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Chapter 09
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He pointed to the white fuzz around the eyes, referring to it as a black beard. Despite his large and robust figure, his posture scratching his cheek seemed dull.
“Hehehe. How cute.”
Duraan was a monster reborn out of resentment. It had to be aggressive and fierce to be considered normal.
However, after observing for a few days, Connie Heart found that Duraan was far from being violent. Instead, it had a somewhat gloomy and innocent aspect.
Moreover, at night, it seemed to feel tired like a human.
“Huhhh. I’ve been feeling so sleepy since earlier. It’s already getting dark outside.”
As the sun set, Heukhan yawned again today. Carrying Connie Heart, his steps towards the pile of clothes slowed down, as if he were sleepy.
“Evil monsters should go to bed early and wake up early.”
Duraan, consumed by resentment, slept like a sword at night. However, it was not easy to escape since it patrolled while turning around.
Already the tenth day.
Connie Heart’s attempts to escape repeatedly ended in failure.
[Hearing is highly developed, that’s why.]
Duraan was a being with heightened senses to the point of irritation. They could even detect the sound of icicles falling from trees outside the cave.
[If a word is awake, you can see all around.]
It was a realization she had after observing for ten days.
Even if they turned their backs, they knew what Connie Heart was doing.
Occasionally, to test Duraan, they deliberately opened their beaks and behaved strangely.
“My head just opened and closed her nose.”
“My head is trembling right now.”
Even if their gaze was elsewhere, they could see through Connie Heart’s actions. Each time, Connie Heart’s beak became a nose, then a mouth.
How keen their eyesight was.
“Just now, a strand of the pet human’s eyelash fell on the cheek. I hope it’s not going bald.”
Despite the face being faintly visible, they pointed out a fallen eyelash. The talk about baldness was just nonsense.
“Hehehe. Now that it’s night, let’s meet again when you open your eyes tomorrow, my dear head.”
Her body sank into the soft pile of clothes. Dhiope had already wrapped his cape over his head due to the Duraans.
“Have sweet dreams.”
With a stiff wave, Heukan distanced himself.
Connie Heart was planning another escape attempt once Duraan fell asleep today.
Watching Heukhan leave, she pushed her face into the cape.
[Dhiope, I’m here!]
Connie Heart wriggled, pressing her body against Dhiope.
[Your body feels like ice. Is it very cold?]
Like all caves, the Stone Cave had no separate doors. Exposed to the cold whenever a snowstorm hit, it was an environment with no escape from the chill.
Dhiope had also been held by Duraan for a while, not long after entering the cape used as a blanket.
[I’ll warm you up!]
Connie Heart wrapped the delicate cheek with its wings. The touch that melted the frozen skin was affectionate.
Unfortunately, Diope found such Connie Heart irritating.
‘What an annoying behavior.’
If the body could melt on its own, that would have been enough. Dhiope couldn’t comprehend why this almond-like creature, fussing unnecessarily, wouldn’t let him move freely, sticking to his neck like a leech.
Why cling to the nape like a parasite, preventing him from tossing and turning freely?
He clearly showed discomfort but obediently surrendered his body to Connie Heart.
‘If I resist, Heukhan will grab my neck from behind.’
He didn’t even know whether making a fuss about pushing away the creature from his head would make a difference.
As he received Connie Heart’s touch, he lowered the cape slightly under his eyes. Then, the vigilant Cheonghan urged him to sleep faster.
“Drrreong, my pet human?”
A damn monster.
***
‘There’s an imperial saying that even if you enter the Barun Mountain, as long as you keep your wits about you, you’ll survive.’
Duraan’s snoring resonated loudly. Dhiope quietly observed the sleeping monsters.
“Drrreong. Drrreong.”
“Cooeruck. Cuckoo. Cooeruck. Cuckoo.”
“Khulkhuwl. Khulkhuwl.”
After a long observation, Dhiope realized that the Duraans lived in the cave as a trio, and peculiarly, they slept sitting upright.
hey sat in a row in the center of the cave, always holding Eggo Swords like torches and peacefully fell into deep sleep. It seemed quite uncomfortable, but the snoring persisted.
‘Horses lie next to their owners.’
The three horses were sprawled across the passage, blocking it. Their closed eyes conveyed an incredibly relaxed posture.
[Now’s the time! It seems like all three are really asleep.]
Connie Heart fluttered its wings anxiously. Fortunately, the clattering of the Eggo Swords only made loud noise; the Duraans remained undisturbed.
[It’s better to go towards the right wall.]
Dhiope had the same idea. Although the passage was blocked, there was a narrow gap on the wall where Blue horse lay with its legs stretched out.
Dhiope wrapped the cape dragging on the ground around his arms. Somehow, Connie Heart ended up joining them again. Dhiope gently walked, cradling the small creature and carefully stepping with magpie feet.
Dhiope’s expression became somewhat grim. The time it took to walk towards Duraan, holding his breath, felt like an eternity.
[From here, you have to pass stealthily!]
Connie Heart advised. The kind tone felt annoying, but Dhiope showed no reaction.
He pressed his back against the wall and stealthily passed through Demon Cheong. Please, let no one open their eyes.
“Khulkhuwl?”
Today’s vigilant one was Baekhan.
Unfortunately, the Demon Baek opened its eyes.
“Little human, where are you going with the captain’s head? Kekkekkek.”
“…..”
“Where are you heading with the captain’s head? Kekkekkek.”
It was a disaster.
Dhiope clenched his teeth, initially biting forcefully but responding sheepishly.
“……. No, I wasn’t trying to escape.”
“Really?”
He casually lied, his short tongue speaking smoothly.
“I couldn’t sleep, and I wanted to feel the night breeze. But Captain hasn’t slept yet… If I go out alone, it’s scary. If I go with the brave and cool Captain’s head, it won’t be scary.”
[That’s right! We were going to get some fresh air.]
Connie Heart nodded vigorously. With the Captain’s head joining in, Baekhan laughed joyfully.
“Since you can’t sleep, should I sing a lullaby for you? Kekkekkek.”
Even though there was no response, Baekhan audaciously started stroking Dhiope’s neck.
‘A lullaby sung by Duraan.’
Dhiope shuddered at the thought. It was horrifying even to imagine.
“Kekke. Little one, songs are meant to be listened to sitting down.”
It meant to return to the original position. Helplessly, Dhiope moved back to a corner of the cave.
[Let’s not be disheartened. There’s still plenty of time. Let’s look forward to what comes next.]
Connie Heart’s soft wings gently patted Dhiope’s hand.
‘Who asked for comforting?’
A crooked thought crossed his mind. The foolish creature, unaware of his pace, covered his cold hand with its fluffy wing.
‘I never said it was cold.’
Dhiope glanced down at the crooked wing. Nevertheless, he didn’t reject the soft and comforting wings.
Holding Connie Heart in his arms, Dhiope kneeled on the pile of clothes.
From that moment, the worst lullaby, which felt like it would burst his eardrums, began.
Now go to sleep! When will you sleeeep!”
Baekhan’s lack of musical talent was evident. No matter how you listened, it sounded like a scream produced by evil.
“Oh my, oh myyyyy…!”
While he seemed to be thoroughly enjoying it, the listeners found it agonizing.
[Ugh! What on earth are you singing?]
Connie Heart grimaced and suffered. It was a horrifying song that felt like the cave walls would crumble.
[If there’s hell, it must be here.]
Dhiope gently scratched Connie Heart’s ears buried in the fur.
‘Indeed, it’s terrible.’
The lullaby that pierced the eardrums awakened Heukhan and Cheonghan. Even the Eggo Swords were vibrating as if shivering.
“How dare this captain, who is sound asleep, be disturbed! Who is shouting like a whale?!”
“It’s not a shout but a lullaby.”
“Whether it’s a lullaby or an epic, why sing at night?!”
“Because it’s boring. The night is long.”
Sorry, Captain. Baekhan apologized naturally. He even trembled with a vow to keep his mouth shut and stay quiet from now on.
The uncomfortable glances didn’t last long. Heukhan, with a warning tone, closed his eyes again.
Not long after, the snoring resumed.
“Did you hear?”
Despite he was disowned, Baekhan didn’t care.
“The captain says lullabies are noisy. If you close your eyes, sleep will come. So close your eyes like me.”
He even demonstrated closing his eyes, but soon he began to snore again.
[He’s just pretending to have his eyes closed. He won’t sleep anyway.]
‘Probably trying to test us.’
Or perhaps it was their long-standing habit to lull unsuspecting outsiders looking for the cave.
Dhiope, holding the fluffy creature, glanced disapprovingly.
Bulbous fur that touched the palm of his hand.
Dhiope unknowingly stroked Connie Heart for quite a long time. The fluffy creature felt squishy and had a plushy texture, like squeezing bread.
The flesh seemed soft as if it would endlessly stretch when pulled. It also felt like touching a warm cloud.
“……”
No, what am I doing now?
Dhiope, visibly surprised by his own actions, stiffened his hand.
[Why did you stop petting?]
Connie Heart playfully nuzzled the back of Dhiope’s hand.
This peculiar bird claiming to be a divine beast had heart-shaped patterns on its face.
The inside of the heart, where facial features were placed, had a different fur color. On the other hand, black fur wrapped around the head outside the heart.
However, the overall outline was rounded both above and below. So, to Dhiope’s eyes, Connie Heart’s face looked like a squashed heart.
‘Huh, how ridiculous.’
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