Chapter 105
Chapter 105
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: Full Moon Tree Village
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Full Moon Tree Village
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Rustle.
Ding!
"Lily, come here!"
"Huh?"
"Cover your eyes and ears like before."
I hid Lily, who had been hopping around, behind my back and tossed the iron lump into the bushes.
—KABOOM!
A cloud of dust obscured my vision.
This crazy world wouldn't leave anyone in peace.
Silhouettes flickered through the dust.
A shimmering green translucent barrier blocked their path.
"Yeah, it'd be a shame if a fantasy world skipped something like that."
Click.
I swapped out the regular rounds for armor-piercing ones.
—Bang!
Sparks flew every time the armor-piercing bullets hit the green barrier.
"Urgh."
A faint groan leaked from inside the green barrier as I poured bullet after bullet into it.
"Wow, that's tough. You a 9th-circle mage too?"
Click.
I holstered the gun, pulled out a new weapon, and hefted it onto my shoulder. Its weight settled in heavily.
Panzerfaust 3rd Generation anti-tank rocket launcher.
Loaded with a shaped-charge warhead.
Unlike standard armor-piercing rounds that were just made extra tough, shaped-charge warheads had a concave cavity in the explosive.
This caused the detonating explosive to squirt out in a narrow jet thanks to the Munroe effect.
A pinnacle of science that could punch through several feet of thick steel.
"Thanks, Grandpa Herman. Sending one your way."
Albert's dumbfounded face flashed in my mind when he first saw this beast pop out of the unpacked wooden crate.
"Lily, stay behind me and don't peek out."
They were only about 15 meters away, so I worried she'd get caught in the backblast.
Tell a kid not to do something, though, and that's exactly what they'll do. Sure enough, Lily peeked out, curiosity getting the better of her at that age.
"Huh?"
"Lily, put your face back. You'll get hurt."
"Ah, no!"
"Why not all of a sudden?"
"It's the chief and the elders!"
"Them?"
I'd only heard voices and slammed in a grenade, so I hadn't seen their faces. But as the dust cleared, a group emerged.
Their faces were covered in heavy paint that looked just like the patterns Lily used to draw on hers—though I'd wiped those off with wet wipes, so hers were gone now.
At Lily's words, I stowed the weapon in my subspace and waited. The ones who'd blocked my attack approached slowly, on guard.
"Hoo. Brutal. An attack meant purely for killing."
A woman who seemed to be the chief stepped forward ahead of the others. She was an elderly lady, her face etched with deep wrinkles that spoke of many long years.
That translucent barrier from earlier looked like her handiwork too.
"Who're you?"
"It's the Great Elder!"
Lily, who had been peeking out from behind, stepped forward.
"Yes, Lily. I'm glad you're unhurt."
"I got kidnapped, but unnie saved me."
The old woman met my eyes at Lily's reply.
Clear and deep.
So deep.
Eyes that felt familiar somehow.
They resembled Arthur's, sparkling with the knowledge of the stars.
"Hah... Clear yet murky."
"...?"
"Bright and dark."
"Lily, is your grandma feeling okay?"
"Eek! No!"
She grabbed my collar and stomped her feet, insisting it wasn't true.
"My apologies for the late thanks, benefactor. I am Atamil of the Deep Roots."
"I'm Ga-eul. Han Ga-eul."
"Oh? Like a beastkin..."
"Nope."
"Ahem."
The elder cleared her throat awkwardly and met my eyes again.
"Thank you once more for saving our child."
"She's my kid."
"...Pardon?"
"I said, my kid."
"Hee hee."
I stroked Lily as she clung to me, and she giggled happily.
"I fed her, I dressed her. She's my kid, right?"
"Yeah! Unnie's kid!"
Lily, honey, that's not quite how you say it. The nuance is a bit off.
The elder's gaze shifted to Lily's shoes, looking bewildered.
She wasn't your average old lady.
"Heh heh. I see. If you have no particular destination, would you come to our village? We'll prepare a festival."
"Ooh, a festival."
"We can't treat a benefactor shabbily. And you seem like a Luum."
"I'm Loom."
"Mr. Loom helped me too."
The elder nodded as she examined Mr. Loom at Lily's words.
"Great Elder!"
Just as the misunderstanding cleared and the mood warmed up a bit, the man Lily called the chief stepped forward.
"What is it, Chief?"
"It's right to honor the benefactor, but now's not the time."
His face soured at being called chief.
The chief, decked out in animal hides and fangs, looked seriously pissed.
"Chief, I understand your feelings, but not neglecting a benefactor is a long-standing tradition of the Full Moon Tree Tribe. Have you forgotten?"
The chief bared his teeth at the elder's words.
"One of our tribe's children was nearly kidnapped again. We can't stand by any longer. It's war."
Thud! Thud! Thud!
"Woooah!"
He slammed his greatsword sheath—where his massive blade was lodged—into the ground, and the thirty or so tribesfolk behind him roared along.
"Lily, why's your chief acting like that? He looks like a total meathead."
"Eek, unnie!"
I leaned down and whispered to her, and she covered my mouth with her tiny hand.
"Unnie's ears."
I tilted my head to bring my ear to her, and she whispered back softly.
"The previous chief didn't pass on the title when he stepped down."
"Huh? Why not?"
"Said he was still too lacking to lead the tribe."
I crouched and whispered with her, glancing sideways. The chief was still throwing his tantrum.
"He hasn't passed the chief's test yet."
"Hmm, I see."
She'd been kidnapped, forced into slavery, experimented on.
I got where he was coming from, but as the tribe's leader, he came off too emotional.
At least the elder seemed to have some pull, calming the tribesfolk.
"Aaaargh!"
Once even the tribesfolk quieted, he raged alone before stomping off first.
"Is that okay?"
"Heh heh, he's still too young to control his hot blood."
As the talk wrapped up, we followed the elder slowly. The tangled forest path grew more complex.
She led, stroking rocks and trees repeatedly as she advanced.
After passing through twisted trees and narrow gaps several times, a massive village suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
"Whoa, hidden well."
"Thanks to the barrier."
A wooden wall of stacked giant trees loomed, with an entrance in the center.
"Unnie, come on! I'll show you around the village."
Lily tugged my hand. I glanced at the elder, who nodded it was fine.
"Alright, let's go."
Passing the gate with Lily, the desolate vibe from outside vanished. The village buzzed with life.
"Wow, bigger than I thought."
I'd pictured a small ethnic minority settlement, but it stretched endlessly.
Outsiders drew stares everywhere as we passed.
Livelier than expected.
"Hey!"
Pulled along by Lily's hand as we toured, a group of kids her age swarmed us.
"Why's a proud daughter of the Full Moon Tree hanging with some shady outsider?"
The kid raising his voice rudely seemed feisty.
Lily, though, looked bored.
Probably got picked on like this often.
"Utoom, I'm busy. Scram."
As Lily ignored him and tried to leave, they blocked our path.
"Outsider!"
"Why're you calling? Get lost!"
To protect her much bigger me, Lily stepped in front.
Her cheeks puffed out tensely, baby fat still making them squishy.
Not pinching those would be a crime.
My hand moved on instinct.
"Squish."
"Eep! Unnie."
Lily, all bristly like a kitten, melted instantly.
"You gotta get along with your friends."
"Friends..."
She didn't like that idea.
After sulking and pondering, she pulled something from her bag.
Jingle.
"Utoom, open your mouth."
"Wh-what?"
Lily, sweetie, what're you saying?
Her phrasing smacked me right in the forehead.
"Lily wants to share some yummy stuff."
The kids finally relaxed as she brandished the mystery item and demanded they open up.
"Ahh—"
"Uh, uh... Ahh—"
It was obvious they weren't on good terms usually, so Lily's sudden generosity threw them off.
She popped candy into each mouth, puffing out their cheeks.
"Yummy, right?"
"Yeah... Yummy."
"Heh heh. Right?"
Lily beamed at the praise, humming smugly.
Ding!
I slipped a handful of chocolate bars into her hand as I watched. Understanding instantly, she passed them out too.
"Chocolate bars. Made from hardened honey—super rare."
"Whoa."
"Normally just for unnie's kid, but special for you guys."
Any more and I'd sprout a lump on my forehead, so I stepped back.
Lily was now at the center of the group.
I backed up further, watching the kids.
Flick, flick.
"Hoo—"
"Heh heh, smoking tobacco?"
"You came? Want one?"
The elder approached, eyeing the cigarette I offered with interest.
"Never seen this kind before. Masterfully crafted."
Flick.
I lit it with my lighter. She looked surprised, then intrigued again as she took a drag.
"Hoo—. So smooth. Excellent."
"Right?"
We chatted idly while smoking.
"The village feels alive just with kids around."
"Yeah. Nice."
Meaningless small talk continued.
"Come to think of it, I haven't thanked you properly."
"I did it 'cause I wanted to. It's fine."
"Heh heh, I've clung to life long enough to have quite the collection. Come to my place. You must need something."
Sounded like she was offering gifts indirectly.
I glanced back as she walked ahead without looking. Lily laughed brightly amid her friends.
She'd be fine for a bit, so I followed slowly.
"Here we are. Come in."
Her place was a plain hut, nothing special.
She entered first and offered me a seat.
"I don't really need anything, though."
At my words, she rummaged in a box behind her and laid items on the table.
"How about this? A talisman to ward off bad luck."
"Uh... Thanks, but no thanks."
She offered more, but nothing caught my eye.
"This is a branch from the Full Moon Tree."
A plain-looking branch from the elder.
Plain or not, the way she said it meant it was special.
"I'll take that."
She'd keep pushing if I refused, so I accepted the branch.
"Heh heh. It's steeped in mana—perfect as a medium."
"Thanks. I'll treasure it."
"And..."
Her eyes sparkled as she trailed off.
"I'll show you a glimpse of the future."
"Huh? The future?"
"Just a fragment. Nothing grand like an astrologer saying 'beware water' or 'beware fire.' For fun."
Sounded like tarot reading.
"Sure, whatever."
"Heh heh, give me your hand."
I placed my hand palm-up on hers. It felt weathered by ages.
She let out a small gasp, and her starry eyes seemed to darken pitch-black for a moment—an illusion.
"Guh!"
Her hand trembled.
"Grandma, you okay?"
"Ahh..."
She looked like she'd keel over, so I started to stand. She gripped my hand tight.
"Hoo. No need. Beware the red flower that bears the weight of a crown and harbors anger."
"What does that mean?"
She pulled out what looked like old paper and began drawing with a stubby charcoal stick.
Hard to make out with the crude charcoal.
A flower with long stem and thin leaves, and a crown.
"Beware this?"
"The sweet flower brimming with honey will turn red when anger sits atop its head."
"I see... Got it."
Yeah, no clue. Time to check on Lily.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Alone in the room, the wrinkled elder continued the unfinished drawing.
Her crude strokes with charcoal-wrapped cloth grew eerily precise, as if enchanted.
"Hah... A witch? Or the Demon King?"
A heavy sigh escaped as she held up the completed picture.
"The harbinger of doom has walked right in."
On the paper in her hand, bloodthirsty monsters and a pink-haired madwoman soaked in gore smirked while holding a single blood lotus flower.