Esmeria

"We need to head north, pass Zayvar's Forest, to get to Dormati. From there, we'll take a boat eastward to reach Acacia, our final destination," Richard explained, showing Regina the regional map and gesturing towards the forest.

“If we head north, we'll be deep in the heart of Zayvar’s Forest...” she murmured softly, her voice tinged with unease.

“What about it?” he prompted, noticing her hesitation.

“T-there’s a…” Regina hesitated, unsure if what she wanted to say was real or just a figment of her imagination.

“Nevermind…” She shook her head, dismissing her thoughts, and followed behind Richard.

As they traveled towards their destination, Richard took the opportunity to explain Regina's predicament.

“Listen closely. We are in a region governed by Hod, and you are wanted. Do not expose yourself,” He cautioned.

“Eh?! Why am I a wanted person?” She exclaimed, taken aback by the revelation.

“Milli will tell you the rest. Don’t worry, I will protect you,” He reassured her.

“Who is Milli?!” She pressed for more information.

“Our companion,” He replied vaguely.

Feeling exhausted from trying to pry more details from Richard, Regina reluctantly gave up. Each answer seemed to lead to more questions, and she decided it was best to trust Richard’s guidance for now.

“The security in this region should be lax. We won't have much trouble here as long as we don't attract attention,” He added, trying to alleviate her concerns about their journey ahead.

"Ah…what a dreadful town this is, simply marvelous," Euratus Magni sighed with disdain, his voice heavy with displeasure.

“My lord, you have been appointed as the lord of this town for your first assignment. Isn’t this a wonderful opportunity?” Vialdar, his second-in-command and captain of the guards, replied respectfully.

Euratus Magni, a noble recently assigned as the lord of Dormati, found the position beneath his stature, considering it nothing more than a small port town.

“I detest these fishy smells, they're nauseating! And I am Euratus Magni, son of Magni Hardhugadr! Isn’t this place far too shabby for someone of my lineage?”

“My lord, with sufficient accomplishments, you will undoubtedly be reassigned to a larger city.”

“And what accomplishments could I possibly achieve in this forsaken place, guarding fish supplies?”

Euratus sighed deeply, clearly unmotivated.

“My lord, I have heard rumors of a creature the townsfolk refer to as the ‘lord of the forest.’ It seems to be a weak creature, as the villagers do not fear it, and no one has attempted to defeat it.”

“If we were to eliminate it, it would mark your first significant achievement here.”

“The audacity! How dare they label such a feeble creature as a ‘lord’!”

“Prepare a hunting party immediately! I shall personally dispatch this creature!”

As Euratus prepared to embark on his mission to slay the monster, he addressed the townsfolk with fervor.

“Citizens of Dormati! I, Euratus Magni, shall vanquish the monster known as the lord of the forest and secure this town from it's threat!”

He proclaimed, his voice ringing out with confidence and pride.

But as he made his declaration, an old man suddenly intervened, leaping in front of Euratus and bowing deeply as the elder of Dormati.

“Please, my lord, I implore you not to attack the Lord of the Forest!” the elder pleaded earnestly.

“Why do you defend this monster, old man? Give me one good reason, or you will be sent to the prison!” Euratus retorted sharply, irritation etching his features.

“Because, my lord, since the Lord of the Forest appeared, our town has been spared from other monster attacks. I believe it protects us,” the elder explained desperately.

“Ridiculous! A monster protecting us? Do you expect me to believe such superstitions? Monsters are mindless creatures driven only by their instincts!” Euratus rebutted angrily.

“Guards, take this man away!” he commanded, dismissing the elder’s pleas as the ramblings of a deluded elder.

As the guards dragged the elder away, he continued to beseech Euratus, his voice echoing with concern for the town’s safety. But Euratus remained steadfast in his resolve.

“We shall eliminate this monster and safeguard our town from any potential threats!” he declared resolutely, leading his guards into the depths of the forest, determined to fulfill his mission.

As Regina and Richard ventured deeper into the forest, piercing screams shattered the tranquility around them.

Drawing nearer to the source, they discovered lifeless bodies strewn across the ground, clad in soldierly armor.

“Eek!” She gasped in horror, prompting Richard to swiftly muffle her mouth with his hand to stifle any further outbursts.

“Shhh, stay quiet,” Richard whispered as he cautiously removed his hand.

She nodded in understanding, her wide eyes fixed on Richard as they proceeded silently toward the origin of the commotion.

As they approached, the scene unfolded before them like a macabre tableau from the depths of hell. The forest floor was stained crimson with the soldiers' blood, corpses sprawled amidst crimson leaves and grass.

Though trembling with fear, she managed to stifle her own terror, clamping her hands over her mouth to suppress any sound. Richard, seemingly unperturbed by the grim spectacle, surveyed the carnage with a cold detachment.

“Ha, what fools,” he scoffed quietly, observing the futile struggle of the soldiers against a colossal wolf-like creature standing two meters tall. Its pale green body bore eerie red markings, its translucent form casting an otherworldly glow.

“R-Real! It’s real! W-What do we do?” She stammered, her voice barely audible as she tugged nervously at Richard’s sleeve, her earlier belief shattered about the monster being a figment of her imagination.

“The soldiers are no match for the Lord of the Forest,”

Richard remarked grimly.

“We wait and observe.”

His nonchalant demeanor unnerved Regina even further.

“It’s not real! It’s not real! It’s not real!” she repeated desperately, squeezing her eyes shut and covering her ears as if to block out the horrifying reality unfolding before her.

“DIDN’T YOU SAY THIS MONSTER WAS WEAK?” Euratus screamed desperately at Vialdar amidst the chaos.

“M-my lord, news of a monster this powerful would have spread to the capital!”

Vialdar replied, his voice tinged with panic.

“It’s impossible for such a creature to appear unnoticed!”

“ARGH!” Another guard was violently torn apart before Vialdar could finish.

Each attempt to strike the Lord of the Forest was futile; their weapons repelled by an unseen force.

“RETREAT!” Euratus bellowed, and the guards scrambled to obey. But as they retreated, they encountered an invisible barrier, preventing them from escaping.

“WHAT IS THIS? WHY CAN’T I PASS THROUGH?” Euratus demanded, his voice cracking with fear.

Vialdar noticed a distinct line where bloodied grass met untouched ground. As he reached out, a powerful gust of wind pushed back against him.

“M-my lord, it’s a [Wind Barrier]!”

Vialdar exclaimed in disbelief.

“And on such a scale! Barrier magic of this magnitude is beyond mortal comprehension!”

Two more guards fell victim to the relentless monster.

“P-protect me!” Euratus shoved a guard towards the advancing creature, sacrificing him in a futile attempt to save himself.

“It’s over… we can’t escape…” Vialdar slumped to the ground, defeated.

“You’re useless!” Euratus cried desperately, scanning for any means of escape. In the periphery of his vision, he spotted two hooded figures lurking nearby.

“You there, help me! I am the Lord of Dormati! I’ll reward you handsomely!” he pleaded, desperation etched on his face.

The Lord of the Forest momentarily glanced towards the two hooded figures hiding nearby, a flicker of interest in its eyes amidst the chaos.

“Heh, no. You brought this upon yourself.” The taller hooded figure emerged from the shadows with a sneer, while the shorter figure continued to cover her ears in distress.

“You fool! That face… you are—!” Euratus's sentence was abruptly cut short as the Lord of the Forest swiftly mauled him to death.

After the Lord of the Forest dispatched all the soldiers, it turned its attention towards Richard.

Regina, overwhelmed by fear, opened her eyes cautiously amidst the eerie silence. Seeing the giant wolf approaching, she trembled uncontrollably, tears streaming down her cheeks. She covered her ears, repeating to herself,

“I’m gonna die! I'm gonna die! This isn’t real!”

“You won’t die,” Richard reassured her calmly, stepping forward to confront the looming creature.

“Are you worthy, little go—?” the Lord of the Forest began, assessing Richard with a curious tilt of its head.

“You won’t let me take her away without testing me anyway, so let’s begin,” Richard interjected, drawing his gun and loading a whitish bullet.

As the wolf lunged towards him, Richard swiftly aimed and fired a Light Bullet.

The bullet streaked towards the wolf with precision.

However, just before it could strike, a high-pressure wall of wind intercepted the bullet, deflecting it away from its target. The [Wind Shield] created by the wolf effectively nullified Richard's attack,

"Tsk, the bullet did not hit the wolf, is it [Wind Shield]?" Richard muttered under his breath, observing as the wolf deflected his attack effortlessly.

Quickly adapting, he retrieved a greenish bullet, loaded it into his gun, and swiftly moved to the side of the wolf. With precise aim, he shot a Plant Bullet at the ground near the creature. Roots sprouted forth, attempting to ensnare the wolf like a cage.

The wolf reacted swiftly, unleashing [Wind Crusher], a powerful whirlwind that tore through the surrounding roots and trees. Undeterred, it lunged at Richard once more.

"Trapping him doesn’t work either; it seems to nullify physical attacks," Richard assessed calmly, maintaining his focus. He adjusted tactics, grabbing a bluish bullet and loading it into his gun. With a nimble leap backwards, he aimed and fired an Ice Bullet at the wolf.

The wolf, anticipating the attack, lightly tapped its paw on the ground, swiftly altering its trajectory to dodge the Ice Bullet.

The tree directly behind it was caught in the spell's freezing effect, encased in a sheath of ice.

"It dodged instead of taking it head-on. Did it sense the danger?" Richard muttered to himself, his frustration palpable.

"This isn’t going to be easy."

Richard deftly maneuvered, dodging the wolf’s relentless attacks while methodically loading a greenish bullet and a yellowish bullet into his gun.

With precise timing, he fired a Plant Bullet at the ground in front of him, commanding roots to erupt and weave into a protective wall. The barrier of roots quickly rose, creating an obstacle between him and the wolf.

The wolf, undeterred, unleashed [Wind Crusher] to tore through the wall of roots and nearby trees with ferocity.

Anticipating the destruction, Richard swiftly reacted, shooting a [Lightning Bullet] at the exact moment the barrier shattered. The bullet surged towards the wolf, crackling with electrical energy. Lightning erupted from the bullet when it got close, striking the wolf squarely and sending it crashing to the ground.

The aftershock of the lightning’s area of effect would have endangered Richard had he not preemptively moved back after erecting the wall of roots.

"Just how strong is your [Wind Shield]? None of my bullets even touched you," he muttered, his frustration tinged with respect for the wolf’s defensive abilities.

The wolf rose to its feet and shook its body, dispersing the lingering electricity as if shedding water from its fur. It fixed its gaze on Richard, a sign of acknowledgment of his strength.

"You have passed," the wolf declared solemnly, ceasing its aggressive stance.

Richard, upon hearing these words, felt relieved and turned away from the wolf and walked calmly towards Regina, who remained crouched behind the bush, her eyes tightly shut.

"Open your eyes, it's over," Richard said gently, his voice carrying reassurance.

Regina hesitated for a moment, then slowly opened her eyes. The scene that greeted her nearly overwhelmed her senses: fallen soldiers strewn across the forest floor, crimson staining the ground, and broken trees bearing witness to the recent battle. But amidst it all, the wolf stood silently, its gaze fixed on her with an almost tranquil intensity.

Richard reached out and gently took her hand, guiding her closer to the wolf.

“NOOOO!!! A-a-a-are you going to feed me to that ghost?!” she cried out, panic seizing her as she desperately tried to free herself from Richard's grip.

"Have you forgotten about this wind wolf?" he sighed softly, trying to calm her.

“Eh? What about this wolf?” her voice quivered with confusion and lingering fear.

“The reason Azevaria’s soldiers did not find you is because it has been hiding you away from them,” he explained patiently.

“Then how did you know I was here?” she asked, her fear giving way to curiosity despite the lingering unease.

“Because Milli said she felt this place seemed suspicious. Her intuition is… usually not wrong,” he replied, his voice tinged with respect for their unseen ally.

“I will entrust her to you,” the wolf declared, its form shrinking in size as it moved closer to Regina.

She recoiled slightly, still wary of the wolf even after Richard's explanation. Her eyes darted nervously between Richard and the wolf, unsure of what to make of this unexpected turn of events.

Though Richard had assured her, Regina couldn't shake off her fear entirely.

Regina and the wolf locked eyes for a tense moment. Suddenly, a strange trance overcame her as the wolf began to chant.

“Time once broken, has begun to move…”

Regina found herself responding in a trance-like state.

“Time once stolen, will be reclaimed anew…”

As she uttered these words, the wolf evaporated into thin air. Strange red markings briefly appeared on Regina’s body before fading away, leaving her unconscious.