Episode 72: An Unexpected Encounter (3)

Healing With Loovely Druid

 Episode 72: An Unexpected Encounter (3)

Sihyeon subconsciously pulled his head back.

A blunt voice rang out.

"I told you I wouldn't let you get hurt."

"After getting my hair singed once, it just happens reflexively……."

"Hmph. Is that so?"

Hwaryeong possessed a fiery, impatient temperament, but she was also quick to yield when given a reasonable answer.

"So, what's your answer?"

"Just a moment. Let me think for a second."

Lee Hwa-yun spoke, covering her mouth as she laughed.

"My goodness. Hwaryeong-nim, you are quite impatient yourself."

"I tend to be that way."

Think over what? Sihyeon's eyes sparkled. The mere thought of being able to observe a divine beast, who possessed power akin to a spirit, right by his side made his heart race. Hwaryeong, who was watching Sihyeon, asked suspiciously:

"…Doesn't he look excited?"

Lee Hwa-yun chuckled.

"I can tell without even hearing the answer."

"I'll be good at it, right??"

"They said your skills are top-notch……."

"Did the Tree God say that?"

"Yes. Yes, they did."

The girl nodded slowly at the shaman's response. Her short hair swayed slightly, and sparks fluttered.

"Well, if that's the case, then it's certain. Recognizing me earlier was proof of your skill, too."

"Yes. I think so too."

"Right. Your judgment must be correct. Well, we'll see when we get there."

Watching Hwaryeong's slightly displeased expression, the shaman posed a question.

"But what exactly are you worried about?"

"Who knows. The same things I worry about with all humans. Selfishness, lies……."

The shaman looked at Hwaryeong with a dubious face. It felt like she was hiding something. However, she couldn't exactly pry. The shaman chose to wait. If it was something she needed to know, the entity would surely let her know in due time.

"…He just has a lot of curiosity, but his heart is kind. He's quite considerate, too."

Hwaryeong let out a chuckle, recalling her first impression. Considerate? Please. He's a fellow who blurts out whatever is on his mind, whether it should be said or not.

"There's no need for consideration. As long as he picks the right nest, that's enough."

"Everything will turn out well. I'm telling you, he's a good kid. Take a look at this."

When the shaman showed off the herbal tea she had received from Sihyeon, Hwaryeong made a gesture of plugging her ears as if she were fed up.

"What kind of tea is that? It's just a miniaturized bundle of medicine."

"Hohoho. You are right about that, too."

While they held their conversation, Sihyeon was lost in a blissful imagination regarding the things he could learn from the divine beasts. He could ask about the strangely intense natural power of this world, or perhaps learn about the ecology of mystical flora and fauna or miraculous herbs. Maybe even more than that…….

"Hey—."

A prickly voice shattered Sihyeon's imagination. Two eye-shaped fireballs were staring intently at Sihyeon right in front of his nose.

"So, are you going to do it or not?"

"I'll do it. I'll absolutely do it."

Snapping out of it with a flinch, Sihyeon nodded vigorously.

"Good. I'll contact you when I'm ready."

"Yes! I'll be wait……."

"Uh-huh."

Hwaryeong stood up from her seat, furrowed her brow, and waved her hand. Then, stepping firmly into the sunlight streaming through the latticed window, she vanished as cleanly as a folded notebook.

"……!"

— See you later, Kang Sihyeon.

Her voice echoed through the space.

Sihyeon marveled once again at the mystical sight. It wasn't a flamboyant exit accompanied by drifting fairy dust like a Fairy Queen's, but it was incredibly striking. Sihyeon couldn't take his eyes off the spot where she had vanished.

Clink.

"Would you like another cup?"

Lee Hwa-yun asked, lifting the teacup. A wide smile spread across her lips.

"Thank you."

Sihyeon calmed his racing heart as he sipped the tea. Only then did the questions he hadn't managed to ask come to mind. Seeing Sihyeon's face filled with doubt, Lee Hwa-yun adjusted her posture.

"You look like you have a lot to ask."

"Yes, about everything."

"Hmm. First, let me apologize. I mean, about the fact that Hwaryeong-nim found out I've been receiving help from you."

"It's not an earth-shattering secret, but it's not like anyone else knows, right?"

The shaman nodded slightly and said:

"I'm keeping an eye on security in my own way. It would be troublesome if you got dragged off to a secret research lab, after all. Hoho."

"Yikes. Please don't joke about that."

"……Oh dear, I'm not joking, you know. Anyway, we can talk about that later."

She explained that Hwaryeong, the Vermilion Bird, had already known from the start that Lee Hwa-yun was having difficulty serving the guardian tree.

"It's because it's a bond that spans generations. She wanted to help, but she said there was no way. Her own power is specialized in light and fire, and trees are particularly incompatible with that."

"What about the other guardian beasts?"

"Hoho. Even living as a shaman, serving just one of the Four Auspicious Beasts is a rare occurrence. They aren't beings that appear just because you want to see them. Their duties are far too grand for them to fret over the health of a single shaman, so one wouldn't even dare to hope for it. …And even if I did see them, I wonder if there would have been any clever solution."

When Sihyeon asked why, Lee Hwa-yun smiled faintly.

"They aren't human, you see. Just because something is natural and easy for them doesn't mean it's the same for humans. ……For reference, this is from personal experience."

Lee Hwa-yun confessed that during her childhood, she had tried to learn the power of fire from the Vermilion Bird. Is that even something that can be learned…? As if sensing Sihyeon's skepticism, Lee Hwa-yun smiled awkwardly.

"It was an absurd greed. Still, Hwaryeong-nim told me to learn it if I could. But how could that work? The Vermilion Bird spawns fire just by breathing, but no matter how much I flailed around for days on end, I probably just looked like a mad person. Hoho."

"…Oh dear."

"Anyway, when Hwaryeong-nim visited recently, she immediately noticed that my body had improved. She asked what happened, and when I honestly told her I received help, she asked all sorts of things about you."

"Ah."

Recalling the fireball that had singed his bangs, it wasn't hard to understand why. At that moment, as if reading Sihyeon's mind, Lee Hwa-yun added an explanation.

"Don't misunderstand, though. I only told her because it was Hwaryeong-nim. She is someone I can trust enough to stake my very existence on. And honestly speaking."

Lee Hwa-yun looked straight into Sihyeon's eyes.

"Who would refuse a chance to form a bond with the Vermilion Bird? I thought it would be a good thing for you, too."

"…I can't deny that. I'm actually completely thrilled right now."

"Hoho. You certainly look it."

His flushed face, sparkling eyes, a slightly raised voice, and above all, his large frame that couldn't seem to sit still.

"Now, if you have any questions, go ahead and ask."

Sihyeon recalled Hwaryeong's words and asked, "What exactly does it mean to help her find a nest?"

"A problem arose at the nest she was staying in before. Because there was an intruder."

Sihyeon's eyes went wide.

"Who would dare?!"

"I don't know either. It's not even certain if they were targeting Hwaryeong-nim. But the important thing is that Hwaryeong-nim needs to enter hibernation."

"Ah……."

"What would happen if something like that occurred when she's in her most vulnerable state? That's why she's trying to move her nest, but it's no easy task. I heard that because the Vermilion Bird's attribute is so volatile, it could cause a fire while she's hibernating."

"Ah!"

It was no simple matter. Furthermore, based on what she had subtly implied...

"…It means they might have been targeting Hwaryeong-nim directly?"

"Mmm. Perhaps. I don't know everything, though. As the balance of the world breaks down, the duties of the divine beasts, including the Four Auspicious Beasts, multiply. That means more exposure and more danger…… but then again, this is just my speculation. For the exact facts, it's best to ask Hwaryeong-nim directly."

It made sense to ask the person involved. Sihyeon nodded and muttered:

"At any rate, it turns out to be a much more important matter than I thought…… I don't know if it's something I can pull off. The only place I know well is the neighborhood I live in."

The shaman set her teacup down with an apologetic expression.

"Oh dear, I must have phrased that in a misleading way. Hwaryeong-nim has already picked out all the candidate sites. She simply wants to use your discerning eye to verify if she made the right choices. You just need to use your power to check if the location can withstand the power of the Vermilion Bird."

Sihyeon let out a sigh of relief.

"Wow, what a relief. I was at a complete loss."

"Hoho. I'll contact you when Hwaryeong-nim says she's ready. Are you very busy, by any chance?"

Sihyeon thought for a moment, but he didn't have anything particularly pressing.

"If you let me know in advance, I can adjust my schedule."

"Great. Nothing else to ask?"

"Yes, nothing for now. Can I call you if I become curious about anything else?"

"Anytime. As long as it's not while I'm praying, it doesn't really matter."

A simple and truthful answer. Lee Hwa-yun liked Sihyeon's straightforward manner of speaking, devoid of pretense or exaggeration. Seeing his curled, singed hair and round eyes, a laugh slipped out.

"But you look much handsomer with your eyebrows showing, you know. Your forehead is nice too, so why do you hide it beneath a gloomy fringe?"

"Well. I've never really thought about my hairstyle."

Sihyeon scratched his head.

"It's better with your forehead showing. At any rate, you'll need to visit a hair salon."

Gazing at the sunlight spilling onto the wooden floor, she suddenly asked, "Oh, by the way, didn't you say you had to go to the mountain?? The sun is about to set soon."

"Yikes!"

The mountain behind the shrine was deep and high, and because it bordered a national park, its ecosystem was incomparably richer than Sihyeon's own mountain. Shaded and sunny spots were well-distributed, allowing many rare medicinal herbs to grow. Among them, what Sihyeon coveted was jimsonweed, which camouflaged itself with modest white flowers.

A vivid blue-green toxicity extended to its surroundings.

"Wow. It's highly toxic."

It wasn't a location easily accessible to people, but if anyone happened to ingest it, there was a risk of dilated pupils, loss of consciousness, and pulmonary edema. A rare toxic herb where consuming just a bit more could lead to death. Due to the energy of the shade, it was significantly more toxic than ordinary jimsonweed.

Sihyeon put on red gloves and diligently harvested the jimsonweed. It could be used as a herbal medicine if handled well, but it was a tricky toxic herb to manage.

Sihyeon moved his hand to draw a druid's symbol. The ancient glyph instantly seized control of the surrounding natural energy. He thought it would be best to keep it hidden from human sight until the simple, beautiful white blossoms withered.

"Hide it."

The vines surrounding the toxic herb extended thorns to create a fence. From the outside, it looked like a mere briar patch, making it look difficult for humans to approach. Animals wouldn't even glance at something like that, so there was no need to worry; it just needed to stay out of the hands of unwary people.

Sihyeon scanned the mountain terrain and slowly moved his feet.

He only needed to find one or two more toxic herbs to complete Cerberus. While climbing the mountain and digging up some hasuo (Chinese knotweed) hidden in the undergrowth, he collected a few additional destroying angel mushrooms that were hidden right next to it. This amount was enough to completely devastate an entire village.

"I don't see any daffodil bulbs. If they had bloomed, I'd recognize them easily."

It was difficult to find things buried deep underground.

Sihyeon leaned against a massive pine tree to rest for a moment, thinking of Hwaryeong.

The colossal power of fire that had flared up right before his eyes.

The crimson, glowing pupils.

Recalling it now, the reality of it finally sank in. His fingertips tingled.

The mere fact that such a being existed in this world was surprising enough, but to think he had met and even conversed with her.

"Phew. What a turn of events……."

His heart pounded as if he had encountered a legendary dragon. He felt slightly worried about whether he could successfully carry out the task she requested, but recalling her promise to help him recover his memories left him feeling both complicated and expectant.

"Who on earth is the audacious human that dared to intrude upon a divine beast's nest……?"

Sihyeon muttered, touching his half-burnt bangs.