Chapter 31 - The Mountain Lord Descends #2
The Mountain Lord Descends #2
Translator : Elizabeth
The Mountain Lord descends!
Along the winding road shrouded in fog, treading on rotten leaves, the Mountain Lord descends.
Do not look at hideous things, look only at fine and pretty things.
Child, is this truly the house you were looking for? The place you wandered possessed by goblin fire, is it truly the house, the house you were looking for, child?
Go out quickly. Before the Mountain Lord descends, go out quickly.
.. ... ....
The Mountain Lord has descended! The Mountain Lord has descended!
When the golden eye-light treads on your shadow, the tears you shed, child, wet the mountains and streams.
Return to your family's embrace! Run with bare feet at the sound of your mother calling and be embraced in her arms.
There, the Mountain Lord will be. Kkeul kkeul kkeul... (Laughing sound)
Swoosh...
Wind blown from somewhere sweeps my legs.
Where did the pajamas I was wearing last go.
"Heuh..."
Returning to the very beginning, I was wearing a negligee of thin area with fluttering hem.
'Dream.'
Since I was already aware, I knew.
"...."
With blank eyes, rather than the scenery of the changed forest—
I looked back at the Daycare of the form I knew.
A building of familiar appearance in the middle of the forest where blurred fog is laid.
However, in the internal space where warm light always dwelt, only pale dead silence remained.
An empty building where neither Director nor vitality exists.
That observation digs into the heart stingingly for no reason.
"Director... is not here...?"
After that I went in front of the Daycare and called 'Director! Directoooor!', but—
As if telling me this space is really not the place I knew, only heavy silence returned.
"If it's not the same, why bother putting it here then."
Very bad quality Anomaly, this.
With such thoughts, only then did I take my eyes off the Daycare and look at the forest caught in fog.
Let's see... No Ung-ae doll, no Director, no phone, and the pajamas I was wearing changed to the negligee I wore at the very beginning.
"Nothing remains, this."
So what are they telling me to do.
Intent is too blatant, isn't it.
"...Haa."
Openly wanting me to enter the foggy forest, I should go.
According to information, they didn't drive victims to death from the beginning, so for now I decided to act full of confidence at first.
"Hmm, hmm."
Putting the tone the Director uses often in my mouth, along with the texture of grass brushing my ankles, I headed inside the forest.
Swoosh...
"Heuh."
Cold as expected.
Maybe because I'm wearing nothing much, cold wind touches bare skin directly...!
Trembling shoulders brr, I moved forward recklessly, continuously forward.
Smell of damp wood, and even humid air.
The longer I wander the forest, losing sense of direction is of course—seems like fog permeates into my head too mak, ugh...
Rustle.
"Hot."
In the midst of that, suddenly at the presence heard nearby, I lifted my head and looked at the source of the sound.
"Hing..."
"...."
What revealed itself like that was.
"Daddy, daddy... Hiiing."
Appearance of a very tiny little girl looking younger than me.
"You are..."
"Si, Sister.... Have you perhaps seen my daddy...?"
Asking with such tear-soaked voice, seemed like the situation became more confusing.
'Wait.'
This is a dream world.
If the purpose of the Anomaly is to call out victims and make them wander the forest, as expected it's natural there are other victims besides me.
So, this girl too...
"Kid. How did you come here?"
"Kid...?"
The gaze of the girl saying so heads to the vicinity of the top of my head.
This, measuring combat power in that short moment...?!
I have strength enough to protect my body in my own way though...?!
'...Or not?'
"Was going to play with daddy, but fell asleep in the car for a moment and became like this... Hing."
"I see."
I don't need to approach the girl and lower my body willingly... at all.
Yep, I am short indeed.
"...?"
"Then this sis... no, shall we go find daddy with me?"
"...Ung."
Whether benefiting from beauty, the child began to depend on me holding my hand soon.
"Hihi."
"By any chance, where is the place you separated with daddy last?"
"Uh... Over there. Told me to stay here for a moment so I dozed off a bit, under the tree. Then..."
Child's face becoming gloomy again in an instant.
I decided to go find daddy together patting that small head tok tok like our Director used to do for me.
Splatter, splatter.
"Heu-eh?"
But something damp came out so I looked, crimson blood was on my hand profusely.
'Ah.'
Not my blood.
It was very fresh blood that came out while stroking this child's head just now.
"Sister...? Why are you doing that...?"
"N, No."
I almost jumped momentarily, but endured grabbing my mind barely.
I am also a specialist in this field in my own way now...!
"Dust was attached, yep yep."
"Ah...!"
Whether believing my words straight, the child nodded again and looked forward.
'The kid's back of the head.'
Couldn't see well because of the angle until now, but the child's back of the head was caved in as if having suffered some big accident.
Brain fluid and blood flowing jil-jil through there is a bonus.
So, if I predict with my head.
Didn't seem like the category of victim kidnapped 'alive' as the Mod said in the gallery message before.
Did she die after coming here, or arrive already dead.
"...."
Either way heart is not good.
A child looking younger than me, wandering finding her dad without even resting properly like this.
'Pitiful.'
Feeling such heart, the emotion that heart sank thump like earlier calmed down a little.
Rustle.
"Ah, daddy told me to wait over there..."
Walking the forest soon, we discovered one huge tree.
"Wow..."
"Hu, Huge right."
"Indeed."
As if being the boss of trees in this vicinity, a huge tree occupying space widely alone.
And between such tree trunk and branches, gold ropes with five-colored papers hanging were wound dizzyingly.
That appearance seemed like a form likely to be seen at some shaman's house.
"Keep, kept feeling scary too, so went to where daddy went..."
"I see."
In a forest foggy like this, rather high probability of losing sense of direction and going to a completely different direction.
Probably so got lost in the middle and met me.
"...."
Mm... Not easy to grab direction and move forward here particularly.
Doesn't feel like guiding us somewhere right now, and the Anomaly wants us to wander in the forest endlessly.
'For now seems better to stay still here.'
My gaze headed to that huge shaman house tree again.
Tree felt somewhat jjing (tingling/resonant) since earlier.
Ominous feeling is inevitable, but still if it's an object huge like this in the forest, others might discover and come find it.
"First, shall we wait here with sister? Since real daddy might come again."
"Ung... Yes."
Whether the child became somewhat stable since I am together, sat down quietly taking a seat next to me.
Trying hard not to look at that back of the head as much as possible, I shared this and that conversation to resolve the child's anxiety.
"Come to think of it... We don't know each other's names, right? What is your name?"
"Me... Yeon-seo."
"Surname?"
"Geum..."
"Geum Yeon-seo, pretty name."
"Hehe... What about sister?"
"Uh..."
Speech blocked tuk from the beginning, this.
Little Lamb?
Lamb? Say this as is? No, absolutely not.
Face feels burning just by imagining.
Yang (Sheep/Lamb), Yang, Yang... Ah.
"Can you just call me Yang Unnie?"
"Yang, Unnie...?"
"Ung. That's enough."
"Yees."
Since there are many Yang surnames in Korea, yeah.
Not lying either, if this much.
Shared a few more conversations again like that.
Where home is, what she likes, and what favorite food is, etc...
We two became close soon.
Is it because she is a child so opens heart quickly to pretty person, cool person?
Bit iffy to say with my own mouth, but every time looking in the mirror I get surprised not once or twice so...
'Have to enjoy what I can.'
Since appearance changed anyway, how good if utilized even like this.
「▶ You have succeeded in becoming close with the corresponding entity utilizing aptitude experience in Sunshine Daycare.」
'You admit too right?'
「▶ However, the corresponding entity cannot be with you. The entity is currently in a state encroached by this Anomaly.」
Encroached.
Does it mean wandering here forever.
'Is there no way to help...?'
Young kid unable to return and trapped here forever, too pitiful.
Rustle.
Like that, when spending time for a moment.
"Ah."
"Hi, hic."
Giving embrace to the child digging into my side, Yeon-seo—
Concentrated on presence heard from the forest suddenly.
'Fog became thicker than earlier.'
Whether having a nature of getting thicker as time passes, it was noticeable that forest fog became thicker around us before we knew it.
And.
Rustle...
Presence of someone heard through there.
"Wh, Who are you?"
When I asked giving strength to voice, presence gets closer to us—one more time.
What revealed itself like that was.
Swoosh...
'Ah.'
Something of huge form revealing appearance vaguely beyond fog.
"Ti, Tiger..."
"Have you seen it?"
"Yes, yees... Saw it once from afar. Sc, Scary..."
Calming down trembling Yeon-seo, continue to watch beyond fog.
Facing for the first time earlier, the shadow of the huge beast does not reveal appearance anymore.
As if enjoying our appearance trembling in fear slowly.
Pressuring us gradually while wandering quietly beyond fog continuously.
"Ah?"
Crunch.
Suddenly, sound of someone stepping on grass was heard.
Crunch, crunch.
Soon a man's shape approached from inside the fog.
"D, Daddy...!"
Yeon-seo reacted.
The man is full of dust, but looked much better in condition than Yeon-seo with painful back of the head.
"Yeon-seo-ya!"
When the person seeming to be Yeon-seo's father called that name, Yeon-seo tried to run to that dad rejoicing.
"No."
"Why, why...?"
However I glared at the approaching man snatching that tender wrist.
"Yeon-seo-ya? Who is that person?"
"Who are you?"
"Daddy, daddy...!"
Looking at the man looking as if not knowing the reason, get more conviction.
"Mountain Lord-nim."
"....."
Ordinary middle-aged man.
Existence having the appearance of ordinary child's father, in ordinary outfit, ordinary physique.
Grinned hijoog only then.
"Caught me?"