CH 60

Serdel looked closely at the forest.

[Ugh… This forest is strange.] 

With a grunt, Dell clung to her. 

Whoosh—.

At the sudden appearance of the boy, the knights immediately drew their swords.

“Don’t be alerted; he’s my beast.”

“Ah, yes. I’m sorry.”

After putting the sword back in, they looked at the shiny white-haired Dell with wonder. 

In particular, the Count’s Knights were more perplexed because they did not notice any signs Dell was following. 

Only Redan, Siri, Terra, and Blenn, who all knew in advance, were not shaken. 

‘Did you change the color of your fur?’

[I’m afraid my identity will be revealed. And if I’m too flashy in the forest, it’s rather dangerous. But, Nuna. It’s weird here. The energy in the forest is also quite unstable and scary. There are no worms.] 

The boy trembled once. His tail and back fur even stood up. 

“It’s strange.”

Redan muttered.

“The atmosphere here is quite strange. Serdel, never leave my side.”

His forehead was filled with cold sweat. Redan pulled out a sword while wiping at his forehead roughly with his sleeves.

So that he can attack as soon as he sees a threat. 

Blenn was also sensitive to the energy of the forest and was glancing around, his hand never leaving the handle of his sword. 

They walked the whole day in such tension.

The road narrowed and a deep forest appeared as they continued on their path.

A clear sign that the hunter’s domain ended and the monster’s domain began.

‘The fact that I reached the boundary of the domain quickly means that I have come to the right place.’ 

While she felt fortunate, she couldn’t wait to turn around. 

Startle. 

She couldn’t afford to be distracted because the oppressive aura of the forest finally started to affect her. The mild energy pricked her skin like a bee sting.

Her skin was itchy and it was hard to breathe. The inside of her nose was in pain. 

Her whole body trembled at the tingling sensation she felt from her forehead.

The effect of the medicine was moot at this point.

“Serdel, are you okay?”

Redan was surprised by her pale face.

His complexion was also pale. 

When she looked back, most of them except for Falden’s men were struggling with the pressure of the changed energy.

One of the soldiers threw up blood and collapsed. Another soldier picked up the potion he received and let it flow into his mouth.

His eyes were open, but he couldn’t get enough energy, so other soldiers had to support him. 

“Are you okay, Lady?”

Blenn stuck to Serdel’s side.

He looked at Redan’s eyes for a moment, then quickly held her.

At the same time, her uncomfortable breathing became a little easier.

Redan, who was about to say something, shut up when Serdel’s face gradually returned to normal. 

If it weren’t for Blenn, she would have really collapsed.

“I’m fine—”

“It’s not okay. You don’t have to pretend you’re okay in front of me. Lady.” 

He rustled and moved around to hold her in a more stable position.

She buried her face closer to his chest.

Arms with nowhere to go were wrapped around Blenn’s strong shoulders. At the same time, his breath touched the nape of her neck. 

It felt like the hairs all over her body were rising.

Her face became hot. 

“I’m Lady’s escort. Please say that it’s hard when you’re tired, and that you’re uncomfortable when you’re uncomfortable.”

She opened her eyes at the sound of his voice, which seemed somehow angry.

Her eyes met his as he was looking at her.

“I’ll move.”

As soon as she was about to nod,

[Wu, wuuuuuuuuuuu!] 

Dell’s cry rang out like thunder in her mind.

[Kungkung! Khuuung!] 

It felt like the bones were shaking.

She looked down, surprised, and found Dell glaring at her and Blenn while puffing his cheeks, displeased.

[Kyuuuu!] 

“—Huh?”

As the shout went in, the boy’s body was slowly growing.

Huh? 

Dell’s body was filled with the forest’s silver energy.

For some reason, the scene caught her eye clearly.

“What’s with this rat? Look elsewhere. Or are you hurt? Hey, are you okay?”

Redan tried to reach out to Dell. 

“Brother, hold on a second! Don’t touch Dell.”

[Kyuuuuu!] 

“Blenn. Can you see the air gathered around Dell?”

“I can’t see it, but I can feel it.”

‘So it’s only visible to me.’

It was scary to be aware of it, and her field of vision widened, and she was able to see layers of multicolored aura floating in the forest.

[Wuuuung!] 

Dell swallowed the energy endlessly.

The more he did, the bigger his body grew.

“H, huh?”

Everyone’s eyes widened at Dell’s change. Same goes for Redan.

‘Is the forest energy affecting Dell’s growth rate?’

Is it possible to advance the time like this and become an adult?

Grrrrrr—.

The boy’s eyes, which were only cute, were torn sharply like a wild beast.

Just staring at the glistening fangs that appeared between the long main lights was enough to make one feel threatened.

Whooo—.

The boy who stopped inflating his body with the last sigh lifted his head. 

Everyone almost blinked at the power. 

[Now Nuna can ride on me!] 

“….”

A lively voice that did not match the terrifying appearance rang her mind brightly.

It was not that he had become an adult, but that he had temporarily grown his body using the energy he had swallowed. 

‘Is this possible?’

[I don’t know. I just didn’t like that guy hugging Nuna, so I did it. Hurry and get on Dell’s back, Nuna] 

The boy twinkled his eyes and hit Blenn’s arm with his big front paw. 

Redan swept his hair with both hands.

“Hey, you rat! What a wonderful punk! So you were originally a great guy!”

Grrrrr.. 

Although his snout twitched, Dell didn’t attack Redan.

Instead, he just expresses dissatisfaction by swinging his tail and slightly hitting Redan’s thigh. 

“Hahaha, you punk. He’s getting angry after getting bigger. By the way, I can feel the good energy from him? No wonder I feel comfortable breathing.” 

Redan quickly removed Serdel from Blenn’s arms.

Then he sat her down on Dell’s back quickly. 

‘Ah—!’

As Redan said, Dell has delivered a cool and refreshing energy.

Thanks to this, her body was energized.

Breathing also became much easier, and her headache that had been throbbing since entering the deep forest disappeared.

“Excuse me.”

Serdel called for the soldiers who were being supported.

“Come this way.”

The soldiers approached with a glance. The complexions of those who approach Dell brightened at once. 

Whoo. The rough breathing of the soldier also gradually stabilized.

He regained his energy in less than three minutes.

Serdel gave him another bottle of potion, just in case, and gave an order to Dell. 

‘Can you expand the scope of this clear energy from your body?’

[Ung. I will do it.]

The beast man with his mouth wide open sucked in the energy of the forest.

Once the absorbed energy was circulated and spread to his body, his aura expanded.

To the point where all of them fit inside.

“Whoo.”

Everyone’s face brightened up.

Sigh, Siri and Terra, who had dark complexions, were relieved that they would live a little better now.

“Let’s go.”

‘Go forward like this.’

“We’re going to speed up.”

Dell strode forward.

Everyone diligently followed after him.

*****

Two days have passed.

As they went inside, the nature of the energy gradually grew more and more oppressive. 

However, thanks to Dell, they were able to move quickly without much difficulty. 

“It’s strange. In this kind of atmosphere, we should have already run into one or two monsters, but it’s frighteningly quiet.” 

Redan nodded his head at the muttered words of Falden’s subordinate.

That’s why they’re more nervous. 

The eyes looking around became fiercer.

Only Serdel was relieved. That she wasn’t running into any danger meant she was on the right track. 

‘Uhm?’

While she was gazing at the various layers of energy in the forest, a strange golden air flowed in with the sudden wind and pointed to one place. 

She could instinctively tell that it was a sign to follow.