Mr. Kadan in the Deep Forest - Chapter 10

“What’s this? The rumors about you bringing a woman here are true? And she’s really quite a beauty.”

With a whistle, the man threw the small bundle he was carrying to the floor and slowly approached Luna. His face, more delicate than Kadan’s, was as beautiful as a woman’s, but the muscular arms and scars exposed outside his sleeveless shirt were menacing.

“Who… who are you?”

Luna tried to hide her body deeper in the water, eyeing the man warily.

“Who am I? I’m the hero who’ll save the beauty from the beast. My name is Ruth.”

The man, introducing himself as Ruth, reached out and gently lifted Luna’s chin. As he slowly licked his lower lip, his eyes scanned her face with an unsettling, predatory desire.

“Wow, this is quite the catch. You look oddly familiar, too.”

Have they met somewhere before? Ruth squinted and stared at Luna intently.

Luna froze. The fact that he seemed to recognize her made her wonder if he was from the village. Perhaps he remembered her as the sacrifice.

‘If he knows I’m still alive, he’ll try to kill me.’

What if the villagers come rushing to the forest and tie her up again? Kadan will be in danger too, with an arrow headed his way.

Luna began to shake. The fear is colder than the bath water, biting through her like a sharp blade.

Bang! The sound of something heavy being tossed interrupted her thoughts, and the door to the cabin swung open once again.

“Ruth!”

Kadan’s rough voice called out as he quickly approached Luna.

“Oh, nice to see you, monster. Where have you been?”

Ruth grinned, waving at Kadan. Yet, every so often, his gaze would slyly flick to Luna’s pale neck or damp shoulder. It was a gaze as cunning as a snake’s. Kadan reached Ruth in less than two seconds.

“What’s with that expression? Didn’t like something…Cough!”

Before Ruth could finish his teasing, Kadan grabbed him by the collar with one hand and lifted him off the ground.

Gasping, Ruth kicked and struggled in the air, trying to pry Kadan’s hand off but failing.

“Let go, damn it, cough!“

“Why are you here?”

“Cough, let go… and I’ll talk, cough!“

Ruth’s lips turned pale as he struggled to breathe. Kadan, uninterested, slammed him onto the ground like garbage.

“Ugh! My back!”

With a loud crash, Ruth hit the floor and clutched his back, rolling around. Meanwhile, Kadan quickly wrapped Luna’s shoulder in a large cloth and gently helped her up.

Luna, hiding behind Kadan, desperately gripped his clothes. She pressed her forehead to his warm, broad back, murmuring his name in relief. Kadan, Kadan.

Each time, the sound of his heartbeat reached Luna through her forehead. Just that was enough to bring her comfort. The cold blood that had frozen her body slowly began to warm and flow in sync with his heartbeat.

Ruth watched them with an expression of disbelief, then let out a dramatic groan.

“Ugh, what’s with throwing people around like that?”

“Why come?”

Kadan repeated his question, glaring at Ruth. Slowly getting up, clutching his waist, Ruth picked up a small pouch he had left on the floor and handed it to Kadan.

“Relax. I came to give you this. The beast heart and eyeball you gave me last time sold for a pretty good price.”

Kadan snatched the pouch from him, his usual habit of checking its contents forgotten. Right now, getting rid of Ruth was his priority. He could see Luna trembling because of him.

“By the way, monster, about that woman. She’s not from the village, right? Where did you find her? Did you really kidnap her?”

“No.”

“Come on, be honest. If you didn’t kidnap her, how did a monster like you get such a beautiful woman?”

“Go!”

“Geez, so cold.”

Ruth grinned like a fox, then playfully pushed Kadan’s chest with his fist. Kadan didn’t budge at all.

What a beast, with a body like that. Muttering to himself, Ruth poked his head forward and peered at Luna, who was hiding behind Kadan.

“I wanna watch too. You know, good things should be shared between friends. I saw something strange earlier—looks like she has odd tattoos…”

“F**k off.”

It was the first time Kadan had cursed, but it came out naturally. As he stretched his arm to block Ruth’s view, Ruth stared at him with an incredulous expression.

“Did… did you just tell me to f**k off? Wow, for a monster who can’t even talk, you’ve really grown bold.”

Tch! Kadan had tried to stay calm, but Ruth’s scared voice made him slip.

‘Damn, if he keeps pushing my buttons, he’s going to end up dead.’

Kadan’s strength and size were so imposing that he could easily destroy a small village if he wanted to. The mysterious monster, whose age, family, and even name were unknown, had settled in this cabin years ago.

The villagers avoided him not because he lived in a remote cabin, but because they feared him. Only the fearless Ruth, played the role of an intermediary, bringing him requests and keeping him company. To be told to get lost was almost a betrayal.

Feeling hurt, Ruth rubbed his aching neck.

“Alright, alright. I’ll leave quietly today. But next time, you better tell me who that woman is.”

“…….”