169 – Nymph and Greek Roman Myth #4
The Squirrel Beast hopped and roamed across the valley and forest.
It easily descended steep cliffs as if running across the plains, or squeezed through narrow caves to guide us somewhere.
To say it was guiding us was because it literally looked that way.
Whenever we seemed to be lagging behind, the ancient breed Squirrel Beast would pause a bit further away, turn back, and bark to urge us on.
Where could it be leading us?
Thus, we arrived at the very center of a forest.
Thanks to the gentle breeze, sunlight filtered in between the swaying branches and leaves like a beautiful mosaic piece.
It seemed like a perfect spot to lay down a mat and enjoy sandwiches, and the Nymphs were very fond of it.
“This is a nymph-friendly forest…! It’s been a long time since I’ve seen a forest with such well-preserved natural environment as this Inoi…!”
“It feels like the Nymph sisters would be frolicking around in this forest…!”
“Meheh, even Illinois agrees on this…! There might be Nymph sisters around…! Let’s take a look around…!”
—Kkungkkungi…!
At that moment, the Squirrel Beast that had disappeared somewhere jumped down towards us.
In its mouth was some mysterious herb that emitted a very unique fragrance, drifting softly in the air.
Upon seeing this, the Inoi placed both hands on its cheeks, filled with joy.
“Oh my…! That is the ‘Fairy Mente’…! It is the trace of my friend Mentenoi…! It’s been a long time since I’ve found it…!”
“Fairy Mente.”
It was said to be a very rare herb with a deep connection to Inoi.
Soon, Illinois stroked its chin, as if it knew something.
“Are you talking about Mentenoi, who was trampled by Persephone and turned into a flower…? If it’s the story of Mentenoi, then Illinois has listened to it too…!”
Indeed, as Illinois said.
Inoi had a friend named “Mentenoi,” who became a mature Nymph and fell in love with Hades, the god of the underworld. However, Persephone, the goddess of spring, who was Hades’ wife, couldn’t accept it and trampled on Mentenoi.
Thus, the trampled Mentenoi had become a flower that emitted a stronger fragrance the more it was trampled.
So Inoi ended up liking mint-flavored spices that reminded them of their friend.
“What a disgusting goddess who could cheat with Adonis while punishing Mentenoi by trampling her…! Mentenoi should have called a lawyer for such Nymph-hating behavior…!”
Illinois was furious.
Though it was said that Nymphs liked the gods, it seemed not always true.
Swoosh.
Inoi accepted a bundle of ‘Fairy Mente’ from the Squirrel Beast.
“Smelling this delicate scent reminds me of Mentenoi, my friend…! Mentenoi was a shy and innocent Nymph…!”
“I’ve heard Nymphs often turn into flowers when they die…! This Coris might someday become ‘Icy Flower Coris’…!”
So, Nymphs turn into flowers or herbs when they die.
I felt quite solemn.
“It could happen in about 5,000 years…!”
Still, they would live 50 times longer than me.
Nymphs were longer-lived than I had imagined.
—Kkungkkungi…!
At that moment, the Squirrel Beast shouted something loudly.
Then it began to hop around Kkungkkungi, filled with an air of anticipation.
Soon Inoi added an explanation.
“If you eat this ‘Fairy Mente,’ Squirrel Beasts can evolve into Great Squirrel Beasts…! Great Squirrel Beasts emit a very wonderful fragrance…!”
It seemed like quite an unusual evolution.
What was certain was that after the Squirrel Beast had lost to Kkungkkungi, it presented us with this rare ‘Fairy Mente’ herb as evidence of defeat and a sign of submission.
Achilles, who had been watching this process, loosely dropped his hand from the sword sheath at his waist.
“This large Squirrel Beast is said to be an ancient breed, but it doesn’t seem like a dangerous friend. Since it’s still a young individual, it would be better to keep observing it living in this forest for a while. However…”
There were many roots that the Squirrel Beast had gnawed on throughout the forest.
This would be a nuisance to those working in forestry from Jigorim Village.
At that moment, a good idea struck me.
# # #
“Wow, it eats well!”
“This is the first time I’ve seen such a big squirrel! It’s as big as a rhinoceros!”
The people of Jigorim Village were simple folk reminiscent of the rural inhabitants of medieval Europe.
Most of the young people had left for the big cities, leaving behind the older ones.
These older folks, both aunties and uncles, were watching the large Squirrel Beast gobbling up almond seeds in a bucket with great delight.
“If you give them almonds, peanuts, or fruits, the gnawing at trees might decrease.”
Squirrel Beasts were more finicky eaters than expected.
Kkungkkungi was the evidence of that; according to Inoi, Squirrel Beasts used to eat insects and hunt snakes, being quite formidable animals—yet Kkungkkungi would snarl in frustration like it was mad when given mealworms.
It was because it had become accustomed to the flavors of peanuts, almonds, and fruits like strawberries I usually gave, to the point where it wouldn’t even glance at anything but the delicious nuts of the 21st century.
The Squirrel Beast must have been the same.
Chomp, chomp, chomp.
Next to it, Kkungkkungi was also eating strawberries.
Watching a Squirrel eat strawberries was quite a fun sight.
I often searched for videos of squirrels eating strawberries on MTube when bored.
I even recommended them to others.
“It’s done…! The Ice Mente Tea that I, Inoi, made, with the help of Coris and Illinois, has just been completed…!”
At that moment, Inoi appeared with the Nymphs.
In their hands was a large kettle that emitted a very unique fragrance, floating with ice-cubes in vibrant tea.
We shared that tea with the people of Jigorim Village.
The sweet and slightly bitter taste was very impressive.
“This is a good tea for the body. In my case, I think my magical power has already reached its limit, but I believe it will be beneficial for those awakened like you, who are growing like seeds.”
Achilles seemed more focused on the effects of the tea than the taste.
I felt the magical power surging within me, which had been rampaging like a forge, calmly settling down under the razor-sharp evaluation of the S-Ranker ranked 5th.
“This would be good to drink before meditating!”
—Kkungkkungi…!
The most enthusiastic was Kkungkkungi.
It opened its mouth widely, then stuffed its cheeks with fruits like strawberries, apples, and grapes that were lying around.
For a moment, its cheeks bulged, but soon Kkungkkungi’s cheeks returned to being slender.
“Oh my…! That’s the magical cheek pouches that Squirrels are said to possess! It’s also called the ‘Squirrel Stash’…!”
‘Squirrel Stash.’
It was said to be a storage magic allowing various items to be easily stored, similar to an inventory in a game.
Did Seo Ye-rim also have her own air inventory?
It didn’t seem like she used it much, though.
Did that mean Kkungkkungi had acquired magic or a superpower?
“Kkungkkungi has leveled up again.”
—Kkungkkungi…!
# # #
With the defeat of the fearsome ancient breed Squirrel Beast, the threat to Jigorim Village was eliminated.
The Squirrel Beast seemed to have relaxed its guard, following the people well, and they named it “Artemis.”
Its large and slender form resembled the goddess of the moon.
“The quiet village is going to become lively.”
“I think there will be more tourists too!”
People liked the large Squirrel Beast.
It was an adorable and fluffy creature—so it wasn’t surprising.
“Then let our Nymph sisters sing a song of joy…!”
“That’s a good idea…!”
“Let’s do it…!”
As the fire crackled—it was a night in the village square when the Nymphs sang.
The Elders listening to the song occasionally closed their eyes, as if lost in reminiscence.
“In this Jigorim Village, there are many stories about Nymphs. Perhaps it’s because it’s filled with mountains, forests, valleys, and cliffs… I thought of it only as old people’s tales.”
“I never thought real Nymphs would exist. The stories my mother told me long ago were true. Wow, I never thought I would see real Nymphs in my lifetime.”
“Legends and myths were indeed truth! Hey, you young man from Korea! I have something for you, who came with the Nymphs!”
The village chief, perhaps the mayor or elder Thomas, pulled out an old comb from his house.
It was a dense wooden comb.
“My distant ancestor was a carpenter. He made this comb to gift it to a Nymph named Jigorion, but he apparently couldn’t deliver it. I will give this to those Nymphs instead.”
“Jigorion was a friend of this Coris…!”
The Nymphs exclaimed waah as they took the comb.
Elder Thomas, who was watching that scene, smiled happily, yet his expression turned dark as if sensing something.
Soon, Achilles asked.
“Grandpa Thomas, do you have any worries?”
“Well… If Nymphs exist, that likely means countless prophecies are highly likely to be true… The story of Jigorion has been passed down through generations among the village chiefs…!”
Elder Thomas guided us somewhere.
There, a large rock stood.
Someone had carved slithering letters into it, so they were understandably recognizable as letters, but the content remained unreadable.
“What does it say?”
Achilles asked.
Then, Chief Thomas of Jigorim Village scratched his short beard and shook his head.
“I know it warns of danger, but I don’t know more than that.”
“This is the fairy language…! I can read it…!”
With a flourish, Inoi raised her hand.
In no time, Inoi began to read the letters inscribed on the rock.
“When the ancient beasts exhale the breath of the world once again, a storm awakened from the deep sea may raise a great wind that turns the world upside down…!—this is what it says…!”
