After intertwining their bodies, one tends to forget that this place is a cold country. Rensley, who had been lying on the bed to alleviate his lethargy, got up and picked up the shirt that had fallen on the floor. At that moment, strong arms wrapped around his waist.
“Where are you going? You must be tired; take a rest.”
‘If you knew I might be tired, why did you start as if provoking me for the second time,’ Rensley thought, pushing aside any blame and delivering a subtle reprimand in his mind.
“I have some work to do.”
“Is there something left to do at this hour?”
“I promised to help in the kitchen during the day. It’s just chores. I’ll come to your chambers after it’s done.”
“Do you really have to?”
“I volunteered to do it.”
Gezell, seeming disappointed, released his grip on Rensley’s waist and also got up. Rensley observed the Grand Duke, finishing putting on his simple attire. Despite the piercing gaze that followed him, Gezell turned his head.
“Sir Maelrosen.”
“Yes?”
“I hope there’s no issue with my attire.”
“No. I just admire how good you look, my lord.”
Rensley chuckled, and Gezell reciprocated with a light smile, casually putting on his clothes.
Since the night they spent together, Gezell whispered his name among their intimate moments and returned to the usual formality after the affair ended. Though they hadn’t explicitly agreed on it, Rensley had accepted the change in address as a signal that the door was closed on those moments.
Until he saw Gezell’s naked body, he had perceived him as a man clad in the black garments of the Duke. As the name was used only during their intimate encounters, the Duke’s bare body and attire were symbols placed on the boundary.
Even though the head cook, Reyna, said it wasn’t necessary, Rensley intended to go to the kitchen to wash some dishes. In the capital of a country, where numerous people had their meals arranged, the constant duties of the lively kitchen were an unavoidable necessity.
Rensley returned to his room on the second floor, washed up, changed clothes, and then headed outside. Despite feeling sluggish, he was not too tired to do the dishes.
As he descended the stairs and walked towards the kitchen, he heard the hurried footsteps of people. When he and the person coming from the northern corridor met eyes, Rensley quickly placed his hand over his chest.
“Commander, haven’t you gone home yet?”
“Hmm. I was about to, but there was an urgent report.”
Anton, who was rushing, stopped and looked at Rensley.
Under his prolonged gaze, Rensley unconsciously avoided eye contact.
‘Surely, he hasn’t noticed anything from the moments before…?’
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Anton gestured toward the castle gate and continued speaking. “Are you coming along? We heard there were some strange signs outside the city walls. It’s too early for your deployment, but since you’re from a foreign land, seeing it firsthand might be helpful.”
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Fortunately, as they went outside the Duke’s residence, his body gradually returned to normal. It wasn’t until after seeing the bustling streets, illuminated only by torches and lights emanating from shops, that he realized the sparse population. Some traders who hadn’t yet finished their business and people drunk and stumbling were looking up at the knights riding by with curious eyes.
Roudken was a large fortress city. It took quite a while just to get out. As night fell, the outside of the city walls was windy and bitterly cold. Despite putting on a thick coat, the air was so cold that even breathing felt painful. The time spent so casually without clothes, just a little while ago, now felt like a lie.
Rensley looked around. The night sky was filled with so many stars that it seemed like a silver river about to pour down to the ground. In contrast, the darkened plains turned into an impenetrable abyss, eerie, unlike the daylight.
“Maelrosen, this way.”
Rensley approached Anton’s side. He handed a torch to Rensley.
“It’s your first time venturing outside the castle at night, so stay especially alert and don’t stray from my side.”
“Understood.”
“If you get hurt, His Grace will worry.”
The last words were spoken in a voice so low that it wouldn’t be heard by others. Lost in the night scenery for a moment, as Rensley adjusted the torch as instructed, one of the knights spoke up.
“Bloodstains.”
Just as Rensley reassured himself not to fear the darkness, a sound like thunder struck. Startled, Rensley widened his eyes. At that moment, Anton dismounted from his horse.
“It hasn’t been spilled for long.”
Anton illuminated a wider area with the light. The magically created ivory-colored flame moved like will-o’-the-wisps, brightening various spots before returning to its original position. Rensley saw it clearly too. The droplets of blood were leading in one direction.
“It went towards the forest.”
“What should we do?”
Even without hearing the explanation, they could understand why they hesitated. Rensley cast a distant gaze toward the forest. What looked difficult to traverse during the day now appeared as the very center of darkness at night.
“Let’s wait until dawn, and if nothing happens, it would be troublesome. For now, let’s confirm.”
“Understood.”
Anton was about to speak, but he turned to Rensley. He gestured towards the castle.
“Maelrosen, go back to the castle and wait. You came with us without knowing we’d go into the forest; it’s better if you only explore this much today.”
“No, Commander. I’ll go with you.”
“The night forest is dangerous for an apprentice. Go back and wait.”
“It’s more advantageous to have one more person at times like this. I’ll go with you.”
As Rensley retorted strongly, another knight standing nearby also chimed in.
“We’ll only go to the entrance. Is that okay? According to the reports, there’s a higher chance of it being the mischief of wild animals.”
“I’ll be careful not to be a hindrance. Please let me accompany you.”
With Rensley’s firm insistence, Anton frowned and contemplated for a while before letting out a short sigh. He turned back to Rensley and warned him firmly.
“It doesn’t matter if you’re a hindrance; in the night forest, you must never be alone. Whether it’s me or someone else, just stick closely to them.”
“I’m particularly skilled at sticking to someone like glue, you know? Don’t worry.”
As Rensley made a joke, Anton and the other knights chuckled. The atmosphere lightened, and with the fear receding a bit, Anton took out a small pendant from his pocket.
“Take this. It’s a magical tool that can invoke a current spell. It might be useful if an enemy appears.”
Come to think of it, he had mentioned that monsters didn’t attack on days with lightning. Rensley quickly put the pendant into his pocket.
Following Anton’s signal, the knights on horseback rode towards the forest. The entrance to the forest was not far away. Bloodstains led into a dense coniferous forest. The wind, which had been whistling on the plain, transformed into an eerie howl within the woods. Even knowing it was just the wind, one couldn’t help but feel their heart racing.
The knights dismounted and took hold of the reins as they reached the forest entrance. It was uncomfortable to walk through the tree and grass-filled forest while still on horseback. However, the well-trained horses followed their owners without tension or fear.
The trees in the north were tall. As they entered, the night sky, which had been filled with starlight, was barely visible. The dim light of the eerie fire flying through the black forest made it look like wandering spirits in a graveyard.
Rensley cautiously followed the others. The leaves on the ground seemed to be moist, making it feel like he could slip and fall at any moment. How far had they walked? Anton stopped the group.
“It’s deer.”
Those who had been walking in formation dispersed to surround the fallen bodies on the ground. Large deer lay on the ground, not just one. Several deer were missing either the upper or lower part of their bodies.
Rensley furrowed his brow, looking down at the deer that had been cut in half. The incisions were messy, not like wounds from weapons such as knives, axes, or saws—more like they had been torn apart by teeth.
“Recently, there have been almost no cases of them coming down here…”
“They might have returned. Perhaps they came for food.”
Anton and the other knights spoke in hushed voices, discussing among themselves. Unable to fully understand their conversation, Rensley focused on observing the deer.
Seeing animals preyed upon by predators was not new to him. He had hunted in Cornia before, and during such times, he occasionally came across scenes where herbivores like deer or wild goats had been sacrificed according to the laws of the food chain.
However, the dead beasts he had seen back then and these deer were different. No matter how much of a predator, it seemed unlikely to tear apart such large animals like deer in a single bite.
Looking at the deer, Rensley forcefully bit down on his lip. The sensation of his hair standing on end sent a chill down his spine, even though there was no sound or movement. It was an instinctive kind of eerie feeling that one could sense even without sound or movement. Not only Rensley, but the knights also, seemingly sensing the discomfort, had drawn their bows or swords and were standing ready.
Crackle, crackle. The sound of branches rustling, and the hidden creatures came out into view.
“They haven’t gone back yet.”
Someone among the knights muttered to themselves. Rensley, too, reflexively raised his sword, but his stiffened body wouldn’t move easily.
The beasts walking out between the trees had a form he had never seen before. No, to call them beasts would be inaccurate; they looked somewhat humanoid.
‘Is this the monster beyond the wall that I’ve only heard about in books and songs?’
Whether from one side or the other, to Rensley, they were beings only seen in stories. Despite hearing stories multiple times about non-human creatures living beyond the northern wall, it had never felt real.
There were three of them. The creatures with elongated arms stretching down to the ground did not have a single strand of fur. Only thick and slippery-looking skin covered their bodies.
They had no eyes or mouths. Perhaps for breathing, only two small holes were pierced in the center of their faces. Their lack of facial features made them even more grotesque. They didn’t roar or growl. They just stood there, facing the knights.
Encountering such strange beings might have been familiar to others, but Rensley, alone, was the one in confusion. Rensley quickly raised his head. As Anton had said, he needed to keep his mind sharp.
“Ugh…”
The next moment, Rensley groaned involuntarily. While observing them, eyes began to appear one by one on the previously featureless face. Eyes of various colors—yellow, red, blue—blossomed across their faces like seeds scattered at random.
“Attack!”
At Anton’s command, the knights at the front raised their bows. Arrows shot through the air with the sound of the wind, hitting the eyeballs that had just appeared. A horrifying screech, like scraping metal, tore through the ears. As they screamed, mouths, bluntly and unevenly, were revealed.
A massive mouth, like a cave, opened up on a body that seemed devoid of anything. Inside, several layers of sharp fangs were visible. The mouth was as large as a deer’s waist, with sharp teeth that could easily tear apart a river.
Upon receiving the attack, the creature approached, pounding the ground with all its limbs. Suddenly, a viscous fluid shot out, and its arm extended like a hammer.
Anton swiftly swung the sword he was holding, not giving the creature any chance. Then, a shimmering current crackled like lightning, deflecting the attack. Witnessing a combat style unfamiliar to him, Rensley stood in place, dazed. One of the knights, noticing his surprise, tapped his shoulder.
“Don’t worry, recruit. It might seem strange to you, but these creatures are nothing special. They’re just like foxes you might encounter on an outing.”
“Yes!”
As they became accustomed to the peculiar appearance, indeed, they were not as formidable as they looked. The attacks alternated between bow and arrow, sword, and electrical magic using artifacts. As they attacked one by one, Rensley also deflected their strikes with his sword and joined in the counterattacks. Despite not being exceptionally skilled, monsters were monsters. The battle was quite intense, and despite the chilly night, the forest became heated.
After a fierce exchange of blows, only one creature remained. Just before the final assault, Rensley wiped his forehead with the back of his hand and took a moment to catch his breath. The lone creature emitted a whimpering sound and retreated. Perhaps due to becoming accustomed to the gruesome appearance, or maybe because the creature looked no different from a wild animal mourning its companion, Rensley hesitated in his attack.
At that moment, Rensley heard a rustling sound from behind. Others seemed not to have noticed, but it wasn’t a hallucination.
“Could there be more…?”
Rensley tightened his grip on his sword and turned around. Before he could take a few steps towards the source of the noise, he saw pupils dilate in an instant, and something lunged towards him.
TL/N Wishing you a joyful New Year <3 If you’ve enjoyed the novel thus far, kindly consider sharing your thoughts with a review on WF’s CG’s main page and NU. Thank you! QAQ
Rensley it’s not good to stand dazed on hotzone 😩
Hope nothing happens to him , gezell gonna be so distressed (｡ﾉω＼｡)
Thank you for whopping 3 updates. Happy New year to All beauties . After chapter 10 definitely I’ll put a review on NU . This is such a masterpiece😍
ur welcomee and thank youuu💛😍
Happy new year!!!
You just keep spoiling us with these triple updates (///)
thank you sm ♡
Thank youuu and ur welcomeee💛💛💛