The Forest Lord’s Broken Promise

I was the Hero.

She was the Forest Lord.

“Speak to me, Great Hero!” The young girl lightly tapped the water’s surface, running from the center of the Sacred Lake directly to my presence.

She was so short, even shorter than Hero Emily herself, perhaps around 1.3 meters tall.

“Ah… indeed, he and I have known each other for nearly a decade…”

Upon hearing this, the Forest Lord closed her eyes tightly, squatting down with a look of profound regret. The entire forest seemed to darken considerably. “Waaah, how could this be? I was here first…”

“Perhaps you’ve misunderstood something. Helter and I merely share a master-servant relationship…” I attempted to comfort her with these words.

“Really?!” She lifted her head, her emerald pupils shining with a dazzling light. She appeared so innocent, so pure.

‘This… isn’t she just a child? How did she become the Forest Lord?’

“Yes! I absolutely haven’t failed you in any way!” I hoped speaking like this would cause no further issues.

“But… Great Hero, why did you break your promise…?”

‘So what promise was it?! I have no idea!’

“That, what promise are you referring to…?”

The young girl frowned unnaturally. “You actually forgot… I thought you were just joking!”

‘Ah… it’s not that I forgot. I genuinely know nothing about Hero Emily’s affairs!’

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. It’s just that these past few years have been incredibly eventful. The constant busyness made me forget that important promise. Believe me! My feelings for you are genuine, and I’ve never once overlooked you!” I never imagined a day would come when I’d utter such words, the kind a scoundrel would use.

“Oh… is that so…?” The young girl seemed to understand. She stood up, patting the dust from her clothes. “I lost my composure just now; I should be the one apologizing… I was too narrow-minded, thinking the worst of you for a single broken promise… I thought you had fallen in love with someone else.”

‘Were the Hero and the Forest Lord truly lovers?’

“So… what was the promise? Could you tell me? I’d like to make amends,” I asked kindly.

“That…” The young girl’s face flushed. “When you placed the Holy Sword at the bottom of the lake, I pleaded with you to take me away from here. You then said that in ten years, once I had grown up, you would take me from this forest…”

‘This, this, a secret elopement, perhaps?’

“Was that the promise?”

“Yes! It’s been nearly twenty years! And you’ve only just appeared! I’ve been so lonely here. I want to journey with you on an adventure. Please, you must take me away from this forest!”

“Ah…” ‘Is it truly alright for the Forest Lord to leave the forest? Setting aside what might happen to the Forest Lord, what about the entire forest?’ “Can you truly leave here…? If Twilight Forest has no master, won’t something terrible happen…?”

“If the forest has no master, some wild beasts will lose control. They might attack the surrounding villages.”

“No, then I cannot take you.”

“Why?! Didn’t we agree?! If you refuse now, you’ll truly be breaking your promise!” The young girl looked at me with agitated eyes.

“Actually, when I said those words back then, I was considering your feelings, hoping you wouldn’t do anything reckless. I love you, so I want you to stay safe. The outside world is truly terrifying, and I don’t want any harm to befall you…”

The young girl stared blankly at me, her eyes dimming slightly. She reached out and touched my face, muttering wistfully, “It’s Emily’s body…”

“Huh?”

“But the one inside isn’t…”

‘Oops! Have I been exposed?’

“Wha—what’s wrong? I am Emily!”

“No, you’re not!” The young girl recoiled a few steps. “The Great Hero would never care for me like this!”

In that instant, I realized my performance had gone horribly awry!

‘Shouldn’t Hero Emily treat others with such tenderness? I tried my best to imitate how she spoke to me that night…’

“I had my doubts from the very beginning… I thought, perhaps, you had changed, becoming gentle and considerate. From the moment you arrived in the forest, I kept deceiving myself, believing you were Emily, you were the Hero, that it couldn’t be anyone else!” Two lines of tears streamed down the young girl’s face. “I don’t know who you are, but I want to say, Hero Emily would never utter those three words, ‘I love you,’ to me. Never. It has always been my one-sided expression of reverence and adoration. The Hero would only ever feel annoyed by my love…”

‘Ah… Is that so? So the Hero and the Forest Lord weren’t in that kind of relationship!?’

“I, no, I had hoped my earlier words might cause you to misunderstand my relationship with Hero Emily. It was intentional. I was deliberately testing your reaction, yet you kept playing along… Hero Emily would never do that… She would always express her intentions directly, without pretense…”

Unsure what else to say, I could only stand properly and explain the situation to her. “Yes, I am not Hero Emily. My soul is not hers. I am merely the one who replaced Hero Emily as the Hero. I only inherited her body, nothing more… So I don’t know the nature of your relationship with the Hero.”

The young girl wiped away her tears. “Where is the Hero?! Where is Emily?!”

“She… died.” Three words, each a knife, undoubtedly piercing the Forest Lord’s heart.

“Died…” She squatted down sadly. “I see… no wonder she broke her promise.”

‘No… Hero Emily truly did break her promise; she only died a few days ago…’

But I couldn’t bear to strike her down further. Even if she was the Forest Lord, she was still just a child who hadn’t truly grown up.

“My apologies, Great Hero. My personal emotions have hindered your journey. [Release].”

With a sorrowful gesture, she cast the spell to dispel the illusion from Helter.

“No! No! No!” Helter scrambled to his feet, shouting frantically, as if waking from a terrible nightmare.

“Helter, you’re awake,” I said.

“Who is she?!” Helter moved to draw his sword.

“She’s the Forest Lord. She means no harm now… she’s just a little sad.”

The young girl sat on the ground, hugging her knees, looking helpless and small.

“The Holy Sword is in the lake. I’ll get it for you…”

She extended a hand, tracing a circle over the Sacred Lake.

Immediately, the spring water in the center of the lake surged, slowly bringing a glowing object to the surface.

It was a sword. As it emerged from the water, its glow dissipated—its appearance rather crude, the blade even somewhat blackened and yellowed.

“It’s a bit rusted. I don’t know why… perhaps it’s been too long without the Holy Light’s protection…” the Forest Lord explained.

“Ah! Can that rusty old junk even be used?! My own short sword is better!” I drew my short sword, which still gleamed with a silvery metallic luster.

“If you don’t want it, then don’t.” The young girl unceremoniously submerged the Holy Sword back into the water.

“No, no, no! We want it!”

The Holy Sword slowly flew towards me. I grasped its hilt; it felt solid, adorned with faded patterns and a sizable yellow gem embedded within.

“Well… goodbye, Great Hero, and Swordsman.” The young girl rose, walking step by step towards the Sacred Lake.

I recognized that melancholic gaze; Helter had worn a similar expression when he was found and brought to the village years ago.

It was the gaze of a solitary soul.

The Forest Lord, half-goddess, had guarded Twilight Forest for at least a century. A century of solitude, perhaps Hero Emily had brought her a glimmer of light… Now that light was extinguished, and she had to return, back to the dark lake bottom, to continue her lonely guardianship of the forest.

“Wait!” I called out to her.

The young girl paused on the lake’s surface.

“What is it, Great Hero? Are you still looking for something in the forest?”

“Regarding your promise with the Hero, perhaps I can help you. A few unruly beasts in the forest won’t matter much, hehe…”

“What do you mean?” The young girl turned to face me.

“It means, would you like to join me on an adventure? I permit you to follow me!”

Tears welled in her eyes. “You truly wish to take me, no, you truly wish to take me with you?!”

“Truly!”

This was my promise, a way to rectify Hero Emily’s past misdeeds, I suppose.

‘It’s not because I want a young girl as a party member at all!’