CHAPTER 34………………………………………………………
“—And you are…?”
I lifted my head toward the sound coming from the branches.
Rustle.
Between the green leaves, a black-and-white animal was staring down at me.
‘A penguin?’
Its dark fur contrasted with a white belly, making it look exactly like a penguin.
“—Southern beasts don’t even know what a magpie is, huh? Really stupid. Hehehe.”
“—Magpie?”
So it wasn’t a penguin, but a magpie.
The one I knew as a magpie was far smaller; this one was two or three times bigger, round like a basketball, looking like a cute mascot character.
“—What a complete idiot. Hehehe.”
Yet, despite the cute appearance, the taunts from its beak grated on my nerves.
‘Most animals that can talk are rude. Criticizing me right off the bat.’
The creature perched confidently on a branch about three meters above the ground.
It probably knew I couldn’t harm it, which made it arrogant.
I quickly scanned the surrounding trees and branches.
Flat, straight trees and sprawling branches seemed like good footholds.
“—By the way, what kind of beast are you? I haven’t seen one like you around here. Should I report this to Lord Laohu?”
The magpie cocked its head and muttered to itself.
I seized the moment and picked up a stone from the ground.
“—What are you going to do with that stone? You think you can hit me with it?”
“—You’ll only know if I try.”
I hurled the stone at it with all my strength.
Whizz—tracing a parabola, the stone narrowly missed its side and fell into the unseen bushes beyond.
The self-proclaimed magpie burst out laughing.
“—Hahaha! What’s that? A pathetic imitation! You really tried to hit me with that? Where did you even throw it? Your eyesight must be terrible!”
It turned its head toward the bushes where the stone landed.
I saw my chance and moved quickly.
“—W-What!?”
Startled by my sudden movement, the magpie flapped its wings and tried to take off.
I leapt into the air, pushing off the trees exactly as I had planned.
I aimed to grab it with my front paws, but just barely missed.
Instead, I managed to scratch its tail feathers with my claws.
“—Ah!”
That alone seemed enough; the magpie spun like a dizzy fly and crashed to the ground.
It twitched on the floor.
Perched on a branch, I looked down and grinned.
“—Now, who’s the fool?”
“—H-Huh… my… my wings…!”
I landed softly and pressed my front paw on the magpie’s soft body.
Its plump body looked tender—just plucking the feathers could make a good meal.
‘I could just eat it raw, but since I finally caught a bird, I’d like to have it cooked. Maybe I should ask the witch to roast it.’
As I pressed down, the terrified magpie suddenly spoke.
“—If you eat me, you’ll regret it! A… a huge fight will happen!”
“—A huge fight? What are you talking about?”
“—I’m Lord Laohu’s most trusted ally and friend. If you eat me, you can bet he’ll be furious! So, now that you’ve heard me, release me immediately.”
Even pinned under me, it threatened me boldly—so audacious it almost made me laugh.
I lifted the magpie with both front paws, pressing down as if weighing its plump body.
‘Maybe I should just have her make a chicken stew. That Mephar-scented candle I used before added a perfect flavor.’
As I tested its body, the magpie shivered and shouted.
“—Y-You! Aren’t you afraid of Lord Laohu!?”
“—Damn, you’re noisy. Who the hell is Laohu anyway?”
“—You don’t know Lord Laohu…?”
The magpie clicked its beak in disbelief.
It chattered nonstop, clacking its beak.
“—You live in this forest and still don’t know Lord Laohu? The Tiger King of the West Forest and the valleys, soon to conquer all the woods and rightful owner of the World Tree?!”
“—Owner of the West Forest? Like Kubilai in the East?”
“—D-Don’t you dare compare that bastard to Lord Laohu! Barbaric southern beasts… so uncultured like Lord Yan-Mitte!?”
I couldn’t fully understand its rant, but judging from its tone:
“—So, behind you is a formidable figure, and since you’re his ally, if I eat you, I’ll regret it?”
“—Exactly. You fool. Now that you know, release me immediately.”
“—Relying on a backer to be arrogant, huh.”
It felt similar to the ant queen Shalom I met a day ago. She had been the sister of Salome, lord of the North.
The ant queen at least spoke politely, but this magpie’s chattering grated on me.
“—No need to cook it. You’re just raw meat now.”
I opened my mouth wide.
Seeing my sharp fangs, the magpie trembled.
“—You came alone. What brings you here?”
Entering the cabin, Witch Eve greeted me warmly. I waved the large magpie I had caught.
“—I came to ask if you could cook this.”
Eve raised her eyebrows at the bird.
“—Wow, that’s a huge magpie. I thought it was a penguin. It must be very old. At this size, magpies are clever and hard to catch, so you did well.”
She petted my forehead and chin like praising a dog that fetched a ball.
“—I thought magpies only lived in the West Forest. Have you been there?”
“—We can eat it, right?”
“—Of course. Its size is ideal for roasting over a fire. Let’s prepare to cook it.”
Eve rattled utensils and long wooden sticks.
She plucked the bird’s feathers with ease.
“—Aaah! W-What!?”
The previously unconscious magpie regained consciousness, wincing in pain.
“—You’re alive! I thought you were dead because you didn’t move.”
“—Y-You’re a witch!”
“—You know me?”
“—Of course. I’m Lord Laohu’s top subordinate. I know the forest well.”
“—Laohu….”
Eve paused, her hands mid-feather-pluck, seeming troubled.
“—If what this creature says is true, I don’t think we can eat it.”
“—Why not?”
Eve placed the magpie on her palm.
The injured bird, unable to fly, stood quietly.
“—If you provoke Lord Laohu, the forest’s peace would be broken. Though gentle, he protects his followers carefully. Lord Yan-Mitte wouldn’t let Laohu invade the South Forest and leave unpunished either.”
“—Lord of the forest…? I’ve heard they talk about claiming the World Tree and such.”
Her eyes widened at my question, then she smiled and answered calmly.
“—According to Reef, you came from human cities and know little of the forest.”
“—Human cities!?”
The magpie’s voice echoed loudly in the cabin.
“—Ah, nothing. I thought you were an unknown beast, but you’re from human settlements. No wonder—you act and speak like a fur-less Sungsung.”
The magpie stammered suspiciously.
“—Let’s put it inside for now.”
Eve brought out a wooden birdcage and placed the magpie inside, closing the door.
“—The World Tree and forest lords… explaining will take a long time.”
“—I’m not very smart, so please keep it short.”
“—You’re quite impatient. Well, how shall I explain… Do you know about the Mother World Tree’s fruit?”
“—What’s that?”
“—It’s a very rare fruit, appearing once in centuries on the largest branch of the World Tree. Beasts who eat it gain extraordinary wisdom and power. They can transcend the bounds of the animal realm and become spiritual beings.”
‘Spiritual beings…’
I didn’t quite grasp the “extraordinary wisdom and power,” but it sounded similar to the cordyceps or moonstone foods I had eaten recently that triggered evolution.
Eve dusted off the bird’s feathers from her hands and continued.
“—Many beasts desire it, but only those closest to the fruit have a chance…”
“—So that’s what they call the forest lord.”
“—Exactly. One among the owners of forests, valleys, cliffs, and hills will claim the next fruit. Who it will be, no one knows.”
I was curious about Eve’s seemingly detached attitude while describing such a precious fruit.
“—Then you have no desire for the fruit? With your power, you could easily take it from other beasts.”
“—Hmm?”
Eve tilted her head, awkwardly smiling, about to speak.
“—Puhuh. Hahaha!”
Suddenly, laughter erupted in the cabin. The magpie in the cage flapped its beak.
“—What are you talking about? That southern witch! She ate the fruit long ago to gain this power!”
“—Ah.”
A lightning bolt seemed to strike my mind.
Only then did I recall the divine beings and spiritual creatures Eve had mentioned.
‘So she wasn’t just a long-lived Wildling… she evolved after eating the World Tree’s fruit.’
I felt like I’d uncovered a layer of Witch Eve’s existence.
Yet one answer raised two more questions.
“—Then the forest lords are destined to fight over the fruit anyway. Why prevent a big battle?”
“—The forest lords stopped fighting each other about a dozen years ago. That year’s incident created an unspoken pact. And that event may be closely related to you…”
Eve paused, as if organizing her thoughts, then continued after some time.
“—That summer, humans came to this forest.”
Eve recalled the animals called ‘humans.’
The last species to appear in this forest of abundant life, hairless primates.
They had no teeth, thick fur, or sharp claws.
Everyone expected them to perish among other beasts, yet they clung to survival and escaped.
And centuries later, they returned, armed with solid armor and sharp weapons.
Trees burned, mighty beasts were mercilessly slain.
They came seeking nothing less than the Mother World Tree’s fruit.
“—But at that time, the fruit hadn’t yet grown. They retreated, but will soon return, as the Mother World Tree’s fruit will ripen shortly.”
“—Humans… humans…”
The white-furred animal looked at its front paws thoughtfully.
Eve suspected this creature might be linked to those humans.
After all, it had been Adam—the first human and her brother—who created the beast Behemoth.
