The Forest Lord’s Century of Solitude

I am Twilight Naya, the Forest Lord.

“You truly wish to take me with you?”

“Truly!”

‘In that moment, I felt my long wait had been entirely worthwhile.’

‘From the very day I was born, Floris, the Forest God, had instructed me to remain in this forest as its guardian.’

‘I knew I was merely a puppet, and that the title of Twilight Forest’s master was an empty one.’

‘As a demigod, I couldn’t be an object of worship for mortals. Thus, I was banished to this place, left to observe countless beasts and plants as they grew, died, and withered away.’

‘I was forbidden from leaving the forest. Should I ever depart, I would transform into an ordinary being, losing my control over the forest, countless abilities, and ultimately, facing death. Such a departure was simply not an option…’

‘And so, I dwelled in solitude for over a century.’

‘During that time, I learned to pass the endless hours by creating talking animals. Yet, they were simple-minded, capable only of repeating basic nouns. Unless directly controlled by me, they could never form a coherent sentence.’

‘[It was much like the difference between a parrot and a sophisticated sound system.]’

‘Oh, and I also amused myself by driving away humans. I’d utter strange words, unleash curses upon them, fill them with dread, and make them ponder their supposed misdeeds against themselves.’

‘In truth, I had no idea if they had done anything wrong at all…’

‘[The truth revealed.]’

‘My monotonous life continued until one fateful day, when it was irrevocably shattered.’

“I am merely a passing Hero.”

‘A strikingly handsome woman, a “big sister,” had broken through the intricate net I’d woven out of sheer boredom.’

‘Hordes of snakes, packs of wild boars, man-eating flowers, humpbacked wolves… she navigated them all, circling through my entire labyrinth of challenges and resolving every single one.’

‘Her only flaw seemed to be a terrible sense of direction; it took her half a day to finally locate the heart of the forest.’

“Who are you?” the Hero asked me.

“This humble one is a demigod, the sovereign of this forest.”

“A young girl shouldn’t refer to herself so formally…” the esteemed Hero remarked, pulling out a map. “Excuse me, but how much further is it to the Royal Capital of Caster?”

“Ah… you are still on the outskirts of Caster…”

“What? I’ve been traveling for half a month! How am I still on the outskirts? This is outrageous…” The Hero declared, preparing to leave.

“Wait!”

‘I rushed forward, blocking her path.’

“What now?”

“Could you perhaps stay and chat with me? In all these years, you are the first person to traverse the entire forest and reach me…”

“No, I have urgent matters to attend to and cannot linger. Go back to your lair.” With those words, the Hero gently pushed me aside.

“Sister!”

“What is it?” the esteemed Hero turned back.

“I love you!”

‘Why did I say that? This… this person is truly so dashing, capable of conquering anything. Any girl would surely fall for her…’

‘[But you’re confessing to another girl!]’

“Huh?” Lines of confusion creased the Hero’s face. “What are you talking about? We’re both women. Did I do something to make you mistake me for a man?”

“I… I just think you’re incredibly dashing! Worthy enough for me to abandon my divine status and follow you…”

“Save it,” the Hero said, taking two steps away. “I usually work alone and wouldn’t consider taking an attendant. It would only be troublesome and time-consuming.”

“Wait! You can leave, but will you please tell me your name!”

“Hero Emily,” the Hero replied readily.

“I’ll remember it for a lifetime!”

“Heh, suit yourself.” The Hero departed, leaving nothing behind…

‘Except, she had stolen my heart.’

‘From that moment on, I had a new purpose: to await the return of the esteemed, albeit directionally challenged, Hero.’

‘And I waited.’

‘But then.’

“The Demon King has been vanquished. I am no longer a Hero.” The Hero seemed even colder now. She raised her glowing Holy Sword before me. “Please keep the Holy Sword safe for me.”

‘Why entrust it to me? Could it be… she trusted me?’

“Don’t get any ideas. I simply believe this place is secluded, and with a demigod guarding it, it will be very secure.”

‘I took the Holy Sword and submerged it deep within the lake.’

“I love you! So, when can we…”

“Heh.” The Hero scoffed. “To declare your affection the moment we meet again? Truly disgusting.”

“This humble one, no… I merely wish to travel with you…”

“Travel? Alright, then. In ten years, if I am still alive, I will come for you and take you from this forest. How does that sound?”

‘Ten years? I had already waited a century. What were ten more years to me?’

“This counts as a promise, right?”

“Think what you will. I’m leaving.”

“Wait a moment!”

“I have urgent matters to attend to; I cannot chat with you.”

“No, just one more thing.”

“What?”

“Thank you for being willing to accept me. I’ve always yearned to find someone I could trust, someone to embark on adventures with. Thank you, truly!” I bowed deeply.

‘I couldn’t see her face in that moment. Was she happy? Or something else entirely?’

‘I only heard the hurried footsteps of her departure… leaving without a single word of farewell.’

‘Then, I waited for twenty years…’

‘Had the esteemed Hero broken her promise? Perhaps something important had come up; she was a busy person, after all. Maybe she was caught in some grand event and simply forgot; she was rather careless… or perhaps…’

‘I was truly furious. Why would she break her promise? Had I done something to displease her? It wasn’t as if I couldn’t forgive her for breaking a promise. Just appear… Esteemed Hero, why won’t you appear?’

‘Then, just a few nights ago, I was jolted awake by the scent of a beast’s demise. I quickly began investigating the traces left within the forest.’

‘Knife marks on trees, footsteps that seemed to wander… She was back!’

‘Two wild boars burst from the forest, and I swiftly pursued them. Finally, just as the esteemed Hero was leaving the forest, I caught a glimpse of her retreating figure.’

‘She had truly come!’

‘I was ecstatic, yet also deeply annoyed. I had to punish her! I had never cast an illusionary spell on her before, but this time, I swore I would unleash one!’

‘Ah, no… never mind. Since she’s returned, I should just forgive her. Ah, no, no, no…’

‘I agonized over it for a long, long time, until the next day dawned.’

‘A foolish human, carrying a basket, suddenly appeared by the lake and began to relieve himself! That sight jolted me out of my dilemma!’

‘Yet, I paid him no mind. I had far more important matters to attend to! In the past, I would have surely sent his soul to meet the great God Sein!’

‘After another day of waiting… I finally resolved to punish her.’

‘[Though I was still somewhat wavering.]’

‘She’s here! She’s here! Finally, yesterday evening, she… appeared…’

‘And she brought a tall man with her…’

‘I was devastated! Truly, utterly devastated! I unleashed snakes to bite them, only to regret it immediately afterward.’

‘But once those snakes left the forest, I couldn’t call them back…’

‘I had done something to make the Hero despise me…’

‘It was all her fault for bringing a man…’

‘Later, they reappeared…’

‘With a hardened heart, I unleashed my strongest execution squad of boar-men.’

‘Yet, in the end, I still couldn’t bring myself to harm the Hero. I merely tried my best to injure the man.’

‘To my surprise, the swordsman was a werewolf… and my entire squad was annihilated.’

‘All I had left were spells to inflict pain upon her…’

“I… truly cannot remember…”

‘No… don’t… I suspect you are not the Hero!’

‘In my utter despair, I cast a spell, plunging her into a deep slumber…’

‘Gazing at her face, listening as she called out the swordsman’s name, I wavered, wondering if I should kill her. But I couldn’t bring myself to do it.’

‘Let her sleep for half a year, then. I only wanted to keep her by my side.’

‘Yet fate, cruel as ever, intervened. She awoke in merely half an hour…’

‘I began to interrogate her, trying to elicit information.’

‘I expected my petulance to draw her mockery… but to my surprise, she gently humored me instead.’

‘She wasn’t Emily; she was an imposter. Yet, her gentleness was undeniably real.’

‘Was I warmed by it, or did it chill me to the bone?’

“She… died.”

‘Three words. My dream shattered. I felt as though I would never escape this cursed forest in my lifetime. How I hated it…’

‘Take it, take the Holy Sword. Take it, take my sincerity. Can I please have my heart back…? Oh…’

‘Slowly, I walked towards the center of the lake.’

‘Let it swallow me whole. My solitude was about to begin anew…’

“Do you wish to embark on an adventure with me? I grant you permission to join!”

‘Those words, the true Hero had never uttered, yet this imposter spoke them…’

‘I wanted to cry.’

‘Tears streamed down my face, an unstoppable deluge!’

“You truly wish to take me with you?”

“Truly!”

‘I had fallen in love again. Yes, for the second time. The first time, it was the Hero’s dashing charm. The second time, I fell for—her gentleness.’