Chapter 1: The Monster in the Forest
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Author's Note

I was inspired to write this after reading Renji Range’s manga, “Bakemono to Kedamono”.

 


 

“There’s a monster in that forest.”

Someone tells me that every time I mention where I’m going. It’s not like I don’t know, you know. Everyone has heard about the monster living in that forest. That’s why no one goes through it, and not even the most daring of adventurers go near it, blah blah blah. Listen. I’ve been a trader for over eight years, alright? Don’t be fooled by my appearance. I’m not some rookie who doesn’t know how to manage the risks of my routes.

I’m going to that forest for a reason.

Y’see, over the past eight years I’ve spent traveling around the country, I’ve listened to a lot of rumors. Ones about the monster of Everglace Forest popped up every so often, and they always struck my curiosity. Travelers with pale white faces and skin covered in cold sweat recounted how they had only just barely escaped with their lives after seeing that horrible, frightening, brutish creature. It had the body of a man, but it lumbered around twice as big as any human; it had claws that could pierce metal, skin that instantly healed any wound, and a face full of sharp rows of teeth that could rip a person to shreds. It moved as fast as the wind, and without you even noticing it was there, it could end your life in the blink of an eye.

Well, in the end, no matter how horrible the rumors made this monster out to be, all of those people had gotten out of there alive. If it were really that bad, there wouldn’t be any survivors to tell its tale.

I suppose what really caught my attention was the description of the monster’s physique. ‘Body of a man, but twice as big’, eh…

Then didn’t that mean that its package would also be twice as large? Proportions, and all. A big, strong monster like that’s gotta have a big, strong [bleep] too, right?

And so, with that as my motivation, I set out to the Everglace Forest.

Hey, life’s short, and I’m all about taking risks. If I wanted to stay at home all day in the safety of my house, I wouldn’t have ditched my parents and run off to be a trader. If I’m gonna go out eventually, then I might as well go out with a bang.

 

 

 

“Yep. This should definitely be the right place.”

I know this was a forest and all, but shouldn’t people be more conscientious about how much wood they used? Wood wasn’t so cheap that they could go around wasting it willy-nilly. Imagine how much profit the nearby village could have earned if they had sold this wood to the barren north, which was always in need of housing material, furniture, and something to feed their fires. But instead…

I understood that the monster was dangerous, but was it really necessary to have the entire mouth of the forest riddled with signs to the point where they looked more like weeds springing up from the forest floor? The signs were packed so densely, they rivaled the sales hall of the largest auction house in all of Wisteria.

‘Watch out - monster ahead’ ‘Dangerous creature’ ‘Turn back if you want to keep your life!’, all sorts of warnings were etched into the wooden signs. Again, just who did they think needed to be warned this much?

Without a care in the world, I breezed past these signs.

Despite the rumors surrounding this forest, it was actually an astonishingly beautiful and scenic area. The trees were tall and lush, and a light dewy fog floated through the air, making everything shimmer. Rather than a monster forest, this looked more like a fairy forest. Though the path through this forest hadn’t been in use for over a decade, it wasn’t difficult to pick through. Once upon a time, this forest had been part of a prime trade route between the large farms in the west and the capital to the east. Wagons and carriages had frequently passed through here. Vestiges of the road they once traveled remained in the gap between the treeline. There was easily enough space for six people walking side-by-side to move, so naturally, I had no problems making my way down the path. I only had to step around the overgrown shrubs and fallen trees.

So, where was this monster… Everyone said that he appeared shortly after they entered the forest… I stopped and looked around.

“Hey, is someone out there?” I called out.

If he were there, it would be better if he just stepped out now.

“Heeeyyyy!” I cupped my hands around my mouth and raised my voice. He surely should have heard that, right?

I stood there awkwardly for a few minutes, and scratched my head. It felt like I’d been left hanging - how rude. Maybe I had to keep going further in?

Thus, I continued venturing into the forest.

 

 

 

As night fell, I made camp around the base of a large tree. The entire day had passed without a single sighting. It would almost make one think that only rabbits and squirrels lived in this forest. Still, I knew those signs hadn’t been placed out there for no reason.

Wrapped up in a blanket with my back to the tree, I drifted off into sleep, wondering if I would still be alive to wake up tomorrow. I didn’t feel any anxiety over that macabre thought; over the course of my travels, I’d had to sleep through situations thousands of times more perilous than this one.

I dozed off peacefully. The hardness of the tree bark behind me was comforting, and I was warm and snug under my blankets. But at some point in time, a chill crept in, and the discomfort gradually woke me.

I blinked my eyes open. It was still nighttime; the moon shone dimly through the forest canopy, illuminating the enormous shadow hovering over me.

I saw that the shadow had extended its hand, or rather, its claws toward me. The sharp talons were perched dangerously close to my face. A normal person might have panicked, but I wasn’t particularly alarmed. On a closer look, I saw that the monster had pinched my blanket between its fingers, lifting it. This conveniently meant that its hand was placed exceptionally close to my chest.

“Oh, my. Making a move on me in my sleep; aren’t you daring?” I smiled winsomely up at the monster’s unseen face. “Not that I mind. I like that in a man.”

The shadow froze. I figured, in for a penny, in for a pound. Since I hadn’t been disemboweled, I wanted to see just how far I could push. So, I laid my hands over the monster’s claws and pushed down. The monster’s palm met my chest.

“Well? How about it? It’s night, and there’s just the two of us…”

I tilted my neck and spoke in a low, whispering voice. So, would this monster eat me, or would he devour me?

The monster seemed to be frozen. Seconds passed.

Then, in the next instant, I felt the monster wrench itself away, leaving my hands empty.

I watched the blur of a shadow dash through the forest, running between the trees as if it couldn’t wait to get as far away from me as possible.

Uh…

The corner of my mouth twitched.

....Huh?????

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