Farewell to the hero! chapter 37

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The time we lost due to the fog wasn’t short.

As soon as we finished reorganizing, we headed straight for the birch forest.

The forest marked the beginning of the Gayat Mountains, and it had a chilling atmosphere.

The dense trees concealed the interior from outsiders.

Even though it was already cold, the forest felt even cooler.

At least sunlight is coming through.

I looked up.

The fallen leaves had left gaps in the branches, allowing faint, pale sunlight to filter through.

Had it been the thick summer foliage, even this little sunlight wouldn’t have made it in.

Feeling a bit more at ease with the light, I tightened my grip around Kaindel’s waist.

Even after entering the forest, Kaindel ran for a long time before gradually slowing down.

Stopping the horse, he looked back at Sehir, who was following closely behind.

“This whole place can’t be Mother’s nest.”

“Yeah.”

“Any idea where the nest is?”

Kaindel was repeating what had already been established, and Sehir nodded.

“We know Mother lives at the entrance of the Gayat Mountains, but the exact location of the nest is still unclear.”

“And the shape of the nest?”

“The shape of the nest…”

Sehir trailed off and glanced at me. His eyes begged for help.

I shook my head slightly.

I had no idea what the nest looked like either.

Whenever the guests talked about Mother, they simply referred to it as “the nest.”

All I knew was that Mother had a nest and kept unhatched eggs there.

Kaindel’s gaze swept the area, his eyes calmly observing the scenery of trees and fallen leaves as if they were something rare and precious.

The corners of his mouth slowly lifted.

“Troublesome.”

His playful tone made the gravity of the situation seem much lighter.

Here we were, in the middle of Mother’s territory, without knowing the exact location of his nest or even what it looked like.

It was a situation that could be called the worst, but Kaindel smiled.

Seeing his calm demeanor somehow eased the tension gnawing at my insides.

Then it happened.

Daniel, who had been quietly watching the flock of birds overhead, stretched out his hand and caught a falling navy feather.

“There’s something to the east.”

At his words, Ruen turned to look east.

She furrowed his brow, as if trying to identify whatever was there.

“A large bird. It’s sleeping.”

“Describe it in more detail.”

“Its body is entirely black, and its claws… If you get caught by those, you’d die instantly. And its eyes… are red…”

Ruen listed off the bird’s characteristics, but then his words halted.

Silence lingered for a few seconds.

Her eyelids moved slowly.

Her focus, scattered at first, sharpened as if he couldn’t believe what he had seen.

His gaze locked onto the large bird to the east.

Then, in a slow, drawling voice, he murmured.

“Red… eyes?”

He repeated the word, his tone unclear.

Her mouth opened and closed as if gasping for air.

A puff of breath escaped through the gap.

Her next words ended in a question.

At the same time, Ruen’s expression shifted.

The drowsiness that had been clinging to his face fell away, and his previously languid eyes suddenly became serious.

He furrowed his brow.

“Its eyes are open. Damn it, that bird’s awake.”

“Did you even listen to Essi? Mother hunts during the day, too.”

“But, still…”

Ruen bit his lip at Owen’s indifferent response, the urgency in his voice fading between his teeth.

His face was tense, showing an unusual loss of composure, a look of utter confusion spreading across it.

It seemed he had so much to say but couldn’t decide where to begin.

I watched his closely. It wasn’t like Ruen to hesitate like this, and it bothered me.

From what I knew, Mother being awake during the day wasn’t an issue at all.

He wasn’t affected by sunlight, so he hunted both day and night.

As long as we were careful, we should be able to leave this forest without any problems.

But why…?

A growing sense of unease crept in.

Ruen’s distress was obvious.

It seemed Mother’s looming presence, invisible to me from the east, was gnawing at him.

Even when the goblins appeared, or when we saw the bodies of the wizards, Ruen had been unbothered.

But now, he was unusually shaken.

Why?

As certainty crumbled, doubt began to take root.

I was about to ask his if he was okay, trying to ignore the creeping sense of doom, when Kaindel turned to me and spoke.

“Didn’t they say that as long as we don’t attack first, Mother won’t make a move?”

“…Yeah.”

I gripped the hem of his cloak tightly, my head shaking slightly as my confidence wavered.

Even answering briefly felt like a struggle.

Sensing my anxiety, Kaindel gently patted the back of my hand.

“Well then…”

“Hey, hey, hey.”

Before he could finish, Ruen interrupted urgently, steering his horse closer to Kaindel.

His gaze remained fixed on Mother.

“Mother’s watching us. Are we really just supposed to stay still?”

“What?”

“She’s been watching us the whole time. Mother, directly at us.”

Ruen emphasized the strange behavior of Mother to Kaindel.

His pale face conveyed every subtle movement of Mother with growing dread.

“Her wings… damn it, she’s spread his wings. I’d bet my arm she’s going to fly straight at us now. And are we sure she’s not a top-tier monster? he looks nothing like any of the high-level monsters I’ve ever seen.”

“Calm down for now.”

Kaindel tried to soothe Ruen as he frantically spoke, but he, too, shifted his stance, his gaze locking on the direction of Mother.

The casual air he had before was now gone, replaced with a tense readiness.

“We need to split up and run. Mother can’t focus on just one group.”

He raised his hand, gauging the direction of the wind, before glancing at Sehir.

“Sehir, do you remember where the cave was on the map?”

“I remember. Should we meet there?”

“Yes, try to make it there before sunset. I’ll do the same.”

Sehir quickly caught on to what Kaindel was suggesting after a moment’s thought.

Kaindel, seemingly satisfied with the seamless conversation, gave a slight smile and nodded toward Owen and Daniel, who were waiting quietly.

“Ruen and Daniel will go with Sehir, and Owen will come with me.”

“Understood.”

“Got it.”

As soon as Kaindel’s instructions were given, Owen and Daniel responded immediately.

With the plan in place, the horses that had been standing still began to move swiftly.

At first, we all galloped together, but we split into two groups near a grove of birch trees.

As planned, Ruen and Daniel followed Sehir’s lead, while Owen followed behind Kaindel.

The cold winter air brushed against my cheeks as it passed by.

The landscape was an endless parade of birch trees, flying by without time to linger.

I nervously fidgeted with my fingers, feeling a weight settle on my shoulders as if I’d ruined everything.

I couldn’t help but think that maybe, just maybe, I had been wrong.

That variables could always arise, but now that they had, my mind was in disarray.

It felt like I was being swallowed by quicksand, slowly sinking deeper.

“Who in their right mind would believe such nonsense? Mother hunts during the day? he only attacks intruders who threaten his children? Some imagination you’ve got there.”

Ruen’s voice echoed in my mind.

I thought I had overcome it, but perhaps some residue still remained.

The pressure in my chest was suffocating. I had let one successful moment get to my head.

Just because others believed in me, I thought I was something more.

But in the end, I was nothing.

I belonged in a kitchen, not on a horse.

A mop suited me more than a map.

Maybe if I hadn’t told Kaindel about Mother…

Regret hit me hard.

If I hadn’t given him that information, he could’ve been better prepared to face Mother before entering the forest.

We wouldn’t have to be running for our lives from his now.

I stared at the golden hair in front of me and muttered under my breath.

“Kaindel, I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“This is all happening because the information I gave you was wrong.”

“Ah…”

Kaindel smiled lightly at my apology.

He pulled the reins tighter, leaning forward as if to pick up speed.

“Essi, there are always variables.”

“But…”

“Think of this as just another one.”

Another variable, he said.

It was a familiar phrase.

I rested my forehead against his back, trying to keep my expression in check.

It was no comfort at all.

“The mist wasn’t a variable.”

“The mist wasn’t, but this could be.”

“That’s right. Maybe he just got hungry and is acting out. After all, it’s nearly impossible for humans to perfectly understand the behavior of monsters.”

Owen chimed in, his voice filled with laughter.

It seemed he had overheard my conversation with Kaindel from the very beginning.

I glanced cautiously at Owen.

To my relief, there wasn’t a trace of blame in his eyes, despite my earlier worries.

Feeling reassured, I let out a breath of relief, and Kaindel chuckled softly.

His shoulders shook lightly.

“Well, it looks like she’s coming our way.”

Kaindel hummed to himself, throwing a glance over his shoulder as he added, “So stop worrying about what’s already happened, and focus on how we’re going to get out of this.”

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