Chapter 07

‘Well, this was something I already knew to some extent.’

I already knew that intruders who deliberately entered the Black Forest, a place said to be cursed and possessed by demons, never survived.

‘That’s why it came to be called the Cursed Forest in the first place. Leo was also abandoned here because they wanted him to be killed.’

Even though Tanto was merely telling me something I already knew, his words felt unusually sharp, like thorns.

Was Tanto deliberately trying to frighten me while giving me a chance?

Perhaps he was telling me that if I had anything to hide, I should run away while I still had the chance.

‘But was everything really the work of the thieves’ guild?’

For now, I couldn’t distinguish whether everything he said was true or not.

As far as I knew, the Shadow Thieves’ Guild were righteous thieves.

‘And righteous thieves who took in unfortunate people couldn’t possibly be completely bad people, right?’

I wished I could confidently say that I had nothing to hide.

The problem was that I was deceiving them right now.

‘Unlike Leo, I have a goal that I absolutely have to accomplish. I can’t say that I have no intentions or purpose in joining the thieves’ guild. I’m even acting because of it.’

In the end, I was trying to join the thieves’ guild because of my own circumstances, so from their perspective, it was entirely possible that my intentions looked suspicious.

In other words—

‘If they find out, I’m dead!’

The thought that I had to deceive them somehow made my heart pound so loudly that I could hear it in my ears.

I clapped my hands loudly, pretending to be completely innocent and ignorant of everything, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

“Wow! Then I’ll be safe if I stay here, right? So that pretty Crow is actually a knight, huh?”

“What? What did you say?”

This time, I pointed directly at Hedius with my finger.

“I think I’m going to fall in love with that pretty boy. Actually, I fell for him at first sight!”

It was an outright lie without even a speck of sincerity.

How could I possibly like someone who had tried to kill me?

It wasn’t as though I was actually crazy!

But my explosive declaration gradually drained the color from Tanto’s face before his expression became one of utter shock.

“Whaaaat?!”

He looked as though he had just heard something he absolutely shouldn’t have.

I shyly brushed my hair behind my ear and blushed.

“I’m especially pretty today, like a bride, so I kind of want to have a wedding with Pretty Boy, too.”

I had only wanted to tease Tanto, but apparently my words had shocked him so badly that he stopped trying to probe me altogether.

Instead, he simply begged me to forget everything he had said.

Thanks to that, I managed to get through the crisis safely.

And some time later, the sun was already beginning to set.

“Oh my, it’s already getting dark.”

Tanto quickly moved a torch forward.

The darkness surrounding us immediately brightened.

The towering sequoia trees reaching high into the sky looked like the legs of giants, their tops so high that I couldn’t even see them.

But, as they always had, the members of the thieves’ guild skillfully pushed aside the branches and made a path through the forest.

After traveling for some time—

Two enormous sequoia trees appeared before us, their trunks as massive as the pillars of a temple.

They were more magnificent than any trees I had seen so far.

When Hedius, who was leading the group, passed between the two enormous trunks, the other members of the thieves’ guild followed him inside.

“Giddy up!”

Not wanting to fall behind, Tanto slapped the reins.

Not long after passing through the narrow path between the trees, a massive cliff filled my field of vision.

And between the cliffs, I could see an opening resembling the entrance to a cave.

Beyond it, the outline of a village slowly came into view.

“We’ve finally arrived. Welcome to Shadow Village, Angel.”

At the same time, I was so astonished that my already-round eyes widened even further.

A vast, circular lake and stretch of land surrounded by enormous, towering mountains.

Small wooden houses clustered together across the fields.

A fairly sturdy-looking bridge stretching all the way toward the forest on the opposite side.

And even the dark-blue sky, flowing with the Milky Way, illuminated brightly by the full moon.

“Wow! It’s beautiful!”

I let out a genuine cry of admiration at the breathtaking scenery I was seeing for the first time.

For someone who had spent her life seeing nothing but skies thick with dust and the scattered ruins of collapsed buildings, this sight was like a dream—something so beautiful that it felt impossible to reach.

“Oh my goodness, what luxury!”

I flopped down onto the soft bed, which was filled with goose feathers.

‘They gave someone who was practically being escorted here as a prisoner such a nice room. Maybe Hedius really is the angel here?’

To make matters even more surprising, the place I was staying was on the top floor of Hedius’s residence.

Although it seemed they had given me an attic room because it would be difficult for me to escape while being watched, who cared?

The bed was warm, and through the window I had a perfect view of the night sky, densely scattered with stars.

There was no way I couldn’t love this room!

I grinned happily.

“It’s nothing special, but compared to that one-pyeong trash room I used to live in, this is basically a palace.”

Perhaps that was why.

As befitted someone in a pseudo-hostage situation, Tanto had repeatedly warned me not to leave the room unless someone specifically came to tell me otherwise.

But did I care about that warning even a little?

Not even a tiny bit!

“Yaaawn~! How long has it been since I last got to rest?”

My entire body felt pleasantly limp, and my eyelids were heavy.

I was just about to fall instantly into the embrace of sleep when—

Knock, knock.

I abruptly sat up at the sound of someone knocking.

“Angel, it’s me.”

“Leo?”

I recognized Leo’s voice immediately.

I went straight to the door and tried turning the handle, but it was useless.

“There’s a really sturdy lock on this door. I don’t think even an elephant could break it without the key.”

“An elephant? What kind of creature is that?”

“Hmm, I’ve never actually seen one either. I heard about it from Old Lady Etubebe, but apparently it’s an enormous animal that lives in hot countries. And it’s very strong.”

“I see. Leo really does know everything.”

I chuckled.

For a moment, a memory from when I used to talk with my younger sibling flashed through my mind.

‘They were such a strange and adorable kid, too.’

As I retraced those memories from the past, a good idea suddenly flashed through my mind.

“Right! Leo, how about this? Let’s sit with our backs against the door and talk. Then we’ll at least be able to feel each other’s warmth a little.”

“Yes! I like that. I’m sitting down now. What about you, Angel?”

“Me too.”

Of course, the door wasn’t made of some thin wooden board, and there was no way we could actually feel each other’s warmth through the thick wood.

Still, it was a good way to feel as though we were connected somehow.

When I was scolded by my parents as a child, I would sometimes talk to my younger sibling like this.

And as I thought about that peaceful past that I could never return to, my heart began to ache.

“…Um, Angel.”

Leo spoke hesitantly.

“Hmm?”

“Thank you for today. And I’m sorry for making them misunderstand you as a kidnapper again. I didn’t mean for that to happen…”

At Leo’s words, I smiled softly.

It had been such a very, very long time since someone had thanked me or apologized to me.

‘He really is nothing like the dark emperor I thought he would become—someone selfish, hot-tempered, and cruel.’

I hadn’t forgotten that he would eventually become a terrifying dark figure whose very name would make people tremble.

But that was a story about the future.

Right now, Leo was nothing more than a child.

Perhaps I could become even closer to this child from now on.

He was that pure and loyal.

Almost exactly like my younger sibling, who had passed away before me.

Maybe it was because I was remembering the peaceful times when I used to talk with my younger sibling as a child.

Or maybe it was because of the moonlight pouring through the spotless window.

Either way, I felt the rigid pieces of my heart, which had been tense for so long, slowly beginning to crumble one by one.

“Mm-hmm, no. If anything, I’m grateful to you, Leo.”

“…Wait a second! I can’t hear you very well.”

I moved my mouth closer to the door and spoke.

“Today, I survived because of you. Thank you so much, Leo.”

“Ah.”

Leo let out a short sound, apparently embarrassed.

“And Ibi. My name is Ibi. When you feel comfortable enough, how about calling me by my name?”

“…Ibi. Yes, I will, Angel.”

The child’s young voice coming from the other side of the door tickled my ears.

And although I knew there was no way warmth could actually pass through the door, somehow the air felt warm, as though his warmth were spreading through it.

When was the last time I had talked so closely with another person?

Wanting to feel the warmth this child gave me for just a little longer, without asking for anything in return, I quietly closed my eyes.

“Leo!”

In the pitch-black early morning, Tanto discovered Leo crouching in the hallway.

His cheeks were flushed red, apparently because he had been sitting there for quite some time.

“You… when did you even—?”

Tanto had come to check just in case, and, seeing that his suspicions had been correct, he sighed deeply before quickly approaching Leo.

“What are you doing here right now?! Didn’t you hear what the Guild Leader said?”

“Shh. Tanto, be quiet.”

Ignoring the scolding, Leo quickly pressed his index finger against his lips.

He didn’t seem to care in the slightest whether Tanto had discovered him there.

“Angel seems to have fallen asleep.”

“What?”

Just as Leo had said, the quiet sound of Ibi sleeping could be heard through the door.

Her breathing was small and faint, like that of a tiny puppy.

Only then did Leo slowly rise from his spot.

“I just wanted to thank her. Angel saved me today, but I didn’t get a chance to properly thank her.”

Tanto ran one hand down his face.

“Even so, don’t come anywhere near here from now on. Don’t sneak over here either. If the Guild Leader happens to notice you, your Angel might end up in a bad situation. The Guild Leader still hasn’t let go of his suspicions, you know.”

“I know. That’s why he locked her in here.”

Leo approached Tanto and replied meaningfully.

Tanto’s face flushed slightly.

“…You.”

The ruby-like eyes within Leo’s sharp, upturned eyes glimmered coldly.

“If it weren’t for Angel, I would have been the one staying in that bedroom tonight. To make sure I couldn’t escape. Isn’t that right, Tan?”

“……”