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WORRRRR!
Once again, the giant demon beast let out a deafening roar, causing the trees in the forest to tremble with its fierceness.
Despite the forceful roar, the Shadow Clan didn’t yield and continued to put pressure on the beast, completely surrounding it. Bardan and Terzan also joined the fray, assisting the scout troops in the fight.
As the Shadow Clan’s pressure intensified, the beast’s eyes became more alert. Its tail stiffened with tension, its forepaws visibly twitching, and the demon beast seemed poised to pounce and attack the Shadow Clan at any moment.
It was a tense standoff with no signs of retreat.
Meanwhile, Lia and Andras urged me once again.
“Sihyeon, we need to leave right now!”
“We have to act fast while they’re still stalling.”
“Wait a minute. That beast… I don’t think it’s just fighting. It’s protecting something.”
I murmured as I gazed at the demon beast, which was still some distance away.
“I need to check it out myself.”
“What?”
“Ugh…”
Lia and Andras showed a surprised reaction, but they didn’t object or dismiss my words as nonsense. It seemed like they had become familiar with this kind of situation after being with me for a long time.
“What do you need to check? Look at its eyes! It looks like it could tear someone apart any second. It’s too dangerous, even for the Lord! Let those guys handle it.”
“ . . . . . . ! ”
“!”
On the other hand, Locus jumped up and tried to stop me. Kroc also made urgent gestures with his hands, indicating that it was too risky.
“No, I can’t. If we leave it be, the Shadow Clan will suffer greatly.”
“Remember what that guy said yesterday? He said there wouldn’t be much damage if they could make that monster retreat.”
I flatly denied what Locus said.
“No. That beast won’t retreat. It’ll fight to the bitter end.”
“·?”
“What…?”
“If the fight continues like this, even the skilled Shadow Clan will suffer greatly.”
Although our main objective was to go to the entrance of the Fairy Realm, I couldn’t ignore the danger posed to the Shadow Clan, who had been kind enough to offer their help.
“I don’t have time to explain. Right now, our top priority is to stop this pointless fight.”
I stopped explaining and turned my steps toward the direction of the giant beast. The other members also reluctantly followed me.
-Woosh!
Terzan appeared like a ghost in front of me as I approached the beast.
“What are you doing? This place is dangerous.”
She blocked my way with the same cold gaze she had when we first met.
“Terzan, we have to put an end to this fight with the demon beast!”
“…?”
“If we try to attack the beast recklessly, we’ll definitely suffer great damage.”
“What do you mean?”
“That demon beast is protecting something. It won’t back down from any threat and will fight to the end.”
With a slight furrow of her brow, she looked past me toward Andras, as if asking, [Is this true?]
“I’m not sure about it, but there must be a reason why Sihyeon said that. He has a track record of producing exceptional results when it comes to dealing with demon beasts.”
“… …”
After hearing his response, Terzan blinked and fell into deep thought. When she turned back to me, her gaze was clearer, as if she had come to some realization.
“So, what’s our plan now?”
“For now, let’s focus on easing the Shadow Clan’s siege to prevent any unnecessary fights.”
“But if we recklessly break the siege, it will be difficult to respond to the beast’s attack.”
“Don’t worry, the beast won’t attack first.”
If it was a situation where the beast had to protect something, there was a high chance it wouldn’t attack recklessly.
“Okay, then what’s our next step?”
“Give me some time. I’m going to talk to the beast myself.”
“. . . . . . !”
Terzan’s eyes opened wide. It was quite a big change of expression for her, who was expressionless all the time.
“That’s dangerous.”
“I know, but I can’t just stand by and watch the Shadow Clan get hurt after helping us.”
“Um…”
Terzan stared at me blankly and then came closer to me. Then without warning, she raised her hand and patted my head.
“I’m proud of you. Alright, I’ll do as you say.”
Terzan, who accepted my plan much easier than expected, looked into the air and moved her lips. She seemed to use the unique conversation method of the shadow clan.
After a while, the siege, which had been pressuring the beast, began to recede little by little.
However, it was not completely released. They still thoroughly controlled the area around the beast to maintain the siege.
‘Is it my turn now?’
I briefly exchanged glances with everyone. They all sent encouraging gazes despite their anxious expressions.
“If the beast tries to attack you, I won’t wait.”
Terzan disappeared into the darkness leaving her last words. After nodding my head so she could see, I slowly stepped toward the beast.
The distance between me and the demon beast was getting closer and closer.
The distance has narrowed enough to recognize each other.
-Krurururur
Even if the pressure from the siege was reduced, the beast’s vigilance was still close to maximum.
I could feel the harsh breathing every time I approached.
Standing on the boundary that I thought was dangerous, I stared at the beast.
I didn’t know when I was far away, but when I saw it closely, the beast didn’t look very good.
I slowly tried to communicate with the beast using my ability.
-I’ll kill you!
The first thing I felt from the demon beast was extreme hostility.
Its aggression was palpable, and I knew that if it didn’t have something to protect, it would have torn me apart without hesitation.
“Wait! I’m not here to fight you. I came here to talk.”
I continued to try to communicate, expressing that I had no intention of fighting as much as possible.
“You’re protecting this place for some reason, right?”
– Why should I trust you? You’ll regret it if you keep fooling around.
“I came to meet the Fairy Queen. Did you also come to meet her?”
Our conversation was stilted and fraught with tension, but gradually, the beast’s hostility began to subside.
“Hmm… Is it your babies that you’re protecting now?”
Rather than responding to my words, it began to emit a softer energy. Judging from its reaction, the faint energy I sensed from the back seemed to be the beast’s babies.
“The babies seem to be in poor condition. Is there anything I can do to help?”
– What can you do?
“You never know. Maybe there’s a way I can assist you. Aren’t you waiting here because you haven’t found a suitable solution?”
The beast’s pupils shook for a moment. It seemed to be disturbed by my attitude, which seemed I saw through everything.
“As I mentioned earlier, I have no intention of fighting you. If you need any help, I’ll do my best to assist.”
– Kurrrr! My children require the Fairy Queen’s blessing. There’s nothing you can do to help.!”
The Fairy Queen’s blessing?
“If you remain here, will you be able to receive the blessing?”
– That’s how it’s supposed to be.
Supposed to be…?
That means it couldn’t get it now. Maybe this demon beast was suffering from some kind of problem due to the abnormality in the fairy world.
At the moment when I was having a short conversation with the beast.
Faint energies in the back started to stir. It was not a good sign, and the demon beast seemed to sense that and became more anxious in its actions.
“Can you at least let me see your babies?”
-Kruuurrrr! Back off! No one can approach my children!
The demon beast threatened with a loud cry. But I didn’t back down.
“Then, do you plan on letting your babies die like this?”
– Krrrrrrrrr…rrr…
Despite continued persuasion, the beast still showed its wariness and refused to allow me to approach its babies.
I was also in a hurry. If the babies died like this, the worst situation might happen, in which the beast would run amok.
At that time, when I was thinking about whether I should step back like this, a tiny figure emerged from my pocket.
“You stupid beast, Popi! If it’s Sihyeon, it should be enough to save your babies, Popi!”
– Fairy…?
It was Gyuri who appeared from my pocket.
The unexpected appearance of Gyuri changed the mood of the beast.
– Why is the fairy with you?
“I’m on my way to the fairy world with him, but I can’t go because you’re blocking the way, Popi!”
Gyuri shouted confidently, not at all frightened by the terrifying appearance. Strangely, however, the demon beast did not show any hostility towards Gyuri. Rather, it asked in a friendly manner.
– Fairy, can he really help my children?
“Sihyeon is my friend, Popi! And he never lies, Popi!”
– Krrrrrr…
The demon beast’s massive pupils roamed about, mulling over something in its mind. Eventually, it seemed to have come to a decision and bowed its head.
– Can you really help?
“I’ll do my best.”
– If you try anything suspicious, I won’t stand still.
Rising from its spot, the demon beast turned around and cleared the path for us.
“Oh!”
“The beast backed away?”
“He really did it.”
As the beast, which had not budged even under pressure, backed off easily, admiration erupted from the mouths of those who were quietly watching.
Meanwhile, I wasted no time and dashed ahead, indifferent to the onlookers’ reactions. The energy that I had detected was so faint that it was as fragile as a candle flame in the face of a gust of wind. Recognizing that there was no time to waste, I hastened my pace.
Along the way, I passed by the imposing demon beast, and not far from there, I sensed the energy of a small life form. Following the energy trail, I stumbled upon a hidden spot concealed by branches and foliage.
With slow and deliberate movements, I peeled back the disguise, revealing a hastily dug pit.
– Kuiki kiiii.
– Kiki kiiii.
Huddled together inside were a group of infant beasts, nestled closely together for warmth. They appeared to be newborns, as they had yet to open their eyes fully. Their overwhelming cuteness was a stark contrast to the fearsome beast that had led me to them.
I knelt down towards the pit and carefully examined the little ones.
As I expected, it didn’t seem to be a problem of injury or illness.