouldn’t move, he made a demand of me.
“…Hold me.”
“How should I hold you?”
“What are you asking for! Just hold me however you want!”
“No, I mean I have to hold onto the owl, so I don’t have a free hand to hold you…”
When you don’t have hands, you use tools. I wove some vines together to make a makeshift carrier. After tying Shei securely to my body, I approached the owl. The owl, seemingly not expecting two people, widened its eyes and hooted.
“Hold on tight so you don’t fall.”
The moment I grabbed the owl’s legs while hanging from the windowsill, it spread its wings as if it had been waiting and leaped into the air. For a second, my body was yanked taut. I wondered if it could handle the weight, but the owl didn’t struggle against me and instead picked up speed, steadying its flight.
Whoosh. The wind rushing past my face grew stronger. It felt like invisible feathers were flying by, tearing at my body.
We seemed to have fallen quite a distance, but our speed wasn’t decreasing. Feeling a little nervous, I looked at the owl, but it didn’t seem like it was going to make any effort to resolve the situation.
“This isn’t flying, it’s falling! Was this an invitation to commit suicide?”
“…Hughes. See you in the next timeline.”
“You’re giving up on life already?!”
Should I seriously brace for impact? I was anxiously looking around when something shot past the owl from out of my line of sight. Then, it began to slowly approach from behind, matching our speed.
“It’s an owl.”
Shei muttered.
The owl that had drawn close flanked me on both sides, as if by prior arrangement. Then, in unison, they grabbed my shoulders and arms. One might not have been enough, but with three of them, I felt my body begin to lift.
The wind gradually died down, and the ground grew sufficiently close. The owls tilted upward, setting us down gently.
“Whew. Wheee-.”
A short whistle sounded. The owls spread their wings and flew toward the source of the sound.
A group of people with cloth wrapped around their arms welcomed the owls. The birds landed lightly on the fabric, affectionately rubbing their heads against the people and receiving pieces of meat.
While I was setting Shei down, a girl with an owl on her shoulder approached. Her long hair was tied up with an ornamental hairpin, and dyed cloth was wrapped around her shoulders and arms. Though her attire was more practical than decorative, it couldn't hide her simple elegance.
The girl raised her arm to her face while staring intently at me. Bowing her head in a unique form of greeting, she spoke in an archaic manner.
“It is most regrettable to meet you, O King of Humans.”
“Regrettable? That’s not something you say to someone you’ve just met. Though I appreciate the honesty.”
I showed her the note I’d taken from the owl’s leg and asked, “Did you write this?”
“It is so. Time is of the essence, so let us depart for now.”
“Wait a minute. I need to know who you people are. I can’t just trust and follow you without knowing anything.”
“As a compromise, then, I shall explain as we go. I will answer faithfully, so if you are not satisfied, you may jump off.”
She was straightforward. In the end, things went their way, but it was true that we needed to get out of there as quickly as possible.
“Well, as long as you answer my questions.”
“Your companion should remain in your arms. It would be better to remain in a familiar embrace.”
“It’s not exactly familiar…”
Shei grumbled but got back into position. Soon, a man with branches like horns on his head brought over a large deer. The great-horned deer with gray fur had a saddle on its back.
“Is it a familiar?”
“It is a tamed beast. A gentle one. As long as you do not pull its fur, you will not fall.”
As I mounted the deer, it set off without any particular command. I thought its large antlers would get in the way, but they instead broke branches and pushed aside leaves as we moved forward.
As we ran, the girl with the owl on her shoulder caught up to my side.
“Speak if you have questions.”
Alright, let’s see. What should I ask? First, I’ll size her up with mind-reading, then figure out what question to ask to justify it.
“Nenyaphh, the Watcher. Nevida’s disciple. And a druid of the fallen nation of Manguo, the keeper of the Forest of Knowledge. Am I right?”
Just then, Shei spoke up. It seemed to be one of those one-sided acquaintanceships unique to Regressors. I had a rough idea of what that felt like, but for the sake of a reaction, I lowered my voice and whispered.
“What was that? Did you know that from a regression, too?”
“Yeah. She made a brief appearance every time I fought Nevida.”
A flicker of agitation crossed Nenyaphh’s mind, as if she hadn’t expected me to know her identity right away.
“…There is no reason you should know of us. The gods themselves would be surprised. I intended to answer your questions, yet I find myself in a position to ask them instead.”
“Well, it’s good for us to have questions about each other. But first, an introduction… which Shei-ssi has already provided. What is your purpose for taking us?”
“It is to protect you from Nevida’s grasp.”
“No, not the process. I’m not asking what you’ll do with us, but what your intentions are, what you hope to achieve by helping us escape.”
Like any secret organization, Nenyaphh was hiding parts of her plan. However, thanks to Shei seeing through her identity, she revealed some of her intentions.
“A druid’s purpose is ever singular. To care for the World Tree and ensure all things move according to the natural order. To prevent the sins of the past from being repeated, we have been watching over the Tree of Corruption, preparing for that day.”
“Sins? Ah, is that what the Great Witch told me about?”
At that, Nenyaphh reacted. She recalled the Great Witch with a mix of faint longing, a hint of guilt, and considerable resentment as she asked.
“Did the princess speak of this? What did she say?”
“She said the druids burned the World Tree, and that she could never forgive them.”
“…Is that what she said.”
Nenyaphh muttered bitterly, the same emotions still lingering. Then, suddenly sensing a presence, she raised her head and scanned her surroundings.
Kyaaaaaaah—.
The wind does not easily penetrate a dense jungle. Even a fierce typhoon shatters against the ancient trees and countless leaves that have stood for hundreds of years, scattering into a single breeze.
But now, an unknown wind was blowing from the Tree of Genesis.
It was as if the World Tree’s exhale was spreading throughout the jungle. A damp, ominous air pressed in from behind.
As the strange energy washed over us, the deer panicked and bucked its hind legs. While our procession fell into disarray, Nenyaphh swung her arm forcefully, sending her owl into the air.
“…It is the princess.”
“You mean the Great Witch?”
“It is so. The child who was brighter and wiser than any other now lets her body be consumed by rage, singing a song of revenge.”
From between the trees, dozens, hundreds of beasts came running. The sight of them, consumed by fury as they charged through the night, was truly like the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons. Dozens of pairs of eyes glinted as they turned toward us.
Amidst the chaos, the voice of an unfamiliar parrot rang out.
[You bastards…! How dare you kill Polly?! I’ll tear you to shreds!]
“Looks like she’s mad because your owl killed her parrot.”
“If she truly cherished beasts, she should not have shared her cursed blood to make them familiars. That parrot was a beast that should have died decades ago. The owl was merely following the natural order.”
“Hey, your owl was the one that killed it.”
Natural order or not, anyone would be angry if their familiar was killed. How shameless of her.
Despite being surrounded by beasts, Nenyaphh calmly drew a bow. It looked like it had been hastily made from a nearby branch. Even atop the deer, Nenyaphh stood as still as an ancient tree and drew the bowstring.
“Duck.”
I grabbed Shei and quickly lowered my head.
Ping. Nenyaphh loosed an arrow. It flew in a near-straight line and embedded itself in the neck of a beast running in the distance. The four-legged shadow lost its balance, fell to the ground, and tumbled several times.
The destructive power to pierce tough hide. This was the archery of the druids, who adjusted the elasticity of the wood to shoot.
Taking Nenyaphh’s attack as a signal, the other druids fired in unison.
“Fire!”
Arrows rained down like a torrential downpour. The druids, displaying incredible focus even while on deerback, accurately struck the beasts’ vital points. The fallen animals rolled and blocked the paths of others. It was marksmanship befitting forest keepers.
However, most of the beasts hit by arrows immediately got back up and charged again. The druids were visibly flustered by their relentless advance.
“Forest Keeper, they are not falling!”
“They hold a strange power! This must be!”
Nenyaphh muttered as she selected another arrow.
“The princess’s children…”
[Nenyaphhhhhh!]
A massive bird of prey appeared before me as I ran through the darkness, flapping its wings. It was a golden eagle, its wings vast enough to cover the world, its beak hooked like a talon. The raptor, which should have been looking down on the earth as the ruler of the sky, was glaring with wide eyes at me… and at Nenyaphh.
In its talons, it clutched a dead owl.
Nenyaphh offered a brief moment of mourning for her owl before speaking.
“Princess, have you been well?”
A parrot landed on the golden eagle’s back. This one, with different feathers from Ferro, shrieked in a rage.
[With what face do you come here!]
“I have come to escort the King of Humans. Please let us pass.”
[Ha! Did you truly think you could show your face before me and leave unscathed!]
The deer, which had already been slowing down, finally came to a halt. It wasn't just out of fear. It was because it could go no further.
The Great Witch’s familiars slowly revealed themselves before us. A pack of predators with sharp teeth and claws had finally overtaken and blocked our path.
We wouldn’t stand a chance against real predators, let alone these, the familiars and retainers of the Great Witch. Her own limbs, created in place of a bloodline by the Great Witch who had received the Progenitor’s blood. Even a druid couldn’t guarantee victory.
But Nenyaphh dismounted the deer nonchalantly and greeted the parrot.
“Princess, do you intend to repeat the events of that day?”
[What? How dare you speak of that day? You, who betrayed me and abandoned our country?]
“I may have betrayed the country, but I did not forsake the laws of heaven. And you, Princess… in the end, were you not unable to forsake them either, and did you not help us?”
‘Helped them? The Great Witch helped the druids?’
Nenyaphh was at ease, even in the middle of the Night Parade. Druids, who lived in harmony with nature, tended to be that way, flowing with the river and the water, but Nenyaphh’s confidence was different. It was as if she knew someone’s weakness.
Nenyaphh glanced at me and began to speak.
“It seems the princess told the King of Humans only one thing and hid the rest.”
[What more is needed? You burned the World Tree, destroyed my country, and killed my mother!]
“…Did she not tell you why we burned the World Tree? Why the many tribes of Manguo rose in rebellion? What sins the previous king… committed? Did she say nothing of that?”
[That was not a sin! No such sin exists anywhere in this world! And you, of all people! You who served the state! You have no right to judge the actions of the Muhu!]
“My former position has nothing to do with it. Nor does the fact that I am a druid. As a human being, to protect my dignity from being defiled, I had no choice but to oppose the previous king.”
Leopards, hyenas, jaguars, parrots, hawks, owls, cats, squirrels. Dozens of different kinds of animals stared this way as if mesmerized. Showing no fear or caution despite their predators being nearby, Nenyaphh continued.
“You know, do you not? You saw it with your own eyes. Is that not why, Princess, you can no longer face humans directly?”
[You, you…!]
While the parrot gaped, unable to form words, Nenyaphh turned to me.
“O King of Humans. Do you know how the beastkin came to be?”
Suddenly addressed, I answered.
“Yes. I was told Agartha gave birth to them after having relations with the Beast King.”
“The Muhu have passed down the power of the sovereign for generations. It is a power to connect with humans… The Muhu, who could charm all, was also able to communicate deeply with the Beast King, who took a human form. With that power, the previous king conceived the children of not humans, but other beasts.”
I’d heard it in Ende, and I learned more here. I’d also figured some of it out while reading the Great Witch’s mind. Honestly, it was shocking and bewildering, but I mostly just thought of it as a rather strange taste. It’s common for powerful people who enjoy many luxuries to become eccentric in their search for stimulation.
“Had it been only that, it would not have gone against the natural order.”
But Nenyaphh wasn’t speaking to me. She was merely using the pretense of talking to me to dig at the Great Witch’s painful memories.
“The one who gives birth is but a single person. Over generations, the Muhu gave birth to a few beastkin, but that number is like a mutation that appears and disappears. They either fail to survive or vanish as they mix with other humans. Perhaps they could have formed a small tribe at most.”
There were some beastkin, like the Centaurs who clung to the Progenitor to preserve their species, who barely managed to survive. It’s impossible to know if any beastkin bloodlines have died out completely.
But unlike them, some beastkin thrived.
Far too much.
“However, that was not the Muhu’s will. The Muhu intended for the beastkin… to form an entire race. To become the king of the beastkin.”
The number of beastkin is large. They are becoming not just a tribe or a race, but a new branch of humanity. It’s a number that defies common sense. Their population didn’t grow over thousands of years, nor do they bear large litters at once like real animals. There are far too many to have originated from a single human.
“The meat fruit, which the princess created with good intentions. A discovery to feed the hungry masses. The Muhu stole the essence of the World Tree and, on the fruit of that Tree of Corruption… bore humans as its fruit.”