True Love for the Blossoming Forest | Chapter 6

[healingbonds]

Chapter 5 << | index | >> Chapter 7


Shino: ....What?

Beautiful woman: ....You smell like him.

Shino: What? My smell?

Akira: Who does he smell like?

Beautiful woman: Someone very precious to me..... I think. But it’s not very clear.

Rustica: So you have someone precious to you. It’s wonderful that you managed to remember that.

Chloe: But what does she mean by Shino’s scent....? I don’t smell anything strong on him.

Akira: Hmm. You’re right, I can’t tell either.... Shino, did you put on any perfume?

Shino: I didn’t. Stop crowding me and sniffing at me.

Beautiful woman: Oh, you all don’t sense it? It’s the scent of the deep woods.... No, I suppose it’s more like the scent of someone who lives in the woods?

Akira: Someone who lives in the woods....?
(What does she mean....?)

Rustica: Ah.... I see. Miss, you aren’t a human lady.

Akira: Eh!?

Shino: Oh, I see.

Chloe: Now that you mention it.... She seems a little different from humans.

Akira: R... Really?

Rustica: Yes. Because the scent she speaks of cannot be detected by humans. It’s more like something you sense.

Akira: So is this lady a witch....?

Shino: She’s not. ...But she’s not a ghost, either. Who is she....?

Arthur: Judging from her appearance, with the flower comb and white dress, I think she is related to the town in some way, but....

Chloe: Then how about we do this?
Rustica and I will take her all around town.

Arthur: You two will?

Chloe: Regardless of who she turns out to be, we can’t just leave her on her own. She looks like she’s fine, but I’m sure it’s unnerving to lose all your memories....
And if she’s related to this town in some way, we might discover hints about her identity while looking around.
Or she might just recall everything on a whim!

Rustica: What a wonderful idea. That’s just like you, Chloe.

Akira: True — with you and Rustica by her side, I’m sure she’ll feel at ease.

Arthur: Then let’s leave her to Chloe and Rustica.

Beautiful Lady: I’m sorry. It looks like I’ll be causing you some trouble.

Chloe: Don’t worry! He trapped you in a birdcage, after all.

Rustica: We should help each other out in times of need. Shall we go, then?

Akira: Thank you both for your help. ...Now what should we do?

Arthur: Hmm. We’ve finished looking around town, so what remains is.....

(Wolf howl)

Shino: ...The forest.

Arthur: Yes. Let’s meet up with Owen and Cain and search for the wolf.

✦✧☾✧✦

(Footsteps)

Cain: The howling sounds pretty close now......
If the legend is true, the white wolf is the spirit of the forest. We can’t know what he’s going to do. Let’s be careful as we approach him.

Owen: I bet he’s already set his eyes on us. He’s thinking about when he should sink his fangs into our windpipes.

Cain: You might be right. The forest is the wolf’s territory. We’re probably unwelcome guests.

Owen: No, it’s the other way round.

Cain: The other way round...?

Owen: His howls have lured us into the far depths of the forest. If the forest were a body, we’d have entered its stomach a long while ago.

(Wolf howl)

Cain: ...He sure did make us walk deep into the forest.
We’ve gotten this close. Can’t you tell what he’s saying now?

Owen: Who knows.

Cain: .....

Owen: Fufu. What’s wrong, Sir Knight? Why are you glaring at me like that? Did you see something scary?

Cain: ...Owen. Let me ask you again. What reward did you demand from Prince Arthur?

Owen: I told you already. I’m just going to have him make a little sacrifice.

Cain: Stop being vague and tell it to me straight. Did you make some horrifying request?

Owen: What if I did? Would you pay the price instead? Just like the princess who sacrificed herself to a beast in order to save her people?

Cain: Prince Arthur is my lord. I would rather be a shield than let him get hurt.
I’d even gouge out my other eye and offer it to you instead.

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