Volume 2 Chapter 6-2 The Dark Forest People, The Heroine Sees
Erika had been staring from above for a long time. Finally, she jumped down from the beam and landed without a sound.
(Has she really fallen asleep...? Is she bold enough not to care about danger? Or is she just too relaxed, thinking this place is safe?)
She watched the woman's chest rise and fall in a calm rhythm. A strange feeling stirred inside her.
(The human said she'd build a country here... but maybe I was expecting too much. Still... I want to see her face.)
Curious, Erika leaned in closer, trying to make the woman's right arm roll off her face. But the moment she moved, her instincts screamed.
She had let her guard down.
A hand—strong and fast—shot up from the bed. The woman's left arm wrapped around Erika's neck like a snake and squeezed.
"I felt eyes on me. Then I found you. If you don't want to die, show yourself."
The woman—Eleonora—tightened her grip.
Erika could feel the seriousness in her touch. Without hesitation, she canceled her sound-dampening and invisibility magic, allowing herself to be seen.
"Huh? A woman? I don't remember calling for any late-night visitors."
Eleonora's voice was calm, but her eyes looked puzzled.
In the village, when someone said "woman," they usually meant someone old and tired-looking. But the girl in front of her looked like a model from a pop idol group. Pretty. Young. Mysterious.
"...So. Did you know I was there?"
Erika had never been caught before. Her invisibility was perfect. Even in pitch black, no one should've sensed her.
Eleonora answered without pause.
"The air shifted."
That was all.
The moment Erika had leaned in, Eleonora's battlefield senses kicked in. Something felt off, and her body moved on its own.
Erika watched her blink a few times, then slowly smile.
(There it is.)
"Heh."
The laugh that came out was odd. Quiet. Dry.
Eleonora's grip tightened again.
"You laugh like a creep."
Ignoring the insult, Erika looked deep into Eleonora's blue eyes.
"So clear."
"Huh?"
"My eyes... don't look like yours."
Erika reached out and lightly touched Eleonora's face.
"Yours are still beautiful. Mine are cloudy."
Eleonora's grip softened.
Erika took a slow, deep breath.
"How can you keep such clear eyes in a world like this?"
Eleonora sat back with a thud, letting go of Erika completely.
"Because I can't do what I want."
Erika blinked and gave a small, quiet frown.
"Are you doing what you want?"
"Not really. But I still get to choose. If the girl I'm protecting can stay safe... then yeah, I'll live how I want."
"Like what?"
Erika's voice was light but curious.
Eleonora thought for a moment.
"If I had some money, I'd buy a shop. Let other people work. Take the profit. Easy life."
"That's it? I thought you came here to build a kingdom. I thought you were some ambitious hero."
Eleonora let out a dry laugh.
"People get greedy, and it always backfires. I've learned that the hard way."
She leaned back and stared at the ceiling.
"I got kicked out of my own country. Now I'm trying to build a new one. But that was never my plan. I was supposed to stay in my hometown, manage the land, and hand it off to my little brother one day. That was it. I never wanted war. I never meant to tear anything down. But now... it's too late to stop."
"So this life you're living... is it what you want?"
"...I don't know. I've been talking like I've got answers, but maybe I don't understand myself either."
Erika was quiet for a moment. Then, a strange smile tugged at her lips.
"Even if you don't know what you want yet... I found one thing I do want to do."
"Oh yeah?"
"I want to know how you'll die."
"That's creepy as hell. We don't even know each other's names. So why'd you sneak in here?"
Erika gave a short, raspy chuckle.
"I wanted to see the face of the fool who dared step into this chaotic world."
Then she lay down on the wooden floor, resting her head in her arms and looking up at Eleonora.
"I'm Erika Kaitel. From the Kaitel clan. If you want to live your life, if you want to build that kingdom... I'll help."
Eleonora blinked.
"You've gotta be kidding me... Why do all the weird ones come to me?"
The laughter between them faded into the night, swallowed by the quiet village.
Erika Kaitel. Her name would not be remembered in the records of the Holy Maro Empire. Only faint traces of her remained, tucked away in the old empress's letters and a half-finished diary.
But in the shadows of history... her mark remained.
Character Notes:
• Erika - A dark elf (forest person) with exceptional agility and magical abilities, including silencing and invisibility magic. Her appearance is characterized by dark brown skin, ash-blond hair cut in a short bob, long ears, and red-black eyes resembling dried blood. She has a detached and playful personality, often showing amusement or indifference to conflicts. Her relationship with others is distant, though she seems to have a tribal connection with men like Klaus and Franz.
• Erik - Son of the fallen warrior Danruhav, seeking revenge and a new land, eager to prove his strength in battle.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!