Chapter 21
At that moment, Sien slowly blinked and whispered to me.
“Wow, amazing. The monster is crying, Miss Lia.”
…Well, of course it’s crying. If three people were stomping on me, I’d cry too.
Even though the rabbit was clearly at fault, the situation was so strange that Sien looked more like the aggressor.
The rabbit glanced around at the men before locking eyes with me.
Its ears perked up and it hopped toward me.
Standing on its hind legs, it scratched at the back of my knees, begging to be held.
‘Oh well, fine.’
I picked it up in my arms.
Sien’s eyes widened a little in surprise.
“That monster threatened you, and you’re hugging it?”
“What can I do? It’s crying like this.”
Also… it was a little cute.
“…Then should I cry too?”
“…What?”
Sien tapped his chin with the muzzle of his gun, rolling his eyes, then flashed me a bright smile when our gazes met.
“Nothing.”
Nothing, my foot. I heard that loud and clear.
Trying to gloss over it, huh?
I put on a deliberately stern face.
“…Lord Tower Master, let’s not use firearms carelessly. If a comrade gets hit, it could cause serious injury.”
Sien made a sulky face.
“But that rabbit was rude to you first, Miss Lia.”
That was true.
When I nodded slightly, Sien’s face broke into a smile.
“See? I did well, right, Miss Lia?”
“Not exactly.”
This time he blinked his clear eyes innocently.
“Acting cute won’t work on me.”
Then he pouted his lips.
“Put those lips back in.”
“…Fine. I’ll apologize to the rabbit.”
He didn’t need to go that far. The rabbit had attacked first, after all.
Before I could stop him, Sien clasped his hands behind his back and stepped lightly toward me, lowering his head.
Then, leaning close to the rabbit in my arms, he whispered gently.
“Sorry, bunny. I apologize.”
The rabbit, which had been trembling, widened its eyes in disbelief. When it sucked in a deep breath, its chubby belly puffed out roundly.
When Sien’s violet eyes softened into a smile, the rabbit’s cheeks seemed to flush faintly.
“But if you act rude toward Miss Lia even once more, I’ll shove a blade sideways into your throat. Got it?”
…Yeah, I heard that, you vicious man.
‘So that’s why you insisted on apologizing.’
When I stared at him blankly, Sien brushed it off with a smile.
Straightening leisurely, he asked,
“Anyway, what should we do about this monster, Miss Lia?”
“Leave it behind.”
Judging it harmless, the crown prince, who had been leaning against a tree with arms crossed, stood up.
“It’s useless.”
Jaeger, still wiping his sword, agreed.
“Hmm…”
I looked down at the rabbit.
It trembled in my arms, gazing up at me with pitiful eyes like the Cat in Boots.
Well… what am I supposed to do with that?
“Whimper… whimper…”
I really don’t like animals.
“Whimper…”
I really don’t like little critters like this.
“Whine…”
I said I don’t like them!
On the way to the edge of the forest at dawn,
the three men’s stares drilling into the back of my head made me uneasy.
“My lady.”
“What?”
“Shouldn’t you put it down by now?”
“Put what down?”
“The rabbit.”
The crown prince jerked his chin toward the monster rabbit, sleeping belly-up in my arms.
I stroked the rabbit naturally as I replied.
“How can I, when it’s sleeping?”
The crown prince rubbed his chin, looking surprised.
“Huh. So you can’t just walk past a creature that needs affection, my lady.”
Me? Surely not.
I patted the rabbit’s plump belly and said,
“Why would you think that? I’m the kind of person who goes around smacking servants’ heads.”
I threw back at him the words he’d once used at the eastern hut.
“Hah.”
The crown prince’s lips curved in a slanted smile. He chuckled, saying I held grudges after all.
Jaeger silently kept watch on our surroundings as we walked.
Then Sien sidled up to me.
“Miss Lia, come to think of it, you weren’t startled by the monster. For a noble lady, it’s usually a first-time sight.”
“Why would I be? I’m the lady who enjoys monster hunting.”
The crown prince let out a mocking snort.
I glared at him before replying.
“Well, I was a little startled, actually.”
It was true. I had only ever seen monsters in bestiaries—never in person.
‘And besides…’
I tilted my head at the rabbit monster, which had cracked open its eyes as if waking.
‘Why was this thing in the Sacred Forest?’
The forest barrier should still be intact, so no monster could’ve wandered in from the zombie zone.
“Could it be that the Sacred Forest barrier has a problem?”
The crown prince hacked away at overgrown bushes with his spear.
“Maybe. With so many strange creatures running wild lately, nothing would surprise me anymore.”
Perhaps the earthquake that split the ground had cracked the barrier, allowing this harmless little rabbit monster to slip inside.
I was concluding my thoughts with a butterfly-effect theory when—
“Eek!”
The rabbit suddenly snapped awake, kicked off my arm with its hind legs, and leapt away.
‘Farewell, then.’
I brushed off my empty hands and turned away without regret.
The crown prince looked at me in surprise.
“What? You’re not going after it?”
“I’m a little sad, sure, but it’s not like I grew attached enough to chase after a monster rabbit.”
And it wasn’t dangerous enough to bother with, anyway.
“Then let’s keep moving.”
Just as we were turning to go,
the rabbit darted into a bush and wiggled its backside.
It seemed to have found something. The men and I exchanged puzzled looks.
We pushed the bushes aside and peered through—
The rabbit was placing its paw on a glittering trap.
The instant I recognized it, a chill ran down my spine.
A Sacred Forest trap.
A dimensional snare perfectly recreating another world.
It swallowed every living thing within a meter of its trigger.
Originally installed to protect survivors from wild beasts—like hidden armories scattered throughout the forest—they were all retrieved years ago, because too many survivors accidentally stepped on them and vanished.
‘So why is one still here…?’
I swallowed hard, focusing all my nerves on the rabbit’s paw.
The rabbit touched the trap with a guileless expression.
‘No, don’t you dare, you little bastard!’
Whoosh—!
Too late. As I reached for it, a violent whirlwind spun up and sucked the rabbit inside.
“Ahhh!”
Feeling my body lift, I frantically grabbed whatever I could.
“My lady!”
Unfortunately, what I caught was the crown prince’s hair. As he was sucked in, he seized Jaeger’s ankle, and Jaeger clutched Sien’s collar.
Like sausages strung in a line, we were all pulled in, the forest scenery shrinking away as we plummeted into a blinding white light.
Blazing sunlight stabbed my skin, and the heat jolted me awake.
‘Where… am I?’
Looking around, I realized I was in the middle of a desert, surrounded by endless dunes.
I sighed and tried to sit up, but my supporting hand sank deep into the sand.
Scooping and releasing it, I felt its soft, vivid texture.
‘This trap recreates reality so perfectly.’
My brief awe turned to unease as I dusted off my hands and stood.
‘Which means this could be really dangerous.’
I glanced around again.
Thankfully, the men were sprawled nearby.
“Damn it… what the…”
One by one, starting with the crown prince, they stirred awake.
I pulled a water flask from my pouch, took a sip, then passed it around.
Each drank in turn. The crown prince was last, rinsing his head before shaking out his wet hair and scanning the surroundings.
“Where’s that damn rabbit?”
“Seems it escaped on its own.”
The crown prince’s eyes chilled, glaring straight ahead as if vowing vengeance.
I brushed the sand from my shirt and sighed.
“First, we need to find the trap’s exit.”
Everyone knew that Sacred Forest snares had exits.
“Looks like there’s one a kilometer away, following those markers.”
Shading his eyes, the crown prince pointed with his chin.
Indeed, signposts stood in a row, magically protected, guiding the way.
“Let’s go.”
He slung his spear over his shoulder and strode ahead. Jaeger adjusted his pack and followed.
Sien shook the sand off a blanket, then held it behind me like a sunshade.
Thanks to him, I was spared the burning heat on my scalp.
As we walked a few more steps, a sudden chill pricked my senses.
I narrowed my eyes and scanned our surroundings warily.
Seeing me tense up, Sien looked puzzled.
