* * *
He rolled on the ground, wide-eyed as if he couldn’t believe how easily he’d been tossed aside.
“S-Still…!”
“If he was taken in there, then it’s only natural that I go in to bring him back, right?”
Clang, clang—!
I deflected another knight’s strikes, and when his guard broke, I shoved him aside with my shoulder, tripped the next one with my foot, and hoisted the one behind him by the waist to throw him.
Of course, if I used my blade properly, things would be even easier.
It wouldn’t be hard to control my strength so I didn’t kill them.
But no matter my goal, I didn’t want to spill their blood.
Clang—!
The last blade I clashed with was the Knight Commander’s.
As expected, he was much sturdier than the others.
He met my eyes head-on, unwavering.
That unshakable resolve told me clearly—he had no intention of backing down, even against me.
He was exactly the type of man fit to protect this place.
“Don’t forget—I won the hunting tournament.”
“…!”
How many times had I said that already?
I wished the words alone were enough to open the way.
But of course, he only grit his teeth and held his ground.
Our blades kept colliding.
But as experienced as he was, I’d honed my body through countless battles.
His weakness was surprisingly easy to spot—his defense was poor on the lower right.
Clang—!
“Guh!”
When I struck the ground with all my strength, the knight commander’s hand visibly trembled.
His drained power didn’t return instantly.
In that case, all I had to do was concentrate on his weakened points.
“Lord Adrian!”
“Please, calm down…!”
It seemed the rumors about my frailty had spread well, even to here.
The knights around me looked anxious, as if I might collapse at any moment.
Had they completely forgotten who just knocked all of them down?
I even lifted one of them and threw him.
The commander’s face turned pale—though for a different reason.
Clang!
With the final blow of my continued assault, I brought my sword down with all my might.
At last, the solid defense he’d maintained crumbled.
As his sword dropped, nearly touching the ground, he urgently lifted his head.
I met his eyes and gave him a bright smile.
“If I go inside, make sure this yarn doesn’t break.”
“…What?!”
Pushing his wide-eyed self aside, I dashed straight in.
The entrance was surrounded by a simple fence, meant for nobles and travelers who came to sightsee the forest.
I leapt over it easily and shouted:
“You know what happens if I get hurt, right?”
Of course, this fence wasn’t the forest’s only line of defense.
According to the books, there was also a defensive spell that would activate a steel gate in emergencies.
Apparently, it could be triggered easily from the watchtower.
My shout was a warning about that.
If it activated while I was running, I’d crash right into it.
Naturally, I wouldn’t be able to stop in time—and I’d get seriously injured.
“Lord Adrian!”
“Please come back! It’s dangerous!”
“And don’t spread this around! I’ll come back with Klen!”
Hurting someone bearing the names of Valuncio and Caldrich—even by accident—is no trivial matter.
Unless it was some untraceable assassination, it’d be a disaster.
They knew that too.
So the entire time I ran through the gorge, none of the security mechanisms were activated.
Not even a single arrow flew my way.
After crossing the long ravine, I finally stepped into the forest.
“…!”
Seeing it from the outside and actually walking inside were entirely different experiences.
At the entrance, I had spotted some unusual plants, but now, things I’d never even seen near the edges were all around me—strange and unique flora.
Moss coated the rocks, and unfamiliar mushrooms of various shapes and colors sprouted everywhere.
But even though the trees were densely packed, the place wasn’t dark or eerie.
The atmosphere was warm and bright overall.
Even though I’d read the novel’s descriptions, seeing it firsthand felt completely different.
Some things can’t be captured in writing.
Except for one line… which fit perfectly.
“It feels like stepping into a fairytale.”
Like the kind of scenery you’d find in a children’s storybook.
I shut my eyes tightly and snapped them open, trying to shake off the comforting, heartwarming sensation.
I needed to stay alert.
This was the domain of spirits and divine beasts—a place where anything could happen.
More than anything, finding Klen was my top priority.
I checked the yarn in my hand.
I gave it a slight tug—it held taut, with no feeling of slack or pull.
“Doesn’t seem like it’ll break.”
Carrying a drawn sword in the domain of divine beasts might be seen as a threat, so I sheathed it and walked deeper into the woods.
Just doing that made it feel like I’d entered a maze with no exit.
If I turned my head, I felt I might lose all sense of direction.
This thread was now my lifeline.
The forest was relatively friendly to the protagonist, but how would it treat someone completely unrelated?
“Should I avoid calling his name out loud?”
In this quiet place, where only the rustling of leaves could be heard, any loud voice would echo far.
But… that might be exactly the thing I needed to avoid.
Not a single animal or insect sound in this lush forest.
It was as if the entire forest was watching me.
Chirp—
“Huh?”
As I cautiously walked, a bird flew in and perched on a branch.
It fluttered its wings like grooming itself, then gave a small hop in place.
“…”
I found myself turning toward it without realizing.
‘No, no, that’s not right.’
There was no guarantee it was an ordinary bird.
And it was suspicious—an animal suddenly appearing in a forest that had been silent until now?
“…”
Still, I couldn’t tear my eyes away.
I couldn’t help it.
It was so small, so cute—and it had a vivid blue color.
When I took a step toward it, as if it had been waiting, the bird fluttered off to another branch ahead.
It tilted its head adorably, scattering all my suspicions.
From the way it was trying to lead me forward, this had to be a trap.
No—without a doubt, it was a trap.
And yet, my feet still followed the bird.
“It’ll be fine, right?”
Who could ignore a bird like that fluttering in front of them?
If I ignored it, I’d remember it for the rest of my life.
Besides, weren’t bluebirds a symbol of hope?
“Even if it’s a trap, I can just run away, right?”
Shedding blood in the domain of a divine beast was the most dangerous thing of all.
My best bet was to avoid harming anything and run.
Chirp chirp—
As I followed, the bird chirped sweetly, like it was praising me for doing the right thing.
Even I could feel it—we were heading deeper into the forest.
And yet, there was no sense of dread.
The air and the surroundings were so warm, my initial tension began to melt away.
The lack of any other creatures had also lowered my guard.
How long had I been walking?
Chirp! Chirp!
Suddenly, the bird cried out loudly and flew off in a flash.
I rushed after it.
The trees still surrounded me, but under one of the slightly larger ones—
I saw a human figure.
“Klen!”
Klen was slumped against the tree trunk, eyes closed.
I quickly approached and placed a hand on the back of his neck.
“Whew.”
As I felt the strong pulse beating against my fingers, I let out a deep breath.
Only then did I realize I had been holding it this whole time.
“He’s just sleeping.”
In this fairytale-like setting, his peacefully sleeping figure had not even a hint of tension.
He truly looked like… the one sleeping in the forest.
Crunch—
SCREEEE!
That moment, a giant worm burst out of the ground.
Far larger than any I’d seen outside the forest.
It opened its gaping mouth, looming over me, clearly intending to swallow me whole.
“Ah… So it was a trap?”
I immediately grabbed Levatein.
I hadn’t even gotten to kiss the sleeping beauty awake—and this thing dares interrupt?
Monsters really have no manners.
Levatein gleamed sharply, ready to slice the creature in half.
But before I could swing it, hesitation struck—
“Can I use weapons in the forest? This isn’t a divine beast, it’s a monster—so it should be okay to kill it, right? But what if the divine beasts or spirits smell the blood and come running? Will I even be able to explain myself?”
All kinds of thoughts were clouding my mind, but right now, my own life was in immediate danger.
And beyond that, so was Klen’s—he was still sleeping behind me.
“……”
That thought made the decision easier.
First, I had to bring it down.
Whatever came after—I’d deal with it then.
‘—Screeeee!’
* * *
