Taming The Villainesses

Episode 289.1

I never really liked running.

When I was younger, I used to run around energetically from place to place.

But as I got older, I found fewer reasons to run, and I began to dislike the panting and heat that came after a hard sprint.

Was it because I became an adult?

No, even after I became an adult, I still ran around often.

It must have been after I became this half-fairy that it changed.

This half-fairy body creaked like it was dragging a rusty weight, so after breaking a sweat, I would be sick for days.

“Haah, haaah—”

The same was true now.

My breath caught in my throat, and my eyes stung from the sweat trickling down. My chest felt like it was about to tear apart, but strangely, my legs felt light.

Maybe all the training I’d done hadn’t been in vain after all… I could almost see Elga’s smug face.

━A man’s got to have stamina!

She wasn’t wrong.

I kept running for what felt like ages. I had been running since lunchtime till the sun started to set.

━Follow the fairy trees, keep walking towards the wall…

━When you see a ginkgo tree, turn right…

The deeper I went into the forest, the more memories surfaced. Memories of a soft voice filled my head like new flesh breaking through an old shell.

There was a hint of nostalgia in it all. Those voices dripped into my heart only to evaporate quickly, leaving me feeling impatient.

I knew I was searching for something.

But I didn’t know what it was or how to find it, and that irked me.

Thud.

Suddenly, my foot caught on something, and I felt myself lift off the ground. I realized I was about to trip over a stone or tree root and braced myself, closing my eyes tightly.

“Careful!”

Seuk-.

I felt something forcefully grab the nape of my neck.

When I came to my senses, I realized that someone had caught hold of my hood and steadied me just before I fell.

“Urgh.”

It caused the front of my collar to choke me a bit, but I guess it was better than falling flat on my face.

Seureureuk-.

Stella released her grip on me, and as soon as she did, I lightly stumbled forward. Of course, it was much better than crashing after running at full speed.

“Where were you rushing off to like that? I thought you were crazy.”

Stella extended her hand to me as I lay on the ground.

When I took her hand, a strength that I couldn’t believe came from such a slender arm pulled me up.

“You saved me, thanks.”

“Never mind that. Where were you even going in such a hurry? Everyone was worried, so I followed you. This isn’t like you, Theo-kun. You’re usually so composed.”

“Ah.”

I looked behind me.

I had no idea how far or where I had run to.

Nor did I have any clue how to get back to Sandora, where everyone else was waiting. When you venture deep into a forest, everything starts to look the same.

“So, it looked like you were looking for something. Did you? You seemed like someone who lost a pet in the forest.”

Stella had sharp intuition. But I shook my head at her sharp question.

“No, I didn’t find it. Actually, I’m not even sure what I was trying to find.”

That’s exactly how I felt.

Like I lost something.

But I didn’t know what or where. I was just wandering around with an empty feeling, like someone aimlessly searching with the nagging sense of having misplaced something.

If I tried to explain it, it would just sound like I was being hysterical. But since it was the truth, I couldn’t find a better explanation.

“I know it sounds strange, but it feels like there’s something calling me in this forest….”

After my heated head cooled down, a chill took over my body.

As Calm Thinking activated, I realized just how impulsively and childishly I had acted. It left me feeling somewhat embarrassed. Everyone must have been worried.

But instead of laughing or scolding me, Stella proposed a hypothesis.

“Hm, well, they say nymphs tend to get excited when they enter the forest. So, it’s not strange if you suddenly felt like running into the deeper woods. Maybe Theo-kun is a forest nymph.”

A forest nymph?

I slightly furrowed my brows at the strange suggestion.

“Nymphs are categorized based on their living environment or birthplace. Generally, there are forest nymphs, water nymphs, and mountain nymphs.”

I wasn’t particularly curious, but my knowledge increased.

“Nymphs can become exhilarated and act out of character when they come to a place similar to their birthplace’s natural environment. So maybe you’re a forest nymph, Theo-kun.”

It sounded somewhat reasonable when I thought about it.

Isaiah Gospel, who I presume to be my father, was said to have disappeared beyond the northern Witch Forest, far beyond the barrier. Somewhere there, he met a nymph and they had a child together…

Then that child would have been born in a forest and certainly fits a forest nymph.

I guess that makes sense.

Maybe this body was born in a forest similar to this one, just like Stella said. So I got impatient without realizing it.

As I was lost in thought, Stella lightly tapped my arm.

“Anyway, we’ve left the safe zone. It’s dangerous to wander around the Witch Forest at night, so let’s head back. I memorized the way.”

“That’s really a relief.”

I was lucky that Stella, skilled in navigating the forest paths, had followed me. If not, I would’ve been in quite a predicament. With that, Stella and I began making our way back to rejoin the others.

* * *

I think I’ve mentioned this before, but the sun sets early in the forest.

Whether it’s because of the abundance of tall trees or some kind of special magic, night falls quickly in the Witch Forest.

As night arrived, the forest became noticeably cooler—no longer feeling like summer. And amidst all the cacophony of strange insects and beasts, the place just became very eerie.

—Ihihihihi.

If you listened closely, you could hear a peculiar laughter.

A thin, feminine voice. The atmosphere was so haunting it felt like a ghost might jump out at any moment. Just then, I instinctively drew the wand embedded in my left arm.