Without the birds’ calls, the night in the Silent Forest was exceptionally still. Bats cast fleeting shadows as they flitted through the moon-dappled woods, while wild mice scurried through fallen leaves, drawn by the scent of food.
Rustle—
Branches and withered leaves crunched underfoot as a dark figure emerged into the forest. Nocturnal creatures scattered, giving them a wide berth.
Soaring above the Silent Forest, Dorothy activated her magical senses. She descended, choosing a spot where the magical energy was particularly dense.
A quick glance around confirmed her suspicions: a brutally fierce battle had taken place here.
The ground was riddled with craters from magical bombardments. Numerous trees lay snapped in half, their thick trunks bearing the terrifying marks of sharp claws.
Several incomplete human corpses lay strewn across the ground, their organs and limbs scattered everywhere. The pungent scent of blood had attracted a swarm of buzzing insects, their incessant drone utterly infuriating.
A novice hero or knight witnessing such a sight would likely have retched uncontrollably. Dorothy, however, had long grown accustomed to it.
Stepping closer, Dorothy examined their shattered cloth and armor. She quickly identified them as Vidona’s knights.
Like heroes, knights also possessed magical power. Yet, they lacked the same freedom, mostly serving as guards for nobles or the Church Empire.
Tightening her black robe, she was about to depart when a rustle came from behind a nearby tree. Moments later, a knight wielding a longsword burst forth.
His speed was astonishing. In the blink of an eye, only two body lengths separated them, the sharp tip of his blade seemingly poised to pierce her heart the very next second.
A flicker of triumph ignited in his eyes as he anticipated victory. Yet, before that joy could fully settle, he watched the cloaked woman before him turn, gently deflecting his longsword with the back of her hand.
His thrust went wide. After a brief moment of shock, he spun, unleashing every sword technique he had ever learned against Dorothy.
The longsword moved so swiftly under the dappled moonlight it became an invisible blur. Only the rushing wind and the shrill whistle of air being cleaved proved its furious motion.
Despite this, Dorothy parried every one of his sword techniques using only a single hand.
Acknowledging the insurmountable gap in their abilities, the knight gritted his teeth. He leaped back, putting distance between them.
“Who are you?! Are you allied with that demon?”
He aimed his longsword at Dorothy with one hand, while the other clutched his abdomen, his face contorted in pain.
His armor was tattered, and numerous bandages wound around his pale abdomen, clearly indicating a significant prior injury. The recent exertion of swinging his sword had only exacerbated his wounds, staining the fresh bandages crimson with blood once more.
Lowering her hand, Dorothy keenly picked up on the word he had used.
“Demon?”
The knight paused, clearly not expecting her ignorance of the demon.
He sheathed his longsword, and a flicker of excitement replaced the pain on his face. “You don’t know? Could it be that you’re reinforcements sent by Lord Roy?” he asked.
Before Dorothy could answer, he moved to the edge of the battlefield, pointing towards a fallen tree.
Its trunk bore clear traces of blood. Looking deeper into the woods, one could discern a faint trail, haphazardly trodden by some creature, with plants along the path similarly stained with blood.
“The demon is injured; it can’t have gone far! Its blood trail is still here!”
“If we just follow its blood, we’re sure to find and kill it! That way, we can avenge the fallen knights and save Vidona!”
The knight grew increasingly agitated, even attempting to grab her shoulder to urge her to follow the blood trail.
In his eyes, she was clearly the reinforcements sent by Consul Roy.
Dorothy remained unfazed. Observing the demon’s blood trail, she inquired, “What exactly did you encounter?”
“A demon, we encountered a demon! Let’s go quickly, or it will escape if we’re too late!”
Seeing her lack of intent to move, the young knight grew increasingly hysterical, the whites of his eyes gradually overtaken by bloodshot veins.
His frenzied state frightened away the beasts drawn by the scent of blood. Yet, Dorothy simply watched him in silence until he had fully exhausted his emotions.
The excitement vanished from his face without a trace. He stumbled back two steps, then slumped against a tree, collapsing into a sitting position.
“Are you calm now?” Dorothy asked.
The knight gave a self-deprecating laugh. He murmured, “I knew it all along. There are no reinforcements. That bastard Roy deceived us, leaving us here to die…”
“My apologies. I lost my composure just now; it was hardly befitting a knight.”
“It’s alright.”
“Separation by death, betrayal, abandonment—you’ve experienced much of this, haven’t you? I can see it in your eyes; you seem to have grown accustomed to it long ago.”
‘Accustomed?’
‘Perhaps.’
Even now, Dorothy could recall the friends she had lost after becoming a hero.
It remained an eternal regret in her heart.
“You are still young. The most important thing is to cherish those who remain by your side.”
“Hmph, easy to say.”
The knight scoffed at Dorothy’s attempt at comfort, his mood showing no improvement.
He knew, deep down, that he would never leave this forest alive.
The outskirts of the Silent Forest were no longer as safe as they once were. Now, Tier 2 and Tier 3 magic beasts roamed everywhere, and Tier 4 beasts were far from uncommon.
They had even sensed the aura of a Tier 5 magic beast earlier.
He was wounded; his once Tier 3 magical power was now, at best, Tier 2. With such strength, how could he possibly escape?
Noting that her comfort had no effect, Dorothy didn’t waste any more time. Instead, she posed the question that concerned her most: “What exactly did you all encounter?”
The despondent knight recounted their ordeal without hesitation.
“Because there was a hero familiar with the Silent Forest’s outskirts, we invited him to join our investigation. We never imagined he was actually a demon in disguise.”
“He ambushed and killed our captain. All the other knights sacrificed themselves in the fight, and I was the only one fortunate enough to survive…”
‘Had he truly survived?’
The knight offered another self-deprecating laugh.
From the moment they stepped into this forest, their knight squad was doomed. Even if he were still alive now, he would soon be consumed by the forest’s night.
Recalling something, he removed the upper half of his armor. From within his garments, he produced a coin purse.
“Could I ask you for a favor?”
He looked at the cloaked woman before him, his words laced with entreaty.
“What is it?”
“This is my coin purse; it holds over a dozen gold coins. If you manage to leave this forest, could you please deliver it to my wife?”
As he thought of his beautiful wife, a faint, blissful smile finally graced his blood-stained face.
But swiftly, that smile was replaced by bitterness.
“We have a six-year-old daughter. If my wife has to raise her alone, life will be very hard. While this money isn’t much, it could help with some household expenses.”