“Ugh, Kugh, cough cough! Ugh, huuh…!”

She ran for the first time in a long while. It was harder because her feet were uncomfortable. Her breath reached her throat. She coughed, and soon after, dry heaves followed.

“Ah, kuhk, uuughh…”

In the end, she couldn’t hold back her tears. Hana stopped in her tracks, coughed for a moment, and spat out blood. Moving her body so vigorously and vomiting blood were things she hadn’t done in a long time.

Once again, she realized that she was in the state just before death.

[ Look. Your body can’t endure any longer. Let me make you comfortable. I’ll help you. ]

“Ha… Ugh. This, this isn’t helping! Who are you? Stop this!”

As if waiting for her to finish vomiting blood, the voice spoke when she started moving her body with difficulty again.

Running aimlessly, she was gradually entering a darker part of the forest.

Boom.

“Huwack!”

Hana staggered as the ground shook.

The ground rumbled as Hana passed by, or the wind bounced around. If she rested even a little, it felt like she would be caught.

She couldn’t tell where she was. The ground was rough, and the grass leaves under her feet were extremely sharp. Going through the rough grass that rose up to her waist, she felt scratches all over her body. The chilly wind and the prickling sensation on her skin. She felt vivid pain after a long time.

[ Oh no, where are you hiding again? Where are you? I need your answer. ]

She staggered and spilled blood on the ground again.

In a similar situation, different memories resurfaced. Just before dying in the accident, her whole body was sore and hurting, she thought the voice was a hallucination.

‘I’ve been waiting for this moment.’

And…

‘Will you come to us now?’

She heard this voice in her dreams when her body soared into the sky, and when she asked for help from Weed when she felt like her body was going to be torn apart during the rain. It seemed like each time, it wanted her death.

And this was undoubtedly the voice that called her to this place during the car accident.

She could only think that it was closely related to the Void.

Hana slowed down her pace, overcome by fatigue. Then, she calmed herself a little and thought rationally. Actually, she had a bit of room for that now. The phenomenon that had been threatening her seemed to stop abruptly at some point.

‘If I don’t answer, it can’t find me, right?’

She stood there for a moment, leaning against a tree, breathing heavily. As she gathered the remaining blood in her mouth, she spat it out and wiped her mouth roughly with the back of her hand.

The voice searching for her continued to be heard but gradually faded away. It seemed like it couldn’t find her without an answer.

For now, she decided to ignore it… that seemed to be the best option for now.

She quickly realized that she needed to consult with the priests or Weed about this matter. Although she seemed to have come to some distant place and lost her way, she felt her surroundings and the ground, looking for threatening signs in the trees.

Going back should be possible.

Just as she was about to take a step to turn around…

“Ugh…”

She felt dizzy.

In the midst of dizziness, Hana, who was staggering, couldn’t control her body and fell. It wasn’t a good place. It was a slope. As her helpless body rolled down the ground, Hana couldn’t control her body and eventually lost consciousness.

* * *

Whoosh.

A strange sound echoed. Hana opened her eyes wide.

Even though she tried to get up, due to the pain, she screamed silently. Her somewhat hazy mind became clear instantly.

‘Where is this?’

She tried to reassure herself that it didn’t seem like night had fallen yet, but that wasn’t the case. It was just bright because something like a bonfire was burning nearby. There was no sound of wood cracking as it burned.

It looked like magic.

Instead of getting up, Hana first checked the condition of her body. She had lost consciousness on a slope. The place she opened her eyes to was completely unfamiliar. A rough blanket-like thing covered her. She couldn’t understand the rest, but it was fortunate that her body was not exposed.

Hana cautiously raised her body. Even that seemed painful enough to kill her.

“Huu…”

While she was just groaning in pain, a sound nearby caught her attention.

For a moment, she recalled the priests’ warnings about carnivorous plants or dangerous plants that could move on their own. Hana, like a frightened small animal, looked in that direction, but in this situation, she saw a somewhat reassuring figure.

It was a human.

A tall person, wearing armor and carrying a sword, dressed like a knight. Judging by their appearance, it seemed like this person was the one who took care of her when she lost consciousness.

With hair as black as charcoal, he bent one knee and gave a respectful salute.

“I came to meet the owner of the forest Ligna.”

14. Eatinte

Flash.

With that statement, the fire brightened. Although it wasn’t emitting heat like when something was burning, it radiated light along with warmth. It was because of that light that a subtle glow appeared in his black hair.

With his knee bent and his head bowed, his face was not clearly visible. Still, it was evident from his demeanor that he was expressing something very respectful in a language she didn’t understand.

From his words, it seemed that he was addressing someone named Ligna.

Upon closer inspection, the term ‘respectful’ seemed somewhat inadequate. Hana glanced at the shape of the armor he wore, the sword handle, the fur sticking out mischievously from the shoulder of the cloak, and the patterns engraved on them. It all appeared quite luxurious.

Though not familiar with the common knowledge of this world, it was apparent that he held a fairly high position, or perhaps he was that powerful. She had heard that ordinary people found it difficult to come to this place.

Yet, despite appearing so strong, he seemed to tense up in her presence.

“…Ligna? You’ve mistaken me for someone else. My name is…”

As she spoke, the man stood up abruptly, and the atmosphere changed drastically. His extremely courteous attitude vanished without a trace. He rose, swept his clothes a couple of times, and then looked down at Hana with cool, red eyes.

“You’re not Ligna.”

“What?”

She was taken aback by his sudden change in attitude and asked in confusion.

‘I just realized he was mistaken a moment ago, but he knows it right away?’

Whether she showed what she was thinking or if he just wanted to add an explanation, he continued speaking, his expression revealing a slight smile.

“…Ligna doesn’t show respect to other races.”

With that, he rummaged through his belongings and walked towards Hana.

She sat there, clutching the blanket that covered her. He had been the one taking care of her, who had collapsed in the forest, possibly freezing to death, so she didn’t particularly feel like arguing about it. Still, she felt a bit tense as he approached.

“Well, Ligna wouldn’t be collapsing in a place like that.”

“….Ligna, are you talking about the priests?”

The people she encountered in this place so far were only them. The priests looked somewhat human, but with a little experience, it was clear they weren’t quite human. It seemed like those races were referred to as Ligna, a term she had only learned now.

“The priests? Hmm, the priests of the World Tree… Yeah, I heard they’re sometimes called that.”

This man, by appearances, was undoubtedly human. Although he exuded an air of nobility in his appearance and attire, compared to the somewhat mysterious priests she had encountered, he seemed ordinary.

Perhaps if she hadn’t encountered them before, she might have felt overwhelmed by his presence.

He approached, reaching out to grab her chin. Holding her head in his hand, he moved it around as if observing her.

“Golden eyes…?”

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