I Became the Keeper of a Suspicious Forest - Chapter 40

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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 40

 

A wooden carriage entered the village and arrived at the town square.

 

“Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard?”

 

Roen grabbed hold of the man who was about to get off immediately. His voice was mixed with concern.

 

The man wearing a shabby cloak looked at Roen and then plopped down in his seat.

 

When he lightly removed his hat, unkempt bronze-colored hair was revealed. The hair was thin like the bristles of a cheap broom and looked like it would break off at any moment.

 

Also, the material of the scarf covering his face was rough and stained with various colors from other dyes.

 

However, when the man removed his scarf, a face that didn’t match the worn and tattered items at all appeared.

 

A handsome man who would immediately have noble ladies confessing their love and drawing everyone’s attention and interest.

 

“It’s fine, Roen. I just want to see for myself.”

 

It was Sionel Devonham, heir to the Devonham Duchy.

 

“But if His Grace finds out, he’ll scold you. There are already forces targeting you lately, and we haven’t been able to identify them.”

 

“That’s something I have to bear as the heir. More than that, I want to settle the matter Uncle was worried about first.”

 

Sionel had left the capital and come here to catch evidence of the Baiden Family’s betrayal, retainers of the ducal house.

 

Recently, informants had reported that key information from the ducal house was leaking, and investigation results pointed to the Baiden Family as the prime suspect.

 

The location where information was being sold was a mercenary guild that had recently established itself secretly in this village. They were also handling information guild business under the surface.

 

They were of poor quality in that they would abandon all ethics and do anything if it was profitable.

 

“Rather than dangerously using someone else, it would be good if I acted as bait myself. If necessary, I can reveal my identity.”

 

“Young master.”

 

“If we both move, we’ll stand out. Roen, watch the situation from here. Keep it secret from Uncle.”

 

Sionel, who had put his scarf back on and pulled his cloak over himself, went outside the carriage.

 

He was planning to go near the guild right away.

 

Passing by people coming and going in the town square, he reached the back of the guild through a route he had memorized in advance.

 

However, there were people who had arrived before him.

 

Sionel hid his body behind a wall and slightly poked his head out.

 

Several people were having a conversation in the narrow alley.

 

‘Are they guild members?’

 

And then, one person caught his eye.

 

A small figure caught between well-built men.

 

Now that he looked, that person was facing the men as if confronting them.

 

Like Sionel, wearing a shabby black cloak, they stood blocking the men’s path. From their tense back view, he could see the determination to absolutely not let them pass.

 

Sionel carefully moved closer to them behind a pile of garbage, being mindful of his movements.

 

Then, swayed by the wind, long hair hidden within the cloak peeked out.

 

‘Red hair…?’

 

Soon, a clear voice struck his eardrums precisely.

 

“Hand over the money.”

 

A woman was extorting money from the large men.

 

This was exactly one year after Ponia’s confession.

 

* * *

 

Ponia, who had left the cabin and stepped into the deep forest, stopped walking.

 

The path had been erased.

 

The footpath that had been connected just two days ago was now mixed with mud and puddles, making it unrecognizable.

 

The forest had erased its own boundaries, making everything look like a path, or like nothing was a path at all.

 

However, instead of walking aimlessly, Ponia stopped in place and spent time there.

 

Water dripped drop by drop from the ends of her hair that had absorbed moisture, and water beaded on her eyelashes as she persistently tried to observe the forest.

 

Drip, drip. Drip.

 

Even amid the heavy rainfall, the sound of water droplets falling from her could be heard.

 

As she focused on that small sound, the sound of rain naturally grew distant from her ears.

 

‘Stay calm, these are all paths I’ve taken before.’

 

The heavy rain had changed the scenery considerably and conditions were harsh, but the terrain that formed the forest remained unchanged.

 

Ponia calmly gazed at the rocks, thickets, and trees in front of her.

 

She hadn’t brought a map. It would be useless anyway, getting soaked in the rain.

 

Instead, Ponia began drawing a rough map in her mind based on what she had observed.

 

The shape of rocks jutting upward, the sparse thicket that had gaps from where she had fallen, traces of trees Chad had cut down, even the monster habitats.

 

Then, a path began to appear in her green eyes.

 

That wasn’t the end. She needed to find the exact route.

 

Willow trees love water and prefer wetlands, so they’re commonly seen around riverbanks and lakeshores.

 

So the willow tree she had seen in passing must have been near the bridge by the riverbank that she saw during her first patrol with Sionel.

 

The shortest route to reach the bridge, excluding paths where she might encounter monsters.

 

Various possibilities came to mind on the rough map she had drawn, and Ponia retraced the paths several times.

 

And finally.

 

‘I found it.’

 

She immediately turned her body and headed left.

 

She could hear monster sounds nearby, but it didn’t matter. Even with this rain, the monsters’ range of activity wouldn’t change.

 

They wouldn’t come to where she was.

 

After running like that for about an hour.

 

Ponia arrived at the riverbank.

 

However, the scenery there was also different from before.

 

The river had overflowed from the tremendous rain, the bridge was nowhere to be seen, and broken trees and leaves were rapidly flowing downstream.

 

The river had become muddy water where the bottom couldn’t be seen. But surely there would be monsters somewhere down there.

 

If she fell in there, she’d never get out.

 

An instinctive danger alarm rang in her head.

 

Ponia climbed to higher ground where the water couldn’t reach and surveyed the surroundings.

 

The willow trees that had been close to the riverbank would already be submerged, but surely there would still be trees that hadn’t been touched by water yet.

 

Ponia, who had been anxiously looking around, fixed her gaze on one spot.

 

“Found it.”

 

Near the ground that had collapsed from the current, a single willow tree was precariously positioned.

 

The tree standing at the edge didn’t have enough space in the ground, with its roots exposed.

 

In just a little while, the current would swallow even that ground and cause it to collapse.

 

There was no time to think otherwise. Ponia moved her body.

 

Fortunately, the willow tree wasn’t on the other side of the river. Ponia walked carefully on the weakened ground.

 

The ground where the willow tree stood also began to gradually shrink. Fortunately, Ponia was able to reach the tree in time.

 

However, cracks were already beginning to form in the ground.

 

‘I need to finish this quickly.’

 

She took out a dagger from her bosom and carefully peeled off only the thin outer bark on the outside of the tree trunk.

 

The bark didn’t peel off easily because it was wet from the rain, but instead of showing impatience, she focused only on the task itself.

 

After several attempts, the bark peeled off smoothly. She put the bark into a container she had prepared in advance.

 

‘Now I just need to go back…’

 

Crack.

 

That was when it happened.

 

Unable to withstand the current, the crack in the ground widened. Her attempt to escape was useless. The ground flipped over along with the willow tree.

 

Her body lost balance, and Ponia also fell downward.

 

Splash!

 

Part of the collapsed ground went into the river and disappeared from sight in an instant. A moment later, willow branches floated up and passed by quickly.

 

“…”

 

Ponia held her breath and looked down at her feet.

 

When she fell down, if she hadn’t grabbed onto a tree branch, she would have fallen straight into the river.

 

Crack.

 

But even now, the situation wasn’t good.

 

The willow tree was bending more and more toward the river, and she could do nothing but hold onto the tree branch with all her strength.

 

Moreover.

 

“…”

 

From earlier, a black form has been moving in the water. It hasn’t revealed itself yet, but from experience, it’s undoubtedly that monster Sionel and I encountered during patrol.

 

This is bad. Seriously bad.

 

The distance between the river and Ponia isn’t that far. If the monster just opens its mouth and leaps up, she’ll be devoured just like that.

 

Strength gradually left my hands.

 

‘I’ve become like Sionel.’

 

Back then too, Sionel must have endured alone on that cliff. And even now, he’s suffering alone.

 

A hollow laugh suddenly escaped me.

 

My situation was exactly like a character from a fairy tale I’d read as a child.

 

The story of a knight who seeks the world’s mysterious medicine for a princess afflicted with an incurable disease.

 

That knight also falls into danger while crossing a river for the medicine.

 

“Rescuing a princess is really difficult.”

 

The princess in that story happens to be just like Sionel Devonham too.

 

‘This is my limit.’

 

My hands began to slip.

 

If Sionel saw her, he would question it again.

 

Why go to such lengths? She’s not family, just a forest keeper.

 

She couldn’t give a definitive answer anymore either.

 

To simply say she had a strong sense of justice was wrong since she tended to be indifferent to matters that weren’t her concern, and to say it was because of first love was also wrong since in her past life, she couldn’t understand movie protagonists who risked their lives for love.

 

I really didn’t like that fairy tale either.

 

How could it make sense that the knight always escaped danger through completely unrealistic methods?

 

While grumbling and trying to accept her desperate situation lightly, one drooping tree branch caught her eye.

 

“….”

 

And suddenly, one strange thought occurred to her.

 

“I really thought it was nonsense.”

 

The method by which the knight who almost fell into the river escaped from there was truly ridiculous.

 

Splash!

 

The moment the monster burst out with a thunderous roar, Ponia let go of her hands.

 

And the monster’s mouth swallowed the willow tree whole.

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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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