Chapter 9
9
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After that, Nina meticulously examined the plants every time she went in and out of the forest.
When she found a plant that the original heroine had discovered, she brought it and planted it separately in the field.
“Someday, when Young Master becomes a Duke, let’s use this to revive the territory together.”
As Nina said with a bright smile, Adrian looked at her and said.
“If I become a Duke?”
“Yes.”
“What if I don’t?”
“If not, we’ll just use it here.”
What are you worried about? Nina shrugged. Adrian looked at her small garden and asked.
“Nina.”
“Yes.”
“Do you want me to become a Duke?”
“Hmm……”
Nina frowned for a moment and then whispered softly.
“No.”
Adrian’s Rose quartz colored eyes looked at Nina.
Nina took a breath for a moment at the sight of that dazzling, beautiful color and replied.
“I want Adrian to smile.”
He widened his eyes and then smiled.
“Nina only wants things that are too difficult.”
“What’s so difficult? I’m here.”
As Nina put her hand on her waist, Adrian looked at her as if he had realized something.
“That’s right, you’re here.”
“Right?”
Nina chattered about the future of the garden. Adrian listened to Nina’s story seriously.
Nina’s garden grew in size every year, and the Jet-Black Knights became accustomed to Nina’s garden plants.
For example, lighting high-powered lamps with Transparent fruit harvested from Nina’s garden and oil obtained from Oil tree.
These lamps were brighter than other lamps and smelled only of pleasant wood.
In the meantime, Nina had grown taller, and now the long coat fit her perfectly.
Adrian was a hand span taller than her.
Supplies from the outside became more and more crude every day, but self-sufficiency became somewhat possible, so life became more abundant than before.
Nina was happy.
‘This is not bad. Good job, Nina.’
That’s what she thought.
Until today.
\ \ \
Nina squatted on the floor.
‘Damn it, this is screwed up.’
She sighed deeply. Her rough language had been passed on from her colleague, Jin.
Everywhere was purple.
The Violet Forest, which she was now familiar with.
In the middle of it, there was a pure white cube-shaped building with jewels embedded in each side.
Barrier.
Originally, fallen leaves were piled up around the building. But at some point, the fallen leaves on one side of the building disappeared, and a Magic Circle that was clearly visible to anyone was drawn.
Like a hunting dog tracking prey, Nina looked around, but there were no other traces.
Just the Magic Circle.
No one would come to this cursed forest, and no one would touch this Barrier.
Except for crazy Cultist.
“This is really screwed up!!”
Even if she shouted, the forest was silent.
In the deserted forest, Nina squatted down and tore at her short brown hair.
Nina stretched her back with a groan.
“Ah, but why do you make such a mistake, Nina? Here. Like this.”
She sighed deeply.
A problem that must be avoided.
[4. The Knights are annihilated because of the villain’s plan. + He suffers an irreversible emotional wound.]
‘I have to stop this.’
Nina frowned.
‘Is it the Magic Circle after all?’
Nina looked at the Magic Circle drawn next to the Barrier. It was drawn so intricately that it couldn’t be dismissed as a coincidence.
When did they come in and draw it?
‘No, it hasn’t even started yet, has it? Right?’
Let’s go back and report it first.
In a way, she discovered it in advance. Now that she had discovered it, she should be able to stop it.
Nina, who was eighteen this year, was tall and slender, and the long coat suited her well.
Her brown hair was now quite long, reaching her shoulders.
She braided it in pigtails as her sister used to do, but it didn’t look as good as when her hair was long.
Still, she didn’t give up on pigtails. It reminded her of her family and the touch of the hand that used to stroke her hair.
“?”
At that moment, she felt a gaze and reflexively drew her sword and looked around.
There was no sign of anyone, and everything was quiet.
‘What is it?’
She cautiously backed away, carefully guarding her surroundings, but suddenly her vision blurred and dizziness overwhelmed her.
‘Poison!’
She had been poisoned.
Suddenly, the ground sank and she began to sink as if she were stuck in smooth mud.
The moment she reflexively tried to get out and put strength in her legs, something grabbed her ankle.
“!!”
Her vision blurred, Nina gritted her teeth and swung her sword.
Even as her body was pulled upside down as if caught in a trap, her blade accurately cut the rope.
As the vine that wrapped around her ankle was cut, her body was thrown out by centrifugal force.
Nina balanced herself in the air like a cat and landed.
“Ugh!”
A pain like being stabbed in the ankle with a knife came over her.
Nina blinked away the tears and cursed repeatedly.
“Cough, cough, ah, it really hurts. Damn it, I can’t use my ankle.”
If Adrian had seen it, he would have said, ‘Are you going to keep using Jin’s language?’ but Adrian wasn’t here.
Besides, she was in pain, so she couldn’t help but swear.
Fortunately (?) the opponent was not the human who drew the Magic Circle, but a plant-type Bellac.
It looked like an ordinary plant before, but now it looks like a giant carnivorous plant.
No, is it a man-eating plant?
The vine-type Bellac, boasting large leaves, quickly stretched out its stems again.
Bellac, a contaminated life form, was hostile to humans and always attacked them.
“Are you going to take responsibility if Jin scolds me?”
I’ve already been told not to go alone so many times that my ears are bleeding.
‘My ankle is out of commission, and I’ve inhaled poison.’
Every time the large vine plant shook its leaves, it seemed that a colorless and odorless poison was spreading.
“North Wind! Blow everything away with your speed!”
As Nina chanted, a cold wind began to blow strongly. This would block the poison to some extent, but the fight had to be ended quickly.
“Frost! Freeze and cut everything, your sharp breath here!”
As she shouted, frost formed on her sword.
Nina gritted her teeth and cut down the vines that were rushing at her at a rapid pace, and dodged the vines that were popping up from under her feet.
When she reached the main body and cut it down in one fell swoop, green smoke flowed out with a hiss, and the Bellac melted away.
“Ew.”
Nina stepped back at the terrible smell. Her eyes hurt and her nose hurt.
‘Let’s go back quickly…….’
Nina limped and called the North Wind. The cold wind wrapped around her and lifted her body lightly.
She couldn’t use her ankle properly, but thanks to the North Wind, she was able to speed up.
There were scattered fortresses on the edge of the Violet Forest, and it was the Knights’ job to patrol them regularly.
As the sun was setting, she barely arrived at the fortress, and for some reason, Jin, an elite, was acting as a gatekeeper. He discovered Nina.
“Nina?”
He called her name softly as he found her figure in the twilight. Nina suddenly relaxed and collapsed forward.
“I can’t walk anymore!”
As she shouted, Jin ran over.
His bear-like physique and burning red hair were easy to recognize even from a distance.
“Nina? Hey! Are you okay?!”
He approached with a rough voice, but he squatted down and was surprised to see Nina’s pale face as she gasped for breath.
“My ankle hurts, and I think I drank poison.”
As Jin reached out his hand, she shook her head. The poison from the plant might still be on her clothes.
“The poison might be on my clothes-, kyaeuk?”
Jin took off his long coat and wrapped it around her. As much as there was a difference in size, she was rolled up as if wrapped in a large blanket.
“It hurts, lift me gently.”
“You seem fine since you have the energy to shout. What did I tell you? Huh?”
“Don’t go alone.”
“Why don’t you listen when you know? Why? Our principle is 2 people in a group. Even new recruits follow the basic principle!”
Nina gasped for breath, deeply sympathizing with Jin’s nagging.
As they entered the medical room inside the fortress, the doctor Kirill frowned.
“Why do you always get hurt alone?”
“That’s what I’m saying.”
Nina laughed awkwardly.
