I Picked Up an Abandoned Villain in the Polar Region

Episode 42

 

As they went deeper into the forest, the surroundings became more and more quiet, as if they were cut off from the world, and the atmosphere became so still that it seemed as if not even air was flowing.

The conifers, which stretched high toward the sky, became denser and denser. Each one stood at a height that was both wondrous and fearful.

They stood like guardian deities, looking down on those who entered the forest.

As Kyle and Brody walked, their legs gradually lost strength. They felt as if they were being oppressed by the energy of the forest, as if their energy was being drained.

It felt as if the forest was sapping their strength, as if warning them that they should not go any further.

Shiloh led them through a tunnel formed by arches of trees covered with snow.

Brody, who was the last to enter the tunnel, looked back.

Then the trees began to move slowly on their own, closing the entrance they had come through as if closing a door.

Brody’s face lit up with surprise.

The ruler of the forest of Ennea was a witch. It seemed that she had also breathed magic into this forest.

After passing through the tunnel, the forest appeared again. It was no different from the forest they had passed through, but there was a smell that had not been there before.

It was the smell of a territory sign indicating that it was private property that no one was allowed to enter. And soon after, the owners of this territory showed up.

“Shiloh?”

The owner of the voice that came out of nowhere was on top of a tree.

“Whoa!”

Brody was startled when she spotted a white fox looking down at them from a high tree and clung to Kyle’s leg.

It was a scout and not just one as more white foxes resembling Shiloh appeared around them.

They immediately recognized their successor who had left for Asgard to save their leader, Eileen, and approached him.

“Oh my goodness, Shiloh! You’re back safe and sound!”

However, the scouts who were running hastily stopped the moment they saw the wolf standing behind Shiloh.

“Why is there a wolf…?”

Their faces were filled with wariness. Shiloh opened his mouth to tell them there was no need to worry.

“I brought this guest myself.”

“Is he a guest?”

Shiloh’s words made the scouts slightly lower their guard, but they still had their doubts.

“Didn’t you say that it wasn’t a wolf you were going to bring, but an Asgardian rabbit?”

Shiloh gestured towards Kyle’s leg as the scouts questioned him.

The scouts, who had been following his gaze with questioning expressions, opened their eyes wide when they saw a small piece of gum stuck to Kyle’s leg. ¹A gum🤣!! My stomach!

It was unexpected that the rabbit would be stuck to the wolf’s leg.

The scouts noticed that she was the Asgarian Clock Rabbit that Shiloh had captured and immediately stepped back.

Then, as if they thought the rabbit didn’t know its own situation, they quickly became polite.

“…You have brought a distinguished guest.”

A living sacrifice to save leader Eileen.

If the rabbit had known this fact, it would not have followed him like that.

Kyle snorted in laughter at the sight of the scouts gritting their teeth and pretending not to know a thing.

Then Shiloh, who was blushing beside him, spoke to the scouts.

“They already know the situation.”

As Shiloh headed in, he told the scouts that he had found a cure that would save their leader.

“So you’re saying that there’s no need to kill the Clock Rabbit to turn back time?”

The foxes who had decided to join this incredible mission of turning back three years to save the leader were delighted to hear the unexpected news.

They too were afraid of turning back time against the laws of nature.

But Shiloh quietly cautioned those with high expectations.

“It’s not certain yet.”

At the words, “We’ll have to try it first and see what happens,” the scouts’ faces visibly turned pale.

Then they quickly glanced at Brody with suspicious eyes and asked Shiloh.

“I wonder if that rabbit is lying to us about having a cure? Or maybe she’s just being sly because she doesn’t want to die.”

Brody’s ears perked up. There was nothing they could hide in front of a rabbit with its keen hearing.

She forgot how nervous she had been, and shouted at them for daring to treat her like a fraud like themselves.

“If I was doing all of this just because I did not want to die, would I have followed you here? You need to talk sense!”

Brody was shouting with her eyes wide open. Naturally, she continued to grumble and held onto Kyle’s leg.

Afterward, the foxes listened to Shiloh’s warning not to underestimate the rabbit and held back any remarks that might irritate her.

But once their doubts about Brody were resolved, this time their eyes turned to Kyle.

“But who is that wolf and why did he come with you?”

The foxes instinctively cowered because of the huge wolf that had been following them with a menacing gaze as if trying to attack someone.

Even though they had an advantage in their territory, it was difficult to ignore the differences in the hierarchy, raw strength, and weight class.

So, unlike when they were talking about Brody, they asked very carefully, and a simple answer came out from Shiloh who looked back at Kyle for a moment.

“He is the rabbit’s protection dog.”

They walked a little further into the forest with the scouts as their escort, and soon a village, where the White Fox Tribe had set up their home, appeared in front of them.

It was a village where spacious cylindrical tents made of coniferous branches from the forest were gathered together here and there to form a single village, similar to the yurts in which nomads live.

The people of the village and the leader’s relatives came out after hearing about Shiloh’s return to welcome him.

But Shiloh didn’t linger with them, as he took Brody and Kyle with him and headed straight to where his mother was.

Eventually, the three arrived at a large tent in the center of the village.

Because it was different from ordinary houses in size, it was immediately obvious that this was the leader’s residence.

Brody tried to ignore the pounding of her little heart as she and Kyle entered the tent.

The inside was dark. A few candles illuminated a large bedside, where an old woman with a hunched back and white hair sat. She was holding the hand of the person lying in bed, and as she heard a noise, she quietly spoke in a raspy voice.

“…You’re back.”

She was the witch who served the Ennea family. Recognizing Shiloh just by his presence, she slowly raised his head.

Shiloh was supposed to be welcomed, but the witch didn’t get up.

Brody, who recognized the old woman as a witch, realized that she was breathing life into the bedridden person through her hands.

Shiloh went straight to the bed and approached his mother who was lying there.

Brody also jumped up onto the chair by the bedside.

A woman was lying on the bed like a corpse. It was Eileen, the leader of the White Fox Tribe.

Her pale skin was bloodless and withered, with sunken eyes and parched lips.

She didn’t feel any life in her at all.

Her silver hair, which had been gorgeous when she was awake, was now disheveled and spread out on the pillow.

The only thing recognizable to tell that she was alife was the rough, hollow breath flowing out of the seemingly empty body.

She couldn’t believe that she had survived the past three years in this body. That alone was close to a miracle.

“Mom..”

Shiloh approached Eileen without hesitation, hugging her neck and rubbing his cheek against her cold face.

Brody, who had only seen his playful side, felt her heart ache as she witnessed him become a little child in front of his departing mother, sharing warmth with her.

He was the one who tried to kill her just a moment ago, but she couldn’t help but feel pity for Eileen lying in bed.

Her heart became heavy as she vividly imagined him going all the way to Asgard to save his mother, like a tiny spark that could be blown out by the wind at any moment.

Brody put down the bag she was carrying on her back and took out the bottle. There was no time to hesitate, nor did she have any desire to do so.

Shiloh stepped aside, wiping away the tears from his eyes as he saw Brody approaching.

Brody climbed onto the bed with the bottle of medicine and stood in front of Eileen.

Then she opened the vial of red cedar sap and poured it between her lips.

Those who had heard the story from the scouts and followed them to the leader’s quarters were standing outside the door and watching this scene.

As the medicine took effect and everyone held their breath, Eileen’s heavy breathing suddenly subsided.

Brody watched her breathing become weaker and clenched her fists in tension.

She knew that wasn’t the case, but she was worried that the medicine might not take effect immediately.

The tense atmosphere became suffocating.

At the moment when Brody was licking her dry lips with her tongue…

A short sigh escaped the lips of the witch who was sitting across from Eileen and holding her hand.

The witch frowned, her wrinkled forehead crumpled and her hands clenched.

It seemed that she was feeling the changes taking place inside Eileen’s body through the hands she was holding.

After a while, the witch raised her head with a hardened face, slowly opened her mouth, and looked into space through her droopy eyelids.

“b, breath….”

But she couldn’t continue speaking and remained silent for a while, holding the woman’s hand as if to check again.

The witch, who had them waiting for a long time, soon spoke to Shiloh.

“I can feel her breath… stabilizing….”

For the past three years, Eileen’s energy has been volatile, like a dying ember.

But the moment the medicine spread through Eileen’s body, the witch felt as if the wick of the once fragile fire was gaining strength.

The energy that had been weakening along with her began to feel clear again.

After hearing the witch’s words, Shiloh let out the breath he had been holding. Then, as if his strength had been relieved, he sat down and buried his face in the nape of Eileen’s neck.

Those who had been standing outside the door also came in and shared words of comfort and consolation with the revived leader.

Brody gave them a seat, then got down from her chair and walked over to Kyle.

Kyle just sat there with a blank expression on his face, even though he was seeing a miracle right before his eyes.

“Did you use all of that?”

“I only had a small bottle.”

Kyle clicked his tongue as if it was a shame as Brody answered with a laugh.

Brody smiled helplessly at Kyle being like that.

“Don’t be sorry. Even if it was there, you wouldn’t have used it anyway.”

“How do you know whether there will be any use for it or not?”

Brody smiled at his curt response.

“I’m here by your side. I’ll turn back time and stop you before you get hurt. What are you worried about?”