I Became the Keeper of a Suspicious Forest - Chapter 35

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

Chapter 35

 

“Like?”

 

Why is that person suddenly acting like that!

 

Ponia sent Chad a meaningful look to give him a hint, but he wasn’t looking at her.

 

“Hm? Why can’t you answer?”

 

Instead, he asked again.

 

Naturally, Ponia’s gaze turned toward Sionel. Surprisingly, Sionel wasn’t flustered and was lost in thought.

 

‘What is he thinking so seriously about.’

 

“Chad, don’t say useless things and get to work.”

 

“Huh? Why is this useless? It’s important.”

 

“It’s not like that.”

 

Right after Chad’s aggrieved words, a cold and smooth voice followed.

 

Sionel looked back at Ponia. She could clearly feel bewilderment in his slightly raised eyebrows.

 

Nobles who love vanity think of love as a noble and absolute value that cannot be exchanged for anything.

 

The reason novels and operas targeting nobles often show tragic love is because it’s the most romantic and unattainable thing for nobles bound by systems and frameworks.

 

He had received plenty of that difficult love. When he was actively participating in social activities, noble young ladies would speak of love to him.

 

He didn’t believe in the pure love that would only appear in works of art.

 

How many of the women who sincerely liked him and confessed would there be.

 

In fact, after he started receiving assassination attempts, those who had shown interest in him and those who had confessed their love no longer approached him.

 

He understands them. No young lady would want to marry an unmarried noble heir whose immediate future is uncertain.

 

‘I like you!’

 

There was a time when I thought the love sent to me was sincere.

 

‘That person also never appeared before me again after that.’

 

So, for him, love isn’t something abstract that comes down like a myth, but something more practical.

 

Because it can blind people’s eyes by wrapping things in love, and make many things possible. Love is something to be used.

 

“I don’t look at this forest keeper in that way.”

 

So, you’re too precious to attach the love I think of to you.

 

You’re a little more…

 

“Forest keeper? What does that mean?”

 

Chad looked down at Sionel with an expression of not understanding, then held out the lumber.

 

“I meant whether you like this lumber, so why does Nia come up?”

 

“…”

 

“Hm? Why do you all have those expressions?”

 

“Come down here.”

 

“Eek!”

 

While stopping Sionel from immediately climbing up to the roof, Ponia broke out in a cold sweat while mulling over his words.

 

‘Right, what am I thinking. That doesn’t make sense.’

 

Maybe because they’d gotten closer, she had unnecessary suspicions.

 

At this rate, she might hear him tell her not to cross the line again.

 

Chad must have felt a threat to his life, as he didn’t say anything else and just worked.

 

Thanks to wandering through the forest on the last patrol, they were able to check quite a bit of the area. It seemed like they could just rest at the cabin for a while and help with repair work.

 

“Nia, could you give me some nails?”

 

“Here.”

 

“If you look on the floor, there should be materials slightly larger than this.”

 

“Here they are.”

 

After helping several times, it became natural for her to wait with the necessary auxiliary materials or tools before Chad even asked.

 

“Nia really works well.”

 

“I did a lot of odd jobs in the village.”

 

“But…”

 

Instead of speaking, Chad shifted his gaze. At the end of it was Sionel.

 

Sionel was looking intently at the materials placed on the floor.

 

Can he even distinguish between them.

 

“Sio didn’t work much?”

 

“…He was weak.”

 

“Wow, he’s just like a noble young master.”

 

Exactly right.

 

“I can do that much too.”

 

Sionel picked up a long plank.

 

“I’ll fix the door.”

 

“Wait a minute. Chad would do it if you just left it alone.”

 

“The work needs to progress quickly so that bastard will leave here soon.”

 

And he stood in front of the door, carrying a bunch of materials.

 

“Leave it alone. Even if it turns out a bit strange, I can fix it later.”

 

He didn’t seem like he’d do well at all.

 

But continuing to tell him not to do it would also arouse Chad’s suspicion.

 

‘Right, what’s the big deal.’

 

Rather, it seemed like it would be more helpful if he focused on fixing the door and didn’t fight with Chad.

 

Ponia turned off her attention and helped Chad again.

 

And after a moment.

 

Creeak. Crash!

 

“…”

 

Bang!

 

The door fell over and shattered into pieces.

 

Sionel, standing in front of it, put down his tools and raised both hands as if claiming innocence.

 

“The door fell over on its own.”

 

Chad came down for a moment to examine the door, then shook his head.

 

“Nia, this won’t work. It seems like it would be easier to make a new one than to fix it.”

 

“It’s not as easy as I thought.”

 

Sionel rarely watched Ponia’s reaction. Because her expression had hardened coldly.

 

Ponia muttered ominously with quietly sunken eyes.

 

“How did I think I could rest for once.”

 

“If you rest too much, you’ll get lazy.”

 

“Are you kidding?”

 

“Some wind will come in, but it’s not enough to prevent sleep.”

 

It was such a rare positive attitude that it was rather infuriating.

 

“How about just going out to get some fresh air for a bit?”

 

“You’re telling me to go out? Not that bastard?”

 

“We can’t kick out the repairman who’s fixing the cabin. The person who’s least helpful here should be the one to leave.”

 

Sionel frowned but couldn’t argue otherwise. Ponia didn’t even glance in Sionel’s direction.

 

“Chad, could you look at this door first?”

 

Drop.

 

A cold sensation instantly melted into her head. Ponia touched her head. Some water came off on her hand.

 

And when she looked up at the sky.

 

Plop.

 

A water droplet that fell from the sky hit her forehead and flowed down.

 

Chad wiped off the water droplet on his hand and drove in a wedge.

 

“Oh? It’s raining.”

 

* * *

 

“I should have just gone on patrol.”

 

Ponia stared ahead with a gloomy expression.

 

Dense sheets of rain obscured her vision. Every time fierce raindrops hit the ground, sharp striking sounds could be heard.

 

The rain was so heavy that flowers on the ground broke, and large puddles formed everywhere as water couldn’t seep into the earth.

 

The gentle drizzle that had softly touched their skin instantly became a downpour, forcing them to abandon the repair work and come down to the first-floor warehouse where Chad was staying.

 

“Still, since we covered the roof with cloth, the interior shouldn’t be too damaged.”

 

Chad, who was beside her, said while wiping his glasses on his clothes.

 

He couldn’t avoid the rain because he had stayed until the last moment to cover the roof.

 

Water droplets fell from his long eyelashes. He looked like a drenched mouse.

 

Even his tremendous curly hair had lost its strength to the merciless rain and hung limply.

 

‘This look is better.’

 

Moreover, the glasses he put back on were still full of water droplets. It was because he had wiped them with wet clothes.

 

“You seem to really like my face.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“You couldn’t take your eyes off me.”

 

“…That can’t be. It’s just an ordinary face.”

 

“Though it’s awkward for me to say this myself, it’s not exactly an ordinary face, is it?”

 

“I’ve lived my whole life only looking at my cousin’s face.”

 

Ignoring Chad who stubbornly asked while pushing his face closer, Ponia took the glasses from his face.

 

She wiped them clean with her dry clothes.

 

Compared to Chad, Ponia was in relatively good condition. Only her hair was slightly wet, and her body was mostly fine.

 

‘Go to the warehouse.’

 

As soon as the stream of water began to thicken, Sionel had covered Ponia’s head with a blanket.

 

‘The blanket shouldn’t get wet.’

 

Though she wasn’t sure if that was really for Ponia’s sake.

 

She put on the now dry glasses and checked her vision again.

 

Hmm, now I can see clearly.

 

“Here you go.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

‘Wait, I can see clearly?’

 

Ponia looked at him again. Chad also met her gaze and soon smiled.

 

“Ah, did you notice?”

 

“Those glasses don’t correct your vision, do they?”

 

It was strange that even to her eyes, which had good vision, everything still looked clear without any blurriness.

 

“That’s right. If I don’t do this, I easily attract other people’s attention. Though it was useless with Nia whether I wore them or not.”

 

‘So that’s why he didn’t need to wear glasses in the original story.’

 

For a commoner rather than a noble to become part of the ducal house, he needed to gain trust, and his appearance would have been a great help in that process.

 

Chad stretched his hand outside and pulled it back after feeling the rain.

 

“Anyway, let’s sleep in the warehouse tonight and see how things are tomorrow when the rain stops.”

 

Riiiiip!

 

Among the sound of rain fiercely beating the entire forest, there was a sound of something tearing. The sound of not being able to return to the cabin tomorrow either.

 

Ah, it’s probably some moderately old and fragile cloth.

 

“What was that sound?”

 

“Hmm. Shall we go inside now?”

 

Chad pretended not to know and pushed her back.

 

“By the way, Nia, have you seen Sio? He was in the cabin with us earlier.”

 

“He should be in the warehouse. He said he felt uncomfortable and was going to change clothes…”

 

Ponia opened the warehouse door and immediately came face to face with Sionel.

 

And he was taking off his shirt.

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