Chapter 12:
"Dark Witch?" Alex frowned and asked, "The name sounds like someone truly evil."
"On the contrary…" Thomas sighed.
"You mean…"
"Enough." Thomas interrupted Alex once again. "You don't need to worry about it too much. I will issue a bounty on Roland."
"You must not enter that forest. That place is forbidden for heroes, do you understand?"
Alex gritted his teeth, wanting to argue, but when he saw the resolute look in Thomas's eyes, he suppressed his anger.
"Fine… I understand," Alex replied in disappointment.
Thomas glanced at Alex, frowning. "And don't waste your free time on women. Although you possess a natural talent and an S-rank Class, if you don't strive harder, you'll become nothing more than a stepping stone for others."
With that, Thomas left without waiting for Alex's response.
Watching Thomas and his soldiers walk away, Alex felt deeply irritated.
"Damn it!"
BAM!
He stomped the ground furiously, leaving a shoe print behind.
"Damn it! Roland… if you dare to show yourself, I'll snap your neck."
…
At Selvia's castle.
She sat leisurely on a sofa, her gaze directed out the window, a faint smile playing on her lips as if she were in a very good mood.
Looking at Selvia now, no one would believe that just hours ago, she had been lying in bed, her breath weak as if she were on the verge of death.
Yet here she was, sitting on the sofa, enjoying a glass of wine with apparent delight.
Draped in a blood-red dress accentuating her alluring figure, Selvia slowly sipped her wine, savoring its flavor.
After a while, a maid entered the room and bowed. "Mistress, Roland has entered the Dark Forest. We dare not follow him inside."
"However, he will surely be killed by the monsters there, if not by the Dark Witch Lilith herself."
Hearing this, Selvia suddenly let out a mocking laugh. "Do you really think he will die?"
"Well…" The maid bowed her head, remaining silent.
Selvia swirled the wine in her glass, her eyes gleaming with a restrained excitement and madness hidden beneath her enchanting appearance.
"Back then, after severing his limbs, blinding him, and burying him underground for seven days, I thought he would die."
"Unfortunately, I was wrong. He didn't die and instead surprised me with his strength."
"When my arrow struck him, I thought I would either capture him or he would perish. Once again, he surprised me."
"He successfully escaped."
"I have a feeling… this time, he will survive the Dark Forest. Not only that, but he will return to seek revenge."
The maid, confused, bowed and asked respectfully, "Mistress, forgive my question, but… with such terrifying dangers in that forest, how could he possibly survive?"
"You mean… Lilith?" Selvia asked with a sly smile.
"Yes. Anyone who enters that forest and strays into her domain is certain to die," the maid replied. "Roland may possess extraordinary physical strength, but he lacks magical talent and is not a hero. How could he possibly survive and leave that place?"
Selvia smirked, her gaze shifting to the maid with a mix of excitement and menace. "If you truly believe he will die, would you dare to wager your life on it?"
The maid, though still bowing her head, felt Selvia's oppressive gaze and shivered as if a terrifying beast had locked onto her.
She immediately knelt, her head touching the ground, and said respectfully, "I'm sorry, Mistress."
"It's fine," Selvia said with a chuckle. "If everyone expects him to die, but he returns alive, it will be far more entertaining."
"But we don't need to concern ourselves too much about him. Have Thomas and the heroes joined the search for him?"
"Mistress, only Thomas, and Alex were involved, but they have returned," the maid replied while kneeling. "It seems they've given up the search, opting instead to issue a bounty in neighboring kingdoms and adventurer hubs."
Hearing this, Selvia frowned, her eyes turning sharp and filled with murderous intent. "I want them busier. Find a small village near the Dark Forest—not too big, but not too small either."
"Report to the Royal Army and the heroes that… Roland has massacred the entire village as a sacrifice to the Devil."
The maid's body trembled upon hearing this. "Mistress, that…"
"Hmm?!"
"I… I will not disappoint you, Mistress," the maid stammered fearfully.
"Uhm!" Selvia nodded and waved her hand.
The maid immediately left, closing the door behind her.
Inside the room, Selvia's face broke into a mysterious, crazed smile as she muttered to herself, "Roland, thank you. Your presence has allowed my plan to proceed so much faster."
"Let's hope… you don't die too soon."
"Hahahaha… hahahaha…"
As the maid walked down the corridor, she shivered upon hearing Selvia's laughter.
A chill ran down her spine like she was standing in an icy cavern. She hastened her steps to leave.
The maid desperately wished not to remain in this place for long. The more time she spent near Selvia, the more she felt like her life was a candle flame amid a brutal storm, ready to be extinguished violently at any moment.
Once she exited the corridor, she let out a deep breath of relief, feeling like she had just strolled along the gates of hell.
Though she had served Selvia for over five years, every encounter with her mistress still left her suffocating under immense pressure.
"My mistress is just as terrifying as ever," the maid murmured as she walked along the hallway. "But… can that boy really survive the Dark Forest?"
Although she doubted it, she decided not to dwell on the matter.
Selvia, her mistress, had never been wrong in her judgments.
Every step Selvia had taken had been solid and deliberate, leading her to the powerful position she held today.
"It seems… I'll have to pick an unlucky village now. Don't blame me; blame Roland. It's because of him that you all must die."
…
That evening, in a small village with a population of just over 1,000 people.
Most of the villagers had fled from war-torn or disaster-stricken areas, seeking refuge and settling here.
Unable to enter the Kingdom, they had no choice but to risk building shelters made of leaves and wooden sticks near the edge of the Dark Forest to shield themselves from the sun and rain.
Though they were aware of the frequent monster sightings in the area, they had nowhere else to go.
They couldn't return to their homelands, nor could they enter the Kingdom, so they had no choice but to stay.
At night, the small village was guarded by only four men.
They held simple torches in one hand and sharpened wooden sticks in the other for defense.
Their makeshift armor was pieced together from scraps they had scavenged in the forest.
Around the village stood a flimsy wooden fence barely a meter high, which even an average adult could easily climb over.
Night blanketed the world like a black shroud, and the torchlight only allowed the four guards to see within a radius of three to four meters.
"Yawn!" One of the men suddenly let out a long yawn. "Damn it! I'm so sleepy! You guys stand guard; I'm going to take a nap."
"Hey! Aren't you afraid of being punished?" another man asked.
"The captain doesn't care, so we don't need to worry," the first man replied.
The shortest of the group looked at them and said, "The problem isn't about punishment. If we let our guard down, we won't be able to react in time if monsters attack."
"Are you stupid?" the sleepy man retorted. "We've been here for nearly ten years. Forget monsters—even patrols rarely come through this place."
"Even though this place is near the Dark Forest, we've never been attacked by monsters. Occasionally, some small wild animals wander here, and that's it."
"You sleep if you want; I'm not risking punishment from the captain," the other man sighed and shook his head.
"Tsk! A bunch of cowards. Huh?" The sleepy man suddenly turned to the fourth guard and frowned. "Hey! What's he doing over there?"
The other three turned to see the fourth man kneeling on the ground, pressing his ear to the earth as if trying to listen to something.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?"
Startled, the man on the ground raised his head and quickly said, "There are a lot of people approaching. I can hear the sound of many horses."
"What?! Are you joking?"
"Hahaha… You're telling me you can hear horses just by pressing your ear to the ground?"
"Alright, ignore him. Let's…"
The man speaking suddenly fell silent, his eyes wide as he spotted countless points of light rushing toward them.
"Those are… those are…"
Fireflies? No, just seconds later, he saw clearly—there were countless flaming arrows flying in their direction.
"Run!!!"