Chapter 148

Chapter 148

Taking Shelter in a Cave

“Aaaaah!”

“Graaaah!”

The horses’ eyes were filled with anxiety and fear, their muscles rippling wildly as their bodies twisted and bucked. The fog seeped into their minds, amplifying their already growing panic.

Dust swirled around, and the knights and soldiers on their backs were tossed about as if they might fall at any moment. The knights, having undergone rigorous training, managed to cling on even as the horses raised their front hooves, but the soldiers were not as fortunate.

“Aaaaaah!”

One by one, most of the soldiers lost their balance, thrown into the air before crashing down to the ground. They curled up, bracing themselves for the inevitable kick from the horses’ hind legs.

But no amount of preparation could stop the power of a horse’s kick, especially not with the armor the soldiers wore. As they hit the ground, time seemed to slow, and they saw flashes of their lives passing before their eyes. They clenched their eyes shut, ready to embrace the death that was surely coming.

Neighhh!

“Huh…?”

But instead of the expected kick, all they heard was the frantic cry of the horses as they bolted forward, leaving the soldiers lying stunned on the ground. The soldiers could only stare at the backs of the horses as they galloped deep into the forest.

‘I… I’m alive! I survived!’

While one soldier marveled at his luck, similar scenes were playing out all around.

“Aaah!”

“Megilius! No!”

As if they had been programmed to flee into the forest the moment their rider fell, the horses dashed off without a second thought. The soldiers, left sprawled awkwardly on the ground, reached out in vain, calling after their steeds, but the horses were long gone, running faster than ever.

“Ugh! Be careful not to fall off your—! Gah!”

Neighhh!!

The knight captain, who had been riding the sturdiest horse, raised his voice to shout, only to be thrown off his mount. The other horses then reared up on their hind legs as if they were about to flip over.

“Uwaaah!”

“Graaah!”

The knights, who had been barely holding on, were all thrown to the ground as well.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The thunderous sound of dozens of horses’ hooves pounding the earth echoed like a massive thunderclap.

“Noooo!”

“Come baaaack!”

Despite the frantic cries of the knights and soldiers, the horses didn’t even look back as they disappeared from sight. The knight captain quickly got to his feet and began checking for casualties with the vice-captain.

“It’s a miracle that no one died… but not a single injury?”

It made sense for the knights, who were physically robust, but the same couldn’t be said for the soldiers. Even if they were lucky enough not to be trampled or kicked by the horses, falling from such a height should have resulted in at least a few broken bones.

The knight captain found the situation, where not a single person was injured, unsettling, but he quickly shook off the thought. Just in case, he asked the mages to check for any suspicious traces.

The mages, also curious about the lack of injuries, eagerly began using their magic to investigate.

“There’s nothing out of the ordinary. I suppose we’ve just been… incredibly fortunate.”

“Hmm…”

The knight captain let go of the lingering unease in his mind after hearing the mage’s explanation. He then began rallying the now-dismal knights and soldiers back into order.

While the situation was being sorted out, Lian was busy shaking the demon sword.

“Is there really no way to fix this?”

[Grrrr…!]

The sword seemed to enjoy being shaken. As soon as Lian stopped, it started whining, asking him to do it again. Ignoring the sword’s complaints, Lian surveyed his surroundings.

‘The fog… it seems to have gotten thicker?’

The mist had grown so dense that the silhouettes of the knights were barely visible.

“Iris, the fog is getting too thick… huh?”

When Lian turned to ask Iris for her opinion, he was met with an empty space. Iris, Jess, Nero, even the mages— everyone had disappeared.

“What the…?”

Finding himself alone in the carriage, Lian immediately stepped out and headed toward where the knights had been. But that area was empty as well.

“What is going on…?”

[They’ve fallen under the forest’s spell.]

“Spell?”

[Yes, everyone except you, who has strong mental fortitude, has been bewitched and scattered by the forest.]

“What? When did that happen?”

[Oh, probably when you were in the corner of the carriage, shaking me?]

“You should have said something earlier!”

[You didn’t ask.]

Lian sighed softly and strapped the demon sword back to his waist.

‘First, let’s find the closest person.’

[Hmm… the closest one is in that direction.]

A dark, reddish energy oozed from the sword, pointing toward one direction. Without hesitation, Lian started walking in that direction.

The forest, shrouded in mist, was eerily quiet, as if time itself had stopped. It hadn’t even been ten minutes since everyone had scattered, yet the silence felt unnervingly unnatural.

The fog clung to him like a living entity, pressing in from all sides, making it hard to breathe. Each step revealed the shapes of trees, their branches stretched out like ghostly hands, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

‘This… this feels like a graveyard.’

In gag worlds, graveyard-like places were often enveloped in thick fog, and all sorts of spiritual beings roamed such areas. The more one feared ghosts, the more likely they were to be tormented by them.

That meant the calmer one acted, the less likely anything would happen.

‘With the gag filter in place, it wouldn’t be strange if something popped out of nowhere. I need to stay as calm as possible—’

Before he could finish his thought—

Drip.

“Huh?”

A cold sensation hit the top of his head. Reflexively, Lian raised his hand to touch his scalp.

Drip… drip, drip, whooosh—

Suddenly, rain began pouring down as if a hole had opened up in the sky. The raindrops were ice-cold, almost as if they were half-frozen.

Lian hurried to the nearest tree for shelter. But the tree, smaller than the others, did little to block the rain. As he looked for another tree—

Grab!

“…!”

“Come here.”

A familiar voice cut through the sound of the falling rain. As he turned his head, something was placed over him— a hooded cloak.

It felt as though it had been treated with something special, or perhaps the fabric itself was unique, as the rain that had soaked his hair and clothes now flowed harmlessly off the cloak. It seemed to be a raincoat commonly used in this place.

Lian tilted the hood back slightly to clear his vision and looked ahead. A green raincoat stood before him, the rainwater sliding down its surface. Lowering his gaze, he saw a familiar hand clutching his wrist.

It was a hand that was small for a man’s, but slightly large for a woman’s.

Drip, drip.

The sound of raindrops hitting the raincoat brought Lian back to his senses as he followed the person mechanically.

‘Wait, isn’t this some sort of ghost trick?’

The image of a ghost mimicking a familiar face and playfully saying, “Do I still look like so-and-so?” flashed through his mind. A chill ran down his spine, and he was about to shake off the hand holding his wrist when—

“Found you.”

The low voice carried through the rain, and the pace quickened. Moments later, the pouring rain abruptly stopped.

“Here…”

The thick darkness welcomed him as he looked around. Naturally formed stone pillars and damp walls surrounded him, with a mostly rock-covered floor beneath his feet. It was the perfect shelter from the rain— a cave.

Fwoosh.

The sound of a fire crackling reached his ears. Glancing over, he saw the figure in the green raincoat tending to a fire that was now starting to blaze, having been lit using dry firewood prepared in advance.

“Phew… This should keep you from losing body heat.”

Smiling softly, the person in the green raincoat pushed back their hood, revealing a face with small scars. Brown hair scattered loosely, and soft green eyes curved into a gentle smile. The person in the raincoat was none other than Noah, who had left with the Ranger Unit.

“Your clothes are wet, right? Come closer and dry off.”

Lian started to approach the fire but stopped when he noticed the water dripping from his raincoat. Seeing Noah’s curious expression, he quickly took off the raincoat and folded it inside out to keep the wet side from touching the floor.

“W-wait! Are you… that soaked?”

“Huh?”

Noah’s cheeks were a little flushed, perhaps from being close to the fire. Her gaze flickered nervously before landing briefly on Lian, then looking away again.

Lian’s hasty removal of the raincoat made it seem as if he was about to strip off all his wet clothes to dry them. In Noah’s mind, thoughts of, ‘He’s not seriously going to take off his clothes, right?’ clashed with, ‘But if he doesn’t dry them, he might catch a cold…’

End of Chapter.