Chapter 6: Intruders in the Silent Forest
ROAR—!
A piercing scream echoed from early morning.
Hearing the terrifying sound that revealed the Great Forest’s cruel nature, I snapped my eyes open and grabbed the cleaver by my bedside.
“What’s with the chaos first thing in the morning?”
The sound came from not too far from the house.
Fearing whatever screamed might flee toward me, I peered out the window, but thankfully, no creature came near.
After that scream, there was no movement from where it came.
Guess it was a false alarm.
I thought I was in for a morning ambush event.
Relieved, I set the cleaver back on the bed and pulled some prepared vegetables from the basket, munching them like a salad.
The sharp, bitter taste in my mouth.
Waking my tired mind with the intense flavor, I glared toward where the scream came from.
“Something’s off today.”
Unlike the usual clamor, the Great Forest was eerily quiet.
Like a killer no longer needing to hide, revealing their true self.
The chilling silence gave me goosebumps, so I cautiously closed the window, and the unease started to fade.
“Sigh.”
I drew the curtains and let out a soft sigh.
What kind of sh*tty thing is going to happen now?
Living this mundane life is already bad enough—can’t I get a break from worse?
Cursing the author’s rotten personality, I tried to guess what might happen.
Since being possessed in the witch’s body, many settings have gone awry, but I could still make simple deductions.
Recalling the Great Forest’s detailed settings, I soon realized why it was so silent.
“Someone’s entered the Great Forest.”
Yes, someone had invaded the Great Forest.
To quote the novel, the Great Forest had started hunting these intruders.
Odd that it’s quiet despite intruders fighting back?
There’s a reason for the silence.
They’re subdued before they can resist, or their will is crushed by overwhelming force.
Anyway, that’s not the point.
What matters is who entered the Great Forest and why.
The Southern Great Forest, a forbidden zone with a survival rate below one percent.
The intruders came knowing its terrifying reputation.
“I can guess who they might be… but no way, it can’t be them, right?”
I shook my head, dismissing the thought.
It can’t be the theocracy’s lunatics.
The kids surviving unscathed is already an insane improbability.
And someone in the village would need an “ally’s token” for it to even be possible.
The first condition alone is like surviving a lightning strike—how could those maniacs set foot in the Great Forest?
“Even if all conditions were met, it’s nonsense they’d barge in unprepared just because they’re obsessed with witches. No matter how much they hate witches, would they really?”
No matter how I weighed the possibilities, it seemed impossible.
I let out a hollow laugh and started thinking of other groups or beings that might enter the Great Forest.
But.
THUD—!
A heavy knock on the front door snapped me out of my thoughts.
…Didn’t I just hear a really loud thud?
Curiosity cautiously peeked out, but I suppressed it and moved away from the door.
Opening it felt like inviting trouble.
I kept telling myself I didn’t want to open it, shaking my head, but once sparked, curiosity wouldn’t let me be.
[You’re going out to gather food today anyway, right? What’s wrong with checking outside a bit before you go?]
[Just open it for a second. Check what’s there and close it, okay?]
A witch’s curiosity and inquisitiveness are naturally extreme.
As curiosity fueled my urge to explore, I started feeling a burning thirst.
“Maybe just a quick peek? No, I don’t even know what’s out there. But I’m curious… No way, curiosity is poison to survival.”
My curiosity was now so intense I was talking to myself.
Feeling myself going mad, I finally surrendered and quietly pulled back the curtains.
Swish—!
The view outside was the usual peaceful Great Forest.
Deciding there was no immediate danger, I approached the front door, heightening my guard, and cautiously opened it.
Click.
Creak—
As the door slowly opened, I saw something drenched in blood.
Stunned by the horrific sight, I forgot to close the door and stared blankly at it.
“…”
This feels way too big for me to handle.
Ignoring it is probably better than getting involved in something troublesome, right?
Deciding, I tried to shut the door, but the blood-soaked thing suddenly grabbed my ankle.
With a dying voice, it begged for help.
“Please… please save me…”
Blood dripped from its mouth, desperately clinging to life.
It looked like a ghost from hell searching for a companion, and the terrifying sight froze me.
All I could do was:
“KYAAAAAAA!!!”
Scream with a pale face.
*
After screaming for a while, I regained my senses and brought the blood-soaked thing inside.
Not out of meager compassion, but because it seemed useful alive.
It’s a human from outside the Great Forest.
They’d have plenty of information to extract, maybe even about the protagonist.
Someone desperate enough to beg a witch—their sworn enemy—for their life.
With such an obsession for survival, would they dare cause trouble in the witch’s home turf?
I doubt it.
To survive, they’d do anything.
Even if it meant the humiliation of being enslaved by a witch.
“Man, the unfairness is real.”
Looking at the unconscious theocracy member on the floor, I felt uneasy.
Why is the author so hellbent on screwing over witches?
Did they get bullied by a witch in a past life or something?
It feels highly likely.
This is too extreme to call a comedy.
The astronomical odds of the theocracy sending people to the Great Forest? That’s absurd.
No matter how much you throw out plausibility, how could those kids survive the forbidden zone unscathed?
“This level of unfairness is practically art, f*ck.”
Huff.
I let out a hollow laugh, looking down at the unconscious priestess.
She was surely sent to the Great Forest with orders to “kill the witch.”
If left alone, she’d probably attack me the moment she woke up.
“To prevent that, I’d need handcuffs or rope… Is there any in the house? I think I saw rope on the first day.”
Recalling the memory, I rummaged through the drawers and found sturdy rope, just as I remembered.
This strong, it’d be impossible for a weak priestess to break.
Satisfied with its durability, I started tying her up tightly.
Using the most secure method I knew to ensure she couldn’t get any funny ideas.
“Phew, that was tough.”
After binding the unconscious priestess, a strange fatigue crept over me.
…I slept enough, so why am I like this? Did I eat something bad yesterday or today?
Thinking it over, that didn’t seem likely.
I’ve only eaten food verified as safe on the first and second days.
“Yawn…”
I wanted to stay awake until the priestess stirred, but the fatigue weighed my body down heavily.
I have to stay up; falling asleep now would just cause more misunderstandings…
Trying to shake off the drowsiness, I searched for the vegetable I ate earlier.
Sadly, I couldn’t find it, and, clutching the basket, I fell asleep.
When I woke up again:
“Mmph! Mmph! MMPH!!!”
The priestess, looking furious with tear-filled eyes, was glaring at me with murderous intent.
…I don’t know why she’s like this.
But one thing’s for sure: I’m screwed.