The Forest Race Clonne

Chapter 78

“You are…”

I wanted to ask if he was a Clonne, but my voice came out cracked and hoarse. Embarrassed, I tried to clear my throat, and he handed me a cup. It looked like water. Normally, I would have been wary of accepting something from a stranger, but this wasn’t the time for that… and more than anything, my throat was so dry. I cautiously accepted it and took a sip, feeling my parched throat finally clear up a bit.

“…Thank you.”

“No need to thank me. You seemed to be having a nightmare. How are you feeling?”

Despite his rough appearance, the man’s demeanor was very kind. I hesitated before nodding to indicate I was okay, and he smiled slightly, relieved. However, his next words were not lighthearted.

“You were ill for an entire month. I thought you wouldn’t make it, but you’ve managed to survive.”

…A month?

Had it really been a month since I lost consciousness?

My heart sank. What about my race? What happened to Kalph and the others? With a rising sense of panic, I tried to get up quickly. The man approached and reached out to stop me.

“If I were you, I’d stay lying down. You need rest right now.”

“But…!”

“It’s better to heed my advice. With that body of yours, even if you manage to get up, you won’t be able to walk properly.”

“…”

I wanted to insist I was fine, but he was right. My body had no strength. After lying unconscious for a month, even a healthy body would weaken. Walking without rehabilitation would be impossible.

Accepting reality, it didn’t take long for me to lay back down. The man, nodding approvingly, placed his hand on my forehead. It seemed he was checking my temperature.

“You still have a slight fever.”

Clicking his tongue, he brought something else. It looked like a liquid made from ground-up substances.

“This is an antipyretic. I assume you don’t need me to feed it to you?”

Surprised by the question, I quickly took the concoction and drank it. As I emptied the bowl swiftly, I heard him laugh. It dawned on me that if I had been unconscious for a month, it meant he must have been taking care of me all this time.

‘Could he be part of a wandering race?’

I eyed him again, cautiously. I had heard of races that do not settle in villages and instead roam the world. Perhaps he was one of them.

“Regardless, I’m glad you’re awake. Your wounds healed, but your fever persisted. I wasn’t sure what the problem was and had no one to consult, which was quite troubling. All I could do was try to bring down the fever with antipyretics and cold compresses. I thought I’d have to deal with a corpse, but suddenly yesterday, your fever broke. Quite miraculously, you got better out of nowhere.”

But the continuation of his story seemed odd. The fever and prolonged unconsciousness would stem from the Awakening. A Clonne should have recognized these symptoms. As I hesitated, puzzled by his narrative, he seemed to notice my reaction.

“What’s wrong?”

“Are you… not a Clonne?”

“Do I look like a Clonne to you?”

The man appeared flabbergasted for a moment before bursting into laughter. His reaction alone made it clear that he was not a Clonne. My face heated up with embarrassment.

“Your hair… It’s green.”

“Ha! Is that why you were confused? You must be young and have trouble discerning. Not everyone with green hair is from the Clonne race. This color is also distinctive to my own race.”

“Your race?”

“My name is Markatis. You might have heard of me.”

“…Markatis.”

As soon as I thought the name sounded familiar, its origin struck me like a bolt of lightning. The Green Dragon of the Elten Mountains that had taken the Dras race into his territory! His name was Markatis.

“You’re… a Dragon?”

I asked, feeling astounded, and he grinned at me. A burning sensation gripped my throat as I swallowed a dry breath.

‘So this place is… a Dragon’s lair?’

I had heard stories about Dragons digging deep into mountains or valleys to build their nests. It was one of those rumors that turned out to be true. I never expected that such a nest would contain furniture though.

I also had no idea Dragons could transform into human forms. The commonly known appearance was that of a massive reptile. I must have glanced at him in wonder without realizing it, as Markatis’ eyes glinted mischievously.

“You look just like a human. You’re acting like you’ve discovered a mythical creature.”

Indeed, he exhibited the insight one would expect from a being that has lived for thousands of years. But, unable to blatantly affirm his statement, I quickly lowered my gaze.

“Apologies if my reaction was offensive.”

“No, it wasn’t offensive. I found it quite amusing too, seeing a young tree after so long. I watched you with curiosity while you slept. Honestly, I wished you’d have stayed asleep longer. When else would I get a chance to raise a seedling?”

Was this his way of joking? Either way, he didn’t seem offended.

“Are you hungry? I made sure to give you light and water daily, but given you haven’t had a proper meal in a month, you must be starving. Do you want something to eat?”

“Ah… I’m alright for now.”

“Very well.”

The expression on his face was content. Though I had heard Dragons were known for their fierce temper, he didn’t seem that way at all. Actually, he seemed quite gentle. Although, he did seem to treat me more like a plant.

“By the way, I’m late in expressing my gratitude. I owe you a debt that I cannot repay. I should be properly thanking you, but please forgive me for greeting you like this. Once I get my strength back, I will properly introduce myself.”

“Oh, that’s fine. What debt? I did it because I wanted to. If you weren’t a Clonne, I wouldn’t have saved you.”

Markatis replied nonchalantly again. He added as an afterthought that he almost passed me by thinking I was human, nearly regretting it.

“Perhaps because you’re still young, your scent is very faint. If it weren’t for your hair color, I definitely wouldn’t have recognized you.”

“Hair color…?”

“Yes, your green hair stood out. Although now it’s quite beautifully tinged like autumn leaves.”

Reflexively, I ran my fingers through my hair. It was said that during Awakening, the hair would change color. It must have changed at the very beginning. At the time, I thought it was another misfortune, but it turned out to be the reason I was rescued. Life was indeed unpredictable.

“More than that, I’m curious about what happened. What caused you to collapse in that state? There was no one in the village.”

“…! You’ve been to our village?”

“That was my destination. Since your group was leaving the forest soon, I wanted to say my farewells. But none of the people I expected to see were there, and the village had been completely burned down. While I was looking around to understand the situation, I found you.”

Completely burned down?

A shiver ran down my spine as I clenched the blanket. The weight of the time I lost while unconscious pressed heavily on my chest. A month. An entire month. I wondered how many of the captured had survived until now, if any. I couldn’t stop the flood of dark thoughts.

“Surely the Clonne didn’t set the forest ablaze. Was it an attack? Like what happened to Dras?”

“…Something similar.”

“Hmm, there were no corpses.”

With great effort, I slowly started recounting the events. The Demonic Beast attack, the negotiations involving a hostage, and how I ended up escaping alone. Throughout my explanation, Markatis’ stern expression did not soften.

“So Rafiel has a son…… I see. Given that, it makes sense to choose to surrender. If it’s about the King, you wouldn’t have had a choice.”

“I, I was too late. I should have informed Knight Semion about this……”

“It’s not good to blame yourself for things that cannot be helped. But I was surprised that you were unconscious for an entire month. It didn’t seem like such a serious injury. Is there something wrong with your body?”

“Ah… It was because I began Awakening.”

“Awakening?”

Interest sparked in Markatis’ eyes.

“I know what that is. It’s one of the precursors to a Clonne coming of age. Right, I have heard that during that period, loss of consciousness was common. My goodness, so you were still an Aesang? Not just a young tree that has just become an adult?”

“Ah, yes. That’s right.”

“Haha! No wonder your scent was particularly faint. It’s rare to see such an Aesang, let alone witness their Awakening! This is truly special.”

He seemed unusually excited. What was evident was his increasingly intense gaze, studying me carefully. Feeling uneasy, I tensed up, and he seemed to notice, clicking his tongue lightly.

“No need to be so wary. I won’t be kidnapping you.”

“Huh… Pardon?”

“While I might be tempted, your race is scary when angry. There are already many who don’t look kindly upon me, so it would be better to offer help and win some favor than to further incur their wrath. In fact, I wouldn’t even have the confidence to hide and nurture you away from the gazes of other plants.”

“…”

Nurturing me. It seemed that this dragon regarded the Clonne as a rare plant. Perhaps he viewed it as a decorative tree he would like to collect and keep. Still, it was a relief that he didn’t seem to have any intention of acting on the greed in his mind. Judging by the expression on his face, his last words seemed the closest to the truth.