Chapter 005
“Pant… pant…”
The thick brush scratched his body, but he couldn’t stop running.
“Over there!”
An urgent voice sounded from nearby.
After tumbling down a hill while escaping the careless assassins, his back burned and his legs refused to listen. How did things end up like this?
‘I-I’m sorry, Brother. I just… I wanted to live….’
‘I told you, you shouldn’t have trusted anyone.’
Conflicting voices echoed in his head. He held his breath and grit his teeth.
“Shoot!”
Immediately following the signal, an arrow pierced his shoulder. His body, losing all control, slammed face-first into the ground.
“Ah, finally caught him.”
“Ha… ha…”
Shortly after, two burly men emerged from the bushes, one holding a sword and the other a bow. Looking down at the gasping man, one of the ruffians gave a smirk and stepped closer.
“I’ll make sure you never run away again.”
The man ground his heel into the victim’s heavily swollen ankle.
“Aaaaagh!”
A scream tore from the man as he twisted his body, but it stopped abruptly with a sickening crack. All strength left his limbs.
“We’ve wasted too much time. Let’s end this quickly.”
With a look of regret, the man withdrew his foot. He raised his dagger high.
Squeak. Squeak.
That was when a mysterious sound drifted through the air.
“Aw, hell, what lousy luck. That better not be a bear.”
“I’ll go check it out.”
His companion quickly vanished into the brush toward the sound. The one left behind remained on guard. However, no matter how long he waited, his partner did not return. Instead, the crying sound started again.
Squeak. Squeak.
“…”
Alternating his gaze between the unconscious man and the spot where his partner had vanished, the ruffian finally moved toward the bushes. Before long, he discovered a cave.
“Hey. Are you in there?”
There was no reply. The silent cave was devoid of even a flicker of light. Eventually, he stepped inside.
“What? There’s nothing here.”
His relief was short-lived.
Squeak. Squeak.
The cry sounded again.
Right above his head.
“Ah!”
With a final gasp, the man’s voice was never heard again. A moment later, only a blood-stained dagger and a bow remained in the cave.
* * *
Caw! Caw!
It was the second day in the forest, marked by the morning cries of monsters. The sunlight was exceptionally bright, and the fresh air felt as though it could purify everything in the forest.
Except for me.
“Ah, I was hoping it was a dream.”
The moment I opened my eyes, the sight of the gaping hole in the ceiling made me want to close them again. Dragging her body up like a zombie, she checked her reflection in the windowpane.
Dark circles hung under her eyes, and her skin looked parched. It was the result of tossing and turning all night after hearing sounds like human screams.
“What a wonderful start.”
Last night, upon entering the cabin, I realized the exterior was a minor issue compared to the interior. The floorboards were rotten in places, and cobwebs hung in layers from the corners of the ceiling.
And that wasn’t all.
The soot-covered fireplace was filled with half-burnt logs, and the kitchen shelves had collapsed on one side. Part of me felt I should clean the place, but…
“I don’t even know if I’ll survive today.”
The official forest patrol was supposed to start today. Truthfully, I had tried to quit the moment I heard the real duties of a forest keeper yesterday.
‘That is not possible. It should have been clearly stated in the contract.’
I know. That damned clause saying mid-term termination is forbidden. The penalty for breaking it was twice the amount of the reward! These were all clauses I had carelessly ignored.
‘Who would have thought it would be like this!’
Should I leave the forest and face certain, irreparable bankruptcy, or struggle and likely die within the forest? After agonizing over the choice, Ponia ultimately chose the latter.
Stepping out of the cabin, Ponia checked the bag around her waist once more. A map, food, a portable lamp, lavender flowers, and perfume made from them.
Though she had been swindled into a fraudulent contract, Ponia had prepared in her own way for a monster forest. Monsters had a sensitive sense of smell and were vulnerable to specific scents; one of them was lavender.
Simply spraying the perfume on her body could prevent monster attacks. Furthermore, the monsters were most active at night when there was no light. As long as she didn’t stay out late, she wouldn’t be in immediate danger.
For now, anyway.
“At least the weather is nice.”
She tied her messy red hair into a high ponytail and changed into the practical, lime-green dress Jerome had provided. Light filtered through the dense trees, illuminating patches of the forest path.
“I wonder what Cionel is doing right now….”
Usually, she was busy cleaning up the messes her family made, but now that she was out of the mansion and had room to think, Cionel invariably came to mind. Since entering the forest, she couldn’t even get news, which made it even more frustrating.
If only Cionel’s past had been described in more detail in the novel, would she have been able to help him? Ponia suddenly snapped to her senses and shook her head.
“What am I thinking.”
‘Young Lord!’
A bad memory resurfaced. Three years ago on that day, Ponia had desperately stopped Cionel as he was leaving.
‘Please don’t eat the lemon tart!’
Just once in the novel, a scene of an assassination attempt on Cionel’s past had been shown. At that time, her only thought was to help him.
<Breaking News! Cionel Davenham, Poisoning Attempt!>
The substance used for the poisoning was revealed to be the steak served at the banquet.
He is currently hovering between life and death….
Though it led to the worst outcome.
In the novel, he had only vomited. However, unlike a dessert where additives are immediately noticeable, a steak covered in a strong-smelling sauce perfectly masked the presence of poison.
The plot had changed because of her.
She realized then: no matter how painful the present is, following the novel’s original plot is the best future for him.
After a moment of bitterness, Ponia stopped in front of an undeniably eerie cave. She checked the map, but as expected, there were no marks around this area.
‘Do I… really have to go in and check?’
Jerome’s words echoed in her mind as if catching her by the ankles.
‘You must go on patrol once a day. If you do not work, the reward cannot be paid.’
‘It would be best not to leave false marks. If we suffer damage due to incorrect information, we will hold you responsible.’
“He’s a demon… he’s definitely a demon….”
Eventually, Ponia began to move her feet toward the cave bit by bit.
‘Please let there be nothing. Please….’
She prayed fervently. Despite her hesitant and slow steps, Ponia eventually reached the mouth of the cave and bit her lip at what she saw.
A blood-stained dagger and a bow were lying on the ground in front of the cave.
‘It’s just my imagination that this looks like a dying message….’
She carefully picked them up and peered into the cave, but it was filled with darkness and she couldn’t see anything. Ponia entered the cave slowly. Her body shivered automatically at the noticeably lower temperature.
Steadily, bit by bit.
Ponia reached the end of the cave.
“…”
And nothing happened. The empty cave showed no signs of monsters living there. Only then could she breathe properly.
“…I got scared for nothing.”
As her tension eased, fatigue washed over her. Perhaps because she had stalled too long in front of the cave, the sun was already setting. Ponia hurried out of the cave.
‘I need to get back quickly and have dinner—’
“Guek!”
In her haste, she failed to see a ledge and tripped, falling flat on her face.
Wait, was there a ledge here?
She turned her head to check, and something covered in dirt was sticking up in the middle of the ground.
“What is this….”
Then, the “thing” began to move slightly.
What! Why! Was it a monster?!
Terrified, she scrambled backward, but then a sound came from the creature.
“Help… me….”
It was a human voice.
“Are you a person…?”
It was a stupid question, but in this forest where it was easier to encounter monsters than people, normal thinking was impossible. Ponia slowly approached the figure.
As she got closer, the human form became clearer. She belatedly noticed the black hair.
‘It looks a bit bluish….’
In any case, it was an uncommon hair color. After all, she only knew one person with it.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
But why was her heart racing along with this strange sense of déjà vu?
“Excuse me….”
Since he remained motionless, Ponia eventually grabbed his shoulder. His body slumped toward her without resistance.
Long eyelashes, a straight nose, a firm jawline. Although he had changed slightly from the image she knew, he was someone she could never fail to recognize.
“…Cionel?”
Why is the male lead coming out from here?
