I Just Traded in the Forest of Monsters, but the World Changed - Chapter 23

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 23
The entire forest fell silent all at once.
Between the branches came the sound of hoofbeats.
And moments later.
A single horse emerged into the Clearing where Se Hee stood.
A person in black clothes sat upon it, followed by several more horses in succession.
Se Hee blinked her wide eyes.
The one leading them was.
“Huh?”
Cassian.
‘Wait, why did so many come?’
Of course, the more guests the better, but the sudden arrival caught her off guard.
‘Oh…!’
After a moment of thought, Se Hee spoke as if suddenly remembering.
“Right, I did tell you to come with the Knight Order.”
At those words, Wolf and Erasmus turned to look at Se Hee simultaneously.
Feeling their gazes, Se Hee felt slightly flustered.
“Ha ha ha….”
Not really expecting to follow through on that promise, Se Hee raised her hand in a light greeting.
“Welcome?”
Like a convenience store clerk greeting a regular customer.
Cassian dismounted at once upon seeing Se Hee like that.
The knights following behind him began to move in turn.
“I came to keep my promise.”
Se Hee’s lips curved slightly upward.
“Of course, I remembered perfectly.”
Feeling the sting of her own lie, Se Hee spoke with exaggeration.
Inwardly, she began scanning the Knight Order and doing calculations.
‘Ten additional customers?’
Se Hee’s eyes sparkled.
‘Jackpot!’
Reaching ten transactions was already within sight, and prospects beyond that looked promising.
‘I don’t know what conditions will come next, so stay calm.’
Just then, Rowen, the Knight Commander standing beside Cassian, paused as he surveyed the surroundings.
“Your Grace.”
“What is it?”
Cassian’s gaze turned toward the knight.
“There, Monsters are standing in a line.”
The knight’s voice carried a tone of disbelief.
Cassian also looked around at those words.
‘There are some genuinely threatening monsters here.’
Specifically, the Wyvern.
As Cassian pondered how to deal with them, Knight Commander Rowen spoke to him again.
“Isn’t that a Drain Wolf?”
There, sitting motionless, was Wolf.
Its golden eyes swept across the knights, yet there was no sign of aggression whatsoever.
Rather, it sat calmly with its front paws gathered.
“It doesn’t seem to have any intention of attacking….”
At that moment, Knight Commander Rowen’s gaze fixed upon one spot.
An old man sweeping fallen leaves beside the Tent.
That elder in a white shirt and a dark blue Apron.
“That person is….”
Knight Commander Rowen’s eyes widened.
“Isn’t that Archmage Erasmus?!”
The entire Knight Order turned to look in that direction at once.
Erasmus lightly swung his Staff, sweeping the fallen leaves to one side.
A [STAFF] nameplate on his chest glinted in the sunlight.
“What…what is he doing….”
Rowen was left speechless.
The Empire’s greatest mage, wearing an Apron, was sweeping.
And it had happened in the very heart of the Monster Forest.
Erasmus turned his head, casting a brief glance at the knights and the monsters.
“I have much to do. We’ll talk later.”
Then, as though nothing were amiss, he began tidying a heap of fallen leaves.
Rowen looked toward Cassian.
“Your Grace, what in the world is—”
“Later. I’ll explain later.”
Cassian answered calmly, cutting off the question.
His gaze shifted back to Se Hee.
Their eyes met for a moment.
“Did what I gave you last time serve you well?”
“It did, thank you.”
Cassian’s eyes swept briefly across the surroundings. He had imagined a quiet shop.
Or rather, he had pictured her standing alone there—
But the scene before him now was nothing of the sort.
Monsters standing in line, Wyverns circling overhead, and an archmage cleaning.
‘What is this?’
Cassian found himself momentarily at a loss for words.
There was no way to make sense of the situation.
Watching him, Se Hee asked matter-of-factly.
“Will the Knight Order members be dining together as well?”
Se Hee’s voice was entirely businesslike.
Like someone accustomed to serving a large party.
Cassian glanced over his shoulder.
The knights stood frozen in place, their hands gripping the reins so tightly the knuckles had turned white.
“Sit down for now.”
At Cassian’s command, the knights exchanged uncertain glances before slowly settling into their seats.
Their movements as they removed the saddles were stiff and awkward.
Se Hee observed this and nodded to herself.
‘Ten people.’
The Quest completion was assured.
‘Excellent.’
Se Hee opened her Inventory.
She checked her stock of Kkwon-deul-gi and withdrew what she would need.
Then, a shadow crossed the sky above.
Wyverns.
Several of them circled the Tent at a low altitude, drawing slow, deliberate rings in the air.
Se Hee caught sight of them and a thought struck her.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
She murmured softly, raising her hand to show them.
“I’ll bring you more next time!”
Hearing this, the Wyverns let out a sound as though pleased.
[Shriek!]
Se Hee’s expression shifted subtly in that moment.
‘Wait… they’re not actually understanding me, are they?’
Se Hee glanced back at Cassian and the knights.
Cassian’s gaze turned toward the Wyverns.
‘Is this a threat?’
He rose from his seat without a word.
The knights instinctively reached for their sword hilts.
The air grew tense.
The flame above the burner flickered for an instant.
Dry leaves crackled beneath their feet.
“No, wait a moment—”
Se Hee sensed something was wrong and spoke to Cassian.
But Cassian walked slowly forward, stopping just outside Se Hee’s Tent.
Then he fixed his gaze upward toward the sky.
That alone was enough.
[Shriek!]
In the air, the lead Wyvern ceased its wingbeats and began to circle warily.
It was because of Cassian’s killing intent.
The Wyverns remembered Se Hee and Erasmus, who had shared food with them.
But the other people were still unfamiliar to them.
It was only natural.
That’s why, at the moment when crowds suddenly swelled, they had no choice but to remain vigilant.
The instant the lead signal dropped, the circling flock surged skyward in an instant.
The Wyverns didn’t leave entirely.
They merely spread their wings wide and expanded the radius of their circle.
[Screeeech!]
With a cry that was nearly a shriek, the Wyverns all shot up into the sky at once.
But the Wyverns weren’t the only ones to react to that sound.
Dust rose between the thickets, and the cries of Monsters continued to echo through the air.
The Cobolds that had been poking their heads out of the brush pinned their ears back, then tangled against one another and vanished into the undergrowth in a scramble.
“Wait—where are you going!”
Se Hee cried out, her voice tinged with bewilderment.
But the other Monsters followed suit, vanishing just as quickly.
All except one.
The Wolf at Se Hee’s side.
It neither rose from its place nor withdrew.
The Wolf remained seated beside Se Hee, its gaze fixed on Cassian.
Its tail swept slowly across the ground once.
It was a gaze that could only be described as glowering.
Cassian’s eyes met the Wolf’s.
In the Clearing where brief silence stretched, neither moved first.
‘Well, he thinks of this place as practically home, so I suppose that’s that.’
Se Hee sighed inwardly.
A good opportunity to complete a Quest with the customers had just slipped through her fingers.
‘I mean, of course the one right in front of me is a customer too, but.’
Se Hee’s plans, which had extended to the next Quest, had fallen apart.
‘What can I do….’
Se Hee swept her gaze across the now-empty Clearing.
Where the Monsters had stood in line mere moments before, only fallen leaves drifted.
She set down her chopsticks with a sharp tap.
Still, a loss was a loss.
Revenue couldn’t be made up with feelings.
Today’s business had been harder than expected.
Killing intent still hung thinly over the Clearing.
Golden eyes remained fixed on Cassian.
Se Hee sat motionless, chopsticks still in hand.
Every time the empty Clearing came into view, her chest tightened.
“Sigh….”
Just moments ago, the Cobolds had been standing in line, and the Monsters beyond the thickets had quietly waited their turn.
Now, only fallen leaves tumbled in the wind.
‘Where do I even start to explain this.’
The one saving grace was that they hadn’t left entirely.
A faint sense of their presence lingered nearby.
Meanwhile, the Wolf and Cassian continued their staring contest, neither looking away.
Se Hee swallowed a short sigh.
Then she lifted her head and glared at Cassian.
“Your Grace….”
Se Hee’s voice was more measured than usual.
She was the type who spoke more precisely when angry.
Cassian’s gaze shifted to Se Hee.
“Do you see what’s happened?”
Se Hee nudged a fallen leaf with her foot.
It was where the Cobolds had been standing moments before.
“There was a line here. A line.”
Small footprints remained visible in the dirt.
Cassian said nothing at Se Hee’s words, merely staring.
“But because of Your Grace, the entire line vanished into thin air…. You see?”
Rowen’s lips parted for a moment before he pressed them shut in silence.
He had never in his life seen anyone treat Cassian this way.
‘Does that woman have no fear?’

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