“Are you alright, Commander!”
“I’m fine.”
Gunter waved his hand at his subordinates’ concern.
The knights marveled at his unscathed appearance.
“It didn’t look that strong, but it’s been a while since I’ve seen a monster withstand the Crescent Moon Slash.”
“If we had dealt with it here, the wave’s momentum would have weakened considerably. What a shame.”
“Surely we’ll have another chance, won’t we?”
“…Yes, and to seize that chance, we need to move. Everyone, fall back.”
The knights hurriedly prepared.
There was still much to do to complete the unprecedented operation of adjusting the monster wave’s path.
As the knights quickly began preparations.
Gunter, about to move, felt a sharp pain.
He swallowed the blood rising in his throat.
It seems he suffered some internal injuries.
The monster was stronger than expected.
Moreover, that small snake.
The second head, shining pitch black, clearly showed hostility towards Gunter.
He had never seen such a monster before.
It was an unsolvable mystery.
“Master Alcandura, Master Ishen, Master Dezaka.”
“Your tongue’s gonna twist.”
“I leave the processing to you.”
“Don’t worry.”
They sprinkled incense that monsters avoid approaching.
Various magical traps were laid here and there.
Finally, the mage Alcandura pounded stake-like objects into the ground.
“Hmm, this should do.”
“Let’s hurry, Alcandura.”
“Wait, you know I can’t ride a horse alone.”
Alcandura groaned as he climbed onto the horse with Dezaka’s help.
They too quickly began to follow Gunter and the knights.
Was it because of facing the monsters?
Despite being well-trained war horses, their breathing was rough.
“Calm down, calm down.”
Just as Dezaka was trying to calm the horse.
Another explosion sounded from behind.
Boom!
“Whoa, horse, horse! Hold the reins!”
“Damn, that startled me.”
Dezaka grumbled.
“What’s that? Did we set the trap wrong?”
“What do you take me for? Of course I set it properly.”
“But it’s already activated?”
“Don’t worry. I made it to recharge automatically.”
“Then that’s fine.”
A monster that unfortunately strayed from the path must have been burned to death.
That roar and the monsters’ corpses will gradually act as a barrier.
==
What happened to those left in the Shadow Forest?
That is.
When the white snake entered the white cocoon for evolution.
When the barrier protecting the forest disappeared, and the World Tree’s roots rotted, emitting a sweet scent.
When monsters salivating outside rushed in.
What happened to the group led by the white snake?
Thanks to the wise gorilla, they were able to escape.
Despite the scent that made monsters lose their reason, they were fine.
It probably wasn’t because their intelligence was high enough to resist.
It was more likely because the snake that tamed them was still alive.
Fortunately, they escaped into the forest.
The white snake’s father had already left, and Heilit Langrey had also departed after achieving her goal.
A gnome who had been watching this process in hiding also left.
The death of Deshnan, who had enslaved him, was also confirmed.
However, there were monsters who suffered great misfortune.
The Crimson Teeth Giant Centipede.
One monster on the verge of evolution.
And the babies she carries.
She had not been tamed by the white snake until now.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to, but rather that she couldn’t.
She had to be cautious to protect her children.
Now that everything was over, it seemed good to live with the white snake from now on.
The white snake didn’t dislike her either, and she quite liked the white snake.
Especially the children who had lost their father followed the white snake well.
Although their species were different, they might become family.
That’s what she thought.
「The mana concentration in the air is increasing.」
「Roots that couldn’t bear fruit are rotting.」
「A foul odor emanates from the rotten roots.」
Was it because she wasn’t tamed by anyone?
When she came to her senses. The giant centipede was already spinning around among the monsters.
Led by instinct, intoxicated by the scent, she had lost consciousness.
“Keke.”
“Keeee!”
What allowed her to regain consciousness was her children.
Big Eyes and Big Head had awakened her by gently chewing on her antennae.
And the mother realized.
She only had two children.
Bowingie, who had turned white alone and was always a worry, was missing.
“Keek!”
The startled giant centipede frantically searched for Bowingie.
She couldn’t see her.
Even after searching everywhere in a hurry, she wasn’t there.
And the horde of monsters began to move.
Like a single colony, towards the outside of the great forest.
“Keke, keee?”
“Ke!”
When she asked Big Head about Bowingie’s whereabouts, he told her by barking and pointing his venomous claw in that direction.
The giant centipede ran in that direction.
Now desperate, the mother was no longer affected by the scent that enthralled monsters.
World Tree, please protect her daughter.
May Bowingie not be dead.
Ah, how surprised would the white snake be if he knew about this situation.
He would surely be very angry.
Saying, you lost a child again after losing Big Eyes once before.
In this urgent situation, such thoughts crossed the giant centipede’s mind.
Tears rolled down, worried about Bowingie.
She searched frantically for Bowingie, but ultimately couldn’t find her.
Fortunately.
Or perhaps her prayers were answered.
Bowingie wasn’t dead.
At least not yet.
Bowingie had fallen among the monsters heading in one direction, running along without knowing what was happening.
“Kuwooo.”
“Grrrr-!”
Various monsters were mixed together.
There were lion-like creatures, elephant-like ones.
There were even huge monsters that looked like giraffes.
Their hooves fell close to Bowingie.
Boom!
“Keeet!”
Bowingie was terrified of this situation.
She had just fallen from her mother’s embrace and immediately lost her.
Looking around, Bowingie spotted the white snake far away.
For some reason, the white snake was with a large tree snake.
All the monsters followed the white snake.
The only thing Bowingie could do was follow the white snake.
“Keee!”
She called out to the white snake at the top of her lungs, but the distance was too far.
It seems both her mother and the white snake have forgotten about Bowingie’s existence.
That must be it.
Bowingie kept running, tears streaming down.
She couldn’t stop running.
If she did, she would immediately be trampled to death or eaten by the following monsters.
Feeling like she might die of exhaustion, she tried to slip to the side several times.
But at some point, flames suddenly rose in front of her and more monsters crowded in.
There was no corner for Bowingie to escape to.
She couldn’t catch up to the white snake either.
The white snake mister, who had been getting farther and farther away, was now out of sight.
“Kee….”
Just as the young white centipede was about to give up everything.
Crack-crack-crack-crack!
Lightning struck ahead!
How could she not recognize that lightning?
It was the same lightning the white snake mister used when grilling meat.
Bowingie used her last remaining strength.
Her legs felt like they would break, but she didn’t stop.
When Bowingie finally arrived at the place where lightning had struck, she barely managed to break away from the horde of monsters.
“…Kee?”
But the white snake wasn’t there either.
Only traces of a fierce battle and a few scales that seemed to belong to the white snake were scattered on the ground.
And… a gnome’s corpse crackling as it burned.
The gnome was adorned with many fancy tools and equipment.
There was a gaping hole in its stomach, blood oozing out.
Its expression was distorted with shock, as if it never imagined it would die here.
Even in this desperate situation, there was a reason why this gnome particularly caught the eye.
Only half of its body remained.
Strangely, the lower body and right arm were missing.
It wasn’t cut off. There was no blood or internal organs. Only a clean cross-section remained, as if frozen meat had been sliced.
Carefully rummaging through the gnome’s body, Bowingie realized the reason.
It was a cloak.
Though invisible, there was clearly something like a cloak covering the gnome’s right arm and lower body.
She grabbed it with her venomous claws and tore it off.
“Kee!”
This was undoubtedly a magical tool.
It must be similar to the ring that Snake Mister was wearing.
The parts of Bowingie’s body covered by the cloak became transparent.
Bowingie managed to put on the cloak with great effort.
Then her figure completely disappeared.
“KeKeKeKe.”
With this, she no longer needed to fear the monsters.
She might even be able to find her mother or the white snake soon.
She could hunt alone too.
Besides Deshnan’s cloak, there were several other magical tools left on the gnome’s body, but Bowingie couldn’t pay attention to them.
Soon, the fire spread and caught onto the gnome’s body.
The invisible Bowingie entered the forest.
It’s still a story for the distant future, but.
The beginning of the legend known as the White Silence.
Or the Assassin’s Void.
Was thus made of a small harmony of misfortune and luck.
