Chapter 20
Several months had passed since the subjugation.
Theon sat behind his desk, reading through a stack of reports.
Everything appeared normal.
The territory was stable.
The border was quiet.
There had been no unusual activity from the neighboring kingdoms.
Yet something was bothering him.
He pressed two fingers against his temple.
A dull ache had been lingering there for several days.
At first, he thought it was simply exhaustion.
He had been working more than usual since Rishima left.
But lately...
The pain had been getting worse.
And there was something else.
Every night, he had the same nightmare.
The same place.
The same girl.
The same desperate voice.
But the dream was always strangely vague.
He could never see the girl's face clearly. Her features were always blurred, making it impossible for him to recognize her.
Even her voice was difficult to understand.
He could hear the desperation in it, but the words were never clear enough.
And whenever he woke up, the details quickly faded from his memory.
Theon lowered his gaze back to the report in front of him.
He tried to focus on the words, but his mind kept drifting back to the nightmare.
Suddenly, a knock came from the door.
"Your Grace?" Yohan called from outside.
"Come in," Theon replied.
The door opened, and Yohan entered carrying a cup of tea.
He approached the desk and carefully placed it in front of Theon.
"You should try this, Your Grace," Yohan said. "It's a tea from the western region that's said to help calm the mind."
Theon glanced at the cup.
"You've been having trouble sleeping for weeks," Yohan continued. "I thought this might help."
Theon said nothing.
The nightmares had become frequent enough that even Theon's normally composed appearance couldn't hide how exhausted he had become.
"Thank you," Theon said.
Yohan gave a small nod before stepping back.
Theon reached for the cup.
But before he could take a sip-
A sudden, searing pain shot through his head.
His hand froze.
The cup trembled slightly in his grasp.
He clenched his teeth and grabbed the edge of the desk with his other hand.
Yohan's expression changed immediately.
"What's wrong, Your Grace?" he asked worriedly.
Theon didn't answer.
The pain suddenly intensified.
His vision blurred.
The room around him disappeared.
He found himself standing in the same place he had seen countless times in his nightmares.
The dungeon.
The same cold stone walls.
The same girl.
But this time, something was different.
The image was no longer vague.
He could see everything clearly.
The girl was sitting on the cold floor, her hands tied behind her back.
Her silver hair fell over her shoulders.
Tears streamed down her face.
Theon stared at her in shock.
"Father..."
Her trembling voice echoed through the dungeon.
"I don't want to die."
Theon's eyes widened.
That single word struck him harder than anything else.
He finally understood.
The girl he had been seeing in his nightmares wasn't a stranger.
It was Rishima.
His daughter.
~~~
Several months had passed since I arrived in Solaris.
I was still staying at the same inn.
Over the past few months, I had settled into a simple routine.
I spent most of my days taking on small jobs around town, even though I still had plenty of gold left from what the Duke had given me.
I thought it was better to keep earning money while I could, because I didn't know how long I would be staying in Solaris.
I also continued practicing with my sword.
Every morning, I would find a quiet place outside the town and spend several hours training.
My swordsmanship had improved considerably since I first started.
I was still far from being a skilled swordswoman, but I could feel myself getting stronger.
After finishing my training that morning, I headed back toward town.
As I walked, my thoughts drifted toward Travis, Leon, and Elia.
I wondered how they were doing.
I hadn't heard anything from them since I left.
I hoped they were all doing well.
I missed them.
But I knew I couldn't return yet.
There were still things I needed to figure out.
Especially about Rishima.
When I reached the town, I stopped by the notice board near the market.
I scanned through the available jobs.
Most of them were simple errands and deliveries.
Then one caught my attention.
Request: Gather medicinal herbs in Mirkwood Forest.
I stared at the notice.
Mirkwood was known for being filled with monsters.
Most people avoided going there unless they had a reason to.
I smiled.
"This could work."
I needed to gather the herbs for the job, but I could also use the opportunity to practice my swordsmanship.
If I encountered any monsters along the way, I could fight them.
It would be much better training than practicing against the same targets every day.
I pulled the notice from the board.
"I'll take this one."
When I went to register for the job, the staff member behind the counter looked at me with concern.
"Are you sure you want to take this request?" he asked. "Mirkwood is extremely dangerous. The forest is filled with monsters, and even experienced adventurers have gotten injured there."
"I'll be careful," I assured him.
He hesitated before handing me the request form.
"Just don't venture too deep into the forest. Gather the herbs near the outer area and return as soon as you can."
I nodded. "Understood."
I smiled at him, though I had no intention of following his advice.
After registering for the job, I immediately headed out of town.
Mirkwood wasn't far, and I wanted to finish the job before the day was over.
The moment I reached the forest, the atmosphere changed.
The trees stood closer together, blocking out most of the sunlight.
I glanced around, searching for the herbs mentioned in the request.
According to the description, they usually grew near the roots of large trees and had small purple flowers.
I walked slowly, carefully checking the ground as I went.
After a few minutes, I spotted something familiar.
"Is that it?"
I crouched down and examined the small plant growing near the roots of a tree.
It matched the description perfectly.
"Found one."
I carefully gathered the herb and placed it inside my pouch.
I stood up and looked around.
There were plenty of trees around me, so there were probably more herbs nearby.
I was about to check out the other trees when suddenly-
Rawrrr!
I stopped.
A low growl came from somewhere between the trees.
I slowly reached for the hilt of my sword.
A smile appeared on my face.
"Looks like I'll have to finish collecting the herbs later."
I tightened my grip on my sword.
The bushes ahead began to shake.
Something was approaching.
I lowered my stance and waited.
A large monster suddenly emerged from between the trees.
It was covered in thick, dark fur, with sharp claws and two horns protruding from its head.
I stared at it for a moment.
"You're quite big."
The monster let out another roar before charging toward me.
I quickly stepped to the side, narrowly avoiding its claws.
I swung my sword at its side.
The blade cut through its fur, leaving a deep wound.
The monster roared in pain and turned toward me.
I took a few steps back.
Its movements were faster than I expected.
I tightened my grip on my sword.
I couldn't afford to underestimate it.
The monster charged again.
This time, I waited until it was close before moving.
I ducked beneath its claws and swung my sword upward.
The blade struck its chest.
The monster stumbled backward.
"Got you."
I quickly followed up with another swing.
The monster tried to block the attack with its claws, but I managed to strike its leg.
It lost its balance and fell to the ground.
I raised my sword.
"Looks like I win."
I was about to deliver the final blow when-
Another roar echoed through the forest.
I froze.
Slowly, I turned around.
Another monster was standing behind me.
Then I heard more growls coming from between the trees.
My eyes widened.
"Shit..."
I looked around.
"Why did you all have to show up?"
I tightened my grip on my sword.
The monsters began moving toward me from every direction.
"Fine," I muttered. "I'll deal with all of you."
The nearest monster suddenly charged.
I quickly stepped to the side and swung my sword at it.
My blade struck its shoulder, forcing it to stagger backward.
Before I could follow up, another monster lunged at me from behind.
I spun around and barely blocked its claws with my sword.
The force of the impact made my arms ache.
I pushed it away and quickly backed up.
Another monster charged toward me.
I swung my sword again, cutting across its side.
It roared and stumbled backward.
I took a breath.
So far, so good.
But then another monster came at me.
And another.
I barely had time to react.
I dodged one attack, blocked another, and swung my sword whenever I saw an opening.
But there were too many of them.
My breathing grew heavier.
My arms were beginning to ache from constantly swinging my sword.
I glanced around.
More monsters were closing in.
"Seriously...?"
I stepped backward, trying to create some distance.
But there was nowhere to go.
The trees surrounded me on every side.
I gritted my teeth.
I couldn't keep this up forever.
One monster suddenly lunged at me.
I raised my sword to block its claws.
Clang!
The impact nearly made me drop my weapon.
Before I could recover, another monster attacked from the side.
I barely managed to dodge.
Its claws grazed my arm.
"Ah!"
I stumbled backward.
I looked at the small cut on my arm.
It wasn't deep, but the sight of blood made my heart race.
I couldn't afford to make another mistake.
I tightened my grip on my sword and faced the monsters again.
But this time, they were already charging toward me.
All at once.
My eyes widened.
"Wait..."
I raised my sword.
There were too many.
I swung desperately, but one of the monsters struck my sword.
My sword flew from my hand and landed several feet away.
My eyes followed it.
"No..."
I quickly reached for it, but a monster lunged toward me.
I threw myself backward and fell onto the ground.
Pain shot through my back.
I tried to get up.
But the monsters were already surrounding me.
Their growls echoed through the forest.
I looked around desperately.
My sword was lying just out of reach.
I stretched my hand toward it.
Come on...
Just a little farther.
My fingers brushed against the ground, but I couldn't reach it.
A monster stepped closer.
I froze.
For the first time since I had started training, I felt completely helpless.
I had thought I was getting stronger.
I had thought I could handle this.
But now, with dozens of monsters surrounding me, I couldn't see any way out.
The monster in front of me raised its claws, preparing to strike.
My breath caught.
Was this really how I was going to die?