Ch. 65 Moving Forward (3)
by AfuhfuihgsChapter 65: Moving Forward (3)
Two weeks had passed since they began living in the forest and within this time Riley had learned quite a bit.
First, no matter what, never use large-scale magic.
Unless the goal was to flip the entire forest upside down, always use small-scale magic and deal with one enemy at a time.
Loud noises and strong magical energy only excited the monsters. Imagine the despair of wiping out everything around you with magic, only to be surrounded again.
That didn’t mean weak magic was effective either. Some monsters were difficult to handle without sufficient power, so the right approach was necessary for each type.
Those that suddenly dropped from above like a snare to strangle you—stay alert and cut them down with severing magic.
The ones Riley had named “wolves” attacked in packs, but if more than half were taken down, the rest would retreat on their own, so there was no need to overexert.
“Trees” were the real nuisance. Cutting them down carelessly could block off escape routes in an emergency, so fire was the best method. But setting them ablaze made the surroundings bright, attracting more monsters like moths drawn to a flame.
Thus, they needed to be incinerated quickly with powerful flames, but being similar to trees, they contained too much moisture to burn easily.
Then, there were the pesky fairies.
If a small ball of light was spotted while walking through the forest, it meant they had already noticed him. That much was fine, but the problem was that they used magic. For some reason, they were particularly fond of casting the Blind Curse. If a swarm of monsters attacked while his vision was obscured, it was over.
So the moment a fairy’s light appeared, he had to pull out his staff. It became a battle of who had the quicker reflexes.
The second lesson: pacing.
In the forest, movement, magic, and rest all had to be balanced. Move before getting surrounded. Take breaks to resupply food. If a fight was unavoidable, handle it as quickly as possible. If it seemed like it would take too long, retreat.
One must never overcommit or flee recklessly, dragging an army of monsters behind them.
The third lesson: suppressing magical energy.
The creatures that went mad for fresh humans tracked him with enhanced hearing, smell, or some other indescribable sense. He couldn’t erase his presence completely like a certain blind apostle, but concealing his magic was far better than wandering around radiating power.
The fourth lesson: distinguishing edible things from deadly ones.
This was something he learned firsthand. After eating a random monster, blood had started pouring from his nose, mouth, and ears—he genuinely thought he was going to die.
Images of a white-haired girl had flashed before his eyes.
Then, when he came to, there was a vial of medicine in front of him. He had gulped it down immediately and felt much better afterward.
“…”
Having finished organizing these thoughts in his notebook, Riley stood up again.
Looking around, there was no one else in sight. But considering the medicine, that old man must have been watching. In a monster-infested place like this, concealing one’s presence was easy.
With a sigh, Riley turned to face forward.
In the distance, the city walls came into view.
Finally, he was almost there.
At last, he would escape this wretched forest.
Stay vigilant until the very end…
No monsters appeared near the forest’s edge, but that didn’t mean he could afford to lower his guard. Staying cautious, he continued forward—until he spotted a familiar figure.
“Hey! You finally made it!”
At the forest’s edge, beyond the vast open fields, with the towering city walls behind him—stood a bear of a man, laughing and waving.
“…Sir Cedric.”
“That’s right! Must’ve been tough getting here, huh? Come on, let’s go!”
But Riley didn’t take another step forward. Instead, he tightened his grip on his staff.
“Riley? What’s wrong? Is something the matter?”
“Sir Cedric. Where did we set off from to get here?”
“Huh? The Holy City, of course! I’m a Holy Knight, remember?”
Cedric shook his gold-embroidered cape as he spoke, his demeanor careless.
“Sir Cedric.”
“Yeah? What’s with the hesitation? You can see the city right there! Let’s go already!”
“You always said you were disappointed that I never called you ‘Master.’ Yet, not once have you corrected me this time.”
“…”
“Just to confirm—what’s the name of the friend I left behind in the Holy City?”
“How should I know?”
At that moment, Cedric lunged at Riley.
Despite his massive build, his movements were unnaturally light.
But Riley had already prepared his magic. He raised his staff.
“Freeze.”
A chilling aura instantly enveloped Cedric’s body, freezing him solid.
Riley met the frozen man’s gaze—his eyes were hollow.
“What in the world…”
Just as he was about to feel uneasy, the supposedly frozen Cedric’s body twitched.
Then, something black burst out from his back.
Damn it—!
Riley hastily raised his staff—
CLANG—
A crisp metallic sound rang out.
The real Cedric had appeared out of nowhere and swatted the black creature away with his pan-sized hand.
“With things like these, it’s best to pretend you don’t notice and strike when they least expect it.”
So behind the frozen Cedric—
A fresh, very-much-alive Cedric emerged.
Wait.
Two Cedrics?!
“Why that face?”
“…The name of the friend I left behind—”
“Yeah, yeah. I can’t forget you’re a cheeky brat who adores his girlfriend, Sugar, back in the Holy City. Satisfied now?”
“…”
“This thing here? Just a shell. That black creature inside mimics people’s appearances, but when it’s in danger, it can escape like that. It’s smart too. Knows about human society, things like the Holy City and the Holy Knights. Must’ve overheard our conversation near the forest entrance.”
That’s how it knew the name…
Riley grimaced as the ‘real’ Cedric held up the massive rat-like creature and then effortlessly snapped its neck.
“Believe it or not, these things love gnawing on human necks. Be careful.”
“…And the shell?”
Riley gestured toward the frozen imitation Cedric. Despite its agility, it was hollow inside.
“We burn it.”
Cedric quickly transmuted the ice into oil and cast a fire spell. The imitation burned easily. Watching something so human-shaped turn to ash was unsettling.
As Riley stared, Cedric patted his back with his massive hand.
“Anyway, good job. You made it out brilliantly. I liked that you stayed cautious until the very end.”
“…You said you’d train me.”
“Everything you experienced in that forest was training. Now, hand over that notebook. I need to make a copy.”
“Why copy it?”
“This forest accumulates magic abnormally fast, meaning new monsters can appear anytime. Regular scouting is necessary… This mission isn’t usually for someone of my rank, but I took it for your sake.”
“So… my notes are doubling as your report?”
“Sharp kid.”
Riley scowled. Being used for a mission didn’t sit well but if asked whether he had learned anything, he couldn’t deny it. Experiences like these built wisdom.
‘Not much choice, then.’
“We’ve got plenty of time. This is how you progress—step by step.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
“First, food. My treat. Eat to your heart’s content and then wash up and rest. You’ve earned a break.”
Riley followed Cedric, already planning a small act of revenge—I’ll order everything on the menu.
That was something he picked up from Sugar.
.
.
.
—That sly old man. He looks like a bear, but he didn’t become a guardian for nothing.
Nothing much else happened. I’m doing alright, so don’t worry.
Until next time.
Riley.
P.S.: I don’t know what your secret move is, but name it whatever you want.
.
.
.
“Hehehe…”
“So?”
“Yeah. He seems to be doing fine.”
Back in the Holy City, Sugar sat at a dinner table, grinning as she read Riley’s letter.
Seeing her smile so much just from reading a letter, Ian fidgeted awkwardly.
Of course, part of her nervousness was because of what she was about to say.
“So… Ian? What is it you wanted to tell me?”
Now that the letter was read, there was no more delaying it.
Ian took a deep breath.
“…Sugar. Do you know why I started training?”
“In a world like this, isn’t it natural to want to get stronger?”
“That’s true, but… The real reason is—”
Nodding as if making a firm decision, Sugar met Ian’s gaze.
“I’m actually a woman.”
“…”
Sugar quickly glanced around. Somehow, there weren’t any priests nearby.
“I’m a saint too. If my sister lifts the authority over this land, I can use my powers as a saint… My real name is Ianne. I’m sorry for hiding it.”
“Hmm… Is there anything for you to be sorry about, Ian? I’m sure you had your reasons.”
Although Sugar pretended to be surprised, she already knew. She calmly finished her sentence.
“… Thank you. I knew you would understand.”
Ian smiled bitterly and began to speak.
“I… had a lot of thoughts while watching you all. I want to go outside too, I want to visit Steele; I want to go somewhere I couldn’t even imagine, enjoy a life I could never dream of in the Holy City… a-and, i-if possible, maybe even… f-fall in love?”
At this point, Sugar had to struggle to keep the corners of her lips from twitching upwards.
“A-a-anyway. That’s why I did it. I couldn’t just throw a tantrum and demand to be let out without doing anything. I decided to become stronger first, and then talk again with my sister and the adults. I wanted to tell you this. To thank you for giving me that motivation… And also, because I wanted to share my secret with someone I appreciate…”
“Ian…”
“I want to go to Steele with you. If that happens… will you still be as close to me outside as you are here?”
Sugar hadn’t realized how much Ian thought of her. She was a person full of affection. Maybe she felt something special about having her first close same-gender friend? Or perhaps she was grateful that Sugar had helped ease the relationship with her sister.
The reaction made Sugar feel both proud and grateful. Thankful that Ian returned kindness with kindness.
Sugar took Ian’s hand.
How could she not respond to such a friendship?
“Of course. I really hope you can come with us, Ian.”
When she smiled brightly, Ian beamed as well. A smile like a flower. Even the slight tears welling up in her eyes only made her more beautiful.
While the two lovely girls were enjoying their warm moment—
“In celebration of opening up to each other, shall we take a bath together?”
“What!?”
Sugar was the first to break the atmosphere. Since she hadn’t bathed after eating, it seemed like a perfect opportunity to clean up inside the tower. Plus, it would be a good chance to bond. That was her thought.
However, contrary to her intentions, Ian shot up from her chair in shock.
“We’re both girls. Why are you so surprised?”
“But bathing together means… exposing our bare skin… completely… revealing everything…”
“Why are you phrasing it like that, Ian? That sounds weird.”
“A-ah… well, um…”
“Do you read a lot of indecent books? That’s exactly the kind of description they use.”
“W-w-w-what!?”
“Wait… could it be that book you mentioned before…?”
“T-there’s no way! That would be blasphemy! Immoral! Perverted Sugar! Unacceptable!”
“How am I indecent? You’re the one reading inappropriate books, Ian.”
“I don’t read them! A-a-also, I heard a rumor. About you and Riley, back then, on the cathedral roof… doing that kind of… that kind of… thing…that’s why you’re the indecent one!”
“That kind of what? What exactly did I do with Riley?”
“…”
“Hm? Ian?”
Ian, unable to even voice the act, just trembled in frustration. Watching her reaction, Sugar’s grin stretched wide. Without anyone to stop her, she was having a great time teasing Ian.
It seemed like Ian was the one who froze up over something as simple as a cheek kiss from a boy. How amusing.
Well, in the end, as long as they got along, it was fine.
The children continued moving forward, step by step.
With their own wishes in their hearts, dreaming of their next reunion, they slowly grew into adulthood.
What kind of versions of themselves would they meet at the end of this path?
Even if time seemed slow when you watched the clock with anticipation, the gears never stopped turning.
Blink once, and time would have already passed in an instant.
LegoMyEggo
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