Don’t Look for the Resurrected Villainess - Chapter 166

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 166

The forest was still damp and somewhat cool, with no sunlight penetrating through.

Jeon hunched his shoulders and looked around nervously, while Samuel calmly surveyed the forest. Palides was guarding me from behind.

Tristan took charge of guiding us through the forest, with Jigol and Minte following behind.

[There’s a pond over there.]

Minte, who had been stretching his neck to peer ahead, spoke up. Just as he said, the damp fishy smell reached my nose.

“Have you already found it?”

Jeon asked with puzzlement at how I was moving forward so decisively, as if I had a predetermined destination.

“No, I haven’t found it.”

If Tristan couldn’t find it even after mobilizing the insects, it probably wasn’t above ground, I figured.

So I planned to search around places where water collected first.

Before long, a moderately sized pond came into view. Unlike the Lindea River where we saw so many ducks, there wasn’t a single one here.

After pondering for a moment, I summoned Ganic from my bracelet.

[Captain!]

“Ganic, you’re a sea turtle, right?”

[Yes, that’s right!]

“Can you go into freshwater too?”

[…What?]

“I guess that would be difficult?”

Why would a sea turtle be called a sea turtle? It’s called a sea turtle because it lives in the sea.

Looking at Ganic with sympathetic eyes, I glanced around the pond. With this size, I thought there might be some fish living in it.

‘Fish are also vertebrates, so I should be able to communicate with them…’

For matters deep underwater, I should ask animals that live in water, shouldn’t I? With that thought, I tried to make contact with fish, but once I actually reached the pond, I was at a loss for how to call them out.

I couldn’t go in myself, and I couldn’t send Ganic in either, so what was I to do?

As I stared at the pond in contemplation, Samuel, who had been watching this scene from beside me, suddenly spoke up.

“This Young Lizardman should be able to go into the water.”

“Hmm?”

Come to think of it, the Young Lizardman was also a monster that lived near water. I stared into the eyes of the Young Lizardman, who was hugging Ganic tightly while looking up at me.

[Kyu?]

“I don’t think it’ll work.”

I can’t communicate with this one. Would it understand if I asked it to do something?

As I looked at the Young Lizardman with doubtful eyes, Ganic somehow flailed his legs and enthusiastically defended the Young Lizardman.

[It’s a smart child! It’s quick-witted and has good comprehension, so it’ll understand if you tell it!]

“Really?”

Still looking at the Young Lizardman with skeptical eyes, I bent my knees to match the Young Lizardman’s eye level.

“Can you catch just one fish from that water?”

“Hey, it won’t understand if you explain it like that.”

Jeon, who had been standing behind watching this scene, crouched down beside me. Then he began using his hands to mimic a fish swimming.

“This thing. In that water, something moving like this, you need to catch it like this.”

The Young Lizardman looked back and forth between me and Jeon, then its eyes sparkled. It put Ganic down and immediately jumped into the pond.

[Run slowly, you’ll fall if you do that!]

Behind Ganic’s urgent cry, the Young Lizardman splashed into the water. Along with the splash, the calm pond surface rippled.

The tail that usually dragged on the ground wagged more vigorously than ever, and its webbed feet skillfully cut through the water.

And after a short while.

[Kyuu!]

The Young Lizardman proudly stuck its head out, with a half-eaten fish in its mouth.

“…No, that’s not it, well, no. That’s right but don’t eat it, you need to catch a living one like this, you know?”

Jeon, who had been at a loss for words, began explaining again while earnestly drawing pictures in the air with his hands. The Young Lizardman stared intently at Jeon’s actions, then soon disappeared back into the water.

And after another short while.

[Kyu kyu!]

“That’s… no, wait. You grabbed it too hard.”

The Young Lizardman held out the fish it had gripped tightly to Jeon. Jeon’s face turned pale as he met the lifeless fish’s eyes.

In contrast, Ganic was watching this scene with proud eyes, as if the Young Lizardman were his own child.

[Isn’t it clever? It’s very good at hunting too! I’m relieved it seems like it’ll adapt well to the group!]

“…Well, I’m grateful for the dead fish too. Next time, could you catch a living one for me?”

The Young Lizardman watched intently as Jeon waved his arms wildly to express a lively fish, then nodded as if it understood.

And not long after that, the Young Lizardman appeared along with air bubbles.

The Young Lizardman vigorously raised its hand that was gripping something wriggling and struggling energetically. Thanks to this, everyone could see what it was.

“Ahhh! That’s not a fish, it’s a water snake!”

The moment Jeon recoiled in shock, Mori, who had only been sticking his head out of the silk pouch, cried out in a delighted voice.

[Ah, big brother!]

[Ahhh! Save the water snake!]

[Kyu kyu kyu!]

[You’ll grow into a brave Lizardman! Hahaha!]

…Well, in short, it was chaos.

* * *

The water snake, which had nearly been torn in half by the Young Lizardman’s terrifying grip strength, immediately began wriggling to escape as soon as we rescued it.

If Mori hadn’t come out of the silk pouch and quickly approached to greet it, the snake would have left without looking back, regardless of us being its life saviors.

[Mori has good affinity with various animals.]

Jigol smiled awkwardly while defending Mori. Mori, who had been busy exchanging greetings with the water snake, finally looked back at me.

[Wh-when I awakened as a snake, this big brother taught me many things.]

You’re a Dura’han. What do you mean calling a water snake big brother?

Barely swallowing the words that had risen to my throat, I looked at the water snake. The water snake, which had been flicking its tongue with obvious exhaustion, froze when it spotted me.

“Do you live in this pond? Then there’s something I’d like to ask.”

[Me?]

“Yes. Have you seen any monsters that look like humans around here?”

The water snake looked at me, Jeon, and Samuel with wary eyes, then shrank back.

[There are none here.]

“So you’re saying there are some in other places?”

[Well… animals that lost their habitats did come over to our pond.]

Continuing its words and regaining energy, the water snake raised its body slightly and boasted, ‘Thanks to that, I got to hunt.’

However, immediately after making eye contact with the Young Lizardman, it quickly coiled up again.

Watching the water snake that was on high alert in case it got caught again, I asked slowly.

“Where is that habitat they lost?”

The water snake flicked its tongue and looked somewhere.

It was a point deep inside the forest that looked pitch black.

* * *

The Young Lizardman, who had excellently fulfilled its assigned role, returned to the Separate Space Dimension while holding jerky as a reward and hugging Ganic.

We resumed our halted steps. The place the water snake had told us about was deep inside the forest.

The path was densely packed with trees and had nothing that could be called a road, so Samuel and Palides used their swords to cut through the undergrowth and create a path.

Naturally, it wasn’t suitable for summoning Dura’han either. Thanks to this, I couldn’t even think of summoning the large ones.

Jeon, who was pulling at clinging vines with his hands, sighed and grumbled.

“The one that was supposed to be in the river sure ran far away.”

“Lusaka are said to be very wary. It must have gotten scared.”

Though it’s ridiculous considering it boldly touched the Empress.

After cutting the grass wrapped around my ankle with a short dagger, I strode deeper inside. Since it had stolen the animals’ habitat, the surroundings were indeed quiet.

Through the drooping leaves, I began to see water rippling. I stopped for a moment and looked back at Samuel and Jeon.

“Just in case, Jeon and Samuel Bent should stay back.”

“What?”

“It’s dangerous.”

“It steals dreams. It would be troublesome if we became targets for no reason.”

Since it was an environment where summoning Dura’han would be difficult, there was a high possibility I’d need to rely on Jeon and Samuel’s power if something happened. So it was better to keep those two in the back as much as possible.

Instead, I had Palides with me.

“Palides.”

Palides, who had been guarding the rear all along, stepped forward eagerly as if he’d been waiting.

“Don’t worry, Captain! Whatever comes out, I’ll cut it down in one strike!”

With Palides leading the way, we moved forward again, and before long, another pond hidden by thick bushes appeared. It was much larger than the place where the water snake had been earlier.

Sunlight filtering through the leaves illuminated patches of the water surface, and around it, tree branches hung low enough to barely touch the water.

[I’ll take a look around!]

Jigol flew up and circled around the water surface. I unconsciously tensed up, worried something dangerous might jump out, but fortunately the water surface remained calm.

I thought if there was a pendant in the water, I might see some light, but there was nothing particularly noticeable.

‘Should I summon the Young Lizardman again?’

It was just as I was having such thoughts.

“Captain, get back!”

At Palides’ words, I quickly pulled my body back. In an instant, Jeon’s translucent barrier wrapped around my front, and Samuel’s sword imbued with divine power pointed ahead of me.

[There’s something in the water.]

At Minte’s quiet words, my gaze turned toward the water surface. I could see the leaves floating on the surface moving slightly.

[Captain! Let me try to persuade it!]

Mori quickly revealed himself. The small, round snake eyes looked up at me earnestly.

“Can you persuade it?”

[Yes! It’s not a bad one!]

[Stupid Mori!]

Jigol screeched, but Mori just repeated that it wasn’t a bad one.

There wasn’t time for a long argument. Since it would be better if we could persuade it easily anyway, I gladly released Mori to the ground.

[I’m here! Are you there?]

Mori wriggled his small body and earnestly approached the waterfront, lifting his head up.

The leaves on the water surface moved slowly, neither fast nor slow. At a glance, it looked like they were being pushed by the wind.

However, having been staring at the water surface the whole time, I could confirm that very small concentric circles were spreading across the surface.

[This person isn’t scary! They just came to talk!]

…Actually, depending on the situation, I might have to kill it, but there was no need to tell him that.

There was no answer from the pond. However, I could see the concentric circles that had been spreading from far away gradually getting closer. The leaves that had been moving slowly were now noticeably spinning around.

[I’m Mori!]

Mori must have forgotten about being betrayed by that monster. Actually, wasn’t the reason Mori got scammed so easily because he had poor memory?

Just as I glanced at Mori worriedly and was about to open my mouth, I heard the sound of Jeon swallowing nervously.

“Huh.”

Something smoothly rose above the quiet water surface.

Below the soaked crown of the head, I could see hair hanging down and rippling on the water surface as if it were alive.

That thing staring this way with both eyes protruding was probably a Lusarca. However…

“It has no eyeballs.”

It had a very grotesque appearance.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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