Henry was cooking medicines in two cauldrons.
"A piece of lidan, a piece of blackie, ro-zua," a white mushroom with black dots, a round black mushroom and something third covered with "hair" and looking more like an animal than a mushroom flew in turn.
"Romulus is delayed."
"Don't worry, Susannah."
"Romulus is late," Henry's wife repeated dryly.
"The baby is not in any danger. He himself is more dangerous than the local creatures. For cultivation, you need the pae of the Invisibility of the Ghost Snake. It will be best if the baby finds the ingredients himself."
"But Romulus' bow is broken. Our son went with one dagger. Honey, are you sure you shouldn't have gone after him? Or me? Why do you stick with me here?"
"Susanna, our baby should learn to hunt independently-first of all. Secondly" the cook took a deep breath" my health is no longer conducive to long walks. Third, you, Susannah, should not be walking around in dark forests. Have you forgotten that the more Ronan moves through dark and gloomy landscapes, the more ferocious he becomes? The Ghost Snakes are located in a dark but safe mushroom thicket.
"I can control myself, dear. A five-hour walk won't make me a monster. I've been patient for a long time! I'm going to look for Romulus right now!"
Susannah jumped up and ran like an animal. A moment and she will disappear behind the tree mushrooms.
The muscles in Henry's forehead swelled. The man shouted after him:
"Susannah, you do understand: you can't fix torn guts and a throat! The second you tear Romulus to pieces, Chu and I won't be able to cure him. He's going to die!"
The woman stopped, sat down on the ground and began to cry.
"I'm sorry to be so harsh, but there was no other way to stop your maternal determination."
"No, it's all right, dear. I really can be too reckless sometimes," Ronan wiped away tears.
[I've been married for seven years, but I haven't learned how to get along with women. Shimare!]
"But still Romulus is delayed, dear."
"Don't worry, there's no way a self-guardian or a sinful cultivator can appear out of nowhere in the forest. Our mushroom forest is quite a quiet place."
[Shimare. Romulus is really late.]
"So, if it makes you feel better, I'll go look for the baby. In any case, this is the best option, even if it is bad."
"Be careful, dear."
An exhausted boy with whitish hair came out of the forest.
"Romulus!"
"Oh, I was getting worried… Stop! Have you eaten lidan? And you have wounds on you.
"Hehe, after looting the nest of Ghost Snakes, I disturbed the self-guardian."
"A-a-a-a!!!" Suzanne hit her husband. Henry sank his head deep into the ground.
Romulus jumped in surprise. Ronan cringed when she saw her son turn gray:
"Did I look like a monster again?"
"L-l-little, m-mom."
Suzanne drooped.
[Hehe, my tongue is slurring. If my body wasn't so scared, I wouldn't have been able to resist laughing. It looks like that injury will be with you for a long time, Romulus.]
"D-dear! Are you alive?"
[Henry is quite strong-built. I don't think he's seriously injured.] Romulus patted his cheeks to ward off the shock and hurried to his mother's aid. Together they pulled Henry out.
"Samon, you say? And you beat him, kid? It was seriously damaged. Perhaps a more dangerous opponent."
Henry's appearance turned gray.
"Do you think that the one who mutilated him is wandering around the neighborhood?"
"No. Samon was hidden underground. When he got out, I could hear the rattle and clank of chains. Apparently, someone buried it there a long time ago."
"We must go and see Samon and that nest."
"Is it really safe?"
"Yes, Samon admitted defeat: he did not carry a threat even then. It was too harsh to break his head, son. I hope you won't do this to people?"
"Only if there is no other choice."
The boy left the snakes at home.
Doom and Henry visited the forest for evidence.
"You're really lucky to be in danger, kid. First the monsters of dreams, then samon-the guardian."
"I agree, my friend. Quite abnormal, hehe. I hope this is a side effect of rebirth?"
"I doubt it. I have heard many stories about other phantoms, but in them they themselves brought troubles to others, and did not attract them to themselves just like that. It is very likely that someone is targeting you."
"That's it, heh-heh."
Henry bent down and picked a pink mushroom.
"What is it?"
"It's a little early for you to know, kid."
"Father, your humor is simply mind-blowing!.. But seriously?"
"Well, seriously…"
Two of them were crossing a deserted thicket of mushrooms.
The father and son were already approaching samon, when a man appeared from behind a mushroom tree. The thicket was filled with the cloying smell of blood. The sounds of footsteps, the beating of a heart, the cool wind-any noise was swallowed up by the dark womb of the forest.
Henry covered his son and asked with a tight smile:
"Sir, do you need something?"
Behind his back, the cook made a secret gesture to Romulus. It meant: [Run if possible, the fight is likely to become deadly.]
"I didn't feel his presence. It's bad, very bad! Henry was preparing for a fierce battle."
Well, it's time to introduce the main character of this story. Undeservedly pushed into the background, among other things!
Our hero waved his blue raincoat, taking off an elegant hat, turquoise as the sky. And, oh, my God, his charming old man's smile was simply stunning!
Let me introduce you, ladies and gentlemen, our savior from boredom and melancholy, the messenger of crazy fun, Don De De!!! Mo-mo-mo-mo-oh!!!
"I am Don De De! Mo-mo-mo-mo-mo-mo-o-o-o!!!" the dear old man performed a short but excellent dance on the spot. After that, he performed the splits, flawless to the depths of his mind!
That's a cool dude!
Romulus and Henry became tongue-tied.
[Samon and the sinful cultivator is a psychopath, isn't that a bit much, shimare?!!]
The old man sat on the splits waiting for laughter, but did not wait.
"Okay, I've probably confused you enough, haven't I? Did you ask what I need? Do not be afraid, today your heads will remain intact."
[Today? Hehe.]
"Today?"
"Yes, I, Don De De, am a very peaceful cultivator. Therefore, I will forget the encroachment on my prey committed by your boy."
[In this world, there are means at the level of the Arts of Investigation. Hehe, I hope he only knows that I defeated Samon.]
"Loot? Did you hunt this samon?"
"It's been like five years. For a long time and continuously. He set traps, tracked down the places of rest and in every possible way prevented its regeneration. And all the laurels went to some baby. Mo-mo-mo!" the old man smiled ominously. "I'll take Samon, you don't mind, do you, sir?"
"I am not in the habit of taking other people's merits."
The old man chuckled, turned his gaze to the Doom.
"I can forgive the finished samon, but there is another problem… I'M BORED AGAIN!"
The mushroom forest trembled. The wind picked up. An infernal roar swept to the depths of the mind: "Boring! Bori-ee-ee-ee-ing! I want fun!"
"Shimare! Baby, it looks like we're screwed."
[Hehe...]
Chains flew out from under the old man's cloak. They wrapped around the limbs of a frenzied madman. The links lit up, and the seizure subsided. Don De De cleared his throat in embarrassment:
"I'm sorry, my inner demons are still shimare. So, as mentioned above, I am exhausted from boredom. Sir, your boy looks like a very capable guy. To bring down a samon-guard, even if wounded, is a great feat for a child. I will forgive the permission to invite the boy to sparring."
Henry's eyes almost popped out of his head.
"Of course, I will deliberately block some of my forces."
"Then what's the point?""
"You don't understand me… I'm not interested in your child's strength, but tactics. Moe-moe! Dirty, cunning, cruel! Our sparring will be a strategy match."
[Hehe, this old man is scary.]