SOFTIE 24

It was happening again. Why was he so distressed? He furrowed his brow and tossed and turned in his sleep. He wasn’t crying, but it was no different from back then. Isn’t it fun to hang out with other humans? Why are you suffering, worrying, and not enjoying yourself?

Softy wordlessly hugged Yeonwoo tightly. Guiding began through the contact. At that, Yeonwoo’s expression improved, if only a little. Softy smiled proudly. He still liked being hugged.

He doesn’t recognize me, but he isn’t afraid of me. That alone made the years of practicing to make myself small worthwhile.

It’s okay even if he doesn’t remember. Humans are stupid by nature. No, wait. Yeonwoo isn’t stupid. I heard that people don’t remember their childhood well. That’s why.

Softy searched his memories. When he didn’t even know of the existence of humans, the child who suddenly appeared before his eyes was tiny. He was a child who boldly shouted at me to be his friend. Despite being small, he had a loud voice, cried a lot, was smart, and was stubborn.

He was a foolish and lovely child who would approach and hug me, feeling relieved, even though he knew I was a monster that could swallow him in one mouthful.

So, one day, he will remember. Because Yeonwoo is smart.

Gates are also called living organisms. They created magical beasts. Thus, one could never know when a magical beast was born. I was born one day, and because I was weak, I survived by avoiding terrifying beings.

I grew stronger by running away from threatening, powerful enemies and striking down weak beings I could defeat. When I could no longer tell how many years had passed, I reached a point where I became strong enough to hold my own territory.

As I grew stronger, life became easier day by day.

Now, when I pass by, the weak hold their breath and sneak past me. I used to be like that, but not anymore. I roamed around with my shoulders squared.

The young days of hiding or running away were forgotten. It was all a result achieved through my own power.

That didn’t mean there were no fights. Young ones who wanted to show off their strength were everywhere. Occasionally, some would pounce, but I treated them exactly the way the strong ones used to treat others—just like they had treated me.

Because that was the way of this place.

But that was only for a while. The ones who pounced became a nuisance. I liked the silence. Therefore, I chose a territory that was quiet and remote. To some, it was a cold and secluded corner, but it was a cozy place where my body fit just right. This is my territory.

In the midst of days spent mostly sleeping or dealing with challenging enemies, an anomaly occurred.

“Kkieeek!”

“Aaagh, please save…!”

“Grrrr…”

“M-magical beast! Run!”

It was more than just noisy; I could feel the things living here running wild in excitement. Heterogeneous voices and unfamiliar scents stung my nose.

What are these sounds, and what is this smell?

Those who found prey were running wild with excitement. What kind of creatures came in to make everyone so rowdy? More importantly, why did the ones destined to be hunted come here? The fishy smell stung the tip of my nose even inside my territory.

The scent of blood wafted strongly as if a war was breaking out, but I had no intention of leaving my territory. What happens outside my territory is none of my business. It is a matter of etiquette not to trespass into another’s territory.

Occasionally, there were disputes over territory between members of the same species. This situation was similar. The difference was that the things that unilaterally invaded this place were being hunted.

Since I have no kin, it was a distant matter. It was enough to survive solely on my own. I didn’t interact with anyone.

I wanted to sleep quietly, but curiosity was piqued because the scent of the intruders from outside was so alien, though it was only for a moment. I don’t want to move; I just want to sleep.

It would be noisy for a while, but it would get quiet once a winner was decided.

As long as they didn’t trespass here, it was fine. I could tell just by the smell. They were weak. As they were weaklings, they came in droves, but a winner would be decided soon. They would die on their own by the laws of nature. Thinking so, I curled up and slept.

“H-honey… what do we do…?”

“Shh! Be quiet…! A magical beast might notice us! If we hide in a quiet place, an Esper… will come to save us.”

Voices trembling with fear.

Eventually, that weak pack came near my territory. I rose quietly.

Are they stragglers from the group? They don’t seem to have come to take my territory. They’ll probably pass by on their own.

“W-what is this? Is it a dead end? But why is it soft…”

The people passing nearby fumbled around the surrounding walls and then fumbled over my body. They backed away at the squishy, strange texture, but fumbled even more out of curiosity.

Disturbed in my sleep, I wriggled. It was a warning not to touch. But the rowdy noises did not cease.

I was going to overlook them because their presence was as faint as air. But they huddled together, trembling and comforting each other, with no intention of leaving. If it were me, I would have realized I was no match and run away.

Eventually, I turned around. The organisms I saw were strange.

They were things I had never seen before in my life. Are they newly born? Because sometimes incomprehensible things happen here. Out of curiosity, I stretched my head out and approached, only to be struck by the weak thing. It was at the level of a tickle. However, it was unpleasant.

“M-magical beast!”

Magical beast? What is that? They’ve been saying “magical beast” for a while now. Are they referring to me, or rather, us? I tilted my head because I couldn’t understand. But before that.

[Why did you hit me?]

“W-what is this?! The magical beast spoke…!”

“H-honey, do you hear it too? How… did we touch something we shouldn’t have?”

[What are you?]

“Damn it, why is this happening to me…!”

The two beings screamed while trembling endlessly. As I approached those who were in despair, the one who was slightly larger jumped up and ran far away.

“Aaaah, I don’t want to die!”

Should have run away sooner. I had no particular intention of attacking.

“H-honey! M-me too…!”

The big one left, and the small one remained. I tried to chase after the big one, but the small one collapsed forward.

Hmm? Are they male and female? Did the male abandon the female and leave? To think he’d abandon her instead of protecting her even at the cost of his life.

Moreover, she’s a female pregnant with his offspring. He’s a pathetic fellow as a male. It’s better for a guy like that to just die. He’s someone who won’t survive anyway.

“I, I am…”

The female stared at me for a moment, then stood up and walked away, staggering as she avoided me. Well, the one who hit me was the male, and she’s a pregnant female, so let’s let her go.

Because I’m a kind male!

Finally, it became quiet. I tried to turn back and sleep again, but those noisy sounds could be heard endlessly from afar. Some fellows even trespassed into my territory while enjoying their hunt. I was dissatisfied.

I intentionally did not trespass into your territories, yet you trespass into mine?

If those things are left alone, they will later act tyrannically as if it were their own territory.

I rose and headed toward the place where I felt energy, and I saw fellows hunting weaklings. Young ones who didn’t even know I had appeared. I immediately meted out punishment. I stretched out my arms and punished those who crossed into my territory.

“Kraaaakh!”

“Kkieuk!”

Seriously, why trespass? And you’re hunting in my territory? If there’s any hunting to be done, I’ll be the one doing it. I tossed the dead fellows far away. The prey was already on the verge of death.

“Keo-hok! I, I am…”

He muttered something and died. I don’t care that he died, but the place I liked became dirty. A place where a beautiful flower bed spread out. The white flowers were stained red. I like the scent of flowers; I hate the smell of blood. I must clean it up. I ate everything that was dirty.

Then, I came to find out. That the group that invaded this place were humans. And that humans came from somewhere other than here.

Humans? What are humans? And why are human memories so colorful?

Even when I ate other creatures, they only showed me the inside of dark caves or memories of fighting until blood spurted, but these humans cried, laughed, got angry, and despaired. Their memories were interesting. And curiosity was piqued. About these things called humans.

It’s fun. I want to see more. Let’s go see humans.

Before I knew it, quite a few humans being chased by other magical beasts had entered my territory. I met many humans, and their reactions were diverse.