# Chapter 43: 43
—Ah...
Radis stroked the horse's neck and calmed it before dismounting.
Considering the hours he ran, the sky was now dyed black.
The same thing happened with the land.
There was no light anywhere around him.
She was the only one in that wide moonlit field.
—...
Beyond the horizon of the field, Radis saw a dark forest that was pitch black.
Although the bright moonlight illuminated the world below, the forest was completely dark, as if it had swallowed all the light.
After tying the horse to a tree, Radis walked towards that forest.
That forest was strange.
I couldn't hear the sound of insects scurrying in the grass or the birds singing in the night.
And the smell that enveloped the air was not the fresh smell of grass and trees, but the stench of rotting earth and an unknown fish-like smell.
Reaching the edge of the forest, Radis reached out and placed his hand on a tree.
Although it was a place that should receive the sun during the day, the bark was covered with thick moss.
Then, not far away, he heard a low growl.
Radis was sure.
—Monster Forest…!
She knew that Marquisate Russell was next to Monsterwood.
But she couldn't believe he was so close!
In his previous life, Radis wandered to exhaustion in that vast forest.
The memory was still vivid.
A tiring march that never seemed to end, battles against terrible monsters, almost dying from miasma.
Interestingly, Radis never had negative feelings about that forest.
Sometimes that forest seemed more like a home than Tilrod Manor.
Subjugation was certainly difficult, but there were also times when it was fun.
—Why doesn't the vice captain speak?
—Don't you know the vice captain well? When he comes to the forest he becomes silent. It's different when it's outside.
She never said anything because she was afraid that they would discover that she was a woman, even towards her companions who followed her without any doubt.
—I have faith in you.
Robert, the captain of the subjugation squad, was as silent as her, but sometimes he was as warm as the sun.
But in the end, he failed to keep his faith in her.
Robert…
Radis began to walk as if he found him somewhere in that forest.
—I'm back, but what should I say, what should I ask...
As she walked with her head down, something rustled in the darkness and she raised her head.
Three green light beads looked at her.
—Ah…
Radis looked around.
I wasn't alone.
More green lights appeared one after another in the darkness.
She had seen many of those beasts before.
—Three-eyed wolves.
As if to answer him, a large wolf growled and emerged from the shadows.
It was twice the size of regular wolves, had two bright green eyes where they normally should be, and its third eye was higher up on its head. With just one look, it was obvious that it was a monster.
—I can't believe you made it to the edge of the forest. You must be very hungry.
Radis looked around.
Those monsters were never alone.
From five to ten or even twenty in their pack.
They were nasty guys who would annihilate another group if they encountered them.
At that, Radis habitually reached out to her side, but she could only say:
—Damn it.
She was empty-handed.
—Even if he runs away... it will be too late.
Framed by black branches, the bright moon looked down at her as she stared at it in despair.
She didn't know how she got there.
She didn't want to do it just because it was her. She didn't want to live like that either.
How nice would it have been if she could have lived like David or Jurich, not like Radis?
In the name of fulfilling a child's duties, she felt so embarrassed that she could do nothing but bow. I was so envious of their lives, where they had the love and respect of their parents.
But what could he do?
She was Radis.
Since it was like this, he had no choice but to live as Radis.
Grrraang!
A wolf pounced on her.
As if on cue, dozens of green eyes filled their surroundings.
At the horrible sight, Radis closed his eyes.
“If I die like this I won't have to suffer anymore.”
But then...
Radis's second heart, the mana core, began to beat.
With her eyes closed, she suddenly reached out and crushed something that had jumped towards her.
—I was ready to die, so I didn't think I would still live.
Radis's eyes widened once more.
And she looked at her hand.
The color of fire burned there.
Blood-red mana enveloped his hand.
When she was a child, there were flowers she liked and they were the same color.
No other beautiful flower could compare with its dignity.
A tall flower that never swayed, it simply rose high and shone beautifully.
After confirming the flame-like red mana in his hand, a faint smile tugged at Radis's lips.
—Who is next?
The wolves ran in.
En su mano yacía el cadáver de un lobo, con la cabeza aplastada.
Valiz