Chapter 387 - The Black Forest
“Everything will work out.”
“Okay.”
“That is why I exist.”
“Yes. I’ll make sure to figure it out so you don’t have such dreams anymore.”
“Okay. I trust you.”
Ella said she trusts him. That was enough for Cladis. His tension visibly faded. Confirming that, Ella smiled brightly, grinned, then greeted Xyle who was stroking his horse from a distance away.
“Thank you for responding to my last minute request, Xyle.”
“Even if it wasn’t your request, it was something I had to do, so don’t worry. More than that, we need to rush. I changed the destination to the Black Forest.”
“Black Forest?”
“There is a space where mana gathers in the center of the Black Forest. Madilco is setting up a magic circle there. He’s also preparing a magic circle that will help with your plan.”
Ella’s eyes changed at Xyle’s words. It was a sudden change of plan, but if that was the case, there was no reason to reject it.
“There’s no time for a conversation now, Ella.”
“Right.”
If the destination had changed to the Black Forest, she had to hurry as he said. Considering the distance and the rumors about that place, no matter how much they hurried, it wasn’t enough.
Ella ran to the prepared horse. With the help of Cladis, Ella, who climbed onto the horse at once, covered her head with a hood. Cladis, who quickly jumped on his horse, looked at her from her side, then looked around.
Eric held Sha in his arms and tightly wrapped her in a hood. And Narwin, Ethan, and subordinates surrounded them. Cladis and Xyle’s eyes met.
“Let’s go.”
“I will follow.”
Xyle led the way, followed by Cladis and Ella. Eleven men in black hoods moved away from the capital across a deserted forest road. After riding for three full hours, they stopped in front of an old, off-limits forest.
“From here on, you’ll all have to keep your head up and follow me. If you miss the person in front of you, you will die in this forest, so make sure you are focused.”
At Xyle’s warning, they swallowed dry saliva. As they followed Xyle, they thought of the notoriety of the forest they were familiar with, and their whole bodies trembled. if it was going to be meaningful, they thought it would be worth it to sacrifice their lives, but when it is ‘Black Forest,’ it’s a different story. Literally, if they get distracted for one moment, they will become missing and will die. They didn’t want to die like a stranded dog.
“Don’t think too hard. Just look at the person in front. Don’t deviate. Many lives are in your hands.”
“Will do!”
A village’s safety is in their hands. Although detailed information was not given, it was certain that they were entrusted with a mission as important as, or even more important than, those who had gone before them after they were recruited. They were well aware of the village in danger of being annihilated. More than anxiety, they felt a serious responsibility.
Ella, following Xyle into the woods, swallowed her suppressed moans. The air changed from the land swallowed by the shadows of the trees. It felt she was being suffocated by the air as if it was pushing down. She immediately felt exhausted.
“Ella, are you okay?”
Cladis, who was following Ella into the forest, approached Ella while holding his moans. The hand he reached out to support Ella could not overcome the weight of the air and trembled.
“Stop doing useless things and take care of yourself first. It’s better to focus on not losing the tail of the person in front of you than trying to control your body in the air.”
“Can’t you help?”
“Do you think I’m not helping you when I can?”
Xyle’s cold gaze turned to Cladis.
Yes, you look like you are not helping when you actually can.
These words lingered in Cladis’s mouth, but he couldn’t get them out. It was because Xyle’s words could be true, and they were fortunate if Xyle would just let it go without getting mad.
If he gets mad, I hope he will get mad at me, not at Ella.
But Cladis swallowed his words still as they might cause unnecessary conflicts, so he just checked those who were following him. The faces of those who entered the forest were contorted in pain. Although they had been trained for a long time, this weight was not something they could easily handle. After moving like that for another 10 minutes, Cladis couldn’t stand it and called Xyle again.
“Tower Master, how much longer do we have to go like this?”
“One hour. If you continue to stop me like this, it might be delayed.”
“Cladis, I’m fine.”
“But-“
It wasn’t that Ella didn’t know about Cladis’s worries, but she followed the path that everyone dissuaded her from. She didn’t want to be a burden.
“I have the ring Lil gave me and it’s bearable. I can do another hour.”
It’s only been about 10 minutes since they came into the forest. Ella’s body was almost leaning to her horse. Her hands holding the reins of the horse were already sweaty. And they were trembling in difficulty. She said she could stand it, but Cladis didn’t believe it. Eventually, Xyle turned his horse around and came to Ella’s side. Seeing Ella’s condition and the rings on her fingers, he smirked.
“You won’t be able to stand with just those rings because this forest destroys clumsy magic. Put this one on.”
“Thank you, Xyle.”
“Not a big deal.”
He bluntly handed over a bracelet and returned to where he was.
If he had something like that, he should have given it to her from the beginning.
Cladis’s eyes filled with discontent followed him, but Xyle didn’t even look at Cladis. Ella followed Xyle’s back for a moment as she felt the warmth from his bracelet. It wasn’t something he just casually handed to her. She was able to feel how long he debated giving it to her before he handed it in.
What made him think that long?
Ella wondered and glared at the tiny words written inside the bracelet. But not a single letter of the writing was recognizable to Ella.
“Ella.”
Before she knew it, the sweat that had formed on her forehead dripped down and ran down her cheeks. It was clear that she needed help from the bracelet right away. But she hesitated and didn’t wear it. Cladis, who couldn’t watch her suffer anymore, called her. She looked at him with a complicated look.
“Cladis.”
“Yes.”
Can I really wear this bracelet?
