Chapter 209: Witch Heluram’s Legacy (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 209: Witch Heluram’s Legacy (5)
From that point on, Jin and the monster moved through the forest together, trying to extinguish the flames.
However, suppressing a fire that had already been raging for two days was practically impossible. There were clear limits to what magic could accomplish, just as there were limits to cutting firebreaks with a sword to halt the blaze’s spread.
Unless it rained, getting the fire under control was a hopeless task. In fact, Jin doubted even a downpour could subdue a fire of this magnitude.
To make matters worse, a powerful wind began to howl the moment they stopped their duel to save the forest, as if it had been waiting for them.
The sun rose, the moon rose, the moon set, and the sun rose once more.
For an entire day, they wandered the forest like madmen, battling the inferno. For Jin, this meant he had been locked in a life-or-death struggle for over three days, and his physical strength was finally reaching its limit.
The monster seemed to have given up early on. Its ears drooped as it let out nothing but weak, pitiful cries. Driven by a strange sense of guilt, Jin pushed himself to the very end.
I don’t even know what I’m doing anymore…
The thought crossed his mind.
This monster had simply been living its days in peace on this toxic land. He, on the other hand, had invaded its territory, tormented it, and was now trying to suppress the very fire he had started.
What was he supposed to gain from any of this?
His conscience felt heavy, weighed down by an apology he couldn't properly express to the ‘monster.’ Jin found it difficult to grasp the intentions behind the test Cyron and Vanessa had given him.
Father must have known this creature is immortal. It seems the test was designed for me to either lose or be forced to flee after fighting endlessly. Is there something I’m missing?
At the very least, he hadn't missed its ‘immortality.’ Unless the curse was lifted, there was no way to kill the monster, no matter what he did.
“Sigh…”
While he was lost in thought, the fire finally finished devouring almost the entire Thorn Forest.
Crackle, pop, sizzle…
Over ninety percent of the forest had been reduced to cinders.
Jin and the monster sat before the few thorn trees they had managed to save, listening to the hollow sound of distant embers burning themselves out.
The wide-open land felt desolate. As ashes fluttered in the intermittent wind, charred, rounded boulders stood indifferently across the landscape.
[Miyaaa...]
The monster, having slumped to the ground, let out a low, mournful cry.
“I’m sorry.”
There wasn’t much else to say. He had barged in out of nowhere and destroyed its home. Even if his opponent was a monster, he couldn't help but feel apologetic.
He felt as if his body would crumble from sheer exhaustion.
A battle that lasted over forty hours, followed by more than twenty-four hours of firefighting—even with the blessed physique of a Runcandel, no one could endure that without consequence.
[Mya.]
The monster suddenly turned its head, baring its sharp fangs.
It didn’t look like it was about to attack, however. It seemed just as exhausted, eventually dropping its head with a long sigh.
Jin approached the monster.
He then reached out and patted its side. He had no idea how to comfort it, and saying sorry again would just feel empty. Nothing else came to mind.
“I came here because I received a test from my father. From my position, I couldn’t refuse. That’s why I ended up fighting you.”
At those words, the monster unsheathed its claws.
But instead of attacking Jin, it began to draw something on the ground. Scratch, scratch. Its large claws moved with surprising delicacy. It drew five people.
Damn, it’s actually good.
One man in light clothing holding a sword, and four knights clad in black armor.
It was Cyron and the former Black Knights. Since the unarmored Cyron was drawn largest in the center, he was easy to recognize.
“…Are you asking which one is my father?”
[Mya.]
“The one in the middle.”
[Myaak!]
The monster nodded, its body trembling. It seemed that merely thinking of Cyron filled it with immense dread.
“Did my father hurt you?”
[Myak, myak.]
The monster nodded again.
“I can imagine. Father cut you down, but you couldn’t die and survived, didn't you?”
[Mya.]
“…It’s a terrible curse. Even worse than the one I endured.”
He couldn’t even imagine it. What it must feel like to be struck by the sword of Cyron—a man who had reached the realm of total ‘disintegration’—and yet be unable to die.
Immortality was hardly a blessing, especially if one was abandoned alone in a dreadful place like the Thorn Forest.
“I don’t know what your master was thinking, placing such a curse on you. Witch Heluram… did that woman really abandon you?”
[Mya...]
The monster didn’t seem to want to answer. At this point, Jin began to doubt if this creature was truly a ‘monster.’ It felt much closer to a sentient pet.
“Fine, let’s move past that. Why haven’t you tried to leave this place? Did my father forbid it?”
[Mya-mya.]
The monster conveyed that he hadn't, but the reality was more complicated.
When it first settled in the Thorn Forest, the monster didn't know it had been cursed. It didn't even realize it had been abandoned by Heluram.
And so, for a hundred years, it waited for a master who would never return. Only then did the monster realize that Heluram was gone for good and that it was afflicted with the curse of immortality.
From then on, its days became a series of meaningless repetitions. Paralyzed by the loss of being abandoned, it never considered leaving the forest. It simply hid itself away, intoxicated by the familiarity of the woods.
Nearly a thousand years passed in that manner before Cyron and the former Black Knights found the monster.
As soon as they realized it was immortal, they began an investigation, eventually discovering that it had been Heluram’s beloved cat.
It was around that time that the monster first felt a desire to leave this land. The mere thought of the overwhelming power of the human named Cyron weighed down its entire body with a fear worse than death.
However, escaping from Cyron was impossible. Whenever it tried to stray even slightly from the Black Sea, he would invariably appear.
Every time, Cyron said the same thing.
—One day, my child will come to become your new master. Wait until then.
The monster could not disobey that command. Cyron’s low, quiet voice was more terrifying than its former master Heluram’s enraged screams.
None of this could be expressed through cries or drawings on the ground. Thus, the monster simply replied with a “Mya-mya,” meaning yes.
“Hmm… so you couldn’t leave the forest because of my father’s orders. In that case, I think it might be okay for you to come out with me.”
[Mya?]
“He said there would be a reward if I defeated you. I think that means the right to take you with me.”
The monster blinked its large eyes for a long moment.
But you're a son, not a daughter, its expression seemed to say, but Jin didn't understand the nuance.
“I’m not lying.”
[Miyaaaa.]
“The forest is all burnt down anyway, so you have nowhere to go. It’s my fault, so I’ll find you a new home once we’re out. This place is too toxic to bring people in to restore it.”
[Miya!]
There is one!
“Where? Oh, wait, that cave from earlier?”
While fighting the fire, Jin had discovered a cave in the deepest part of the Thorn Forest. It was the monster’s home.
The monster stood up abruptly and began to stride toward it.
“How are you going to live there alone? You may be immortal, but don’t you feel hunger? That’s why you were eating the thorn trees. Is there even any prey nearby?”
He was genuinely worried. Because of Cyron’s influence, no other monsters approached this forest.
The monster didn't answer and continued toward the cave. Left with no choice, Jin followed.
Upon arriving at the cave, Jin discovered an unfamiliar object. A single bottle of liquor sat in the deepest part of the cave. The bottle stood perfectly upright, as if someone had just placed it there.
It was an item the monster had never seen before; it hadn't been there yesterday.
A bottle of liquor?
Jin and the monster looked back and forth between each other and the bottle.
“Why do you look like you don’t know what it is, either?”
[Myaaa.]
The moment Jin approached and picked up the bottle, his eyes widened at the writing on the back.
(King’s Liquor – Cyron Runcandel)
“Ha… Looks like Father left this here. Look, his name is on it. Ah, can you not read?”
King’s Liquor.
Jin had heard stories about this mysterious alcohol a few times. It was a liquor brewed by the descendants of the fairy race for special people on special occasions.
When consumed, the story its owner wished to convey would spread through the mind like a song. It was named King’s Liquor because it was said to produce an incredibly exquisite melody.
He must have had something he wanted to tell me.
Pop.
Without hesitation, he opened the cap. Then, using the cap as a cup, he filled it to the brim and downed the drink.
After three capfuls, the song began. The beautiful voices of the fairy descendants who brewed the liquor echoed in Jin’s ears.
A beast for Cyron Runcandel’s first daughter, Luna Runcandel…
A beast for Cyron Runcandel’s first daughter, Luna Runcandel…
As the song began, glimpses of Cyron’s past surfaced in his mind. It was a sensation similar to when he had received the tooth of the 5th Fighting King, Boras, though not quite as vivid.
The song was so perfect that the scenes it described manifested naturally in his imagination.
The first thing he saw was a younger Cyron visiting the descendants of the fairy race to commission the liquor. Cyron wore a constant smile as he explained something to them. It appeared to be shortly after he had found the monster, and the Black Knights standing beside him were chatting among themselves about how much Luna would love it.
He had a certain gentleness to him, unlike the man he was today.
One might even say he looked no different from an ordinary father who loved his child. To Jin, that image was more interesting than the song’s lyrics.
I see. He left this fellow behind for Sister Luna and brewed the King’s Liquor…
Originally, Luna was supposed to drink this King’s Liquor, not Jin.
While listening to the melody, Jin could truly feel how much Cyron had cherished Luna. It was only natural, as the entire song spoke of the affection and expectations Cyron held for her.
However, in the middle of the beautiful melody, the song suddenly cut off.
The scene in his mind shifted from the young Cyron to the Cyron of the present. He spoke with a solemn expression.
—Follow Jin.
He was speaking to the monster.
After becoming certain that the ‘map’ would pass to Jin, Cyron had taken the King’s Liquor he had brewed for Luna and sought out the descendants of the fairy race once more.
He had asked them to add a single new line to the song held within the King’s Liquor.
Follow Jin. The fairy descendants were now chanting the added lyric that Cyron himself had not spoken.
Lost in thought for a moment, Jin refilled the cap.
“You drink some, too.”
As the monster carefully touched its tongue to the liquid, the same song Jin had heard began to spread through its mind as well.