Chapter 32
The place they arrived at was a small makeshift bed tucked away in the corner of a large barrack.
Basilian laid Flora down on the bed and then naturally leaned against it, sitting on the floor.
“Is this Basil’s bed?”
“Yeah.”
“If I sleep here, what about you?”
“I can go a day without sleep.”
“Come to think of it, Basil, you’re a mercenary too?”
At the flood of questions, Basilian suddenly thought he might have made a mistake bringing Flora along.
Patience. This child is my savior.
She was the one who had helped him when he was on the brink of death.
The only one who had ever shown him such kindness.
That first taste of gentle goodwill was so sweet that it couldn’t be easily ignored.
Though he had already begun to fall for Flora’s charm, Basilian forced himself to look away and answered in a curt voice.
“I joined the mercenary corps because I needed food and a place to sleep. I do something like an errand boy.”
“But Basil’s still little. How old are you?”
“…Ten.”
“Hmm.”
“Ugh, fine.”
Seeing the suspicion in her narrowed eyes, Basilian got annoyed and admitted his real age.
“Eight.”
For an eight-year-old, he was rather tall, but that didn’t change the fact that he was still very young.
“You’re still a kid.”
“You’re one to talk! What’s a four-year-old doing running into the Demon Forest anyway! You don’t even know how scary the world is, do you?”
At his scolding, Flora’s lips jutted out in a pout.
She had only asked out of concern for how hard it must be for someone so young to work, yet all she got back was nagging.
“…Since it’s just us, tell me honestly.”
“Tell you what?”
“Your father’s in the Lucipher Knights, isn’t he? Trying to get rid of you?”
Huh?
Not understanding the question, Flora tilted her head where she lay.
Atanas would never think of abandoning me.
How could he let go of the daughter he had searched so hard to find?
“There’s no need to hide it. I’ve already figured it out.”
It seemed he was deeply misunderstanding something.
At the very least, she felt she should protect her father’s honor, so she opened her mouth to correct him.
But at that moment—
“Monster! A monster has appeared!”
A loud shout rang out from outside the tent.
A monster?
It was natural for monsters to appear in the Demon Forest, but she hadn’t expected them to appear so suddenly.
“What? They said we had to travel another day before reaching an area with monsters.”
While Basilian was flustered, Flora’s face lit up and she sprang up from the bed.
Will I get to see one up close?
She looked ready to run outside when Basilian grabbed her quickly.
“What are you doing?”
“What do you think? I’m worried you’ll cause trouble. But this place should be safe, so stay put.”
“Anyone listening would think I’m some troublemaker.”
Flora felt wronged.
Did he not remember how she had treated his injuries and helped him?
“I’ll stay put.”
“I don’t believe you.”
With that, Basilian reached from behind, placing his hands over her belly and locking them together so she couldn’t move.
Caught and unable to even squirm, Flora couldn’t help but puff her cheeks out in annoyance.
“I know you have some mysterious power. I don’t know how a child from the orphanage came to have holy power, but this isn’t a place where you should act. It’s dangerous. Please, just stay still. I’ll let you go once the monster is gone.”
“Fine.”
Since he was pleading with her this much, she figured she might as well oblige.
If I’m going to be held anyway, might as well get comfortable.
With that thought, she leaned her head comfortably against his chest.
Outside, the sounds of monsters’ cries and men’s shouts echoed louder and louder.
There are more monster cries than human ones.
But she didn’t hear any desperate voices calling for medics.
It seemed the Lucipher Knights and the mercenary corps were working together well.
“Aren’t you scared at all?”
“Hm?”
The small body holding Flora had started to tremble at some point.
His frightened face stared intently at the barrack’s entrance.
Maybe I’ve been too calm.
It would indeed seem strange for a four-year-old to stay so composed with monsters right outside.
Flora deliberately made a frightened face, and Basilian bit his lower lip hard.
“Of course, there’s no way you’re not scared. But don’t worry. I’ll protect you.”
Even though you’re shaking like a leaf.
Humans were truly strange.
It must be instinct for a living being to want to protect the young.
But still, protecting someone even younger while you’re just a child yourself…
Flora sighed quietly to herself and shut her eyes.
To Basilian, it looked like she was closing her eyes to avoid the fear, and so he released one hand to grab the sword by the bed.
The mercenaries who had taken him in had scoffed at the idea of a child wielding a sword, accepting him only as an errand boy.
Though he’d never drawn it in battle, he had learned plenty from watching others.
The ruby-like red gem on the hilt gleamed as if it had been waiting for this moment.
Basilian drew the sword with one hand and pointed it at the entrance.
I have to protect her. That way we’ll both survive.
If a monster broke in, he was ready to charge forward and strike it down.
Meanwhile, Flora, unfazed, focused inward on her own body.
How much magic power can I use?
Peering into the depths of herself, she saw the size of the vessel holding her magic.
About the size of an adult’s teacup.
That would be enough to drive off five or six monsters.
No, with Basilian at risk, maybe just four. Ugh, still not enough magic.
Though her magic filled the vessel to the brim, the vessel’s size hadn’t changed at all from before.
Still, since this is the Demon Forest, my magic should recover quickly.
Silence hung between the two children, each lost in their own thoughts.
After a long while, the monsters’ cries began to fade, while the voices of men grew louder and more confident.
“Sounds like it’s wrapping up.”
Hearing the mercenaries start calling out orders, Basilian finally let out a sigh of relief and lowered his sword.
At that very moment, a great scream echoed through the forest.
The once still ground thudded as if giant stones were being slammed into it.
Screams, cries of “danger!” and “block it!” filled the air, growing closer and closer.
Just as Basilian raised his sword again—
Wow.
A violent gust of wind ripped through the barrack, blowing it away entirely.
A guttural growl sounded right before them.
Basilian’s sword arm shook uncontrollably.
Before them stood a monster in the shape of a rotting tree.
It was three times larger than Basilian’s body.
Atop the wooden trunk was something like a human face—eyes, nose, and mouth contorted into a grin that stretched wide upon spotting the two children.
Around them lay mercenaries who had already been struck down trying to stop it.
The monster lashed its long, root-like tendrils in the air, staring at the children with a mocking expression.
That thing…?
The sight of a monster mocking him hit Basilian like a blow to the head.
Flora stared hard at it, then admitted to herself that it was unlike any monster she knew.
It’s like those strange monsters… but not evolved. More like it’s been tainted somehow.
The monster radiated filthy, unpleasant energy, as though its pure magical core had been polluted with foul power.
Will my magic even work?
She figured she could at least disturb its focus, but not much more.
“Don’t worry. I-I’ll protect you.”
Though his voice shook with terror, he still refused to lower his sword.
Moonlight flashed along the blade’s edge at the same moment the monster’s roots lashed toward them.
We should just run.
Flora began gathering magic in her hands, intending to escape with Basilian.
But then—
Basilian suddenly pushed her back and charged toward the monster with reckless bravery.
“Run! Now!”
What kind of idiotic suicide attempt is this?!
That wasn’t just some mid-tier monster.
Realizing it was on another level entirely, Flora panicked and tried to grab Basilian, but her short arms couldn’t reach him.
“Y-you idiot!”
Her desperate cry didn’t reach him.
A massive root slammed into Basilian, sending his small body flying through the air in an arc before crashing against a tree trunk.
He fell limply to the ground.
Flora rushed toward him in horror.
“A-are you okay?”
“Urgh…”
Frustration twisted his face as he groaned in pain, humiliated at being unable to even scratch the monster.
I should just be glad he’s not dead.
The monster let out a gurgling laugh, drawing closer to the two.
Now that it had them as perfect targets, it was obvious it wouldn’t stop chasing even if they tried to flee.
“You… You have to run. At least you.”
Coughing harshly, Basilian tried to push Flora away.
“Hurry!”
