“Never fall behind me.”
Theodore issued a stern warning before entering. I unconsciously nodded my head in response to his solemn voice.
As I nodded, I wondered if I could just really stay behind him when the two of us should hunt together.
But as I entered the forest, I naturally had no choice but to stick behind Theodore.
Trees grew randomly in all directions throughout this vast forest.
I slowly followed Theodore along a path that was hardly even a path in this place where trees grew without rules.
As I walked to the heart of the forest, I realized that Theodore was the only one I could rely on in this desolate forest.
Perhaps even if Theodore had not warned me, I would not have strayed from his side.
Confirming that I was sticking closely behind him, Theodore smirked and continued walking forward.
‘It’s gross…’
This forest’s eerie atmosphere was caused by more than just the enormous and strangely shaped trees that grew there. Another factor was the brilliantly blooming mushrooms, which appeared to be proud of their development.
In this desolate, colorless forest, the groups of reddish mushrooms came together felt even more unsettling.
“What kind of a place is this?”
Although I had vaguely learned in Logan’s class how the energy of a beast affects the growth of living beings in the magic forest, I had no idea it would be like this.
More grotesque than any book illustrations I have ever seen, actually.
“Look down carefully and walk.”
Theodore didn’t answer my question. Even without him pointing it out, the tree roots were spread out randomly on the ground, so I had to walk as carefully as possible.
I could easily trip and fall, and if I did, Theodore in front of me would suffer the consequences as well, so I had to be careful.
Gulp.
I walked carefully, swallowing my saliva and paying attention to the ground so as not to trip. As we walked, I looked at the weeds that had flattened under Theodore’s footsteps and asked him again.
“Will we see the monster soon?”
“I’m not certain.”
Grrrrrrrrr.
As I wondered if a monster could appear in this quiet forest, a sound like a beast’s roar echoed through the trees, as if mocking my thoughts.
It wasn’t quite a beast’s roar; rather, it was something even stranger and crazy. The sound startled me, so I clung desperately to Theodore’s coat.
Theodore, who was momentarily taken aback by my strength, turned around and spoke in a teasing voice.
“Are you scared?”
“No, this place has such an odd atmosphere.”
I wasn’t scared, but for some reason I was uneasy. Theodore patted me on the head.
“There are a lot of monsters gathered here. We’ll have to see what kind of creature made that sound.”
“Yes.”
“Don’t just kill anything, remember what Logan said.”
Logan had warned us repeatedly about this.
He had told us that some monsters would curse their killers as they died, while others could spew poisonous gas, causing harm to those around them. As a result, we needed to confirm the type of monster before killing it. Such monsters, according to Logan, have blue and red markings similar to those of poisonous mushrooms.
“Wait here for a moment.”
Theodore went to scout and see the source of the roar.
While I waited, a dark mass that resembled a mound of black dust wriggled and squirmed its way towards me. It resembled a puppy or a cat in terms of size. Could this be the animal that made the earlier crunching noise? I pondered, but then a squeaky sound was heard.
“What? So adorable!”
As I looked at the black mass, I thought of Nero, who was at home. It seemed strange to encounter such a cute being in such a sinister setting.
Perhaps it’s using its cuteness to entice me, much like how poisonous mushrooms seduce me with their vibrant appearance. Even though I had that thought, I found it impossible to look away from it.
“What are you doing?”
When Theodore noticed me gazing at the black mass, he asked while frowning. I looked at Theodore blankly.
“Isn’t it so cute?”
Theodore caught a glimpse of it as I finished my sentence and motioned for me to get closer.
“Come here right now.”
“But it’s too adorable.”
At my words Theodore grumble
At the sound of his voice, I quickly walked over to Theodore, unable to take my eyes off the black mass.
“There’s no such thing as a cute beast.”
“But it might not be a beast.”
“If it weren’t, how could it survive here?”
But it’s so cute
The creature suddenly walked toward us. Its glittering eyes were visible between the black fur that looked like dust.
How is this thing so adorable? Is it possible for such a cute demon to actually kill people?
The black mass suddenly opened its mouth. Its size made it more appropriately described as a gaping maw than a mouth.
The mouth was filled with sharp teeth and enormous black holes. Theodore swiftly slashed it with his sword before I could scream in surprise. The mass rolled around.
“I told you to be careful.”
“But, but…….”
“But what?”
“It looks so cute, but… those teeth…”
“Why would a demon want to be cute? The cuter they are, the scarier they get.”
“Why?”
“Because they make you let your guard down, and then they eat you.”
I clung to Theodore’s arm tightly after hearing those words. This ecosystem is very unsettling. I remembered Logan saying that there were hierarchies where the strong would eat the weak.
“Shouldn’t we just catch that one……?”
“We need to catch something bigger than that. Let’s go.”
I glanced briefly at the black lump lying on the ground. It was so cute that it made my heart ache.
I walked carefully over to the black lump that was lying there and placed the biscuit I had brought for snacking next to it.
“What are you doing, Mary?”
“I was wondering if there was anything this little guy could eat in a place like this…….”
Theodore sighed heavily, as if he didn’t care.
Even though I am aware that creatures like that are part of an ecosystem, it made me think of Nero back home. Naturally, he’s a doll, but.
Theodore dragged my wrist out of there. I looked back as I followed Theodore and noticed the black lump blinking its eyes and looking up at me.
“Got it!”
We came across a few smaller monsters as we walked on through the forest.
Theodore’s brilliant blade dispatched the ones crawling on the ground, and I shot arrows at the ones in the treetops.
This game felt ambiguous, because the criteria for winning was either defeating a monster of enormous size or a strong one.
I pondered as I looked at the eagle that had been wounded by my bow.
“What are you thinking?”
Theodore tapped my shoulder as I was lost in my own thoughts.
“Perhaps we could win if we caught that cursed beast with the red and blue pattern, don’t you think?”
“We could only win if we could catch it.”
I clenched my fists tightly in my pockets and spoke with determination.
“But as you are aware, the beast consumes other beasts.”
“Right?”
“They eat dead bodies like this.”
“Right. The dead bodies we’ve come across so far might have been consumed by the cursed animal.”
“Could we use these dead bodies as bait in that case?”
As I spoke, Theodore covered his mouth with his hand and gasped.
“Didn’t you previously use our father as bait? You’re really crueler than I thought.”
“Come on, that was just a joke, I swear.”
“Alright, alright.”
“I actually packed the poison.”
I had enlisted Logan’s help in getting it. He laughed when I asked him to get it for me while we were studying the cursed beast.
But before I left the mansion, he gave me the poison and sincerely regretted that he couldn’t witness the hunt himself due to his research.
“You’re really not joking, are you?”
Theodore spoke as if he was truly impressed.
“We can sprinkle the poison on the dead bodies of the beasts and lure it out, right?”
“Let’s catch it with poison then.”
Theodore and I experimented by sprinkling some of the poison on the arrows I use to kill beasts in the hopes that it would be effective.
According to Theodore, the wind was blowing nicely, making it easier for the smell of blood to disseminate. His words suddenly reminded me of the sweet scent of Demimore that I had smelled earlier.
“Argh!”
As I was thinking about him, I heard a scream from the other side.
