Whoosh!
[Kkrrk...]
“—!”
But then, the spider suddenly acted strangely. It froze for a brief moment before turning away, as though the couple had vanished from its sight.
They were far too shaken to make sense of it. All they could do was watch with trembling eyes as the spider moved farther away, desperately hoping it wouldn’t come back.
[Pii.]
“Eek!”
A strange cry rose from beneath their feet. The couple flinched and shrunk back in terror.
Has another monster appeared? They nervously looked down toward the sound, only to freeze in confusion.
Munch, munch.
“...A rabbit?”
A small rabbit was calmly nibbling on a patch of grass. Only then did they notice that everything around them had changed.
“A-A flower garden?”
Just a moment ago, they’d been sitting on scorching sand. Now, the ground around them was blanketed in flowers, with fresh green grass stretching in every direction.
Wondering if the Black Forest had somehow been neutralized, they hurriedly looked around. But beyond the small patch where they were, the desert was still swallowed by swirling sand and relentless winds. Their jaws slowly dropped.
“What... is going on?”
[Grrr...]
“Gah!”
Another monster came crawling toward them. A gigantic scorpion crept closer, thick saliva dripping from its jagged teeth. The couple hastily covered their mouths before a scream could escape.
This time... we’re dead.
[Grrr...]
But just like before, the monster passed right by them as though they weren’t there.
[Pii.]
Meanwhile, the baby rabbit at their feet continued quietly munching on the grass.
“...No way.”
After cutting down one giant monster, Ceres had been racing toward another that was attacking people when she suddenly stopped in her tracks.
Airien, the little rabbit that had hopped out of her pocket, had already reached the couple ahead of her.
What happened next left Ceres speechless.
The instant Airien arrived, everything within a five-meter radius around the rabbit transformed into a blooming flower garden. Even stranger, not a single monster could cross into it.
And then...
Pop.
[Kkrrk?]
A pure white flower suddenly bloomed atop the giant monster’s head with an oddly cheerful pop.
The monster stiffened in confusion before violently shaking its head. Petals scattered through the air, and the flower shriveled away almost as quickly as it had appeared.
[Piiiii!]
Thump! Thump!
The rabbit, who had been quietly chewing on grass until now, stamped its feet in indignation.
Whoosh!
[Kyaaaaagh!]
That tiny fit of anger had terrifying consequences.
A massive tree trunk burst out from beneath the sand, coiling tightly around the monster before crushing it with overwhelming force. Its agonized scream echoed through the desert, but only for a second.
BOOM!
Unable to withstand the immense pressure, the monster exploded, spraying thick green blood across the sand.
[Pii!]
Thump! Thump!
The rabbit crossed its forelegs like a triumphant champion, proudly striking a victory pose before stomping its feet once more.
“...What are you?”
Weren’t you supposed to be a gardening fairy? Why are you out here fighting monsters all of a sudden?
Ceres chuckled in disbelief.
A fairy killing monsters? And blowing them to pieces so mercilessly, at that.
“Airien.”
[Pii?]
At Ceres’s call, Airien hopped over to her.
In the meantime, another wave of monsters came pouring toward them.
“Stay with me from now on. Whenever you see people, can you make a flower garden around them like you did just now?”
[Pii pii!]
Watching the rabbit nod enthusiastically, Ceres tightened her grip on her sword.
“Don’t leave this spot. Stay right here.”
“...Y-Yes!”
Leaving those words for the stunned couple, Ceres dashed back toward the approaching monsters.
***
“What rank is it?”
“S-Class.”
“What?!”
“S-Class?”
The answer from the mana detector left everyone gasping.
The moment they’d seen the Black Forest surrounded by pitch-black trees, they’d known something felt different. It was too quiet.
Normally, even standing outside a Black Forest, you could faintly hear the cries of monsters from within. However, this one was utterly silent, as though there was nothing inside at all.
And that unsettling silence... It belonged to an S-Class Black Forest.
“Guild Master, we can’t go in there!”
“Exactly! S-Class? Are you serious?”
“You’re asking us to walk in there and die!”
“Ugh...”
As soon as news spread that part of the area around the temple had become a Black Forest, mercenaries rushed in from every direction. But after hearing the Imperial Response Team’s assessment, even they hesitated.
Very few mercenaries had ever entered an A-Class Black Forest. As for S-Class, even veterans who had spent decades in the profession had never encountered one before.
The thought of stepping into completely unknown territory was terrifying. The words S-Class were enough to freeze the gathered mercenaries in place. Not a single guild master could bring themselves to order the advance.
Twenty years ago, an S-Class Black Forest had appeared. Most of them weren’t mercenaries yet and were too young to witness it themselves, but they’d all grown up hearing the stories. The losses had been unimaginable... almost no one who entered had come back alive.
And now, the S-Class Black Forest they’d only ever heard about stood right before them.
“......”
“......”
A suffocating silence settled over the area. No one spoke. It felt like the oppressive stillness of the S-Class Black Forest was slowly swallowing everything around it.
“Wow... Those trees are enormous. It’s definitely different from the usual ones.”
“So that’s the presence of an S-Class.”
“Presence, my ass. What’s so different about it? It’s still the same damned place that eats people alive. Stop acting like it’s something impressive.”
“Would you idiots keep it down? You’re embarrassing yourselves.”
Just then, a group walked past the crowd of mercenaries and headed straight for the Black Forest. Leading them was a man with his weapon slung over one shoulder, strolling forward as casually as if he were out for a walk.
It was Skal, the Guild Master of Black Guild. Beside him, Vice-Guild Master Lot and the rest of his men chatted and snickered as they followed.
“Hmm.”
Skal stopped at the entrance to the Black Forest and turned back with a crooked grin.
“I’m going in.”
“Yes.”
Lot answered just as curtly, treating this “farewell” like it was nothing at all.
“...You’re not even going to stop me?”
“You wouldn’t listen.”
“You could at least pretend. How can you be this cold?”
“It’d only waste my breath.”
When Lot answered flatly, Skal clicked his tongue in mock disappointment.
“I’m not going in.”
“You heartless punk. Normally this is where you’d say, Guild Master, I’ll follow you to the end.”
“I intend to live a very long life.”
“Yeah? Then live till you’re old and wrinkled.”
“If you die, someone still has to keep the guild running.”
“Right, right. You’re amazing.”
Still grumbling, Skal gave Lot’s shoulder a light pat before looking over at the other members of Black Guild.
“If any of you are backing out, do it now. You know I’m walking in there ready to die.”
The mercenaries broke into laughter.
“Since when have we ever gone in expecting to live?”
“Exactly. What’s different this time?”
“Don’t worry, Guild Master. I’ll definitely outlive you. If things get bad, I’ll shove you at the monsters and run.”
“...You bunch of lunatics.”
Lot muttered under his breath.
No wonder they’re all like this. With a guild master like him, it’s only natural he’d attract people just as crazy.
“Good. Then every last one of you had better outlive me.”
Skal chuckled as he turned back toward the Black Forest. The smile slowly disappeared from his face.
This was his first S-Class Black Forest too. Even so, he couldn’t just stand by and watch. Waiting outside for the Black Forest to disappear without trying to enter was no different from giving up on everyone trapped inside.
...I can’t do that.
It simply wasn’t in his nature.
Thud.
“...?”
Just as he stepped toward the entrance, someone grabbed his arm and pulled him back.
“The Imperial meetings are already enough work.”
It was Lot.
“You’re not planning to dump those hopeless guild members on me too, are you?”
“.....”
For someone as prickly as Lot, that was his way of saying Come back alive.
Skal grinned and ruffled the top of Lot’s head. He couldn’t promise he’d return. At the very least, he’d never lied to Lot.
“...When you get back, let’s have a guild dinner at the stew shop.”
“Sounds good.”
After seeing the smile return to Skal’s face, Lot finally stepped aside.
“Aw, come on. Why’s it always the stew shop?”
“Vice-Guild Master, not you too?”
“Can’t we eat somewhere else for once?”
Their exchange drew amused grins from the other mercenaries.
“Guild dinner!”
“Free stew!”
Cheering like it was a battle cry, the mercenaries followed Skal toward the Black Forest.
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