episode_0032

A low voice stole my attention.

Jules’ eyes seemed to be burning blue as he looked at him with curiosity.

“When your national ancestor tore a seven-year-old child to death due to negligence. We did not seek revenge or demand compensation.”

Siren frowns.

“······Isn’t the work over?”

“That’s right. Because that was the law established by the Union Alliance. You guys avoided crime by citing the law.”

“What does this person have to do with that?”

Although the momentum was ferocious, Jules’ voice was calm.

“I can understand hating humans, but this is not legally wrong. Before this child is a human being, he is my slave and object. There is no need to notify you.”

“But isn’t there something called courtesy between each other besides the law?”

Jules tilted his head.

“Courtesy? We didn’t even get a moral apology for the kid who was eaten. That wasn’t polite. Your landing wasn’t polite either. How much more so, encouraging an executive officer, who is supposed to follow the law and investigate fairly, to commit a crime?”

“······.”

Clearly, the wind pressure on the wings just now was really strong.

Because it blew everything away like a helicopter.

If there is such a thing as landing etiquette, this siren was planning to start a fight from the beginning.

‘Even so, it wouldn’t have seemed like he was angry.’

“According to the law you were crying out for, it is irrelevant even if you are summarily judged at the discretion of the executioner.”

The Siren became dumb and closed her mouth.

“‘If it’s what you said,’ I guess I made a mistake too, so bring the higher-ups who have the power to make decisions before my eyes.”

“······I’m sorry.”

“Do you have something to apologize for? The problem is the guy who taught you like that.”

The Siren, daunted by the look in Jool’s eyes, walked away and rose toward the sky. Only after Siren was out of sight, Juul sighed and sat down on a rock in the shade.

‘That’s landing etiquette.’

There are all manners.

Jules sighed and shook the dust off his head, and the dust fell so much that he could see it.

······This is why there are landing etiquette.

“Those are really frustrating things.”

Oh, there must be dirt on my head too.

When I roughly brushed it off, my hair became even more dirty due to the water on my hands.

‘I just need to wash my hair a little.’

I stuck my head in the valley water and washed it away.

“I’m sorry.”

“What?”

“I followed you for no reason. I forgot that the other Ajin hates me.”

“Don’t take it to heart.”

Jules sat down on a nearby rock, rested his chin and looked at me.

“Sirens hate humans the most.”

─Most?

“···What do you hate the most?”

“Sirens can fly. But it’s not as repulsive as the harpy. The appearance is also beautiful. It is an object of envy and envy among non-humans.”

I felt that way.

Because being able to fly is a great privilege.

When the Siren landed, she just looked like an angel.

However, if the people who live here see the siren, they will feel like grasshoppers that have fallen on their hind legs.

“When humans catch a siren, they break her wings or cut off her wing ligaments to make her a prostitute or teach her to sing. It was the same even before the war.”

The feeling of disgust was overwhelming.

If you can’t keep your morals as a human being, is there any reason to call yourself a human being? Not at all.

“The siren you just saw had a strange color at the end of its feathers, right?”

“Yes. They were all brown, but only the tip feathers were white.”

“That is called the tip. It is a feather that is considered a higher quality product than any other feather for decoration purposes.”

It was unusual.

“It’s long, but it doesn’t look particularly beautiful, right?”

“That is a feather hardened with white glue. The most beautiful feathers to the most ugly. Please note that it is also a symbol of a watchtower that guards humans.”

The symbol of an armed group is derived from human evil.

I was so embarrassed that it was difficult for me to open my mouth.

“···It’s worth hating humans.”

“That’s right.”

“Human trafficking and looting… I am also a human, but I am trying to hate humans.”

Korea was a place where humans competed with each other.

By grades, university, interview, salary, appearance, and network.

If you look away, you will see a crowd of crazy people swarming around.

It is not for nothing that it is called a fraudulent republic.

─That’s why I know human nature better than anyone else.

Moreover, southern demi-humans and humans have a hostile relationship.

‘Ain is a frame that is turned over and justifies crazy behavior.’

It’s a crazy idea, but to these people, cannibalism was the bare minimum of ‘courtesy’.

This means eating all the edible parts.

Eat everything you can, and keep all the by-products you can.

That was the minimum courtesy to Shanyangam.

In fact, the hosots ate the flesh of their enemies, which was rotten and had maggots crawling out of it.

‘But where’s the courtesy in sex slavery?’

It wouldn’t have been like this if they had killed it, cut it into pieces, and ripped off its wings.

Homophobia was rampant.

“···Have you ever seen pigment being made?”

Strange words interrupt my thoughts.

Pigment? Why the pigment out of nowhere?

“No.”

“There are many colors of pigments, but the most commonly used pigments are white and black.”

I shook out my washed hair.

As I was looking for a place to sit, Jules, who was sitting on a rock, tapped the spot next to me.

‘That body length is universal.’

I shook my head and sat down next to Jules.

“Sometimes when I make gray pigment, I always mix white and black. The ratio is 10 to 1, with 10 times more white people.”

While listening to Jules’ story, I roughly shook my head.

“What is made like that is gray, close to black.”

“I know.”

“Then don’t forget that most of it is white.”

That is correct.

But if you live like that, life is difficult.

Looking at that gray, almost black color, how can I tell whether the person I’m looking at is black or white?

─You won’t know until you touch that person and become tinged with them.

If you touch it wrongly, it will turn black like the siren just before.

I hope Jules doesn’t change like that.

Even though he’s very mischievous, he’s a good person.

Shoot ─

The cool breeze from the stream cooled off the heat.

Once my arm sleeves had dried to a certain extent, I folded them at an angle and ate a light lunch with the snacks I had packed.

There were a lot of eagles here, so we didn’t see many small rabbits.

I was worried that Jules would starve, but after leaving for a while, he caught a deer from somewhere.

I was gone for less than a hundred seconds!

‘I guess they caught the scent and caught someone nearby.’

Even so, it all made no sense.

Juul was chewing the deer’s antler with one hand.

Kkodak! Kdeodeuk—!

It is a slightly ossified deer antler, but it is easy to eat like beef jerky.

“The kobold I saw before was also eating deer antlers like that.”

“He knows how to eat. You said that kobold made deer legs like this, right?”

Ppaduk—!

It was the sound of a femur falling out.

Zul began tearing off the deer’s thigh with his hands, just like the kobold.

Tuk! Tuk!

The skin stretches and, unable to withstand the stretched muscles like a rubber band, tendons tear or detach from the bone.

The sound of those things being cut off was breathtaking and horrifying.

As much as I enjoyed eating raw food, I didn’t kill and drain the blood, so the blood flowed from the affected area like I was wringing out a rag.

In other words, it can only be done if it is strong enough to wring out meat like a ‘rag.’

‘What on earth is that kobold?’

Maybe it really was a monster like Jules said.

Jules carefully peels off the deer skin and brings the meat to his mouth.

The tough meat stretched along Jules’ teeth.

The torn section is shaking violently.

‘···Wouldn’t that feel like eating live octopus?’

As I was watching this in a daze, three Sirens came down from a distance.

There are two sirens: the siren from before and a large male siren.

However, thanks to sitting far away this time, the sand didn’t hit the meat.

The two were following the siren in front.

The siren at the front was also male.

He was so handsome that I, a man, could admit it and it made me exclaim in admiration.

My skin is rather white, as I may not be in the sun often.

It seems that there are individual differences in hair and eye color for each individual.

But the wing color was the same.

Their height is smaller than that of an elf and appears to be similar to that of a human.

“Hello. Jwiyul.”

It was off-white.

So much so that my ears get hot.

Even though it’s a man’s voice!

“You probably heard about the situation from the siren behind you, right?”

But Jules answered in a business-like voice.

I thought my anger had subsided, but it seems that wasn’t the case.

“Yes. sorry. We will be careful to prevent something like this from happening again.”

The Siren I saw for the first time was frozen and had her eyes fixed on the floor.

It looks like he was severely harassed.

“I intend to cross your territory to the east. I’m planning to take the same route when I come back. Is there any problem?”

“No. But if you go that way, you’ll have to pass through the land of Lamia and Naga, right?”

“It doesn’t matter. What is your name?”

“It is called Kar Barusa.”

“Pluck out a feather. According to your laws.”

“Yes.”

The faces of the two sirens behind turned pale.

If a feather falls out, it won’t grow back at all, or something like that?

“Is there anything else I can help you with?”

Jules glanced at the deer.

I’m not sure what receiving a feather means, but I think it means something like a token of promise.

In the meantime, the Siren pulled out her end feathers.

“Then take a large piece of maengtaegi… Who asked for the end feather?!”

The Siren, whose eyes were on the deer, saw the plucked feathers and bared her fangs.

I don’t know what it is, but Jules’ eyes are shining blue, as if he’s really angry.

“Are you being sarcastic?!”

“No. It’s time to fly again soon.”

Even though he was dealing with Juul head on, there was no change in the man’s expression.

‘But it looks like it’s getting better again.’

In human terms, feathers would be like hair.

If it happens again, there’s no need to overreact like that, right?

“When?”

“Look. There’s no bleeding, right? It was going to fall off anyway.”

‘Oh, you don’t know exactly when it will fly?’

If you break a promise, all its feathers will fall out, so it seemed to be used as proof of a promise or trustworthiness.

Juul hid his burning expression and glared at the Siren.

“Kar Varusa. If there is no sign of it coming back when it comes back, don’t just let it go. I will remember your name.”

“I would be honored if Seolrang remembers my name.”

But Siren just laughed it off.

* * * * * *

As usual, Jules scattered the deer head and entrails on the road.

Eagles fly from afar, aiming for intestines.

However, the liver and heart ended up in Jules’ mouth.

Juul put the chopped meat into the sack that Siren brought him, but after carrying it on his back, Juul took that away as well.

“Give it to me.”

“I don’t like it.”

“Isn’t it heavy?”

“It’s not heavy.”

“Well, then that’s fine with me.”

Thanks to this, my body feels comfortable, but my mind feels uncomfortable.

Strangely enough, this area has few trees and many rocks.

The grass wasn’t that high either.

Was it organized so that the Siren could fly comfortably?

“Those people have nice voices. They were definitely rude people, but I don’t get angry because of their voices.”

“That’s right. Strangely, they don’t get angry even when they get angry. I have to force myself to pretend to be angry… but I feel sorry again.”

It wasn’t just me.

It was a voice that seemed to heal even after hearing abusive language.

‘What if doctrine comes out of a mouth like that?’

Starting with your ears, your brain may melt from the inside.

Sometimes sirens were seen flying in the sky.

As much as sirens resemble humans, they do not have tail feathers.

I thought it would be impossible to change direction since it is like a helicopter without auxiliary wings, but it was different than I thought.

It turns by folding one wing.

When slowing down, it stands upright and blows out the air with its wings.

A sudden stop seems possible, but turning or making detailed adjustments would be more difficult than a bird.

Otherwise, there would be no reason for birds to have tail feathers.

I thought so, but it flies well.

······Seeing how they try to point out other people’s shortcomings, I feel jealous of them too.

There was always an eagle next to or behind the siren flying in the sky.

“Sirens seem to raise eagles.”

“I want to kill them all, but that’s why I can’t. Siren said those thieves were her pets.”

I have to admit it now.

I envy the sirens flying through the sky.

So much so that I feel jealous.

Now that I think about it, what kind of demi-human is a harpy?

In mythology, the bird people of the sea were sirens, and the bird people on land were harpies.

“You said earlier that harpies are ugly, right?”

“That’s right.”

“What does a harpy look like?”

“It looks gross. Unlike the siren, it is a distinct bird, but strangely, it feeds with milk.”

What are you talking about?

“A bird feeds milk? Rather than laying eggs, are you giving birth to children yourself?”

Jules squinted.

“I don’t know what eggs have to do with pregnancy, but they lay eggs. Sirens also lay eggs.”

When you lay an egg, milk comes out?

Sirens lay eggs? What the hell── no.

This is not where I used to live, so it may be different.

“Anyway, it has wings and hands, and its feet are similar to those of an eagle. His hair is sparse, as if he is sick, and his face looks like a devil.”

“If Jule has a devil-like face, what on earth does it look like?”

“See you in person later.”

Jules grins and looks at him mischievously.

······I think it would be best to never see it again.

“Let’s sleep here today.”

The sun was already setting.

I was worried about when I would be able to rest.

The surrounding area is an empty lot with no trees.

Thanks to the moonlight, it was brighter than other places.

It was entirely up to me to start the fire.

Juul doesn’t see the value in starting a fire, and if you sleep on Juul’s chest, you don’t need a fire…

─There is no charm.

‘I can’t believe I’m in a place like this.’

I’ve become a crazy person too.

Nowadays, we are quite familiar with starting fires with moist kindling.

I lit a fire and took some beef jerky out of the mackerel and ate it.

There was already a bug that had arrived as a passenger in the beef jerky pile.

If it were the Earth, I would have thrown the whole thing away, but now that I have gotten used to it, I just roughly removed it.

“Don’t eat that stuff.”

Jules wrapped the deer meat in leather and threw it into the fire.

The flame cries out to get rid of this before it commits suicide.

“When it’s cooked, take it out and eat it.”

“···Thank you.”

Deer meat soaked in blood has a particularly strong fishy smell.

However, it seems that hosots consider this to be nutritious food.

While eating some beef jerky, I lightly burned the spot where the bug was sitting on the campfire and put it in my mouth.

I put the rest of the beef jerky back in my backpack.

Come to think of it, I brought a book…

“Would you please read a book while I cook?”

“Book? Bring it with you.”

I take out the book and take it, and Jules sits me down between his legs.

I put the book on my legs.

“Let’s see, Legend of the Dragon?”

“Is this a novel?”

“No. It’s a history book.”

‘···Why is the name of the history book like this?’

Am embarrassed.

Despite my embarrassment, Jules opened the bookshelf.

“It is already a proven fact that dragons exist, and this book describes what dragons are.”

Because Jules’ finger was pointing to where he was reading, I could at least make out a little bit.

Just a little bit.

“What does this letter mean?”

“Means dragon. It also means ‘great power’, or Dragonia or ‘magic’ for short.”

It’s a dragon.

Strangely, words with dragon as a prefix do not stick in one’s mouth.

Dragon power, dragon magic…

“What about this?”

“‘Exists.’ It means. In other words, ‘there is.’ It has the same meaning as ”

“What is this?”

“Used to mean ‘fact’ or ‘innocence.’”

“What about that?”

“That…”

The writing contains multiple meanings.

Thanks to this, it was extremely difficult to learn.

The night grew deeper as I learned to read from Jules.

After some time has passed.

I took out the venison with a wooden poker I had picked up.

When I tried to remove the heavily burned deer skin, it crumbled to shreds.

Instead, the meat inside was golden brown.

I shook off the skin and burnt residue and sliced the properly cooked meat.

“Would you like to eat?”

“It’s up to you.”

“I can’t eat it all by myself.”

I cut the sliced meat into large pieces and stuck it on a knife.

Jules takes it in stride.

The taste is bland because there is no salt.

Well, the blood fish had a great fishy smell, like deer meat.

‘Why do I like meat that smells like blood?’

“Sometimes, I think like this.”

“What?”

“Can’t all subhumans live in harmony?”

We are all Ajin.

Racism is bad, and they too will reach that conclusion someday.

It’s hard to think of a single philosopher who hasn’t pointed that out.

“I hope so too.”

Juul too?

“Why?”

“I want to see it snow. I wonder how much he hangs out with me before he calls me Seolrang.”

I knew it, but I couldn’t explain it.

Juul’s hair is as white as snow and his eyes are blue.

If you take it there, it will look as pure as a fox.

“Well, I guess I’ll see you someday.”

Jules flopped down and lay down.

I threw in some more firewood, sprinkled on the salt and spices I brought, and ate the remaining deer meat.

Jules was lying down and just looking at me.

“Sihyeon.”

“Yes.”

“Something is flying in the sky, you should call it.”

“Yes?”

What are you talking about?

There was something flying in the sky–something really was flying.

‘···Are you a siren?’

It seems to be circling around here after seeing the lights.

But sirens hate humans, right?

“You probably hate me.”

“I guess so. But not all Sirens can speak Elvish. You must do the interpretation.”

Even before he left, Jules said he would entrust me with the interpretation.

Elvish is also just a kind of common language.

Of course, not everyone can use it.

Just like English.

This is pretty much the only thing I can do.

I jumped up and screamed at the sky.

“If you’re lost, take a break───!”

Are you coming?

The siren actually flew away.

···I feel sorry for you.

“I guess I’m lost.”

“···Sirens don’t fly at night.”

They were people I was interested in, but there was nothing I could do if the other person didn’t like them.

After finishing the venison, I brushed my teeth thoroughly with Deberg’s soap and salt on a boar bristle toothbrush.

‘If you rot here, your life will be ruined!’

“I brush my teeth and sleep.”

“I already cleaned it.”

I swallowed the remaining soapy water.

Edible soap made only from natural ingredients had a nice scent.

I really wanted to sleep well, so I threw away all the kindling.

The fire, which had been small, seems to have grown a little.

Jules continued to rummage around, fiddling with the wide stone he was cutting.

‘Don’t you want your head to hurt?’

I folded the towel, lifted Jules’ head slightly, and placed it between them. Jules was looking up at me.

“I guess I should sleep now.”

“Come here.”

Jules naturally reached out his hand.

As I entered Jules’ arms, strong, armored arms wrapped around me.

“Sleep well.”

After briefly saying hello to Jules, I closed my eyes.