When Your Secret Crush Wizard Took a Love Potion - Chapter 67

The crunching of leaves under my foot filled the air.

For the past thirty minutes, we’d been dismounting and retracing our steps, preparing for the possibility of another disturbance. The scenery in front of us remained unchanged.

“I’m the type who thinks it’s good to experience anything.”

Angel Runport said, chattering away. While I was exhausted and was trying to conserve my energy. Her conversation wasn’t particularly friendly.

“But if we’re going to get stranded, I was hoping for something a bit more romantic—like finding refuge in a cave with someone we secretly have feelings for, warming up together, and having a blush-worthy moment… rather than this grueling ordeal.”

“Yes, yes. I’m sorry.”

“Why apologize? It’s not your fault, Wizard.”

Her tone was uncharacteristically sharp, despite her sweet demeanor. I swallowed a sigh and continued walking.

I tried breaking branches or tearing my clothes to mark our path, but the illusion of making progress was fleeting. It felt like we were endlessly circling the same spot.

“Where exactly have we ended up?”

“I’m not sure. What worries me more is what happened to everyone else.”

Although Edgar had cleared the fog and regained visibility, he might not have been unaffected. If another monster had attacked while we were lost, the situation would be dire. If the group had moved on, our chances of rejoining them were slim.

To make matters worse, dusk was settling in, deepening the darkness in the forest.

“We need to stop and find a place to rest.”

The air was already chilly against our skin. Wandering the forest at night could quickly drop our body temperatures and lead us astray. It was too dangerous to continue aimlessly.

The key issue now was surviving the night. The camping supplies were with the rest of the group, leaving us with nothing but a few packets of porrit biscuits and a water bottle.

We had no sleeping bags or materials to set up a shelter. We couldn’t just start a fire and sleep in the open, so we needed to find somewhere to take cover.

“How about over there?”

Fortunately, it didn’t take long to find a crevice in the rocks that looked like a cave where animals might spend the winter. I tied the horse to a tree near the entrance and approached, finding the interior surprisingly spacious and large.

“It’s much deeper than I expected.”

As I marveled at the decent location, I suddenly heard faint voices coming from inside the cave. After listening carefully, I realized it was not just one person speaking.

Instinctively, I crouched behind the wall and moved forward cautiously. Through the dim light, I could make out the shape of a large figure talking loudly. To my surprise, it was the werewolf we had fought earlier and an unknown man.

“Damn it, this fur is giving me a rash. It’s driving me crazy.”

“Well, who lost in rock-paper-scissors earlier? You were the one who suggested we should only use one of these disguises.”

The werewolf, grumbling and scratching its neck, was joined in conversation by the man sitting on a broad rock. It felt like a scene straight out of a fairy tale—was some deranged circus ringmaster teaching monsters tricks?

I watched in disbelief, trying to make sense of this bizarre situation.

“I can’t take it anymore. There’s no need to wear this thing anymore.”

The werewolf opened its mouth wide, and through the gap, the face of the unknown man appeared. As if shedding a cocoon, the werewolf’s skin smoothly peeled off to reveal a man with a hooked nose.

“Now I feel like I can breathe.”

The man, having removed the werewolf skin, wiped his sweat with a towel. It was then that the situation began to make sense.

They were a band of thieves using the foggy forest as their base. The reason behind the strange rumors and the increase in missing persons was their disguise as monsters to attack unsuspecting travelers.

“Didn’t they say this hunt was for a noble young master with a mercenary group?”

“Yes. Since he’s from a distinguished family, they warned us to clean up thoroughly to avoid leaving traces. We need to make sure none of them survive.”

It was an odd situation. From their conversation, it seemed they had prior information about us. The whistling sound came to mind—the one that had caused the horses to go berserk.

“What about the aftermath? That guy was afraid that if people find out he’s involved with scum like us. The so-called ‘master’ is always ready to back out, despite being so obsessed with money.”