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Episode 15
The Black Mist Forest.
Encircling the vast Grizzly territory at the heart of the Solaris Empire, the forest was once breathtakingly beautiful. However, now only barren blackthorn trees with dried-up, skeletal forms filled the area.
In the midst of the grand yet desolate forest, near the lakeshore, Brunhardt wandered alone, as he often did.
"Mors Mea, Pax Vestra."
The words he murmured in a barely audible voice were a kind of prayer.
With those ancient words of sacrifice, he drew a cross on his palm with a blade, causing crimson blood to drip onto the lake's surface.
Woooom.
The lake began to shimmer faintly, and the shadows of blackthorn trees rippled on the water in response to his blood.
"Mors Mea, Pax Vestra."
Brunhardt, his complexion pale from the blood loss, wiped his injured palm on his trousers without hesitation when he heard the sound of footsteps behind him.
“Grandpa?”
A small figure emerged from the pathway connected to the lakeshore—it was Letty.
“You’ve come,”
The child, her round brown eyes blinking, came closer and began inspecting Brunhardt's hand.
“Are you hurt?”
Letty's gentle eyes quickly filled with worry, as if she might burst into tears at any moment. Brunhardt, feeling uncomfortable for the first time in ages, let out a soft groan.
“...No, I’m not hurt.”
Chanting an ancient prayer by the lakeshore was his secret ritual, unknown to anyone in Grizzly. Yet, to prevent Letty from crying, he decided to reveal the truth.
“This forest's curse demands a price in exchange for protecting Grizzly.”
The massive 'magi' that came alongside Grizzly’s curse had blanketed the forest with black mist.
The toxic mist not only kept other beast tribes from invading Grizzly’s territory but also contaminated the lake, the sole water source within their lands.
“I am simply paying the price on behalf of the Grizzly family.”
Brunhardt was absorbing the pollution of the toxic mist through an ancient prayer to prevent the contamination from spreading throughout the entire lake.
“...…Why does it have to be you, Grandpa?”
Letty glanced at Brunhardt’s pitch-blackened fingers, frowning slightly. From what she knew, there were so many members in the Grizzly family that they couldn’t be counted on two hands.
“Child, frowning like that will give you wrinkles.”
The old man, noticing how the expression didn’t suit her innocent face, let out a chuckle and raised the corners of his lips into a smile.
“I owe a debt to our family. That’s why.”
Brunhardt had to pay the penance for his sins. Considering the gravity of his wrongdoing, bearing the forest’s contamination alone was the least of his worries.
“But it hurts, doesn’t it?”
“Not particularly.”
“If you keep lying, you’ll grow horns on your bottom…”
Letty pouted and clasped Brunhardt’s large hands between her own small ones in response to his brusque answer.
“I told you, it doesn’t hurt.”
“If you keep lying, Grandpa, your pants will tear.”
Her gaze fixated on his bottom, as if waiting for horns to sprout, which made Brunhardt laugh heartily.
“Haha, you mischievous one. Are you staring to see if my pants will actually tear?”
To be honest, Brunhardt was not the type to find children adorable. He had loved Alicia dearly—so much that she was his whole world—but that was because she was his daughter.
‘Even I find her this endearing. If Grisys had been in the right state of mind, he would have doted on her endlessly.’
Recalling his lazy nephew, who secretly adored children but rarely showed it, Brunhardt’s expression darkened as he sensed another presence near the lakeshore.
“Hmm. Child, stay here for a moment.”
He gently touched the hilt of a long sword that hadn’t left his side since Alicia's death and turned around.
“It seems we have an uninvited guest in the Grizzly territory.”
✦ ✦ ✦
As soon as Brunhardt disappeared, Letty completely ignored his warning and scampered after him.
‘I feel like I’ve seen this mist somewhere before...’
Tinker, who had flown off to investigate the suspicious toxic mist in the forest, frowned as it spotted Letty already leaving the lakeshore.
“Where are you off to?”
“I’m following Grandpa.”
“Didn’t that old man just tell you not to?”
“Hmph! No one can stop Letty.”
In response to the fairy’s question, Letty snorted and proudly puffed out her chest. Her red panda instincts were telling her to follow Brunhardt.
‘Letty’s special power must be intuition!’
The tingling sensation in her chest was no ordinary feeling.
“Grandpa, he's over there!”
Relying only on her intuition, Letty was soon able to locate Brunhardt.
She was about to rush toward him, but the fairy quickly yanked on the hood when the sound of clashing swords reached their ears.
“Hide first!”
“But Letty’s intuition~!”
“Intuition or not, can’t you see there’s a sword fight going on over there?!”
While Letty was convinced her ability was something extraordinary, Tinker didn’t share the sentiment.
‘At best, she’s just a supporting character. There’s no way she could have a significant ability.’
Even if the Demon King had taken an interest in Letty, her setting was clearly limited to a secondary role. This meant there were obvious boundaries to her capabilities.
‘That’s why I have to protect her properly!’
While demons were inherently more inclined to harm than to protect, Tinker had reluctantly decided to shield Letty.
The tiny fairy, no larger than a hand, scrunched its nose as it glared at the figures surrounding Brunhardt.
‘Those guys seem to be beastmen, too. Are they bears?’
“Elder Brunhardt! The Kodiaks are attacking again!”
The Kodiak tribe, distant relatives of the Grizzly, were bear beastmen who lacked the power or influence to rise above a baron’s rank. They eked out a living near Grizzly territory by practicing slash-and-burn agriculture.
‘Why are the Kodiaks here in Grizzly land?’
“They appear to be attempting to raid the outer villages again!”
As if to answer Tinker’s curiosity, a guard’s voice rang out from a short distance away from Brunhardt.
“We’ll drive them out!”
Grizzly guards, armed with long spears, began approaching Brunhardt. However, the tall old man raised a hand to stop them.
“No. Stand down.”
Brunhardt’s voice wasn’t loud, but it resonated low and deep like a cave’s echo, carrying authority. The guards all immediately knelt as if under some spell.
“Dealing with the Kodiaks isn’t particularly difficult, but moving recklessly in this area will expose you to the toxic mist.”
At Brunhardt’s calm words, the Kodiak group scowled.
“Ha! You think we’re easy to handle? A decrepit old man spouting bravado.”
Growl.
The Kodiak clan, boasting fur slightly redder than the Grizzlies, let out threatening growls. Yet Brunhardt didn’t even glance in their direction.
“In that case, shouldn’t you also refrain from moving?” one of the guards cautiously asked.
“I’m fine,”
Brunhardt replied firmly. Standing tall, he seemed as unyielding as an ancient tree.
‘He must have some plan,’
Thought the guards. Brunhardt’s demeanor discouraged further questions, and the guards could only nod in agreement.
Despite his age, Brunhardt stood straight-backed and began walking toward the Kodiak youths.
Though he hadn’t even drawn a weapon, the sheer presence of his large hands and his face, lined with deep scars, exuded an aura of authority that struck fear into onlookers.
The Kodiak youths, catching a glimpse of the long scars on Brunhardt’s face, gulped nervously.
They had heard that the old man could barely use one of his legs after the last war. Yet, seeing him in person, he appeared far too vigorous to match those rumors.
Cutting through the tense atmosphere, Brunhardt approached the group of Kodiaks with a crooked smile on his face.
“Ready?”
He asked mockingly. Despite their fear, the spirited Kodiak youths—perhaps unwisely—decided to charge at him all at once.
Unlike Brunhardt, who faced them empty-handed, the Kodiaks were armed with sharp metal weapons.
“What’s so scary about some decrepit old man?!”
Shouted the largest of the Kodiak youths as the sound of his blade cutting through the air whistled sharply.
Thud!
However, the impact didn’t come from Brunhardt. Instead, it was the youth who doubled over, clutching his stomach after Brunhardt’s elbow struck him with precision. As the youth gasped for air and steadied himself on the ground, another Kodiak lunged at Brunhardt.
Swish―!
Brunhardt extended his hand and effortlessly caught the dull blade between two fingers.
“Eek!”
In the next instant, slam! he drove the youth into the ground without hesitation.
Even though the Kodiak group had only suffered the loss of two members, the remaining ones froze in terror, unable to make another move toward Brunhardt.
“Is that all you’ve got?”
“…....…”
“Well then, why don’t you tell me what it feels like to be beaten by an old man on the verge of death?”
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