Chapter 69
- The Loyalty of the Garden Mandragoras
"Dodak. What a cute name. Can I touch him once?"
"I don't mind, but I don't know if he'll allow it."
Even though he looks like this, he's still a monster. Being a wary species, it was unlikely he would willingly offer his leaves.
Cheon Dowoon took Root out of his bag and held him out towards Mr. Park.
-Whoong, whoong.
Dodak sat on Cheon Dowoon's palm and began tidying his leaves with his Rootlets.
To Mr. Park, it looked like a hamster washing its face, and he wore a pleased expression.
"Hello, Dodak. May I say hello? I'm not a bad person."
Mr. Park carefully extended a finger.
-Whoooong?
Dodak's movements abruptly stopped. He sensed an ominous presence directed at him.
Not even my Helper, yet daring to touch my leaves?
-Whoooong!
Dodak jumped up. He pulled out the thickest Rootlet and struck Mr. Park's finger.
Thwack, thwack. A threatening attack swung twice in succession.
The approaching finger retreated from the violent assault.
-Whoooong!
I have won. He is frightened of me and retreats. Dodak puffed out his chest with a triumphant air.
His leaves stood on end and trembled with confidence.
"Oh, he's really cute. I want to raise one too."
Mr. Park scratched the finger that Dodak had hit.
Why do I feel so gratified even though I was hit on the finger? He looked at Dodak with a fatherly smile.
"How old is he?"
"Well, I don't know exactly. He may look like this, but he's lived quite a while."
He was a Mandragora that was at least 60 years old. Moreover, he was a mature Mandragora that had fruited at least once.
Dodak was an adult.
"To follow along on subjugations with such a small body. How admirable."
Even though he looks like that, he must have great abilities since he's a Chimera.
The ability to detect monsters or find safe areas.
Imagining that tiny body leading a group of Hunters, Mr. Park smiled like a proud father again.
In reality, he wasn't a Chimera but a monster, but there was no need to tell him that.
"I'll take this bag. It seems like he likes it too. The size is just right."
As it was made for Hunters, it didn't hinder movement.
It was worn on the hip, so Dodak could stick his face out and enjoy the scenery, which was nice.
When Cheon Dowoon paid, Mr. Park beamed.
He was in a good mood, having welcomed good customers one after another since morning.
"Please come again, sir! If you're looking for anything, please remember our store."
With Mr. Park's farewell, Cheon Dowoon left the store.
As soon as they were out on the street, Dodak poked his head out of the bag.
-Whoooong?
Where is this place? Dodak tapped the bag he was in with his Rootlets.
He also tapped Cheon Dowoon's waist, to which it was connected.
-Whoooong!
This is quite nice. Firmly connected to Helper.
-Whoong, whoong!
From today, this is my home. Dodak roared with that spirit.
"Do you like it?"
Cheon Dowoon put the moisturizing cream he had brought into the bag.
"I'll apply it often so you don't dry out."
-Whoooong!
He was fine for now since he was moist. He was just curious about where Helper was taking him.
Dodak rolled his eyes and looked around.
His eyesight was poor, so he couldn't see much, but the breeze was refreshing.
He closed his eyes slightly and savored the breeze.
Compared to the Demon Realm, the Mana in the air was severely lacking, but it didn't matter.
Cheon Dowoon injected Mana into him from time to time, so he could just gobble it up.
"Was the path I took yesterday… around here? It's a bit confusing since I came at night."
Cheon Dowoon recalled his memory and headed to District 11.
With many alleys and twisted paths, it was an area where outsiders were bound to get lost.
But after walking for a while, the whispers of passersby became a signpost.
"Did you hear? The building where the Space organization was is going to be turned into a cafe, apparently."
"A cafe?"
"Yeah. They put up some cute sign in front of the building. Coconut… Coconut something. I guess it's a coconut juice specialty shop."
Cheon Dowoon smiled at the words he overheard.
Coconut Family. The nameplate made by Kim Nari with a drawing engraved on it.
'Did they hang that at the entrance of the building?'
I don't know whose idea it was, but it's quite interesting.
After walking a little further, he saw a building that people were glancing at.
【Coconut Family】
The nameplate that was in Lee Doo-cheol's room was hanging at the entrance of the building.
As he entered the yard, Kim Nari, who had been squatting in a corner, ran over.
"Uncle's here!"
"Yeah. What were you doing there?"
"I was watching ants."
"Ants?"
"Nam Ki-seok Uncle gave me bread. I dropped some crumbs while eating, and ants swarmed over."
Kim Nari held up the bread in her hand and said with an excited face.
"So I kept tearing off crumbs. The ants lined up and took them away."
It was an age where even such small things were enjoyable.
Cheon Dowoon stroked Kim Nari's head.
"Good job. Everyone must be full. They'll be well-prepared for winter."
Kim Nari's face was filled with pride at Cheon Dowoon's praise. She was filled with satisfaction for having fed the ants.
"Did you have a good trip too?"
"Yeah. I'm going to take Dodak with me from now on."
"Dodak?"
Instead of answering, Cheon Dowoon showed her the hip sack he was wearing. Kim Nari was delighted by the leaf peeking out from it.
"Root is in the bag. Is this child's name Dodak?"
"That's right."
"Dodak…! I'll remember it. If Uncle gave it to him, it must be a good name."
Kim Nari said, looking at the leaf sticking out of the bag.
"Are you going to carry him around in there instead of the beaker now?"
"That's the plan. I can't leave him behind because I'm worried. Kim, the manager's moisturizing cream is there, so it'll be fine somehow."
Still, he was thinking of burying him in the ground from time to time to let him rest, for the sake of his health.
"Go put on your coat and come back. Let's go back soon. We have to feed the Chimeras too."
"Okay."
Kim Nari ran into the building. A moment later, Nam Ki-seok and Kim Nari came down the stairs.
"Where are the siblings?"
"They said they'll come later. They have a Return Stone with them, so they said it's okay."
Cheon Dowoon nodded at Nam Ki-seok's words.
The siblings could only spend three days outside the Gate.
It was natural that they wanted to look around their homeland for even one more day after tens of years.
"Then let's return first."
Cheon Dowoon took out a Return Stone and broke it.
As they entered the Gate, the gang members who were sweeping were dumbfounded.
"Wait, what… I was too out of it yesterday to notice, but those people just went into the Gate without any weapons, right?"
"Even a kid went in. Is that okay? What did I just see?"
The gang members looked at each other and were speechless.
They had been experiencing absurd things one after another since yesterday, so they didn't have the energy to be surprised anymore.
"Let's just… clean."
Those people are beyond human. Let's not think about it logically.
They moved their brooms with vacant expressions.
* * *
The Gate that Cheon Dowoon opened was connected to the waterfall valley.
He had come to the natural fish farm for breakfast, but his expression wasn't very good.
"Big Bro. What's wrong?"
"I came here thinking of catching fish, but… I've been eating seafood lately, so I'm a bit tired of it."
"Well, it's bound to happen eventually. Would you like to try something else then?"
"Something else?"
"There's one dish I'm confident in."
Nam Ki-seok said confidently. He had a menu that he had been practicing at home for a day like today.
This time, it wasn't instant. He was even planning to cook rice directly in a pot.
It was a dish that could only be enjoyed properly that way. It seemed simple, but if you didn't get the golden ratio right, it would be too salty and you would fail.
"Would you like to try… soy sauce egg rice?"
Nam Ki-seok's face was as serious as a president proposing a peace treaty.
"It's a traditional Korean home-cooked meal. The harmony created when the savory sesame oil, soy sauce, and the golden ratio of the egg meet. When combined with freshly cooked rice in a pot, a heavenly synergy effect explodes."
Nam Ki-seok's mouth was always eloquent. There was no reason to refuse after hearing such words.
"Soy sauce egg rice, huh. Even that sounds ominous. Okay. Go ahead."
Permission was granted. Nam Ki-seok looked at the makeshift tent set up in a corner of the waterfall valley.
The cooking utensils that Nam Ki-seok had been moving little by little were inside.
"Then I'll cook the rice here and come over. Go ahead first."
He had a camping equipment set at home too, so he could cook rice there, but it was easier to cook next to the valley where he could use water freely.
When he made such thorough preparations, one couldn't help but be excited.
Cheon Dowoon and Kim Nari left so that he could cook comfortably.
The laughter that came from anticipation was short-lived.
Cheon Dowoon, who arrived home along the path, stopped when he saw the yard.
The three Root Mandragoras from the garden were standing in a row in the yard, spinning around.
-Whoooong.
-Whoong!
-Whoooong.
-Whoong!
They looked around and made sounds at regular intervals. Cheon Dowoon recalled his memory at the familiar sight.
'Something similar happened before… Ah, right. The day I took Metal Root to the waterfall valley. They were like this back then too.'
They had come down the path in a row to find their kin.
"So they're looking for their missing kin?"
"Uncle, what are you talking about?"
"I sent Dry Root and Metal Root to Kim, the manager for a while. From their perspective, it must feel like their kin disappeared after they woke up."
Because Cheon Dowoon had taken the Mandragoras through the Gate, the trail ended in the yard.
Thanks to that, the Mandragoras were just spinning around in the yard, chasing the severed trail.
"Uncle. What should we do?"
"We can't leave them like this. I'll have to bury them in the garden to let them rest."
He went to the yard and picked up the Mandragoras. Looking at them up close, the Roots looked quite haggard.
'They look pretty tired. How long have they been spinning around?'
He found the holes where the Mandragoras had come out and planted them one by one in the garden.
He covered them generously with soil, but the Mandragoras poked their faces out.
-Whoooong!
-Whoong, whoong!
They still hadn't found their kin. They couldn't sleep like this. Their eyes were full of determination as if saying that.
"They're gone for a health checkup. Go in and sleep."
He pressed their heads down, but they came back up like a whack-a-mole game as soon as he took his hand off.
What should he do about this? As Cheon Dowoon pondered, Kim Nari opened her mouth.
"Uncle. Since they don't understand words, let's show them with actions."
"Actions?"
"Uncle should pretend to look for them instead. Then they might feel relieved and sleep."
It was a pure statement from a child. To Cheon Dowoon, it sounded quite plausible.
The Mandragoras recognized Cheon Dowoon as kin.
If he, an adult, moved, the young garden Mandragoras might feel relieved and sleep.
"It's worth a try."
He stood up and started walking around the yard like the Mandragoras had done. He also looked around as if looking for something.
"Uncle. Can I join you?"
"Sure. It's less embarrassing and better with two people."
At Cheon Dowoon's words, Kim Nari stuck close behind him. She grabbed his sleeve as if playing a train and spun around the yard.
Would this really work? Cheon Dowoon looked at the garden.
-Whoooong!
-Whoong, whoong!
There was definitely a reaction. When Cheon Dowoon walked around the yard, the Mandragoras started cheering.
That big Mandragora had personally started searching. Now that an adult had moved, it was only a matter of time before they found their kin.
-Whoooong!
Let's join in too. The largest individual took the lead. The small Roots followed behind.
Waddling, they ran and stuck close behind Cheon Dowoon and Kim Nari.
Cheon Dowoon in the lead. Kim Nari behind him. The three Mandragoras at the end. Everyone was playing train together and spinning around the yard.
"This isn't it."
Cheon Dowoon muttered with a subtle expression.
He had tried to show them to sleep because he would find them, but it ended up encouraging the Rootlets to take the lead in searching.
The Mandragoras looked around with dignified expressions. They also started making their unique sounds of searching for kin.
-Whoooong.
-Whoong!
-Whoooong.
-Whoong!
"Whoooong!"
"Kim Nari. Don't do it."
The last whoong was Kim Nari.