I Became the Keeper of a Suspicious Forest - Chapter 29

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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 29

 

Pure white fog instantly engulfed the area where they stood.

 

It was so thick that except for the path visible right beneath their feet, the trees and thicket and other natural features that had surrounded them just moments ago had completely vanished.

 

With their vision restricted, it became impossible to assess their immediate safety.

 

It felt exactly like being inside a cloud.

 

Anxiety crept over them.

 

‘If it’s this dim even during the day, wouldn’t monsters that only move at night be able to move around too?’

 

In an environment where monsters could jump out at any moment, Ponia took a step backward.

 

But soon, she couldn’t tell which direction she was facing.

 

‘How was I standing before?’

 

“Don’t tremble.”

 

The hand clasped with hers rose up and entered Ponia’s field of vision.

 

“I’m here with you.”

 

The solid touch in her hand and Sionel’s firm voice brought her comfort.

 

As she regained her composure, though blurry, she could also see his face.

 

She realized he had been looking at her the entire time to reassure her. And that his face held quite a bit of concern.

 

“But where is Chad?”

 

“How should I know.”

 

“That’s disappointing…”

 

From a spot several steps away came a particularly gloomy voice.

 

“We can’t see what’s in front of us, but we can still hear each other’s voices.”

 

“Tsk.”

 

Ponia pretended not to notice Sionel clicking his tongue quietly.

 

“More importantly, I can’t see ahead, so could you hold my hand?”

 

And then, a hand appeared from within the fog. It waved through the air, trying to grab onto someone.

 

I’ve seen this in horror movies.

 

Though she felt a bit sorry for Chad, his hand was unusually pale, making it somehow reluctant to touch.

 

“I can see you. I’ll hold your hand.”

 

She was about to reluctantly take his hand when Sionel was a step faster.

 

“Thank you, Nia!”

 

“…”

 

“But your hand is bigger than I thought? Your bone structure is thick too.”

 

“Keep feeling around and I’ll kill you.”

 

The chattering voice disappeared.

 

“Let’s head back for now.”

 

They turned around and began walking down a path where they couldn’t see even an inch ahead.

 

“Is it really going to rain…”

 

“Don’t let go of my hand. It’ll be troublesome if I lose you.”

 

Who’s the troublesome one here.

 

Just because she had been anxious for a brief moment, Sionel was treating her like a scared child.

 

“Is the path we’re walking the same one we came from?”

 

“There’s no way to know. We can’t stop, so we have no choice but to keep going.”

 

It had been 30 minutes since they left the cabin, so if they were going in the right direction, they should be able to reach the cabin again within 40 minutes.

 

If that didn’t happen, many problems would start arriving.

 

Without letting their guard down, each of them pondered their response methods.

 

“Just walking is boring, can I ask a question?”

 

Except for this unnamed man.

 

“Shut up and just walk.”

 

“I’ve seen you two since you were young, but you don’t seem very close.”

 

Despite the light tone, the content was anything but.

 

“You’re cousins, but Nia uses formal speech with you. It’s like she’s addressing a superior.”

 

“…As you can see, my cousin’s personality is like this, so it’s not comfortable to speak casually.”

 

“Ah, I understand.”

 

Her left cheek stung. Sionel was definitely glaring at her.

 

After walking like that for about an hour.

 

They stopped in their tracks.

 

“It doesn’t seem like this is the right path, does it?”

 

The cabin was nowhere to be seen. Only a winding, endlessly stretching path lay before them.

 

Sionel made a quick decision.

 

“We need to go back.”

 

“There’s no guarantee that way is the right path either.”

 

“Then let’s split up here. We’ll go back, and you continue on your way.”

 

“Wow, how cold.”

 

“Wait a moment.”

 

At Ponia’s words, both men looked at her simultaneously.

 

“Just in case, as we walked along the path, I occasionally marked rocks. But…”

 

Ponia pointed to a spot with her finger. There was a rock that came up to Ponia’s waist.

 

“Huh? The mark is here. I guess we went in circles?”

 

Chad explained the desperate situation quite cheerfully.

 

Though that didn’t make the situation any less desperate.

 

There was nearly half a day left until sunset, but if they kept wandering around like this, night would fall quickly.

 

Ponia looked at the rock and rubbed her eyes.

 

And, this might be her imagination, but her vision kept getting blurry…

 

Then, as she moved her hand away, a figure caught her eye.

 

“A deer?”

 

A deer was walking slowly along the path they were on.

 

Even in this fog, the deer’s form was clearly visible.

 

What was peculiar was that several small flower buds were attached to the deer’s antlers.

 

Among them was a fully bloomed flower, with a clearly shining crystal positioned in the center.

 

She knew that no animals existed in this forest, but except for the antlers, the deer’s appearance was remarkably ordinary.

 

Without realizing it, her steps quickened. She wanted to see the crystal up close.

 

Grab.

 

At that moment, someone seized Ponia’s hand. Reflexively turning around, Chad was there.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“You suddenly started running.”

 

I was running?

 

“I was just walking because I wanted to see the deer up close…”

 

However, after walking about 100 meters holding Chad’s hand, they came upon the rock she had marked.

 

Instantly, goosebumps rose on her body.

 

“You suddenly ran off, so both Sio and I were really startled.”

 

“…”

 

“No matter how much we called, you wouldn’t answer, and you were rushing ahead like you were possessed, so we wondered what was happening.”

 

However, Ponia quickly turned around and looked around. She had noticed someone’s absence.

 

“…Where’s Sio?”

 

“Sio? He was just running beside me trying to catch Nia… huh?”

 

That was answer enough.

 

Sionel had disappeared.

 

* * *

 

She looked around in all directions and shouted, but no answer came back.

 

As Ponia was about to call out once more, Chad stopped her.

 

“Nia, we should get out of here first. Monsters might start moving.”

 

Ponia reflexively tried to push his arm away, then clenched her fist instead.

 

At this rate, not only her life but Chad’s life could be in danger too.

 

She began walking while holding Chad’s hand, but now they were completely lost. She couldn’t tell where they had come from or where they were going.

 

‘I made a mistake.’

 

The deer that appeared alone in the fog was clearly strange. It was obviously a monster, so why did she want to approach it?

 

‘No matter how much we called, you wouldn’t answer, and you were rushing ahead like you were possessed, so we wondered what was happening.’

 

Come to think of it, even in the fog where nothing was visible, the deer’s form was clearly visible.

 

“Chad, have you ever seen a deer in the fog?”

 

“A deer? I’ve never seen one.”

 

A deer that only she could see.

 

‘Is this fog also related to that deer?’

 

“Sio will be fine.”

 

Chad interjected into Ponia’s endless stream of thoughts.

 

“Honestly, he doesn’t seem like the type to just quietly take whatever comes his way.”

 

…That’s true enough.

 

“He might have already escaped the fog on his own, saying he’s better off without the burden?”

 

…I can definitely imagine that too.

 

“So don’t make that face, and let’s work hard to get out of here ourselves.”

 

Ponia, who had been nodding in agreement with his words, turned her head.

 

“Hm?”

 

Chad brought his face close to hers and smiled playfully.

 

Only then did Ponia realize he had been joking around to cheer her up.

 

“Thank you, it helped me calm down.”

 

“I’m glad I could help.”

 

Even in this situation, Chad remained relaxed. His steps were as light as if he were taking a casual stroll through an ordinary forest path.

 

“Nia must really treasure Sio.”

 

“…”

 

“Even when we were being chased by that snake together, you weren’t as flustered as you were just now.”

 

Chad shook their clasped hands.

 

“You know what? I can tell that Nia keeps her distance from me.”

 

“…I’m not sure what you mean.”

 

She knew very well.

 

Regardless of Chad becoming Sionel’s right-hand man in the original story, Chad wasn’t someone she particularly wanted to get close to.

 

Especially given that he was an excellent information gatherer.

 

Having met Chad as a forest keeper, Ponia didn’t want him to discover that she wasn’t a commoner but a noble lady of House of Harbel.

 

Chad spoke up, interpreting Ponia’s silence in his own way.

 

“I know, I give you the creeps.”

 

Why is the conversation jumping to that?

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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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