Blade Forest (1)

,Clark, dress warmly, and make sure to bring your hood and face covering, gloves, and scarf.”

,Wouldn’t it be too hot?”

,It’s the Blade Forest. It’s better to cover all exposed skin. It’s too narrow to keep a barrier up all the time.”

I meticulously checked the necessary supplies before setting out to conquer the Labyrinth. I packed clothes tightly into my backpack, taking care of Clark’s luggage as well.

It might seem like I’m overdoing it, but I couldn’t help it. Even though Clark was a mage residing on the 34th floor, he was terrible at combat. His work at the Magic Tower mainly involved weapon development, making him more of a magical engineer than a mage.

Therefore, the best I could do was prevent him from getting pricked by the sharp thorns of the Blade Forest. I could protect him from the rest of the threats.

Kkwaak! I tightened the backpack straps and handed it to Clark. He fastened his coat buttons and looked around, turning this way and that to see if he had forgotten anything.

,Let’s go. We’re departing soon.”

,…Yes!”

I put on my hood and cape. Clark pursed his lips with a slightly nervous expression. We were heading into the Labyrinth through the notoriously dangerous Blade Forest. And at the very front. I had persuaded him to come along, but as I said before, Clark had no talent for combat. I spoke to Clark just before opening the door.

,It’s okay. Relax.”

,Ugh… I, I heard there are headless monsters in the Blade Forest…”

,The headless beast Kankan. But that’s just a rumor.”

,Still…”

,Should I hug you?”

Clark’s body twitched, and soon his entire face began to turn red. Even without any gestures, the mere words ,Should I hug you?” caused such an intense reaction, likely due to the passionate sex we had last night.

A sex where he abandoned all pride and responsibility to indulge in babying. It didn’t need to last long. Just a few hours ago, he had received a morning handjob. Clark diligently looked around the room, where there was no one but me. For some reason, I thought of a hamster and chuckled. Then, I used telekinesis to pull Clark’s back towards me, making him dive into me.

-Pulseok!

Clark stumbled and buried his face in my chest. I leaned back at the heavy sensation and hugged Clark.

,What are you worrying about?”

,Eueut?!”

,Did you forget what I said? When it’s just the two of us like this…”

,J, just a moment-“

,…I told you that you can indulge me however you want.”

I overlapped my thigh with Clark’s crotch. The swollen thing under his clothes poked my thigh. Clark, caught in the trap, sputtered for a moment, then began to massage my butt as he listened to my sticky whisper. I let him rub my butt until he calmed down. Strictly speaking, it seemed more like I was emptying his brain rather than calming him down, but still.

,Aren’t you scared anymore?”

,…Yes.”

,Good job. Then let’s go. We’ll be late at this rate.”

I let go of Clark and opened the door. Clark’s movements were a bit awkward due to his full erection, but he soon endured it well and followed closely behind me.

* * *

In front of the Pahellen Castle gate.

As I held Clark’s hand and stepped out of the castle gate, soldiers and horses were lined up on the plain, ready to kick off the ground. There seemed to be about fifty of them, excluding the horses. Quite a lot.

I tilted my head and approached them. The appropriate number of people to conquer the Labyrinth, based on core destruction, would be fifteen skilled soldiers. Still, considering the Blade Forest, it seemed appropriate.

,Everyone, prepare!”

Kamier’s powerful command was heard from afar. That’s the direction. More than that, the wind is really strong today. I brushed my hood and hair back as I moved forward.

,Kamier!”

,…Hmm?”

Kamier, who was arranging the soldiers’ formation, turned his gaze. He found me, relaxed the tension on his face, and gave me a bright smile.

,You’ve arrived. Are you ready?”

,Of course.”

,Yujin-nim and your assistant will break through the Blade Forest with me and six soldiers. We must depart first, so please come quickly. Do you know how to ride a horse?”

,Umm…”

I don’t.

If I were alone, I would have ridden behind Kamier. He seemed to be expecting that too. But Clark was a problem. He’s already such a scaredy-cat, if he’s separated from me… Hmm. Am I being overprotective? Still, I promised him to stick right next to me, so I couldn’t split up already.

,Sort of, yes.”

In the end, I lied. Kamier and Clark’s hopes crossed. Kamier nodded, looking very disappointed, and Clark kept praising me, saying ,As expected of the Witch-nim!”

,I’ll figure something out with magic.”

I know how to ride, at least. I just don’t know how to control it. I was worried because it wasn’t a machine but a living creature, but fortunately, the livestock like horses were strangely docile towards me.

Kamier spoke to Clark.

,Clark. Do you know how to ride a horse?”

,Um, no!”

Clark shook his head and replied.

,Hmm….”

Kamier put his hand on his chin and pondered. Clark hadn’t used any special powers while working as my assistant, but that didn’t mean he was useless. A mage is a mage. Especially a mage going to the front lines. He was probably wondering if he should put Clark behind him.

But.

,Clark.”

,Yes?”

Kamier’s hand fell from his chin, and as he was about to say something, I grabbed Clark’s hand and pulled him behind me. Kamier’s eyes narrowed. I didn’t flinch and said.

,Ride behind me.”

Kamier looked at me with worried eyes. I was already small, and his gaze seemed to say that putting someone behind me would only make me fall backward instead of supporting them. But there wasn’t much time to dissuade me.

Departure was imminent.

,Listen to the vanguard―――!!!”

A strong shout that shook the surrounding grass. The soldiers straightened their backs. Kamier mounted the horse he had brought and shouted again.

,We will depart in three minutes!! The rearguard will depart with the supply unit in ten minutes!!”

-Yes!!

We had to pave the way so that the rearguard could come easily.

,Clark. Let’s hurry too.”

,Y, yes! Can I ride behind you?”

,Yeah.”

I stroked the horse Kamier had prepared once, then stepped on the mounting block and climbed on. It was a bit difficult because my legs were short, but thankfully the horse lowered its back to make it easier to mount. Seems like a smart one. Looking at it, it was a male… Hmm. No way. Surely not.

,Eut, cha!”

As I put my feet in the stirrups and finished preparing to ride, Clark finally climbed on. He trembled at the increased view and hugged my back. I released a thread of Mana and tightly tied Clark’s lower body.

,M, Witch-nim? I’m not going to fall, am I?”

,Hold on tight. Don’t rely on the thread and let go.”

Honestly, I didn’t know the proper posture, and I was forcibly fixing my body with Mana like Clark. I grabbed the reins and tried to pat the horse’s thigh… but again, my legs were too short, so I ended up patting its waist.

-Heeheeing!!

Gwonseung. The horse began to circle the plain. It was actually my first time riding a horse, so I was a bit nervous, but fortunately, it moved well according to my will. I took the reins and lightly struck them down.

,Let’s go!”

Iya. I only muttered to myself. Could I keep up with the horses of the professionally trained unit? I was willing to use teleportation if I fell behind.

-Kkwaaak…

Still.

,H, Heeik―!”

Seeing Clark hugging my back like this made me think I had made a good choice.

* * *

-Dagudak, dagudak…

Seven horses crossed the plain, kicking up dust. I squinted at the tremendous sense of speed and focused all my energy on controlling the direction. I didn’t know if the horse was excellent or if I was good at riding, but there was no problem keeping up with them.

,High-risk monsters detected ahead!”

,Keep running! I’ll take care of them!”

,Yes!”

Kamier took care of most of the monsters. He used magic skillfully even while riding a horse. Because he had a long history of working as a soldier before becoming a mage, he was able to maintain his composure even in this situation.

He reached out and created a magic circle on his palm, and a cold chill enveloped us. He clenched his fist as he looked at the Orc horde entrenched in front.

-Jeojeojeojeok…!!!!

Freeze.

A simple magic that increases in power and range exponentially depending on the caster’s skill. The Orc horde blocking the path collectively turned into ice sculptures.

,Yujin! I’m counting on you!”

It was good that he dealt with them, but due to the nature of ice magic, the corpses remained in place. If it had been fire or lightning magic, the monsters would have rolled around and cleared the way on their own, but… oh well. I just had to do my part. I lightly flicked my fingers and shouted.

,Just crash into them as they are―!!!”

――Jjaenggeurang!!!!

I put a barrier on the horses before they collided with the Orcs, and the frozen Orcs were directly hit by the approaching barrier at a terrifying speed and shattered into pieces. Frozen entrails and Orc heads scraped against the barrier and scattered around.

We were like this.

We were defeating the monsters blocking our way. Stray dogs were knocked down by the soldiers’ spears, and high-risk monsters like Orcs and Griffins turned into snow with one spell from Kamier.

I was just putting up barriers to prevent them from getting caught on the frozen corpses.

,Blade Forest is near―!!!”

The soldiers shouted. A gray forest could be seen beyond the horizon.

Blade Forest.

A forest where all the plants that grow naturally are as sharp as blades. It was named Blade Forest because even a graze could cause a deep cut. The color was also gray like a sword, so the name was fitting.

,Clark, can you handle it?”

,U, ugh…”

The fearful Clark hugged my stomach tightly and trembled. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to have motion sickness, but his face was so pale that it wouldn’t be strange if he fainted right away.

,Let’s just hold on a little longer, okay?”

,Augh, yes, nehe.”

I held the reins with one hand and Clark’s hand with the other. Clark was startled. He looked at me with wide eyes. I smiled and turned my body. Not forward, but backward, towards where Clark was sitting.

,A, ugh. Witch-nim!! Front!! Front!!”

,There’s nothing in front of us. Calm down.”

I slowed down the horse a little and went to the very back. Kamier and the soldiers were focused on moving forward, so they had no time to pay attention to us.

,And this horse is smart, so it’ll be okay.”

I gently stroked the horse. Now I could be sure. I thought I had a talent for riding, but it turned out that this horse was going on its own. The horse gave me a pleasant eye smile and cried out as I stroked it… What is this guy really? Is it sentient?

,B, but!! C, common, sense, says!! If you let go of the reins…!!!”

,Hehe.”

,Don’t just laugh, please drive properly!!”

There were no monsters around, as if they had been wiped out. We would reach the Blade Forest in about ten more minutes. I grabbed Clark’s trembling hand and pulled it towards me.

,Augh…!!”

Clark, who staggered on the horse, took a breath and buried his face in my chest. It seemed like he wasn’t planning to take his face off until we arrived. I didn’t mind. All the dangerous elements had been eliminated.

To breastfeed like this…

Would I get caught? Hmm. I guess not.