C209 - The Legacy of Witch Heluram (5)
Since then, Jin walked around with the demon to extinguish the fire. However, after two days, it was practically impossible to quell the still-burning fire. It was evident that magic had a limit to smother the flames, and cutting through the burning area with a sword to prevent the fire from spreading was equally futile.
Unless it rained, it was impossible to put out the flames. And even with rain, he doubted it would be possible to extinguish a fire of this magnitude.
To make matters worse, as soon as the fire began to subside, a strong wind blew from somewhere. It was as if they were waiting for the two of them to stop fighting and extinguish the fire.
The sun rose, the moon rose, the moon set, and the sun rose again.
Throughout the day, they had been wandering through the forest like madmen trying to control the fire. At least Jin, after having fought the demon for almost three days, his strength was finally reaching its limit.
And as if wanting to give up already, the demon let out a helpless groan with its ears drooping, and Jin did his best until the end, feeling a strange sense of guilt.
'I don't know what I'm doing...'
That thought crossed his mind.
Wasn't the monster simply spending peaceful days in this poisonous land? On the other hand, he invaded the demon's land, harassed it, and now he was suppressing the fire he had caused.
What could he gain from this?
The only thing he could think of was his unease and deep regret towards the "demon."
It was difficult for Jin to understand Cyron and Vanessa's intentions in giving him this trial.
'My father probably knows that it has an immortal body. If we continue fighting endlessly, it's likely to end in my defeat or a situation where I have no choice but to flee. Is there something I've missed?'
At least in terms of "immortality," there was nothing that he had missed. Unless he lifted the curse, the demon was an immortal being that couldn't be killed in any way.
"Hah..."
As he continued to think, the fire finally devoured almost the entire thorn forest.
Crunch, crunch, crunch...
More than 90% of the forest was reduced to ashes.
Jin and the demon sat in front of the few thorn trees that had barely been protected, listening to the futile sound of smoldering embers nearby.
The land was burned and cracked. Rounded, blackened rocks stood indifferent as ash swirled with the intermittent breeze.
[Nyaaah...]
The crouched demon let out a soft whimper.
"I'm sorry."
He had nothing more to say. Even though it was a demon, one could only feel pity for it, as it had come unannounced and destroyed its home.
Jin felt that his body was about to break from exhaustion.
The battle had lasted for over 40 hours, and the fire for more than 24 hours. Not even the blessed body of the Runcandels could easily withstand it.
[Nyaa]
The demon turned its head and bared its sharp fangs.
However, it didn't seem to have the energy to attack immediately. It appeared to be as tired as Jin and soon dropped its head and let out a sigh.
Jin approached the demon cat.
He then gave it a pat on the side. He had no way to console it, and any apology he could offer would sound empty, so he couldn't think of anything else to do.
"I'm here because I'm undergoing the test imposed by my father. I couldn't refuse, so I ended up fighting you."
At that moment, the demon lifted its claws.
Instead of attacking Jin, it began drawing something on the ground. Its large claws moved with surprising delicacy, and what it drew were five people.
'...Crazy, you're good at drawing.'
There was a man in light clothing with a sword in hand, and four knights dressed in black armor.
They were Cyron and the former Black Knights. It wasn't hard to tell, as the armorless Cyron was drawn larger in the center.
"...Are you asking me which of them is my father?"
[Nyaa]
"The one in the center."
[Meow!]
The demon nodded and began trembling. It seemed terrified just at the thought of Cyron.
"Did my father harm you?"
[N-Nyaa]
The demon nodded.
"I see. He cut you, and you didn't die, surviving my father's sword."
[Nyaa]
"I understand. It truly is a terrible curse. Worse than anything I've experienced."
He couldn't even imagine it. What it must be like to be struck by Cyron's sword, said to "disintegrate" all things, and yet not die.
Immortality is not a happiness at all. Especially if you find yourself alone in such a dreadful thorn forest like this.
"I don't know what your owner was thinking when she cursed you like this. Heluram, that witch, did she abandon you?"
[.......]
The demon didn't want to respond to that part. By now, Jin started to doubt whether this demon was truly a demon. It felt more like a conscious pet.
"Alright, let's set that aside. Why didn't you think of leaving this place? Was it because of my father's order?"
[Nyaa]
The demon said yes, but the truth was more complicated.
When it first settled in this thorn forest, the demon didn't know it had been cursed.
Nor did it realize it had been abandoned by Heluram.
So for a hundred years, waiting for its owner who never returned, it finally realized that Heluram would never come back and that it itself was under the curse of immortality.
Since then, it had been a series of meaningless days. It never considered leaving the forest due to the loss of its owner and hid within the familiarity of the forest.
Meanwhile, Cyron and the later generations of Black Knights discovered the demon.
They started investigating once they realized the demon was immortal and found out that the demon belonged to Heluram.
That was when the demon first had the desire to leave this land.
This was due to the overwhelming fear it felt throughout its body when it remembered Cyron's immense power, which was more terrifying than death.
But escaping from Cyron was impossible. If it tried to leave the Black Sea even for a moment, Cyron would unfailingly appear.
Every time that happened, Cyron always said the same thing.
"Someday, my daughter will come to fetch you to be her new owner. Wait until then."
The demon couldn't disobey that order. Its owner, Heluram, sometimes shouted at it when she was angry too, but Cyron was much scarier.
All of this couldn't be expressed through crying or drawing on the ground. That's why the demon simply responded with a "N-Nyaa."
"Well... you're saying that the reason you couldn't leave the forest was because of my father's orders, so I guess you can come with me."
[Meow?]
"He said there would be a reward for defeating you. I think that means the authority to take you away."
The demon cat narrowed its eyes for a moment.
You're a son, not a daughter. That was the meaning, but Jin didn't understand it.
"I'm not lying."
[Nyaaaa]
"The forest has burned anyway, and you have nowhere to go, so it's my fault. If you come out, I'll find you a new home. It's too toxic here, and I can't bring people to restore the forest."
[Meow!]
There it is!
"Where? Oh, that same hole we found before?"
While extinguishing the fire with the demon, Jin had seen a cave at the heart of the Thorn Forest. That was the demon's home.
The demon, suddenly standing up, began walking with confident steps.
"How are you going to stay there alone? Even if you're immortal, don't you feel hungry? That's why you're eating thorns. Or are there things you can hunt around here?"
Jin was genuinely worried. This forest hadn't been visited by other demons due to Cyron's influence.
The demon didn't respond and moved towards the cave. Jin had no choice but to follow it.
And as soon as they arrived at the cave, Jin found something strange. A bottle of liquor was at the deepest part of the cave. The bottle stood there as if someone had just left it.
The bottle was something even the demon had never seen before.
"A bottle of liquor?"
Jin and the demon alternately looked at each other and then at the bottle.
"Do you really not recognize it?"
[Nyaa]
The moment he approached and lifted the bottle, Jin couldn't help but widen his eyes upon seeing the writing on the back.
(Melodic Royal Wine - Cyron Runcandel)
"Heh... My father must have put it there. Look. It has my father's name. Ah, don't you know how to read?"
Melodic Royal Wine.
Jin had heard about this mysterious drink several times.
It was a liquor crafted by the descendants of the Fairy Clan for special occasions, special moments, and special people.
When you drink it, the story the drink's owner wants to convey spreads in your head like a song, and it is said to have a wonderful melody, hence the name Melodic Royal Wine.
"Surely my father has something he wants to tell me."
Plop. Jin opened the bottle without hesitation and filled his glass with the liquid. He then drank it in one gulp.
The song began after three cups. The beautiful voices of the descendants of the Fairy Clan who prepared the drink resonated in Jin's ears.
A beast for Luna Runcandel, Cyron Runcandel's first daughter...
A beast for Luna Runcandel, Cyron Runcandel's first daughter...
The music was so perfect that it gave him the sensation that he could naturally imagine the scene, as if he saw the image of Cyron in the past. It was similar to when he received Boras' fang, but not as vivid.
The song was so perfect that he felt like he could naturally imagine the scene.
The first image he saw was of Cyron in his youth. Cyron always had a smile on his face as he explained something to the descendants of the fairies about the drink they were going to prepare for him.
It seemed as if he had just found the demon, and the Black Knights standing beside him were discussing how Luna would like that.
Cyron seemed kinder than lately, appearing as a normal and loving father towards his daughter, which was more intriguing to Jin than the lyrics of the song.
"It seems you left this guy for Luna, and this drink was originally for her..."
Originally, it was Luna who was supposed to drink this Melodic Royal Wine.
While listening to the song, Jin could feel how much Cyron loved and hoped for Luna. The song spoke of his love and expectations towards her.
But amidst the melodious tones, the song abruptly stopped.
The image that appeared in his mind was not that of a young Cyron, but of the recent Cyron, with a serious expression while saying these words: "From now on, you will follow Jin."
It was a conversation with the demon.
After making sure the map was going to pass to Jin, Cyron took the Melodic Royal Wine he had made for Luna and went back to find the descendants of the Fairy Clan.
He asked them to add one more line to the lyrics of the Melodic Royal Wine for Luna.
"From now on, you will follow Jin," it was now the descendants of the Fairy Clan who recited the additional line in the song.
After a moment of reflection, Jin filled his glass.
"You should drink it too." The demon thought cautiously as he touched his tongue to the alcohol. The song Jin heard now spread through the demon's mind, exactly the same as the one he had heard.