Chapter 02 - The Truth About the Arcan Plant

Louise illuminated their ways as they walked. The rain had stopped pouring, and the only remaining sounds were the crickets.

"What brings you here?" the girl asked after a prolonged silence.

"I'm looking for some miraculous plant called Arcan," Gerald replied.

The girl paused for a while before asking her question.

"Oh? Are you planning to kill someone?"

The Duke stopped his stride and stared questionably at the girl.

The girl smiled and looked at him lazily, "Seems like you came here without doing some research. I can't blame you."

"What do you mean?"

Louise continued.

 "The people referred to Arcan as among the ancient..." she trailed off, "poison."

Gerald froze, and his hands clenched into a fist.

"So it means I came here for nothing."

He lowered his head and continued.

"My daughter is sick, and the physician told me that the only cure for her is the Arcan plant. But it seems that I've been fooled."

The girl shrugged and replied.

"Then you have to be thankful. If you encountered the Arcan plant instead of me, you might unintentionally send your daughter to the next life without you knowing. But I doubt that you will. Meeting me is already considered your luck."

Gerald twitched his mouth and commented, "Hey, aren't you a bit excessive at singing your praise."

The girl chuckled, "I have the means to, so you don't have to worry about that."

"Forget that I said anything," he then continued, "My daughter might die at this point; me surviving doesn't matter at all."

Louise kept her silence and casually continued to fend off some monsters that jumped in front of them.

"She suddenly fell into a coma a few months ago, and she looks like a living corpse," The Duke explained.

"A living corpse, huh."

The girl paused, stared at him and smiled gently.

"Should we make another deal? But, of course, It's not for free."

"What do you mean?"

"It means that I have the means to cure your daughter."

"Even well-known physicians of our kingdom were helpless. But now, you are telling me that you can cure her?"

"If you don't believe me, I won't force you."

The Duke contemplated and spoke. Finally, his hopes went up, but at the same time, he felt cautious.

"What do you want? I will try to fulfill it as long as it will not go against my principle and our kingdom."

"Sure," Louise shrugged.

"AAAHHH!"

They both turned their heads and saw a knight running toward them. Tailing him was the same beast that attacked the Duke earlier.

"He's one of my guards," Gerald confirmed after seeing the man's uniform.

But before the man arrived before them, a bluish aura shoot from Louise. It attacked both the guard and the beast.

"What are you doing?!" Gerald asked with widened eyes.

But Louise stood before him instead of answering while tilting her head.

"I told you he is my--"

"Shut up!" Louise turned towards him with a cold eye, "Didn't you ask me to protect you? If so, trust my judgment. I knew this forest better than you do."

Gerald shut his mouth and saw his 'guard' get up from the ground. But the moment that their eyes met, he froze. The guard's pupil had the same vertical lines as the wolf beast. And those same eyes were fiercely staring at them.

"How are you, Duke Gerald?" The 'guard' asked while giving an eerie smile.

"Who are you? Where are my guards?"

"You mean those weak humans?" The 'guard' replied and smiled widely, "We killed almost all of them. By killing, it means we ate them. But unfortunately, some were able to flee, and my other pack is hunting them down."

"You!"

"Oh, don't be angry. You will be--"

Before the 'guard' could finish, another aura stabbed his abdomen and made him vomit blood.

"Argh! You f****n mage!"

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but we are not here to chit-chat," Louise replied lazily.

"Heh! Fine."

The 'guard' licked his lips as he stared intently at the girl, "You smell good."

Then, he jumped from the ground and turned into a beast, and the other wolf also joined him.

"Step back."

Gerald followed her instruction and hid behind a tree.

The girl also jumped from the ground as she pulled a sword made from her aura and slashed at the two beasts.

Whoosh!

The other wolf turned in half while the first one escaped the attack slightly as he landed on the ground, bleeding.

Gerald heard Louise speak in a cold tone.

"Tough, aren't you."

She walked towards the wolf on the ground. Then Gerald saw the wolf struggle as Louise raised the sword and slashed it. The blood spurt from its body as it struggled for its life before lying lifeless. 

Louise then turned towards him.

"Let's go."

"O-Okay," Gerald recovered from his shock as he alternately looked at Louise and the dead monster.

"Oh, before I forgot."

Gerald saw the girl taking something from the beast's body after the worms of the forest consumed them. It was a round-looking object with a translucent surface—the beast's core.

"Here."

She casually throws it at him while picking the other one.

"This is?"

"A Core."

"I know that this is a core, but why are you giving this to me?"

"I'm not giving it to you. Take it as my advance payment."

"Huh?"

"I told you I don't give free service. And I wouldn't say I like receiving something without compensation. I might be needing something from you in the future that may equate to the amount of that core."

"A-Alright."

They continued with their walk and arrived at the place where the Duke and his guards encountered those terrifying wolves. The stench of blood permitted the air, and he saw that most of the skeletons were still wearing armors. Gerald clenched his fist. 

"D-Duke..."

The Duke followed the voice. It was from Erickson, the captain of his guard.

He ran towards him and immediately checked his well-being. He noticed a significant claw mark on his chest.

"W-We're sorry for not being able to protect you," he spoke with some difficulty as he tried his best to utter the words.

"Don't talk. You will be fine," Gerald replied.

"P-Please run. At least you have to survive." 

Erickson fainted after he spoke those words.

"What a loyal guard."

He heard Louise speak from behind.

"Here."

She handed him some potions and allowed him to take good care of the remaining guards.

"I would advise that we leave this forest the soonest possible time,"  the girl spoke as she raised her head and stared at the surrounding trees, "These beasts were just warm-up. You don't want to encounter something that might wipe your whole guards. I only promised to protect you; I'm not responsible for them."

"I don't have any reason to stay here any longer. So I wish to leave."

"Good."

The Duke saw her raise her hand, and a teleportation scroll floated from it before casually ripping it. Gerald saw a bluish light cover him and his remaining troops before totally blinding his sights.