I Became the Keeper of a Suspicious Forest - Chapter 9

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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 9

“If you have nowhere to go, stay here! Recover your body here!”

“….”

“I’ll help you!”

Thinking he might refuse immediately, Ponia quickly added more words.

“But there’s a condition! You help me with my work!”

“….”

“As you know, this forest is dangerous. It would be safer to patrol together rather than alone. Above all.”

Her family members flashed through her mind.

“I have reasons why I must survive in this forest.”

Even if he helped with patrols while his body wasn’t well, it wouldn’t be much help, but since she didn’t trust one-sided kindness, she had to set such conditions.

She couldn’t know what had happened to Sionel during this time.

‘Maybe Sionel almost died again because of me.’

Still, since Sionel was now in Mirban Forest, and it was natural for the forest to have a forest keeper. It should be okay for him to be the forest keeper.

However, there was no answer from him. She could feel the strength gradually leaving their joined hands.

Her heart grew anxious.

“Did I ask for something difficult? Who told me to trust anyone?!”

“….”

“Just as I’m using you, you use me too!”

“….”

“If I pull you up from here, you’re cooperating with me!”

“….”

“From now on, drink only the water I give you, and don’t put anything in the soup!”

“….”

“Answer me!”

She couldn’t tell if Sionel nodded his head, or if his hand trembled and his head shook from the recoil.

Either way, since his head moved, Ponia used all her strength to pull him up onto the ground.

Though she was out of breath, Ponia grabbed the face of Sionel, who was looking at her in a daze, and turned it this way and that.

Dark blue hair, sky-blue eyes, a well-defined nose bridge and soft jawline.

It was the appearance of the male lead she knew.

At the same time, she had no choice but to acknowledge it.

That the Sionel Devonham she knew was not here.

That the man before her eyes was not the kind and upright male lead from the novel. Not her innocent first love from three years ago.

So our relationship starts over from here.

* * *

“Let me look at your wound again. Blood is seeping through the bandage.”

“….”

As she approached Sionel sitting on the bed, she unconsciously observed his expression.

‘I’m not going to get strangled again, am I?’

However, Sionel didn’t resist even once. Though he flinched here and there, he entrusted his body to Ponia’s hands.

“Why did you save me?”

Murky blue eyes looked up at her.

“Don’t tell me you simply helped someone in trouble. No one rushes into danger knowing monsters will appear.”

“….”

“Not even family.”

‘S-sorry, brother. I just… wanted to live…’

The voice of someone precious beyond anything else kept circling in his mind.

Though Ponia felt distant from the question that showed no trace of trust in people, she steadily came up with an answer.

“Because I’m the forest keeper…?”

“….”

“T-the forest keeper has a duty to care about the safety of people who enter the forest. If not… I have to take responsibility! I have to take responsibility!”

There was no such duty, no such responsibility.

When no one returned alive from the forest, how could such a duty exist.

“So, as long as I’m the forest keeper, don’t think about dying here! It’s troublesome.”

Emphasizing the last words especially, Ponia expressionlessly finished changing the bandage.

‘There was a time when I blushed seeing his bare body.’

Perhaps due to experiencing his daily repeated verbal abuse and murder attempts, she felt nothing even seeing his body.

“We both seem tired, so let’s talk in detail tomorrow.”

“….”

“Oh, and.”

Ponia, who had been heading toward the bathroom, turned to look at him again.

“The bed was originally mine, you know? From today on, you sleep on the floor.”

He had learned that these kinds of issues should be settled from the very beginning.

* * *

A pillow that was more sunken than soft, a worn blanket with heavy use, and a mattress with no elasticity.

Though the conditions weren’t good for a deep sleep, humans are creatures of adaptation, as they say.

Warm sunlight touched his body. It had been a while since he’d felt such a comfortable sleeping place.

If only I could just stay like this forever, I’d have no regrets.

“Get up.”

But who’s disturbing my peaceful sleep?

“So cozy…”

“Get up.”

A low, steady voice. But with irritation laced in.

“I said get up.”

“Get up!”

Her eyes snapped open at the loud sound piercing her eardrums.

She squinted momentarily at the suddenly bright view, when the voice that had been waking her spoke again.

“How long are you planning to sleep.”

Soon her eyes adapted to the light and became clear. And she saw Sionel looking down at her from right in front of her face.

An expression full of irritation and dissatisfaction.

Is this a new nightmare?

“What are you staring at blankly.”

“Agh!”

Ponia, who had headbutted him directly, didn’t even have time to feel the pain as she hurriedly pulled her body toward the head of the bed.

My forehead hurts! This isn’t a dream!

“What?! I mean, what is it?”

Sionel, who had unfortunately bumped heads again, was particularly pained and frowned.

“What are you doing? Didn’t you knock me out with your head last time too?”

“You’re really determined to kill someone.”

“That was self-defense.”

“What are you doing? You knocked me out with your head last time too?”

“No, back then it was with stones….”

“You’re really trying to kill someone.”

“But you tried to strangle me to death!”

“It was self-defense.”

“That’s what I should be saying?”

Ponia tilted her head mid-rebuttal to Sionel’s words.

Wait a minute. Why is this conversation going normally?

Of course, this conversation was far from normal, and anyone overhearing it would have found it chilling, but Ponia, who had grown accustomed to all sorts of verbal abuse over the past week, didn’t notice at all.

‘Come to think of it….’

He stared intently at Sionel moving his body freely. Sionel’s eyebrows twitched in displeasure.

“Why would I.”

Why would I, he says. Who’s been trying to escape all this time?

“Stop sleeping and get up.”

Ignoring the bewildered Ponia, Sionel continued speaking nonchalantly.

“The sun’s already high in the sky. Can you really be this lazy when you’re supposed to be a forest keeper in disguise? Or is it just you?”

Why is he picking a fight?

“Don’t you have work to do?”

Under his persistent gaze, Ponia reluctantly opened her mouth.

“Then do it now. Get ready and come out.”

Having said everything he wanted to say, Sionel simply left the cabin.

“Is he really trying to help? Why is he suddenly acting like this…?”

The person who said he was going to die just yesterday had changed too much overnight, and she didn’t know where to start pointing out the inconsistencies.

“Then, do it now. Get ready and come out.”

Having said everything he wanted to say by himself, Sionel abruptly left the cabin.

“Is he really trying to help? Why is he suddenly acting like that…?”

Someone who was saying they were going to die just yesterday has changed so drastically overnight that I don’t even know where to start pointing things out.

Anyway, after getting out of bed, Ponia quickly washed her face and scraped up the remaining soup to eat.

She tied her disheveled long hair up high, then gathered the equipment needed for patrol before heading out.

“You wake up late and you’re slow too.”

“I was particularly tired yesterday. But you… you look strangely cleaner overall… Where did you get those clothes?”

His neatly arranged hair was glossy, and his clothes, though slightly worn, were clean. They looked practical too.

“I wore clothes that were in the cabin. The only reason I’m clean is because the chains someone bound me with disappeared, so I could wash. Is there a problem?”

A problem? There are plenty of problems. Right now you’re answering my questions one by one instead of ignoring them.

“Hasn’t your attitude changed too much in just one day?”

“Why, should I go back to how I was before?”

Looking at that rude way of speaking, it’s not like the gentle male lead has returned…

“Lead the way.”

“Hm?”

“You said we’re patrolling. Lead the way.”

Ponia, who had been getting dragged along while going “uh, uh,” came to her senses and pulled him back to the cabin.

Only after sharing and sprinkling the lavender scent that demons supposedly disliked could they finally depart.

Caw! Caw!

As always, the cry of a bird-shaped demon could be heard from far up in the sky.

Sionel, who was following a step behind Ponia as she spread out the map to find their way, poked his face over her shoulder.

“Is this a map of the forest?”

Feeling his breath right next to her ear, Ponia quickly stepped aside. She covered her ticklish ear.

“Why?”

“…It’s nothing. The triangle marks you see here are the cabin, and the circles are safe zones.”

“What are the X marks?”

“They mark demon habitats.”

“Is this all there is?”

“No. This map is incomplete. My job is to find and mark demon habitats.”

Listening to her words, Sionel looked at Ponia for a moment.

There it was again. The same look the employment office staff and Jerome had given her.

“…Were you dragged here against your will or something?”

“No. I volunteered willingly.”

“Ah, so you were just an idiot.”

She wanted to argue back, but knowing it had been reckless, she had nothing to say. Ponia cleared her throat and changed the subject.

“I haven’t been able to do patrols since you showed up, you know? Today I need to cover at least four days’ worth of quota.”

“So where’s our destination.”

“Today we’ll sweep through the eastern area.”

“Do you know how to read directions?”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m good at finding my way. Just trust me and follow.”

And then, a little while later.

Caw! Caw!

“…”

We were lost.

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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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