Chapter 4: The forest demon
" Crackle crackle "
" Hey did some of you seen my lyre!! "
Said a teenage girl with braids and robe's as she tries to find her lute at the caravan. She search every single corner but couldn't find it on her own until she hear's mischievous giggles outside of the caravan.
Her eye's twitch in annoyance as she walks at the back exit and to took a peak outside only to see two children with dirty yet still fine looking robe's whispering to each other.
It didn't take time for one of them to notice her as the one of them screamed.
" Laute!? "
" You damn kids where's my lyre!? "
" Lyre? W-what are you talking about "
The two kids tried their best masking their nervousness but Laute could see through their guilt. She got off from the caravan and walk's towards the two children as she said.
" Come on give it up "
" L-laute your really confusing what are you huh HEY!! "
As soon as Laute saw just a glimpse of her lyre behind their back's she immediately snatch it and yelled at the two.
" Abstammung, Binden! How many times do I have to tell you to not mess with my stuff!? "
" But it's not fair!? Why do you get to play infront of an audience while we just stay at the back!? "
" Oh you know why we don't allow you two to play any instrument's now get back at the caravan grandpa's heading back. "
" How do you even know that. "
" Hmm I don't know maybe because I he said that to me before he left!! "
She yelled as she's fed up by the two's rebellious nature before going back to the caravan to prepare there departure. The two kids Abstammung and Binden showed there tounge's at her once she leaves before the two notice a frail old man walking out of the clay made city gates.
The two immidiately know the old man who was walking towards their caravan as they quickly got on the back exit.
The old man holding a basket full of food arrives at the caravan as Laute helped him carry the basket inside before letting him in.
" Thanks for taking care of the kids Laute "
" No problem grandpa just let me prepared the mules and we'll leave "
Laute said as she got out and untie the mules before bringing them back to the front of the caravan. Once she set's the mules to the opposite direction of the city she immidiately climb up at the front caravan and whip the mule's for them to move.
" Crackle crackle crackle.... "
The caravan move as the old man and the two children look at each other. One the of the two children noticed that they're moving towards the lush green forest as he walk's toward the old man and ask.
" Grandpa why are we headed to that forest? "
" Hmm? What do you mean "
" Well the people from the city said that there's a big scary demon who lives by those wood's. They said that it eat's children who are lost and misbehave. "
" Wait granpa are you planning to feed us to that demon!? "
The old man couldn't help but to hide his chuckle as the two children just couldn't hold there tears of fear. After letting out a chuckle he looks at his grandkids with a warm smile and calmingly said.
" Children those are just rumours besides that's only one part of the story "
" One part? "
" Yes you see I used to grow up in this place, it used to be a village when I was kid when that rumour spread. People claim to saw a demon that is the size of child with long unmatch horn's and hands and feet that is the same color as the night. People especially families went missing whenever they travel in those woods but after the great fire that spread's throughout the forest the dissapearance stop. "
He said while he look at the back exit to see the city. The city that used to be a small village that became such a grand city for trade. The two children look at him with some fascination in there eye's and said.
" Really!? But the rumours said that it was a big scary monster!? "
" Well I don't know? Maybe the rumours change over time"
" Then if you said was true that the great fire burned the forest then it must be that the demon's dead right!? "
The child said with relieve and excitement to his tone because it means that the rumour about the demon at the wood's was just a long forgotten myth. The old man just look at his grandchildren with a smile and just said.
" Well it could be but I can confirm that the demon might be alive to this day "
" W-what do you mean by that.... "
The old man just smile at their question as he just turn his gaze to the city and back at the forest. His smile never fade's as they continue to venture into the forest.
....
( 81 years ago )
P.O.V....
The forest felt as boring as ever.... But it still filled with plenty of test subjects.
I thought while I enjoy the sunlight of this forest, basking to it's sunlight while sitting at this large boulder. My eyes close during my afternoon sun bathing as the image of the entire forest are in my view.
It's been three years since I got reincarnated into this body and these three years has been interesting.... I manage to improve my mental magic's prying ability allowing me to affect a large crowd of living organisms by expanding or even shooting a small string of my mana into there head's.
My understanding about how most animalistic brain works has also improve as I manage to study at least 5 to 12 animals brain. Though this number might sound useless it does help me to fully grasp how animals views towards sympathy.
I manage to understand every part's of the brain that allows most animal's to see the logic of survival more than anything else. To be fair back then I was excited to see that my journey to get my sympathy back was near but my face soon dropped once I examine mind.
It's simply too different then that of animals. Sure I saw a few similarities of some animalistic urge's and instict's but the brain structure, shape, chemistry everything was like an unsolved puzzle.
I couldn't fully navigate how my brain works since it felt like I'm solving a rubik's cube while being blind folded.
" Sigh and here I thought I manage to improve my prying ability.... "
I can feel that I'm almost close at creating this spell. All I need now is to know what does a demon's brain look like. It's obviously different than a human's after further search as I have been searching one for month's.
There hasn't been any demon in this forest lately as I tried controlling and even sharing my sense's to the bird's and small animals in this forest just to find one.
I look through far and wide just to find any single trace of a demon as the bird's and small animals I control had the lesser version of my mana detection.
Though it might be lesser in demons term it's still better than a regular human mage's mana detection. I kept looking everywhere trying to spot any vague figures or strings of mana that might belong to a demon in every area in this entire forest but all I got was nothing.
" Sigh seriously no single demon in sight. How long will I be able to find one "
I couldn't stop myself to lay back at the boulder to relax my frustrations. Well I could try leaving the forest and find one outside but how? I know that human's won't be very fond of me once they see my horn's so should I develop some illusion magic?
I mean it isn't that hard I still have some knowledge of my past life about random facts and even some extensive knowledge of how a human brain works so creating an illusion spell for disguising my horn's shouldn't be that hard.
If I don't find any demon's in this forest at the end of the day then I have no choice but to leave and find one myself.
As I thought of how I should create the disguise spell for my horn's I saw something at the corner of the forest just a few fifteen miles away from me. There my dead eye's brightened up once I saw a large figure with horns and a somewhat human like appearance hiding beneath the foliage of bushes and branches watching at three children lost children.
I let the bird land just a little lower at the tree branches so that I can see the clear image just to be sure that it isn't some random monster. I wasn't dissapointed once I confirm that it really is a demon as I felt myself feeling excited for the first time.