The Guild Master Whose Hobby Was Helping People Found Himself Surrounded by the Strongest, Overly Attached Members - 17

Chapter 17: The Man of the Night Forest

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The forest’s atmosphere changed the moment the howl echoed. Beyond the dim canopy, the familiar forest path felt strangely cold. Even the birds had gone silent, and only our footsteps lingered unnaturally in my ears. With my hand resting on the hilt of my sword, I glanced back at Iris.

“Iris, are you tired?”

“No, I’m fine. …But, the wind feels strange, doesn’t it?”

She noticed it too. Something was definitely up ahead, beyond the beast path. That roar… There was no way it had been natural.

“If we can at least figure out what kind of monster it was, we can report it to the capital. As long as they believe we’re not lying—”

That was when it happened.

“…A person?”

There was a gap between the trees, left open like a hollow space. Bathed in moonlight, a man stood there. A black robe. His face hidden beneath a deep hood. Even so, his outline wavered unnaturally beneath the moonlight, giving him an inhuman presence.

I tightened my grip on my sword.

“What are you doing out here at this hour?”

The man didn’t respond. No reply, no movement. But then, as if in place of words, the air shuddered with a whoosh. A violent wind that made me stagger back. Yet the man stood perfectly still, as if nailed to the spot.

“…Can’t he hear us?” 

Iris whispered.

“No, he hears us. He’s ignoring us.”

On purpose. Testing our caution, maybe.

I stepped forward slightly, raising my voice.

“We’re from Envel Village. Are you connected to that howl?”

At those words, from beneath the hood—two glowing eyes flashed with a grin. A chill crawled down my spine.

“…You’ve come at last.”

The man’s lips moved. His voice was small, but it reached my ears with perfect clarity.

“Quite the effort, coming out this late at night. Do you think you’ll be able to find your way back?”

Though his tone carried no inflection, it somehow sounded like he was laughing.

“…This guy is creepy…”

iris muttered. I raised my sword and stepped in front of her.

“Were you the one who caused that howl?”

The man gave no answer. Though there was no wind, his hood shifted.

“If you understand our words, then answer!”

I had meant to shout, but his reply came back slow and languid.

“…Do you really want an answer?”

“Of course. Don’t toy with us.”

“I’m not toying with you. I’m only talking about whether or not you noticed.”

I couldn’t understand what he meant. But I knew one thing—his eyes were fixed on us.

“You pretend to be clever, but… You still know nothing.”

A lukewarm breeze brushed my cheek.

“You’re so distracted by what’s right in front of you, you miss the answer close at hand. How foolish.”

For some reason, his words made my skin crawl—no, that wasn’t it. The fear didn’t come from hearing him. It came from smell. A few meters past the man, in the shadows of the forest, something lay sprawled.

“…!”

I stepped forward instinctively, squinting into the dark. Caught on a tree root, a soldier lay collapsed. Leather armor bearing the royal crest. His body was covered in wounds. His eyes wide open, unmoving.

“…A soldier from the capital…?”

My voice cracked. My pulse quickened.

Why are they here? They didn’t even reply to our letter—no, wait. The request has been accepted, hasn’t it? Is this why communication has stopped?

“Is he alive?” 

Iris whispered.

“…No. It’s already too late.”

I didn’t need to get closer. His skin was unnaturally pale. And more than anything, the air around him was freezing.

“You’ve been killing people while hiding in the forest?”

“That’s wrong.”

The man’s voice rang out suddenly.

“I wasn’t hiding. You just failed to find me. You could’ve figured it out had you used your brain more, but you abandoned reason. Truly foolish.”

His words carried no power. But the being that spoke to us was undeniably abnormal.

“…What are you?”

When I muttered that, the man lifted his face slightly and beneath the hood, a white, fanglike smile appeared.

“What I am now has no meaning. What I’ll become matters far more. Go on, look at my shadow.”

The moment he said that, the shadow at his feet began to writhe, slithering across the ground like a living thing.

“…!”

And then, from behind that black shadow, countless red eyes surfaced. Something leapt out. Fangs. Claws. Mottled skin. It wasn’t a forest beast or a wild animal.

“Iris, get back!”

I leapt sideways, shielding her. The creature burst from the shadow, fangs bared as it lunged. I swung my sword at its neck just in time—yet it didn’t stop.

…I cut it, didn’t I!?

There was no sensation of cutting flesh.

“Will you notice this time? You can’t defeat it.”

At last, the moonlight caught the monster. Crimson eyes. Sticky black fur. A wolf-like beast, massive in size, its mouth leaking purple smoke.

“Iris, run—”

But my instincts lagged. In an instant, the beast closed the distance, its sharp claws raking into my side. A burning pain, and at the same time, a sickening sensation of something invading my body.

“Ghh… Aagh…!”

“Big Brother!!”

Iris’s scream sounded distant. I fell to my knees, groaning, my grip on my sword trembling. My vision blurred.

“…I won’t let you hurt my big brother anymore!”

I turned my head toward her. Her arms spread wide, magic gathering in her hands. I wanted to tell her not to fight, but I was too late.

“—Lux Arrow!”

A magic circle floated in the air, weaving arrows of light. But the moment the monster’s eyes fixed on them, its body jerked with a wet snap.

“Iris, stop—!”

Before I could shout, its claws swatted the arrows aside. It tore into the earth, sweeping at her feet.

Her body toppled, crashing against the ground. Blood splattered from the gash across the arm she used to shield her face.

“Lu…x—”

Even so, Iris didn’t run. With trembling arms, she tried desperately to muster her magic again. But the beast’s fangs slowly drew closer to her neck.

“…Ah, what a shame.”

That man’s voice drifted in from nowhere. It carried the weary disappointment of a teacher giving up on a student.

“You were so close to realizing it. But in the end, emotions dull reason.”

His words crawled along the ground, creeping up from my knees, stabbing into my chest. Before me, fangs descended toward Iris. Even her face, painted with fear, remained frozen.

At the very least, Iris…

My battered body screamed as I lifted my hand. I focused what little magic I had into my trembling fingers. Even as my consciousness wavered, I refused to close my eyes.

“…Get… Away… From Iris…!”

The faint light gathered at my fingertips burst outward.

“—Lux Sphere!”

Blinding radiance exploded. Like the sun crashing to earth, the white light struck the monster’s crimson eyes.

“GYAAAAH—!”

A shriek pierced the night. The beast writhed, clawing furrows into the ground as it stumbled back. The shadows covering its body rippled like smoke, then scattered into black mist, fading into the forest fog.

“Splendid!”

The man’s voice resounded. But his location was unclear.

“Even without realizing it, you managed to choose the best answer. Remarkable. Truly remarkable. I’m moved.”

I couldn’t grasp his meaning, but his voice was fading further away.

“I’ll save you for last. I’ll destroy the surrounding villages first, then I’ll come for you. I hope you figure it out before then.”

His presence vanished. He was gone.

“…Big Brother!”

Iris pushed herself up from the ground and ran to me. I tried to lift my head, but my body went limp, like a severed string. My awareness grew faint.

“Leon-nii! Wake up, please—!”

Only her desperate cries echoed in my mind.

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