The next morning, the Great Kira Forest welcomed them with a breathtaking, deceptive beauty.
Massive, ancient trees towered into the sky, their sprawling branches weaving together to form a lush, green ceiling. Brilliant golden sunrays pierced through the dense canopy, illuminating the morning mist and casting a magical glow over the dirt path. Roya had never seen anything like it. It was like stepping into a painting.
At least, it would have been beautiful, if she wasn't currently fighting for her life against a burlap sack.
"Haa... haa..."
Sweat dripped down her forehead as she huffed, dragging her feet. She was hunched completely forward, carrying a massive bag on her back that was practically bigger than she was.
She stopped, wiped her brow, and shot a look of utter, deadpan exhaustion at the blue-haired guy walking ten paces ahead.
He was effortlessly strolling through the woods, enjoying the morning breeze, carrying absolutely nothing but a small waist pouch and his sheathed sword.
"Hey!" Roya cried out, her voice cracking. "Why am I the only one carrying the rations?!"
He didn't even turn around. "I told you we didn't need all that junk."
Roya gritted her teeth, her mind flashing back to the crack of dawn outside Old Man Bael's shop.
A few hours earlier...
"Take this, child," Bael had said, practically shoving the massive, overstuffed sack into her arms. The sheer weight of it almost made Roya topple backward.
"Bael, wait, I can't take all this!" she protested, trying to hand it back. "You already gave me a place to sleep!"
"Nonsense," Bael insisted, firmly pushing her hands away. "It's mostly dried rations, medical supplies, and some rare herbs. The forest is unforgiving. Besides, you can sell those herbs in the village inside the Kira Forest.
The merchants there pay a premium. It'll give you some solid travel money for when you reach Vael."
Roya's eyes softened. How could she possibly refuse him when he was looking out for her so deeply? She bowed her head tightly. "Thank you, Bael. For everything."
Present Time
(He told me to sell them! How could I say no?!) Roya thought angrily, adjusting the heavy straps. "Hey," she called out, trying to catch her breath.
"Is there really a village inside this forest? I thought Hibi was the last stop."
"I guess you could technically call it a village," the blue-haired guy replied smoothly.
Roya blinked, speeding up a little. "What do you mean by that?"
"Shut up and you'll see for yourself when we get there."
Roya crossed her arms as best she could under the weight. "Hmph!" She stubbornly stomped past him, determined to prove she didn't need his help.
A few hours later, the heat of noon began to set in.
"Not too far now," he casually announced, glancing at the sun. "We'll reach it by noon if we keep up the pace."
He looked over his shoulder. Roya was barely moving. She was practically dragging her boots through the dirt, her face completely pale. She looked like a ghost hauling a boulder.
He let out a long sigh. "We should take a rest here."
Roya didn't even reply. She just immediately collapsed sideways onto the soft grass beside the dirt road, the giant bag acting as a lumpy pillow.
"Give me some water..." she wheezed, staring blankly at the sky. "I feel like dying..."
He unclipped a sturdy copper bottle from his waist and tossed it to her. She caught it clumsily and drank as if she hadn't seen water in a decade. He sat down leaning against the trunk of a massive oak tree, closing his eyes to rest.
After wiping her mouth, Roya sat up and looked at him. "Hey. Are you asleep?"
"What do you want?" he replied, keeping his eyes shut.
"You didn't even say what your name was," she pointed out.
He stayed silent. One second. Two seconds.
"Hey!" Roya shouted, tossing a pebble at his boot. "Tell me your name! Come on!"
He opened one eye, looking incredibly put on the spot. He paused, clearing his throat as if trying to come up with something grand on the spot.
"It's... Lucas," he finally said. He lifted his chin slightly. "Lucas of the... Supreme Azure Dragon Lineage."
Roya stared at him. Then, she clutched her stomach.
"Pfft—HAHAHA!" Roya burst out laughing, rolling on the grass.
"What kind of family name is that?! 'Supreme Azure Dragon'?! Did you read that in a cheap children's book?!"
Lucas's eye twitched. A faint blush of deep embarrassment crept up his neck. "What's so funny about it, hah?!"
Roya tried to cover her mouth with her hands to stop the giggles, but she absolutely couldn't control herself. "Oh, nothing! Please forgive my disrespect, Lord Supreme Dragon—pfft, haha!"
Lucas scoffed, crossing his arms and looking sharply in the opposite direction. "You know, I was actually thinking about carrying some of that heavy stuff until we got to the village. But I don't really feel like it anymore."
Roya froze. The laughter instantly died in her throat. She looked at the giant, back-breaking bag of herbs, then looked at his broad shoulders.
She immediately tracked back, bowing her head from a sitting position. "I take back my words! You have a deeply majestic and terrifying family name! Please help me get these to the village!"
Lucas grumbled under his breath, refusing to look at her. But after a few moments of her pitiful staring, he let out an annoyed sigh, stood up, and effortlessly hoisted the massive bag over his own shoulder as if it weighed nothing. Roya silently cheered, jogging to keep up.
By the afternoon, she noticed the density of the massive trees getting a little thinner up ahead. Smoke rose into the sky, and the sounds of shouting echoed through the wood.
"We're here," Lucas announced. "The Rogue Village of Kira Forest."
As they slowly entered the settlement, Roya's jaw dropped. There were barely any proper houses. The place was a chaotic mess of broken, patched-together huts made of rotten wood and strung-up beast hides. The muddy, unpaved streets were absolutely filled with massive, scarred, dangerous-looking people carrying crude weapons.
Roya swallowed hard, pulling the collar of her shirt up. "Mr. Lucas... why do all of these people look like thugs?"
"Because they probably are thugs," Lucas replied casually, not missing a beat.
They pushed through the crowd and entered the village's largest building—a massive, rundown tavern that smelled heavily of roasting meat and unwashed bodies.
As they walked in, a massive, middle-aged bartender with a nasty scar diagonally across his face looked up from polishing a wooden mug.
"Well, well. Hello there, Lucas," the bartender bellowed, his voice like gravel. "Welcome back to the Rogue Village's one and only tavern. We serve everyone here: thugs, thieves, assassins, and of course... adventurers."
Lucas dropped the heavy bag by a stool and sat down at the bar. "Enough with the crap, Garm. Get us two fruit juices."
Garm paused, leaning on the counter with a booming chuckle. "Two juices? No ale? Come on, you're back in the Rogue Village! Have a real drink."
"I told you before," Lucas said flatly, resting his hand on the counter. "I don't do alcohol."
Roya, sitting on the stool beside him, immediately smirked. She leaned in, whispering loud enough for him to hear. "Oh? The Supreme Azure Dragon can't handle a drink?"
Lucas's hand instantly clamped over her mouth, muffling her laughter. He shot her a sharp glare. "Stop talking."
Roya pried his hand off, still grinning, before turning her attention to the crowded, dim room. In the corner, she noticed a group of people sitting at a large round table.
Unlike the filthy bandits outside, these people looked organized. They wore fitted leather armor, carried polished swords, and were quietly studying a map.
"Who are they?" Roya whispered, nudging him.
"Adventurers," Lucas replied, taking his cup of juice from Garm. "They probably came out here to hunt some beasts and earn some serious money."
Roya blinked. "Beasts...?"
Lucas stopped drinking. He slowly turned his head, giving her a look of utter, deadpan disbelief.
"You seriously don't know anything, do you, brat?"
"Hey, I told you not to call me that!"
Garm slid the second cup of juice in front of Roya, leaning over the counter.
"The Kira Forest is filled with wild, mutated beasts that can rip through a grown man in full armor with ease, little lady. That is why normal merchants and travelers avoid going through here. The real forest of wild beasts starts just past this village."
Before Roya could process the heavy information, Lucas set his empty mug on the table. "Hey. Are there any rooms available?"
"Yes, there is," Garm grinned, a sleazy glint in his eye.
"There is even a special room available for couples if you two want to—"
"Hey, we are NOT—!" Roya yelled, her face turning bright red.
"Two single rooms," Lucas cut him off effortlessly, tossing two silver coins onto the counter. "Now."
Garm laughed, scooping up the coins. "Two silver, sir. Right this way."
Ten minutes later, Roya unlocked the door to a small, dusty wooden room. She didn't even bother taking off her boots. She just collapsed backward onto the bed, her arms and legs spread wide apart in a star shape.
"Haa..." she breathed out, staring at the cracked wooden ceiling.
A sudden, freezing chill went down her spine.
(I am really inside the Kira Forest. I thought it was just a shortcut... I didn't know there would be actual monsters and wild beasts out there!)
She curled her hands into fists. (What do I do? Mr. Lucas is incredibly strong, but I can't rely on him to protect me all the time. If we get separated, I'm dead.)
Her eyes narrowed with determination. (Once we are out of here tomorrow, I am going to ask him to teach me how to fight. Even if he just outright rejects me... which he probably will, that stuck-up ass...)
Later that evening, they sat at a small, wobbly table in the center of the completely packed tavern for dinner. Despite the rough aesthetics of the place, the food was incredible.
Roya aggressively bit into a skewer of roasted, sizzling meat. Her eyes lit up. "This is so good! Mr. Lucas, what kind of meat is this?"
Lucas didn't look up from his plate. "Who knows. Probably some mutated lizard-type beast they found in a swamp."
Roya paused mid-chew, her appetite instantly dropping.
A passing server—a young woman carrying a tray of drinks—heard the exchange and giggled. "Don't joke like that, sir! We only serve high-quality Blue Alligator meat here!"
Roya stared at the half-eaten skewer. "That doesn't make it any more appetizing," she muttered to herself. (What's the difference?!)
Just as Lucas was about to take another bite, a woman bumped heavily into his shoulder. Roya looked up.
The woman was wearing extremely revealing, expensive-looking clothes that stood out in the muddy village. She smelled strongly of cheap perfume, and a nasty, jagged scar ran across the back of her right hand.
She leaned down, whispering right into Lucas's ear. "Hey, handsome. Wanna stay the night? I'll pay you handsomely."
Lucas didn't flinch. His expression remained completely deadpan. Without looking at her, his left hand smoothly dropped to the jeweled hilt of his sword.
"Get out of my sight," Lucas said, his voice dropping an octave, completely devoid of humor. "Or your head will be rolling on the floor."
The air around them seemed to drop by ten degrees. The woman instantly flinched, backing away with wide, furious eyes.
"Egoistic bastard!" she hissed, glaring at his back. "You will suffer for this one day!"
She stormed off into the crowded tavern.
Roya, quietly nibbling on her alligator meat, watched the woman leave. She looked back at Lucas, who had already gone back to calmly eating his dinner.
(Honestly?) Roya thought, taking another bite. (I completely agree with her.)