Episode 16 – Murishi, The Tribe That Eats Demons (2)
August, dressed in stiff, clean clothes that felt like nothing a living person would willingly wear, put his knees on the dirty floor and meticulously wiped the blood away.
In the Kingdom of Bulrion, showing one’s legs had a sexual connotation, making the situation quite strange, but the atmosphere between the two was very light.
Muriel, without feeling embarrassed, even lifted her skirt a little more so he could clean properly. The unusual and non-sticky atmosphere was partly due to Muriel’s indifferent personality like she was made of iron, but it was largely thanks to August, who was calm as if wiping away blood for someone was a natural favor.
August was a laid-back and sincere person, unlike his dazzling appearance that could hurt the eyes. At first, he seemed like a superficial nobleman with a light and playful attitude or a relentless narcissistic flirt. But that wasn’t it. The more you got to know him, the more you realized how sincere he really was.
Of course, his overly handsome face caused cognitive dissonance. Even after discovering that he was an ant wearing a beetle’s disguise, the outer shell of a beetle was still what caught the eye.
“That’s not my blood.”
Muriel had wandered through the dreadful mountains stained with demon blood all night before arriving at the palace.
“I know.”
He knew? Muriel’s face, as she was pondering about who could have taken the fragment of Ur, hardened.
“How do you…?”
“Smells like the blood of Murishi and demons. Where did you go hunting Murishi?”
“How did you know it was Murishi blood?”
Muriel, who had become more sensitive after losing a piece of Ur’s fragment, asked sharply. Even if it was August who took the fragment from the mountain, she had to get it back.
Muriel’s voice grew cold, but August, seemingly unaware of the change, continued to wipe the blood off her dress.
“The High Priest’s prayers are famously lengthy, and Muriel just finished praying. But the blood hasn’t hardened yet. That means it’s not human blood and since the smell of demon blood is strongly mixed in, I assumed it was Murishi blood.”
August folded his blood-stained handkerchief and got up. Muriel, unable to dispel her suspicions even as she watched August carefully fold the handkerchief and put it in his pocket, glared at him and asked.
“It’s done. The end of the dress is still a little dirty, but it’s not noticeable, so that’s fortunate.”
“You could tell it was Murishi blood just by that? Just from how the blood didn’t harden?”
“These days, Murishis are a hot topic. The entire kingdom is in an uproar trying to exterminate the Murishi. I didn’t know Muriel enjoyed hunting Murishi, though.”
“Is that so? What an impressive intuition.”
Muriel was relieved. Well, August wasn’t the type to casually take the hidden fragment away and act like nothing happened. He would surely come straight to her and interrogate why Muriel had hidden it.
“Is that right? Haha.”
August smiled brightly. Muriel realized that he found the idea of hunting Murishi distasteful.
This was because whenever August was annoyed, he showed that neat, measured smile.
“Oh… and no, not at all. The talk of Murishi hunting. How can I hunt when I can’t even perform a single spell properly?”
August nodded plainly, as if he was uninterested, but his expression noticeably softened. As expected, he seemed to have reservations about people who hunted Murishi.
Well, as Muriel knew, Murishi were an intelligent species. In other words, they were not prey like demons. Slaughtering intelligent beings was no different from conquering indigenous people by massacring them to occupy their land.
‘“The Murishi are an intelligent species, so why do people hunt them? It’s not like they have a bad relationship with humans. If anything, them feeding on demons is helpful, isn’t it?”
Muriel frowned as if she couldn’t understand it, and August looked at her with admiration. Just as he thought, Muriel may be a bit scary and deadpan, but she was undoubtedly a good person.
The reason Murishi were relentlessly hunted was primarily because their prey was demons. Eating corrupted spirits like the demons was considered impure and dirty. People turned their backs on Murishi, who were once symbiotic. They labeled Murishi as no different from corrupted beings and began massacring them. The fact that Murishi’s appearance resembled creatures from the demonworld fueled the flames of hatred even more.
However, Muriel seemed to dismiss the idea entirely, saying things like, ‘They’re good beings that eat up demons, what is there not to like?’
August wanted to stroke Muriel’s head. He wanted to hug her, pat her back, and shout, “That’s what I think too!”
However, he resisted the urge, because it was clear that if he touched her hair right now, her fierce gaze could pierce through his face. He clenched his hands and tried hard to restrain himself.
“Hehe….”
But August couldn’t hold back a giggle. Even though he tried to endure it, he loved the fact that that blunt and indifferent face had unbiased and kind thoughts.
Ah, he wanted to hug her tightly, rub his face against hers, and tell her she did well. Even though she probably couldn’t read his thoughts, Muriel recoiled and distanced herself, looking disgusted.
“Why are you laughing like that?”
Unfortunately, August heard that, but he still smiled happily.
“I think similarly. Although the Murishi look creepy, it doesn’t make them a bad being. I just felt proud and happy to meet someone who shares the same thoughts as me.”
Unlike August, who had to clench his fists and restrain his joy to the point of his fingers tingling at the fact that he had met a comrade, Muriel’s reaction was sour. Despite her obvious lack of interest, August didn’t care and his eyes sparkled.
“On top of that, they say that Murishi can smell minerals. If we can find a way to communicate with them, it would undoubtedly be helpful to people. But why do people judge solely based on appearances…”
“Wait just a second!”
Muriel, who was listening to the story without much interest, suddenly stopped August’s excited chatter with a surprised expression.
“What do you mean by smelling minerals? Are you saying that if something like a talisman is buried in the ground, they’ll be able to detect it?”
Muriel’s heart started racing. Hope began to emerge that she might be able to find the missing piece of Ur. The smell of demons and the blood of the Murishi that filled the mountain. Murishi’s ability to smell minerals. Could it be…
“Yes, that’s correct. I heard that Murishi can distinguish the scent of minerals.”
“August!”
Muriel let out a cheer and hugged August tightly.. August was momentarily taken aback but joined in the celebration with Muriel, even though he didn’t understand. There was no other dog that wagged its tail happily for compliments even though he hadn’t done anything remarkable.
“Right? It’s truly fortunate that there is a possibility of coexistence with Murishi. I feel the same way as Muriel. We need to stop the hatred towards Murishi!”
Muriel was happy because she had found a clue that the fragment of Ur might’ve been stolen by a Murishi. August attached a strange reason to her excitement that didn’t exist.
Muriel clasped August tightly as he cheered. August was embarrassed for a moment and cheered with Muriel without knowing why. There was no dog who wagged his tail for compliments even though he had done nothing well.
“Right? How fortunate is it that there is a possibility to coexist with Murushi?” I feel the same way as Muriel. We need to stop the misogyny!”
Muriel was happy because he found a clue that it might have been Morrissey that stole Ur’s piece. August gave a reason why he was never there.
“What?”
“Yes…?”
Muriel realized August’s misunderstanding, but by all right, even his tactlessness was cute to her now.
“Oh, so pretty.”
“Hahaha! I’ve never thought of Murishi as pretty, but Muriel is truly sweet. Hahaha.”
The two of them hugged each other for completely different reasons and jumped around happily.
It was then. The door to the lab opened.
“The two of you look like you’re having a great time.”
Kaiton was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. Unlike his usual cold expression, his gaze was fierce as it briefly scanned August’s arms wrapped around Muriel’s waist before it fell away. Although the stinging gaze quickly disappeared, August felt shivers run down his spine and embraced Muriel even tighter.
“What’s making you so happy?”
His voice was low and slow, yet somehow harsh.
“It’s nothing. We were just exchanging greetings since I haven’t seen August in a while.”
Only after seeing Kaiton’s oddly crumpled expression did Muriel realize how close she had gotten to August. She had just thought about pulling away from him when Kaiton beat her to it by rushing in first.
Although August’s attitude towards Muriel was affectionate, it seems that her walls of caution crumbled because the way he treated her was light and laidback, like a friend.
Muriel awkwardly distanced herself from August. Perhaps because August was also wary of Kaiton, so he didn’t talk about how pleasant the conversation just now about the Murishi had been.
“We’ll talk later, August.”
“Sure, Muriel.”
Muriel wanted to ask about how to hunt Murishi without a group. August nodded eagerly, overwhelmed by the fact that they could discuss the freedom of the pitiful species further, unassuming of the fact that she was thinking about how to catch and kill the creature.
“Could you please move out of the way?”
Muriel looked up at Kaiton, who was still blocking the door. She couldn’t understand why he seemed so displeased when he looked at her and August. Was he worried that she would get closer to Eklum, a guardian, and gain power?
“I also have something to discuss with Miss Muriel for a moment.”
“Then speak.”
Kaiton raised the corners of his mouth as he looked at Muriel who nodded as if she was annoyed.
“Just the two of us. It’s something we need to talk about privately.”
“…”
What was wrong with him? Muriel stepped back as she recalled the last time Kaiton was so aggressive.
If by any chance, he found out that she was not a native of this place but rather possessed by some strange magical entity, things would become complicated.
Kaiton walked much closer to Muriel and quickly narrowed the distance she had put between them. Muriel hastily took a step back again, and accidentally caught her shoe on the skirt of her dress.
August reached out his arm towards Muriel as she stumbled backward, but before she could land securely on his arm, Kaiton pulled Muriel’s arm close to him.
Muriel and Kaiton’s faces were so close that their noses almost touched.
“Ah…”
Their lips were tantalizingly close, but Muriel wasn’t very startled. She only felt that he was holding her hand again. Probably very tightly.
Her hand was going to break.
She couldn’t be sure since she couldn’t feel any pain, but he was undoubtedly gripping her wrist with all his might. Even when she tried to twist her wrist to free herself, it didn’t budge an inch.
I couldn’t tell for sure because I didn’t feel the pain, but he must have held her wrist with all his might. I tried to twist my wrist, but it didn’t move at all.
“It hurts.”
Muriel spoke bluntly, thinking that it would probably hurt if he held on so tightly. Kaiton just looked at her without responding.
“You’re not shaking anymore.”
He whispered quietly. It was a tone that expressed a hint of disappointment that Muriel was no longer afraid of him.
Well.. she wasn’t really scared of Kaiton from the start. Muriel had just been nervous because she thought she shouldn’t get tangled up with him.
Now, she wasn’t even that nervous… Although it was a bit unsettling to have Kaiton so close that she could feel his breath, that was all.
“Not really… I was never shaking.”
However, she couldn’t help but feel that the only way to rescue a fierce dog was to tighten its leash.
I’m posting the chapters in bulk bc I’ve been stocking them for a few months hehe
if you like my work, please consider buying me a ko-fi! but commenting is also enough and greatly appreicated.
August has such golden retriever energy!!! So adorable! Thank you for the translation!