Book Eater

Chapter 252: Baekun Mountains (1)

Morning appeared quickly on the spacious plains to the east, north, and west of the Baekun Mountains. The roosters were as punctual as usual, crowing even though they lived on a mountain. Most people started their day at 5 or 6 a.m.

However, it was currently four in the morning. While even the early birds were still asleep, a small farewell ceremony was taking place near the main gate of the Fairy Dance Lee Family’s home. However, those who sneered at the size of the ceremony would be shocked by the status of the people present.

These six were the most powerful members of the Fairy Dance Lee Family, led by Lee Joonyoung.

“Really...” Theo looked at them and laughed. “Why did you come out here? I thought the five of you didn’t feel any goodwill toward me.”

No matter how resourceful Lee Joonyoung was, it was impossible to avoid all friction while consolidating the family factions. The five faction heads in particular had been very uncooperative, so Theo had stepped forward to break their haughty pride.

The law of the jungle came into play. They hadn’t been able to withstand Theo and were ashamed, but they conceded to the result.

“We are really sorry, Temporary Head,” one of the faction leaders said. “To be honest, we thought you wanted to devour this family through the young lady. Even if you studied the Fairy Dance, we thought that the lineage of a Westerner could never mix with us. We were really stupid.”

“Hmm, such misunderstandings are expected. Why did you change your mind?”

“You have eyes like us.”

Three months wasn’t a long time. It was a quarter of the year, time enough for a season to pass. It was too short to see through the essence of a person, especially under the gazes of five pairs of eyes which had been hardened by prejudice over several generations.

Nonetheless, three months had been plenty of time for Theo. He had started his days every morning at a desk to do the work of the family head. After finishing his work, he practiced his martial arts. Everyone who had dropped in on him was amazed. It was a fresh dance, a feast of movements which had been lost for several generations.

He had taught others without asking for anything in return, renewing the sense of shame the five faction leaders felt.

Can we truly say that we are better than him?

As a martial artist and family man, we can’t beat him.

Theo was faithful to his own desires, but he had still done exemplary work as the family head. As such, the five leaders truly admitted their defeat. They abandoned their grudges and actively assisted in the unification of the family along with Lee Joonyoung, who acted as Theo’s agent. Now, the vassals of the Fairy Dance Lee Family were reliable.

“Please come back anytime, Temporary Head!”

“Next time, I wish to learn things from you!”

“Temporary Head, don’t worry! We will do well.”

Lee Joonyoung smiled at the five leaders. “Well, I guess it is like this. This is because of your virtue.”

“... Hah, I didn’t expect something like this.”

“Here’s everything I prepared.”

Theo took the bundle from Lee Joonyoung and checked the contents. It included a badge to prove Theo’s identity, as well as gold that could be used anywhere in the East Continent. There was also a map which contained detailed directions.

It was a luxurious selection of things.

“Thank you. Now, I can return in comfort.”

It would take a considerable amount of time to exchange goods and money for use in the East Continent, so he would run into some unavoidable delays. Fortunately, this bundle allowed him to cut down on all that. He discreetly put the bundle into his Inventory and realized that someone wasn’t present.

“Seol?”

“She will come soon... Hah, speaking of which.”

As Lee Joonyoung spoke, Lee Seol ran out the door in bright blue clothing. She proved that it wasn’t just Lee Joonyoung who had made progress in three months, as she was twice as fast compared to her previous self.

Lee Seol arrived in front of Theo and cried out, “Theo! I’m sorry for the delay!”

“No, you aren’t too late. Anyway, didn’t you decide to fulfill your request today?”

“Yes!”

Lee Seol had asked Theo to visit the spirits of the Baekun Mountains with her. It was why she had been preparing for the journey once dawn broke. She couldn’t just up and leave her position, but she could still accompany him for a day or so as the mountain’s keeper.

Theo stood next to a happily smiling Seol and spoke formally. “Then, please take care of the Fairy Dance Lee Family.”

He was asking them to become the pillars of the Fairy Dance Lee Family as well as to respect Lee Seol. The six men understood him and nodded.

It was the moment when Theo’s short-lived time as the head of a family was over.

***

“Wah! It has been so long since I’ve been back!” Lee Soel laughed as she walked around a familiar cabin.

The cabin hadn’t changed, but it felt a bit gloomy because no one was going to return. Dandelions bloomed instead of pumpkin vines in the front yard, while mushrooms grew in the rafters.

I have to say goodbye to this place now.

Theo was already used to the emptiness that Lee Yoonsung used to occupy within him, but he still couldn’t help feeling bitter. He looked around the cabin for a moment, before following Lee Seol outside. They were heading for a place he hadn’t seen the last time he was here.

“Ahem!” At that moment, Lee Seol suddenly looked back. “From here on, you can’t go into this area without the permission of the mountain’s keeper.”

“Are the spirits living inside here?”

“Yes, but I haven’t been here in a while, hehe.”

Theo admired the place and infused magic power into his eyes, temporarily increasing his vision to the equivalent of a hawk’s. He could see rice seeds from thirty meters up. Thanks to Hawkeye, Theo now could examine the peak. He could see a place where animals and plants were hidden beyond the hundreds of trees. But his vision magic was forcibly ended without any warning.

... Indeed, this isn’t an ordinary place.’

There might be something intervening, or perhaps it was the place itself. Either way, his curiosity as a magician boiled up. Theo suddenly called out, “Seol, stop.”

“Huh? What is it?”

“Your pace is too slow. Get on.”

Lee Seol, who was about to climb the mountain, looked around in bewilderment before flushing bright red. Theo was crouched on the ground, offering her his back.

Lee Seol only had limited contact with men outside her family. Thus, it was no wonder that her heart started pounding. She thought of Theo as an adult male of the family, but his exotic appearance was rather appealing.

I-If I tell him that I want to refuse because I’m embarrassed...

Lee Seol finished rationalizing her thoughts and slowly wrapped her arms around Theo’s neck. She had the normal heart of a girl, so she was worried about being heavy.

“Hold on tight. I will be moving fast.”

“Huh?”

However, she only had a few moments to worry about her weight.

Huwoook!

As Theo took one step forward, her hair flew behind her as the wind blew past. It wasn’t a sudden gust of wind. The wind was blowing due to Theo’s ridiculous acceleration. Fifteen meters for the first step, twenty-four meters for the next step... By the time he took twenty-four steps, Theo’s body had reached maximum speed and was like a fired arrow.

“Kyaaaak!” Lee Seol couldn’t help screaming as she grabbed Theo’s neck tightly.

Speed was often compared to the wind, but Theo was currently faster than a gale. Anyone who wasn't accustomed to such high-speed movement would be very intimidated. Lee Seol didn’t realize that Theo was moving up the mountain peak naturally. He moved with no hesitation because he was moving using someone else’s memory.

It was the memory of the man who had been abandoned by his family, Lee Yoonsung. Despite not being the mountain’s keeper, Lee Yoonsung had spent years on the mountain inhabited by wild wolves and snakes.

Maybe his family expected him to disappear, but he had never known about the forbidden zone. He had never been warned not to go there, but he had known he would die if he entered.

But Senior survived.

Whether it had been coincidence or good luck, Lee Yoonsung had managed to repeatedly hunt and gather in the forbidden zone several times. His stomach had hurt after eating poison, and he had fallen from a cliff while running away from a wild horse. The landscape had gotten so deeply imprinted in his body and mind that it applied even a hundred years later.

Theo quickly climbed the mountain and stopped after arriving at the peak.

“Oh...!” Theo briefly admired the view.

He was thousands of meters above sea level, so the view was truly spectacular. Of course, it was simple compared to what he had seen from the world tree, but was there any place higher than that in this age? It was enough to admire the scenery shining under the sunlight.

“T-Theo.”

“Yes?”

“In the Baekun Mountains, two spirits rule over the forest.”

“Elder spirits?”

“Yes.” Lee Seol regained her composure shortly after being let down and pointed to the place beyond them. “There is the Tiger King in the canyon on the right and the White Bear in the forest on the left.”

“Tiger King and White Bear?”

“Yes, I heard that they have lived a few hundred years... They are the ones you should meet today.”

It was interesting. Theo nodded and alternated pointing between the two. “I see. So, who are we going to see first?”

“The Tiger King is the nearest.”

“Okay, to the right then.” Theo set the path and stepped back.

The wind blew from below, blowing their hair back. However, this time Lee Seol didn’t scream. She just clutched tightly onto the man she wouldn’t be able to meet again for a long time.