* * *
The cave search continued until late.
As the already cool cave temperature seemed to drop further, Taeyon felt it was time to head back to their lodgings. It must be because night had fallen.
“Did you find anything?”
“Yes, Taeyon-nim. There was this at the end of that cave over there.”
What Arkan pulled out was a brooch set with a green gem and a short dagger. Seeing that the dagger also had a green gem embedded in it, Taeyon guessed the owner of these items would have green eyes. Beastkin had a custom of matching the color of their possessions with their eye color.
It went without saying that the owner of those green eyes was the mummy they’d discovered in this place.
While Taeyon examined the items to check for any other clues, Arkan stealthily approached Kaniel.
“Are you alright?”
“What? About what?”
“Aw, you don’t have to pretend nothing happened.”
You must have gotten scolded until the tears were wrung out of you by the young master, right? Arkan looked at Kaniel with sympathetic eyes.
‘What is he talking about?’
Kaniel, on the other hand, was bewildered at first, then his complexion turned pale. Could it be he’d seen Taeyon massaging his calves? If so, it would be terribly embarrassing.
Not knowing what to do, Kaniel asked in a lowered voice.
“Did you happen to see it?”
“I don’t need to see it to know. It’s not like I’ve only seen Taeyon-nim once or twice.”
“Then… does he usually do that?”
“All the guys in our knight order have experienced it several times.”
Taeyon was someone who went around massaging people’s calves?!
Kaniel was speechless. Until now, he’d only known Taeyon as someone taciturn who acted quietly, but he was that kind of person!
“So I’m telling you not to be too hurt. It’s a bit much, but he does it thinking of us, doesn’t he?”
“I… suppose so…”
Kaniel nodded, feeling somehow dejected.
“Cheer up. There’s good news too.”
“What is it?”
“For the time being, he’ll treat you well.”
But Taeyon always treats me well?
Otherwise, he wouldn’t so silently clean up after him every time he caused trouble because he didn’t know much about the Surface.
Kaniel was bewildered again, but thought it must mean he’d treat him even better going forward. Though he wasn’t quite sure what treating him better than now would entail.
“There are no clues to specifically identify them.”
“But why did they store only that in a different place?”
“Who knows. How would I know what a demon beast thinks?”
Taeyon clicked his tongue.
Demon beasts had such different personalities by individual. There were monsters that had no more judgment than demonic creatures but were just strong, and conversely, there were ones that carried out destructive acts so cleverly you’d wonder if they retained their reason. Then again, some monsters…
A wolf demon beast flashed through Taeyon’s mind for a moment. The one that had been on top of the cliff when the demonic creatures swarmed the village, stared directly at them, then turned around and left.
That one was indescribably unique as well. The collapsing village would have been easy prey for a demon beast. All the more so since it commanded dozens of wolf demonic creatures. Yet to just touch it lightly and then go somewhere else—it was truly an incomprehensible behavior pattern.
“No, the way it was neatly placed in one corner of the cave looked just like… storing relics.”
“Say something that makes sense.”
Not only was there no way a demon beast would have the sentiment to store relics, but even if by some chance they were relics, there was no reason to store the relics of a beastkin it had hunted. Even exercising maximum imagination, the only conclusion was that maybe it just liked them. Like a crow collecting shiny things in its nest.
When Taeyon snapped at him, Arkan scratched his head awkwardly. He too knew that was nonsense.
“Let’s end today’s search here. Tomorrow, let’s try tracking the traces of demonic energy from above like yesterday.”
He’d thought there would be a demonic creature’s lair nearby because the demonic energy was thick, but it seemed they’d already moved their base. Still, at least recovering one body was a good thing.
If they could return the body to family, or at least close friends, they could hold a funeral. If there really was no one who knew them in this city, they could also ask the lord to arrange a funeral.
“But how do we get back?”
Since they hadn’t entered through the normal route, they didn’t know the normal route out. They had found stairs in the middle that went up and down. But the floor was collapsed from the middle, and there was a scythe falling from top to bottom as a trap attached, so there was absolutely no way to climb up. They would need a place to step to dismantle the trap, but there wasn’t any.
Fortunately, there was a backup plan.
“There’s a way out over there.”
“Really? That’s a relief!”
Taeyon smiled meaningfully and walked ahead.
Passing a hill dense with oddly streamlined pillars, they came to a wide cavity. Taeyon stood in front of a certain wall.
“There’s no path?”
“It’s your turn to use your strength.”
“…You want me to break the wall?”
Taeyon nodded.
When the sun was still up, he could see light leaking in through small gaps between the stones. Though quite thick, it was certainly in contact with somewhere outside.
Arkan, grinning as if he finally understood, clenched his fists and began loosening his muscles by rotating his arms in circles.
Then Arkan suddenly stopped and asked uneasily.
“But what if there’s not a safe path behind this? It would be disastrous if it’s a cliff.”
Taeyon pressed his forehead as if tired. This wasn’t the first or second time Arkan had done this. Despite his fierce appearance, he was timid and anxious, constantly raising pointless objections.
“If it’s a cliff, just climb up.”
“What? I’m scared of heights?”
“Are you going to tell me a bear can’t climb trees?”
“Trees are trees and cliffs are cliffs!”
“…No more nonsense, just do it when I tell you.”
Kaniel, who had been watching that scene, made an odd expression. He’d been surprised earlier to see Taeyon angry for the first time, but watching them, it seemed Arkan had a way of provoking anger.
“Understood…”
Answering with a discouraged face, Arkan rotated his arms in circles again, putting spirit into it. Though they were remarkably thick and solid arms, they were still just human arms. To Kaniel, it didn’t look like he could possibly break the wall.
“Taeyon, can Arkan really break that wall…?”
“Just watch!”
Though he asked Taeyon in a whisper, the answer came from Arkan. It was a confident voice.
“Hup…!”
Arkan shouted and put strength into his arms. Then his arms swelled with bulging muscles as jet-black fur sprouted. They were the arms of a beast—that is, a bear.
Kaniel’s expression filled with shock at the sight he was seeing for the first time in his life. He knew they were beastkin. He also knew that beastkin could transform into beasts. It was in the learning materials when he studied about the Winged Tribe on the Floating Island.
But he didn’t know they could maintain human form and transform only parts of their body into beast form!
“Hyaaaa!”
A punch extended straight forward while rotating his waist powerfully struck the cave wall.
KWAANG!!
At first, there was no reaction except for the sound. But then fine cracks spread from where Arkan hit, and suddenly the wall crumbled with a rumble as cold wind rushed inward.
“*Cough*!”
As Kaniel turned, coughing from the stone dust, Taeyon pulled him close and hid him behind his back. Conversely, Taeyon and Arkan kept their eyes wide open and looked ahead even in the dizzyingly swirling dusty wind.
Watching the two beastkin, one realizes just how fragile humans are.
“Kyaah!”
“Wh-who are you people?”
Startled by the wary, interrogating voices, Kaniel checked the situation over Taeyon’s shoulder and was a bit taken aback. Beyond them spread a wide laundry area, and people were holding laundry bats, on guard against them.
The laundry area was dim, but there must have been enough brightness for beastkin to function, as quite a few beastkin had gathered.
“What’s over there?”
Fortunately, guard members ran over before the startled beastkin misunderstood them and swung their bats. Well, it was natural since quite a loud sound had occurred when breaking the rock wall.
“Ah, Sir Knight? And the knight… impersonator…?”
At the guard member’s words, Taeyon frowned, and Arkan stepped forward in alarm.
“No, no, that was my misunderstanding! This person is my superior… and I didn’t know he was coming this way, so I mistook…”
“I see! As I thought! I did think he seemed too knightly to be an impersonator.”
“Right. Hahaha…”
Arkan was so flustered and reading the room that it was pitiable. Wasn’t this a bit much? Anyone watching would think Taeyon was someone who scolded terribly.
Kaniel made a displeased expression.
