Our journey through the dense and quiet forest resumed after a mysterious guard gave us passage. The swift and winding river current became our guide, leading us further away from the village we had left behind.
"Hiro, I'm starting to get curious. About your plan earlier, how did you come up with that?" Isabella asked me.
"Ah, I used to help my aunt and uncle at the market. It's normal for wages to be distributed unevenly, but it's not fair." I started to get annoyed.
"Is that so?" she replied.
"Do you guys feel that this road feels off?" Carla asked, her voice full of wonder. "There's not a single person or even an animal in sight."
I started to look around, "However, this is the only path we can take." Isabella said.
Carla nodded, but the tension on her face didn't decrease. "Yeah, even if that's true, we should be cautious."
Some time passed. Carla was still being overly cautious, and when she turned around, she was surprised to see someone wearing a black cloak and looked around my age. However, they disappeared in an instant.
Just before I noticed, "Hey, Hiro... did you see someone around my age earlier?" Carla asked, staring at me with a sharp gaze.
I looked around, "Yeah, I think Charlotte and Isabella." _Plakk_ "I'm serious, idiot." "Ow, no, I didn't see anyone like that."
"Hufft, whatever. We need to find a place, it's almost night." Isabella started to gaze at the sky.
"That's true. Let's go find a place first." Isabella suggested.
"Okay, fine." My bump hurt more and more.
Some time later, we found a suitable place to set up our tent.
"Hey, we need to find firewood. Can anyone help me?" Isabella asked while arranging the grill.
Isabella replied promptly, "Hiro?!" She stared at me.
"No, I'm busy." I replied, busy searching for the necklace given by the queen.
"Hufft, fine. I'll go for a bit." Carla stood up, walked slowly, and went to gather local firewood.
However, a loud rustling sound was heard by Isabella. "Hiro, did you hear that?" Isabella looked around.
"Hear what?! I didn't hear anything." I replied, still busy searching for the necklace in my bag.
Not long after, Carla's scream was heard loudly from a distance. "NOOOOOO." Carla's scream echoed through the forest.
"Carla?!" We exclaimed in unison. "Isabella, where's Carla?!" I ran out to approach Isabella.
"Over there, I heard her over there." She pointed and started to climb onto my back.
"GUYYSSS, HELP ME." Isabella shouted towards us.
Isabella was suddenly blocked by someone with a sturdy and large build, making my mind go haywire. My fear intensified, and I gripped my hands tightly.
"No, no, I hope nothing happens to her." I turned around. "Isabella, hold on tight." I started to shake the ground.
The roots began to emerge, and I grasped them tightly in my hands. The man was clearly alone.
I started to hit him with a powerful rotation of the roots, directly towards him. "Hard to believe." Someone behind the tree said.
"NO WAY-" I shouted.
-To be continued
Next Chap: Scandinavia #4