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Chapter 11
Knock, knock.
At the sound of knocking, Sionel immediately sat up.
Ever since the assassination attempt, even the slightest noise could wake him, preventing him from falling into a deep sleep.
Knock. Knock.
Sionel tapped the bed right next to him.
“Wake up.”
“…….”
“Hey.”
Ponia showed no sign of waking. Instead, she flailed her hands, pushing his hand away as if swatting at a fly.
An assassin who sleeps so soundly…
‘Even neglecting one’s duty has limits.’
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“Hey, wake up.”
“…….”
“Ponia.”
In the end, Sionel had no choice but to place a hand on Ponia’s shoulder and force her up. Still groggy, she blinked up at him as he raised both hands.
Smack.
“Ah! Uh?”
The heat rising to her cheeks startled Ponia, and she opened her eyes. Standing before her was Sionel, his gaze icy.
“Did you… just hit me?”
“I woke you up. How many times do I have to tell you to get up?”
“That’s… what that was…”
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“And now there’s knocking in the middle of the night…”
She looked toward the door, now wide-eyed. Someone was knocking.
The door, poorly fitted after being forced open before, wobbled dangerously, as if it might fall at any moment.
“…Who is it?”
“You, as the forest keeper, should know better.”
“I thought you said they were an assassin.”
“I just changed my mind.”
What was that supposed to mean?
But that wasn’t the important thing right now.
“Is there another forest keeper here besides you?”
“No? There were predecessors, but…”
All of them must be dead.
Maybe Jerome came? But knowing how dangerous the forest at night is, if it were Jerome, he wouldn’t come at night—he’d have visited in the daytime.
“At least from anyone I know, no one knocks at midnight.”
“Right.”
Ponia stepped cautiously onto the floor and moved toward the window. She didn’t open it, only peering between the curtains, and caught a glimpse of something.
“…A man?”
A shadow stretched across the ground in the moonlight. He was holding something in one hand.
And with the other hand…
Knock. Knock. Knock.
“What are you doing?”
In an instant, Sionel had grabbed a hammer from the toolbox and was swinging it through the air.
“You said no one you know would be here. So there are only two possibilities. Either a monster climbed up to the cabin, or…”
“……”
“An assassin came to kill me.”
His clear blue eyes glinted sharply—the very same eyes that had choked Ponia before.
Ponia blocked Sionel as he walked toward the door without hesitation.
“Wait a minute.”
“Step aside.”
“Why do you need to open the door…?”
“To attack first.”
“No!”
Her voice rose, and Ponia quickly covered her mouth to lower it.
“It could just be someone who got lost in the forest and found the cabin. You can’t just attack someone blindly like that.”
After almost being killed, he was going overboard now.
But the next words left Ponia speechless.
“Then why aren’t they making a sound?”
“……”
“If they got lost and found the cabin, shouldn’t they be asking for help? But the person outside isn’t making a sound at all, like someone who absolutely mustn’t be noticed.”
“……”
“Even if they aren’t an assassin, can you be sure they’re a good person?”
“……”
“The more someone needs help, the more they only think about themselves.”
Sionel’s gaze shifted inside the cabin, then to Ponia, and finally downward.
Her ivory linen pajamas were loose, exposing her arms and neckline.
“A lone, delicate forest keeper, a solitary cabin in a forest without a soul, and someone living inside it?”
The intimidating tone made Ponia step back, and Sionel moved closer.
“How about being a bit more cautious?”
Their clothing brushed past each other, but no skin touched. Yet Sionel acted as if he could reach out and pull her.
Seeing Ponia stiffen, Sionel stepped back.
‘That should have gotten the message across.’
“So don’t interfere…”
“But…”
Ponia, quiet until now, still looked tense.
“I can’t hear it.”
“……Hear what?”
“The knocking. It stopped.”
They both stared at the door.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The person at the door moved. Simultaneously, Ponia shoved Sionel onto the bed. In an instant, she was on top of him.
“What are you doing?”
“Shh!”
Her hand covered his mouth. He tried to push it away but couldn’t, noticing how thin her pajamas were.
Still, her attention was on the window. Through the curtains, she could clearly see the silhouette of the man.
Holding her breath to avoid opening the window, the man fortunately turned back toward the door.
Ponia looked down at Sionel, now unusually quiet.
“What’s with that expression?”
“……What expression?”
“Flustered, not knowing what to do?”
“Mind your own business.”
Fine.
Ponia returned to the main point.
“So, you’re going to kill him if he’s an assassin?”
“If not, I’ll just knock him out.”
Better than hitting him with a hammer and putting him in a coma.
“…And then?”
“If he gets back up, I’ll torture him enough so he forgets he saw me and can’t utter a word anywhere…”
“Stop!”
Judging by Sionel, even if the person isn’t an assassin, he probably wouldn’t stop attacking.
Thinking of how he choked her without asking a word, that made sense.
Putting aside Sionel’s already-broken personality, she was a sensible, intelligent woman. Moreover:
‘I need to stay here quietly, get paid without trouble, and leave!’
If anyone reported a missing person or saw someone enter the forest, they would investigate Ponia, the forest keeper.
Then her identity as the forest keeper would be exposed.
‘There’s no other way.’
“I’ll go out.”
“What are you going to do outside?”
“If it’s an assassin, attack. If not, protect until sunrise.”
“Huh? What could you do against an assassin?”
“I’d do better than a patient like you.”
“Who said I’m a patient… Ugh! XX.”
Pressing his abdomen, Sionel groaned and cursed.
Now he openly cursed.
This unruly side suited Sionel better. Ponia took the hammer from his hand.
“‘Be cautious’ my foot. Getting knocked out by a delicate forest keeper.”
Leaving the now-quiet Sionel behind, Ponia got up and moved toward the door.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The knocking was now impatient.
‘Stay calm, Ponia Harbell. Open the door just a bit. If something’s wrong, smash it with the hammer!’
After a few deep breaths, Ponia slowly opened the door.
Creeeeeak.
The unlubricated hinges groaned, revealing the person outside. Loose dark tunic and work pants, holding a sharp saw.
Good. I’ll strike first.
As Ponia moved to act, the man’s face appeared.
Many scars from assassination experience…? Wait. Glasses?
Long curly hair covering his eyes, round glasses beneath.
Judging by appearance alone, he didn’t look like an assassin—maybe a quirky scientist.
Unlike Ponia, the man at the door brightened upon seeing her.
“Hello.”
He looked at the bottom of the door.
“There’s some noise from the door. Should I fix it too?”
“…Uh…?”
Seeing her still-stunned face, he smiled awkwardly, realizing his mistake.
“Oh, I should introduce myself. You called a cabin repairman?”
…Repairman?
Early Morning, Village near Mirban Forest
“Please, I really need this urgently.”
“Sorry, I can’t go.”
All eyes in the square were on two men arguing in front of a shop.
“I’ll pay triple. I guarantee your safety.”
“No amount of money will get me into that forest! Be grateful you survived if you ever come back!”
The man puffed off into the shop and locked the door.
This was the fifth refusal.
Jerome sighed and scanned shops that might have a repairman.
People in the square avoided him, moving quickly to stay out of his way.
‘I didn’t realize the rumor spread this far.’
Even the village closest to the forest took two days by carriage. If he wanted a repairman today, he needed to act fast.
‘If not, another village, even if it takes longer…’
“Looking for a repairman?”
A soft voice stopped Jerome. A stranger had approached quietly.
Long brown hair partially covering his eyes, glasses, and a friendly tone.
“I heard your earlier argument.”
“Do you know a repairman? Or maybe another shop nearby?”
“Hmm… none come to mind right now.”
Jerome hid his disappointment.
“Thank you. Then…”
“Do you really need a professional?”
Scratching his messy hair, the man shrugged awkwardly.
“I’m good with repairs. I even trained under a repairman.”
“……”
“And I happen to need money.”
“You need to go to Mirban Forest with me.”
For a moment, his face tensed, then a smooth smile spread.
Whoosh!
The wind blew strongly, scattering his hair and revealing his face behind the glasses.
A beautiful man, completely out of place in this countryside.
