episode_0286

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“Why are you staring at me like that? Is it because of your eyes?”

“Look at it as much as you want. It is a source of pride and joy. Others have also been generous in their praise.”

ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ

We were always joking around.

As if exchanging a light morning greeting,

The mischievous princess would play mischievous pranks on me every time she met me.

ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ

“Why are you trying to make my child fart?”

“There’s a mole right in front of you, why don’t you do it?”

“What are you talking about? I’m scared, so stay away from me a little. If you want to fart, do it to me. My baby, only I will fart.”

Descend the gray-white ridge.

A ‘mouse’ hiding in a tree to avoid other people’s eyes watched the argument going on below with an excited expression.

‘What kind of fight is that?’

She lay comfortably on a rugged tree, resting her chin on one hand and wagging her long rat tail.

Even in the [Crack Field] where monsters roam, the peaceful attitude of the ‘mouse’ indirectly reveals a strange confidence as a A-class hunter.

Hot and spicy!

The sound of bright yellow castanets.

The sound of a little girl hiding in the grass.

The child who ran away from Banharin, who had spread her arms with an expressionless face, is held in Eunha’s arms.

Irony in [Crack Field].

The ‘mouse’ observed the girl being held by Eunha, a sight that did not match at all.

“Look at that. This is definitely the gesture of someone who knows how cute they are. You should give them a pat on the back.”

“Banharin the swordsman. I’m ashamed.”

A girl wearing a boxy T-shirt of the same design that Eunha usually wears as a one-piece dress, and holding yellow castanets tightly in both hands.

It’s really small. It’s smaller than the rabbit girl’s silver bell.

The black hair has yellow horizontal stripes, making the viewer think of a plump pumpkin bee.

Although the girl’s two eyes are hidden behind her long bangs, the soft cheeks revealed beneath them are trembling, showing her delight at meeting Eunha.

“… … How did you end up here? Did you come alone? [Bug Princess]?”

On the other hand, Eun-ha, who faced the girl, had a bad expression.

A smile that is half joy and half worry.

But when the pumpkin girl raised her head, he smiled brightly as if nothing had happened and treated the girl cutely.

Knock knock.

Kim Sa-rang, who often approaches with slow steps, squats down next to Eun-ha and pokes the pumpkin bee on the cheek.

Then, like a snail whose eye has been pricked hides inside its shell, it curls up its tiny body and digs deeper into the embrace of the galaxy.

It’s kind of cute…

The ‘mouse’ lying on the tree laughs slyly.

“Is this kid also a Hunter with awakened skills? I heard that non-hunters who enter the [Crack Field] become contaminated with ‘Mana’ and turn into monsters.”

“You remember that so well.”

“They said it was a past question from the promotion exam and made the swordsman Jeong So-ra memorize it.”

Scout Jeong So-ra is working hard.

The guild leader’s daughter is also tutoring him.

Kim Sa-rang, who thinks this is the moment, shows off her limited knowledge.

Galaxy nodded quietly and patted Fly’s back.

At that level, I think she might not be a guild member but Kim Sa-rang’s hidden older sister.

“So what is that cutie’s identity? It doesn’t seem to be a monster or a monster.”

“… … A child like a daughter.”

“What.”

“We live together in an apartment.”

Hold on!

A pumpkin bee that was patted on the back by Eunha for a long time.

He lay down on the gray-white weeds and stretched out.

It means don’t just pat the back, pat the front too.

Galaxy, unable to hold back the corners of her lips from rising, strokes Fly’s side and buries her face in his soft stomach.

Purur…

The sound of a stomach rumbling that makes your heart tired.

A sudden break in the gruesome [Crack Field],

A warm yellow color resembling forsythia.

“Eunha Doryo’s daughter… Then she will be my maternal uncle.”

“No.”

“… Sister-in-law?”

“No.”

“I can’t call the daughter of a virtuous man my daughter… Is this how Hong Gil-dong felt?”

“No, it won’t be.”

“He was the leader of Yeonsan Hongga (燕山紅家), one of the martial arts world…”

“I didn’t ask.”

“Your Majesty…”

Kim Sa-rang becomes sullen at Ban Harin’s sharp answer.

A ‘mouse’ lying on a bare tree, wagging its tail.

Hot and spicy!

A dead gray-white world, everything is on a faded canvas,

A tiny yellow forsythia fell from the ground.

… … .

Sabak… Sabak…

Anyway, there was a bit of a commotion,

The [Crack Field] exploration continued, even with the addition of the Pumpkin Bee to the party.

A basin overlooking the ridge,

Head towards the ruins located at the center of the [Crack Field].

“I wasn’t planning on going all the way to the center… but let’s give it a try. But be careful. The skeletal remains of the bushes are blocking the path like barbed wire…”

“Kiiik…!”

“road.”

Kkeuggeuk!

A means of navigating the labyrinthine path.

Old saw.

Since ancient times, the better the means of communication, the better.

The reason why the word ‘persuasiveness’ contains the character ‘power’ (力) is probably for a similar reason.

Knock knock! Knock knock!

I chopped down some suspicious looking trees with a hacksaw.

Eunha asked the ‘mimetic caterpillars’ who were hiding in trees with a smiling face for directions.

Occasionally, the sharp-edged insects attacked her with sharp branches, but her back bent like a bow at the joint of Banharin guarding her side, and even if she was lucky enough to pierce Eunha’s body, she only felt a brief pain before continuing to saw.

In the end, all the monsters that were caught in the galaxy ended up pointing in a certain direction using tree branches as their fingers.

Soon, following their guidance, I was able to come across a tall bush blocking the path under a shady old tree.

Sreung-.

Kim Sa-rang, who thought this was the moment, walked out on her own two feet and cut down the bushes.

Behind the diagonally fallen branches of a tree, a small path is revealed.

Banharin, with a slightly surprised look in her eyes, took out the map she had put in her suit pocket.

“I’ve never heard of a road like this… I’m surprised. It looks like no one has been there for at least a few years.”

“This is the road I use when I go out.”

A downhill path wide enough for one person to pass.

One day, a black insect that hated working secretly created a place to escape the stuffy kingdom.

The city’s only breathing space.

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When other people work like ants, sweating profusely,

The pitch-black ‘bug’ played music while lying in the cool shade created by the leaves.

ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ

“I came here to punish a citizen who was slacking off every day… but it was an unexpected treasure.”

ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ

I remember.

I mixed it up once.

Eunha looked up at the old tree growing beside the path.

A single tree, gray and white, quietly dead, without a single leaf that would have provided cool shade.

“… … … Galaxy? What did you just say…”

“Huh?… What is it?”

Hot and spicy!

‘Fly’ riding a horse to the galaxy. He looked down at the path with his raised gaze and flapped his arms.

Eunha, holding back the screams that were racking her shoulders and neck, walked down the hill along the narrow path.

Hot and sour… Hot and sour. Hot and sour.

How far down the mountain did we go?

It seems that it was worth asking the locals of Mt. Goryong for directions.

The one and only path.

Without any hunter traps or monster attacks, I was able to descend the mountain and reach the basin more easily than I thought.

… … .

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is a small kingdom.

Everything is covered with gray-white weeds,

A village with only the skeleton of a withered old tree left behind.

There is nothing left.

I don’t know if the hunters already took everything that could be of value, or if it was like this from the beginning,

The city, covered in gray-white weeds, looked like one giant corpse.

Sasa Sak…

The ‘mouse’ that had been quietly following the galaxy climbed up onto the roof of the ruins.

The mouse was comfortable alone. Perhaps it was because he had been living a nocturnal life for several years.

If you hold your breath while separated from your group just in case, your breathing will be easier and your heart will beat less quickly than when you are next to Eunha.

With every step, the gray-white vines covering the roof rustle.

It feels like I’m trampling on soft snow.

People follow their appearance,

The ‘mouse’ also appears to be a mouse, no exception.

‘But why don’t we see any other hunters? We’ve encountered quite a few monsters… Is it because of the monsters?’

Spring after all things have frozen to death is gray-white.

The ‘mouse’ that was looking around the ruins looked back at the galaxy.

“… … .”

Eunha is smiling as usual.

Her two eyes were hidden from view by the outstretched, bare tree branches.

The outstretched fingertips are soft flesh-colored.

I carefully scan the exterior walls of the building and stop walking as if reminiscing about something.

“Galaxy. I arrived in the blink of an eye, but is there a reason why I had to come to the center of the crack?”

“Um… Well, this will just become a memory someday.”

The language of the galaxy.

Even though it was my first time here [Goryongsan Crack Field], I wonder if there is anything I can remember.

I don’t know.

At some point, I became unaware of Eunha’s actions.

Sometimes I get confused as to whether that giant cow is a person or a monster.

Sagak-.

The sound of insects croaking nearby.

‘Mouse’ looked at the pumpkin bee riding the galactic horse with disgust.

‘That thing’ in the form of a cute girl was looking around as if looking for someone.

‘You said you live in an apartment… so does that mean that kid is a weirdo too?’

It seems like he’s on good terms with Galaxy.

No, it’s not just that we’re on good terms, he follows her around a lot.

He doesn’t even pay attention to Kim Sa-rang and Ban Ha-rin… While thinking that, he glances at Eunha’s superior maternal love and nods his head without realizing it.

Meanwhile, Banharin took out a chocolate bar from her bosom to supplement calories and tried to win over Fly.

Pumpkin Bee turns his head away from her, who still has a blank expression, and hugs Galaxy’s head.

A father who tries to win his daughter’s favor, and a daughter who just likes her mother.

Anyone who sees us would think we’re family.

The ‘mouse’ perched on the roof laughed hollowly.

“Haha… What are they doing in [Crack Field] instead of catching monsters?”

“I remember.”

and,

In the words I blurted out without thinking,

Someone, sitting on the roof like her, answered.

『That’s what resentment is. Wanting others to understand your pain. Wanting others to experience the same pain as you.』

“… … .”

『Because of that, [the black book] was compiled, and because of that, the North Star that was searched for… You are the ‘apostles’ who share ‘her’ cross.』

Sagak-.

A black lace parasol spins clockwise.

… … .

Tick!

It happened in an instant.

The ‘mouse’ moved reflexively and swung its arms.

Then, the iron needle hidden in her suit sleeve was shot out at high speed, and the iron needle, accelerated by her [Speed Manipulation] skill, flew towards ‘someone’s’ calf at a speed that was difficult to follow with the eyes.

Phew…

But why is that?

The iron needle that flew like lightning stopped in midair without piercing the hem of someone’s billowy skirt.

As if the laws of physics were twisted.

‘That thing’ wearing a black gothic dress picks up the iron needle suspended in midair with her slender fingers.

『… … That’s quite a bold greeting.』

Sagakak!

Soon, a pain started running around the calf of the ‘mouse’.

She frowned and looked down at her legs.

Left calf, where he had tried to pierce it with the iron needle.

Tiny ants squirm under the skin, bursting out through the skin of the calf.

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2. The girl in the black dress has moved in.

– She is a girl who likes jokes and compliments.

– Even the smallest thing will do. Compliment our playful young lady.

– He will repay praise with praise, and other things with other things.

– However, if you keep giving the same compliments, the young lady might get upset.

Caution! Don’t make eye contact with the girl or lift up her skirt on purpose.

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“Ugh…!”

“I wonder if my companion didn’t educate the rat pup enough… What do you think?”

A girl with the corners of her lips twisted up seductively.

[Bug Princess] presses the ‘mouse’s’ thigh as if telling it to be quiet.

Squirming… The feeling of countless bugs crawling under my skin.

The creepy eeriness makes me sweat.

“Ugh… You seem to have a pretty fiery personality…”

“Still, you have a sense of humor. You don’t have a fate of dying young.”

Share compliments.

A monster. A dark lump of resentment.

What on earth made you come to me with such a grudge?

Wasn’t that clearly a ‘rule’ in the apartment guide?

I don’t know why they came all the way to [Crack Field] and made a fuss, and I feel wronged.

‘Mouse’ took out an emergency recovery potion from his bosom and sprayed it on his calf, then took a deep breath.

The good news is that no matter how scary a monster is, you can survive if you just follow the ‘rules’.

Didn’t the galaxy say that it’s okay as long as you follow the rules?

The ‘mouse’, wagging its tail, looked around the galaxy.

“Is this building… a clothing store? There are a lot of bug shells.”

Eun-ha, who let ‘Fly’ down from the horse, is blankly looking at the ruins.

Banharin followed him and played around with an expressionless face.

In a slightly distant place, ‘Fly’, who is interested in Kim Sa-rang’s sword, is hanging on her waist like a koala.

A peaceful sight.

The monsters that should have been there originally do not appear to have left their places on purpose.

Or maybe you were scared of ‘something’ and ran away.

Only the ‘mouse’ sits side by side with the monster on the roof of the ruins and exchanges pleasantries.

“It’s a joke.”

“… … This isn’t a joke, is it?”

“Have you ever plucked off a dragonfly’s wings as a joke?”

“Would you believe me if I said I’ve never done it because I’m a city person?”

“Don’t be nervous. I’m just here to watch.”

“Did you forget about the hole I made in my calf?”

Sagak-.

The sound of insects croaking under the girl’s skirt thumps my eardrums.

A quiet laughter.

[Bug Princess] looked down at the galaxy with the ‘mouse’.

He naturally jokes around with Banharin, who follows him as if it were a given, and smiles mischievously.

… … .

… … .

A girl in a gothic lolita dress.

‘That thing’ watched the galaxy.

Without approaching.

Without even saying a word.

Without even noticing,

Just look at it from a distance.

Like a bug hiding under the wardrobe.

『… … There was a time when I, too, would wander around this city and play around.』

A small murmur.

It seems that Eunha wasn’t the only one reminiscing while looking at the ruins.

The ‘mouse’ turns to look at [the bug princess] at the voice heard from the side.

Boom!

At that moment, Eunha, who was walking down the alley between the ruins, absentmindedly put her hand into a hole in the wall.

Just then, the old wall crumbles and tries to crush her delicate arm, and Banharin, startled, quickly grabs her and pulls her away.

“Ah, please be careful. Why don’t people have a sense of crisis? I can’t keep my [Observation] skill on all the time.”

“Mr. Banharin. I picked this up.”

Galaxy holding out her broken hand after being hit by a falling rock.

There was nothing on the palm of my hand, which was recovering moment by moment and the bones were realigned.

“… What did you pick up?”

“My heart. Thank you for saving me when I almost broke my arm.”

“No, Eunha…”

“Go over there. I think you’ll remember something.”

Galaxy, smiling like a mischievous child, walks ahead.

Banharin, with her expressionless face, follows Eunha with her troubled feelings showing at the corners of her lips.

A city covered in gray-white weeds.

The galaxy wandered around, dyeing the pure white paper blood red.

“But there are no monsters here. There were a lot of bugs on the mountain earlier.”

“Why don’t you run away and give up when a human you’ve never seen before is destroying all the buildings around you? It’s dangerous, so I’ll take the lead.”

“I have to take the lead so I can gain [Crack Field] experience. Even if I get hurt, I’ll recover quickly, so only help me when I’m in big trouble.”

Banharin, who followed behind, bit her lips with complicated feelings.

『… … As expected, they look alike.』

Galaxy and Banharin.

The naughty princess and the lying bug.

Could it be a coincidence?

[Bug Princess] didn’t know that either.

ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ

“I like the saying that opposites attract each other. At least I won’t be lonely when I’m alone.”

ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ

Just, ‘a black bug’,

I just reminisce about my past through those two.

As if this is enough for now.

“… Why are you transparent?”

Sagak-.

One of the remains of the ruins. On the roof,

[Bug Princess] looking at the faded kingdom,

“Well… why is that?”

Reflecting the gray-white world beyond the translucent skin,

I watched Eunha wandering around the ruins with Banharin.

… … .

… … .

ㅡㅡㅡ♩ ㅡ♪

ㅡㅡㅡㅡ♬

This is the story of the black bug.

The performance continues.

As time passed, winter came,

Even if everyone lies down and is buried in the cold snowflakes.

… … .

But, in the end,

​

Enough to forget the face of ‘you’, my only friend,

After a long time,

​

​

Our song reached you.

​

​

… … .

​

​

At first, you were even cautious about talking to him.

Now, he smiles and talks to me as if nothing happened,

I guess the trembling corners of the lips are the same now as they were then.

​

(I will give you food and a place to rest. So from now on… let’s play music together.)

But, in the end, ‘I’ am just a black bug.

Because I’m a lying bug who plays the role of a naughty princess.

Our relationship has always been a joke.

ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ

​”Whew…Whew…Still strong…”

“A weak brain with no learning ability is truly lovable.”

ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ​

“It’s nice to see you leisurely coming down to the 9th floor whenever you have time.”

“It’s nice to see you lying on the floor like a rug.”

ㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡㅡ

Share the compliments.

It was a playful compliment.

I always approached it as a joke.

Because the ‘me’ now is a mischievous princess.

But, since jokes and lies cannot contain sincerity,

​

We parted ways after exchanging a few compliments in the apartment hallway.

I thought our distance was appropriate at this level.

​

… … .

… … Even so, if.

Just in case,

Not a lying princess,

Even if I go back to being a ‘black bug’ and face you,

Even if I become a shabby ‘bug’ and fly towards you,

Will you still smile at me?

Sagak-.

It’s not a lie, it’s not a joke,

This is the true story of the ‘black bug’.

If I take it out carefully and hand it to you,

If you could always extend a hand with kindness,

Forget all resentment and regret,

Put down the flute you are holding,

Will we be able to put an end to the performance of ‘us’ that has continued to the end?

Sagak-.

The ‘black bug’ looks up at the North Star and sends out a small wish.

… … .

… … .

Sagak-.

The sound of insect footsteps.

The quiet sound of insects floating in the gray-white world.

『… … Since you’ve finally come to your hometown, tell him that you’ll be returning home first.』

Time passed.

It’s time to end your hesitation.

Sagak…

The ‘black bug’ that had been watching Eunha and Banharin for a while,

I walked towards the old castle built in the center of the [Crack Field], spinning the lace parasol that covered my eyes.