Chapter 77
“Well, still, let’s let the baby go. It’s only right to let babies go, no matter what kind of creature they are.”
Kaiden shook his head at me, finding me quite peculiar.
“Shall we get going?”
I tugged at the hem of Kaiden’s robe.
“Hey, earthworm. Don’t follow us now.”
I glared at the earthworm-like baby snake, issuing a stern warning.
Kaiden slowly lowered his gaze, silently staring at my hand that was holding his robe.
“Margaret.”
At the sound of my name being called softly, I broke my staring contest with the earthworm-like baby snake and looked up. Kaiden suddenly pulled me by the shoulders and embraced me tightly.
“I’m going crazy.”
What……?
Grumble.
I couldn’t bring myself to ask Kaiden. My hungry stomach announced mealtime with a loud rumble.
Naturally, I was reminded of the fish trap I had cast into the stream last night.
“I think I’ll go and check the fish trap.”
I tugged at the hem of Kaiden’s robe, watching the earthworm fidgeting, seemingly aware of my mood. Kaiden pulled my hand, grinning.
“Okay, let’s go.”
Anxious that the earthworm would follow, I headed to the stream with Kaiden.
Fortunately, the fish trap we pulled up from the stream was full of fish.
We settled down near the stream and started a campfire. Then, after cleaning the fish, we skewered them on thin branches and grilled them over the fire until they were golden brown.
Smoke rose with a savory aroma. Watching the fish skin sizzle, I picked up a cooked fish and tore off a piece of the plump flesh. The tender meat melted in my mouth.
Ha. I opened my mouth slightly for a moment because it was hot, and then looked up. As I chewed and swallowed the soft flesh, there was no better taste.
“I feel alive.”
Kaiden smiled at my words.
I was happiest that we caught so many fish today and could eat our fill.
For the past month, our staple food had been fish, but even that was always scarce, so we were desperate. There was no chance of getting tired of fish.
Luzef, with his picky palate, seemed to gag whenever he saw fish these days, but Enoch and Kaiden ate well, so let’s leave him out of it.
After finishing our meal, we started walking back to the cabin. After wandering through the bushes with Kaiden for a while, I suddenly had a question.
Doesn’t it feel like we’re climbing a rugged mountain? Why is the slope so steep?
“Are we sure we’re going in the right direction?”
“When I calculated the angle earlier, it was definitely this way. Besides, once we get to the top of the cliff, it’ll be easier to look around.”
I nodded in agreement at Kaiden’s words. We definitely came straight in from the cabin, so if we just found that cliff, it would be easier to get back to the cabin.
‘Yeah, my bag might be lying on top of the cliff.’
With a slight hope, I pushed through the bushes with Kaiden.
And unfortunately, a fork in the road appeared before us, as we held such hope.
“Which way should we go?”
At my question, Kaiden stood in front of the fork in the road, propped his chin on his hand, and pondered for a long time.
“How about recalculating?”
“The fact that this kind of fork has appeared means there’s a high probability that it’s not a straight path, so calculations are useless.”
At Kaiden’s words, I stood in front of the fork for a long time before pointing to the left path.
“Then let’s go up a little and come back. It’ll be a little over the time we calculated, but there’s nothing we can do.”
Kaiden nodded as if he couldn’t help it at my words, and turned his body towards the left fork. It was then.
Something quickly brushed past the ground. Or did it crawl? I don’t know. Anyway, I could guarantee that it was at an invisible speed.
“What was that just now……? Eek!”
I grabbed the hem of Kaiden’s robe and took a step back. That’s because there was an earthworm with shimmering silver scales right in front of me.
It stretched its head out and flicked its tongue, looking at me. Why are you smacking your lips?
“Huh? Isn’t that the baby snake from earlier?”
As soon as Kaiden finished speaking, it quickly crawled in the opposite direction of the fork we were standing on.
Curious, I was about to watch what it was doing when it stood at the entrance of the right fork and tilted its head.
“What? Why is it doing that?”
Kaiden and I looked at the earthworm with puzzled faces and were about to go back to the path we were on. That would have been possible if it hadn’t quickly crawled in front of us and blocked our way.
“You know, Kaiden……. Isn’t that thing too fast to just be a snake……?”
As if agreeing with my words, even Kaiden was looking at the earthworm with a flustered face.
The earthworm blocked the path and tilted its head, then quickly crawled to the right fork again, flicking its tongue and looking at us.
“It seems like it’s telling us to go that way?”
Kaiden pointed to the earthworm and looked back at me. He even sparkled his eyes with a somewhat innocent face. He seemed quite interested in this situation.
It seems that the creature is a highly intelligent being.
“How can we trust what it says?”
“That thing didn’t say anything, Margaret.”
“……”
“Actually, it didn’t matter where we went, did it?”
I couldn’t argue with his words. It was all true. If there was a clear answer, would we be wandering around in the forest like this?
I sighed, feeling self-reproach, and glared at the earthworm with complicated feelings.
The earthworm, whether it knew my feelings or not, was still tilting its head and flicking its tongue.
It’s small and really looks like an earthworm. Its color is also silver, so I should call it Silver Earthworm from now on.
“Looks fun, shall we follow it?”
I was horrified at Kaiden’s words.
“What if it leads us to a Monster den?”
“Hmm, that’s true. That’s dangerous.”
Kaiden agreed too easily.
This is troubling. Really troubling.
I looked back and forth between the path we were going to take and the path where Silver Earthworm was standing.
“But Margaret, doesn’t it look familiar?”
While I was lost in thought for a long time, Kaiden suddenly asked a chilling question.
“The color is similar to those guys we took care of a few weeks ago…….”
Those guys we took care of a few weeks ago.
The only Monster that looked similar to that Silver Earthworm among the Monsters we had taken care of was Anaconda.
“Anaconda? No way.”
It’s so small……. The ones we killed were really huge.
“That silver scale. It’s the same as those guys.”
When Kaiden questioned again, I frowned. I didn’t want to have such a creepy suspicion.
Come to think of it, it seemed like those guys were preparing to lay eggs to hatch at the time.
“Then is that thing a Monster spawn?”
“Margaret, you always have to say things like that, geez. Are you really a noble?”
“I don’t think you’re the one to talk, Lord, since you’re always spouting profanity?”
Kaiden smiled and raised both hands. It was a sign of surrender.
Anyway, we were in confusion again.
Silver Earthworm seemed anxious as our silence grew longer, spinning around on the ground and looking at us like a puppy.
‘What is this situation where a baby snake that looks like an earthworm turns out to be a canine…….’
Even if it rubbed its body on the dirt floor, the silver scales didn’t get dirty at all. As if it had a waterproof function.
I stared at the Silver Earthworm, which was making a fuss, with curious eyes, and turned my head because my cheeks were stinging. Kaiden was staring at me.
“Why?”
“Isn’t it cute?”
“What? Are you crazy? I hate snakes! I hate them so much! Ugh……!”
I suddenly remembered a movie where Anaconda appeared. In the movie, Anaconda swallowed people in one bite.
Shivering at the creepy memory, I looked at Silver Earthworm, but it drooped its body as if it understood my words and glanced at me.
It was as if it was reading my mind. As if I was its owner.
“Still, let’s follow it once.”
Kaiden said to me. I looked at him in horror. Then he shrugged with a carefree face.
“It’s suspicious. We need to find out what it is.”
He seemed to have made a more rational decision than me. Yeah. It’s also important to figure out what it wants first.
I sighed and nodded.
“Okay, let’s go.”
As soon as I finished speaking, Kaiden took out a dagger and grabbed my hand with his other hand.
In the end, we moved in the direction where Silver Earthworm was standing. Then, as if it had been waiting, it took the lead.
It crawls back and forth on the ground as if it’s excited, flicking its tongue. Somehow, the end of its tail seems to be wagging like a puppy.
It was certain that it was a Monster, not an ordinary snake. That’s because the crawling speed was not normal. It moved much faster than us with a size as small as the palm of my hand.
Then, if it seemed like we couldn’t keep up, it would stop and look back at us, and then repeat going ahead again.
“Amazing. It’s the first time I’ve seen a Monster act like a pet.”
Kaiden said as he walked, looking at the Silver Earthworm’s rear end. He gripped his dagger tightly and said.
“Besides, it seems to recognize you as its owner?”
