The Beast of the Howapan
"Mister?"
"Hurry! I'll buy us some time!"
As Slem’s voice rang out, followed by the sound of him drawing another arrow, the Taung lunged forward, maddened by pain. There was nothing but the blind, primal rage of a beast determined to turn the intruder who had violated its territory into its next meal. The confrontation between a grown man and a wild beast—it reminded Asdin of a memory from his past.
[Move!]
Urnil shouted again.
[Move, Asdin! Do you intend to make the same mistake again?]
The god’s cry awakened the boy’s frozen spirit.
"I can't do that!"
Slem groaned, not at Asdin’s sudden use of formal speech, but at the boy’s refusal to flee.
"Stop talking and run! Do you really think a kid like you can take on a Taung? You idiot!"
Slem fired an arrow, intending to create an opening for escape. But his expression quickly soured. The Taung had been standing on a slightly sloped terrain. In front of it lay flat ground, and a slight incline led to where the two of them stood.
Because the beast jumped to descend the slope, it inadvertently dodged the arrow.
The Taung’s face, charging straight at them, glistened with wild ferocity.
It wouldn't take even five seconds for it to reach them.
Firmo.
At that very moment, a handful of pale Essence surged through his body, and Asdin bolted forward. But his direction was not away from the Taung. He sprinted at a slight angle to the right, directly toward the charging beast. Slem let out a sound bordering on a scream at the sheer insanity of it.
"Are, are you out of your mind!"
"Shoot!"
Even as he shouted, Slem understood why Asdin had lunged out. If the boy hadn't moved, Slem would have become the Taung’s primary target. While he was decent with a bow, Slem lacked the skill to kill the charging beast in a single strike. While shocked by the boy’s audacity, Slem was simultaneously furious at Asdin for taking such a reckless risk.
But more than anything, he was angry at the fact that, had it not been for Asdin, he would have likely been in grave danger.
"Grawwwr-!"
Fortunately, the arrow Slem fired struck the Taung’s right ear. Just as the beast lunged for Asdin, the boy, who had been running at an angle, suddenly veered sharply to the right. It was a movement half a beat faster than the Taung could turn. Simultaneously, Asdin thrust his short sword with all his might.
The target was the Taung’s left hip.
It was the exact spot where Slem’s arrow was embedded.
As a second strike hit the wound that prevented the Taung from turning properly to the left, the beast let out a pained, howling cry and thrashed about.
"Ugh!"
"Asdin!"
Caught in the massive commotion, Asdin’s body was sent flying. Though his sword had been buried halfway, there was no way he could hold onto it.
Asdin tumbled across the ground, rolling away. Gasping for air, he managed to push himself up and looked at the Taung. Its eyes were stained with rage, pain, and hatred, glaring at the small enemy before it.
"Kwoooargh!"
With a final, death-throes-like roar, the Taung leaped into the air, swinging its front paw, which carried tons of kinetic energy.
A desperate strike, risking its very life. Asdin thought: It’s too late to dodge.
[Block! Raise your arms!]
Asdin instinctively raised both arms. And the moment the paw swung down, Essence flooded out from the Karmatio like a raging torrent. Overwhelmed by the sudden sensory shift in this extreme situation, Asdin squeezed his eyes shut, forgetting all the teachings he had received until now.
"No!"
Following Slem’s thunderous shout, a literal bolt of lightning pierced Asdin’s body from head to toe.
A sensation of his brain rattling. Along with the impact of being struck by a giant hammer, Akasa was sent flying to the side. All the strength drained from his body.
His body, rolling on the rough, frozen winter earth, ached mercilessly.
"Mis...ter... Run..."
Amidst the agonizing pain, that was all Asdin could manage to gasp out. As the world faded into a blur, he suddenly realized the bear’s roars had ceased.
Through his dizzy vision, Asdin tilted his head slightly to look down and felt as though he were clinging to the edge of a cliff. Below, he saw the trees of the forest standing against the void, and the Taung, which looked as if it had given up on rising.
And with the sight of Slem running frantically toward him across the cliff, Asdin lost consciousness.
Arotte considered herself a happy person.
She had known a good man for a long time, and they had promised to spend their lives together. There were no worries regarding their finances. Her husband was a diligent man, and she had a sharp, capable personality. Even without the wealth they lacked, they were people who were happy, envying no one.
That was why, when she discovered Huran while out at the market for groceries, she felt the same way.
"Huran. Let me ask you for a favor."
"Look, Trimik. Are you dumping your work on me again?"
Trimik, who worked as a postman in Mirvis, was sweating profusely as he pleaded. The two were old friends, but well—in Arotte’s view, their professional and personal lives were always clearly separated. In other words, it meant that for anything beyond their usual duties, a corresponding price was always paid. Arotte watched the scene with sparkling, curious eyes.
"I can't stay in this area right now. I have to deliver this letter to the Eastern 3rd Supply Zone by today, and if I waste time around here, I won't make it. Can't you help me out? You're the only one I can ask for this."
"For free?"
"I'll treat you next time."
"Can my wife come along too?"
Trimik stared at his old friend with an absurd expression.
"My friend. How much are you trying to squeeze out of someone in a similar situation..."
"Well, if you don't like it, forget it. Forget it."
"...You damn bastard."
At that, Huran burst into laughter and patted his friend’s shoulder. It was just like Huran to be so blunt in his demands, but he would eventually treat his friend just as much as he had received. That was the husband Arotte knew.
Confirming that Trimik had left, Arotte soon felt something was off. Huran’s expression was dark.
Did he think he had taken on a pointless job? Arotte was someone who found joy in bringing a smile to her husband’s face. Sneaking up behind Huran, she covered his eyes with her hands.
"Huh?"
"Guess who?"
Huran chuckled at the playfully altered voice and said,
"You shouldn't do this. I'm a married man."
"They say this among the people of Penbas: The hide of a Howapan Taung is the best in winter, but it can't compare to human body heat. Do you want to get very hot?"
"That’s exactly what I was hoping for."
At those words, Arotte let out a bright laugh and let go. Her husband, who had turned around, was beaming at her.
"What is it, did you come to shop?"
"Yes. That was Trimik just now, right?"
She asked, looking in the direction Trimik had departed. Huran nodded.
"You were watching?"
"I got lucky. I came to shop and even got to see my husband’s face. Are you on duty around here today?"
"That's right."
"Hmm. Then, while I'm shopping, would it be alright if a good citizen requested an escort?"
As Arotte laughed playfully and held out her hand, the empty basket hanging from her slender wrist dangled spiritedly. Huran’s eyes curved like crescent moons.
"Of course, my lady."
Huran naturally offered his arm. Arotte linked her arm with his, and the two strolled through the market, looking like a natural couple to anyone who saw them.
"But tell me."
Arotte asked suddenly while picking out some appetizing meat.
"Speak."
"Who are you sending that letter to?"
"It's a secret."
At Huran’s words, Arotte put on a deeply wounded wife’s expression.
"We've only been married for half a year, and already there are secrets... How could you?"
"Oh, wait. Is this really going that far?"
Arotte playfully changed her expression and said,
"Just kidding! Well, it’s your work, so you’ll handle it. I am curious who it is, but if it were something you could tell me, you would have already, right? Good luck with the task. I’ll be preparing a delicious dinner."
Huran nodded, thinking there would never be a woman as lovely and wise as his wife.
"Yeah. I'll try to make sure I can get home early today."
"...So that’s how you ended up coming here."
"Yes, that is correct."
Huran nodded at the words of the person before him. Seeing Huran’s reaction, the man leaned back against the sofa and closed his eyes neatly.
"You must have been quite surprised to meet your wife."
"Not at all. Thanks to your consideration, Ondalan, I was able to receive the letter without any issues."
"I did almost nothing. Rather, you should be grateful for the goodwill you’ve built up over the years."
"Oh! No, not at all."
At Ondalan’s words, Huran shook his head as if it were preposterous. Until now, Huran had thought he belonged to a rather unique case. Otherwise, high-ranking officials wouldn't have entrusted him with secret matters. However, when he learned that a friend he had known well was a 'worker' for the opposing faction, Huran thought he might not be so special after all.
"Far from being a double agent, if you hadn't had your connections, Ondalan, it would have been impossible to deliver a letter like this through Trimik, who belongs to the post office."
"Enough with the flattery. I’d rather see what you brought."
"Ah, yes!"
Huran fumbled and handed over the letter he had been carrying. It was the first letter Arnat, who had been out of contact for a long time, had sent to the Gravekeeper. The anticipation Ondalan held was significant.
"It is a letter from your younger brother."
Ondalan broke the seal of the letter he received from Huran and unfolded the contents. Ondalan’s gaze, as he read through the letter, seemed to pierce the sentences sharply.
After a few minutes passed, Ondalan slowly put the letter down and sighed. Huran asked in a worried tone,
"Um, is there a problem?"
"Ah, it was about why the contact was so late. It seems he visited most of the branch offices he could stop by on his way to the Hesno family. It seems that’s why he was delayed."
Huran, who had been silent for a moment, said as if he had realized something.
"Then, that means the young prince is still safe?"
"That’s right. I don't know where or how he is alive, but he says that because of that, his search will likely be prolonged. To make matters worse, it seems the lord of the Hesno family has also developed an incurable disease."
Huran’s eyes went wide as he asked,
"An incurable disease?"
"Do you know of 'Crystallization'?"
Huran tilted his head and said,
"I don't know the details, but I know it as a disease that practitioners contract. But, by any chance, has the lord of the Hesno family contracted that disease?"
"It seems so."
"But Ondalan. What exactly is that disease? I’m quite ignorant in such matters..."
"Crystallization is a disease that all living things unfortunately suffer from since Essence spread throughout the world. To be precise, it is when a crystallized core takes root inside the body."
Huran asked with a puzzled face.
"A crystallized core? That’s a bit hard to understand."
"Hmm. If you’ve ever had a corn or a wart, it’ll be easy to understand. Isn't it quite painful just to have waste that should be excreted accumulate excessively?"
"That is true."
"But with Crystallization, there is a crystallized stone inside the body. Can you imagine how painful that would be?"
Huran tried to imagine it. However, it was difficult to even fathom, so he thought of something else related to it instead.
"Um, but now that you mention it, a fact comes to mind..."
Huran cautiously expressed his doubt. Ondalan nodded.
"Speak."
"I apologize. I was wondering if this analogy might be too crude. They say it’s an incurable disease when Crystallization occurs in a human body, but don't the beasts commonly called Magic Beasts have such cores inside their bodies? Then, is the high aggression of those Magic Beasts also related to Crystallization?"
"Yes. Their bodies were strengthened by excessively gathered Essence, but they became ferocious because of that pain. However, unlike humans, a Magic Beast’s ferocity leads to an intensification of their wild nature, so they have no choice but to be killed. That is why there are Returning-Essence Priests at each temple."
Huran gasped in admiration. Ondalan occasionally unraveled the secrets of the world he didn't know in this way.
Suddenly realizing that the conversation had strayed too far, Ondalan decided to return to the original topic of their discussion.
