"Where is this place?"

Lea opened her eyes, yet she did not see the familiar cerulean sky, the pure white clouds, or the blazing orange sun.

A deep green spread out before her.

Beneath the massive interwoven branches were countless broad leaves, densely packed as they stretched upward in their desperate struggle for the sparse sunlight. These leaves blocked out every ray of light.

Towering trees stood like colossal giants, gazing downward upon the tiny ants and insects beneath their feet.

The entire area was steeped in darkness, stifling heat, humidity, and an utter absence of wind.

"Is... is anyone there?"

Lea felt a fog clouding her mind. Bracing herself against the massive roots that twisted upward like climbing serpents, she slowly got to her feet and called out tentatively.

"..."

No one replied.

Only from the depths of the jungle came echoes of mournful howls—some sounded like feral beasts, others like restless, tormented spirits.

Despite the stifling heat that made people sweated, Lea couldn't suppress a violent shiver. Her dazed eyes scanned the surroundings, and before she knew it, a layer of mist welled up in them.

"Ar... Ariel?"

Out of fear, Lea instinctively called out to the person she felt closest to.

Of course... there would be no reply.

"Right... right, I need to contact Ariel. She’ll come find me. In this kind of situation, Ariel will definitely come."

As if clinging desperately to this thought, Lea hurriedly reached for her waist. But as she searched, her small hand froze mid-motion.

"Huh?"

"Huh? Huh?"

"Wh-why?"

"My... spatial magic tool. Where is it?"

A loud buzzing noise erupted in Lea’s mind. The magical artifact that had always hung at her waist, the one that stored her communication talisman along with a few other belongings, was now... gone.

"Could it be... that during the spatial magic from before..."

After a brief period of confusion, her memories began to resurface. Lea finally remembered where she was and why she had come here.

"This... this must be Deathbane Forest."

"In other words, the events that took place before weren’t a dream. Back then, I was transported here by spatial magic, and because the spell had been maliciously tampered with, my spatial artifact got lost too?"

"This is... bad."

No, calling it "bad" was an understatement.

The legendary Deathbane Forest—while said not to harbor any powerful magical beasts—was still infested with terrifying presences due to the ambient aura left behind by the Disaster that had once erupted here.

And someone as weak as Lea, lost in such a place, was akin to a helpless rabbit wandering into a pack of wolves.

"What… what should I do? Could this really be a dead end for me?"

"If Ariel were here… she could surely think of a way to get out of this place..."

"But I... I can’t do anything on my own."

"Why… why did it turn out like this?"

Lea slowly crouched down, wrapping her arms around her knees as aimlessness took over once more.

Indeed, why had it come to this?

That spatial magic spell... it had been compromised and incomplete from the start, making it incapable of affecting her.

Yes, if she had chosen to stay out of it, nothing would have happened. She wouldn’t have ended up in this terrifying forest, let alone face this seemingly insurmountable doom.

But at that moment, when she saw *him*—Moen Campbell—about to be enveloped by the spell, when she sensed the faint aura of destruction emanating from within the magic, she...

She acted on impulse. She reached out, even going so far as to use her most powerful defensive magic, summoning divine light in the form of the Holy Light Protection, using herself as the medium.

But why? Why had she done that? Her most critical mission was to travel to Holy City for the Sacred Ceremony. So why had she chosen to complicate things in that moment?

Could it be...

"Of course! I’m a candidate for the future saintess. How could I possibly stand idly by in such a situation?"

Clenching her fists, Lea reaffirmed her resolve:

"I just didn’t want someone to die, that’s all. It has nothing to do with who they were. If it had been anyone else in that predicament, I would have done the same thing!"

Yes, this was the virtue of any saintess candidate. Ignoring the plight of the helpless in such a situation would disqualify her from competing for saintess.

Yes, that had to be it.

"But come to think of it… where is taht guy?"

As her memories aligned, Lea finally recalled the golden-hair from before. The image of him lingered steadily in her mind, refusing to fade.

"By logic, he should’ve been transported to this forest too, right?"

She lifted her head and scanned the area again. Yet, apart from the enormous and densely packed trees, there was nothing else in sight.

"Could he have been transported somewhere else? Should I go look for him?"

"But even if I try to search… can I really…"

Lea wavered once again, trapped in indecision.

After a long period of deliberation, she finally made up her mind. Summoning courage, she prepared to survey her immediate surroundings. Just as she resolved to act, a cluster of tangled vines and leaves not far away began to rustle and sway, producing a faint, shuffling sound.

The forest had remained eerily silent, devoid of even the slightest breeze.

Which meant... something—or someone—was approaching.

Lea’s eyes widened slightly, her heart racing as if it had leapt into her throat.

What now? What now? Danger was coming so quickly, and she wasn’t prepared for it at all...

For now, she needed to hide. Hide somewhere...

Frantically, she searched for a place to take cover. In her panic, her foot slipped, and she landed hard on the ground.

"Ouch—wait... huh? It didn’t hurt?"

Looking down in confusion, Lea realized she hadn’t landed on the cold, muddy ground. Instead, she was sitting on a makeshift bedding meticulously arranged with layers of smooth, clean leaves.

Clearly, great care had been taken to create this, as the thick padding of leaves offered comfort even in such a damp environment.

But she had only just woken up. Who had arranged this bedding?

"You’re awake?"

Suddenly, a familiar, gentle voice spoke. The dense curtain of vines was swept aside by a strong hand, and a human figure emerged. His short, golden hair was dazzlingly bright, even in the dim darkness of the jungle, like the first rays of a newborn sun.

"It’s… it’s you..."

Seeing that it was Moen, Lea was briefly stunned. Then, placing a hand on her heaving chest, she let out a sigh of relief.

For reasons unknown, just seeing him diminished the fear in her heart—despite the unchanged peril of her surroundings.

"If not me, who else could it be?"

Moen held an armful of brightly colored wild fruits. As he approached, he set them on the leaf bedding before looking up at Lea. Touching his chin thoughtfully, he asked:

"By the way, what kind of training posture is that?"

"?"

Lea tilted her head in confusion, then glanced downward absentmindedly.

It was only then that she realized she was still seated on the ground in the posture she’d landed in, her legs spread wide—a rather improper display.

"You… y-you pervert!"

Her cheeks burned bright red as she hastily clutched the hem of her skirt to cover her long legs, curling into a defensive posture and turning her head away.

"So lively—guess that means you’re physically fine."

Moen chuckled. Picking up a wild fruit, he waggled it in front of her.

"Want some?"

"N… no, I’m not hungry."

*Grumble...*

Her stomach growled loudly—a protest that echoed distinctly in the silent jungle.

"... Maybe you should eat something," Moen remarked with a playful glance. Taking a bite out of the fruit himself, he let the sweet fragrance fill the air and said with his mouth full,

"See? Not poisoned."

"..."

The girl remained silent but turned an even deeper shade of crimson, her blush spreading all the way to her neck as she curled herself tighter.

Much like a spiny little hedgehog curling into a ball—adorable in her defensiveness.