Chapter 311: Panic
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 311: Panic
"Where... am I?"
Liya opened her eyes, but she didn't see the familiar azure sky, the pure white clouds, or the crimson-orange sun.
Instead, there was only a sea of deep green.
Atop massive, interlacing branches, broad leaves grew in dense clusters, vying for what little sunlight filtered through and blocking out the sky entirely.
The towering, majestic trees stood like giants, looking down upon the tiny insects at their feet.
Everything was dark, sweltering, and humid. There wasn't even a breath of wind.
"Is... is anyone there?"
Liya felt groggy. She used the roots that coiled around her like giant pythons to pull herself up, calling out tentatively.
"..."
No one answered.
From deep within the jungle, a few shrill wails echoed—sounding like wild beasts, yet also like restless spirits unable to find peace.
Despite the stifling heat that made it difficult for her pores to even sweat, Liya couldn't help but shudder violently. Her eyes scanned her surroundings in a daze, and before she knew it, a thin veil of mist clouded her vision.
"A... Ariel?"
In her fear, Liya instinctively called out the name of the person closest to her.
Of course... there was no response.
"Right... right, I need to contact Ariel. She'll come find me. In a situation like this, Ariel will definitely come."
As if remembering something, Liya hurriedly reached for her waist, but as she fumbled about, her small hand suddenly froze.
"Eh?"
"Wait... what?"
"Why... why?"
"Where is my... spatial magic device?"
Liya’s head throbbed. The spatial magic device she kept at her waist—the one containing her communication stone and other essentials—was gone.
"Could it be... during the spatial magic earlier..."
After a brief moment of chaos, her memories began to resurface. Liya finally remembered where she was and why she had come here.
"This place... must be the Forest of Death."
"Which means everything before wasn't a dream. I was teleported here by spatial magic. And because that magic was maliciously destabilized, my spatial magic device was lost in the process?"
"This is... a problem."
No, "problem" was an understatement.
Legend had it that while the Forest of Death didn't house many powerful magical beasts, the lingering aura of that Calamity had given rise to some truly terrifying things.
And she was so weak. Stranded here, what was the difference between her and a little white rabbit falling into a pack of wolves?
"What... what do I do? Is this a dead end?"
"If only Ariel were here. She would definitely find a way to escape..."
"But me... by myself... I can't do anything."
"Waaa... why did it turn out like this?"
Liya slowly crouched down again, hugging her knees as she sank into despair.
Right, why did it turn out like this?
Back then, that fractured spatial magic shouldn't have been able to reach her.
Exactly. If she had simply chosen to stand by and do nothing, nothing would have happened. She wouldn't be in this terrifying forest, facing this insurmountable crisis.
But in that moment, when her eyes reflected that person—when she saw Muen Campbell’s figure about to be swallowed up, and when she felt that sliver of destruction within the spatial magic...
She had acted instinctively. She had even used her strongest defensive measure, the Holy Light Protection, which required her own body as a medium to manifest the Holy Light.
Why? Her most important mission was to go to the Holy City to participate in the Pay Homage to the Sage Ceremony. Why did she choose to invite unnecessary trouble at a time like this?
Could it be...
"Right, I am a Saintess Candidate. Faced with that situation, how could I possibly stand by and watch?"
Liya clenched her fists, convincing herself:
"I just didn't want anyone to die. It had nothing to do with who it was. No matter who it happened to, I would have done the same thing!"
Yes, this was the basic moral standing of a Saintess Candidate. If she had chosen to ignore it, she wouldn't be fit to compete for the future position of Saintess at all.
Yes, that had to be it.
"Speaking of which, where is that guy?"
Once she remembered the incident, that blond figure appeared in her mind and refused to leave.
"Logically, he should have been teleported to this forest as well."
Liya looked up, her gaze scanning the area again, but she saw nothing but the massive, dense trees.
"Was he sent somewhere else? Should I go look for him?"
"But even if I look, with just me..."
Liya fell into a state of indecision.
After a long silence, she finally made up her mind. Just as she gathered her courage to scout the immediate area, the tangled, waterfall-like vines and leaves nearby suddenly began to sway, rustling loudly.
The forest remained silent; there wasn't even a breeze.
Which meant... something was coming.
Liya’s eyes widened, and her heart climbed into her throat.
What do I do? What do I do? Is danger coming so soon? I haven't prepared anything...
Anyway, hide first, hide...
Liya looked around frantically for a hiding spot, but in her panic, she lost her footing. Her bottom slammed hard against the ground.
Sss—that... huh? It doesn't hurt?
Stunned, Liya looked down and realized she wasn't sitting on the cold, muddy ground. Instead, she was on a makeshift bed neatly layered with many leaves.
It was clear they had been laid out with great care. The thick layers of leaves were soft and clean; otherwise, in such a humid environment, she would have felt uncomfortable long ago.
But she had only just woken up. Who had laid these leaves?
"You're awake?"
Just then, a familiar, gentle voice called out. A strong hand pushed aside the dense vines, and a figure stepped out. His short blond hair was exceptionally bright even in this dark jungle, looking like the morning sun.
"It's... it's you..."
Seeing it was Muen, Liya was momentarily dazed. She then patted her chest, letting out a long sigh of relief.
For some reason, just seeing this man appear caused the fear in her heart to dissipate significantly, even though their dire situation hadn't changed at all.
"If not me, who else would it be?"
Muen was cradling a large pile of colorful wild fruits. He walked over and placed them on the leaves he had spread out, then looked up at Liya. Rubbing his chin, he said:
"I've been meaning to ask—is that posture some kind of new training method?"
"?"
Liya tilted her head in confusion, looking down blankly.
She realized she was still in the same position from when she fell—legs spread wide, looking rather unladylike.
"Y-You... pervert!"
Liya’s face turned beet red in an instant. She hurriedly used her long skirt to cover her slender thighs and curled up, turning her head away.
"So energetic. It seems there's nothing wrong with your body."
Muen chuckled. He picked up a wild fruit, shook it, and asked:
"Want some?"
"I'm... I'm not hungry."
Gurgle...
The protest from her stomach was exceptionally clear in the quiet forest.
"...Maybe you should eat a little anyway."
Muen blinked and took a bite of a fruit first. A sweet aroma wafted through the air as he said indistinctly:
"See? It's not poisoned."
"..."
The girl still didn't answer. The flush of red had spread all the way to the base of her neck, and she curled herself up even tighter.
She looked like a little hedgehog huddled in a ball—quite adorable.
PS: Not feeling well, will make it up tomorrow.