Chapter 105

Eched brought back red berries resembling grapes from the forest.

When she absentmindedly popped one into her mouth, her face twisted at the flavor, which was even sourer than lemons.

“These berries are good for recovering from fatigue, so you should eat them.”

However, Eched himself didn’t touch them.

‘That’s right. He doesn’t like sour or sweet things.’

Still, if they were good for recovery, she couldn’t let him miss out on something so beneficial.

“Ah.”

She plucked a handful of berries from the branch and held them out to Eched.

Whether it was instinct or something else, Eched accepted what she offered, even though he disliked the taste. Of course, his face scrunched up as he chewed the sour berries.

After their brief break, they resumed climbing the mountain. Unlike the morning, they didn’t encounter any monsters.

That evening, without a suitable cave to use, they had to camp outdoors.

Unlike the previous night, their open surroundings forced Eched to stand guard while she conserved her strength by sleeping.

Five more days.

If they endured just that much longer, they would reach Haltonea Forest.

And so, the second day ended, and the next dawn broke.

***

Their early morning climb was interrupted before noon when they came across a group of goblins with green bodies in a swampy area.

Compared to other monsters, goblins were less aggressive and easier to hunt. However, as they lived in groups, their numbers were large, and their cunning nature required caution.

Eched and she held their breath, observing the goblins’ movements.

The nixie they had encountered the previous day was a monster that couldn’t move without water. The stream in the mountain range stopped midway, so as long as they blocked access to it, it wasn’t a significant threat.

But goblins were a different matter.

They seemed to have made this swamp their habitat for now, but there was no guarantee they wouldn’t venture out of the mountains.

Thus, they needed to be dealt with here and now.

There were around thirty goblins—challenging but not impossible for the two of them to handle.

She carefully drew her dagger, preparing to launch a surprise attack with Eched leading the charge.

But then…

“Kieeeek—!”

A piercing scream rang out from directly behind them. A small goblin had spotted them.

Too late. Eched swiftly dealt with it, but the damage was done.

The sound of many footsteps grew louder as the goblins charged at them.

From that moment, they were fully immersed in battle.

At first, the goblins fell easily, but their cunning nature soon showed as they began to fight back.

They used their numerical advantage, attacking with mud from the swamp and sturdy, elongated vines.

Monsters with intelligence were always the most troublesome to deal with. She even found herself longing for the straightforward aggression of other beasts.

Finally, after slaying the last goblin, silence returned to the swamp.

Panting heavily, she brushed off the muddy weeds thrown by the goblins.

The stagnant water in the swamp reeked of decay, making her want to jump into a river to wash off immediately.

But that thought quickly vanished as they left the swamp.

Another monster attack awaited them as soon as they exited the area.

Unlike the previous day, this day was proving to be extremely arduous.

At this rate, she thought, they might not even make it to Haltonea Forest before succumbing.

‘Will the reinforcements ever arrive?’

She swung her sword desperately, clinging to the faint hope that help was on its way.

***

The news of monsters emerging from Haltonea Forest reached the imperial palace the evening of the day Shaterian and Eched had met.

A monster subjugation force was assembled immediately, but only 70% of the assigned personnel could head toward Haltonea Forest.

The dark streets of the capital were lit only by the flickering flames of torches.

High above, several wyverns soared through the sky.

Screams filled the air as blood stained the streets.

It was a grim reminder of how miraculous it had been that monsters hadn’t reached the capital two years prior.

For now, only winged monsters had appeared, but it was only a matter of time before land-based creatures followed.

The subjugation force heading to Haltonea Forest was delayed as they had to fight off monsters along the way.

Orgon, who had just slain a harpy preying on a monster’s corpse, looked up at the now-clear sky.

He couldn’t shake off his unease throughout the journey to Haltonea Forest.

When assembling the subjugation force, Orgon’s first priority had been finding Shaterian.

But Kirin informed him that Shaterian hadn’t returned to the ducal residence that evening.

Orgon had then gone to Pell’s house and knocked on the door.

Startled by the unexpected visitor, Pell blinked in confusion.

‘When was the last time you saw Terry?’

‘If you mean the Chief… I saw her briefly in the morning at the office. She said she was going to meet you, Crown Prince, but she hasn’t returned since.’

Morning. Orgon recalled seeing Shaterian on the first floor of the main palace that morning.

‘But something felt off. She was wearing her robe, which is normal for work, but the backpack she was carrying made her look like she was heading somewhere far. She also mentioned it might take a few days.’

Only then did Orgon realize how unusual Shaterian had seemed that morning.

It was as if she had planned to meet him there.

Orgon looked down at his hands absentmindedly.

Occasionally, he felt as though someone else was borrowing his body. This incident seemed to confirm it.

But why would someone use my body to arrange a meeting with Terry…?

Orgon felt a chill run down his spine.

‘Terry, you’re not planning something dangerous again, are you?’

‘Dangerous? Not at all. That’s why you and I were supposed to…’

Could it be that Terry had gone to where the monsters were?

‘But how…’

Orgon pressed his lips into a thin line.

If someone had borrowed his body, it could only have been a Goddess. And if it was the Goddess’s doing, there was no point in overthinking it.

After all, divine intervention was beyond human comprehension.

In any case, it seemed clear that whoever had borrowed his body had deliberately sent Shaterian into the monster-infested forest.

Determined to confirm this for himself, Orgon set out for the forest.

Squelch—!

A monster collapsed with a single slash imbued with divine power.

The appearance of monsters that required divine energy to defeat indicated that they were far stronger than they had been two years ago.

“Move out.”

Orgon mounted his horse, gripped the reins, and spurred it forward.

He prayed that Shaterian, who often underestimated danger, wasn’t in the forest.

***

A salamander, resembling a massive lizard, spewed flames.

She barely dodged by rolling to the side, just as Eched cleaved the lizard’s head in two.

“Wow, that was close…!”

She let out a small sigh of relief.

When the fire-breathing monster had appeared, she had genuinely thought she was done for.

She looked around at the aftermath of the monster’s fiery attack.

Since they were on a rocky mountain, there was little risk of a forest fire, save for a few scorched patches of grass.

They had been walking diligently every day and had finally reached the summit.

Once they crossed this rocky mountain, they would be at the border of Haltonea Forest.

As they neared the forest, the monster attacks became relentless, leaving them sleep-deprived for the past three days.

After each attack, her heart would race, banishing any thoughts of sleep, only for exhaustion to return shortly after.

Rubbing the bridge of her nose, she asked a question that had just occurred to her.

“By the way, Eched, what do you plan to do once we reach Haltonea Forest?”

It felt a bit late to be asking this now.

“First, we’ll meet the reconnaissance team and assess the situation.”

Come to think of it, the reconnaissance team should have had a magical communication orb, but no messages had reached the palace.

Given that they were elite knights stationed on the front lines, it was unlikely they had been easily defeated.

She speculated that the orb might have been destroyed during a monster attack or some other unavoidable circumstance.

“If reinforcements from the palace have arrived, it would be best to join forces with them.”

Even Eched seemed to be struggling with the continuous night watches.

Noticing his slightly pale complexion, she nodded.

“Shaterian, if the reinforcements have arrived and the reconnaissance team is in good condition, you should return to the palace.”

His words left her incredulous.

“After coming all this way together, you still don’t understand?”

That she was stronger than she looked.

“I know you’re strong. But that doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want you in danger. I care about you.”

“Oh…”

The sudden confession caught her off guard.

Eched, who had always been reserved, expressed his feelings with such ease.

Hearing him say it out loud was entirely different from merely sensing it.

At this point, it was becoming harder to ignore her own feelings.

Her heart swelled with emotion, making it impossible to hold back her confession any longer.

Even though she knew it might be better not to say anything…

In the end, she said it anyway.

“On the contrary, I don’t want to send you into danger alone. I care about you, too. That’s why I worry.”