I Became a Childhood Friend With the Villainous Saintess

146 – The Forgotten Forest (2)

Even though many things had changed, this damn forest seemed to remain the same.

The attack began shortly after we entered the forest.

“Five wolves. They look like they’re going straight for us.”

“I saw it too.”

The divinity of death ripples beneath my feet.

Ironically, the frequency of engagements is higher now than when I was young.

At that time, I tried to move somehow to avoid the monster.

A clash with their pursuers was inevitable, and there was no telling when the perilous journey would end.

Each and every one of the monsters is a fatal threat to life. With no means of treatment, one has no choice but to proceed cautiously.

A minor injury could have resulted in death.

That’s how it was back then.

Of course, things are different now.

“Rest.”

As Sirien chants briefly, the monsters die helplessly.

Because I fell down in the same position I was rushing in, my body rolled around several times in a miserable manner.

A few small, rising dust particles became the demon’s will.

The monsters of the Forgotten Forest are dangerous.

A magical realm that can only be explored by a sword master or a well-trained knight squad.

They were of a different quality from the monsters within the empire’s territory.

In other words, it meant that it could be overcome if one had the power of a Sword Master.

If we were helpless prey back then, it would not be an exaggeration to say that we are now the predators of this forest.

The monsters that were intelligent enough to sense the gap actually avoided us.

The forest we returned to was not as harsh as when we were children.

Besides, today, Sirien was holding on to her divinity tightly.

During the several fights that took place, I didn’t even need to draw my sword.

A girl who used to run around after me, trembling with fear, when she was little.

The little boy has now grown strong enough to navigate the forest on his own.

Sirien showed no mercy, as if trying to avenge those times.

“This feeling… I remember. It was like this back then too.”

“Oh, that’s right. Did it disappear when you entered the sanctuary?”

“Yeah. At first, it seemed ominous in many ways, but now it’s not like that at all.”

A mysterious presence that we felt from the moment we first entered the forest.

It was something that never came close, but never went away from us.

At the time, I felt that the intention was more to observe rather than to find an opportunity to attack.

Looking back, it strangely played a role in maintaining tension.

I guess I became a little more cautious because I thought someone was watching.

From that perspective, it played a role in our survival.

I had forgotten about it since it had disappeared after I entered the sanctuary, but I never thought I would feel it again as soon as I entered the forest.

It seemed like I could chase after him and confirm his identity now.

It doesn’t seem necessary to do that, though.

‘I guess we’ll find out sooner or later anyway.’

On the way, I met a lot of people I didn’t necessarily miss.

For example, there were large wolves that I encountered during my night watch.

It was the first threat I had encountered in the forest, and the beast that left a scar on my shoulder.

Sirien had always blamed herself for the scars, and this time she was getting revenge.

It’s an enemy that even I, as a boy, could defeat.

It is highly unlikely that any number of beasts could resist Sirien’s ‘death’.

Sirien patted the silently dead ones.

A cool smile hung on her lips.

“Ah, that feels good. I always wanted to get revenge on these guys someday.”

“You kept it in your heart.”

“Of course! I hurt you, so you wouldn’t forget. That’s right, Rajen. Can you skin these guys?”

“You can do it, but why leather?”

“I’m going to use it as a commemorative carpet for my office. It was so worn out that I was thinking of replacing it, so this is a good thing.”

I don’t think the leather is good enough to be used on the floor of a royal palace.

Well, if Sirien wanted it, there was nothing she couldn’t do.

As in the Northern Mountains, Sirien’s divinity was ideal for harvesting hides.

Originally, the important thing about leather was that it left fewer scars when hunting.

Soon, the neatly harvested leather was in Sirien’s hands, and the leather entered the subspace as it was.

Sirien, who had obtained new carpet material, smiled and hugged my arm.

It wasn’t just wolves we reunited with.

It once looked like solidified lava.

At the last moment, I also encountered a humanoid monster that attempted to self-destruct on me.

I didn’t really want to get close, so I just swung my sword at him from afar.

He never blew himself up again.

He cut through my heart with a single stroke of the sword, and I fell silent.

It seems that when I was young, my finishing skills were a bit sloppy.

Sirien waved her hand as if she was offended.

“Ugh. That guy’s blood smells weird. I don’t want to see it again.”

“But you handled it cleanly this time.”

“Of course. I would be really angry if I got hurt again by something like that.”

The path forward while dealing with monsters.

Fortunately, finding the sanctuary of Hybras wasn’t too difficult.

Because the very explicit atmosphere continued all the way to the sanctuary.

At that time, Sirien said she smelled something like a fragrance, but to me, it seemed to come in the form of energy.

Is it because my senses have become more sensitive that I already feel like I’m in a sanctuary?

Or maybe it’s because Hybras’ power has grown stronger.

The Hybras church was growing smoothly.

The power of the Grand Duke of Illencia was steadily supporting the religious order, and conversely, it was also increasing Sirien’s influence in the Hybras religious order.

A clean virtuous cycle. What’s more, recently, he was even receiving support from Isabel’s Lobelia Order.

Some even said that he would become a big shot in the imperial religious world within a few years.

The believer’s faith ultimately gives strength to God.

So, I thought that as the church grew, the sanctuary would naturally grow as well… … .

‘This still seems quite far away.’

It seemed like the sanctuary was a bit deeper to get to.

There’s still some time left before the sun sets anyway.

As I continued forward without hesitation, I ran into someone I had never thought I would see.

“Ha, I didn’t know there was another guy like that.”

Kwung, thump!

The earth trembles with every step you take.

The branches of the trees rustle in the wind, making a rustling noise, and the wild animals that had been wandering nearby run away in a panic.

An overwhelming presence that was immediately noticeable even from afar. My heart raced as if the trauma that had remained unconsciously had been stimulated.

It was a giant.

The giant who almost killed me in the past and was the first person I met with Edwin.

Although they looked a little different, they were definitely similar species.

I drew my sword as if possessed.

I too needed time to overcome.

“I’ll take care of him.”

After a few minutes, the giant’s massive body fell to the ground.

The wind that rose with the dust scattered the fallen leaves, and Sirien frowned and turned her head.

I covered my respirator with my collar to keep out the dust.

As expected, dealing with the giant wasn’t that difficult.

Back then, my sword couldn’t even pierce that giant’s skin, but now even the Demon King can’t easily stop my sword.

The stone that showed off its overwhelming power was dealt with by cutting off the arm.

No matter how powerful a weapon you have, it’s useless if you can’t hit.

That ignorant mass was no longer a threat to me.

The giant fell limply before I could swing my sword a few times.

It was a funny, one-sided outcome that I almost got killed by this guy once.

With this much of a gap, blood won’t even stain your clothes.

But I didn’t feel like I had won cleanly.

“I don’t really like it.”

“Why? It’s a complete victory.”

“Edwin cut it cleaner than this. Starting from the head and doing it all at once.”

“It doesn’t look like much of a difference to my eyes… … .”

The giant’s corpse was cut into pieces as cleanly as if measured with a knife.

At first glance, it seemed to mean that.

Not yet. He was lacking compared to the Edwin I saw when I was young.

Especially when cutting the bone, a very fine black mark was left.

Of course, the level of inspection is not determined solely by the smoothness of the sword.

However, it is true that it is one of the standards for judgment.

Although I am not the type to compete with technique like Edwin, his skills were worthy of respect.

They say you see as much as you know.

Now it seemed as if I could see Edwin’s realm with my own eyes.

If I were to fight him… …I still can’t say for sure that I would win.

“Let’s keep going for now. I guess we’ll have to camp in the forest today.”

“Aren’t you hungry? Want a snack?”

“Do you have any beef jerky? Just salted beef.”

“Here. Did you enjoy that? I didn’t really like it.”

“I’m just getting started.”

It had not been a very pleasant trip before.

Water and food problems were always suffocating us, and long night shifts constantly took a toll on our bodies.

That memory was quite traumatic for us.

So, I took twice as much water and food as I expected wherever I went, and I didn’t spare any money on travel supplies.

Because I didn’t want to go through the same experience again in any way.

Thanks to that, my current trip was quite enriching and leisurely.

The taste of the jerky chewed in my mouth wasn’t bad.

So the second trip was going smoothly.