Atrin was moving toward something with careful, measured steps.
She held a shiny double-edged sword with a plain red handle.
Caren stood behind her, watching.
He had no reason to interfere.
He had neither a weapon nor the skill to use one.
Atrin suddenly leaped forward and, with a swing of her sword, delivered a precise cut to a deer’s neck, bringing it down.
Then she turned back to Caren.
“Help me collect the meat.”
Blue sparks formed around Atrin’s hand, and a fairly large brown cloth bag appeared in it.
Caren sat beside her and stared at her in confusion.
“How can I help you?”
Atrin glanced at his bare hands and began cutting the meat with her sword.
After she finished collecting the meat, she stood up and sighed.
“Okay, we have food for a while.
But we can’t stay here forever.”
Caren nodded.
“I know.
We have to choose a direction and leave here.”
Atrin stared at Caren.
“Why are you so calm?
I can’t see any fear in your eyes.”
Caren raised an eyebrow.
She was right.
Caren wasn’t scared.
He was in an unknown area, so he should have been afraid.
But…
after darkness had hugged him, everything felt strange.
His mind had become sharper and more focused.
He was no longer someone who lost the ability to make decisions in difficult situations.
“I guess I am.
But you’re also calm.”
Atrin narrowed her eyes, then looked at the sky.
“That’s personal.
Don’t ask questions like that.”
Caren nodded and walked back to the cabin, then jumped onto the bed.
“She is so mysterious.”
“He left.”
Atrin looked at the spot where Caren had been standing.
“Why didn’t he want to know more?”
Atrin walked toward the dog sitting under a tree.
It had cream-colored fur and was a Golden Retriever.
It was medium-sized, and as soon as it saw Atrin, it stood up.
“Why didn’t he want to know more?
I wish he had asked about me.” This chapter was copied from g.com without permission.
Atrin shook her head.
“Maybe if he finds out who I am, he’ll change too.”
Atrin sat near the dog and petted it.
“What are you doing here?
Are you alone?
There’s no one with you?”
Atrin smiled.
“It’s okay.
Since you’re my Spoil, you’ll always be with me.
We’ll find our Water Formula and leave here safely.”
Atrin sighed.
“Then I’ll try more and more until everyone believes us.”
Atrin gently held the dog’s face in both hands.
“What do you think?
Isn’t he a little suspicious?
He doesn’t know anything about me, and that’s really strange.
There’s no way we could live in the same city and he hadn’t heard about the Demrans.
About us.”
Atrin made the dog disappear and started walking.
She looked around at the trees and flowers.
Then she knelt down and picked a red flower from the ground.
She brought it close to her nose and smelled it.
It had a pleasant scent, different from the flowers in her own world.
It was even a little sweeter.
“Are they going to turn this place into their territory too?
But no one has been here except me and Caren so far, so if we don’t make it back alive, probably not.”
Atrin’s gaze remained fixed on the creature standing in front of her.
It was a deer, staring at her with innocent eyes.
But when it opened its mouth, everything looked different.
Two rows of sharp teeth were revealed, easily capable of tearing through human flesh.
The savage deer rushed toward Atrin to taste its new food.
When it was only a few steps away from Atrin, it opened its mouth toward her stomach, ready to tear into her.
But suddenly, the creature was forced against the ground.
Something stopped it from moving.
It was as if a familiar, invisible force was pressing it down.
The deer struggled, but it was too late.
Blue sparks formed around Atrin’s hand, and a few moments later, a double-edged sword appeared in her hand.
Its handle was red and completely plain.
Simple and deadly.
Atrin swung her sword, and with a clean slash, she cut off its head.
She shook the blood off her sword, then cut through the deer’s skin and reached the meat.
She summoned her cloth bag and put the meat in it.
She made the cloth bag disappear and then started walking back to the cabin.
“Wake up.
It’s time to leave.”
She hesitated, then placed her hand on Caren and shook him.
Caren lunged forward and grabbed Atrin by the neck.
As he was about to squeeze, his eyes widened.
“Yeah, yeah.
Kill her.
Don’t waste any time.”
Caren looked at Atrin, then at the ghost.
He released Atrin’s throat and sat back on the bed.
Atrin frowned slightly.
“What was that for?”
Caren felt her heavy gaze and bit his lower lip.
“I’m sorry.
I just thought you…”
Atrin didn’t respond immediately.
Then she cleared her throat.
“It’s time to move.
Be ready.”
Before Caren could even react, she left the room, leaving Caren alone.
Caren glared at the invisible creature.
That thing giggled and then spoke.
“Why didn’t you kill her?
Why didn’t you kill her?”
“Shut up.”
“Why didn’t you kill her?
Why didn’t you kill her?
Why didn’t you kill her?
Why didn’t you kill her?”
Caren grabbed the pillow and threw it at the creature.
“Cause I don’t want to kill.
Isn’t it obvious?
I won’t kill her or anyone else.”
Caren clenched his teeth.
“Because it’s not my way.
I killed someone for the first time and then another one, and that was enough.”
Dead Guide giggled.
“But it felt good when you killed that girl, yeah?”
Caren stared at it.
He didn’t answer and clenched his teeth.
“What do you mean by that?…
I didn’t enjoy it.
It’s all because of Darkness.”
He shook his head, got up, and left the room.