Volume 2 - CH 5

A strange sound, like that of a musical flute, echoed through the forest at night. People in the north call that sound "the magic sound of the flute.

Almark did not know what the sound was coming from. His father said it was the sound of the Grim Reaper's flute, and a traveling magician said it was the sound of darkness taking shape. But perhaps no one knows for sure.

But even a child in the North knows that on rare occasions this sound can be heard at night, when the darkness of the forest reaches a certain degree.

And it is a signal that a strange-looking monster is coming from the depths of the forest.

They are completely different in quality from the ordinary monsters that usually live in the forest.

For example, Borapa, a two-headed monster whose entire body is covered with black fur.

Delugan, for example, is a monster with fur that stands up like a sharp blade.

Malmudan, for example, is a monster with a body covered in scales that manipulates mysterious magic.

No one knows their biology, nor do people know the purpose of their attacks.

What is clear, however, is that they are intensely hostile to people. And they are very strong.

Even experienced mercenaries hesitate to fight them.

Almark has encountered them several times, and it was a terrifying experience.

Even now, when he recalls the sound they make, like a cry, or an ugly sound like an alien language, his whole body goes up into a frenzy.

They are the ultimate embodiment of people' s fear of the dark. They go on a killing rampage, and in the morning they vanish without a trace.

Some mercenary bands have been said to have been destroyed in a single night due to unlucky encounters with hordes of these monsters.

But that was certainly the case in the northern forests. He did not recall hearing that sound in the forest at night since he had crossed the Menober Strait and reached the middle plains.

The day after the Liltie case, Almark told . Fia about the sounds he had heard in the forest. If they had indeed emerged from the forest last night, Almark, who was not armed, would not have been able to protect Liltie at all.

Upon hearing the story, Fia thought about what had happened and replied, "Let's make sure that students are not allowed to go into the forest at night."

Almark himself did not actually see the monster coming out of the forest. He had no proof that the sound was the same as the magic flute in the north. He could not make any further claims.

However, since that day, besides meditation, Almark has added the careful examination of his beloved long sword to his daily routine after returning to his room.