Satisfied with her answer, Len reluctantly began eating.

Whooosh.

The sound of the wind outside mixed with the clinking of utensils.

‘I won’t sleep deeply tonight.’

The wind was stronger, making the window frames rattle noisily.

Sharletti, listening to the wind, lightly touched her head.

‘Is it the cold wind, or do I have a headache?’

The old, worn cabin had tiny gaps in places due to its age.

After a hearty meal, Sharletti took cold medicine for precaution.

After bathing, Sharletti, handing Len a thick robe, was blocked by him.

“I’ll give you a massage again tonight. I can do it better this time.”

Remembering something she had forgotten, Sharletti bowed her head in gratitude.

Len’s face softened as he received the note.

But he closed his mouth tightly upon reading the next one.

“Alright.”

Len swallowed his disappointment and watched Sharletti carry the cut fabric into the bedroom.

Thump. As soon as she locked the bedroom door, Sharletti took off her stifling hood.

‘The hood is thick. My face is the only part that’s hot.’
Sharletti, having braided her long curly hair into one, comfortably changed clothes and climbed onto the bed.

Without the cumbersome robe and stifling hood, it was easier to move and breathe.

‘Tomorrow, I need to start early with herb gathering. Then, check the ingredients for the ointment… Hmm, remember the ordered herb list, and oh, I need to fetch water. I should reach the village before noon.’

She continuously planned for the next day while diligently starting to sew.

The thick fabric and needle made her hand movements slower than usual.

As she concentrated, time flew by quickly.

Although it was earlier than usual to go to bed, a yawn escaped her, influenced by the medicine.

‘Time to sleep.’

Sharletti meticulously put on her robe and hood again and wiggled into bed.

Without any stray thoughts, she closed her eyes and instantly fell asleep.

“…….”

A dark figure was watching this scene from outside the cabin, peering through the curtains.

Rumble… The night sky, filled with dark clouds, seemed ominous.

Around the time the clock struck midnight, the fierce wind began to carry moisture.

A black figure, revealing yellow teeth in a sinister smile, drew a knife from his waist.

Slowly yet persistently, he started to carve into the window frame with the tip of his knife.

In a moment of thunder, the face of the man reflected in the window became visible.

“Keke, kek, khek…”

With hair tangled with mud, grass, and leaves, armor beyond recognition due to damage, knees and elbows caked with dried blood, and a face marred with scratches, it was Squad Leader Dodint, who had abandoned his soldiers and fled from a bear gone berserk.

“Freaking, kek, bastards, I’ll show you… I’ll not let this, hic, go like this…”

Having eaten a mushroom in the forest to stave off hunger, Dodint was not in a normal state. His voice sounded like a crackling fire, and his body was covered with large, dark spots and blisters.

Rumble! Raindrops started to fall, one by one, on his face.

It was the harbinger of a storm, a natural force to erase sound and traces.

Finally, the heavens seemed to be aiding him.

Pop. Just then, the only light illuminating the cabin went out, plunging the interior into darkness.

Dodint’s face lit up with excitement, waiting for this moment.

‘Just a woman.’

He began to carefully scrape only at the seams of the window with his knife.

Gradually, the window frame started to loosen.

‘Yes!’

Creak… Finally, half of the window opened, its noise concealed by the wind.

Dodint, holding the fluttering curtain to prevent it from moving, pushed his abnormal body through the window.

“…