Farewell to the hero! chapter 38

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A command was issued, unlike his usual kind demeanor.

It was the first time I saw this unfamiliar side of him.

Yet, it didn’t feel overwhelming.

In fact, his voice, guiding me along the path I needed to take, made me feel more at ease.

The pressure that had been suffocating me lightened.

Kaindel’s message was simple:

The situation had already unfolded.

But, if we could find a way to manage it, that would be enough.

I sighed.

The paper boat that had been drifting aimlessly in the vast ocean finally stopped sinking.

The chaotic thoughts that had tangled in my mind started to untangle, and a sense of calm returned.

The tarnished pearl began to regain its original luster.

I had vowed not to let myself be buried under the wreckage that gnawed at my self-esteem, but things didn’t always go as planned.

It was only when I felt someone’s hand pulling me up that I realized I had been drowning.

I still couldn’t understand why I kept sinking into past troubles of my own accord.

As Kaindel said, if I had made a mistake, all I needed to do was fix it. That was all.

Foolishly, I had only wasted precious time.

“I’m sorry for speaking recklessly until now.”

By now, my necessity had been more than proven to Ruen and the others.

I didn’t want to turn my back on the vast world I had faced after leaving the restaurant and putting down the rag.

Even if the tasks I’d been given felt like clothes that didn’t fit me, I wanted to cast them off boldly.

Taking a deep breath, I followed Kaindel’s gaze.

A large bird, the size of a tree, was closely trailing behind the horse that Kaindel and I were riding.

Though it had the shape of a bird, it wasn’t truly a bird.

Its tough, leathery skin, which couldn’t be mistaken for feathers, was more like a snake’s hide.

Completely black.

That was my first impression of the bird.

Its beak, talons, and everything visible were jet-black.

The only other color on the bird was its glaringly red eyes, as if they were soaked in blood.

Or should I say eyes?

I corrected my thought.

The bird had six eyes, each vertically slit like a snake’s, and they were unsettling, as though stained with the blood of the prey it had consumed.

Thanks to this, I quickly deduced the bird’s identity.

It must be the creature Kaindel had mentioned – the Mother.

Kaindel pulled on the reins, bringing his horse to a stop, then dismounted.

He tied the reins to a branch and removed his robe.

As soon as he loosened the knot, he let the robe fall to the ground, then drew his sword and glanced at Owen.

“Owen, do you know where the Mother’s core is?”

“No, sir. Judging by your expression, Esy doesn’t seem to know either.”

It was another question he already knew the answer to.

“Really, what a mess.”

He muttered softly, his face looking strangely innocent, like a boy about to embark on an adventure without a plan.

Pale sunlight poured down in handfuls through the branches intertwined like spiderwebs.

Within that light, Kaindel twisted his sword at an angle, and the sunlight shattered as it streamed over the blade.

His sharp gaze narrowed briefly, as if evaluating the condition of his sword, then returned to its original focus.

I watched him in silence.

I couldn’t understand why Kaindel had dismounted so suddenly.

What was he thinking?

I chewed over the question internally.

The Mother was known to be a formidable high-level monster, one of the most difficult to face among the creatures that lived in the Gayat mountain range.

If a level beyond “high” were to exist—perhaps an “ultimate” level—she would be classified as such.

Even with Kaindel’s impressive skills, it would be too much for him to handle the Mother alone.

Was he really planning to fight him?

Doubt surged through me.

My steadily growing skepticism quickly turned into shock.

“Don’t! It’s too dangerous.”

Just before Kaindel took a step toward the Mother, I forced my voice out.

Fear and worry were swirling together.

I wanted to jump off my horse and stop him, but a familiar hand gently patted my thigh.

“Are you worried about me?”

“That’s…”

I almost raised my voice, ready to scold him for his nonchalant tone.

As I bit down on my lower lip, Kaindel chuckled.

His eyes softened, like a well-fed cat.

“Don’t worry too much. I’m just going to clip its wings so it can’t chase us.”

He added briefly, “I value my life too, you know,” and then walked past me.

As his hand left my thigh, a sudden chill crept over me.

My throat felt dry.

As I continued to watch Kaindel’s back intently, Owen clicked his tongue.

“Esy, Kaindel is stronger than you think. There’s no one in the Hadelber Kingdom who can match his skill. You really don’t need to worry.”

“But it’s a high-level monster we’re talking about.”

“Well…”

Owen shrugged, as if I was stating the obvious. His relaxed demeanor wasn’t forced.

Since Kaindel had mentioned facing the Mother, Owen hadn’t shown any signs of worry, nor had he offered any words of encouragement.

He didn’t seem to be intimidated by the Mother at all.

There was a faint hint of caution in his stance, but he exuded a calm confidence.

“If things go south, Kaindel will probably throw us to the wolves and run away. We should be more worried about our own safety.”

“What?”

“I mean, Kaindel won’t die, at least.”

Owen adjusted his glasses as he added this in a flat tone.

His pale blue eyes, visible through the clean lenses, scrutinized my face.

Then, as if in a hurry, he added, “Though, he might carry you off, Esy.”

It wasn’t a lighthearted joke.

Owen’s expression made it clear he was being sincere.

He genuinely believed Kaindel would abandon them in an emergency.

When I let out a half-hearted laugh, Owen smiled as well, then pointed somewhere.

“Look over there.”

I turned my head in the direction of his long finger.

My half-smile froze.

Screeech!

In front of the Mother, who let out a throat-scraping cry, Kaindel stood calmly.

He was silently watching as the Mother circled above, scanning for his prey.

His shadow stretched proudly beneath him.

Soon, the Mother, who had been soaring in the sky, landed on the ground and charged toward Kaindel.

His massive body moved with an agility that was hard to believe.

The Mother quickly reached him and spread one of his wings wide.

His wing feathers twisted like sharpened blades, and a serpent-like tongue slithered out between his parted beak.

All six of his eyes focused intently on Kaindel.

Snap!

The Mother let out a vicious cry, his tongue flicking, and a purple liquid dripped from it.

The leaves that caught the drops began to wither and emit a faint smoke.

As I frowned at the disgusting scene, Owen spoke up.

“Doesn’t he look like she’s laughing maniacally?”

“….”

Only after he pointed it out did I notice.

Kaindel, who had disappeared from view the moment the Mother planted his wing into the ground, suddenly reappeared.

He was in a forward stance, one leg stretched out, with his sword raised high.

The tip of his sword pointed precisely at the Mother’s face.

Aside from a scratch on his cheek, Kaindel was unscathed.

Strangely, part of the Mother’s wing feathers and tongue had been severed.

Screech!

The Mother let out a howl of pain, his torn tongue oozing purple liquid.

It was clearly a severe wound.

I blinked.

My blurred vision cleared.

There, in the midst of the swirling black feathers, Kaindel was laughing brightly.

A wild thrill gleamed in his green eyes.

A madman.

Owen’s choice of words was spot on.

The fierce glow in Kaindel’s eyes made it clear that he was enjoying the fight.

Seeing Kaindel standing firm against the Mother, my worry began to fade slightly.

At the same time, the overwhelming concern I had for him left room for another thought.

I stared intently at the Mother’s quickly regenerating tongue.

There had always been something that puzzled me whenever I heard about the Mother from travelers.

While lower-level monsters might form groups, high-level monsters never did.

They abandoned their offspring the moment they were born.

But the Mother was known to not only stay with his young but to raise them.

It was also said that the Mother was always female, with only one born in each generation.

When his time came, he would lay eggs that were fertilized within his own body.

So, it was impossible for the Mother to be male.

Why is that?

A female, maternal instinct, and a single offspring per generation.

The fragments that had been aimlessly wandering soon formed a faint, yet coherent, picture.

“Owen.”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t the way to kill the Mother by using her maternal instinct against him?”

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