Chapter 201: Subjugation Battle of the Church of Love, Summoning a Storm (3)
The rural accommodation was quiet in the middle of the night. Once the farmers finished their early evening meals and quieted down, the chirping of insects sprouted from the mountains, and the elegant sound of the stream tickled the ears if one listened closely. A frog puffed out its cheeks and poked its head through the gap of the unclosed sliding door, and flying insects immolated themselves in the lights that were still on.
And bubbles were boiling up from the jar next to me. I looked at the moonlight reflected on the surface of the water filled in the jar. The moonlight scattering in all directions due to the bubbles and ripples made it seem as if the water in the jar itself was radiating a silver light.
Raising my head from here, the cries of strange beasts could be heard from the forest filled with pitch-black darkness. The kitchen, which was open to the outdoors, was a place where beasts often came down with flashing eyes in search of food. Were they startled by the unfamiliar man sitting there? The stray cats only growled in vigilance and couldn't approach.
When I waved my hand, the cats shrieked and fled in all directions. The clerk who opened the door tried to scream, but wisely shut his mouth when I raised my index finger. The beasts that had gathered noisily in the forest left only their howling sounds behind as they blended into the darkness on the other side of the forest.
Looking slightly up from the forest, there was a sky shining in deep indigo as if to set the boundary of the dark forest straight. The sky was densely studded with stars as if colorful confetti had been sprinkled over it. They dazzled my eyes, twinkling their lights at different rhythms as if competing to see who was more visible to me.
The rural scenery encountered in the kitchen of the accommodation late at night was this beautiful.
"Blergh... blub... blub... pfft..."
Thinking I had enjoyed the scenery enough, I pulled the innkeeper's hair out of the jar. The innkeeper, who had tasted plenty of the clear rural water until just a moment ago, continuously wiped his soaking wet face with his palms and spoke.
"I'm s-sorry... pfft... gasp... ugh... Since you took a beastfolk as a wife... gasp... I wanted to... tease you... a little."