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Chapter 10
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It was quite funny to see him squinting and urging with a face that looked like a crushed heart.
[Can’t you just keep touching it?]
Dhiope gently scratched the firm, rumbling belly as if there was no other choice. The silver-gray fur wrapping around his hand was undeniably soft and fluffy.
How much time had passed like that?
As Duraan’s snoring became monotonous, Connie Heart began to nod off.
‘He kept telling me to eat the Lava fruit whenever I was tired.’
Ironically, Connie Heart never touched the fruit. In the uncertain situation of not knowing when they could leave this place, wasting fruit was against the instincts of a beast.
‘An existence that can live without eating anything…’
Dhiope now seemed to reluctantly admit that the creature before him was not a monster.
They had run away together for many days. Whenever their escape failed, like today, this bird seemed to feel my disappointment before me.
Moreover, the sound of rustling creatures like acorns from the Wind of Origin was mysterious.
The frozen well and transparent ice walls, coupled with the vast magical books stored there, stimulated the secretive scholarly enthusiasm of Dhiope, the magician.
Connie Heart’s mentioned story was specific and detailed.
What did she said today?
[I haven’t awakened yet, so even if I cry, only bitter tears come out.]”
That’s right.
That little bird called itself a penguin. As she was about to go on an adventure, she also said that she had been collecting holy water for over five years. However, she was depressed that more tears fell on the floor than were put in the bottle.
[Still, there were so many lava fruits that I could get my feet wet, so I brought a lot with me when I left Winterwind.]
She said one of the divine beasts has a lot of tears or something.
Dhiope lowered his gaze and looked at the Lava fruit beside his head.
Lava was a mysterious fruit. When chewed, hunger disappeared, energy increased, and even the mood became refreshing. If such fruits were distributed in the empire, it would have caused a significant impact.
‘It will undoubtedly be useful.’
Dhiope silently stared at the sleeping Connie Heart. If the creature before him was truly divine, this was an opportunity.
***
Duraan’s daily routine was simple.
They woke up in the morning, arranged their order, and went out for reconnaissance. It was just going around Mount Barun, picking a place they wanted to visit. When snow piled up, they melted it in the yard with Ego Sword. Sometimes they enjoyed sword training among themselves.
But today was different. Heukhan, who had been watching Connie Heart happily since the morning, suddenly let out a roar.
“Everyone, don’t moveee! I feel like I’ve forgotten something!”
Heukhan stood up, placed hands on the helmet, and looked distressed.
“Hmmm…!”
Then the Heukhan came up to Connie Heart and stuck the bridge of his nose to her forehead. When Heukhan contacted her, she did exactly the same thing he did to Connie Heart.
[Telepathy again? Aren’t you tired of it?]
No matter what Connie complains about or not. Her body trembled as if a black demon had contacted him on behalf of Heukhan. Soon, Heukhan said, ‘Huh?!’ He let out an exclamation.
“Come to think of it, I’ve never properly introduced my head to other creatures!”
It was a sudden realization. Though it wasn’t something he had planned on the twelfth day since welcoming the morning with Connie Heart, he truly grasped the phenomenon belatedly.
In reality, Duraan of Mount Barun had evolved as a creature without a face. In other words, it had no brain.
Consequently, its intelligence was embarrassingly low compared to a typical Duraan that carried its head on its side. It was praiseworthy, even if belatedly, that it had realized something.
“Hmm. This is not the time for this. Head, let’s move busily today.”
Heukhan cradled Connie Heart with care, handling her like a newborn. Then, with utmost care, he lifted her onto the helmet.
[Huh? Are you planning to wander around like this?]
Connie Heart ended up sitting on top of the helmet in a blink. The ground looked unbelievably distant when she glanced down. It felt dizzyingly close to falling, and the prospect of pain if she tumbled was overwhelming.
She pressed her bottom tightly against the helmet to avoid slipping. Instinctively, she fluttered her wings to maintain balance.
“Kekeke.”
Ignorant of others’ speed, Heukhan effortlessly climbed onto the horse. The plump, silver-gray body leaned downward.
[Oops!]
Startled that she might fall, Connie Heart tightly closed her eyes. Strangely, there was no sensation of pain.
[Why doesn’t it hurt?]
Because she hadn’t fallen!
Connie Heart opened her real eyes.
[Dark magic?]
Dark magic permeated around the helmet. It was the force Heukhan generated to fix his head to the helmet.
[Hmm… It does seem more comfortable than hanging on the side.]
How was this even possible?
Connie Heart touched the dark magic with her wings. While she could see its form, there was no sense of discomfort. It was increasingly fascinating and peculiar.
While Connie Heart observed the dark magic, Heukhan rode Dhiope on the horse.
“Captain! We’ll follow too.”
“Kekeke, sure. Shall we start now?”
With giggles and laughter, the Duraan group cheerfully exited the Stone Cave.
***
Heukhan traversed the courtyard for a while, and a dense foggy forest appeared.
In the misty forest, giant creatures, transformed from animals into monsters, gathered. They enthusiastically greeted Heukhan with incomprehensible gestures.
“That’s a good hop-hop!”
“It’s a refreshing leap!”
“Are you squealing!”
It was something she couldn’t understand at all.
Heukhan passed them at full speed, chuckling. Not only that, he passed by the monsters he happened to encounter on the road.
After promising introductions, Connie Heart tilted her head in confusion.
[Let’s go meet the monsters. Why do you just go down?]
He descended the mountain trail and arrived at the beginning of Mount Barun. There, a frosted cave entrance, like teeth sticking to a giant rock, awaited.
“Kekeke. We’ve arrived. Forget about the monsters we met on the way.”
Heukhan, having reached the destination, spoke as if considering his own head.
“If you greet this person and that person as soon as you meet them, it will be a headache. Afterwards, you will be confused about who you introduced and who you did not introduce, right?”
It seemed like Heukhan was admitting to his own confusion.
“So, we’re going to meet monsters gradually, starting from the bottom of the mountain and going up!”
It was an extremely inefficient way of moving. Nevertheless, Heukhan entered the cave with a proud smile.
As they entered the vast cave, ogres came into view. They stared endlessly at the ceiling’s stalactites, saliva dripping steadily.
“If you eat that, it will crunch loudly.”
“No, it’ll make a crispy sound.”
“No, it’ll be crunchy.”
It seemed like they wanted to eat the stalactites because they looked like icicles.
“Kheukhem…!”
Heukhan deliberately coughed. It was to make his presence known to the dull ogre, who was too preoccupied with thinking about eating to notice anything else.
“Huh? Duraan came. Why? Ogres didn’t do anything wrong.”
“We bathed in the puddle yesterday. Skipped meals for weight loss. It’s true.”
The handsome ogre trembled in fear and made excuses. Towering over Connie Heart’s eye level, its thick elbows moved up and down near the helmet.
“I’m not here for interrogation today.”
Heukhan chuckled generously, holding the reins.
“Can you see any difference in me?”
Heukhan clearly had no idea what the introduction was about. Otherwise, he might have forgotten the purpose of coming to the cave, carried away by the thought of showing off Connie Heart.
“Look closely. Something has definitely changed.”
The ogres blinked for a long time and scratched their heads.
“No change in Duraan.”
“Just carrying something to eat on his head.”
“He’s testing us. Don’t drool.”
Drool dripped from the ogre’s fangs.
Despite saying ‘to eat,’ Connie Heart was perplexed.
[I’m not food!]
However, the ogres seemed oblivious to her words.
“Why did Duraan put food on his head?”
“Duraan is storing food.”
“Why store it in the helmet?”
“So he doesn’t forget. Putting it in an obvious place makes it easy to find.”
Demon Heuk, who had been listening to the conversation, narrowed his eyes sharply. Heukhan, too, expressed his displeasure.
“To eat? This is my head!”
Heukhan roared uncomfortably, like a wild beast. The powerful aura made the ogre tremble.
“Sorry. Not eating it. Really. Absolutely. I won’t eat it even if I die!”
It was a desperate declaration. The act of blocking his mouth with his thick hands, like a shield, looked quite urgent.
“… Fine. I’ll believe you. Do you have any idea what would happen if you ever ate my head?”
“Yes!”
“What would happen?”
“It’s so small that even if you eat it, you’ll still be hungry!”
“What?!”
“It makes you full?”
“If you touch even a hair on my head, I will rip your mouth off and throw you to eat as food!!”
“Huh? Okay! I got it! I’ll remember!”
“Kekeke. Alright then. Show all the respect to my head!”
Heukhan commanded, and instantly, the sixty ogres raised their heads and shouted in unison.
“Hello. We are ogres. Nice to meet you.”
[Hmm. If by any chance we cross paths while I’m running away, just pretend you didn’t see me.]
Somehow sensing hesitation from the ogres, Connie Heart unknowingly shook her wings. Whether misinterpreting the gesture or not, Heukhan gave her another stern look.
“Your eye level is too high!”
“We were born like this. Sorry.”
“If you want to greet us, bow to our heads!”
At the chilling shout, the group of ogres swiftly prostrated themselves flat on the ground.
[Oh! You really don’t have to go that far.]
Connie Heart’s voice didn’t reach the monsters. At this moment, it only resonated with Dhiope.
‘Ha.’
Dhiope looked down at the ogres and discreetly licked his tongue.
‘They’re still the same, then and now.’
As the ogre group rose, they swallowed their saliva while glancing at Dhiope.
Their large fangs gleamed energetically. It was obvious what they were thinking even without looking.
“…….”
Enduring their repulsive gaze for a while, Dhiope came to a conclusion.
The ogres were nothing more than gluttonous inferior creatures.
***
The newly arrived place was a flatland covered in powdery snow.
There was not a single tree around, let alone a cave. The open field provided a refreshing view, but despite searching, no monsters were in sight.
[There’s nothing here?]
Connie Heart’s question didn’t last long.
Heukhan chuckled mischievously and walked towards the center of the field. As he proceeded, suddenly a thud! sound echoed.
“Aaagh! Captain! It hurts!”
The snowy ground trembled. Faint skeletons wriggled beneath the ground. What is that.
Just as the question arose, they collectively rose, smoothly standing up.
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