32I looked at him with wide eyes. “H-how?...How dangerous is the beast?”"Not that harmful...when left undisturbed,"“What do you mean by that?”"They don't usually attack unless provoked, and...unfortunately, as much as we want to avoid trouble, the beast won't relent once we enter its territory,"I froze in place. I couldn't fully grasp the seriousness of his words, but judging by its appearance alone, it was a creature I had no desire to provoke. To say I wasn't scared would be a vast understatement. Nonetheless, it was a task that had to be undertaken. I was convinced that the General he mentioned was trustworthy and approachable. As someone with no prior involvement in this matter, my role was to simply comply and follow their instructions closely. Being clumsy in a perilous situation, in my view, was not something to be forgiven.I clamped my mouth shut and nodded. “Your outfit will be sent to you, and of course, I also prepared one for your lady in waiting-,,”I release a sig

34The darkness seemed to amplify my sense of pity for the beast. Initially, I believed there was no room for reconciliation, but as it transformed from being a terrifying threat into a somewhat vulnerable creature, I realized I had jumped to judgment too quickly. I could now see that it was silently asking for assistance. However, no matter how hard I tried to understand its silent appeals, there was simply no way of knowing.“Just kill it!” I heard Eric command through the thick silence. Instinctively, the warriors complied and slowly unsheathed their swords. My eyes widened and I began to thrash under its hold, instead of calming down, the beast snarled even more aggressively, and I stopped in retaliation. I heard Eric curse and with more pressing matters to take into account, with the howl of the wind, insinuating that an approaching deluge was possible, the warriors began to line into their respective posts and battle formation. Teresa growled in response, hairs spiking up for p

36The cold wind bit into my fingers as I tightly gripped the reins. My knuckles were probably white by this point. A single torch illuminated the area, and although the lighting was minimal, it somehow provided a bit of reassurance. It took us a while to fully adapt to the darkness that engulfed the forest. I wanted to question why it was so dark in there, especially since we were tasked with retrieving these three essential herbs. I found it hard to fathom how it would be possible, but instead of voicing my bewilderment, I chose to remain silent, thinking that perhaps I should ask when we were safely outside, hopefully still alive.Beside me, I could see Teresa appearing as calm as ever, and it was the first time I had seen her act this way. My mind wandered, and then I realized that it was the cold that had triggered her behavior. She must have remembered and missed her old home, the Western Kingdom. I felt a pang of guilt for involving her in my troubles, but as I had mentioned, t

38Nobody knew that I could hear their dim conversations. It had been that way for a couple more hours as I strayed in between my half-asleep state. Had Alpha Knight noticed my wakefulness then he'd probably deny everything I heard him say. At times he soothes me with words, loving words that I initially thought were directed to Lorraine. I couldn't even believe that it was him, not until he called out my name.Some minutes passed and I was almost breaking through my state. I was forced to move my limbs and fingers despite the heavy feeling. I fervently hoped that I wouldn't find any difficulty in doing such and would soon open my eyes. And fortunately, I did, upon slowly regaining consciousness, what I first saw was Alpha who was looming over me. There was concern and worry when I met his eyes. He was still holding my hand as I groaned slightly in pain."Give her water!" He said, his low, husky voice sending tingles under my skin.I hated to admit it, but it happened again. It seemed

39.2Gasping for breath, I awoke from my dream, or perhaps it was a nightmare. The beginning of the dream had been pleasant, but when the woman fixed her gaze upon me, my world crumbled, and I felt as if I'd plunged into a bottomless abyss from which there was no escape. Questions swirled in my mind. Who was this woman, and how did she know my name? Was she addressing me, or was this some kind of recollection from my past?My head couldn't process everything at once. Besides the throbbing pain in my head, there was also a slight pain in my chest. At this moment, I couldn't help but be baffled by the woman, the child, my name, and the place, and thus, my confusion was getting the best of me. Like a door that opens to endless possibilities... All I knew and remember so well was the frost taking over the small abode, a magnificent sight that can also turn into something tragic and disastrous. It could symbolize plenty of meanings, but the only thing that comes to mind is grief.I deliber