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“……!”
In an instant, a formidable power erupted from her small body. The white light that poured from Annette pierced through the monster in a flash, annihilating it completely.
Sislein’s black ability, which had arrived a split second later, collided with the white light, creating a deafening roar before dissipating like a wave.
*Thump—*
It was then that Annette’s small body, which had been floating in the air, fell to the ground.
“Annette!”
“Big Sister!”
The two boys called her name frantically and rushed over. As soon as Heinri saw Annette collapsed on the ground, he burst into tears.
“Big Sister, please, wake up!”
Sislein, who had been carefully examining Annette’s face, spoke up.
“She’s asleep.”
“……What?”
“Annette, she’s just sleeping.”
Both boys knew that an immense wave of exhaustion followed an Awakening. Looking at her again, Annette was fast asleep, her cherry-like lips slightly parted, letting out a soft, rhythmic breathing sound. She looked just like a tired baby rabbit.
“……Haa, thank goodness.”
Only then did Heinri seem to ease his mind, bowing his head and letting out a long, shaky sigh. But his heart was still racing from the shock, and he blinked his eyes as he spoke.
“Did you see that just now? It was truly an incredible power. I felt a strength even greater than when I Awakened. What on earth did she awaken?”
“Who knows…….”
Sislein replied quietly, looking down at the sleeping Annette. His gaze was somewhat complex, for he was worried about the girl.
*‘Can Annette handle this?’*
He knew that once one gained an ability, their life changed drastically. Sislein lowered his eyes, withdrew his gaze, and checked her necklace.
“Your necklace is broken too, right?”
“Huh? The necklace? ……Damn it, this thing has turned into a complete piece of scrap metal.”
Heinri furrowed his brows as he inspected the lusterless necklace.
“Why is it like this?”
“It’s strange. That all three of our necklaces are broken.”
“……True. Come to think of it, isn’t it also strange that Big Sister was in such a dangerous zone?”
“…….”
Sislein silently lifted Annette into his arms.
“What are you doing? Where are you taking her?”
“It will take a long time for the teachers to find us.”
“So?”
“It’s dangerous for us to try to get out of here on our own. This is a very deep part of The Forest, and it’s easy to get lost once the sun sets. We need to move Annette to a safe place before then. Let’s go to the ‘Cave’.”
The ‘Cave’ was a kind of safety zone for children undergoing the Level Test. Usually, if a Tree was in danger, a teacher would be dispatched, but it was a precaution for unforeseen accidents. The high-level zones were as dangerous as they were, so they had made thorough preparations for the children’s safety. In a situation like this, the Suppressor acted as a sort of GPS.
Heinri’s eyes narrowed, his expression clearly displeased.
“……Hey, why are you the one carrying Big Sister? I’ll carry her, get lost.”
Heinri stomped over and snatched Annette from Sislein’s arms. However, Sislein walked over quietly and, without a word, snatched her back into his arms in a second.
“……!”
*Whoosh!* Heinri snatched Annette right back, like a greedy cat trying to eat a snack all by itself. A second later, Sislein snatched her back again, quick as lightning.
“You, you beast! Don’t hold Big Sister with that lecherous look on your face!”
“Your expression is even more lecherous.”
“I said I’m the one who’s going to carry Big Sister!”
*Whoosh, whoosh.*
The position of Annette changed several times on the way to the cave. Yet, because the two boys were being extremely careful so as not to wake her by jostling her, Annette was able to sleep as peacefully as if she were lying on a feather bed.
* * *
“It’s a cave with a safety barrier.”
“Haa.”
As soon as they arrived at the cave, Heinri slumped down, bowing his head. Sislein carefully checked the interior of the cave to ensure there were no dangers. There was a slight dampness characteristic of caves, but it felt generally comfortable.
“Let’s make a bed first. Take off your clothes.”
Sislein said this to Heinri while taking off his own outer garment, then went out to the front of the cave to gather a pile of leaves and stems. He wove them tightly to make a makeshift bed and spread his coat over it. Normally, Heinri wouldn’t have listened to Sislein, but since it was for Annette, he complied without a word of complaint.
“Big Sister, don’t be cold.”
Heinri took off his own coat and covered her with it. Then, he peered at the sleeping Annette, his face turning slightly red.
“Big Sister is so cute, like a rabbit.”
“Stop that and follow me.”
At Sislein’s words, Heinri glared at him, his face twisted in dissatisfaction.
“Where?”
“We need to find food. We need drinking water, and we should scout the surroundings.”
“Ugh, leave Big Sister and go where? You go. I’m not moving a single step from here.”
As Heinri grabbed the sleeping Annette’s hand and stuck to her side, *slap!*, Sislein said with an expressionless face.
“I don’t have enough hands to do it alone, and it will take too long. We need to return quickly. Annette will be hungry when she wakes up.”
At the mention of Annette getting hungry, the inner corners of Heinri’s eyebrows lifted.
“……Damn it.”
“The first time you Awaken, a tremendous hunger hits you. Did you forget?”
Usually, it was an act that consumed a great deal of mental and physical strength, so one would fall asleep immediately as if the power had been cut off, and suffer from hunger the moment they woke up. Recalling his own experience, Heinri sighed low and stood up.
“……I have no choice, I don’t want Big Sister to be hungry. Since there’s a safety barrier here, beasts won’t be able to get in, right?”
“Yeah. I checked.”
Even after hearing the answer, Heinri felt uneasy for some reason and checked the barrier with his own mana several times. Then, he picked up a suitable stone. Sislein, who had been watching, urged him on.
“We have to catch something and return before the sun sets.”
“You insensitive beast. Big Sister will worry when she wakes up, won’t she? We have to leave a message.”
That was a fair point, so Sislein watched silently as Heinri wrote on the wall. The content was a lovely message that roughly included ‘I love you, Big Sister.’ Sislein, who had been reading the message in silence, spoke from the side.
“……Write about me, too.”
“Tsk.”
As if annoyed, Heinri scribbled a brief note about Sislein in messy handwriting.
“Happy now?”
Sislein looked at the content carefully, pondered for a moment, and nodded.
“Let’s go quickly.”
The two boys finally left the cave.
* * *
At the same time, the teachers of The Forest were gathered in one place, all worried.
“We must go find the children immediately; they must be in danger!”
“Please calm down, Teacher Rose. First, it is a priority for us all to grasp the situation.”
“*Sob*, ah, the children must be waiting for me……!”
Teacher Rose, who was in charge of the test, buried her face in her hands and dropped her head in despair. She had clearly heard Annette’s scream of ‘Help me’ through the necklace. However, she could not respond to the child’s plea for help. It was because the magic tool, the necklace, had suddenly stopped working.
That magic tool had a spell cast on it to summon Rose to the location, but somehow, it had lost its light and become dead. Rose, who had a strong sense of responsibility for the children, looked utterly tormented.
“I’m going to go first, even if it’s just by myself! Mrs. Mimosa, please, grant me permission.”
Julius restrained her, his deep blue eyes filled with a cold chill.
“If it is those children, they will have found a safe place, Rose. And even if you go to look for them alone, the ‘Temple of the Forest’ is too vast and deep for it to be of any use.”
“But……!”
Rose’s gaze trembled. Just then, Mrs. Mimosa, who had been listening quietly, opened her mouth.
“Is it true that only the necklaces of those three children are broken?”
Rose replied.
“Yes, Madam. I checked all the necklaces of the other children who returned, and they were all normal.”
“…….”
Mrs. Mimosa’s gaze darkened. How could this be? Heinri, Annette, Sislein. It was precisely the three Trees she was watching closely that had disappeared. In effect, the most important children in The Forest had vanished. What a disaster.
*‘This is an accident completely outside of my expectations.’*
A wrinkle formed on Mrs. Mimosa’s brow. Moving Annette to the high-level test site midway had been part of her plan, but she had certainly not ‘deliberately’ broken those necklaces. Yet, the children had suddenly lost contact. And within The Forest, at that.
She could not lose the children like this. ……Especially not Annette.
Before long, Mrs. Mimosa spoke. Her calm and stern voice filled the auditorium.
“From now on, put all your efforts into finding the children. Even if you have to carry torches when it gets dark, search every single place thoroughly. Leave not a single corner unsearched!”
“Yes! Madam.”
The teachers bowed in unison.
“Those three Trees are the most precious treasures of our forest.”
Her golden eyes shone sharply.
“You must find them.”
The teachers each took on their roles. Rose and the other teachers decided to divide the zones to search (Rose volunteered for the deepest and most rugged area), and Julius decided to stay in the forest to look after the children who were feeling anxious.
“…….”
Finally, in the empty reception room, Mrs. Mimosa picked up a small green box on the console. Annette’s initials were engraved on the box. It was a gift for that child. A gift for the most excellent and greatest Tree who had returned after Awakening.
*‘She won’t have died. That child. My intuition tells me so.’*
She felt an inexplicably firm belief. However, there was one fact that was truly unfathomable at this moment.
*‘Has Annette Awakened?’*
If she has Awakened, your life will change 180 degrees from now on. So, please, show me the figure of an excellent Tree in your Awakened form. But first, you must return to my arms.
Without fail…….
With eyes tangled in impatience and anticipation, Mrs. Mimosa looked out the window.
*‘Where are you, Annette.’*
* * * Drip, drip—
A cold droplet of water fell onto my cheek, waking me from my light slumber.
“Ugh….”
Why was I sleeping? What was the situation again? Right, I entered the scary Forest, met a strange monster that cried “Kung-ya—,” and then I Awakened.
Wait, Awakened? Me, someone with absolutely no talent?
I twitched my eyebrows.
No, it must be a dream. It has to be a dream.
Not only because I went through such a terrifying ordeal, but above all, there is no way I could be an Awakened.
‘It’s just a weird dream, so if I go back to sleep and wake up, I’ll be back in reality, right?’
I turned over to try and drift off again, but that was when it happened.
A voice whispered softly in my ear.
[ Look at these luscious cheeks. Are all children’s cheeks like this? They’re as fair and squishy as bread made from glutinous rice flour. ]
…Excuse me? Glutinous rice?
Following that, I felt a finger pressing into my cheek, “Boing, boing!”
‘Um, what are you doing?’
My cheeks aren’t public property, you know.
‘Who on earth is doing this?’
The finger became increasingly aggressive, now pressing and prodding my cheek at will, as if it were kneading freshly baked bread.
[ …Cute. ]
‘Sob, I’m going to get squashed at this rate.’
I slowly opened my eyes to identify the person poking my cheek.
“……!”
And then, I was struck with shock.
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