Chapter 19: The Green Sky Demon Ilgast057 – Green Sky Demon Ilgast #3
— What, what is it?
Salome must have sensed my suspicious demeanor, as she tightened the wings that covered her body.
— Why are you laughing so creepily? Do I look weird?
— No, it’s nothing. Just guide me to where the evening primroses are blooming. Or can’t you fly? You have wings, after all.
Learning that the frog poison was weaker than El-Gasa’s, I felt a surge of confidence.
I desperately wanted to go to that habitat or whatever it was, gobble up some frogs, and rescue that flower.
‘Frogs…’
I had eaten a few when I was human too. Frying them up tasted just like light and crispy fried chicken.
‘Of course, I wouldn’t be able to fry them without tools, but it should be edible.’
Most of the critters I had eaten in this forest over the past few weeks were delicious. Even without any cooking, their flavors and textures were so good they felt like they were artificially made to be devoured.
— Come on, let’s go.
I tapped Harpy Salome on the back with my front paw. She glanced at me as if she found something displeasing, then leaped into the sky with a look that said, “Well, what can you do?”
— You wouldn’t even notice your bl**d vessels burning from the poison.
— Don’t worry about that.
Salome’s foot clutched my shoulder.
*
Evening primroses are said to bloom beautifully under the moonlight. In this world, the moon is super close and bright, close enough that some plants photosynthesize from its light.
— The magical power comes from that moon up in the sky. Flowers that grow under that light have extremely high magical power.
As we glided through the sky, Salome continued to explain the evening primrose. The countless petals grow round and white, resembling the full moon floating in the sky.
‘Is it similar to a puffball chrysanthemum?’
I couldn’t quite visualize it in my head, but I figured I’d know when I saw it, so I wasn’t too worried.
— Just seeing it will give you the feeling. It’s really pretty.
Salome concluded her explanation. I scrunched my face in slight confusion.
— But what exactly is this magical power?
The witch Eve from the Southern Forest and the elder Ilgast from the Western Forest had mentioned this “magical power” at times. The first things that came to mind were magic or energy used for supernatural deeds.
The supernatural energy often referred to in movies, novels, and comics as Ether or Mana.
While I was picturing a wizard breathing fire, Salome spoke again.
— They say it’s the source of power that mythical creatures possess, but I don’t really know. Beasts like us can’t feel it.
— I see.
I figured it was a way of distinguishing between humanoid creatures like Eve and Ilgast and others.
I tried to concentrate to see if I could sense even a hint of magical power in the air, but nothing felt particularly prominent.
I extended my front paw forward.
— Fireball.
With a subtle sense of anticipation, I shouted my line, only to have my vision shake violently.
— I’ve hit turbulence. Flying is going to be tough from here on out. Guess we’ll have to walk.
Salome flapped her wings and began descending. I looked at my front paw with the feeling of “I knew it.”
‘Looks like I can’t use magic after all.’
To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations, so I wasn’t disappointed.
Once I landed, my eyes went wide at the desolate sight before me.
The lush jungle brush had vanished, revealing a barren wasteland filled with gnarly, skinny trees.
The soil was soaked from the rain, yet it was crumbling and dry, devoid of nutrients. It felt like walking on a desert or sandy beach.
Dry trees, bizarrely bent thorny bushes, and bleached bones were scattered about, giving the ground an eerie charm.
‘Who knew such a place existed in the prosperous Western Forest?’
Now and then, little scorpions and centipedes showed themselves through holes in the ground as we walked, but darted back into their hideouts when we approached.
The cold wind whistled loudly. Aside from that, the landscape was eerily quiet.
— What’s up with this ground? This doesn’t look like a forest.
As I voiced my confusion, letters began to rise before my eyes.
【The Fallen King’s Garden.】
The name “garden” didn’t quite fit this place.
I waved my hand lightly to dismiss the letters, and Salome began to speak.
— This is a forbidden area. A land forgotten for hundreds of years. Only Lord Ilgast remembers what it once was. No matter what happens from here on, just keep moving forward.
Harpy Salome warned me with a surprisingly serious and stern voice.
I looked around to see if there was any reason for concern, only to find dark shadows watching us from behind the dry trees.
— Kheheh.
— Heheh.
They emitted beastly sounds I had never heard before; at times it sounded like a whimpering dog, and other times, a loud bark.
‘What kind of animals are these?’
They looked like canine beasts with short, stout noses and sharp tusks that left quite an impression. I’d say they resembled a bizarre blend of a dog and a bear.
Their fur was a brown-black mix, with patches of dry dirt and bl**d caked on like barnacles.
Seeing their bony legs and protruding ribs made me involuntarily grimace.
‘They must be really starving.’
Could these be the impoverished people of a war-torn nation from some continent?
I began to think that maybe this was the slums or “Harlem” of the Western Forest.
— Kihih.
One of the beasts made eye contact with me and grinned, but didn’t seem like it wanted to charge; it merely kept its distance while watching me curiously.
— Don’t look at them. The Tartar Hyenas will follow you relentlessly if you give them attention.
Salome moved ahead without hesitation.
— Tartar hyenas, huh. They’re hyenas after all.
They certainly blended right in with the desolate wasteland.
While they didn’t seem particularly strong, they were slowly gathering in numbers, creating an atmosphere that felt dangerous.
— Should we just ignore them and keep going?
— Yeah, as long as they don’t start anything, they won’t attack. They’re just scavengers that eat rotten meat. They’re just circling us, hoping we’ll drop dead.
With Salome’s explanation, I immediately thought of vultures hovering over castaways in a desert or deserted island.
These beasts must be of that ilk as well.
Drool dripped from their half-open mouths, which didn’t look intimidating at all.
They couldn’t converse like Leaf or Salome, it seemed; they yipped and chirped to each other, communicating their own way.
It felt refreshing on one hand to encounter a beast that couldn’t talk, especially since the ones I had recently met had all spoken as if it was perfectly normal.
‘Not being able to communicate is inconvenient. I have no idea what they’re thinking.’
Beastly relations were probably just about normal.
When I was hungry and starved, I awaited the weakness of other creatures too.
— Kihih.
Their yellow eyes flashed here and there.
I cautiously kept an eye on the hyenas while walking beside Salome.
Salome frowned so hard she seemed almost stern. The tightly shut mouth of one beast opened slightly, voicing its displeasure.
— It’s not just hyenas. This place is crawling with all sorts of vile and filthy creatures – lawless beings that don’t abide by the king’s rules. I’d love to wipe them all out.
— The king’s rules? What a silly notion. This place has its own rules.
— What? What did you just say?
Salome halted and looked directly at me.
I shook my head and clarified that I hadn’t said anything.
— I didn’t say a word.
— What?
Salome froze, startled, and turned to look around. Since it was her who told me to keep moving forward, I instinctively sensed that something was about to go wrong.
Whoosh!
At that moment, a colossal gust of wind mixed with wet sand blew past us.
Salome spread her large wings, enveloping both her and me.
When the wind subsided, Salome cautiously peeked out from behind her wings.
— What the heck is that?
— Over here, priestess.
Our faces turned toward the direction of the voice.
‘It’s dark.’
There sat a beast with long shaggy black fur, striding gracefully between the hyenas.
— Kihih.
— Kihih.
As if acknowledging its presence, the hyenas all bowed their heads in submission.
— It’s been a while, priestess. No, wait. You’re the daughter of Herodia, aren’t you?
The beast shared a similar build to Harpy Salome, though a bit smaller than the nimble dinosaur Yan-Mite.
If I had to compare sizes accurately, it was about the same as Mao, who was as big as a Siberian tiger. Still, its thick mane made it appear grander.
‘Black fur… not a fan. Looks cool, but…’
The color reminded me of the one-eyed wolf Kublai, causing me to wrinkle my brow.
Perhaps it was due to the similar fur color and body type, but it made me recall the three-eyed wolf that had attacked me.
However, instead of a third eye on its forehead, three claw marks were etched onto its black fur.
— S-Ska…!
Until now, Salome had maintained composure under any circumstances, but she began to tremble. I had never seen her look this terrified even when she met Ilgast.
The moment I saw her face turning pale with fear, I bristled my fur and entered a state of alertness.
Salome was supposedly strong.
If even she was scared, then this must be a formidable opponent.
‘This must be the black lion that Lao-Hoo and Ilgast mentioned.’
Seeing it in person was much clearer than hearing any descriptions.
‘This creature is definitely as strong as Yan-Mite or Kublai.’
It was smaller than the massive Lao-Hoo, Kublai, or Yan-Mite, really just the size of an ordinary lion.
Nevertheless, it exuded an air of overwhelming power, with a laid-back coolness that commanded respect.
Its sleek, slim muscles rippled like a tightly wound puma.
‘If I were hit by that front paw, my head would be clean off.’
Had it not been for Lao-Hoo, this creature would undoubtedly rule the Western Forest.
The black lion – likely named Ska – strode leisurely around Salome and me.
Its swaying tail nearly brushed against our bodies.
— What brings you, esteemed offspring of the tribe, to this forsaken wasteland? And who is this white creature?
Its red eyes regarded me.
With a different aura than Lao-Hoo’s majesty, this beast radiated both arrogance and youthful vigor.
— Wh-what do you plan to do with us?
— What do I plan to do?
In response to Salome’s question, it smirked, revealing its sharp canines.
— Nothing at all, not right now. Don’t be so frightened. I’m merely here to let you know I’m alive. But…
It began to laugh in a chilling manner, like ice cold laughter echoing in the air.
— But when the time of the festival comes, everyone in this cursed wasteland, all the way to the fertile Western Forest and this World Tree will know who I am.
A roar rumbled, shaking the ground. How was such a small body capable of such an enormous sound?
— You, you aren’t qualified to be a great warrior. You can’t participate in the festival.
Salome managed to say with a quivering voice.
— Whether or not I’m qualified…
Ska’s lips twisted cruelly from a previously cheerful smile.
— Who do you think you are to speak of qualifications? I am Scar the Scarred. I’m a significantly more legitimate ruler than that cowardly Lao-Hoo.
— Qualifications come not from names and the glory of one’s parents, Ska. You must prove your power yourself.
Salome spoke her words bravely, undeterred by fear.
These must be the kind of beasts who would speak straightforwardly, even in danger.
As someone who had become accustomed to living a life of deceit, I couldn’t imagine facing such a situation, which made me harbor a slight respect for her.
Ska looked at his right front paw and extended his claws, then blew a gust of wind.
— Proving power? Not difficult at all. How about I show you my strength right now? By tearing this white-furred one to shreds!
With a guttural roar, Ska swung his paw at me.
I was on high alert and reflexively raised my paw to block the attack.
Bam! The sound of bones crashing echoed.
‘Ugh, that hurt!’
His paw, as solid as a steel beam, sent my whole body ringing, even after I blocked it.
The pain was sharper than I expected, and bl**d vessels on my forehead bulged.
— You little rascal! What do you think you’re doing, attacking a stranger?
