Woke Up And I'm A Married Woman - Chapter 63

Of course, Cedar was at the very front.

Once they departed, the knights on horseback blocked the view, making it impossible to see Cedar at all.

‘I feel disappointed.’

Due to the many knights and the dense forest, the view was not clear.

If I had sat in front of Cedar, the view wouldn’t be like this.

‘Would it be the same if a monster appeared?’

Thinking that way made me feel very depressed. I stared glumly at the horse’s tail swaying in front of me.

As we entered deeper into the forest, the horses slowed down. That’s when Jack asked.

“You seem low on energy today. Even though we might encounter the monsters you’ve been waiting for.”

“Do I look that way? I’m not.”

I tried to smile to show I was fine, but feeling like my lips were twitching, I quickly stopped.

Such a smile wouldn’t fool Jack anyway. I let out a sigh.

“I don’t know. What the problem is.”

In fact, there was no reason to feel disappointed. It was natural that Cedar couldn’t pay attention to me while leading so many people.

Asking to sit in front without even seeing a monster yet would be no different from throwing a tantrum.

‘But for some reason, I thought Cedar would naturally have me ride in front.’

As I carefully examined my feelings, I surprisingly realized that I wasn’t depressed because I feared Cedar might break his promise.

What was weighing on my heart was simply the fact that Cedar had entrusted me to someone else.

And the way he avoided my gaze, as if he had committed a crime.

‘Why am I?’

I blinked at the flow of emotions that wasn’t rational at all.

And when people aren’t rational…

“Dark Wolf!”

A loud voice from the front broke through my thoughts. I jolted.

“Ah! It seems they’ve appeared!”

What did they just say? Dark Wolf?

‘I can barely see anything from here!’

It seemed like something was happening up front, but I couldn’t see well from here.

The only information I could gather was from the urgently exchanged voices.

“Shoot arrows!”

“There might be companions nearby! Don’t let your guard down!”

“One hit, sir!”

I wondered why they weren’t riding horses and charging, but it seemed they had spotted Dark Wolves appearing between the distant trees.

Someone’s arrow flew as if being sucked between the trees.

And then, as if a fire had broken out, black smoke rose up.

“Black smoke…”

“It’s usually called magi.”

Jack explained what it was. Finally connecting the knowledge I had with the situation, I nodded vigorously.

“Ah, I’ve read about it in literature. It flows out when you break the magic stone, which is the source of a monster’s life force.”

“Usually, when magi escapes, monsters visibly shrink in size. The corpses we saw at the academy were much smaller than the original monsters.”

“I see. There really are many things you can’t know without seeing them in person.”

Unlike other animals, monsters have an organ called a magic stone, and you have to break it to ensure they stop breathing.

Until then, they can survive even if you burst their heart.

‘I wonder what principle is at work here.’

My body instinctively fidgeted with curiosity. But no matter how much I craned my neck, all I could see from here was the magi.

The knights advanced, and thanks to that, I could see the Dark Wolf that had fallen with its magic stone pierced by an arrow.

It looked like a wolf, but much larger, and magi was billowing out from its entire body.

Like blood draining, as the magi escaped, the monster’s size gradually decreased.

As I observed that sight closely, I tilted my head and said to Jack.

“Magical power and magi feel very similar. Though it might be my imagination.”

Jack smiled gently.

“Since no one knows how monsters are created, we don’t know if magical power affects magi either. We don’t even know where the magical power in our bodies goes after we die.”

“That’s true.”

The process of magi concentrating in the lump called a magic stone felt similar to how humans store magical power in their hearts.

“If we could see what the magic stone looks like, we might be able to find a clue…”

But the magic stone had been shattered by the arrow, so it couldn’t be seen. I bit my lip in disappointment.

Thereafter, monsters frequently appeared throughout the march.

“Captain! Five Dark Wolves have appeared ahead!”

“They’ve fled!”

“It seems they’re going to call for companions. What should we do?”

Whether this forest was the Dark Wolves’ habitat, the monsters that kept appearing were Dark Wolves.

They observed the knights from afar as if scouting and then ran away.

While I could at least see the first Dark Wolf that died from the arrow even after its death, the subsequent Dark Wolves that appeared would show themselves from afar and flee, so I couldn’t see even a strand of their fur.

I groaned and agonized.

‘Ugh! Monsters keep appearing but I can’t see them up close!’

I need to see a live monster to know what the magic stone looks like! But I can’t even properly see a corpse, let alone a live monster!

After about four hours passed like that, the knights halted their march at a clearing where a small stream flowed.

“Rest here for a while!”

Everyone was familiar with feeding the horses and preparing for rest, as this wasn’t their first or second subjugation mission.

After dismounting, I stretched and just watched them.

‘What’s this, I came along but there’s nothing for me to do.’

I had brought lots of magic stones just in case, but there was no need to use magic.

As I looked around, I approached the Dark Wolf corpse that the knights had skillfully bundled.

The Dark Wolf corpse with all its magi drained looked no different from an ordinary wolf.

I examined the forehead where the arrow had struck from various angles. But there was nothing I could discern.

‘With the magic stone shattered, I can’t tell what it originally felt like or if it really contained magical power.’

The only thing I could record was the ecology of the Dark Wolf, but even its pack behavior and scouting were exactly like ordinary wolves, so there was nothing particularly new.

‘Still, I should record it. What seems insignificant now might turn out to be a big hint later.’

As I was meticulously writing down details about the claws, fur shape, and magic stone location on paper, Grisha approached me and spoke in a friendly manner.

“You’re working hard, Nelly.”

“It’s a rare opportunity after all.”

“That’s right. Chances to see monsters up close like this are rare.”

After circling around the Dark Wolf once, Grisha rested his chin on his hand and expressed a similar impression to mine.

“This just looks like an ordinary wolf. It’s hard to believe it’s the same creature we saw looking pitch black from afar earlier.”

“They say that when the magi drains out, the size typically shrinks. That thing attached to monsters called a magic stone…”

As I was summarizing for Grisha the facts Jack had told me, I suddenly raised my head.

‘Right! An opportunity like this won’t come twice! And yet I’m wasting it so absent-mindedly!’

“Nelly?”

Grisha called out to me in a puzzled tone, but I no longer heard his voice.

I clenched my fists and strode purposefully towards where Cedar was.

Cedar was just chatting idly with other knights.

“Captain, you’re being very diligent today.”

“Usually you rampage through the forest like a hippopotamus.”

“Shut up.”

The trivial exchange further upset me. I called out to Cedar loudly.

“Cedar Granite!”

Cedar, who surely must have sensed my presence, only then raised his head. I clenched my fists tightly and burst out.

“Keep your promise! You said you’d show me monsters up close!”

A corner of my heart tightened at his seemingly indifferent gaze.

My fists loosened slightly, and my head drooped. I added in a deflated voice.

“You said carrying one person like me while fighting would be nothing…”

I felt like I might cry for no reason. I also felt silly for coming to argue about this. I turned to go back to where Grisha was.

That’s when it happened.

“…Damn it.”

A small, low voice muttered a curse. When I turned my head again, I saw Cedar slowly rising.

He tightened his loosened gloves and spoke gruffly to the knights beside him.

“I’ll be back.”

“Huh?”

Not understanding how the situation was unfolding, I made a dumb sound.

Be back? Where?

While I had no idea what he was talking about, the knights beside him grinned as if they had expected this and pushed his back.

“Are you going now?”

“Hurry back. It’s unsettling to be around a sexually frustrated captain.”

It sounded as if Cedar was going somewhere separately. I blinked my eyes.

“What are you all talking ab-”

“Hold on tight.”

“Eek!”

Cedar, who had walked over with large strides, scooped me up in one swift motion.

Startled, I grabbed onto Cedar’s shoulders.

His gray eyes still shone indifferently. He replied shamelessly without changing his expression.

“You asked me to hold you.”

“Don’t say things that could be misunderstood! I didn’t ask you to hold me, I said you promised me… Ugh!”

Before I could finish speaking, Cedar started running from his spot.

Then, as if gravity didn’t apply to him alone, his body lightly rose up and landed on a high tree branch nearby.

Cedar spoke nonchalantly.

“You’ll bite your tongue, so it’s better not to talk.”

You should have said that earlier!

Having already bitten my tongue, I covered my mouth with both palms.

Now Grisha, standing far below us, called out to me with a pale face.

“Nelly!”

Cedar glanced at Grisha once, then waved his hand halfheartedly at the knights.

“See you later. At the usual meeting point.”

“Yes!”

“Have a safe trip!”

As if it was common for him to act alone, none of the knights tried to stop Cedar.

As I felt his arm holding me tighten, Cedar leapt nimbly to another tree.

It felt like flying through the sky.