STM 104

The sun had already set, but if not now, there wouldn’t be another chance to greet her, so I had no choice but to visit the guest staying in the annex. After all, she was the most important person in Tubain to me and Doctor Kim.

But Baron Owick, whom I met in the drawing room, trembled like an aspen leaf as soon as she saw me.

“Baron, are you alright?”

“S-s-s.”

S-s-s?¹

“A snake?”

She shook her head and opened her mouth with her eyes tightly closed.

“S-Sa-Salvation…”

Ah, that. Damn it, she must’ve heard the rumors. Her voice trembled as she asked,

“Do you really see Lord Uturainu?”

“Well, yes.”

I tried to sound casual, not wanting to scare her, and looked around.

“He’s not here though?”

“Ah!”

She staggered back in shock.

“Are you alright?!”

“A-amazing… They say that any human who meets Lord Uturainu’s gaze feels fear, but… you truly are Salvation.”

Her words nearly made me take a step back this time. Wait, she says the Spirit of Poison’s eyes are terrifying? Those tiny little dots?

I didn’t notice the Spirit of Poison’s eyes at all because I only saw two dots thanks to the filter. Come to think of it, even Bichon was terrifying when it opened its mouth. The Spirit of Poison’s eyes must be creepy.

…I should never take that filter off.

I made up my mind and hurried to clear up her misunderstanding.

“No, that’s not it. I don’t see him properly. If I did, I’d probably freak out too.”

But despite my explanation, Baron Owick’s eyes were sparkling as she looked at me. It was quite uncomfortable.

Since I had to keep pretending to be Salvation to fool Tairok, I couldn’t deny it either. So I gave an ambiguous answer.

“Things took a strange turn, and people started calling me ‘Salvation’. It’s not like it’s written on my body. As you’ve probably heard, the other Salvation has a mark on his body. So, I may or may not be Salvation, and it’s up to each person to decide…”

“You really are Salvation!”

Why are you so quick to judge?

I looked at her, doubting if she was really Baron Owick, but her eyes seemed to shine. The hand I held was still trembling, but I guess the trembling I had felt when she greeted me wasn’t from fear, but from joy and excitement

“Baron, please think it through more carefully before deciding…”

“Yes, Sa-Salvation.”

Deceiving someone I knew made me feel like a fraud.

“I can only see and hear him, that’s all. As you know, non-human beings are kind only to humans they like. If Uturainu didn’t have any reason to care about me, he wouldn’t even talk to me.”

“Y-you even talk with him?!”

…Shit.

“No, not like, proper conversations or anything…”

“As expected, you really are Salvation.”

It was impossible to communicate with her, though in a completely different way from the Spirit of Poison. The excited baron kept fidgeting with the hand she was holding. It was obvious she had something to say.

“Please, speak if there’s something on your mind.”

“I-I’m lacking in many ways… D-does Lord Uturainu perhaps think poorly of me?”

“Not at all. He’s very fond of you. He even calls you by a pet name, ‘Petal.’”

“P-petal…”

Baron Owick’s face turned red, making her look like one.

“T-that was my childhood nickname. My whole family’s gone now, so no one calls me that anymore…”

Her voice grew smaller, and tears welled up at the corners of her eyes. Wanting to cheer her up, I quickly added more information.

“Oh, and Lord Uturainu often came to me to praise you. He said you started raising beautiful poisonous plants after you recovered.”

Baron Owick’s eyes widened, and her mouth opened slowly as well. That was brightest smile I’d ever seen her smile.

“I-I may not be good at many things, but I’m really good at raising poisonous plants!”

If only she could do something about chili peppers too.

I swallowed that selfish thought. It had been a while since I saw her looking so lively, and I didn’t want to feel pressured.

I had come to thank her, so I was glad I at least brought her some happy news.

“You probably heard already, but I’m leaving tomorrow. I came to thank you before I go.”

‘Thank me?’ her wide eyes asked silently and I bowed.

“Thanks to the gift your spirit gave me, I was able to survive. I’m grateful.”

Flustered, she waved her hands in embarrassment. Thinking she might keep waving forever if I stayed, I decided to take my leave.

“Then until we meet again, stay healthy, spend your days peacefully raising your beautiful poisonous plants, and keep working hard on your new species research.”

I turned toward the door, but she hesitated and called out to me.

“One of my ancestors once visited the Forest of the Crimson Tide.”

Yes, I know. That must be why the entrance was located on the Owick family’s land.

I thought she was going to ask if I’d been there too, but she wasn’t even looking at me. Her gaze was fixed on the floor as she clasped her hands tightly, as if she was afraid of something.

“I-if you ever happen to go to the Forest of the Crimson Tide, please make sure to find the master of the forest.”

The master of the forest?

“You mean a divine beast?”

But she shook her head. Then, looking nervously around as if afraid someone might overhear, she lowered her voice.

“I-I’m not sure. My ancestor said this, that if someone could bring the master of the forest into the human world, Tubain would return to the beautiful land it once was. Doesn’t that mean the master isn’t one of the divine beasts?”

That’s true. Those divine beasts have already been summoned into the human world. So does that mean there’s another one? Or maybe something even greater?

I started to guess, then shook my head. No way, it’s not like those web novels where stronger beings keep popping up. As this metaphor came to mind, the sense of reality suddenly vanished.

“But what do you mean by ‘the beautiful land it once was’?”

“A very, very long time ago, the world was full of non-human beings like spirits and fairies. My ancestor said that if they return to humans again, and even a single blade of grass or a pebble holds a special power, then this land will be protected from monsters.”

Her words sounded like a fairy tale, an otherworldly story that could never come true. Maybe that’s why her voice had grown so small.

But it was clear it was a secret she hadn’t told anyone. She was fidgeting so restlessly, not knowing where to look. I forced a wide smile.

“That would be wonderful.”

“D-do you really think so?”

Of course. Why wouldn’t I? I actually didn’t understand, but her explanation made me think, “Ah.”

“Because of the black magic stones, people don’t want monsters to disappear. So they chose the power of the stones over the small powers of spirits and fairies, and in the end, most of them left this land.”

Her eyebrows drooped in sadness.

“B-but I understand them. The wo-world changes… There’s no right answer.”

I agreed with her words. Yes, the world changes. Tubain has learned to coexist with monsters, and that has become the norm. But, well…

“It’s about time for a new change. A world without monsters.”

A slow smile spread across Baron Owick’s face at my words. I smiled back and bowed my head.

“Thank you for telling me.”

As I was about to turn around and leave, she added urgently.

“My ancestor wanted to find the master of the forest, but he returned without ever meeting them. But just before he died, he realized something. Even if he had met that being, he wouldn’t have recognized it as the master.”

For the first time, Baron Owick looked me straight in the eye.

“Lord Lu, I hope you’ll find the master of the forest.”

Then she whispered like she was sharing a secret.

“They say the master of the forest is the strongest living being in existence.”

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As the dark sky gradually turned blue, the person Hoiga had been waiting for returned. Tairok, covered in white dust and monsters fluids, had an important appointment today, and it looked like he’d taken care of it.

But his unkempt appearance didn’t matter, because Tairok had passed by without even giving Hoiga a second glance.

There was no smile either. The expressionless face of someone who always had a sunny smile was so cold it made his heart sink.

Even though they hadn’t exchanged any words yet, he already felt rejected. His heart ached as if it had been stabbed with a knife, and he had difficulty breathing.

“Tairok.”

Hoiga followed, his voice trembling as he called out his name. Only then did Tairok look at him from the corner of his eye, but he didn’t stop walking.

“I have something to say.”

“Make an appointment and come later.”

“No! I don’t have time if not now.”

Still, when Tairok’s footsteps did not stop, Hoiga finally brought up the only topic that could stop him.

“Are you planning to give up on breaking the Kun family’s curse?”

Tairok stopped, just as expected. But when he turned around, the look in his eyes made Hoiya’s chest tighten painfully again.

His cold gaze betrayed not a shred of emotion. If only he had been filled with anger and irritation, Hoiga wouldn’t have felt so suffocated. Why?

1. ↩︎

In Korean, the word for salvation is 구원 (guwon). When Sillian tries to say it, she stutters, “구… 구…,” which sounds like “gu-gu.” Lu mishears this as a pigeon sound because pigeon cooing in Korean is written as “구구.” Since I used the English word salvation instead of guwon, the original “gu-gu” stutter and the pigeon joke no longer make sense. So I changed it.