Chapter 114

He somewhat understood them, but he couldn’t define them even with words.

The only one in the world.

Special.

Precious.

It’s like a treasure.

“Randell.”

He turned away and Nina pointed to the floor asking to be dropped off. He frowned and put her down, saying.

“The stones here are sharp.”

“I know, but I can walk. It doesn’t hurt that much.”

“Then I’ll take off my shoes.”

“It’s okay, no need.”

Looking at her white bare feet as she began to walk recklessly through the wilderness, Randell looked at her back. The strength he loves, the will to move forward, the courage to not fear obstacles.

He’ll never forget this day when she walked barefoot in a stone field.

He started to walk, and as he caught up with her he said.

“There was also a story about taroks in the notebook.”

“What is it?”

Nina asked while walking backward, carefully avoiding the sharp stones.

“Seed Crystal.”

“Huh?”

Nina raised her head in surprise.

“Ouch.”

“Look, what did I say?”

“Ugh.”

Nina looked at the soles of her feet. There were marks, but no injuries.

“Should I freeze the road?”

“You are going to have frostbite.”

“I signed a contract with the Frost Spirit. Oh, Jack!!”

As she waved her hand, a man the size of her finger from beyond her sight, waved his hand. Randell squinted his eyes hard.

“Can you recognize him?”

“If it’s only this far it’s a matter of course. Randell, your eyesight has gotten bad, isn’t it?

He frowned.

Jack, who strode along, opened his mouth when he saw Nina.

“Wait, why are you wet? Did the wizard drop you into the sea?”

“She dove on her own.”

Randel replied grudgingly. Jack squinted his eyes, looked at Nina, looked at Randell, and said.

“Did you throw your notebook into the sea?”

“······.”

Randell shook his head, and Nina laughed out loud. Jack looked at her bare feet and clicked his tongue.

“Did you go into the water in leather shoes? You’re such a waste of things.”

“Sorry······.” (Nina)

There was nothing to be said in that regard. Jack looked at Nina with a pitiful look on his face, as if looking at a rain-soaked mouse, then took off his shoes.

“It’s oka- ….Why are you wearing shoes inside your shoes?” (Nina)

“I could be tracked by my footprints.”

Nina said he was ridiculous and put on the shoes that Jack had taken off. It was loose, but it didn’t fall off because it somehow had a strap.

Nina asked.

“Randell, what was the thing you were going to tell me earlier? Seed Crystal?”

“The Tree of Origin, remember?”

“Oh, you mean the tree from Yara?”

“The fruit seeds of the tree were taroks. Why didn’t I notice it when it’s already mentioned. The meaning of the word ‘Tarok’ is ‘Origin’······. The Tree of Origin. In other words, the Tree of Tarok. I didn’t realize it because it was such an explicit name.”

“Is the seed a crystal?”

“Yes, it’s not like a normal seed, and I thought it was some kind of mineral mass. But······.”

“Hey, Randell.”

Regardless of Nina’s call, Randell murmured.

“Should I take a branch and replant it? Will it grow?”

“We’ve got it, seed crystals.”

“······!!”

His eyes widened. He looked through Nina and said.

“I, w-well, I don’t think······. If······.” (Randell)

His face changed in an instant.

“Let’s go back.” (Randell)

“Huh?”

“Let’s go back. We know everything we need to know now, so let’s go back and see if we can use that seed crystal as a tarok material.”

Seeing his haste, Nina and Jack looked at each other’s faces and shrugged. The three hurried down the hill and stopped by the house to get their luggage.

The moment they were about to get out of town quickly.

Boom!!!

Everyone averted their eyes at the loud sound. At the same time, the three of them made silly exclamations.

This was the Sage’s Island, the Blue Stone Island. It was a place that had never been invaded by bellacs.

That is, until now.

“Oh, God.”

“Is that what I’m seeing right now real?”

“I think it looks like an A-class? Why is it popping out of here all of a sudden?”

A rooster’s body, reptile-like wings, and a long snake tail. The gigantic creature was attached to the wall of the Blue Stone Castle with its front paws smashing the stones from the wall.

It pulled out a stone from the wall with its hook-like front paws and threw it like a shot put. When the stones were thrown into the village, it also fell into chaos.

The wall that was full of holes collapsed.

At the same time, it was clear to Randell’s eyes that the barrier covering the castle was distorted.

“Kieeeeeek!!”

The cry rang out loudly and Nina muttered.

“Isn’t that supposed to be cock-a-doodle-doo?”

(Note: for non-native speakers, this is the cry of a rooster)

“Hurry up.”

Jack pulled her arm, and Nina ran a few steps before stopping.

“Randell, are you okay?”

He clenched his fists and looked at the castle with a white face.

“Ahhhhh!”

“It’s a bellac!”

“Monster!”

“Save me!!”

There was another roar coming from the other side. Nina felt goosebumps on her back and pulled out the dagger.

“And it brought some minions.”

A high-ranking bellac often attracts lesser-grade bellacs.

Jack pulled her shoulder roughly, as she began to join the dagger to the rod.

“Are you crazy? If you fight here, you’ll be exposed. What do you think will happen if they find out that we’ve been sneaking into the  Blue Stone Island?”

“But······.”

“No buts. With the rumors that the Fallen Spirit King and the Duke have a connection, what do you think will happen if the Commander of the Knights of that same Duke came together with the finest of bellacs to the Blue Stone Island? You know best how the story will go around.”

Nina bit her lip and looked at Randell, and he looked back at her. She closed her eyes and inhaled and exhaled once as she recalled old memories.

Her hometown.

The older sister who hugged her tenderly, the road she ran back home every dinner, and the forest where she took walks with her brother.

A small house built of wood.

The green barley field swaying in the wind.

There are none of those things anymore.

Burnt, trampled away by bellacs, only to remain in her memory.

The feeling of hearing her sister scream with all her remaining breath at the top of her lungs.

That feeling.

The feeling of losing everything, the feeling all the things you ever have were crumbling on the ground, that.

Nina opened her eyes.

If she can prevent it, why should she let others go through those suffering?

She spun the rod and dagger together quickly and said.

“Let’s leave that higher bellac to the sages. I’m sure that’s enough. Jack, evacuate the people. I’ll stop the low-grade bellacs.”

“Nina!”

Jack had an irritated face, he couldn’t even speak another thing out loud and only gave a warning shout.

“Nina······.”

By comparison, Randell let out a powerless low voice. Nina smiled.

“I have an idea. You said there’s invisible magic, right? Cast it on us.”

As soon as she spoke, Jack made an “Oh.” face, and Randell’s face brightened. Jack rubbed his chin.

“Well, I’d rather have that friendly magic thing. It’s better to evacuate.”

Changing his standpoint in an instant is really so like him. Jack looked back at Nina and said.

“This was not part of the official mission, you’ll have to pay me back later.”

“Put it on my tab.”

Nina shrugged, and Jack laughed, ‘If it’s from Nina, I will make sure to receive a good price.’

When Randell cast a spell on the two, Nina ran out with the North wind.

The bodies of dead people were already on the floor and cries of wailing family members were ringing in the air. Because bellacs always attack the weak first, children die first.

Each time Nina’s spear was swung, one low-grade bellac died. They were like frog-shaped monsters, the size of forearms that stabbed and killed people with their long tongues like spears, and ate their inside.

“Frogs, I really hate them. They’re hideous. Ughh-”

It was the kind of bellacs that seemed to have been made from the form of frogs and were even made more disgusting.

The Sage Steel shredded the bellacs as if cutting butter with a hot knife. Nina began to slay the low-grade bellacs without much effort while Jack shouted and started to get people into the boat.

She was afraid that the frog bellacs would swim, but luckily they did not go into the sea.

“All right, if it’s like that!”

Nina used her power and North Wind drove the lesser bellacs away, widening the gap between the people and the monsters.