Chapter 297

297th Episode

Forgotten Giant’s Ancient Forest 297 – Forgotten Giant’s Ancient Forest #4

The black-haired figure I encountered last time was of the same gender as me, so mating was impossible. But you are male. If you gift me with children equivalent to the ones you’ve killed, that would be the condition for forgiveness,” the massive snake-woman concluded.

“Gifting children?”

Children aren’t something you can buy from a store and wrap up nicely. If my understanding is correct, her words probably implied something else entirely.

I felt dizzy at the thought.

The “Demon Realm” is called such because it defies human comprehension. The same applies to demons and monsters. These beings are named as such because they possess an unfathomable nature that escapes human logic, thus invoking fear.

This seemed to apply to Echidna, the so-called “Queen of monsters” of this ancient forest too. Being the queen, her unpredictability would likely be even more pronounced.

As I stood there, dazed as if hit by an unexpected blow, Luna, standing beside me, exclaimed in shock:

“Give children as a gift? What does that even mean?”

It means exactly what it sounds like. She is asking to mate with me.

“That…that can’t happen!”

Can’t it? Why is that? Oh, are you this black-haired creature’s mate?

“That’s not it…”

Then is this longsword-wielding woman the mate of this robust man?

Echidna’s gigantic eyes turned toward Hippolyte. I’d have expected her to say something strong and confident, but instead, Hippolyte seemed flustered, blushing and mumbling.

Given the lack of response, it seems she isn’t. So, are you this man’s mate?

Echidna’s gaze finally fell upon Elpride. Elpride, who until now had watched the situation indifferently, let out an exasperated sigh and retorted:

“Me? Why would I be? No way!”

Then, among you all, there is no one to prevent the mating of this man and me.

“Why don’t you ask Paranoi?”

Man without a mate. And I, currently without one. There’s no reason we should not come together. Given his strength—he felled my eldest son—surely we will produce powerful offspring.

With that, an immense finger gently patted my head. If that finger were to press down forcefully, I feared I’d be squished like an ant, trembling uncontrollably from the sensation.

Then Elpride spoke:

“Still, your sizes don’t match anyway. Wouldn’t such a relationship even be feasible?”

Hmm, you’re right. Compared to my late husband Typhon, this man is rather small and cute, still somewhat underdeveloped.

“Ah! So you were married to the Great Beast Typhon?”

Hmm, you noisy nymph. Stop chattering—be quiet.

Snap.

With a flick of Echidna’s finger, Paranoi’s lips sealed shut as if zipped up. Judging from the bizarre sounds Paranoi made (“Urk, Uuu”), it seemed a magical force was keeping her silent. I wondered how she did it, even considering the possibility of learning it myself.

With Paranoi quieted, all of us fell silent.

After a while, Echidna murmured and then spoke again:

I know of a spell to shrink to a size comparable to a human. A shape-shifting incantation. However, currently, I lack strength. But in about 100 years, I should recover enough power to use such magic!

Luna shouted in a positive tone:

“So, we could have children in a hundred years then?”

Yes, exactly. Come back to this place in 100 years, black-haired one. This is a promise between you and me. Swear an oath on the River Styx that you will give me a child to replace the one you’ve killed. Everyone present here will be witnesses.

“That…”

I was at a loss. Taking an oath on the River Styx… When I was younger, my parents drilled into me the importance of always keeping promises. Because of that, to me, a promise is something sacred. I also knew firsthand how powerful the binding of such an oath could be, so being asked to take it filled me with apprehension.

As I sweated nervously, unsure of what to do, Luna poked me and whispered close to my ear:

“Hassan, just agree to the promise!”

“But then it would be a lie.”

“Hassan, lying is your specialty, right? In a hundred years, you’ll be dead anyway, so it won’t be your fault if you can’t keep the promise. Breaking an oath on the Styx will be okay since you’ll be dead by then.”

Luna indeed had a sharp mind. When I looked at Hippolyte and Elpride, they nodded, sharing the same thought as Luna. The priority right now, it seemed, was to get out of this situation. If we irritated the queen of the forest, we might end up in a bl**d battle against her monsters.

Thus, reluctantly, I opened my mouth:

“Very well. Then, I agree.”

It is settled then, black-haired one. This is a vow that not even the might of Jupiter can overturn.

“Yes.”

I closed my eyes tightly in my mind, wondering if any ominous signs would appear, but luckily, there were none. Perhaps it was merely a verbal promise.

At that moment, Echidna waved her immense finger. Before her, the corpse of the white beast — likely the one named Regulus — began to move unnaturally. Eventually, she peeled the fur off the carcass and placed it on my head.

This is our pact’s symbol. A token of our agreement. Keep it on your body always from this day forth, and remember that you killed my eldest son, Regulus, the Lionheart.

Swoosh.

Echidna’s golden pupils grew as they approached me. Tears were still lingering in her eyes from before.

Reflected in those eyes, I saw my own blurred image.

Clad in the fur of the white beast, I looked like a savage. A savage warrior whose tough hide could repel swords and mediocre magic, and who slaughtered children without a second thought.

Now, go! I have to carry out the funeral rites for my child.

Swoosh.

As Echidna moved away, she placed the enormous carcass on her two palms. Stripped of its white fur, the corpse looked horrifying. Yet, she handled it delicately, as though it were the world’s most fragile object.

Earlier, I had claimed that monsters were incomprehensible and thus labeled them as such. But now, I could comprehend her emotions: she was grieving the loss of her child.

I had used an unfulfillable vow to escape this situation, yet reflecting on it now, I felt pity and guilt. My back dampened with sweat.

Now, I’ll never see him again.

An orphan is a child who has lost their parents, but there exists no widely known word for parents who lose their children. People often say it’s because there are no words to describe the feeling of losing a child, but until now, that hadn’t resonated with me. However, seeing her grief now, it began to make sense.

As I stood there, restless, someone tapped my shoulder.

“Are you worried about something, Hassan?”

It was Luna. She always understood me well.

“Well, there’s no way around it.”

“Hmm.”

Luna narrowed her eyes slightly before sighing as if resigned. She then said something incomprehensible in a low tone.

Hearing this, Echidna, who had been sobbing, turned back toward us.

Is that true? Is such a thing truly possible?

“I don’t know either, but I’ll try. With everyone here, there’s a chance we can achieve it… If you all could gather, I’d like to explain.”

*

“Really? Such feats can only be performed by gods.”

After listening to the entire story, Hippolyte furrowed her eyebrows. Although Elpride didn’t voice it, it was evident she doubted Luna’s story.

Paranoi, who had been quietly listening so far, finally spoke.

“Ah, now my mouth is opening again. But, Luna-sama, manipulating the sky like this could incur the wrath of the divine powers of the high Hypnos realm…!”

“I’m from the Tribe of the Moon, Luna Noxdotty. Drawing pictures in the night sky has always been the work of our tribal sorcerers, so it should be fine…”

Luna seemed quite optimistic. But then she hesitated and muttered quietly:

“Of course, we don’t know if it’ll succeed, but if you all help, I think it might be possible.”

“Let’s try.”

Having remained silent until now, I finally spoke. Leaving the forest like this would leave a permanent feeling of unease. If what Luna said was true, it could also offer some comfort to Echidna, who had lost her child.

“Then, Hassan and Hippolyte need to cut down some trees. Somewhere in the forest, you’ll find trees with solid cores like stones. We’ll need quite a bit. And Elpride, you need to prepare flames that can burn these trees. Paranoi, you’ll need to help with the preparations for the ritual with me!”

Following Luna’s instructions, we headed back into the forest. Hippolyte and I decided to search for the kind of trees Luna described — ones with cores like stones.

However, finding them was easy. Cutting them down was the challenge.

“Phew… It’s tough. I have to encase in aura just to make a dent. What incredible wood.”

Wiping the sweat from her forehead, Hippolyte adjusted her grip on her sword. After around ten to fifteen strikes, she finally managed to fell one thick tree.

“Even after mastering the aura technique, this is the first time I’ve encountered something so hard to cut. It will be good training.”

The difficulty seemed to ignite her competitive spirit.

However, the problem was not just the tough wood. Perhaps attracted by the sound of wood being chopped, forest monsters began approaching us.

Kereru…

Giyraaa…

They were fitting for the darkening forest, resembling creatures of the deep sea, horrifying beasts that fit the term “monster” more than “animals.”

Holding her sword in readiness, Hippolyte faced them.

“Hell Hounds and Desire Walkers. Both are deep-dwelling creatures and classified as D-grade monsters. But since they hunt in packs, they’re as fierce as high-S-grade beasts.”

Gruu…

The four-legged creatures, resembling a fusion of deep-sea fish and wolves, stared at us with bl**d-red eyes. However, they hesitated to attack, wary of Hippolyte’s sword.

Seeing this, Hippolyte commented:

“The fact that they’re afraid of you wearing this fur indicates how powerful Regulus truly was. They’re mistaking you for a strong beast.”

“So this is because of the fur?”

“Exactly. But if we delay, they’ll soon realize the truth. We need to speed up the work.”

Later…

Thanks to the fur given to me as a symbol of my pact with Echidna, Hippolyte and I managed to safely carry a large pile of logs back to our perch in the trees. There we found leaves, strange fruits, mushrooms, and other things arranged in a circle.

“Hassan, just like the one we saw in the Dragon Scale Village, stack the logs neatly!”

“Alright.”

Following Luna’s instruction, I stacked the logs in a square shape. Despite each piece being as heavy as steel beams, thanks to my improved strength, I managed to build quite a tall pile. On the very top lay the body of Regulus, the prince of the forest.

“Now we’ll light it and dance around it. We’ll need a powerful fire that can instantly burn these logs.”

As Luna explained, Elpride glanced at her staff.

“So does this mean the creature will become a constellation?”

“Maybe… Let’s begin. Light it up with a strong fire. Aren’t you not afraid of fire anymore?”

With that, Elpride extended her finger.

“Need-frog…”

From her fingertip emerged a tiny spark, no larger than a firefly, which gradually drifted and touched the logs.

Fwoosh!

Contrary to expectations from such a small spark, an intense inferno erupted, consuming the massive logs with ease.

“Now it’s time to dance! Paranoi, keep the beat with clapping!”

Following Luna’s command, Paranoi started clapping to an unusual rhythm, and all of us awkwardly danced in circles around this bizarre ritual platform. From afar, it might look like a pagan worship site, which, in some ways, it was.

However, according to Luna, this was the traditional funeral ceremony passed down through Ideope Island. Those cremated in this way would rise as stars shining in the night sky.

Crack… Crack…

Intense flames rapidly reduced the logs to ashes. The smoke ascended high into the night sky, dyeing the darkness.

“Huff…”

Enduring the intense heat, beads of sweat appeared on the brows of Luna, Hippolyte, and Elpride. Luna’s expression grew progressively darker.

Is something not going right?

As I worriedly observed Echidna’s reaction, she turned her enormous head toward the night sky, making it difficult to read her expression.

Ah… I see him. My son… He’s ascending to that high place.

Echidna softly murmured, as if seeing something among the stars.

Do you see him there too? The shape of a lion sitting among the stars?

All I could see was the usual countless twinkling stars.

Without contradicting her, we continued circling the fire until it was completely extinguished.

Standing beside us, Echidna continued looking at the sky until the morning light rendered the stars invisible.

I’ll look forward to the nights from now on. Since you’re different from that cruel black-haired one, I’ll acknowledge that. Hence, I will answer the question you’ve been asking, a question I’ve never answered.

“What answer? About what?”

Exhausted, Luna slumped to the ground, illuminated by the morning’s moonlight, asking the question.

In reply, Echidna firmly stated:

“At dawn, find the lake where the two moons set. There, you’ll find something everyone’s been searching for. This is the answer to this year’s test question and the key to the task.”

“What? What does that mean all of a sudden?”

Confused, Luna lay sprawled out.

“Is that…is that real?!?”

Hippolyte screamed in disbelief.

Before long, she began laughing uncontrollably with an impossibly large grin, as if something had malfunctioned.

[Author’s Notes] I just wanted to try writing this episode…

The postponed wedding with Echidna… 100 years later…

It will definitely happen someday…

Even I feel there are too many delayed weddings, which is a bit worrying…

I’ll try my best to work on it…

I had no idea how difficult it would be to make these things logical…

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