I Became the Keeper of a Suspicious Forest - Chapter 3

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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 3

Ponia’s ears perked up at a name she couldn’t ignore.

The boy running around with newspapers had a loud voice and quick feet.

Ponia wasn’t one to just let that pass by.

“Hot news just in!”

“Hey, give me one too.”

“Oh my! When did you get here? Here you go.”

It had been three years since meeting Sionel. Whenever news about Sionel appeared in the papers, she collected them separately and even made a scrapbook.

As soon as she received the newspaper and began reading the article quickly, Ponia’s hands started trembling and her face darkened.

【Exclusive! Prince Sionel Devonham Missing!】

“Missing this time?”

For the past two years, all articles related to Sionel had been nothing but bad news.

Kidnapping, poisoning, arson, assassin attacks, and more.

These kinds of articles started appearing sporadically from when he was supposed to inherit his title, and even now, three years later, he still hadn’t inherited it.

Everything was exactly as she had seen in the novel.

【I Want a Happy Ending】 was a story about the female protagonist ‘Lana,’ who was hurt by betrayal from family and friends, meeting the duke male protagonist Sionel and finding happiness.

In the story, Sionel felt a sense of kinship with the female protagonist who had similar wounds to his own past filled with countless hardships, and they grew closer before falling in love.

‘The problem is that those “countless hardships” Sionel went through are currently ongoing.’

In the novel, Sionel’s past was briefly described and glossed over, so she hadn’t thought much about it…

This is too cruel, author!

Sionel should only walk on flower paths!

With a much more dejected mood, she scanned the bulletin board, but nothing caught her eye.

“Won’t money fall from the sky?”

She didn’t ask for much, just exactly 20,000 gold would do.

Whoosh

“Ah!”

It was then that a flyer suddenly flew in on the wind.

When she peeled off the flyer, the contents were revealed beneath the faded paper.

【World’s Easiest Forest Keeper Job Opening】

Duties: Patrol once a day, eat and sleep in the forest.

Workplace: Mirban Forest

Duration: 6 months

Qualifications: Healthy person, diligent person, brave person.

Compensation: Communion with flora and fauna, appreciation of beautiful forest scenery, alone time, …

Inquiries: Employment Office

“What did I expect.”

The spark quickly disappeared from Ponia’s eyes.

It was a job posting that had been circulating around the territory for two months already.

The reason this job posting for an ordinary forest keeper had been around for two months was because of Mirban Forest, which was designated as the workplace.

A forest where once you enter, you can never return.

That was the modifier used to describe Mirban Forest.

The reason was unknown. Since no one returned, the cause couldn’t be determined either.

However, Ponia knew the true nature of that forest.

Because this was the main setting of the story where the protagonists had their first meeting.

In the early part of the novel, Lana, who was betrayed by her family and sold as a bride to some old count, fell into Mirban Forest due to a carriage accident.

Turning crisis into opportunity, she tried to escape, but soon Lana faced the forest’s ‘dangerous element.’

That’s when Sionel saved her.

Sionel, who owned the forest, had a secret obligation to eliminate the forest’s dangers, and Lana had encountered many such ‘dangers’ since childhood and knew a lot about them.

Eventually, the two joined forces to eliminate the forest’s ‘dangerous element,’ healed each other’s wounds, fell in love, and did everything.

But that was all for later.

Their first meeting and the elimination of the dangerous element all happened after Sionel became a duke, so there was still a long way to go.

‘I know exactly what’s there, so I’m absolutely not going.’

Her green eyes, having lost interest, indifferently read through the remaining text.

“Let’s see… the actual reward is…”

Ah, here it is.

20,000 gold

“Oh, I needed exactly 20,000 gold.”

How desperate must she be to see it as 20,000 gold?

Ponia chuckled and counted the numbers again.

“Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands…”

20,000 gold

The number hadn’t changed. Ponia blinked slowly, then suddenly jerked her head up.

“What? 20,000 gold?!”

* * *

“This is giving me such a headache.”

Max irritably threw the flyer onto his desk.

The employment office, which should have been bustling with people, was completely empty except for the three employees.

Another employee lying sprawled on the sofa complained.

“I told you we shouldn’t take it. I said the reward was too big and suspicious.”

“How was I supposed to know it would be this dangerous? I thought with such a high commission, we’d just find someone and be done.”

Having already received a massive commission, they had to find a forest keeper by the deadline no matter what.

“If we can’t find anyone, one of us will have to go into the forest…”

The other employees who heard Max’s muttering were startled and firmly shook their heads.

“I absolutely won’t do it! If someone’s going in, you go!”

“I’m not going either! Honestly, you’re the one who brought this job, Max!”

“Why are you only blaming me! You guys! I brought in work so we could move to a bigger place!”

“That… that’s different! Who would want to come when they obviously know it’s dangerous! I wouldn’t do it either! What crazy person would come wanting to do this!”

Ding-a-ling.

A cheerful bell sound announcing a ceasefire rang out. The gazes of those who had been fighting as if ready to devour each other simultaneously turned toward the door.

Just as the sunset was illuminating the door, the body of the woman standing in front of it was bathed in red light.

Thanks to this, the woman’s well-maintained crimson hair shone even more brilliantly, contrasting with her shabby clothing.

Among those staring blankly at the woman who appeared in the sunset, Max barely managed to open his mouth.

“What brings you here…?”

The woman, who had been observing the inside of the office, met Max’s eyes. A small gasp unconsciously escaped his lips.

The woman who had maintained silence soon showed a painted-like smile.

“You’re looking for a forest keeper?”

That crazy person – I’d like to give it a try.

Facing the dazed employees, Ponia deliberately smiled brightly.

It really was too much money to just pass by.

* * *

“You tell her.”

“You’re in charge of consultations. You tell her.”

“You brought this job, so you should do it this time!”

It had already been an hour.

They had seated Ponia on the sofa and gone into the meeting room for 30 minutes without coming out, and now they were spending time passing the job back and forth right in front of her.

In the end, it was Max, who had brought the job, who spoke up.

“Ahem… Miss, you want to do this job?”

“Looking at the flyer, the work seems simple. I meet the qualifications too.”

She definitely doesn’t know anything.

Looking at the purely cheerful woman, anguish appeared on his face.

The guilt he had tried to ignore by telling himself that all the applicants he’d sent to the forest knew what they were getting into began to creep up as he looked at her innocent face.

“…It might be a bit dangerous. You know, wild animals! That’s right! Wild animals are so dangerous.”

“I once followed a group of wild animal hunters. I’ve observed many appropriate response methods for different situations. I like animals too.”

Faced with the woman’s calm demeanor, Max began asking questions in confusion.

“You have to handle everything alone. What could you possibly do with such a frail-looking body?”

“I’m used to working alone usually. I have more muscle than I look too.”

“Ah! You’ll have to be isolated for 6 months, so you might get lonely.”

“I was just wanting to be alone anyway!”

“It’ll be really scary at night!”

“Being able to spend nights in the forest, how romantic…”

“What romance! It’ll be noisy because of animal sounds?!”

“Once I fall asleep, even if someone sings next to me or shakes me, I won’t wake up.”

“Isn’t that a problem…? Have you seen a physician?”

“No.”

“You should go see one. I know a physician who’s a renowned doctor.”

“Thank you for the advice.”

“Ah, no need for thanks… No, this isn’t what I was trying to say!”

Far from scaring her, the conversation had gone off on a tangent. Finally, Max launched his last attack.

“There’s nothing there!”

“Creating something from nothing is my specialty.”

Ding. Ding. Ding.

The winner was Ponia Harbel.

Max finally turned his head away sharply.

It was to hold back tears. He felt sorry for this woman who was only positive without knowing anything.

She must have lived alone without family, not even knowing loneliness…

No one had said such a thing.

But Max, already filled with preconceptions, hardened his resolve.

“Actually, there were people who went to this forest before.”

“I see.”

“But none of them came back!”

“How could you say that!”

The other employees who had been watching anxiously shouted in unison, but Max hung his head.

“Sob… I can’t deceive you anymore. It’s too pitiful!”

“But if we don’t do this, we’ll have to go!”

“You guys, why are you crying! If you cry, I’ll also…”

Setting aside the three men hugging each other and crying, Ponia was currently very bewildered.

‘…Why are they suddenly crying?’

These men are seriously misunderstanding something. Ponia sighed.

“I already knew that when I came.”

“…Huh?”

The employees looked at her with reddened eyes but still couldn’t grasp the situation.

“More than that, there’s something I’m curious about…”

Instead of additional explanations, Ponia brought up her business.

“The compensation is certain, right?”

“…”

“Money is the most important thing.”

“…”

“Ah! Do you also give advance payment?”

‘I need to make sure about the money calculation.’

Both numerically and physically, Ponia was clearly the weaker party. She deliberately put on a serious expression, trying not to look easy to deal with.

‘She’s a crazy woman.’

Though she didn’t know that she had already achieved sufficient effect on the employees.

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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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