Chapter 6 (Leaving the Forest)
From then on, we decided to leave the forest.
Originally we planned to stay in the woods for lunch, but my father noticed that Ted and I were both mentally and physically exhausted, so he made the decision to leave early.
The fatigue did not overwhelm me, and the main reason was because I was accustomed to the battlefield…the experience accumulated during such age was unavoidable.
On the way home, Ted was in an excited state as he repeatedly talked about the figure of me and Crystal Wolf at that time.
In this condition, I thought it would even continue after we returned to the village…and spread across to all the villagers, so I was about to give Ted a caution warning about this event.
Then,
“I’m not planning to spread this information around. Even I can tell this can cause a lot of troubles. My dad never mentioned anything about talking demonic monsters. From the previous reaction, even Mr.Allen didn’t know about it, right? I will stay silent…..it’s just that, my underlings…”
Ted said that unnaturally at a lost for words.
Ted was most likely confirming whether or not this information could be leaked to his friends around the same age. This side of Ted made him seem like a general instead of a kid.
“Are you perhaps referring to those three idiotic underlings?”
The three idiots were at the same age as Ted. They always did things that displeased adults. Kou, a shorty that was smart in participating in wicked ideas; Oz, a child whose brain wasn’t bright but have a strong body that made him pride; Last but least, a handsome with no outstanding physical strength but full of charisma, Isis.
Even after they became adults, their relationship did not change. They joined the military after me, and continued to subjugate demon army, and ultimately meet death. Well, my life ended as an ordinary soldier with no success. They were different from me, especially, one of them as the staff officer who developed and implemented a few strategic operations. Thanks to his plans several soldiers had survived. Wicked ideas do serve as good purpose after all.
Oz became a captain because of his strength, Isis was the team’s vice-captain. I was envious of them being an ordinary soldier unable to get out of the common ruck.
Phil was also at the same age as Ted and the three idiots, but he was a man who was laughing with his nose while looking down on those three idiots. This boy who always had a sarcastic smile on him wore eyeglasses and kept a characteristic hairstyle wasn’t favored by others.
Nevertheless, he was someone who occupied the top level of the hierarchy in the child society along with ted because he was more knowledgeable than anyone else.
His nickname was also understandable being Doc(Doctorate).
However, he certainly did not seem to be a very nice guy at first glance, but when you see him patiently teach young kids calculation and letters, and point out the lack of knowledge and logical error of an adult, you could see that he’s just not very open.
By the way, after he became an adult he would be working at the central as a scholar and civilian rather than a soldier. His personality did not change at all even after becoming an adult. He was a man who persuaded his belief until the end. Ultimately he would be killed in the royal palace by the conspiracy of the devil.
Ted was questioning whether the truth could be told to these four people. Well, their mouths’ firmness were trustworthy enough, and I was planning to retract to my plan Sooner or later either way. I wanted to avoid that future and bring light to those dead eyes.
I nodded at Ted, and he added on.
“Also Karen.”
“Karen is not your subordinate though.”
I returned my expressions unable to say anything.
Since we listened to each other’s confession earlier, I thought we shouldn’t be coming across this topic, but it didn’t seem like a big problem for Ted.
“Is that so?”
“The fact is…you do like Karen right? There won’t be any progression if you treat her like an underling forever…”
After saying those words, Ted’s face was blushing bright red unlike before.
“Wah, you, don’t say that!”
What a surprising reaction.
It was an embarrassing topic around this area.
Ted’s still a child after all.
I smiled and patted him on the shoulder.
“Sorry sorry, I am feeling the same way, so don’t mind it.”
Ted had his eyes on me as if he was looking at something strange.
“…Yeah, you are definitely Allen’s son.”
Said Ted
“What do you mean?”
“It’s fine if you don’t understand.”
“Hey, it’s making me curious.”
“So, anyway, I will tell Karen.”
Ted was already making a decision without answering my doubt.
Well, it’s ok to say to Karen. I couldn’t bear to put her as an outsider…a girl I like. Although I wonder wouldn’t it be weird to like a girl this young for someone with my mental age. I wanted to be safe and get to know her after I became an adult.
However…
“Hey Ted”
“What is it”
I faced Ted with a serious expression.
Ted was able to read the mood and responded by changing to a cranky face.
“It is fine telling Karen, but be careful with the way you tell her.”
Ted thought for a moment and held hands on his forehead with a convincing look as he sighed deeply.
“Maybe I shouldn’t tell her after all.”
“That won’t do, it would be scary afterward.”
“…Going to get beat up.”
“Right, beat up, or rather it would be nice to just end there.”
I remembered Karen’s personality and sighed with Ted.
We exchanged faces and laughed while imagining the situation.
Why did we come to like such a woman?
Our expression that was floating on our face were wondering about this question.
Even so, we couldn’t walk in the forest in a heavy mood forever.
Even though my father did all the warning and response to the forest monsters, but we were not here for a picnic.
Flame fox and carle boar, these common monsters would attack us.
Both were usually terrifying creatures that have agility and size that were clearly different from normal animals, they act actively to reap the life of preys.
Although,
“After seeing that monster, it’s a little…”
As Ted said that, my father was gazing at the second carle boar.
Its power and strength were spectacular. It was supposed to be a dangerous monster that ordinary people could not compete against, but because we had come across that powerful Crystal Wolf the very first time, our crisis sensing ability was a bit relaxed.
It was also due to that my father could easily knock down that monster.
But,
“Ted, concentrate, my father will win the battle, but pay attention to the magic bullets.”
“I know…just…I guess I still feel safe.”
Well, I agreed with what Ted was trying to say.
My father was too strong. How could he be defeated in the war, the question was striking my mind.
What kind of opponent defeated my father?
My father stayed there until the very end and died as a guardian of the devil forest in my previous life. The corpse wasn’t returned and no one had witnessed the death.
However, after the battle where my father was said to have died, the fort of the devil forest was completely transformed into a mountain of rubbles, and bones of soldiers wearing mithril armors were scattered around. I remembered proceeding across that area thinking that my father was also in there.
Therefore, I was convinced that my father was dead without a doubt. I knew well that he wasn’t a man who would flee away leaving his companion in the fort. I was proud being the son of such man. I was the son of a man who fought there until the end. I was inspired to absolutely destroy the devils and bring triumph to the kingdom.
My father defeated the demonic monster. Ted and I got to carry the small monsters, and he was dragging a huge one. There were no traces of dragging on the ground because a subtle magical light covered the surrounding of the monster, it was probable that my father was putting some form of magic on the giant monsters.
Even though the magic helped to reduce the heaviness, but the mass size of that demon still carried a decent amount of weight. My father was dragging it without any difficulty.
Ted sighed,
“…Allen really isn’t human.”
He said it with his eyes wide opened.
There weren’t any special greetings when we came back to the village. Ted’s mother, aunt Fray who was working near the border of the village in the fields came to meet us three.
Ted handed the flame fox to her as my father spoke.
“The reason we came back early is because a Crystal Wolf appeared.”
“Crystal Wolf !?”
An astonished voice raised from Aunt Fray as my father said those words.
Crystal Wolf was a definitely a terrifying being.
“Don’t worry, it won’t attack the village.”
“Oh, you knocked it down, did you not.”
My father scratched his head cheekily, also trying to avoid telling the truth.
I guess it was a consideration for me.
“That’s right, but I also struggled with it, although I wanted to strip the fur to bring it back, but I got scratched all over. I made it to the crystal part, besides, today I have kids with me so it was better to go home earlier….This is what I brought back.”
It was unavoidable to put up a little excuse. Since it didn’t actually get knocked down, there was no way to bring the materials. Then my father showed the horn that I got from Crystal Wolf. Lady Fray stared at it with her eyes shining. She seemed to like light objects as a woman.
My father observed Auntie Frey’s attitude and continued.
“Anyway, please be relieved. However, if another Crystal Wolf shows up in the forest; in that case, do not try to fight back please run without hesitation. Also, send this message to your husband and other hunters.”
“Alright, that’s Allen for you…I mean you fought hard…but you do not have a single scar. Even Crystal Wolf cannot fight you on equal terms. That’s right, before you came back, I heard a scream of a beast, everyone in the village intimidated as if monsters were coming to the village, but that was the voice of the crackdown from Crystal Wolf…”
My father trembled a little due to the absence of scars, but Aunt Frey did not notice the moment. Aunt Frey muttered to herself for a few seconds. Then the three of us entered the village. We arrived at our house. Mother wasn’t home. Perhaps she was gossiping while working with other women or trying to come up with a new dish with the innkeeper.
Then, upon entering the house, carefully confirming that there was no one hearing, my father said in a low voice.
“You guys understand that today’s event is a secret right…Well…it would be difficult to hide it from your good friends, so I do not mind letting it out, but in that case, you will have to advise them not to leak the secret.
“Is it better not to tell after all?”
Ted asked once again. I somewhat understand the reason, but I’d like to hear from my father.
“Oh, none of us knew that demonic monsters have intellect comparable to humans until John made a pledge with it…the academic research team of Sostenut may come to investigate.”
Ted’s face turned a little blue when he heard that. It seemed a lot more dangerous than I expected.
The academic research team of Sostenu. Sostenut was the name of an academic city in the country, and the research team is composed of somewhat maniac knights, magicians, and scholars who guarded the city independently.
Their activities were a lot calmer compared to before. If you trace back the history of this country in the first place, you could understand that the condition of the team was extraordinary. “I would see my soul to the devil for the sake of learning” was their phrase. This was used in the village as a story to threaten children. A bachelor from the academic research team will come to take you if you don’t stay as a good boy. It was meant to implement fear to be forcibly separated from their parents. It seemed that Ted was no exception.
My father padded Ted’s shoulder and laughed. He said not to take it too seriously.
When the sun was about to set, Ted’s pale face was slowly returning to normal. By the time he needed to go home he made an I’m the most trustworthy person in the village kind of promise and was full of expressions with a sense of carrying a responsibility that he should protect the village regardless of what to come. Anyway, everything was over.
Meanwhile, my father’s attitude toward me was the same as usual and did not ask any questions about the series of events that occurred in the forest.
I thought my father was concerned about me and wanted to get everything over.
Then, after seeing Ted recovered, my father handed over the meat of the boar to him. Ted thanked my father and went back to his house as he walked in the village that was dyed dusty red by the sun.
Today’s over. I watched my father’s back while peacefully sending Ted off.
Happy and calm days are awaiting —
When I thought that way, My father suddenly slammed the door and turned toward me,
“Well, John, would you tell me more about it?”
He said that and sent out a ferocious smile. It was a terrifying smile personating a demon with gruely tooth like a bear.