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Chapter 5
“Huff… huff…”
Though the dense underbrush scratched at his body, he couldn’t stop running.
“There! Over there!”
An urgent voice rang nearby.
Rolling down a hill while escaping the careless assassins left his back burning and his legs refusing to obey.
How had it come to this?
‘S-sorry, brother… I just… wanted to live…’
‘You shouldn’t have trusted anyone.’
Different voices echoed in his head. He gritted his teeth.
“Shoot!”
Immediately after the signal, an arrow lodged itself in his shoulder. Losing control, his body collapsed to the ground.
“Ah, finally caught you.”
“Huff… huff…”
Soon after, two burly men emerged from the bushes, one holding a sword, the other a bow.
Seeing him panting heavily, the assailant smirked and approached.
“I won’t let you run again.”
He stepped on the swollen ankle with force.
“Aaaah!”
Twisting his body, the screams continued, then suddenly stopped. All strength drained from him.
“This is taking too long. Let’s finish it quickly.”
The assailant withdrew his foot with a disappointed look and raised his dagger high.
Screech… screech…
A strange sound echoed just then.
“Damn it… not a bear, I hope.”
“I’ll check it out.”
Following the sound, his companion quickly disappeared into the bushes. Left alone, the man remained tense.
But no matter how long he waited, his companion did not return. Instead, a cry was heard again.
Screech… screech…
The assailant alternated his gaze between the unconscious man and the spot his companion had disappeared to, eventually moving toward the bushes.
Soon after, he discovered a cave.
“Hey… you in there?”
No reply came. The cave was pitch black. Finally, he entered.
“What the… nothing here.”
The relief was short-lived.
Screech… screech…
The crying came again.
Right above him.
“Ah!”
With a deathly scream, the man’s voice fell silent.
After a while, only a blood-stained dagger and a bow remained in the cave.
Caw! Caw!
The second day in the forest began with the cries of monsters signaling morning.
The sunlight was unusually bright, and the fresh air seemed to cleanse everything in the forest.
Except for me.
“Ah… I hoped it was just a dream.”
She forced herself not to close her eyes again as she saw the empty ceiling the moment she woke up.
Groggily rising like a zombie, she checked her reflection in the window.
Dark circles under her eyes, dry, rough skin.
She hadn’t slept well because of the screams resembling human cries from last night.
“Lovely start to the day.”
Last night, entering the cabin, she realized the exterior was a minor issue compared to the interior.
The wooden floorboards were rotten in places, cobwebs hung from the corners of the ceiling in layers.
That wasn’t all.
Inside the dusty fireplace lay partially burned logs, and a kitchen shelf had collapsed on one side.
She considered cleaning up the house, but…
“I might barely survive today as it is.”
From today, she had to start patrolling the forest seriously.
In fact, she had wanted to quit immediately after learning the forest ranger’s real duties yesterday.
‘No. The contract clearly states otherwise.’
Right. That cursed clause forbidding early termination.
If violated, the penalty was double the compensation!
She had ignored all those clauses before.
‘Who could have known this!’
Should she leave the forest and face inevitable bankruptcy, or struggle here and possibly die?
After a fierce internal debate, Ponia chose the latter.
Checking her satchel once more as she left the cabin, she made sure she had:
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Map
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Food
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Portable lamp
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Lavender flowers and perfume made from them
Although tricked into a scam contract, she had prepared herself for the monster-infested forest.
Monsters were sensitive to certain scents, one of which was lavender. Spraying the perfume on her body could prevent attacks.
Moreover, monsters were mostly active at night. Avoiding late-night walks meant she wouldn’t be in immediate danger.
“For now, anyway.”
She tied her messy red hair high and changed into the lime-green dress Jerome had provided for ease of movement.
Sunlight filtered through the dense trees, illuminating the forest path.
“I wonder what Shionel is doing…”
Usually, she was too busy cleaning up after her family’s accidents, but whenever she had a moment to step outside, Shionel always came to mind.
Being in the forest, without any news of him, made her restless.
If the novel had described Shionel’s past in more detail, could she have helped him?
Shaking her head, she dismissed the thought.
“What am I thinking?”
‘Yeong-sik!’
A bad memory resurfaced.
Three years ago, Ponia had desperately held onto Shionel as he tried to leave.
“Don’t eat the lemon tart!”
In the novel, there was only one scene showing Shionel’s attempted assassination in the past.
At that time, she had only wanted to help him.
Breaking News! Shionel Devonham Survives Poisoning Attempt!
The poison was discovered in the steak served at the banquet.
He is currently on the verge of death…
Although the worst outcome had nearly occurred.
In the novel, he only vomited it out.
Unlike desserts, which reveal foreign additives immediately, the strongly-flavored sauce on the steak perfectly masked the poison.
Because of her, the story changed.
She realized then: no matter how painful the present was, following the novel’s events was the best future for him.
For a moment, bitterly, Ponia stopped in front of a suspicious cave.
She checked the map—there was no mark nearby.
‘Do I really have to go in and check?’
Jerome’s words echoed in her mind, as if restraining her ankles:
‘You must patrol at least once a day. No work, no pay.’
‘It’s best not to leave false marks. If you suffer from incorrect information, we will hold you accountable.’
“Devil… you are a devil…”
Reluctantly, Ponia moved slowly toward the cave.
‘Please… let there be nothing…’
She tiptoed to the cave entrance, biting her lips at what she saw: a blood-stained dagger and a bow lay there.
It looked like a dying message… maybe just my imagination…
She carefully picked them up and peered inside, but it was pitch black.
Slowly, she stepped in, shivering at the sudden drop in temperature.
Step by step, cautiously, she reached the end of the cave.
“…”
And… nothing happened.
The empty cave showed no sign of monsters.
Finally, she breathed a proper sigh of relief.
“…I scared myself for nothing.”
Relaxing, fatigue hit her.
Having lingered too long at the cave entrance, the sun was already setting.
Ponia hurried out of the cave.
‘I need to get back quickly for dinner…’
“Ugh!”
In her rush, she didn’t see a bump and tripped.
Wait… was there even a bump here?
Turning her head, she saw something muddy protruding from the ground.
“What… is this…?”
Then, it began moving slowly.
What?! Why?! Was it a monster?!
Terrified, she backed away, but the figure—apparently a monster—spoke:
“Help… me…”
It was a human voice.
“Is… that a person…?”
A dumb question, but in a forest where monsters were more likely than humans, rational thinking was scarce.
Ponia cautiously approached the figure.
The closer she got, the more human-shaped it appeared, with black hair becoming visible.
‘It looks a little blue… maybe…’
Regardless, the hair color was rare. She only knew one person with it.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Why did her heart race with this strange sense of déjà vu?
“Hey…”
Still motionless, Ponia finally grabbed his shoulder. His body collapsed toward her without resistance.
Long eyelashes, straight nose, firm jawline.
His appearance had changed slightly, but he was unmistakable.
“…Shionel?”
Why is the male lead showing up here?
