Chapter 84
The bird sound that had been heard from afar now echoed from close by. Maeve stepped back into the bushes she had emerged from without looking back. Then, she walked rapidly toward the water’s edge where the sound of the river could be heard.
The bird sound did not stop and continued to be heard nearby. Maeve headed closer to the river, intending to simply jump into the water if necessary.
“If you see something suspicious in the forest, get into the water and hide.”
The words of the old woman Morrigan, who had last taken her in, rang in her head.
“If there is no water, cover your body even with moss. Hold your breath and stay still until they pass.”
“What are ‘they’?”
“Things that possess territory. Just like humans.”
At the time, she had wondered what on earth that meant.
“Live in a place with many people if possible. Even if you are secluded, you must build your house and live in a place where you can see people if you put your mind to it.”
Like any other elderly person, the old woman acted irritable and stubborn, yet there were many times when she would unknowingly recite useful information all at once like that.
However, she would suddenly tell stories about strange things living deep in the forest, which were hard to believe. That was because, in that forest, no matter how deep one went—
“…….”
She had never had reason to see such a thing.
Regardless of her will, her body toppled forward. It was just before her feet stepped into the river. She fell face-forward, plunging her entire body into the shallow part of the river water.
There was no time to feel the stinging pain. Starting from her fingertips to her toes—from the furthest extremities of her body—stiffness began as if she were gradually being paralyzed. Maeve tried in vain to crawl like a flopping fish, then gave up and only turned her head to look that way.
A doe stood there. At a glance, it was just a very ordinary-looking deer. The difference was that it was staring intently at her as if it possessed a clear intelligence rather than being a mere beast. And one more thing.
Ppeeee— The bird sound in question came from its mouth.
She wondered what kind of bizarre monster it was. A thing wearing the shell of a very docile-looking herbivore was making bird sounds from its mouth, and as it approached, it looked even more directly at her with jet-black eyes.
Just by locking eyes with it, her hair stood on end and the rigidity of her entire body intensified. Strength greater than others—she had never considered such a thing to be particularly remarkable, but finding herself in this situation, it felt like even less than nothing.
The thing wearing the shell of a doe walked with a dignified gait and was soon within arm’s reach. It slowly lowered its long neck and stared intently at her.
Its two eyes were not just black; they were gaping holes. Now that she saw it closely, they were simply hollow.
Maeve finally felt a sense of déjà vu. She realized that it was this thing that had suddenly snapped her sturdy trap, and it was this very thing that had been circling them all along as if monitoring them, preventing her from hunting.
The thing, as if it could see Maeve through its hollow eyes, kept thrusting its head forward before pressing its own forehead against Maeve’s.
She felt the sensation of parched leather touching and rubbing against her skin. What on earth is it trying to do?
Whether Maeve muttered fiercely to herself or not, the creature rubbed its head against her forehead for a long time as if expressing friendliness, then pulled away. Then, it stuck out its tongue and licked her exposed skin once.
It was an unpleasant yet familiar sensation. That thing was sucking out her mana. Since her mana was overflowing, she couldn’t even feel a small loss, but because it was sucking it out quite boldly, it felt vivid. It was siphoning her mana bit by bit in a different manner than the dragon scales possessed by the Prince.
‘This feels f*****g disgusting.’
With that sentiment, she tried to put strength into her fingertips, but then the thing stopped eating her mana and instead headbutted her forehead again. As if to soothe her.
That bone-chilling experience did not last long. Because from not far away, a splash! was heard out of nowhere.
“Maeve!”
At Prince Declan’s startled cry, Maeve felt her emotions cross in various complex ways.
Splash, splash.
Since her body was still frozen, Maeve used only her hearing to gauge how close he had come. Finally, Prince Declan crossed over completely to this side.
“Maeve! Pull yourself together!”
Hearing his voice right next to her, Maeve sighed inwardly. Though she was glad to hear him, the situation was by no means welcome. Maeve desperately hoped this unidentified, bizarre thing wouldn’t act the same way toward Prince Declan.
Regardless, Prince Declan rushed hurriedly toward her.
“Was the deer trying to help you? What a good fellow.”
What is he talking about?
“……Choo-choo. ……Shoo, shoo.”
Is he calling it or shooing it away?
Maeve was utterly flabbergasted. Whether she was or not, the Prince gestured toward the deer with a serious face.
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