r18novel Episode 297.2
Episode 297.2
(EP-297.2) Master #1
297 – Master of the Forest #1
Did it look that way?
I guess it could, from an outsider’s perspective. So I explained to Stella that I was able to talk to the spiders.
However, with her fever burning high due to the centipede’s poison, Stella couldn’t quite grasp what I was saying. Her brow only furrowed in confusion.
“... Reverting to a primal state, hearing the voices of beasts... I’ve heard it sometimes happens to fairies. Is it because of the mysterious magic of the spider forest...?”
Cough-.
Stella coughed.
When I saw blood splatter from her mouth, my hair stood on end. I didn’t have time to dawdle with the spiders anymore.
“Can you look after this long-eared fairy for me? I need to find that evening primrose you mentioned.”
━Sure! But be careful! Evening primrose grows in damp, dark ponds. There will be a lot of centipedes.
“Which way is the pond?”
━Follow the big star next to the moon. You’ll naturally know when you get there. That thick poison can’t be hidden.
“.......”
A place filled with poisonous insects?
Considering how the ogre Dordor avoided the eastern forest because of centipedes and other poisonous insects, I felt quite tense.
But my options were limited.
Lose Stella here or risk heading toward the pond. I didn’t need to think to know which choice I wouldn’t regret.
Rustle.
I stepped out of the cave.
Under the dark moonlit night, the forest north of the wall was eerily silent. Yet, if you listened carefully, you’d realize the forest wasn’t completely still.
━There he goes again.
━Where is he going?
━I don’t know.
I could hear hushed whispers from all around, hidden among the bushes. Conversations from creatures I couldn’t even identify. The world was filled with all sorts of conversations, making my ears ring.
Was the world always this noisy?
━Ugh, look at that. Only two legs. And ten tiny spikes on its front paws. Are those fingers? That’s so disgusting!
━Ugh, that’s horrifying. Let’s run and tell Angala-nim there’s an intruder!
“.......”
Seems like they don’t like me either. They think my fingers were disgusting. I’m a little hurt.
But I didn’t have time to dwell on that, as a thick fog obscured my vision.
The night fog severely limited my sight, making it nearly impossible to see ahead.
─Light.
Fwoosh.
So I illuminated the surroundings with a magical sphere.
As the fog receded slightly in the light of my magic, I saw what could be described as more of a lake than a pond, and the beautiful flowers blooming around it.
They looked like lilies.
Gently glowing, they simmered beautifully with a faint light. These must be the evening primrose the spiders had mentioned.
I was about to step towards them when—.
Rustle, rustle.
I heard a rough scraping along the ground.
━Who do we have here? A lost little fairy coming to the pond.
It was a creepy feeling. When I turned around, I could see something long passing behind me. It was big and thick.
Its body was as thick as a temple pillar. And its smooth, armor-like body was covered with legs thicker than a human forearm.
It was enormous.
━No, you’re not an ordinary fairy. You’re a mix of things. A half-fairy. That’s a rare sight these days. Interesting.
I realized then that its massive body covered the entire ground. Yet, I still couldn’t see its head, so I had to search for it amid its massive form.
Sususu-.
As countless legs brushed against me, I thought of Stella, still suffering from the poison, and those waiting beyond the wall. I gathered my courage.
“Are you Angala, the master of this pond?”
Sususu-.
━Ho, you’re talking to me? But you should pay attention to your language, child. Even Solomon, whom the world calls the Demon King, showed me respect...!