성황의 아이들 [2]

344

344. Red Curse (3)

That night, Masain belatedly told me about the red stone he found in the forest.

"West Mountain?"

"Yes, sir. "I discovered it by accident, while I was guarding it."

"okay."

Seongjin was deep in thought.

Now that I think about it, even though it was only a moment, didn't he feel something ominous in the western mountain?

So, right before Max called me.

"... "I'm sorry for the late report, sir."

As Seongjin kept his mouth shut, Masain bowed his head again as if he was sorry.

"no it's okay."

What do you think of all the stones you accidentally found on the mountain?

Since nothing was certain, I guess I thought it was something I didn't need to know.

'Or maybe they just wanted me to not be involved as much as possible.'

Although he guessed his intentions to some extent, Seongjin pretended not to know and asked another question.

"So, what did Francis say about the stone?"

"We don't know yet."

Masain continued speaking with his head down.

"But Francis said he didn't feel any magic in the stone. He said there didn't seem to be any signs of a curse. To investigate, he first returned to the Imperial Capital with the stone."

I guess that was the reason Francis went back in a hurry.

"It is not a magic trick, nor is it a curse. "So you're saying it's not that dangerous to people?"

"Seeing as there is no major problem even if you touch it with bare hands, it seems like that at first glance... ... ."

Nevertheless, Masain trailed off as if he was somewhat anxious.

"After a brief search with Francis, we were able to find several more similar stones in the western mountains."

"I don't know what it is, but does this mean that someone must have prepared it with a clear purpose?"

"Yes, sir. So, I think it is difficult to be easily optimistic that there will be no harm."

but. The same goes for the giant bear Max caught. Although it was only a glimpse of Seongjin's memory, the bear clearly ate a red stone.

But as soon as we dismantled it and removed its internal organs, it reverted back to the size of a normal bear. The amount of meat was reduced by a whopping 1/3. Too bad.

"But you. What you said about lifting that stone earlier... ... ."

"Ah, that."

I had just come out of the sense of unity with the bear, so I said that without realizing it.

"I didn't eat it. "I was so distracted earlier that I made a mistake."

"... ... ."

"Really. "Sorry to confuse you, Lord Martha."

So, don't look so nervous. I feel guilty for no reason.

Of course, although Seongjin repeatedly emphasized that it was okay, Masain's anxiety did not seem to subside easily.

"It's somehow ominous. As soon as you left the imperial capital, things like this happened again... ... ."

"hmm."