Chapter 296

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Episode 296

Forgotten Giant’s Ancient Forest 296 – Forgotten Giant’s Ancient Forest #3

The Giant’s Forest, commonly known as the Ancient Forest, was a place that had preserved the primordial essence of this world since its creation.

It was a brutal world of survival where colossal, merciless beasts ruled.

I once referred to Sodomora as a ruthless, barbaric city—but compared to this genuine wilderness, Sodomora might as well have been an orderly library.

Grrr…

Krrr…

The deeper we ventured into the forest, the more overwhelming the presence of towering thickets and massive trees became, as if they were about to swallow us whole.

Fortunately, none of the terrifyingly grotesque beasts lunged at us. If there was any rule in this merciless wild, it was the law of the strong.

Right now, we were being escorted—if one could call it that—by the so-called “children” of the ruler of this forest, walking deeper into its heart.

It seemed they were inviting us into their domain. A rare occurrence, or so I’d heard. Even for someone like me, this might be the first time I’d ever see the Forest King.

Isbaron, the dragon who had lived nearly 500 years, let out an impressed chuckle, seemingly amused by the situation. But the only one maintaining composure was the massive azure dragon, whose size rivaled the beasts around us.

As for me, Luna, and Paranoi? All we could do was tremble, staring up at the monstrous creatures surrounding us like an oppressive fortress wall.

Krrrk—

“Eek! Th-that one just licked its lips at me! It definitely thinks I’m a tasty nymph! Th-this is unacceptable beha—hic—vior!”

“Shut up, you idiot.”

I hurriedly clamped my hand over Paranoi’s mouth, glancing warily at the white-furred beasts around us. If she provoked them, we’d be done for.

…

Luckily, the towering fur-covered creatures seemed indifferent, focused solely on walking.

Gods, what am I even doing right now?

I thought we had just taken down the master of this forest with our combined strength.

Turns out, that was just a juvenile—or something close to it—and now we were being herded toward its parent, the actual ruler, surrounded by its siblings.

“Quite the polite reception,” Hippolyte remarked with an amused grin, though I wouldn’t call this an escort.

“Hassan, this feels more like surveillance to keep us from running,” Luna muttered.

Exactly. This was a prison—a massive, white-furred cage.

If we tried to escape, those colossal claws would crush us like garlic. Not that running was even an option—some of the beasts in this procession were even bigger than the one we’d fought earlier. Definitely stronger.

Just as that thought crossed my mind—

!!!

A thunderous roar echoed from somewhere, and instinctively, we all dropped to the ground—knees bent, hands clapped over our ears, foreheads pressed into the dirt.

It wasn’t trained reflex. It was like some primal switch in my gut had been flipped.

Gak, gak, gak—

Skree, skree—

Birds scattered in panic, shrieking as if a bomb had gone off. My mind was blank.

After several seconds—maybe ten—the echoes faded. Luna was the first to lift her head.

“Did you hear that?”

Brushing dirt off her forehead, she continued, “Whoa, I thought a volcano erupted! The one in the middle of the island made that exact sound when it blew!”

“Indeed. A tremendous scream,” Hippolyte mused, straightening up without a trace of fear.

How can anyone stay that composed? At this point, I was starting to worry if something was wrong with her.

“I-I saw that giant thing open its mouth to scream! It’s a coward!” Paranoi wailed.

“Shut up! You’re crying yourself!”

“Tch, Paranoi! I told you not to cry so easily!”

Everything was chaos.

Only after calming my pounding heart did I finally process what had happened. As Hippolyte said, that deafening noise had been a scream.

A gigantic scream.

And the only creature capable of such a sound would be the ruler of this vast, bizarre primordial forest—a being worthy of the title “Emperor.”

But why would something so majestic scream? My feeble imagination couldn’t fathom it.

As if reading my thoughts, Elpride—who had been idly touching her lips—spoke up.

“We killed its child. The mother is furious.”

“Oh, sh*t. Are we dead?”

“Ask her yourself. Ah, we’re here.”

Elpride’s crimson eyes lifted toward the sky—or rather, toward the impossibly massive tree that seemed to pierce it.

A colossal tree.

Calling it a “tree” felt inadequate. Vines and twisted branches intertwined into a single, gargantuan pillar.

Plants tangling together wasn’t unusual, but at this scale—dozens of meters tall—words like “majestic” or “grand” felt cheap.

I recalled a documentary I’d seen as a child: a single fully grown tree could be an entire ecosystem for smaller creatures.

A tree this enormous wasn’t just a forest—it was a world.

A true World Tree.

What would Elpride, hailing from Albrheim, think of this?

“Hmm. It resembles the forests of my homeland. Though the trees there are incomparably larger.”

Of course.

I mentally added another star to the World Tree’s size rating.

Something even bigger than this? Terrifying. And another star for Elpride’s audacity for having burned such trees.

“Hassan, you’re thinking something really shitty right now, aren’t you?”

d*mn it, can she read minds?

“Nope.”

After deflecting, we climbed onto the backs of the white-furred beasts, ascending the tree. At its peak, we finally faced the ruler of this forest.

The King of Beasts.

A presence worthy of the title “King.”

Regulus, my most painful wound—ahh!! My little king is dead!

A body towering dozens of meters tall, clad in pale white skin adorned with bones like ornaments and clothing.

Flaming red hair, slitted golden pupils, and a long tail lined with crimson scales—like a fusion between a massive serpent and a human.

How does something like this exist?

The sheer cognitive dissonance made my brain split again—not into left and right, but upper and lower.

Even Hippolyte, who had been so composed, furrowed her brow slightly, staying silent.

My… my firstborn, gone so pitifully—!!

Before the colossal being lay the corpse of the white beast we—no, I—had strangled to d*ath.

Echidna, the Serpent Queen and Emperor of the Ancient Forest, clutched the white fur at the beast’s nape and wept bitterly.

I could understand mourning a slain child, but watching her, I couldn’t help but feel dread.

sh*t, it was self-defense!

We almost died too!

It attacked first!—Would any of that matter?

Sssk—

Soon, those eerie golden eyes locked onto me.

Accursed black-haired one! First Denebola, and now my eldest, Regulus! May you be cursed! I’ll curse you myself! I told you never to return!

Hss, hss—

Her long, serpentine tongue made a ghastly sound. But listening closely, something felt off.

Trembling, I forced strength into my legs, clenched my core, and spoke up.

“Um, s-sorry, but… I only killed that one. And this is my first time here.”

Liar, black-hair! Last week, you rampaged through the forest! You killed my second daughter, skinned her, and now Regulus!

Hssss—

The serpent queen’s hair bristled like living creatures.

I told you I wouldn’t answer you anymore!

The white-furred beasts surrounding us also began to snarl, their fur standing on end.

Puffing up—a universal sign of aggression. Hippolyte and Elpride raised their swords and staff.

“Please, just listen—we really just got here—”

Silence! I won’t hear it! You took two of my children, so I’ll take two of yours! Hand them over!

The situation was explosive.

We were definitely about to be slaughtered.

Just as my vision began to swim, someone spoke.

”Hss, hss—!”

It was Luna. She stepped forward, making strange sounds toward the serpent queen.

”Hss… hss—!”

My mind struggled to process this absurdity. My companions seemed equally baffled—until Paranoi shrieked.

“L-Luna’s finally lost her mind! Speaking the Serpent Tongue at a time like this!”

Ah, Serpent Tongue.

Then I remembered—Luna had the uncanny ability to speak to snakes.

I could barely manage the English I’d studied for over a decade, yet Luna was a linguistic savant, fluent in human speech, serpent speech, and even some beast languages.

You know the Serpent Tongue? But your skill is lacking. Your pronunciation is off. Just use the common tongue.

”Hss—.”

Still, few can speak it. Out of respect, I’ll hear you once.

Somehow, Luna’s bizarre words seemed to sway the serpent queen.

Her bristling hair settled, and the beasts around us relaxed their snarls.

The blades at our necks retreated a few centimeters—enough for bl**d to return to my face.

Ssshuu…

The serpent queen’s massive face leaned closer.

Then explain, black-hair. First my beloved daughter, now my cherished firstborn. You’ve taken too much.

“It—it attacked us first! Self-defense! And I swear this is my first time here!”

I was pleading for my life.

Liar. Last week, you ravaged the forest. I remember your wretched face, black-hair. Your stench!

Lick, lick—

A massive tongue dragged across my face.

Is this how nuts feel when licked by squirrels? I was the nut. No—worse than a nut. At least nuts had shells.

But then, the serpent queen paused, furrowing her brow.

Hm. Your scent is different. Who are you? A strange one. Not even female.

“I’m a man, not a woman.”

Ah, so it’s another! Another black-hair, killing my children!

Tears the size of boulders rolled from her eyes. Heartbreaking—but since I was the cause, I just felt dread.

She was volatile—weeping one moment, raging the next.

Trying to predict her was pointless. She was the King of Beasts.

We made a pact to live peacefully in this forest! This is our home! Yet you intrude, torment us!

“My eldest, Regulus, was so brave! He must have mistaken you for his sister’s killer. That bravery doomed him…”

“I—I’m sorry… I should’ve tried talking first, but it all happened too fast…”

Lately, it felt like I was always apologizing.

I was practically a master of remorse. And somehow, my sincerity got through—Echidna’s tears stopped.

Was my child strong?

“Uh… hell yes.”

I see. My Regulus was the Little King of this forest. Swift as the wind. Now… cold and still.

What kind of conversation is this? I felt drunk from the surreality of it all.

Then Echidna spoke again.

Well, dead is dead. I can always have more. I’ll forgive you, black-hair.

“R-really?” I nearly jumped for joy. They say happiness makes people dance—I finally understood.

Until her next words.

The last black-hair was female—unsuitable for mating. But you’re male. To replace the child you killed, you’ll give me one of your own.

That’s my condition.

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[Author’s Note]

Thank you to Nanona!!! Aphseogosipeora!!! Orika!!! Baetsalnaongom!!! Jjokeoai!!! Exploration Team!!! Potato Server!!! And all patrons!!!

Many readers also sent manuscript coupons—thanks to you, Michuri and the Foundation’s nymphs enjoyed a comfortable weekend!!!

A thank-you letter arrived from Alinoy, the nymph who’s now a proud member of society!!!

Among commenters and recommenders, one lucky winner will be sent back to Saturday morning!!!

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(Translation complete.)

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