As if understanding the intent, Taeyon ruffled Kaniel’s hair. It was a gentle yet firm touch, like stroking a puppy. Kaniel’s effort to comfort him seemed admirable and cute.
However, in truth, Taeyon wasn’t distressed enough to need comfort. He was just annoyed at the situation where he had to make an effort not to hurt the monster.
“I need to think for a moment. There must be a way.”
Kaniel found it unfamiliar yet fascinating to see Taeyon lost in thought. Since they’d first met, to Kaniel, Taeyon had been someone who could handle anything efficiently. Whether traveling, fighting monsters, dealing with demonic beasts, or facing high-ranking people in cities, he was always calm and composed.
Yet with just one condition—’without hurting the demonic beast’—he was showing the complete opposite of his usual demeanor.
It was refreshing and touching. If he solved the problem at a time like this, his evaluation might go up. Though he no longer needed to prove his abilities to survive like before, Kaniel still wanted to prove himself.
Now, rather than being a useful person, he wanted to become an impressive person who could hear ‘That’s amazing, Kaniel.’ He hoped to receive good evaluation from Taeyon.
Kaniel, who had been lost in thought with his arms crossed, muttered unconsciously.
“If only we had something like a sleeping pill…”
“…Sleeping pill?”
“Ah. I was just saying.”
“No, that’s actually a pretty good idea.”
The reason they couldn’t move the snake monster right now wasn’t because it was too heavy, but because its resistance would be intense. It would be difficult to respond forcefully since it would be troublesome if the monster got hurt in the process.
However, if the snake was asleep, it would be easy to move it far away.
“Is there a sleeping pill that works on snake monsters?”
“I don’t know about sleeping pills, but there are anesthetics. I don’t know if we can get the ingredients in this forest, but… it’s worth trying at least.”
“Can I come with you? If I’ll be in the way, I’ll stay at the cabin.”
Taeyon cut him off as if the statement wasn’t even worth considering.
“Just in case, don’t leave my side for the time being.”
“Ah, right. That kidnapper might come back.”
It wasn’t just because of the Winged Tribe member. He couldn’t leave Kaniel where the suspicious Effolin and demonic beast were. Of course, the biggest reason was that he didn’t want to be separated from his Tuner.
Even while conscious that making such an inefficient choice was unlike his usual self, he didn’t hesitate to move in the direction his heart followed. Since Kaniel wanted it too, there was no reason to decline.
“Shall we go?”
“Yes!”
The two wandered around various parts of the forest gathering ingredients for the anesthetic. They dug up the ground to catch hibernating poison frogs, removed growths from trees and squeezed out the sap inside, gathered reeds, and picked up dried pine cones.
By the time they finished, it was already afternoon.
From then on, they borrowed a small pot from Effolin and spent quite a while making the anesthetic. When the anesthetic was finally completed, it was late afternoon.
Taeyon put the anesthetic powder in a small pouch and threw it toward the snake monster’s head, then threw a dagger to tear the pouch when it flew near its face. The anesthetic powder that burst from the pouch covered the snake’s head.
It didn’t take long for the snake monster to move its head sluggishly before plunging it into the ground. The snake monster blinked and wriggled as if it didn’t understand why it was doing this. But that didn’t last long either.
The anesthetic effect was excellent.
“Now we just need to throw it far away and come back, and we’re done.”
Though Taeyon, being a beastkin, was strong, he wasn’t strong enough to easily drag a giant snake. So Taeyon transformed into a wolf and bit the snake demonic beast’s tail.
“Huh, what’s this?”
What Kaniel pointed to were rotting eggs. Inside a dirt pit, eggs with their shells completely broken and ruined were giving off an unpleasant smell.
“They must be eggs the snake monster was eating. Come here, Kaniel.”
Taeyon put Kaniel on his back, threw the snake far away, and returned.
“The job is done.”
When he reported to inform her that the pond was empty, Effolin was silent for a moment before answering.
“…Let’s check tomorrow.”
It was strange.
The forest night darkened quickly. So it wasn’t strange to postpone the check until the next day. What was strange was Effolin’s expression. Effolin answering had a face as if smiling bitterly.
And the reason for that expression became clear the next day. When they went to the pond to check, yesterday’s snake was coiled in the exact same spot.
“I’ll take it that the job wasn’t finished.”
* * *
“Why did it come back?”
“Well…”
It really didn’t make sense. Snakes weren’t animals with homing instincts. They weren’t even territorial animals. Yet after dropping it in such a distant place, it had returned during the night and was sitting coiled in the same spot—it was truly strange.
No, wasn’t that thing not even a snake to begin with? It was a monster that attacked living creatures, received commands from demonic beasts, and had the instinct to attack Sealed Lands.
“Should we try throwing it even farther this time?”
“No, it seems pointless.”
“I suppose… Well, it’s a special individual to begin with.”
They’d tried all possible methods yesterday.
That meant they couldn’t drive that snake monster out of this pond by ordinary methods.
“I’ll think about it more. There must be a way.”
“Alright. Thank you, Kaniel.”
They were lost in thought like that when the cat demonic beast came walking splish-splash from the direction of the cabin. Though it had round eyes like when hunting, its expression was cute and pitiful like when acting cute.
It had come to beg for mana.
It was a smart demonic beast. As if knowing it had been scolded for acting rough the first time, the second time it obediently backed away when Kaniel withdrew his hand, and from then on, it subtly aimed for the next turn.
Kaniel was smiling because it was amusing when Taeyon’s chest blocked his view. When Kaniel looked up, Taeyon with a stern expression narrowed his eyes.
“Ahem. I wasn’t planning to give it any.”
“……”
Though he said nothing, Kaniel clearly felt that Taeyon didn’t believe him.
Kaniel had no excuse. Even when they’d just met, hadn’t he accidentally drawn out mana and caused an incident of luring a squirrel monster?
Kaniel slightly averted his gaze and clasped both hands together. After fidgeting a bit, when he turned his gaze back toward the cat demonic beast, it was returning to the cabin with its tail and wings drooping. Taeyon watched that retreating figure until the end.
“By the way, is there a particular reason you dislike them that much?”
“No one likes demonic beasts.”
After a moment of silence, Taeyon continued.
“Except for that peculiar woman.”
Kaniel giggled and shook his head.
“But Arkan wasn’t this extreme.”
Of course, he did recognize monsters and demonic beasts as enemies to be killed. However, with Arkan, it felt like he was just doing what should naturally be done because it was right.
On the other hand, Taeyon seemed to harbor disgust, contempt, and even anger. Seeing Taeyon’s expression cloud over, Kaniel hurriedly backed off.
“Ah, if it’s a difficult story to tell…”
“No. It’s fine.”
Taeyon looked down at Kaniel.
“I can tell you.”
Taeyon turned his gaze forward again and began his story.
“Not long ago, my hyung died.”
“…What?”
“Do you remember the story about guarding the Sealed Land at Oblyad Castle? Demonic beasts periodically attack the castle with many monsters. To destroy the Sealed Land. That day, we were defending Oblyad Castle.”
He’d said that the Royal Capital Aztail sealed the Gate to the Demon Realm, and each of the six territories guarded Sealed Lands that supported the seal. And demonic beasts and monsters attacked the castle to destroy the Sealed Lands.
“Oblyad Castle almost fell. Since monsters pushed all the way inside the castle walls, it was quite dangerous. One cunning demonic beast commanded monsters from a distance to disrupt the interior, and hyung went outside the castle to find that demonic beast to protect the endangered Oblyad Castle. And…”
Taeyon continued in a hardened voice.
“He didn’t return even after the siege ended.”
It had happened while the castle lord went out to subjugate a group of demonic beasts in the nearby forest. Many knights went on the operation with the castle lord, and only three senior knights remained at Oblyad Castle. With just those three and the remaining mid- and lower-ranking knights, it was difficult to handle the endlessly surging monsters and the demonic beasts that suddenly attacked like a separate force.
In the end, they couldn’t prevent the monsters from pushing inside the outer castle walls. When the city streets within the castle began to crumble, Taeyon thought the time had come.
It was when he was about to lead a few knights outside the castle. Breaking through a place completely filled with monsters and demonic beasts wouldn’t be easy. But he thought it had to be done. He wasn’t afraid.
However, his hyung Libellon left Taeyon, who had even finished such resolve, in the castle and rushed out beyond the outer castle himself.
