Don't Touch My Thorn (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 8

  1. Home
  2. Don't Touch My Thorn (Completed Main Story)
  3. Chapter 8
Prev
Next

As soon as I stepped out of the room, the mansion—always so quiet—was in an uproar. I raised my guard and hid myself.

“Master Idrish!”

No! That’s Bigus’s voice!

Judging by the loud, frantic shouting, they must have already realized I was gone.

They probably noticed my absence right after bringing in the food. I thought he was slow on the uptake, but he’s surprisingly quick! What a shame—if only they hadn’t noticed this time, I could’ve bought myself time until dinner.

But wishing for that was pointless now—it was already too late.

I sprinted at full speed. My limbs tingled with tension. Blood surged through every vein with a loud whoosh.

“Ha, hah… Running on two legs after so long is killing me!”

At least the number of servants in this mansion was small—that was a stroke of luck.

I had to pass a few people, but thanks to the mansion’s vast size, it wasn’t too difficult.

Just as planned, I slipped out of the mansion and safely into the forest. My breath was already ragged. I hid behind a tree for a moment to catch my breath.

“No, I can’t stop yet. If it’s Idrish, he’ll catch up in no time. I’ll run until I drop my lungs before I reach the raccoonfolk territory!”

I got up again.

I alternated between running and walking for a long while. Though I slowed down, I never stopped for even a moment. Thanks to that, I safely reached the village.

The place I arrived at was Nerun Territory, where raccoonfolk lived together. Though called a territory, it was more like a village.

I surveyed the village with utmost caution.

A gentle stream trickled along one side, with houses lined neatly alongside it. Perhaps because raccoonfolk were small in stature, the houses were mostly modest, low, single-story buildings.

The village bustled with life. Women hung laundry in front of their homes and chatted nonstop, while children laughed gleefully as they splashed in the stream—a peaceful countryside scene.

Yet precisely because of that, outsiders stood out even more. I kept my guard up and headed toward the train station.

The station was packed with people carrying large luggage.

If Idrish came looking for me, the station would be his first stop—so the more people there were, the better for me.

I went straight to the ticket counter.

“I’d like to buy a ticket for the earliest departing train.”

“There’s only one train a day. Tomorrow at 4 p.m.”

Darn.

But with no other options, I had no choice but to buy a ticket for tomorrow.

I’d just have to endure the day somehow.

Since everything had gone smoothly according to plan, my tension eased slightly. I rolled my stiff shoulders to loosen them—and that’s when hunger hit me, sharp and sudden.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t eaten anything all day, and now a delicious food scent drifted from somewhere nearby.

As if entranced, I followed the smell.

It led me to a small shop attached to the station. I could buy simple food and eat it at the outdoor wooden tables. Most of the seated people seemed to be grabbing a quick meal before boarding their trains.

Should I just grab a light snack and go?

I didn’t have the confidence to starve until tomorrow, yet I couldn’t just walk into a proper restaurant and sit down for a full meal either.

Halfway entranced by the aroma, I made my decision.

I bought a chicken roll from the shop and sat in a corner. Wanting to eat quickly and leave, I stuffed the food into my mouth in a hurry.

“Kuhh!”

Choking! I pounded my chest and reached for the cup of drink—but instead of the cup, I grabbed someone’s hand.

The moment I looked up and met the man’s eyes, my blood ran cold.

“May I sit at your table?”

Idrish, hood pulled low, stared down at me with piercing eyes.

My body froze instantly. The chicken roll I’d been chewing felt like a stone, refusing to go down my throat.

Damn it. How did he find me so fast? No—more importantly, how did he recognize me at a glance?

True, that night when I saved Idrish, he said he’d vaguely seen me.

But he also said he wasn’t sure whether it was real or a dream.

Besides, I looked completely different now than I did back then.

Back then, I’d been naked with my hair wildly loose—the primal me—whereas now I looked like a stunted raccoonfolk with zero fashion sense…

My heart pounded wildly—so loudly I worried Idrish might hear it.

Or maybe he wasn’t certain and that’s why he spoke to me like this. If he were sure I was the hedgehog, he’d have tried to skin me on the spot.

So I had to act as calm as possible.

“No reply? I’ll take that as permission.”

Trending

Idrish sat down across from me. His leisurely leg-crossing seemed to happen in slow motion.

Get up calmly and naturally—as if nothing’s wrong…

“Y-yes, please sit comfortably. I’ve finished eating, so I’ll be off now…”

“There’s still plenty left.”

Idrish nodded toward the chicken roll in my hand—I hadn’t even eaten half.

“My stomach suddenly feels off. Haha… Where’s the restroom?”

I barely managed to lift the corners of my mouth. Whether it looked like a smile, I couldn’t be sure.

Idrish’s face showed no change in expression. Instead, he slowly spoke.

“You don’t seem to be from around here.”

Damn. Sweat trickled down my spine.

“A-ah, no? I am from here.”

“Yet you don’t even know where the station restroom is?”

D-do I really need to know? Well, the village is so small—it would be strange not to know.

“I’m terribly forgetful. Anyway, my stomach’s really acting up—I’d better go before I have an accident. Enjoy your meal.”

I stood up hurriedly. I moved so fast that my leg caught the table, making it rattle loudly.

Startled, I froze in place and watched Idrish’s expression.

His beast-like eyes remained fixed on me, unmoving. It felt like being caught in a snare—my breath caught in my throat.

At that moment, the corner of Idrish’s mouth curled upward in a chilling smile.

The instant I saw it, I knew.

I didn’t know how, but Idrish was certain—I was that hedgehog.

Damn it. Run!

Like a tightly coiled spring suddenly released, I bolted from my seat.

Idrish immediately stood up and chased after me. I knocked over every table around me as I sprinted away, not even thinking where I was going. I shoved open a thick wooden door and ran—before the door I’d flung wide could even swing shut, Idrish burst through after me.

“Aaah! Why’s he so fast!”

Of course. If a white tiger were slower than a hedgehog, it wouldn’t be a white tiger—it’d be a white slug.

“Out of the way, out of the way!”

I darted nimbly through the crowd like an arrow. Glancing back, I saw Idrish close behind. Even though I knocked things over and threw them to block his path, he simply leaped over them as if they were nothing.

His furious face closing in on me in real time was pure terror.

Wow, so this is how prey feels when chased by a predator! Damn it!

Just then, the train blared its horn loudly.

Now that I looked, a train and tracks lay right ahead. The just-departing train let out a deafening noise and billowed thick white smoke.

“Bamsongi!”

Idrish’s shout suddenly sounded as if right behind me.

This won’t work!

There was only one option.

I ran straight onto the tracks.

“Kyaaah! Is that person insane?!”

“Someone stop her!”

As I leaped onto the tracks, screams erupted from onlookers.

Paaaaang!

The train, having spotted me, blasted its horn so loudly it felt like my ears would burst. In that split second, the train’s front grew enormous before my eyes. It charged toward me at terrifying speed—any delay and my body would be torn to pieces.

The recoil knocked my hat off, sending it tumbling onto the tracks. No time to pick it up, no time to look back. My loose hair fluttered wildly, blurring my vision.

I pushed off the ground again with all my might, as if my thighs would burst.

Please, please!

I repeated only those words. My body launched forward midair, and barely—just barely—my toes touched the far side of the tracks.

I’m alive.

I turned to look back at the tracks I’d just crossed. Idrish stood frozen on the opposite side. His pair of yellow eyes stared at me as if ready to devour me whole. The wind whipped my long hair in all directions.

In the next instant, the train roared past between us.

Chweeeeeek!

I caught my breath in front of the endlessly long train.

ads

“Hah, hah, hah…”

My heart felt like it was about to explode. My lips were parched, and the thumping of my pulse in my ears drowned out even the train’s noise.

But I couldn’t stop. I had to get away before the train passed. Without even pausing to rest, I turned and ran again.

I walked without rest. I was utterly exhausted. Especially without my hat, my hair kept bothering me.

“Red stands out way too much.”

At this rate, if Idrish asked, “Have you seen a red-haired woman?” everyone would point to where I’d just passed.

But I couldn’t just transform into a hedgehog and hide either. My current clothes weren’t made with my fur or spines—if I turned back into a human carelessly, I’d end up stark naked.

“Should I buy a hat? But I barely have any money left.”

I did have a few gold-buttoned pieces, but I couldn’t casually exchange them for cash in this village.

“Well, I can’t get caught by Idrish, so the hat comes first.”

With a heart full of despair, I entered a hat shop and bought the cheapest one. I was actually three bronzes short, but after pleading desperately, they gave me a discount.

When I left the shop, my hair was covered—but my pockets were emptier.

Gurgle…

My stomach was in chaos. I’d barely taken a few bites of the chicken roll from earlier. And after sprinting away at full speed, I was hungrier than before.

Weren’t those skewers one bronze each? Just one would keep me alive.

Maybe someone dropped some money.

I scanned the ground carefully. Then, something silver glinted over there.

M-money!

I ran. With every stride, my certainty grew.

That’s a silver coin! Ten skewers!

I could already taste the skewers—they were practically in front of my nose.

But the moment my hand touched the coin, I collided head-on with someone.

Most Commented This Week
Prev
Next
UPCOMING CHAPTER COMMENTS
Spoiler warning
These comments and quotes come from chapters AFTER the one you're reading and are likely to spoil what's coming.

Chapter Comments (1)

  1. Miioo Chapter 11

    Oh, the situation is so funny, he’s treating him like a horse, “Go, my horse!” 😂😂

YOUR COMMENT

1. Please write comments in English.
2. Inline comments are now available. Tap the end of any line in a chapter to share your thoughts instantly.