Ch.205205. Disturbance (1)

Dawn broke.

Under the warm sunlight, the eerie moonlight tinged with madness was washed away. Finally, those damned creatures retreated and disappeared.

Having to shoot arrows all night and watch the fire burning. Behind me, thanks to Friel and Airine slapping our allies who made eye contact with those things. The cries of those who got smacked served as my cheering squad.

“Park Shinwoo, still alive?”

“If I were dead, I’d already be lying on the ground. Why do you ask suddenly?”

“No. You just look like you’re about to collapse with that death face.”

“…I am a bit tired.”

Mentally, I still have some energy left. I’ve been through worse nights than this.

The problem was mana. After spending all night contributing my mana to help Tania create flames. Even though I tried to conserve as much as possible, with so many fires to maintain. The outflow was greater than the recovery rate.

Fortunately, I wasn’t about to collapse from exhaustion, but my condition felt like I’d gained quite heavy fatigue. Not very good.

“Hmm─ Your master seems as tired as you are.”

And the same went for Sione.

No, that was only natural.

How could it not be exhausting to focus all her nerves until dawn, pinpointing the enemy’s location? Sione too had performed brilliantly with her crucial role, so it wasn’t strange that she was tired.

Yet despite this, she didn’t sit down helplessly to rest, but stood firmly checking her surroundings until the end, which was truly admirable.

Tania, who had been hiding behind me watching Sione, suddenly flew in front of her and asked in awkward Continental Common:

“You okay?”

“…Me?”

“Yes, you. Shin…Ray’s master.”

“Umm…”

She seemed quite surprised that Tania, who usually spoke almost entirely in Korean, was speaking Continental Common.

Unable to immediately answer, she started looking for me.

Seeing her expression that seemed to ask if what she was hearing was correct, I nodded right away.

“Yes, that’s Continental Common she’s speaking.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“How?”

“She’s a spirit, isn’t she? Unlike us, she seems to learn languages quickly. Tania seems to want to talk with you, Lady Sione. Why don’t you try speaking with her directly?”

With a determined expression, Sione nodded and began talking with Tania.

How much time had passed since they started their small talk—awkward speech from one and fluent responses from the other—that helped ease the tension?

After the battle ended and a brief rest, Friel’s order came down.

“Everyone collect the arrows used during the night!”

Since supplies were limited and we had used quite a lot of arrows throughout the night.

It wouldn’t be bad to gather still usable arrows with Sione and reorganize my thoughts.

So while collecting arrows that had fallen where the demon’s minions had melted away, putting them back into the quiver one by one.

I began to slowly organize the series of events that happened yesterday while rereading the quest that had newly appeared.

‘First. The second demon might also be involved in this matter.’

Those corpses that show the most terrible hallucinations to sentient beings and disturb their minds. I remember those nameless things only appeared when that foul demon was nearby. If that fact still applies in this world, we’ll need countermeasures not just for the first, but for the second one as well.

Soon, even if not through Tania’s method, Grand Elder Edelin said she would reconnect me with Changsik. When I meet her then, it wouldn’t be bad to subtly mention this in advance to devise countermeasures.

If she truly has excellent insight and trust in me, she wouldn’t dismiss my words as nonsense. If necessary, I could even drop hints to the other elders.

‘Second. The current continent may have discrepancies with the world that had become the dungeon I was conquering.’

Originally, the five demons harboring great evil never left their domains.

They were also extremely hostile toward each other, fighting to either trick or kill one another when they met.

Yet Edelin’s oracle said the first would descend here. And judging by these monsters, it seems the second one is also hiding nearby.

If the second one were to seriously attack the Great Forest, the forest guardians, despite being the elite of the Great Forest, would be easily devoured like they were facing the Tang Dynasty army. Why hasn’t it attacked the Great Forest and instead waited for the first one to descend?

‘I really don’t understand the reason.’

The concerning matters were piled up like mountains.

It was quite displeasing that there wasn’t a single clear answer to be found.

No, if there was one thing—

[Reform her and save the world.]

[Success: World salvation, Return to Earth (optional)]

[Failure: World destruction]

This quest that has steadily occupied a place in my status window since the moment I first met my superior, and.

“Remove the enemies hiding in the eastern forest. They are demons and many descendants… in several places… Sione Sianella… *%*…”

The person who is most importantly mentioned even at this moment.

“Hasal?”

“Arrow.”

“Hoasal!”

“Hwa-a-sal.”

“Haasal!”

“…Let’s just go with hasal.”

“Teach me properly!”

“…Hasal.”

“Aish…!”

…

To solve this difficult problem, Sione’s existence is absolutely essential.

Even though she’s like that now, she will be the one to achieve the most honorable achievement in this Great Forest.

* * *

Airine picked up arrows with disciplined movements.

Putting the reusable ones in her quiver, breaking off the tips of badly damaged ones and storing them separately, in the midst of this sorting work.

She briefly recalled the events of the night.

“……”

To reminisce about the past, she stared blankly into the distance for a moment.

Once again, the clear achievements of the two came to mind.

In the pitch-black darkness. Unknown enemies who had perfectly concealed their presence and existence in the shadows of the dark forest.

The noble lady’s extraordinary sense that accurately detected and located them, giving position instructions. The spirit user’s arrows that, with just a brief mention of direction, judged the distance like a ghost and shot without hesitation.

They possessed something special. Not only a strong bond, but each had special skills that others could not easily imitate. They could not only blend in among the superior elves, but also became the protagonists of yesterday’s battle.

‘Bond.’

Especially memorable was the synergy that came from their bond.

The way they seemed to completely trust each other’s words and actions. Moreover, from what she heard, there was a huge difference in social status between them. Nobles were meant to rule, and commoners to submit and follow. Normally, emotions like friendship shouldn’t exist between them.

Their appearance, which deviated from her common sense, was clearly imprinted in a corner of her memory and became a distracting thought. The distraction wouldn’t easily go away.

It was at that moment.

“Lady Airine, over here for a moment.”

“…Alright.”

When she heard the familiar yet rigid woman’s tone from behind her.

This caused her distraction to grow and amplify even more.

She was a forest guardian who had looked after her since childhood and taught her archery and spirit magic.

“Now that you’ve confirmed their abilities with your own eyes, it seems appropriate to start moving in earnest according to the head of the family’s orders.”

However, unlike those two humans. Without any bond or intimacy—

“……”

…No, it was only herself who harbored intimacy.

She was her mother’s faithful servant and I had never done anything but follow. A woman who guided me forward.

“Lady Airine, you clearly remember the head of the family’s orders, don’t you?”

“Yes.”

“Good. Our family must never fall behind the House of Arielt, must we?”

“…I know.”

“The head of the family and Pleta, and Lady Airine and Friel. We must always be the ones ahead.”

“……”

“Always keep that fact in mind, Airine—”

“I said I know.”

“……”

“……”

The atmosphere rapidly turned cold.

In it, their gazes crossed.

For a while, the two women with tightly closed lips just stared at each other with expressions as desolate as a wasteland.

The first to show a different reaction was the forest guardian.

She placed her right hand on her sword hilt, drew it slightly to show the blade, and bowed her head.

“May glory always be with Ianette.”

But even though she was bowing her head.

She was looking up, clearly taking in everything about Airine. Her breathing, the slight trembling of her eyelids, and even her inner thoughts.

“May the most honorable achievement always be ours.”

Airine, as if familiar with this, began to slightly twist her words and speak again.

“Numerous glories will always be with Ianette. And the most honorable achievement—”

However, today, she naturally couldn’t bring herself to say those final words that she always repeated like self-hypnosis.

“…will always be made ours.”

An unsettled heart.

Today, she was having difficulty imagining herself shining the brightest.

Why, instinctively yet curiously, so terribly so.