Chapter 301: Octopus
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 301: Octopus
“I remembered what I forgot to tell that girl last night.”
“What?”
“An Overlord-class magical beast was following us from a distance all day yesterday. I originally intended to tell her to keep an eye out.”
“...”
Muen was speechless. “You can even forget something like that? Give me back the praise I just gave you.”
“Did you ever praise me, you brat?!”
Pink Bear shot Muen a fierce glare and said, “Besides, an Overlord-class magical beast is a trivial matter. It’s the kind of thing I could take out with one swing of my club.”
“It’s a trivial matter to you, but...”
“It’s... it’s okay...”
Muen felt a tug on his sleeve again. Liya let out a visible sigh of relief and said softly, “If it’s just one Overlord-class magical beast, Ariel will be fine. At the very least, she can run.”
“...True.”
This was Ariel, after all. She wouldn't be taken down that easily.
Muen reconsidered and said, “Just to be safe, let’s go meet up with her. I’m worried that if she’s delayed, it might not be because of a magical beast, but something else...”
“Kid...”
Before Muen could finish, Pink Bear rolled his eyes at him.
“Do you really look down on me that much?”
“...Do I?”
“Hmph.”
Pink Bear gave a cold snort. “There’s no need to go looking for her. If there really is danger, wouldn't you just be throwing your life away? I left something on each of you. I’ll know just by checking.”
“Eh? You did? How come I didn't know?”
“If you could sense it, I would have lived two generations longer than you for nothing.”
With that, Pink Bear sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.
The surroundings fell silent, save for the sound of a light breeze rustling through the woods.
And then.
Splash.
Splash.
It sounded like flowing water.
But judging by the sound, this flowing liquid was extremely viscous.
It didn't sound like water.
It sounded more like...
Blood.
“Found her,” Pink Bear said suddenly.
“How is she?”
“As expected, the girl is facing off against that Overlord-class beast. Oh, wait—looking at it now, that beast was probably looking for her specifically.”
“Is she in danger?”
“Let me see... Oh? That beast isn't simple; it’s actually a Variant. But that little girl isn't weak either. She’s actually holding her own. No, wait, she’s starting to suppress the beast. Yes, just like that! Sliding tackle, sneak attack, kick its butt! Beautifully done...”
“This guy...”
Watching Pink Bear enter a state of immersive spectating, Muen’s lips couldn't help but twitch.
But...
Was I really being overly cautious?
Muen looked at Liya and smiled. “It seems there’s no need to worry. Let’s just wait patiently.”
“Mm.” Liya nodded gently.
Muen turned to scan the surroundings, then suddenly pointed in a certain direction. “Let’s wait somewhere high up. The visibility is better there, so we can see Ariel the moment she arrives.”
Liya turned her small head and looked at the incredibly tall tree standing atop a hill that Muen was pointing to. After a brief pause, she nodded softly.
“Okay.”
...
On a branch at the very top of the giant tree, Muen and Liya sat side-by-side.
To avoid making the girl feel uncomfortable, Muen had intentionally left a gap of about two fists between them, but they were still closer than they had been while stargazing the previous night.
Fortunately, the girl didn't show any signs of aversion.
Muen breathed a sigh of relief and gazed out into the distance.
Being stuck in a dense jungle could be stifling, but sitting atop this great tree and looking out over the landscape gave Muen a sudden sense of mental clarity.
“Huh? What’s that?”
Muen looked in a certain direction and suddenly voiced a question.
A short distance to his side, towering trees stood abruptly, forming a magnificent sight like a massive wall that stretched to the edge of his vision.
“What massive trees. And is that... an entire forest?”
The trees in the jungle where Muen currently sat were of a normal scale, just very dense. Because he was sitting in this one tree that stood head and shoulders above the rest, his field of vision was vast, allowing him to see quite far.
However, every single tree over there seemed even taller than the one he was sitting on. From here, it looked as if a vast forest had surged out of the ground from a boundless grassland without warning.
The boundary between the two was so distinct it looked as if a deity had drawn it personally with a ruler and pen.
“I... I recognize that place.”
Liya followed his gaze and let out a small gasp. “That is the Forest of Death.”
“...What’s with that incredibly ominous-sounding name?”
“The forest’s name comes from a certain existence,” Liya explained. “A very terrifying existence.”
“A certain existence?”
“Yes.”
Liya stared at the eerie forest, her small face becoming uncharacteristically solemn. “One of the rumored ‘Sources of Destruction,’ a Calamity-level monster—the Death-Calamity Dragon, Hamulein. It is said... that it resides within that forest. Because of this, the forest is one of the few Forbidden Zones in the Empire. Even Crown Bearers do not dare enter lightly.”
“Holy crap.”
Muen was stunned. “Then isn't it bad that we’re so close? That bastard Pink Bear... he said everything was fine, but isn't he basically having us dance on the edge of a grave?”
“No, I think Mr. Pink Bear probably chose this path on purpose.”
Liya shook her head slightly. “Although the Death-Calamity Dragon’s name is famous, Imperial records show it has only acted once, two hundred years ago, to destroy a city. Since then, no one has observed it leaving the forest. And because of its presence, the more powerful a magical beast is, the less it dares to approach this forest or its surrounding areas.”
“I see.”
Muen breathed a sigh of relief and looked back at that clear boundary line.
“So, if we keep following the edge of this forest, we’ll reach the Empire’s border soon, right?”
“Yes, most likely.”
“I see...”
Muen smiled and praised her, “As expected of Student Liya, you know so much.”
“It’s nothing...” Liya’s cheeks flushed slightly as she turned away. “This is just common knowledge from books.”
“Is it? Well, I think it’s impressive.”
“...” Liya remained silent.
Muen turned back to continue gazing at the forest, thinking to himself, It really is beautiful.
The towering giant trees stood majestically, forming a massive, dark wall. The clouds floating in the sky were exceptionally low, unable to pass through that wall. The orderly sea of clouds crashed into the dense canopy, splitting into countless scattered clusters—looking like flowers, or perhaps an inverted waterfall.
This was a magnificent sight even more enchanting than the starlight of the previous night, making Muen truly feel the profound mysteries of this fantasy world. Gazing at the sea of clouds dotting the forest, Muen’s heart finally began to relax, bit by bit.
Nothing he had anticipated had happened.
Pink Bear was more reliable than he’d imagined, having considered everything with surprising thoroughness.
And those people weren't as bold as he’d feared.
Now, with only a two-hour journey left, he would successfully leave the Empire. No matter how much effort those people put in later, they wouldn't be able to reach beyond the national borders.
Was that feeling of being watched back then just an illusion?
I really was overthinking it.
Muen let out a long breath and smiled, completely dispelling his deep-seated anxieties.
“Is something wrong?” Liya asked, tilting her head.
“No, I just think this scenery is even better than last night. It makes me feel like I really should get out and travel more,” Muen laughed.
“You can’t see scenery this beautiful in Belland.”
“True... I think it’s beautiful too. Those clouds look like an octopus.”
“An octopus?”
Muen looked up at the strangely shaped cloud Liya was pointing to with her small finger, his expression turning odd. “Does Student Liya like octopuses?”
“Mm.”
Liya nodded gently, her five fingers making a grasping motion in the air. A look of enchantment appeared on her cute face as she said, “Octopuses are soft and silly, and they have long tentacles. I think they’re very cute.”
...I feel like this girl’s tastes are a bit unusual.
Muen mentally critiqued her but kept his face neutral. “But I don't think it looks much like an octopus.”
“Eh? Why?”
“Because octopuses have eight tentacles, right? But those tentacle-like shapes on that cloud... there are only five.”
“Oh, you’re right.”
“And...”
Muen frowned for some reason. “The way that cloud is protruding... I think it looks more like a... hand?”
“Now that you mention it, I suddenly think so too.”
“...”
“Student Muen.”
“Yeah?”
“Do you feel like... that cloud is getting bigger?”
“...”
“...”
Amidst the blowing breeze, a deathly silence descended. The two could only hear each other’s increasingly rapid breathing.
Reflected in Muen’s shrinking pupils was that cloud.
The hand-like cloud.
No.
No.
Something was very wrong.
At this point, it couldn't even be called "hand-like."
Because within the outline of those clouds that had suddenly begun to churn violently, Muen could actually see the gradual sharpening of... palm lines!
It was as if a literal, massive hand was descending from the heavens, piercing through the clouds, and suddenly looming over them!
In an instant, his Death Warning shrieked in his mind!