Chapter 3 – The Mysterious Appearance (Part 5)

After that incident, Fernan acted as if nothing had happened.

Ellerdin was being treated with utmost care by the servants of the Duke’s estate. She felt her body becoming lighter.

Feeling somewhat better, Ellerdin got out of bed and headed to the office for the first time in a while.

She sat in her familiar seat and began to review the documents in a proper posture.

It was a quiet and peaceful daily routine.

But then, a scream that seemed to tear the ears came from outside the window.

“Ahhhhh!”

Startled, Ellerdin jumped up and ran to the window.

When she went out to the balcony, she saw something moving far away in the forest.

Squinting her eyes, she saw that the densely standing trees were falling one by one.

‘That is…’

Huge monsters were gathering in one place.

They were breaking trees as if looking for something. Beside them were several broken carriages.

“Those are intruders.”

Celine, who had rushed over at Ellerdin’s startled cry, said in a calm tone.

She stared at the forest with emotionless eyes, as if she was familiar with this situation.

“Intruders? But I thought there was a barrier here…”

“Because of that barrier, there are foolish humans who mistakenly believe there is a great treasure hidden here.”

“How did they break the barrier-”

“Kyaaa!”

The monsters’ roars were so loud that Ellerdin’s voice could not be heard.

Turning her head towards the forest, she saw the monsters retreating with a sparkling light.

“There are humans among the capital wizards who can break barriers.”

“Mollek?”

At the familiar voice, Ellerdin and Celine turned around. He was smiling brightly, having entered unnoticed.

As Mollek and Celine had said, people occasionally intruded into the Duke’s estate.

They knew monsters existed, but because Fernan blocked them all, people outside the north had rarely seen them. Therefore, monsters were not a frightening presence to people.

As a result, people often hired wizards at great cost to break the barrier of the Duke’s estate.

However, what they encountered were not the splendid treasures, but the monsters lingering near the barrier, wanting to get out.

Seeing the enormous monsters for the first time, people panicked and screamed.

Only a few managed to regain their composure and attack. The hesitant ones were quickly eaten.

“Isn’t it dangerous if the barrier is broken?”

There must be a reason the barrier was put up.

“Well, what is there to worry about? The master will take care of it anyway.”

Mollek answered cheerfully. Celine was already brewing warm tea, having lost interest.

“There seems to be a rather clever human among them this time, but they will die soon, so you don’t need to worry.”

Ellerdin asked in a serious voice at Celine’s words.

“But we can’t be sure that those people are after the treasure. What if one of them has business with Fernan?”

At her words, Mollek and Celine’s actions stopped.

“Oh… I never thought of that.”

Mollek said, widening his eyes in interest.

“But who would have business in such a desolate place? The only people who come are occasionally the nobles sent by the Emperor. They don’t go to the trouble of breaking the barrier.”

Celine shook her head and poured the tea.

Suddenly, Ellerdin, listening to their conversation, realized that it had become quiet outside.

Mollek closed the balcony door and escorted her inside.

“The master will take care of it, so Madam, rest here.”

“Isn’t it dangerous? There are so many monsters…”

“Oh~ You know the master’s skills. We’d just be in the way if we went.”

Mollek laughed heartily.

Although she felt strangely uneasy, there was nothing she could do here.

Ellerdin glanced outside, now quiet, and sat down, Celine placing warm tea and cookies beside her.

“Thank you.”

Ellerdin smiled and picked up the documents in a proper posture as before.

Celine spoke so nonchalantly that Ellerdin pretended not to be affected, but her mind was entirely focused outside.

No matter how bad their intentions, it seemed too much that the price of intrusion was death.

They were probably someone’s family, and some might have entered out of necessity to survive.

‘This doesn’t seem right.’

Ellerdin clenched her hand. But this was the Duke’s estate, and there was nothing she could do.

In the end, Ellerdin forced herself to concentrate on the documents.

***

Fernan was in the forest behind the castle early in the morning.

He looked down at the dense forest from high in the sky.

‘That spot seems good.’

The location was just right.

Having made up his mind, Fernan descended to the forest floor in an instant.

He planned to create a space for Ellerdin here.

He wanted to make a small glass greenhouse and a large lake in the middle of a wide field. For that, he needed space.

Fernan looked around the forest and swung his arm horizontally with a short breath.

There was a sound of air being displaced.

In an instant, a radius of about 3 km around him was emptied. The grass underfoot remained, but the trees blocking the view had disappeared, roots and all.

‘I won’t be able to see her today.’

Fernan looked down at himself. His feet were covered in black fur and scales, and his body was in a form far from human.

‘Now that the space is made.’

It was time to eliminate the nearby monsters.

Of course, he would set up a barrier much stronger than the one outside, but since Ellerdin’s presence attracted monsters, he had to be doubly cautious.

Moreover, the outer barrier was deliberately weakened to make it easier to kill monsters. At that moment, human screams were heard.

‘This is an opportunity.’

When humans broke the barrier and entered, the monsters trying to get out gathered in one place. Using this, it was easy to kill the monsters.

It was almost impossible to roam the vast north and kill all the monsters, so Fernan often used situations like this to deal with them.

Heading towards the source of the screams, he saw humans and monsters confronting each other.

“Hmm…”

Fernan folded his wings and sat on a tree, quietly watching them.

The battle between the wizards and the monsters was already over, and only one man remained standing on the human side. Meanwhile, monsters continued to swarm from the distant forest.

‘He doesn’t seem to be a wizard.’

Fernan looked at the man trembling alone.

The man’s death was only a matter of time. Thinking it would be a tedious time, Fernan turned his head without thinking.

‘!!!’

Far away, he saw Ellerdin on the balcony. Her white blonde hair shimmered in the sunlight.

Moved by the sight, Fernan moved unconsciously, causing a branch to fall over the man.

Startled by the falling branch, the man looked up.

The man was shocked to see the Duke in his monstrous form, but soon began to cry, clinging to the tree.

“Please save me, please.”

‘Is he so scared that he can’t distinguish between illusion and reality?’

Fernan looked down at the man in bewilderment.

He thought his appearance was no different from a monster. Yet, this man believed he could communicate with him.

The man knew that this monstrous figure was his lifeline. Although half in the form of a monster, the other half was still human.

Perhaps this person had intruded into the Duke’s estate like him and was cursed.

Moreover, he hadn’t heard of anyone entering the north in the past few months, so the man in front of him must have been someone who had entered long ago and survived until now.

‘I shouldn’t have followed recklessly!’

The man, Liam, regretted as he cried. He couldn’t die here.

Liam, who prided himself on being a genius because he had learned both architecture and magic, had to be content with the powerless profession of a merchant simply because he was a poor commoner.

He had been deceived by the wizards’ words that he could make money through this task, leading to this disaster.

However, Liam believed that one day he would be recognized for his abilities and live a prosperous life with his family, so he couldn’t die today.

Seeing Fernan unmoving, Liam hurriedly grabbed his trouser leg.

“Please save me! I’ll do anything. Please, I beg you. I have a young sister. She’ll die without me.”

Fernan looked at him silently.

Should I save him, or not?

When Fernan met his eyes, Liam gasped and froze. 

Liam knew that look well. It was the look of someone contemplating what to do. 

“I can use magic! And I’m strong, so I can do anything. I also have a lot of saved money. I was a merchant, so I have solid connections.” 

Liam listed several advantages, but he failed to pique Fernan’s interest. 

At that moment, the monsters, who had been hesitating due to Fernan’s presence, began to approach one by one. Seeing this, Liam shouted frantically with a pale face. 

“I am very discreet and won’t say a word. I’m fine being locked up somewhere! Or do you perhaps need a new house? I’m good at building houses!” 

“…A house?” 

Fernan showed interest in Liam’s last words. Succeeding in capturing Fernan’s interest, Liam hurriedly nodded. 

“I have built several houses in the capital. Moreover, some lady liked the greenhouse I designed so much that she paid me several times more.” 

A greenhouse, huh. 

‘I do have a design in mind, but…’ 

That man from the capital might be better suited to Ellerdin’s taste than himself. 

At that moment, the monsters opened their mouths and lunged at Liam. 

“Eek!” 

Liam tightly closed his eyes and covered his head with his arms. 

And at that moment, with a sensation as if the air had disappeared, all noise vanished. 

“Huh… uh…?” 

Liam slowly lowered his arms, squinting. The monsters that had been swarming moments ago had turned into white ash as if they had dried up and died. 

“How, how did this happen…?” 

Liam stammered, unable to grasp the situation. 

“Human, if you follow that path, you’ll see a castle. The butler will guide you, so wait there.” 

A beastly voice, not a human one, followed. Liam looked up and, seeing the remnants of terrifying magic power emanating from Fernan, his legs gave out, and he collapsed. 

Fernan, who had been in a half-human, half-monster form, had fully transformed into a demon. Red eyes hidden beneath fur and scales stared at Liam. 

“Tell Ellerdin I’ll be back the next day.” 

With that, Fernan disappeared beyond the forest. 

Liam, left alone, stared blankly in the direction he had disappeared. 

‘Ellerdin… who is that?’