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Chapter 03
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“Don’t worry, my head. I’ve arrived. You don’t have to face the dangers of this harsh world alone anymore. I won’t let you be left alone in this challenging and rough world.”
Connie Heart couldn’t understand Duraan’s actions. She wondered if that monster had truly lost its head or if it was just pretending to have lost it.
“Wouldn’t it be better to stop this misconception?”
Connie Heart aimed at Duraan’s thick thigh and threw the holy water. As Duraan was defenseless, standing still, it was undoubtedly a hit as expected.
“Hey, don’t casually throw such unlucky things.”
Duraan swiftly turned away from the holy water at the speed of light. Then, suddenly, he sat down on the ground, as if seriously contemplating something alone.
“It seems my face has turned red with anger. This is bad. What should I do about it?”
Duraan absentmindedly scratched the dented helmet.
Meanwhile, Connie Heart counted the number of the holy water in her head.
When she left Winterwind, she had brought eight holy water. Among them, three were used for encounters with sea creatures while swimming.
[Three holy water left for the future.]
Watching for an opportunity, Connie Heart aimed at the heart and threw the holy water.
Once again, Duraan smoothly evaded the holy water by moving his upper body at an astonishing speed. The sparkling holy water crashed directly into the ground. It was a failure.
“My head, how long will you keep being angry?”
[This won’t work.]
Connie Heart decided to change her approach.
She intentionally stopped all her actions and put on a bewildered expression.
[Oops…!]
Seeming helpless as if the attacking items were depleted, she slumped her shoulders with a frightened expression. As Duraan blinked with a scared look, he tilted his helmet.
“Hmm. Has the anger in my head finally subsided?”
Duraan, who had been tilting his helmet, suddenly stood up. Quickly covering the distance that Connie Heart had tried to maintain, he grabbed her silvery torso with both hands.
“My fluffy head…! Hehehe!”
The crushed helmet was empty, but the playful giggling continued.
Connie Heart waited for Duraan to be complacent in his victory. As soon as a gap appeared, she aimed at his chest and once again threw the holy water.
[This time, you won’t escape!]
The thin glass bottle shattered into pieces on the sturdy and smooth armor. The blue holy water from the broken bottle rapidly corroded the newly crafted armor.
“Uh? Uwaaak!”
[No monster has survived being hit by the holy water so far.]
No matter how robust an undead monster was, when touched by the holy water created by a divine being, it was destined to perish.
As if to prove it, Duraan’s helmet weakly tilted downward. The arms that held her also seemed to sag slightly.
[Phew, so it is.]
Confident that it was over, Connie Heart sighed in relief.
“……. Hehehehehe”
But it wasn’t over?
“What’s this tickling sensation?”
Duraan, who had pretended to be dead for fun, cheerfully got up. The partially transformed plate armor instantly regenerated. The crushed black helmet returned to its original state.
“Will life be eternal, or will death be eternal? Of course, it’s death!”
Duraan hugged his lovely head so tightly that it was suffocating.
[Let me go! I said let go of it!]
“So, being an undead monster, even if I die, I won’t die! Death is always on my side. Remember that, my dear head.”
[That doesn’t make sense. Something’s wrong!]
Connie Heart hastily reached into her extradimensional pocket.
Now, only one holy water remained.
She quickly rotated her head.
Since the knight couldn’t be defeated, she had no choice but to attack the horse!
Connie Heart aimed accurately at the dark horse’s flank and threw the holy water. It hit.
“Ehehehe…!”
The resilient skin of the dark horse melted like cheese. Unable to maintain its balance, the horse staggered.
But even that was short-lived.
[This can’t be.]
Connie Heart’s expression stiffened.
Like a lie, the dark horse’s skin smoothly regenerated.
“Dear, I told you I’m ticklish. Hehehe.”
Duraan, joyfully laughing, brought Connie Heart next to the helmet. It seemed like he was gauging if it was the right size for him.
“Hehe!”
The judgment was left to the dark horse. The eyes of the dark horse, shaking its head here and there, gleamed brightly. It seemed as if it were shouting, ‘Approved!’
“Wild, round eyes, a fiercely protruding mouth, ears drooping full of charm!”
Duraan teasingly laughed, calling Connie Heart’s wings ears.
“Plus, a bald and thick head of hair without worries of hair loss! Ah, my beautiful face!”
The rugged gauntlet lightly tapped Connie Heart’s plump cheek. It was an excited voice as if poking at a curious toy.
On the other hand, Connie Heart was perplexed.
[Why isn’t the holy water effective?]
It was impossible without a strong resistance to divine power.
With a faint glimmer of hope, Connie Heart rummaged through her pocket.
A pocket watch, video recording device, sparkling pebbles, an ice fragment brought for homesickness, and a stack of Lava fruits brought for the same reason. Among them, there was not a single item to attack Duraan.
Winterwind had various magical items created by the dragon deity Sasha during her lifetime. Unfortunately, there were no weapons.
Deities could usually defend themselves without the need for weapons.
Weapons were nothing more than clutter taking up space. Therefore, everything in Winterwind was just household items that could help in daily life.
[If the holy water doesn’t work, would Lava fruit be effective?]
Curiously, Connie Heart took out the Lava fruit. Boldly, she pressed it against Duraan’s chest.
[Please…!]
Unfortunately, the armor remained unscathed.
“Hehehe. How adorable. My head is quite mischievous.”
Laughing foolishly, Duraan lifted Connie Heart, still holding her, onto his horse.
“Hehehe. My wonderful head, let’s live happily ever after. Oh, and this is confiscated.”
Not only that, he took the yellow pouch hanging on Connie Heart.
[Huh?]
Connie Heart’s throat instantly felt empty.
“You shouldn’t carry something this dangerous.”
Duraan hung the extradimensional pouch around Connie Heart’s neck. The strap adjusted to the physique of the knight monster.
Originally crafted for divine beings lacking magical aptitude, the pouch was designed for anyone to use. The magical item, created not to be imprinted by an owner, sadly slipped away from Connie Heart’s hands.
[Give me back my pouch, you wicked monster!]
“My head, it’s time for us to go home now.”
[Who said I’ll go with you? If you’re leaving, go by yourself!]
Duraan firmly wedged her against his side as if she were a headrest.
“Hehehe. Is this what happiness feels like?”
Duraan chuckled contentedly.
Meanwhile, Connie Heart sadly muttered to herself, words that wouldn’t reach the monster.
[Duraan even took my pouch away…]
Being born as a divine being and ending up captured by a monster was not what she had expected.
It was truly a pathetic situation.
[… But I won’t die.]
Unawakened divine beings never succumbed to circumstances. It was because they received the protection of the gods.
“Well then, shall we go?”
Humming a tune, Duraan shook the reins. The lively sound of hooves echoed through the tranquil mountains.
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Duraan stopped the horse in front of a dark cave halfway up the mountain.
Sunlight warmly poured into the cave entrance, which enclosed a large courtyard within the rocks.
“Hehehe! This body came back with a head during patrol!”
Holding Connie Heart, he dismounted proudly from the horse.
At the entrance of the cave, two Duraans stood side by side. One was clad in armor as icy as a glacier, while the other’s armor shimmered with a sea-like blue hue.
Behind them, an unidentified tomb of bones, piles of clothing, and heaps of jewelry were stacked like mountains.
[… What’s all this?]
It resembled a pile of garbage. Among the disorderly scrap metal, it wouldn’t be surprising if a snake slithered out.
“Kukuku. This is our home, my head.”
Duraan lifted Connie Heart to eye level.
“Well, it’s time to introduce the family, right? I’ll say it once, so listen carefully. The one in the white armor is Baekhan, and the one in the blue armor is Cheonghan.”
It was amusing.
Monsters naming themselves and living together.
Usually, monsters referred to each other by their species names. Yet, these creatures had their own unique titles.
Moreover, they had even given a name to their hiding place, the ‘Stone Cave.’
“Now, who is Heukhan? Kukuku. That’s obviously a term for you and me, dear. But we don’t call each other by name. Why? Because those guys call me Captain!”
Somewhere, an uneasy glance was felt.
When Connie Heart turned her head slightly, the Duraans guarding the cave approached, clasping their hands together as if in prayer.
Their expressions were hidden inside the helmets, but their demeanor seemed as if they had witnessed something extraordinary.
Why do the horses make such expressions?
Just as the question arose, Cheonghan and Baekhan murmured back and forth in enthusiastic voices.
“The eyes are shining fiercely.”
“Look at the face covered in a beard. Looks wild and robust.”
“I’ve wanted a face like this for a long time.”
“Captain, give me this. I want my head like this.”
“No, Captain. Give it to me, not her. It’s mine.”
“Did you ask first, huh?”
“What does it matter? I want a brave head too!”
Cheonghan and Baekhan glared at each other fiercely. Behind Duraan, the Blue Horse and White Horse stood, eyeing each other cautiously.
Connie Heart was originally brought by Duraan as Heukhan. Now, they seemed to forget this fact, starting to claim ownership of her.
“She’s my head!”
“No. She’s mine!”
The two Duraans took turns forcefully pushing each other’s chests.
Then, the unseen Heukhan shouted in protest.
“Stop, you fools! You look pathetic like this.”
Heukhan hesitated while trying to touch his forehead. It was as if he belatedly realized, ‘Oh! I don’t have a face?’ He chuckled and, instead of touching his own forehead, gently placed his hand on Cornehart’s. It seemed like an attempt to express his frustration somehow.
“Phewww. Pitiful fellows.”
Swinging his helmet with a theatrical sigh, Heukhan’s demeanor was quite ostentatious. However, he paid no attention and continued his defiant stance.
“Listen well. This head is the one I found, mine!”
As he exuded a dark aura, the previously feisty Duraans finally ceased their futile fight.
“If you dare fight over my head again, both of you will be thrown to the divine beings as food!”
TL/N :듀라한/Duraan Internet broadcasting slang. This refers to streamers who do not reveal their faces but only reveal part of the body below the neck, or who broadcast without cam[1], or the broadcasting style itself conducted by such streamers. Maybe that’s why the Duraan always mention about head.
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