The Cabin in the West Forest (2)
The personal training room granted exclusively to S-class students. Even in the dead of night, long after everyone else had fallen asleep, one girl was still swinging her sword without fail.
A chill blue frost gathered at the tip of her blade before shooting forward with the swing.
"Ice Wolf Style, Fourth Form—"
⟨ Breakthrough ⟩
But the frost shattered into pieces and scattered before it could travel far. Damn it. Another failure.
Yulia stared down at her sword with a complicated expression. Her arms, trembling from being pushed to their absolute limit, only made her feel more frustrated. Her family had showered her with praise, saying it was incredible for someone her age to have already mastered up to the third form. But Yulia could never be satisfied with that.
Damn it. With this level of skill… there’s no way I can face him…
Just as she raised her sword to try again, the door to the training hall opened.
At the appearance of the professor in charge of the training facilities, Yulia sheathed her sword.
Even after a grueling day of classes, Yulia had stayed behind to practice until the training hall closed for the evening. Sweating profusely, she returned to her room. She neatly folded her discarded clothes and placed them in a basket before heading into the private bath attached to the S-class dormitory.
A bath after sweating always brought her the utmost pleasure. But as she soaked longer, even that supreme comfort began to fade. The steady drip of water droplets from the ceiling eventually drew her attention, and with it came a flood of thoughts.
What filled Yulia’s mind right now were the two students who had recently become the talk of the academy—Hint and Stelle. Both had spoken of the same thing: the cabin in the west forest.
‘Hey, do any of you know about the cabin in the west forest?’
‘The cabin in the west forest?’
‘Yeah. I’ve never seen it myself, but during our first exam, remember? When we were heading back to the academy, Hint said he found this cabin. Then he suddenly started walking down a path with no monsters at all, and thanks to him we took first place.’
‘Wow☆ That’s so cool. Is it some kind of artifact?’
‘I’m not sure. I haven’t seen it. But according to Hint… it shows you the way forward.’
Shepia had brushed it off as an interesting story, but the words refused to leave Yulia’s head. At first she couldn’t fully believe the words of an F-class boy she had only just met, and her packed S-class schedule left her no free time to investigate. But now that even Stelle, who had joined S-class, was saying the same thing, Yulia found herself growing curious.
“The cabin in the west forest, huh…”
She had no idea how, but that boy named Hint seemed to understand her worries. The last time she had visited him under the pretense of checking on his recovery, she had asked how he had grown so strong in such a short time…
She had left with nothing to show for it. Yulia stepped out of the bath, lay down in bed, and turned off the lights, but sleep refused to come tonight. It was strange. Normally after training this late she would collapse like she had been knocked unconscious.
In the end, Yulia rose from her bed. She changed into light workout clothes and prepared to head out.
For some reason, tonight was a night when she felt like walking through the forest.
The west forest was close to the first-year girls’ dormitory. After slipping out the back door and following a side path past the sheer cliffs that offered a clear view of the sea, the standard entrance to the west forest came into view. It was a walking trail prepared by the academy. Yulia stepped inside.
A forest caressed by spring breezes naturally brought to mind a refreshing warmth and vibrant greenery that warmed the heart. But once night’s veil descended, the story changed. The rustle of leaves brushing against one another. The dense vegetation severely limited visibility, and moonlight offered far less illumination than the sun. On top of that, the breathing of beasts in the woods and the sound of footsteps crunching over fallen leaves—each element was more than enough to instill fear in a person.
Yulia walked through the forest with a hint of tension. No matter how much of a warrior she was, having hunted demonic beasts since the age of five, even she felt a little afraid. A midnight stroll… or perhaps a search was more accurate.
After walking nonstop for an hour, Yulia finally stopped and looked up at the sky. The crescent moon gazing down at her somehow seemed to be mocking her, and it put her in a foul mood. The west forest was the largest area on Arpia Island, where the academy was located. Finding a single cabin in a forest this vast—how could that even be possible?
Yulia let out a hollow laugh. No matter how badly she wanted to grow stronger, wandering around the forest in the middle of the night looking for some cabin was ridiculous. She was just about to turn back when—
“This… is cold air?”
A frigid chill brushed against Yulia’s body. It was the kind of cold that reminded her of the snow-covered mountains of the north. Instinctively, she moved toward the source of that chill. After walking for some time, she came upon a single cabin.
“…It really exists.”
Since she had come this far, no matter how suspicious it seemed, she had to check inside. Adjusting the sword at her waist, Yulia opened the cabin door. There were no signs of life, only the stale air of a place long abandoned. The smell of dust tickled her nose, and the interior, lit solely by moonlight streaming through the windows with no lamps in sight, naturally gave off an eerie feeling.
It was suspicious, but she had come all this way. There was no point in doing nothing. After looking around, Yulia cautiously sat down on a rather dubious-looking chair.
Was there some way to use it? She looked around but saw nothing particularly suspicious. After waiting a while with no reaction, Yulia let out a sigh.
The moment Yulia moved to leave, a single black shadow appeared across from her. It had no face and no discernible body curves, making it impossible to tell if it was male or female. The shadow simply opened its mouth.
『Oh dear. Who might you be?』
Yulia shot to her feet and pointed her sword at the shadow. The pitch-black darkness that revealed nothing made it impossible to read its emotions. Only her own heavily tensed face was illuminated by the moonlight. The shadow spoke first.
『What a rude question. Is that how people from the north show courtesy?』
『You are the one who came to my home. So shouldn’t you introduce yourself first? Anyone would think I dragged you here against your will.』
“Ugh…!”
Yulia was at a loss for words. She had been startled by the sudden appearance of this unidentified shadow, but upon reflection, everything it said was completely correct. After hesitating for a long moment, she took a deep breath and sheathed her sword. Sitting down once more, she faced the shadow with a mixture of anticipation and wariness. Of course, her right hand beneath the table still gripped the hilt of her sword tightly.
Yulia introduced herself with the utmost politeness according to imperial etiquette. But the reply she received was completely unexpected.
『No.』
I should kill it.
The hand gripping her sword tightened with raw strength. A murderous intent surged within her—she wanted to cut down this insane shadow and forget about any path forward.
『I don’t have a name, you see. So it’s rather difficult for me to tell you one.』
『Hehe. You’re more hot-tempered than you look.』
『If you must know, you could call me the spirit of this cabin.』
『To be more precise, I am a thought-form spirit bound to this artifact. A ghost, if that explanation helps you understand faster.』
『Long ago, a graduate of this academy donated it to help lost students. This is a cabin that shows the way forward to lost little lambs.』
『It is called the Guide’s Cabin, Yulia Frostwolf.』
Yulia swallowed hard. Showing the way forward. Those words certainly sounded tempting. After all, the reason she had foolishly wandered through the forest in the middle of the night was precisely for this.
『If it shows the way, it shows the way. What more is there to explain?』
『Tell me what you desire. Then I will show you.』
『No. That’s not it, Yulia Frostwolf. That is not your true wish.』
『Why is it so difficult for you to admit that you feel jealous of your closest childhood friend?』
“You—!”
Yulia leapt up and swung her sword. But the shadow was only a shadow; her blade simply passed through the dark silhouette. She swung again and again, yet the shadow remained calmly in place. Finally realizing it was pointless, Yulia sat back down.
『Because I am a ghost. Reading minds is easy for me.』
『Don’t worry. I cannot leave this cabin.』
『Yulia Frostwolf. Would you please tell me your story?』
『Hehe. I may not know everything. But I can tell you this much. If you honestly confess what is in your heart…』
『I will give you a hint that can make your wish come true.』
Gulp. Swallowing dryly, Yulia stared at the hand extended toward her.