East Road Quest

Chapter 70: Ruby and Kunran

Ruby swung around with Goat King chained, sending all beasts within ten steps flying as they collided with him. Horses and sheep that bumped into him were flung into the night sky.

Goat King, like a stone slung in a sling, ended up kicking his own minions.

For a moment, Goat King grasped the chain with both hands and planted his feet on the ground. His sharp hooves scraped the ground, halting the rotation with a loud screech.

A tug-of-war ensued between the chain held by Ruby and the one dangling from the goat’s horns.

Panting heavily, Goat King declared, “I am the sovereign of these plains. Just as Baltian became the demon of the western world and ruled it, so shall I! The only difference is that the ruler will be a real demon!”

“Keep shouting. In a bit, I’ll shove each of your horns into your nostrils, making you the sovereign of nostrils,” Ruby retorted, pulling the chain. However, Goat King resisted, anchoring his legs firmly to the ground.

“Oh? Are you finally using the strength of a sovereign?” Ruby taunted.

“It’s the power I’ve waited for three years, prepared for three years, and harbored for three years! Do you think I’d fall to a mere child like you?”

Goat King charged at Ruby with his horns raised.

Despite being prepared, it was a swift charge that was hard to dodge. The sharp horns tore through Ruby’s collar and passed by. Ruby used the charging momentum to grab Goat King’s head and flung him backward. The speed was so great that he was thrown a considerable distance.

Goat King hit the ground with a thud, first his head, then his back, and finally stopped after hitting his head again. Black blood flowed from where one of his horns had broken, covering his face.

Seizing the moment, Goat King’s minions attacked Ruby.

Ruby grabbed the smaller sheep with one hand and threw them at the charging ones, and with the chain, he caught two horses at once and hurled them at the others. Thus, the demons of the plains were knocked down by their own kind.

Ruby leaped into the midst of the beast horde, striking with his fists at random. Sheep, prairie pumas, wolves, foxes, and horses were sent flying into the air before crashing to the ground. The pitiful cries of the animals were cut short as they hit the earth.

Ruby swung the chain, catching whatever he could and throwing them at Goat King, who was struggling to rise, bloodied. Goat King was hit by his subordinates and fell backward again.

“Any more?”

Ruby looked around and approached Goat King.

“None left. It’s just you now, goat.”

Struggling to stand, Goat King failed and knelt down. He breathed raggedly and muttered, “My power… it’s not just this. With this much power, the Kumon plains should be no problem…”

Ruby laughed scornfully.

“Then show me your true power. I’ll use mine seriously too…”

At that moment, Jade shouted from behind.

“Wait, Ruby.”

“Why? You’re not hesitating to kill a demon, are you?”

Jade approached Ruby, her face covered in dust from lying too close to the ground.

“What did that goat just say?”

Ruby tilted his head and replied, “He said his power isn’t just this.” “And after that?”

“Aha!”

Realizing what Jade was hinting at, Ruby walked towards Goat King and asked, “Hey, Goat King. Which ‘high and mighty’ told you the Kumon plains would be no trouble?”

Goat King, as if about to vomit blood, suddenly turned and started to flee.

“They’re all deceivers.” Ruby tied a giant rock on the ground with the chain and hurled it like a sling.

Goat King, who had run about twenty steps, was hit squarely on the head by the rock and fell once again. When he rose, the wobbling horn had completely broken off.

As Ruby approached, Goat King lowered his stance and charged again. Despite one horn being broken and blood gushing like a fountain, he didn’t care.

Ruby didn’t dodge this time but grabbed the remaining horn with both hands. He was pushed back a few steps but easily stopped Goat King.

“What’s wrong now?”

Holding the horn, Ruby lifted Goat King and dropped him headfirst. Another dull thud sounded.

“Baltian was the demon of the western world?” Goat King staggered to his feet, his face bloodied.

“Yes! That was when the Kun tribe nomads were true warriors!” Black smoke billowed around Goat King, dispersing into the surroundings.

“I, Goetran, the sovereign of these plains, will return the Kun tribe to those times. I will awaken the demon’s spirit in the warriors who have become herbivores of the plains and bring true terror to the western world. I will be their savior! The Kun tribe hunters will call me the true Kunran, the successor of Baltian, the sovereign of terror.”

“There’s much I could say, but I’ve already ended that debate with the tyrant.”

Ruby’s eyes glowed red.

“…Come to think of it, I seem to have counted to a hundred?”

Listening closely, he realized that Varshu’s daughter had stopped counting after 39 and was hesitating at the second 39.

“Hmm, Varshu won’t do. Not teaching your daughter to count numbers.”

Ruby lunged and struck Goat King’s face. Goat King seemed to emit a tremendous energy for the last time, but in reality, he was barely standing. Of course, Ruby knew that.

Ruby twisted and broke off Goat King’s remaining horn. Not just the horn, but the skull itself crumbled.

Ruby then smashed the goat’s head with his fist. As his fist withdrew from the face, the goat’s blood followed, spraying around.

Ruby was about to strike again but stopped.

“Huh?”

From a distance, Jade called out.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

“The goat, it’s dead.”

“Dead?”

“Yes. I thought it wouldn’t die… but it’s dead, isn’t it?”

Ruby scratched her cheek as she looked down at the Goat King, whose head was half blown off.

“Are you alright? What about the others?”

Ruby asked, scanning the surroundings. Saph, Huru, and Varshu were still lying on the ground.

From this angle, the hiding children were not visible, but their breathing could be heard.

Their voices were faintly audible as well.

“What’s happening?”

“Be quiet. You were told to stay here.”

“What comes after 39?”

“After 39 is 28…”

Ruby said, wiping the blood that kept seeping into his eyes.

“Varshu. The children are beyond that hill over there.”

“The children?”

Varshu asked as he sprang to his feet.

“Your daughter was there too.”

As Ruby spoke, Varshu’s eyes widened, and he frantically looked around.

“Which hill? That hill?”

“That hill.”

“Ah, got it.”

Immediately, Varshu and Huru ran in the direction Ruby had pointed.

Jade and Saph approached and stood beside Ruby.

When Jade just looked down at the Goat King without a word, Ruby asked,

“Do you know his name?”

“Lamatus. But now he’s of no use. I was going to use the capture phrase to find out about his superior demon.”

Jade said.

“Sorry. This flower and calyx insulted Baltian, and I couldn’t help myself.”

Ruby apologized with a voice devoid of regret.

As Lamatus’s body slowly burned away, Jade said,

“You did well. But it’s a bit disappointing.”

“What is?”

“That he died less painfully.”

“I’m reflecting on that a bit too.” This time, Ruby spoke with a hint of regret.

♦

“But why did he die?”

Ruby asked, looking down at Lamatus, who had turned to ash.

“Because you blew his head off.”

Jade answered.

“I actually thought a demon of this level wouldn’t die even if its head was blown off.”

“It seems unrelated to the demon’s rank or strength. Remember the desert demon? You cut off its head, and it still moved.”

“In my old memories, too. Some lived even if only the tail remained, while others died from just a tail cut. I don’t know the difference. The angels would know, but they never share information with us.”

Ruby said, looking at the scene of the Goat King’s army’s annihilation.

With Lamatus’s death, the other creatures of the grassland also decayed like bodies left unattended for months.

“I think I know a little.”

Saph said.

“What do you know?”

Ruby asked with a dismissive tone.

Saph calmly answered,

“I saw something like a candle…”

“A candle?”

“Obviously, it wasn’t a candle, and too small to be a torch… When Lamatus started fighting with all his might, that’s when it began to appear…”

Saph gestured wildly with his hands as he struggled to explain.

“…Lights lit up simultaneously on both the left and right sides of his head. I thought it was just some kind of magic the demon was using, but when you punched him, Ruby, one candle went out, and when both were extinguished, Lamatus stopped moving.”

“I didn’t see anything like that. What about Beishufer or Kraukus?”

Ruby asked, tilting his head.

“There was nothing like that with Beishufer. And with Kraukus, the fight was too fierce and fast to see anything in detail.”

“Then next time, try to observe more closely. If that’s true, you could figure out not just the demon’s name but also a physical method of killing.”

Saph nodded.

His expression was always blank, but he didn’t seem particularly pleased.

“Are you hurt anywhere?”

Saph reached out to Ruby with a hand.

“It’s not mine. Not my blood.”

Ruby, wiping her forehead with her own hand, rejected the gesture.

Saph folded back his refused hand and said,

“I know. You’re tough. I just wanted to wipe that blood off for you.”

“Don’t touch it. It’s demon’s blood. It could harm you.”

“Then I shall burn it away with the light of purification.”

“I’m fine, so use it on yourself!”

Ruby, seemingly annoyed, waved her hand dismissively and then pointed towards the opposite side of the dawn-lit horizon.

“People are coming. Looks like they’re from the Kun tribe.”

Jade couldn’t yet see them.

Ruby explained instead,

“They’re preparing for battle. They’re all armed.”

Jade spotted Hur and Varsh climbing over the hill, followed by about thirty children.

“They were supposed to wait in the village, but I guess they couldn’t just sit still.”

Some keen-eyed children had already spotted the approaching adults from afar and ran towards them.

“Mom!”

“Dad!”

Soon, Jade too saw the nomads. Some rode horses, others walked.

As Ruby had said, they were ready for battle.

Seeing the running children, they quickened their march. Those on horseback galloped, and those on foot started to run.

One child’s mother leapt from her galloping horse to embrace her rushing daughter. It was Varsh’s mother.

Then, other children were also enveloped in their families’ arms.

Varsh, with a weary face, approached Jade and said,

“Thank you so much. I don’t know how we can ever repay this kindness.”

Jade replied,

“Neither Ruby nor I did this for a reward.”

“Repaying kindness doesn’t necessarily mean giving a reward. If there’s anything we can do to help, please tell us. At the very least, we’d like to offer you a meal.”

“Thank you, but we must be on our way.”

“Then let me guide you on your next journey. No one knows the paths out of the Kuman grasslands better than I do.”

“No. Shouldn’t you be taking the children back to the village?”

Varsh hesitated, unable to find more words.

Ruby gestured,

“Save the talk for later, and go hug your wife.”

Varsh smiled, nodded, and walked briskly towards his wife and two crying daughters, whom he embraced once more.

Other Kun nomads, like Varsh, came to greet Jade, Saph, and Ruby.

Some children introduced Ruby to their mothers. The women of the Kun tribe all tried to embrace Ruby in gratitude, but she refused them all.

“I’m covered in demon’s blood. You want to kiss your children with those lips? If you want to thank me, do it from five steps away! Can’t you just leave?”

They obediently followed Ruby’s command, bowing their heads from a distance before leaving.

Ruby didn’t forget to warn them,

“Wash with clean water when you get back. The ancient ruins are teeming with foul spirits, and you’ve been there for half a day. Got it? Don’t just smile, answer me, you flower-brained fools!”

Ruby scolded the children.

Her anger, which had terrified the demons of the desert and grasslands, didn’t scare the children at all.

The mothers answered for them and withdrew. The children clung to their parents, unwilling to leave their sides.

Ruby, arms crossed, watched the scene and said to Jade,

“I’ve met Baltian before.” Jade was surprised.

“You have? When? Oh, what a foolish question. If it was during Baltian’s time, it must have been about 800 years ago…”

As Jade fumbled with the calculations, Ruby clarified,

“I don’t remember exactly. It must have been during my adventure to find the sage who would reveal my identity.”

Baltian had asked,

“Where are you traveling to?”

Ruby had answered,

“I’m searching for the wisest person in the world. You’re known as the king of the grasslands who knows this region inside out, right? Do you know where such a person is?”

“All old people are wise. But if you’re looking for that kind of sage, I don’t know.”

“That’s disappointing,” Ruby said.

At Ruby’s words, Baltian laughed heartily.

“Why not seek out the elves? They know everything. I learned strategy, tactics, and mindset from them,” suggested Baltian.

“That’s useful information. Thanks,” Ruby replied, pausing before departing. “But aren’t you continuing your march to the western continent? Constant battle will lead to death. Since I’m giving advice, here’s mine: Why not stop expanding your territory now? Isn’t your ambition excessive?”

Baltian laughed, conceding, “That’s true. The west’s riches will enrich us, gold will fortify our walls, wine will bring us joy, and clothes will keep us warm. Yes, I am ambitious.”

“Ambition can be deadly. You’ll die too. The western nations aren’t united yet, but if they do, you won’t stand a chance.”

“I know. I’ll probably die when that time comes.”

“And that’s the end?”

“Everyone dies. But the fruit trees I’ve cultivated will continue through me and our children. I want to protect the land where those trees will grow, not steal others’ trees.”

“But you’ve taken gold?”

“Gold isn’t fruit. It’s just expensive metal.”

“Don’t play with words! You’re being worried about.”

Baltian roared with laughter, “I grew up on the fruits my parents raised. It’s my duty to protect the trees for my children. Every parent does it. I’m just doing it on a larger scale. If you knew the taste of the fruits your parents showed you, wouldn’t you want to pass them on to your children?”

Ruby boasted, “No, I don’t know. I’ve never tasted them.”

“No animal is born without a mother.”

“I am. I exist alone.”

“Then you don’t know the taste of the fruit.”

“I don’t need to know! I need to know who I am. That realization will be sweeter than any fruit.”

“We’ll see about that.”

Baltian smiled as if he had already won the bet.

Ruby retorted, “It will be!”

Ruby watched Kun’s children and parents, holding hands and returning home, and said, “Those children will now grow up on the fruits their mother raised. And they’ll pass on the fruit trees they received from their mother to their own children.”

Ruby silently shed tears, continuing, “When Baltian told me that, I thought it was foolish. But now, I think I understand. Yet, I don’t. Because I’ve never tasted that fruit. If I did, I don’t remember. I have no mother. No father.”

Ruby covered her face with hands stained with the devil’s blood.

“I told Baltian it would ‘be so.’ But it wasn’t. And it never will be. Because I don’t know the taste of the fruit. I’ve never tasted it.”

Saph quietly embraced Ruby’s blood-stained back.

“I’ve heard your story and never thought that way, but you also had no parents. That’s why you didn’t know who you were?”

Ruby turned and asked Saph, “Do you also lack a mother?”

“Yes. I don’t have one.”

“A father?”

“Yes. None.”

“So you don’t know who you are either?”

“Yes. I don’t know.”

“You don’t know the taste of fruit?”

“Yes. I don’t know.”

“You’re like me.”

Ruby sat down, and Saph embraced her from behind, sitting down together.

Saph cleansed Ruby’s body of the devil’s blood with the light of purification.

The rising sun in the east illuminated the plains, wrapping the two in the light of purification.

‘I thought Father Daniel matched us to fight demons, but that wasn’t it…’

Jade knelt before them, embracing them both.

The purifying light that enveloped them now covered Jade as well.

‘It’s about aligning hearts. So we can rely on each other.’

The three sat together for a while, until Ruby’s tears stopped.