Episode 209
Chapter 67: The Witch Helluram’s Legacy (5)
From that moment on, Jin wandered around putting out fires alongside the monster.
But after two days of relentless wildfire, it was practically impossible to extinguish the blaze. Magic had its limits when it came to quelling the flames, and cutting through the burning forest with his sword to stop the fire’s spread was just as futile.
Unless it rained, there was no way to control the inferno. And even then, Jin doubted that any amount of rain could tame a fire of this scale.
To make matters worse, just as they began to suppress the wildfire, a fierce gust of wind swept through—as if the wind itself was waiting for them to stop fighting so it could fan the flames anew.
The sun rose, the moon rose, the moon set, and the sun rose again.
For an entire day, Jin frantically roamed the forest, chasing the fire. It had been over three days of relentless struggle, and his stamina was nearing its limit.
The monster seemed to have given up early on, its ears drooping as it let out weak, pitiful cries. Jin, burdened by a strange guilt, pushed himself to the very end.
“What the hell are we doing…?”
That thought gnawed at him.
The monster had only been living peacefully in this harsh land. Meanwhile, Jin had invaded its territory, tormented it, and now was trying to put out the very wildfire he had caused.
What was the point of all this?
His heart grew heavier with guilt, filled only with apologies toward the monster. Jin couldn’t grasp why Siron and Vanessa had set such a cruel trial.
“I doubt Father doesn’t know that this creature can’t die. If we kept fighting endlessly, it would only end in my defeat or my forced retreat. Am I missing something?”
At least regarding its immortality, there was nothing he had overlooked. Unless the curse was lifted, the monster was an unkillable being by any means.
“…Huff.”
As his worries continued, the wildfire finally swallowed nearly the entire thorn forest.
Crackle, crackle, crackle…
Over ninety percent of the forest had turned to ash.
Jin and the monster sat before the few thorn trees they had barely saved, listening to the hollow sound of the remaining embers flickering nearby.
The open land felt desolate. Blackened, rounded stones stood silently amid ashes swirling in the occasional breeze.
[Myaa…]
The monster slumped down, letting out a low, mournful cry.
“I’m sorry.”
There was nothing else to say. They had suddenly invaded and destroyed its home, so even if it was a monster, Jin couldn’t help but feel sorry.
His whole body felt like it was breaking from exhaustion.
More than 40 hours of fighting, plus over 24 hours battling the fire. Even with the blessed body of a Runkandel, this was no easy feat.
[Mya.]
The monster suddenly turned its head sharply, baring its sharp fangs.
But it didn’t attack. It seemed just as worn out, soon lowering its head and sighing deeply.
Jin approached and gently patted the monster’s side. There was no way to comfort it, and saying sorry again would only feel hollow. He had no better idea.
“I came here because I had to take the trial Father set. I couldn’t refuse, so I ended up fighting you.”
The monster sharpened its claws.
Instead of attacking, it began to draw something on the ground. Swiftly and delicately, its large claws sketched five figures.
‘Damn, it draws well.’
A lightly dressed man holding a sword, and four knights clad in black armor.
Siron and the former Black Knights. Siron, without armor, was drawn largest in the center, so it was easy to recognize.
“…Which one is my father?”
[Mya.]
“The one in the middle.”
[Myaak!]
The monster nodded and trembled. Just thinking of Siron seemed to terrify it.
“Did your father hurt you?”
[Myak, myak.]
The monster nodded again.
“I see. Your father slashed you, but you couldn’t die and survived, right?”
[Mya.]
“…A terrible curse. Worse than what I went through.”
Jin couldn’t even imagine what it felt like to be struck by Siron’s sword, which had reached the level of completely ‘disassembling’ things, and yet not die.
Immortality was no blessing. Especially when you were abandoned alone in a dreadful thorn forest like this.
“I don’t know what your master was thinking, cursing you like that. Witch Helluram—she really did abandon you, didn’t she?”
[Mya…]
The monster seemed reluctant to answer that.
By now, Jin was starting to doubt if this creature was truly a monster. It felt more like a pet with a soul.
“Alright, let’s move past that. Why haven’t you left this place? Did your father forbid it?”
[Mya-mya.]
The monster answered yes, but the truth was more complicated.
When it first settled in the thorn forest, the monster didn’t know it was cursed.
It didn’t realize it had been abandoned by Helluram.
So it waited for its master to return for a hundred years. Only then did it understand that Helluram would never come back, and that it was cursed with immortality.
From that point on, every day was meaningless. The loss of its master crushed any thought of leaving the forest. It simply hid, comforted by the familiarity of the woods.
Nearly a millennium passed like this, until Siron and the former Black Knights came searching for the monster.
Once they realized it was immortal, they began investigating and discovered it had been Helluram’s familiar.
That was when the monster first felt the desire to leave this land.
The overwhelming power of Siron filled its body with a terror heavier than death.
But escaping Siron was impossible. Whenever it tried to leave the Black Sea region, Siron would appear without fail.
Each time, Siron said the same thing:
—“One day, my daughter will come to be your new master. Until then, wait.”
The monster couldn’t disobey that command. Siron’s quiet voice was more frightening than Helluram’s angry shouts.
All of this couldn’t be expressed through cries or drawings on the ground. So the monster simply answered with “mya-mya.”
“Hm… So you couldn’t leave because of your father’s orders. Then, would it be alright if you came with me?”
[Mya?]
“He said there’d be a reward if I defeated you. I think that means I have the right to take you with me.”
The monster blinked for a moment.
You’re not a daughter but a son, Jin thought, but he didn’t say it aloud.
“I’m not lying.”
[Miyaaah.]
“The forest’s burned down anyway, so you have nowhere to go. It’s my fault. If you come outside, I’ll find you a new home. This place is too toxic to bring anyone to restore the forest.”
[Mya!]
There it was!
“Where? Oh, you mean that cave from earlier?”
While fighting the wildfire, Jin had discovered a cave deep in the thorn forest. That was the monster’s home.
The monster jumped up and strode toward it.
“How do you live alone there? Even if you’re immortal, you must get hungry, right? That’s why you were eating the thorns. Is there any prey nearby?”
Jin was genuinely worried. Because of Siron’s influence, no other monsters came near.
The monster didn’t answer and moved toward the cave. Jin had no choice but to follow for a while.
When they reached the cave’s deepest part, Jin spotted something unfamiliar: a bottle of liquor, standing upright as if someone had just placed it there.
The monster had never seen it before, not even yesterday.
‘A bottle of liquor?’
Jin and the monster exchanged glances between each other and the bottle.
“You don’t seem to know what this is either.”
[Miyaaah.]
As Jin picked up the bottle, his eyes widened at the writing on the back.
(King’s Song Liquor — Siron Runkandel)
“Huh… Looks like Father left this here. Look, his name’s on it. Oh, you can’t read?”
King’s Song Liquor.
Jin had heard stories about this mysterious drink before.
It was brewed by the descendants of the fairies for special occasions and special people.
When you drank it, the owner’s message would spread through your mind like a song—a melody so beautiful it was called the King’s Song Liquor.
‘He must have wanted to tell me something.’
Without hesitation, Jin opened the bottle, poured some into the cap, and drank it all.
The singing began after the third cup. The beautiful voices of the fairy descendants echoed in Jin’s ears.
“For Siron Runkandel’s first daughter, Luna Runkandel’s beast…”
“For Siron Runkandel’s first daughter, Luna Runkandel’s beast…”
As the song played, memories surfaced—glimpses of Siron’s past appeared. It felt similar to when he received the fangs of King Otu Boras, though not as vivid.
The song was so perfect that the scenes seemed to unfold naturally in his mind.
The first thing that appeared was a young Siron visiting the descendants of the fairy folk, brewing liquor. Throughout, Siron wore a gentle smile, patiently explaining something to the fairy descendants.
It seemed to be right after encountering the demon beasts, and the black knights standing nearby were quietly chatting among themselves, saying Luna would be pleased.
Unlike now, Siron’s expression carried a certain warmth, almost like an ordinary father’s love for his child. To Jin, that image was far more captivating than any lyrics.
“He must have left this behind for Luna, brewing the Ga-wangju for her sake…”
Originally, it wasn’t Jin who was meant to drink the Ga-wangju—it was Luna.
As Jin listened to the song woven into the Ga-wangju, he deeply felt how much Siron cherished Luna. The entire melody was filled with Siron’s affection and hopes for her.
But just as the beautiful melody reached its peak, the song abruptly stopped.
The scene that flashed through Jin’s mind wasn’t of young Siron, but the recent Siron—his face solemn as he spoke:
“Follow Jin.”
Those words were meant for the demon beasts.
Confident that the “map” would fall into Jin’s hands, Siron returned to the fairy descendants, carrying the Ga-wangju he had brewed for Luna.
He asked them to add a new line to the song embedded within the liquor.
“Follow Jin.” That added line was now being softly chanted—not by Siron, but by the fairy descendants.
Lost in thought for a moment, Jin filled his cup.
“Try some,” he said.
As he carefully touched the tip of his tongue to the drink, the same song Jin had heard echoed inside the demon beast’s mind.