Farewell to the hero! chapter 47

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After clearing out the swarm of bat-like monsters, we exited the cave and, as expected, found the dead Mother.

It seemed she had met her end mid-flight, knowing her eggs were in danger.

Her condition was quite pitiful—her neck twisted and her body crushed beneath broken branches.

Her wings and eyes, slashed by Kaindel, still bore fresh wounds.

Looking at her lifeless form brought back the unease I had felt when I destroyed the egg.

I had wanted her dead, but now that she was gone, I felt conflicted.

The conflicting emotions were so absurd, I couldn’t help but feel foolish.

I debated whether we should leave the Mother’s corpse behind.

My gaze remained fixed on her for a long time.

Only when Kaindel gently pushed my back did I finally start walking again.

“When a monster’s core is destroyed, its body turns to ash. There won’t be any bones or skin left. So, you don’t need to worry about it, Isa. Since the Mother was a high-ranking monster, well, she’ll probably be gone by tomorrow, as if he never existed in the first place.”

“That’s a relief.”

Listening to Sehir’s explanation, I finally managed to shake off the complicated emotions.

Now that I thought about it, when the goblin’s core had been destroyed, it had turned to ash as well.

So, it seemed the Mother would disappear similarly.

The forest, cleared of its illusions, looked like a wasteland.

The acrid stench of burning was strong enough to numb my senses.

All around, the landscape was filled with rotting black trees and withered leaves.

The ground, once blackened, had been restored to its natural color thanks to Owen’s purification.

We encountered no other monsters as we made our way out of the forest.

It seemed the entire birch forest had been the Mother’s territory.

It was well-known that monsters, especially high-ranking ones, were territorial, and wouldn’t allow others to settle in their domain.

The exception, of course, was the bat-like creatures that lived in the Mother’s nest.

After crossing the forest without further incident, we reached a steep slope where the burnt trees ended, as if forming a natural boundary.

The sun was beginning to set, casting a yellowish glow over the sky.

Soon it would be dark, and that’s when the monsters would roam freely.

Most of us were exhausted from fighting the Mother and his minions.

If we ran into another high-ranking monster—or even a horde of low-ranking ones—it would be troublesome.

Should we keep going?

As I wondered, I noticed Kaindel had stopped, seemingly lost in thought.

He then glanced at Sehir.

“Looks like we’ve reached the end of the Mother’s territory.”

“That’s right. There are no reports of other monster territories near the birch forest, so from here on, any monsters we encounter will likely be low or mid-rank.”

“How long will it take to reach the Behamdon Plateau, where Morhan is supposed to be?”

‘Morhan’…

I was familiar with the name.

There wasn’t as much information about Morhan as there was about the Mother, but I knew it was another high-ranking monster in the Gayat Mountains.

The lack of information was probably because most travelers stopped at the Mother and didn’t go deeper into the mountains.

They say Morhan looks like a mix of a leopard and a tiger, with six tails.

Could that be true?

As I mulled over Morhan’s appearance, Sehir answered Kaindel’s question.

“I estimate it will take us a little over a week.”

“A week, huh. Considering we’ll be passing through steep terrain, it might take even longer.”

Kaindel and Sehir discussed their plans, and Kaindel suggested we rest here for a few days to prepare thoroughly, given the unexpected variables we’d encountered with the Mother.

Exhausted from the battle, no one objected to Kaindel’s proposal.

Ruen, in particular, welcomed the idea.

Whether it was because he needed the rest or simply enjoyed the break was unclear, but knowing his personality, the latter seemed more likely.

Thus, after everyone’s opinions were gathered, Sehir chose a cave near a waterfall that became our campsite.

The cave, partially hidden by the waterfall, made it difficult for anyone but water-dwelling monsters to pinpoint our location.

Watching the waterfall wash away our traces, it seemed Sehir had chosen this spot with that in mind.

After arriving at the cave, unpacking, and finishing our meal, I went down to the waterfall with Kaindel to wash up.

It had been almost a full day since we killed Mother, and I hadn’t had a proper wash.

Fortunately, since the weather was cold, it wasn’t like the smell of sweat would cling to me.

Still, while it wasn’t sweat, I couldn’t shake the feeling that my body reeked of the awful fishy stench and burning smell from Mother’s nest.

Kaindel, who had entered the water first, walked around as if surveying the area before coming back to me.

He hadn’t even taken off his clothes, and his pants were soaked up to his thighs.

Without a care for the way his clothes clung to his defined frame, he extended a hand toward me as I silently watched him.

“Isa, come on in.”

“Aren’t we supposed to take off our clothes?”

“Our clothes are dirty too. We have spares, so it’s fine.”

It was his way of telling me to come in with my clothes on.

Even if we were going to wash our clothes, it would be more effective to take them off and wash them separately.

Besides, you can’t wash properly while still wearing clothes.

Thanks to my experience in the Luther Village, I immediately noticed the flaw in his reasoning, but I didn’t bother pointing it out.

If I had to wash with Kaindel, it seemed better to just do it half-heartedly while keeping my clothes on.

His body was perfectly sculpted with muscle, while mine was far from impressive.

I wasn’t exactly flabby, but it wasn’t something I was proud of showing off.

Hesitantly, I took Kaindel’s hand and stepped into the lake.

The water was freezing.

The cold pierced through me in an instant, and I was thankful I had brought a change of clothes.

If I had to return to the camp soaked like this, I would’ve surely caught a cold by the next day.

Watching me move around to get used to the bitter cold, Kaindel broke the silence as he sat on a large rock.

“Cold, isn’t it?”

He smiled warmly, his eyes crinkling as he gestured to his side.

“Come sit here. You’ll feel less cold if we stick together.”

“No, I’m used to washing in cold water.”

I shook my head, gazing at him quietly.

In Luther Village, unless you were a newborn, most people washed with cold water drawn from the village well. I was no different.

Thanks to that, I was used to bathing in cold water.

Come to think of it, wasn’t Kaindel from a noble background?

For someone like him, who likely always washed in warm water, this lake must have felt especially unfamiliar.

Even for me, who was used to it, the harsh cold made my body hair stand on end.

Facing Kaindel like this, soaked and staring at each other, was embarrassing.

I quickly tried to recall where I had placed the soap, eager to finish up and leave.

Just then, Kaindel suddenly wrapped his arms around my waist.

“I’m cold, that’s all. Okay?”

At the gentle plea in his voice, the will to push him away melted like snow.

I was always weak in front of him, and now that he was even asking me like this, there was no way I could refuse.

Realizing my lack of resistance was a sign of approval, Kaindel chuckled softly.

He pulled me closer, resting his chin on my abs.

His eyes traveled up to my collarbone, stopping there.

“It’s still there, huh.”

Still there?

I was puzzled by his words.

I didn’t feel anything out of the ordinary, so I was suspicious of what he meant by ‘still there.’

At that moment, I remembered Kaindel had kissed that spot a few days ago.

I hadn’t thought it would leave a mark, so I hadn’t paid it any mind.

Could others have seen it?

Feeling my mind go blank, I quickly covered my collarbone with my hand.

“W-why is it still here?”

“Why? Because I left it there, that’s why.”

Kaindel murmured matter-of-factly, like he was stating something obvious, placing his hand over mine as I tried to hide the mark.

“It’s beautiful.”

He praised a mark that wasn’t even visible now, hidden by my hand.

What was beautiful about such a ridiculous mark?

I let out a deep sigh, unable to understand his way of thinking.

No wonder he hadn’t mentioned the mark to me, even though he knew it was there.

“It’s only beautiful to you.”

“Of course, it should only be beautiful to me.”

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