AEIWDT 01

Chapter 1

In the dim forest, where not even a path could be found, only the threatening cries of wild beasts lingered heavily in the air.

A cheerful hum, oddly out of place in a setting that could send even the bravest adult men trembling in fear, gently rang through the trees.

Despite the thick shade cast by the densely clustered branches, the darkness didn’t seem to hinder the one humming at all.

Bathed in a sliver of moonlight, her delicate figure resembled a lone, fragile flower. Her deep crimson hair, cascading with every step, only added to her mystique.

Hestia’s face brightened with satisfaction as she looked down at the heavy basket in her hands.

“This should be enough to last the whole month.”

Grrr…

Suddenly, a low growl echoed from the bushes—sharp yellow eyes gleamed menacingly in the shadows.

Frightened critters scurried away in a frenzy, and the forest fell into an even deeper, eerie silence.

“Lu, hush! You’re scaring all the squirrels away again.”

Despite the growl being enough to make even a seasoned knight’s legs buckle, Hestia remained unfazed. In fact, she scolded the beast as though it were a misbehaving child.

Yip!

The beast, called ‘Lu,’ let out an even louder cry, as if refusing to back down.

“…What is it? Is something wrong?”

Hestia tilted her head at Lu’s unusual behavior. The beast leapt out of the brush and began tugging on the hem of her skirt with its teeth.

The sight of the beast was overwhelming: twice the size of a grown man, its shimmering silver fur bristled with tension, and its sharp fangs were bared—clearly displeased about something.

Yet Hestia simply reached out and stroked its fur calmly, showing not even a hint of fear.

“I need to dry these herbs before sunrise. I don’t have time to play with you today.”

Despite her gentle attempt to placate him, Lu only grew more insistent, pulling her skirt and urging her to follow.

“Oh, fine. You won’t starve without me, but I’ll go with you anyway.”

Sighing at his unusual persistence, Hestia gave in and allowed herself to be led.

However, Lu seemed displeased with her slow pace and dropped to the ground, flattening his large body.

“We’re going far, aren’t we?”

Still unhurried, Hestia teased him as Lu jerked his head impatiently, clearly telling her to get on.

“You’ll bring me back before sunrise, right?”

‘Just get on already, sis!’

Lu’s voice echoed in her mind, startling her.

It had been just over a hundred years since she had fallen into this place. There was a time she had gone deep into the mountains, hoping to find a way to stop time entirely.

If her body were torn apart and devoured by beasts, maybe she could die a true death.

In that final moment, she had lost consciousness at the sight of a wolf’s terrifying fangs and an eagle’s massive talons.

But unlike before, she hadn’t felt any pain. Perhaps that’s why she had been more than willing to be swallowed by the darkness.

Yet death eluded her. When she awoke, that was when she began to hear their voices.

‘Siiiis!’

Lu’s urgent cry snapped her out of her thoughts.

The shout was so loud it made her head ring, and she squinted in irritation.

“Okay, okay! I’m getting on, alright?”

Hestia rubbed her temples.

“I don’t get why you’re in such a rush. It’s not like either of us has anything but time.”

Grumbling, she handed him the basket of herbs and climbed onto his back.

The moment she grasped Lu’s silver mane, he took off at full speed. Despite his massive size, he darted swiftly and gracefully through the forest, as if being chased by something.

Hestia’s crimson hair whipped violently in the wind, and her grip on his mane tightened.

They ran for what felt like ages. By the time her cheeks were numb from the cold night air, Lu finally began to slow down.

Hestia straightened her body from where she had been pressed against his back and looked around.

“Huh? This is…”

A flicker of surprise crossed her brown eyes.

Grrrr…

Lu glanced around cautiously before lowering his body.

He had brought her to the mouth of a massive root cave, so wide that even ten grown men hugging it together wouldn’t be able to span its entrance.

But there was a problem.

“Weren’t you and Ben not on good terms? You said you wanted to play, so why come here?”

This was the territory of Ben—the grumpy grizzly bear Lu famously didn’t get along with.

Dusting off her skirt, Hestia looked into Lu’s glaring yellow eyes and questioned him.

“…What’s with that look? Why are you staring at me like I’m pathetic?”

Instead of answering, Lu nudged her toward the cave with his head.

“What’s in there? Don’t tell me you want to play hide-and-seek at your age? Or go cave exploring or something?”

‘…You’ll know when you go in.’

Snort.

Lu let out a huff of hot air. To Hestia, it felt like he was looking down on her.

“Alright, alright. You’ve been acting weird all day, so I was just asking. No need to sigh like that.”

Muttering to herself, she lifted her skirt and crouched to enter the cave.

Lu, using his teeth, tore out a clump of his own faintly glowing fur and placed it before her feet.

“What, you’re not coming in? And when I asked for your fur before, you never gave it up. That’s a lot!”

Grumbling, Hestia picked up the silver fur and moved deeper into the cave.

Inside was darker than the forest, to the point where it didn’t matter whether her eyes were open or closed.

She relied solely on the faint glow of the fur in her hands as she proceeded.

By the time her back began to ache from crouching, she saw the faint outline of something ahead.

“Is that why Lu brought me here?”

Her whisper was barely audible, yet it filled the stillness of the cave.

At the sound, the shadow that had been barely visible twitched slightly.

“Oh? You’re alive?”

Hestia hurried over and brought the glowing fur closer for a better look.

Cloaked in tattered rags and curled up tightly, it was—

“A child?”

A child, breathing so shallowly it seemed like their life would flicker out at any moment.

The faint light made it hard to tell if it was a boy or a girl. All she could see were thin limbs and a small, frail body.

Startled by this unexpected discovery, Hestia stared in silence.

How could a child end up in a place like this?

Mt. Lenon was infamous for being perilous—veteran hunters wouldn’t dare approach. Especially this area, known as the lair of ferocious wild bears, where no one had ever come out alive.

No wonder she was stunned.

“Ah… So that’s why Lu only let me in.”

Hestia sighed and frowned.

The problem wasn’t how the child got here. The problem was what she should do now—leave them here, or take them back.

“What a mess.”

As she hesitated, unsure of what to do—

“Hhhk!”

The child gasped in pain and,

Grab!

Seized Hestia’s wrist, trembling.

“Please save them… Save them…”

Still unconscious, the child cried out in desperation.

Hestia looked down at the child for a long moment.

If she could share her own breath with this child—if she could take on the shadow of death looming over them instead…

Watching a child who so clearly wanted to live, while she herself longed only for death—it stirred something strange within her.

“…Shh. It’s alright now, little one.”

Was it pity? Sympathy? Or perhaps something akin to herself?

Hestia gently stroked the child’s head.

Once she made up her mind, the rest came easily.

The child’s trembling breath slowed.

Rustle.

As the grip on her wrist loosened, Hestia called out.

“Lu.”

As soon as she spoke, silver light filled the dark cave as Lu entered.

“You could’ve told me it was a kid from the start.”

‘You wouldn’t have come if I did!’

“Of course not. I’d have gone to the villagers instead. That would’ve been safer for the child.”

Hestia shrugged as if it were obvious.

‘I smelled that bastard Ben nearby!’

Lu slammed his tail on the ground, clearly annoyed.

“You could’ve just told me that.”

So all that worry was for nothing.

If Ben was nearby, no one else would’ve dared come close. Realizing she was the only one who could’ve come, Hestia clamped her mouth shut.

“Ugh. He’s heavier than I thought.”

Grunting, she secured the child’s cloak and struggled to lift them onto Lu’s back.

She had assumed the child was tiny, but now realized they weren’t so small after all.

“Let’s get out of here. My back is killing me!”

Hestia climbed onto Lu’s back and wrapped her arms tightly around the child so they wouldn’t fall.

‘You really don’t die that easily!’

Lu turned his head with a teasing snort.

“…Yeah, yeah. I get it. So can we just go already, oh mighty wolf?”

Suppressing her irritation, Hestia forced a crooked smile.

Lu, apparently satisfied, wagged his tail and began to move.

The moment they exited the cave, Lu took off running, just like before.

By the time the dark sky began to shift into a pale blue, Hestia finally felt the ground beneath her feet again.

They had arrived at an old, moss-covered cabin, long abandoned and forgotten.