Chapter 4 – Encounter with a Demon (Part 3)

Knock, knock. When she opened the door, Liam was standing there.

“Liam? What’s going on?”

Ellerdin asked curiously. He smiled brightly and answered.

“Please take care of me from now on! Madam! I’ve become the first resident of this estate!”

Ellerdin happily grabbed his hand at his words.

“Really? Congratulations! Please take care of me too. I’ll work hard to make it a good estate.”

“Oh no, Madam, just your presence is enough strength for us.”

Ellerdin burst into laughter at his cheerful words. After greeting, Liam bowed his head.

“Then I’ll go bring my sister who is waiting outside.”

“You have a sister? Be careful and come back together.”

Ellerdin smiled and waved.

***

‘Why isn’t he coming?’

Ellerdin, who had eventually started eating alone after waiting for him, looked at the empty seat.

It was long past dinner time, but Fernan was still nowhere to be seen.

He wasn’t the type to not show up without a word; could something have happened?

Ellerdin finally put down her utensils and called for Mollek.

“You called for me?”

Mollek approached with his usual smiling face.

“Where is Fernan?”

“Ah, the master said something came up. He should be back by tomorrow. Don’t worry.”

Mollek answered with a laugh.

Ellerdin hid her disappointment and nodded with a forced smile.

After finishing her meal alone, Ellerdin was about to go up to her room but instead took a candle and went outside the castle.

Since she was going to look at the night sky, she wanted to see it from the greenhouse he had gifted her. As she walked towards the garden and looked up at the sky, it was particularly dark tonight, and the stars were shining brightly.

‘Maybe I can see the Milky Way.’

Ellerdin walked quickly to the garden with excited steps.

“Oh my.”

Entering the garden, Ellerdin couldn’t close her mouth at the sight.

The dark sky was already filled with countless stars forming the Milky Way.

The cluster of stars sparkled green, and fireflies flew around the field, emitting light.

Enchanted by the beautiful scenery, she walked through the garden in a daze.

It was quite enjoyable to walk while recalling the places Fernan had escorted her to in the morning.

Ellerdin tilted her head and looked into the lake.

Stars had already poured into the clear lake.

It felt like she could catch the stars, as the lake was filled with them.

Ellerdin put the candle down beside her and knelt, putting her hand into the water. The ripples spread gently across the lake’s surface.

Suddenly, she felt an inexplicable urge to go in.

She reminded herself not to act on impulse, but her eyes were already scanning the surroundings.

Having never entered the water without permission, even dipping her feet made her hesitate.

As she glanced around, something caught her eye. She stared intently into the forest with a serious expression.

Something distorted was visible inside the forest.

Although she knew she should return to the castle without approaching it, her heart felt otherwise.

An odd sense that she must go there held her feet.

‘Strange.’

Since coming here, Ellerdin had done things she had never done before. Unfamiliar impulses kept arising.

Her actions so far hadn’t yielded good results and were full of regrets, but she found herself moving again.

Ellerdin took the candle and slowly entered the dark forest.

***

“Grrr.”

Fernan’s body began to slowly transform into a demon. Black fur and scales covered his entire body. His arms grew massive, and his claws became thick and long like a beast’s. His legs shortened and were hidden under thick fur.

His whole body ached as if it was breaking apart.

The entire forest was silent as if sensing his presence. There were no sounds of animals or insects. Even the wind was quiet, with only a giant monster standing in the forest.

And then, he heard the sound of grass being stepped on from behind.

Fernan flinched and turned around.

‘How?’

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

How was Ellerdin here? How did she find me? 

He had set up a barrier to prevent anyone from finding him.

Beyond the softly glowing candlelight, he saw Ellerdin’s pale face.

Her blood-red pupils were looking at him.

“Ah….”

Thud, the candle in Ellerdin’s right hand fell to the ground.

As soon as the light between them disappeared, Fernan quickly turned his head.

His current appearance was enough to scare her.

He felt her breath trembling slightly in the wind. She was afraid of him.

The realization twisted Fernan’s face.

He knew in his head that it was natural, but his heart wouldn’t calm down. His heart tightened with anxiety.

He couldn’t bring himself to look at her face. He feared her eyes would be filled with contempt and fear.

As he felt her hand approaching, Fernan kicked off the ground and started running away. He needed a place to hide from her quickly.

Fernan began to search the forest for a cave. His heart pounded as if it would burst. He kept feeling like she was chasing him from behind.

As he ran frantically, he saw an empty space under a large tree in the distance.

“Grrr.”

Fernan groaned softly from the pain of his twisting bones and hurried into the dark cave. Sharp scales pierced his skin and scratched the cave walls.

Dust fell with each movement. He needed to go deeper.

He didn’t want to see the light outside. Seeing the light felt like his eyes would burn.

He pushed his body deep into the cave, breathing heavily.

Ellerdin reached out towards the monster running away. Her outstretched hand trembled violently.

‘He must be hurt.’

Ellerdin clasped her hands tightly. She didn’t mean to scare or hurt him.

She was just surprised by the unfamiliar being. The hurt look in his eyes wouldn’t leave her mind. But it was too late to chase after him.

If she had a bit more courage, this wouldn’t have happened.

She knew she should return to the castle, but her feet wouldn’t move.

In the end, Ellerdin stood there for a long time, unable to turn back or move forward, just staring at the path he had taken.

***

“Madam! Where have you been!”

“Sorry. I lost track of time while taking a walk.”

“You should wear thicker clothes when you go out.”

Celine, upset, held Ellerdin’s cold hands.

Ellerdin awkwardly smiled and followed her back into the castle.

Back in her room with the warm milk Celine handed her, she thought of the monster she had seen earlier.

Thinking of the sorrowful eyes of the monster, Ellerdin slowly fell asleep.

***

That night, Ellerdin had a dream.

She was a girl living in a small rural estate.

Her legs were full of energy, her heart was filled with confidence, and her eyes were bright.

Ellerdin always ran around playing pranks on the villagers.

The villagers laughed heartily at her pranks, calling her a mischievous child.

Every day was happy and filled with love.

But there was one place the villagers told her never to go. It was the forest on the hill of the village; they said it was fine to play there in the morning but never to enter at night.

In her dream, Ellerdin listened well to their words, but one day, she suddenly wanted to go to the forest at night.

So she left a note saying she was going to the forest and snuck out of the village alone in the dark night.

Standing in front of the dark forest beyond the blue hill, Ellerdin stepped forward with a pounding heart.

“This is boring.”

Ellerdin kicked a stone at her feet.

For a trip that adults had warned her about, it was quite boring. As she turned around in boredom, a black object came into her view.

Ellerdin’s eyes sparkled as she hid behind a tree.

“Oh my….”

The black object was something other than a human. Her eyes sparkled at the sight of the unfamiliar creature. The black monster seemed to be looking around for something.

At that moment, the sound of grass rustling behind her startled the monster, making it turn around.

“Hehe, hello?”

Ellerdin waved her hand with a bright smile. The monster seemed flustered by her sudden appearance and looked around.

“What’s your name?”

As she approached with a smile, the monster hesitated and stepped back.

Every step Ellerdin took forward, the monster took a step back. Then, when its back touched a tree and it realized there was no more room to retreat, it suddenly bared its fangs and began growling.

“It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Ellerdin tried to calm it down as she slowly approached.

The monster growled fiercely but then seemed flustered again as she didn’t back off and crouched down.

Just before her outstretched hand could touch the monster, it quickly turned to the side and started running away.

“Wait!”

As she hastily stretched out her arm, her fingers brushed the tips of the monster’s fur.

Before she knew it, the monster was already far away. But there was no reason to just stand there watching.

Her legs were strong enough now.

‘I have to chase it.’

The image of Ellerdin as a girl quickly returned to her original form.

Ellerdin stomped her foot hard and chased after it.

“Fernan!”

At her shout, the monster stopped running.

Ellerdin quickly ran to the monster and hugged it tightly.

Then she buried her face in its chest. It felt like the fur of Fer.