The Pangolins’ Exodus

“That’s good to know. I won’t keep nagging you, then. I must head up the mountain now, or I might not make it back in time.”

Seeing Magua nod in understanding, Angela perhaps felt she had been overly verbose. Knowing how much time the round trip would consume, she promptly offered her farewells, turned, and departed the village.

Naturally, the mountain Angela was headed for was decidedly not the dreaded Ash Mountain.

After approximately two hours of climbing, Angela finally reached her destination: a sprawling, vibrant grassland dotted with scattered trees.

Having arrived, she didn’t immediately commence her work. Instead, she sought out a spot to sit and recuperate for a short while. After all, hiking for two consecutive hours was truly exhausting.

“Coo~ coo~ coo~~~”

However, not long after Angela sat down, a series of chittering calls emanated from not far away. The sounds grew progressively closer, heading directly toward her.

‘How could there be wild beasts here?’

Angela’s brow furrowed slightly. Despite having visited this place countless times, she had never once encountered any wild animals in this specific clearing.

Fortunately, the calls were quite familiar to her. They belonged not to predators that would attack humans…

As the sounds drew nearer still, Angela could discern the general outlines of their owners. They were rodent-like creatures, yet distinct from true rats. Their bodies were covered in thick, heavy scales.

Angela recognized them immediately! They were pangolins.

Moving in a hurried rush, they seemed to be fleeing from something, all of them scrambling in the direction of Ash Mountain.

‘Why are they all heading toward the ashes?’

Angela found a large question mark forming in her mind. Ash Mountain was merely a smoldering peak, devoid of any vegetation, and logically unsuitable for these pangolins to inhabit. Yet, the armored beasts surged relentlessly toward it, as if driven mad by some unseen force.

“…”

Her face etched with surprise, Angela gazed at the rapidly moving horde, remaining silent for a long moment.

Only after the pangolins had vanished into the distance did she slowly withdraw her gaze and thoughtfully pinch her chin.

“How very strange…” she murmured to herself, standing up and brushing the dust from her dress.

Unable to find a single clue as to what had spooked them, Angela ultimately shook her head, deciding not to dwell on the matter any further. She shifted her gaze toward the deeper parts of the grassland.

‘I should tell Phini about this when I get back.’

Though she couldn’t pinpoint why she had such a thought, a voice within Angela’s heart urged her to share this incident with the stranger staying in her home.

With a decision made, Angela proceeded with her original task.

It wasn’t until the sun began to dip in the west that Angela finally paused and wiped the sweat from her brow. Her woven basket was now brimming with a diverse assortment of wild vegetables. With years of foraging experience, she naturally knew precisely which plants were edible and which were not. There were, of course, some seemingly harmless mushrooms that could cause immediate poisoning, so she rarely focused her efforts on them.

“Alright, time to head back.”

Glancing up at the setting sun, she decided not to continue gathering. After tallying her haul, Angela turned and began her journey home.

As dusk approached, Angela finally returned to the village entrance without incident. However, upon reaching the gate, she noticed the barricades were different from their usual state.

She saw no one there!

Under normal circumstances, the village entrance would never be deserted at this hour.

“?!”

The absence of the guards immediately triggered a huge red flag in Angela’s mind. Filled with apprehension, she cautiously approached the gate.

“Angela, you’re back?”

Just as she was about to step inside, a childish voice suddenly echoed from a house beside the entrance. Soon, a youth appearing to be around fourteen years old emerged. He had noticed her return and come out to greet her.

“Is that you, Taloka? Where are the others?”

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Angela’s wary heart relaxed slightly. She let out a sigh of relief, grateful that her fears had not immediately materialized.

“You mean Magua and the others?” Taloka tilted his head and innocently asked.

“Yes.”

“Magua and the guys said they thought they saw Feihu, then they took a few people and rushed out of the village, running toward the forest.”

Taloka paused to think before pointing toward the treeline to indicate where the group had gone.

“You mean Magua went into the forest? Now?!”

Upon hearing Taloka’s words, it was Angela’s turn to be astonished. Honestly, she had never imagined Magua would be so reckless as to charge directly into the woods right before nightfall! Even if they thought they saw Feihu, such impulsiveness was unwarranted. Moreover, Taloka’s description suggested they only saw someone who bore a strong resemblance to him.

Realizing this, Angela suddenly felt a profound sense of unease.

“Taloka, go back inside your house. It’s getting dark, don’t come out again.”

A sudden feeling of dread welled up in Angela’s heart. She gently pressed her rapidly pounding chest. She now had a strong premonition that she needed to find Phini immediately! This feeling grew more intense with each passing second.

After giving the boy instructions, Angela turned and walked straight toward her own home without looking back.

Just as the sun was about to set, Angela, breathless, finally reached her courtyard.

“Phini, are you there?!” The first thing she did was call out to the back rooms, wanting to confirm the girl’s presence.

“What’s wrong?” Not long after she called out, Phini emerged, looking at her quizzically.

“It’s almost dark, but Magua and the others went into the forest and haven’t returned. I was hoping I could ask you a favor…” Recalling her belief that Phini was a Disaster Purger, Angela could only place her hopes in the aloof swordsman. Surely, Phini would be able to find Magua and the others, wouldn’t she?

“?”

Upon hearing that Magua and the others had entered the forest, a question mark immediately appeared on Phini’s face. Hadn’t it been clearly stated that this entire area was unsafe at night?

“They apparently saw someone who looked like Feihu, which is why they led people into the forest!” Angela quickly relayed what Taloka had just told her.

“…Alright, I’ll go into the forest and take a look.” Sensing Angela’s desperate, hopeful gaze, and perhaps unable to refuse her kindness, Phini nodded in agreement.

“Thank you! Phini, you absolutely must bring Magua and the others back!” Angela breathed a sigh of relief, patting her chest.

“I’ll do my best.” Phini could only wave a hand, indicating she would try. After all, no one knew what was currently happening in those woods.

“Okay!” Understanding the request was a difficult one, Angela did not demand a guarantee.

Phini first returned to her room to check her belongings. Once prepared, accompanied by Narthemia, she left the village and entered the forest.

As Phini stepped into the treeline, the sun’s last ray of twilight vanished below the horizon, replaced by the silent arrival of night.

The forest, now enveloped in darkness, exuded an eerie and unsettling atmosphere. In a typical woodland, the chirping of insects would be incessant. But now, the entire forest was unnervingly quiet—so quiet that even a single stone Phini kicked created a loud, echoing crack that shattered the tranquility.

‘With so many people entering, how could there be no sound?’

Beyond the absence of insects, another detail struck Phini as extremely strange: there was no human noise at all. Not even a cough or a snapped twig could be heard, giving the impression of a forest completely devoid of life.

Advancing by the faint light cast by the twin moons, Phini walked for an unknown duration until she arrived at the edge of the forest…

No, more accurately, the edge where the forest met the forbidden swamp.

And there, across the stagnant water…

“…”

Phini saw countless figures. No, calling them human figures was entirely incorrect.

More precisely, they were monsters with human-like forms. These creatures possessed long ears and sharp fangs, their crimson eyes glowing with a terrifying, bloodthirsty light.

Observing them, a bold realization immediately formed in Phini’s mind. These monsters before her bore a striking resemblance to a creature she had once seen back in the prison.

Humanoid beastmen with tusks and bestial claws. With just one glance, Phini began to smell trouble brewing.

‘I hope my guess is wrong.’

Staring at the monsters, Phini instinctively reached for Narthemia’s hilt.

However, one thing puzzled her: these monsters seemed unable to cross into the forest. Each one stood precisely at the periphery of the swamp, staring wide-eyed into the depths of the woods, as if held back by an invisible wall.