I Became the Keeper of a Suspicious Forest - Chapter 19

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 19

Kiyeeek!

The snake monster writhed in pain.

Ponia gasped for breath and looked down.

The axe she had struck down was embedded in the snake’s tail. The tail that had been binding the repairman’s foot went limp.

Leaving the repairman behind, Ponia immediately turned back down the path to find his axe.

She thought about whether this would really change anything, but if she didn’t make this effort, she felt like she wouldn’t be able to sleep peacefully.

Though right now, it was questionable whether she’d even have a place to sleep peacefully.

“Wow, even hitting it with all my strength didn’t cut it off.”

Ponia muttered to herself as she put strength into pulling out the axe. The tail moved away from them.

The repairman, who had watched this process, looked up at her in bewilderment.

He couldn’t hide his flustered expression behind his neat bangs and glasses.

Ponia gestured at him as he stood there dazed.

“What are you doing?”

“…Huh?”

“We need to run. Your legs seem fine.”

Ponia didn’t help him up. Instead, she started running first.

She had thought an axe of that size would be able to deal significant damage to the monster.

‘As expected, it didn’t die.’

I should have just run away instead of interfering…

“Are you naturally the type to take losses like that?”

The repairman, who she thought would be far behind, was right beside her asking this question. Ponia looked at him, unable to hide her bewilderment.

“What?!”

“Living like that, you’re bound to get stabbed in the back.”

As soon as she heard those words, the family members who depended on her came to mind, and Ponia felt an inexplicable surge of anger.

“Then I should have just left you there!”

“Haha, that’s not what I meant. I’ll keep it in mind for the future.”

His bumbling, eccentric appearance had completely disappeared. The man acting so smoothly was strange.

He was unbelievably calm for someone who had been in mortal danger.

Was it just her imagination that he seemed to be in a good mood?

Ponia looked at the repairman who was running slightly ahead of her. His brown hair was disheveled from running at full speed.

His curly hair fluttered, and she could glimpse pale honey-colored eyes through his glasses. But there was something else Ponia focused on.

‘A tear mole?’

There was a tear mole right below his left eye.

It wasn’t a feature you could commonly see around here, but it wasn’t completely absent either.

But why did it bother her so much?

Meanwhile, a fork in the road appeared ahead.

“We’ll split up at the fork in a bit!”

Ponia shouted toward him.

“Honestly, I don’t have the capacity to look after you right now!”

“…”

“So if that snake follows one of us, the remaining person should just run to the cabin!”

It was cruel, but better than both of them dying. For now, this method had the highest chance of survival.

But there was no response from him. Had fear finally hit him, making it impossible to hear anything?

Just as she was wondering if she should tell him again, the man spoke up.

“How about we use a simpler method?”

“There’s no better method than this.”

“I have one.”

The repairman suddenly slowed down to match her pace.

“Excuse me for a moment,”

Then he took the axe that Ponia was holding. Ponia looked at him anxiously.

“What are you going to do with that?”

“If we kill it, we can both survive, right?”

He said this casually and turned toward where the monster was.

Even then, Ponia didn’t think he was serious about what he said.

However, the repairman began running at full speed toward the snake.

“Wait!”

His collar brushed past Ponia’s fingertips as she reached out too late.

‘Easier said than done!’

Even when Ponia had swung the axe with all her might, she had only managed to inflict a minor wound on its tail, not a fatal blow.

Though the repairman was probably stronger than her, he didn’t look strong enough to be optimistic about.

Meanwhile, the man fearlessly reached the monster.

The monster moved its three heads and confidently opened its maws.

Just as she was about to reflexively cover her eyes at the brutal scene that would follow.

The man swung his axe. And with that single swing, one of the snake’s heads was severed.

Ponia doubted her own eyes.

The man didn’t stop there, cutting off the snake’s heads one by one.

When the last head fell, the monster’s body naturally lost control and writhed on the ground. It had all happened in an instant.

“…”

Ponia watched the scene with her mouth agape.

The repairman quietly gazed at the snake with his head and glasses completely covered in blood, then turned around.

And their eyes met.

Despite having accomplished something tremendous, the man only said one thing.

“We got lucky.”

Ponia recalled the thought she’d had earlier that day.

‘Is this person really a repairman?’

This time, the meaning was completely different.

The man approached the still-dazed Ponia.

“I’ve changed my mind.”

“…”

“I’d like to become friends with you.”

The man who had been lifting the corners of his mouth soon raised his head and looked around in all directions.

“Huh? Why can’t I see anything?”

In stark contrast to how he had fearlessly swung the axe moments ago, he was now panicking.

“I can’t see!”

“…Because blood splattered on your glasses.”

“Ah.”

The man wiped his glasses with his sleeve, but it was useless since his sleeve was also covered in blood.

Eventually, he took off his glasses. He also swept back his thick bangs that had been obstructing his vision.

The man finally smiled brightly.

At the same time, his beauty truly shone.

His elongated eye corners and long eyelashes could momentarily make one mistake him for a beautiful woman. Especially the beauty mark on his left side made his aura even more captivating.

Ponia stared intently at the man’s face. It wasn’t because she was enchanted by his appearance.

‘Why does he seem so familiar?’

It was the same sense of déjà vu she’d felt even when his face was completely covered. Something seemed like it was about to come to mind.

If she had seen such a beautiful man even once, there was no way she would have forgotten…

‘Ah, there is one person.’

“Ah, now I can see clearly.”

The man’s pale wheat-colored eyes now looked directly at her.

“Oh, I haven’t told you my name yet.”

The man’s lips slowly parted.

Ponia already knew the man’s name.

“Chad Moreau. You can call me Chad.”

“…”

“Please take care of me from now on, Nia.”

Chad Moreau.

A major character from the original novel.

* * *

Who is Chad Moreau?

【I Want a Happy Ending】 focuses primarily on the romance between Lana and Sionel, so it doesn’t shed much light on other characters.

However, there is one person. One character the novel treats with significant importance.

Chad Moreau, Sionel’s right-hand man and an excellent information source.

Not only had he never failed a single mission assigned to him, but he also showed unwavering loyalty to Sionel.

His physical abilities were so outstanding that Sionel would assign him as Lana’s bodyguard.

With such great abilities, there were quite a few descriptions related to him in the novel, and most of them were praise for his beauty.

Despite being of commoner origin, when he attended parties following Sionel, he had such beautiful looks that he could captivate all the noble ladies.

‘There was even a description of Lana blushing when she saw his appearance, leading to speculation that Chad might be a secondary male lead.’

And now he’s here in Mirban Forest, as a repairman, right before her eyes.

‘Why on earth?’

“Nia?”

Ponia snapped back to her senses. Before she knew it, they were in front of the cabin door. Chad was looking at her with concern.

“You’ve been quiet since earlier… Are you alright?”

No, I’m not alright at all.

Ponia looked up at him. Gentle curly hair and thick-rimmed glasses.

‘No wonder I didn’t recognize him.’

Ponia scrutinized his face and asked as if interrogating him.

“Did you have another job before being a repairman?”

“No?”

“Then, after this job is finished, will you quit being a repairman and look for another profession?”

“I’m not sure yet?”

“Something you’ve already decided on?”

“Not at all?”

“Ah, well then, that’s all.”

Leaving him bewildered, Ponia entered the cabin.

What she could tell now was that Chad hadn’t joined the Devonham Duchy yet.

‘Then when does he become Sionel’s right-hand man?’

She couldn’t even imagine how an ordinary repairman would become a ducal house information agent in the first place.

Her mind was spinning in chaos when Sionel, who had been in the room, approached her.

“What were you doing that you’re only coming in now?”

The moment she saw him, a small lightning bolt flashed through Ponia’s mind.

‘Could it be that they first met here?’

“Don’t just stand there, answer… Are you hurt?”

Sionel grabbed her right arm. Blood came off onto his hand. Sionel’s face hardened.

Ponia pulled her arm away.

“It’s not my blood.”

While escaping, she had gotten small scratches from tree branches and thickets, but what was on her arm was all the monster’s blood.

“Never mind that, about the repairman. Doesn’t he seem familiar somehow?”

Sionel asked back, still keeping his gaze fixed on Ponia’s arm.

“Why suddenly?”

“Just think about it. Maybe you’ve seen him at the manor? His name is Chad Molorae.”

Even to her expectant eyes, Sionel shook his head.

“Not at all. If there had been someone going around the ducal house in such attire, I would have noticed long ago.”

That’s true.

‘Then they had never met before now.’

Her mind started spinning rapidly.

If they really were meeting for the first time in this forest, and that meeting became the catalyst for Chad to join Sionel, then the current situation was diverging from the original story.

Because Ponia’s presence would be preventing their meeting.

“Why don’t you meet that repairman?”

Ponia spoke rashly, then seeing Sionel’s suspicious look, she spoke in an excuse-making tone.

“I mean, seeing him today, he’s really a decent person? A young man with pride in his work, simple, kind…”

As expected, Sionel made an expression as if he was about to snap at her to stop talking nonsense. However, he unexpectedly spoke first.

“Why is that guy calling you Nia?”

“Well, just… we introduced ourselves, so I told him to call me casually.”

She should have told Sionel the name Nia instead of her real name too, but she had made the mistake of giving her real name, worried he might remember her.

His persistent gaze clung to her. Ponia couldn’t look him straight in the eye.

“Why, why…?”

“First you talk about him as soon as you arrive.”

“…”

“Not only do you give him ridiculous praise, but you even allow him to use a nickname. Don’t tell me you…”

Suspicious eyes turned toward her. As the net slowly tightened around her, Ponia gradually backed away.

‘He’s not suspecting that I’m on Chad’s side now, is he?’

Just as she was internally concluding that this was entirely possible for that misanthrope, Sionel provided his answer.

“Did you fall for him?”

What kind of nonsense is this now?

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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