Chapter 12
“Ah!”
Ji-woo belatedly understood why he told her to hang on tight in the middle of the forest.
Her body lifted as he said. Lansil started moving quickly, leaping between trees. He didn’t seem strained even while holding Ji-woo with one arm. His speed wasn’t slow at all.
Whenever Lansil moved between large branches, a cool wind seemed to blow. She had to hold her hood with one hand to keep it from being blown off by the strong wind, but the fresh air felt good.
The surrounding scenery moved quickly.
“Wow…”
Ji-woo slightly lifted her hood and looked around. If it weren’t for Lansil, she wouldn’t have been able to see the forest from such a height. Knowing what kind of forest this was made it even more fascinating.
Before the carriage accident, Ji-woo knew where she was heading. Wanting to put some distance between herself and the Crown Prince, even if temporarily, she had forced herself to head towards the most distant barren land in the empire.
And this was a forest near what the empire called the ‘Outer Wall.’ Neither fully a monster’s territory nor a place frequented by humans, the ambiguous space in between was the Outer Wall.
It was by no means a safe place. As Ji-woo had confirmed from a distance, monsters roamed this forest. Even Lansil, who seemed familiar with the forest, had been dying from a serious wound inflicted by a monster.
There were also rumors that the other races, who shunned humans, lived here. Of course, Ji-woo had only seen Lansil herself.
Although Lansil had been kind to her, there was no guarantee that others would be the same.
In the first place, there was a reason the empire called these ‘children of El’Landos’ by the derogatory name ‘pointy-ears.’ Besides their characteristic long ears, they not only rejected humans but also killed them without hesitation if they encountered them.
Since they lived on the border adjacent to monster territory, encounters were rare; if accessibility were easier and the danger of monsters lower, the aggressive empire might have declared war long ago.
Thus, humans and other races did not get along.
Crucially, these people did not believe in the Sacred Power. The Crown Prince also viewed them as objects of conversion, not as partners for coexistence or exchange.
‘What Lansil said was correct.’
However, Lansil’s attitude was rather unexpected to Ji-woo.
Even though they had been frantically coupling for days, the initial promise hadn’t changed. It seemed he would really send her back if she wanted to go.
Ji-woo had secretly thought he would tell her not to go.
What Lansil had said was more than just showing favor. He said he was grateful for saving his life, and therefore declared that his life now belonged to Ji-woo.
But in truth… words were just words. There was a high chance Ji-woo had misunderstood.
Since coming to this world, Ji-woo had experienced countless empty words. The temple was like that, and the Crown Prince was like that.
The Crown Prince would often take Ji-woo outside the temple and say things like ‘Akarna’ also meant a beloved lover, without any real meaning, and she had mistakenly gotten her hopes up and felt her heart flutter more than once.
So what Lansil said might not have been entirely special either. Perhaps even words like dedicating his life were just… something his kind said to seduce a woman for a night.
‘Well, I acted pretty strangely too.’
Not knowing their culture, she had seduced him by touching his ear outdoors, and in the cave, she had wanted him like crazy, which weren’t exactly normal behaviors.
He probably thinks I’m a strange woman.
Yet, now that she was moving while clinging closely to him, she felt embarrassed. It was strange that simply being held felt more embarrassing than frantically engaging in intercourse.
‘Then, at least until the rescue team comes… I’ll impose on him for a while. I have nowhere else to go…’
The only place in this world where Ji-woo could stay, where she could somewhat maintain her status, was the temple.
The Crown Prince’s face came to mind again. Her good mood instantly sank.
While Ji-woo was digging a hole for herself, sinking endlessly downward, Lansil was having thoughts not much different from hers.
‘I must have been really bad, right? That’s why she has such a dark expression…’
The two, feeling awkward with each other, just clamped their mouths shut like clams. It was a side effect of their bodies becoming closer than their conversation.
* * *
The sign that they had arrived at their destination came quickly. Surprisingly, she could tell by the smell.
At some point, a good smell wafted over. A thick scent of grass, flowers, and sweet honey mixed in the wind. Even though they had been running through the forest, this was the first time the scent was so strong it was intoxicating.
Ji-woo lifted her hood slightly and looked around. A far more breathtaking sight unfolded before her than when running through the forest.
A village where green and gold were intermingled.
There were numerous trees, much thicker and larger than the trees in the forest they had just passed through.
The branches extending from the giant trees were so dense they almost covered the sky. Sunlight pouring through the branches gave a feeling reminiscent of a sanctuary. The green of the forest and the golden light pouring from the sky blended to create a warm atmosphere.
It seemed like a place where people lived, but instead of clearing nature to make space, they appeared to have built dwellings in harmony with nature. Indeed, some houses were wedged between trees, or the trees themselves served as living spaces.
At the village entrance, there was a thinly flowing stream and a moss-covered arch, and main paths were laid out.
It was a beautiful village, but Ji-woo felt a strangely uneasy sensation. She wondered why she felt this way, but if she looked around any further, the hood she had carefully pulled down would become useless.
As Lansil approached the entrance, several youths who were outside turned their heads sharply.
[Lansil?]
[Isn’t that Lansil?]
[What, Lansil?]
It was the language of the other races she had heard once through Lansil.
Judging by their reactions, Lansil’s return seemed surprising to them. Apparently, everyone knew that he had been seriously injured.
Among them, someone ran towards him the fastest.
[Lansil! You, were you alive?]
As they crowded around, Lansil, who had insisted on carrying Ji-woo until now, had no choice but to set her down.
Lansil immediately embraced the one who approached first. It was a reaction fitting for someone thought dead returning alive, but it was rather restrained for that.
Having lived as Akarna, Ji-woo knew well that this was not the typical behavior of those who had been close to death.
‘Something is going on here.’
Half of them were visibly relieved, half were simply glad to see him.
And all of them glanced at Ji-woo, who was standing silently behind them, throughout their conversation, clearly very conscious of her.
Eventually, someone couldn’t hold back and asked.
[But who is that?]
Lansil answered for her.
[A guest. I found her in the forest, and she helped me recover, so I thought I’d let her stay for a while.]
At this, those gathered around Lansil were all surprised.
[You recovered? Come to think of it, how did you…]
[That’s impossible. If that wound could have healed, we would have all stopped you when you left.]
[Anyway, he came back alive. I’ll explain later.]
[Well, that’s fine, but…]
[Still, bringing an outsider here…]
Since Lansil had come back from the brink of death, the atmosphere wasn’t conducive to harsh words. There was no warmth in the gazes directed at Ji-woo. Although not completely hostile because of Lansil, they were clearly uncomfortable.
Lansil mostly ignored such reactions.
[By the way, Tebon, is Kalan here now?]
[Why Kalan? You say you recovered… It’s a lie, right?]
Lansil shook his head.
[No. I’m really fine. It’s not for me, but this guest hurt her ankle, so I wanted him to look at it.]
[Hmm…]
The man called Tebon rudely scanned Ji-woo from head to toe.
Tebon was the one who had first run up, confirmed Lansil’s face, and then given him a restrained hug. He had light silver hair similar to Lansil’s, mixed with a yellowish tint. It was an ambiguous color, neither quite silver nor quite blond.
Looking closely, his features were similar to Lansil’s. Compared to Lansil, this one looked younger.
[He’s here, but not today because of Helka. Kalan is also there because of Helka.]
Tebon held his forehead as if troubled.
[It’s the full moon today, isn’t it?]
[Ah… Has it already come to that?]
[Helka says she’d rather die… so it’s not the time to bring in an outsider. Anyway, follow me.]
Lansil whispered quietly nearby. This time, in the Imperial language, for Ji-woo’s sake.
“Sorry. This is just how it is here. Follow me.”
Ji-woo stuck close to Lansil’s side and followed them, holding her breath.
Whether the news of Lansil’s return or the rumor of an outsider’s arrival had already spread, everyone in the village stuck their heads out as they passed. They didn’t forget to glance at Ji-woo while talking with Lansil.
Huddling against the palpable sense of rejection, Ji-woo looked around and realized one fact.
There were no women in this village.
