Grrrr.

The stripes on the body, looking as if flames were burning, trembled.

Long, sharp fangs that seemed ready to breathe fire at any moment, claws that looked harder and sharper than steel sickles – it seemed they could slice humans like pieces of meat with just one swipe.

“Oh, Orbis… What should we do? We need to run…”

“There’s no need for that.”

As if to reassure Litania, Orbis turned around and caressed her cheek.

It was then that the monster rushed towards them.

“Orbis! Behind you!”

No sound was heard. The beast’s body, which had leaped up to pounce on the two, seemed to freeze in mid-air for a moment before splitting into sixteen hexagons.

“Hick…!”

Slash slash slash!

The monster’s body was sliced like tofu, and a moment later, dark red blood spurted out.

“Kyaaak!”

“Litania, come here so the blood doesn’t splash on you.”

Dragon claws that could slice anything in one go. The four claws moved left and right at an invisible speed, slicing the monster, and the terrifying beast that had been almost as tall as a three-story building became a chunk of meat, exuding a terrible smell of blood.

“Huff, huff…”

“The smell is quite strong. Even I can’t do anything about that.”

Orbis turned to Litania, frowning slightly.

Despite having slaughtered that huge monster in one go, not a single drop of blood had splashed on Orbis, who was wearing pure white clothes.

The terrifying monster that would make one’s body freeze just by looking at it.

Even that monster posed no threat to Orbis at all.

The divine dragon Orbis, her husband, what kind of being was he?

Had she been approaching this tremendous being casually, considering him just a close friend all this time?

‘Ah, no. I knew it.’

A dragon that could easily tear her body to pieces. A fierce and cruel dragon.

The male lead of the original story, Orbis, who wouldn’t hesitate to cripple her.

That image momentarily overlapped with his kind face, and Litania felt her breath catch. A chill ran down her spine, and her hands began to tremble.

“D-don’t…”

“Hmm?”

“Don’t touch me!”

The Orbis approaching her was the same kind and gentle person as always.

Those claws would surely never be directed at her.

But as Orbis reached out his hand towards her, she was overwhelmed by the fear that black dragon claws might suddenly spring from his fingertips and turn her into a chunk of meat.

‘No. It’s not like that.’

Orbis wouldn’t attack her.

Rather, he had tried to protect her.

‘I know that.’

Yet she was afraid.

She was afraid because she knew.

‘Orbis is not human.’

One who could slaughter such a monster without batting an eye.

‘I knew it, but only now.’

It was clearly a fact she had known, but she hadn’t truly realized it. The danger he posed had remained only as fragmented knowledge in her mind.

She didn’t know that. Only after realizing it to the point of fear did she come to know.

From the moment she became aware, her body wouldn’t stop trembling.

“D-don’t come closer.”

Litania shrunk back like a herbivore facing a predator.

She knows. Orbis had only killed that monster to protect himself and her. He had done nothing wrong.

‘But still.’

It was instinct.

The physiological aversion humans feel when faced with something unpredictable.

It was closer to the despair one feels when facing a living natural disaster rather than the man who had just saved her.

“I’m, sorry.”

Litania barely managed to get out a word and then took several shallow breaths.

“I’m sorry, Orbis. I… just give me a little time alone.”

“…”

Orbis quietly looked down at Litania.

‘Is he displeased?’

Would he feel hurt that she was afraid of him after he had saved her?

Litania couldn’t bring herself to look at Orbis’s expression. She was afraid to lift her head.

As she trembled like that for a while, Orbis didn’t say anything to her. He didn’t try to touch her again or embrace her.

The silence that kept the distance rather fueled the tension.

Thump. Thump. Her heart beat loudly.

“…Litania.”

What broke the silence that had felt as long as being abandoned in darkness was a very calm voice.

When Litania managed to lift her stiff neck and raise her head, she saw Orbis’s expression looking down at her.

An inorganic doll.

That was her first thought upon seeing him.

A face devoid of any emotion, neither displeased nor hurt.

But blue eyes that seemed to be trying to see through her as they gazed at her.

That strange gap made her feel parched inside.

“Litania.”

“Y-yes?”

“You seem very shocked. Go ahead.”

It was an incredibly calm permission.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry, Orbis…”

“It’s alright. I’ll take care of the aftermath, so please take a walk alone for a while to calm down.”

Orbis smiled gently, showing no signs of displeasure. It was finally the face she was used to seeing.

Litania stumbled backward, then bowed apologetically to Orbis before running off to the other side of the thicket.

Orbis watched her retreating figure for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders lightly.

“I wonder if she needs an even more dangerous experience to stop thinking about leaving my side.”

Litania entered the forest and found a quiet spot to start sorting out her thoughts.

‘I overreacted. Orbis saved me… and I ran away without even thanking him.’

At the time, she was so surprised and scared that she just wanted to get away from there.

But from Orbis’s perspective, who always deals with monsters, it must have seemed like Litania was being overly sensitive to something that wasn’t unusual.

‘When Orbis was in the dragon city, did he face such monsters every day during his patrols?’

He said he drove them away to keep them from getting close, but judging by the ferocity of that monster, it didn’t seem like it would back down easily.

‘Could it be that he’s been protecting the dragon city by slaughtering monsters like that every time?’

Unless excited by magic stones, monsters generally flee when a divine dragon approaches. Of course, Orbis didn’t let them go and chased after them to eliminate them all.

Unaware of this fact, Litania cupped her cheeks with both hands and closed her eyes, feeling unfamiliar with Orbis.

“I need to adapt. He’s my husband after all.”

Yes. Come to think of it, how much more peaceful is he compared to the Orbis in the original story? He doesn’t kill people or hurt her.

‘Defeating monsters is actually cool. I shouldn’t be scared.’

After repeating the same words a few times as if giving herself a suggestion, her heart finally calmed down.

“By the way… Did I walk too far without direction? Where am I?”

As Litania looked around, she heard the rustling of bushes.

“Eek!”

She became fully alert. The sound wasn’t from a small animal or the wind, but something larger moving.

‘Could there be another monster? What should I do? Should I scream to call Orbis? But if the monster gets excited by my voice and tries to harm me…’

Once bitten, twice shy, they say. After encountering one huge monster, every sound in the forest became frightening.

‘They said nothing bigger than a silver fox would appear. I don’t like this plot twist!’

As she was trembling with her fists clenched, a white feather floated down in front of her eyes.

“…A feather?”

Though it was clearly the Black Forest, sunlight was shining through the trees.

White fur with a slight golden sheen, gleaming black eyes staring at Litania.

What appeared from between the bushes was a beautiful white horse.

“This horse…”

After a moment’s hesitation, Litania realized the memory surfacing in her mind.

“It’s the white horse I lost!”

Filled with relief, surprise, and joy, Litania approached the white horse and reached out her hand.

As Litania approached, the white horse nodded and accepted her touch.

It was a strangely familiar horse. Even though they had met only twice, a year ago and today.

“How… how are we meeting here? Have you been here all this time?”

Despite meeting after a year, the white horse still had the new saddle from back then. Even the white bird feathers stuck under the saddle were exactly the same as before.

‘Did birds rest on the horse’s back again?’

It didn’t seem like anyone had been taking care of it, but it looked too clean to have been roaming in the wild.

Its coat was glossy, its mane and tail were smoothly brushed without any tangles, and even the reins and saddle were as clean as new.

“Seeing the saddle still intact, it seems no one has discovered you all this time…”

Litania saw her reflection in the horse’s black eyes. It didn’t seem to reject human touch.

“What should I do? Should I take this one with me?”

The white horse came closer obediently as Litania pulled on the reins.

Sunlight gently shone in the forest.

Warm spring sunshine poured down through the trees where new buds were sprouting.

It was as if the Black Forest had transformed into a fresh space with the appearance of the white horse.