The Forest Race Clonne

Chapter 86

The conversation continued nonchalantly, even in the presence of their target. Despite acknowledging his skills, they didn’t seem particularly wary. One of the Demonic Beast members, cracking his joints, smirked at the man.

“You must be pretty good with that sword to take us on so fearlessly. But it won't be long before you're crying. We've seen plenty like you, and they all ended up as nutrients in our bellies.”

“Oh, really?”

The man chuckled, seemingly amused. Though his calm demeanor persisted, the Demonic Beasts took it as bravado and smirked as well.

“We made a decision the moment we walked in here today—to feast on fresh human blood to our heart’s content. Thank you in advance for being our meal.”

The faces of the already pale people turned even whiter. A middle-aged man in the corner, trembling, barely managed to speak up.

“Please, sirs. Don’t do this. We won’t tell anyone about your identity. Just spare us.”

“No, thanks.”

“Please, I beg of you. Show some mercy, just this once.”

“No begging will work. This isn’t about being discovered—we decided this from the beginning. You should just comply. If you resist, you’ll die more painfully. You don’t want to see your limbs torn apart and eaten alive, do you?”

Somewhere, someone started to sob. One of the people, unable to bear the fear, had broken down. Watching as if entertained, the Demonic Beast turned back to the man.

“You’ll be the last to die.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Isn’t it more miserable that way? Stand there and watch as each one dies because of your recklessness. Make sure you engrave it into your heart.”

“You people really are something else.”

“Oh, I’m curious how long you can keep that composure.”

The smirking Demonic Beast lifted his head to look around. His eyes then landed on me, the red glow in them gleaming eerily.

“First meal, you—the most appetizing one here.”

“…!”

Instinctively, I tried to step back, but his massive hand was already close enough to swallow me whole. Time seemed to freeze; a single moment stretched into an eternity.

In this steep crisis, even my thoughts halted. It was pure luck that I realized I still held my sword. Forcing my mouth to work, I choked out the spell.

“Shield…!”

aura drained from my body, but before the magic could fully manifest, someone stepped in front of me. There was a rush of wind and a thunderous thud as the monstrous figure that had lunged at me was hurled aside.

When I snapped out of it, one of the Demonic Beast was slumped against the wall, unconscious. Whether he was dead or just knocked out, I couldn’t tell, but he was definitely out cold.

“….”

“….”

One blow. He hadn’t even used his sword.

If my memory served me right, he’d only kicked him. I stared, dazed, at the figure standing before me, hardly able to believe what I’d just witnessed. Everyone—those who had been trembling and even the Demonic Beast guarding the door—stood frozen in shock.

"W-What… what is this…?"

“Wow, the world sure has changed. Back in the day, little whelps like you wouldn’t have even dared to crawl in my presence, let alone look me in the eye. No matter how low-grade, how are you this clueless? Don’t you even have the instinct to recognize a predator?”

The man muttered irritably, tossing back his hood completely. Jet-black hair cascaded down, shimmering as if it had been contained beneath the hood until now.

"All of you are dead today."

* * *

The situation was resolved in an instant. The Demonic Beast, sensing defeat, tried to flee but the man didn’t allow it. He swiftly lunged, cutting off their escape and ending them with a single blow.

"Pathetic creatures, trying to put on a show."

He uttered the words nonchalantly, as if delivering a profound statement.

Afterwards, he didn’t bother looking back at the corpse. Instead, he approached me with a peculiar smile. That’s when I realized I was still surrounded by protective magic. Quickly, I dispelled it. As I sheathed my sword, the transparent shield that had encircled me vanished.

“Did Markatis give you that?”

“How did you know…?”

“Let’s go, friend.”

Grabbing my arm, the man started to walk, an odd excitement in his demeanor. I couldn’t even ask where we were going, stumbling along behind him. The stunned gazes of the people we left behind soon faded from view. After a while, I resigned myself to following him.

"Meeting here of all places, lucky me. I was wondering why some pest was tailing me so persistently, but I’m glad I didn’t ignore it and came over. Who knows what might have happened if I hadn’t shown up~."

But hearing him hum to himself like that, I couldn’t just stay silent.

"Are you… acquainted with Semeion?"

"Hmm?"

He finally stopped walking and turned to look at me, a bit surprised.

"Do you not know who I am?"

"How could I? This is the first time I’ve seen you."

"Ah, really? This is unexpected. So, what do I seem like to you, friend?"

“…I know you’re not Clonne.”

"Ha! You got that right. You’re a Clonne, aren’t you?"

There was no hint of annoyance on his face as he chuckled lightly. When I cautiously nodded, his expression brightened.

"Good. I was a bit unsure myself. But why is your aura so weak, friend?"

"Pardon?"

"Oh, I’m not picking a fight. It just doesn’t seem like a typical situation. Even though my senses have dulled, it shouldn’t be this hard to discern. It’s true your aura feels quite weak. Are you injured?"

The man's expression quickly turned serious, as if realizing something. His eyes scanned my body hurriedly, prompting me to shake my head.

“No, I’m fine.”

“Really? You’re not just pretending to be okay?”

“Yes, I really am fine.”

“Whew, that’s a relief. Don’t get hurt. You shouldn’t be in pain. Health is the most important thing, no matter what anyone says. No matter how important your cause is, you should cherish your body. Got it?”

Though the direction of the conversation was hard to follow, his peculiar intensity made me nod. Only then did he relax and tilt his head.

“Hmm, so you’re not injured, but why is your aura so weak? You’re relying on a magic sword, so I guess you can’t summon a Guardian. If I hadn’t smelled you up close, I wouldn’t have known you were a Clonne.”

“Oh, that’s… probably because I haven’t awakened yet.”

"Huh? Not awakened?"

"I’m still not an adult."

He froze, his mouth slowly opening in astonishment. It was the most surprised expression I’d seen on him so far.

"Wait… really?"

"Yes."

"Oh, that makes sense. If you’re an Aesang, of course, your aura would be weaker. That’s why I didn’t recognize you… So, how old are you, friend? Why is an Aesang wandering around without a guardian?"

"I’m nineteen… I had no choice but to escape alone after my residence was attacked."

His eyes widened. Of course, he’d be shocked to hear the news of Clonne residence’s destruction.

"Nineteen? You’re only nineteen?"

But instead of responding to the latter, as I assumed, it was my age that caught his attention. The man, looking somewhat tense, scrutinized me from head to toe. He seemed confused and possibly even a bit disdainful.

“Uh, friend, just asking to confirm—what is your characteristic tree?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I don’t know that yet.”

“…You don’t know?”

“I grew up without a father. So, I’ll only know when I awaken.”

It felt like this explanation had become my default introduction whenever I met someone new. Suddenly, a curse slipped from his mouth. I looked at him, startled. He was rubbing his chin with a serious expression. When he looked at me again, his face appeared oddly desperate, and I met his gaze involuntarily.

“Is your hometown near here by any chance?”

This unexpected question made me hesitate.

“How do you know that?”

“…Damn it, are you really from Namryeong? Seranta?”

“...How do you know?”

I involuntarily stepped back. His expression was so peculiar that my body moved on its own. He seemed to have forgotten how to breathe, merely staring at me in silence for what felt like an eternity.

His gaze was filled with shock, confusion, joy, and sorrow. His intensely emotional eyes made it seem as if he had found a long-lost child. Though bewildering, he didn’t seem dangerous, leaving me unsure how to respond.

“You said your residence was attacked and you barely escaped, right? Then you must have been in the village for a while?”

I nodded hesitantly at his strained question. “Damn, he was right here all along.” He bit down a curse and tears welled up in his eyes. Suddenly, he pulled me into a tight embrace.

“??”

Fortunately, he released me before I pushed him away. Normally, I might have said something, but seeing his tear-streaked, crimson eyes made me hold back.

“Let’s go.”

He didn’t need to clarify where. Somehow, I had a guess about his identity.

“My name is Khan.”

As he gripped my hand tightly, he spoke. Looking up, I met his eyes as he beamed brightly.

“I am the King’s First Knight and the Guardian of Semeion Raoul."

* * *

Tap, tap.

Kalph slowly emerged from a deep sleep, his consciousness gradually surfacing in response to the annoying sensation on his cheek. Blinking his eyes open, he groggily scanned his surroundings with a mind still not fully awake. Everything was eerily quiet and shrouded in pitch-black darkness.

‘What’s going on?’

In the all-encompassing darkness where he couldn't see even an inch ahead, Kalph internally voiced his confusion. As he tried to sit up, something cold landed on his face once again—the same sensation that had nudged him awake.