???: “Scissors, rock, paper.”

  The little girl is already playing her 30th round against the ranger. She is clearly in the lead, but whenever the ranger manages to win a round, she pokes him with her needle.

  Liko: “Won again. That makes it 24 for me and 6 for you.”

  Now comes the 31st round.

  Liko: “Scissors, rock, paper.”

  This time, Mamoru wins. Immediately, Liko pulls out her needle and stabs him in the side.

  Liko: “I don’t like losing. 24 for me and 7 for you. One more round.”

  Liko: “Scissors, rock, paper.”

  The 32nd round is manipulated. Mamoru hesitates before showing one of the symbols. He wants to see what Liko chooses first so he can intentionally lose.

  Liko: “Won! 25 for me!”

  She wants to continue playing more rounds.

  Kogiri: “Be quiet, Liko.”

  Liko: “Why? We’re having so much fun right now.”

  Kogiri: “We’re slowly approaching the first security line. Before we continue, we need to prepare this ranger.”

  They stop. Shime pulls out a spray bottle and sprays Mamoru from head to toe. Then she takes a cloth and spreads it over every part of his body.

  Shime: “Is that enough?”

  Kogiri: “I’d better wrap my cloak around him. We need to make sure his scent doesn’t come through.”

  Mamoru doesn’t understand why he’s being sprayed and wrapped in Kogiri’s cloak.

  Mamoru: “Why does my scent need to be covered?”

  Kogiri: “It’s probably better if I explain this security line to you. From this part of the forest onward, our omnivorous wolves live here. They are very dangerous, always hungry, and therefore eat everything.”

  Mamoru: “Creatures like that exist in my forest?”

  Kogiri: “This area just isn’t part of your daily route. In any case, these wolves attack everything except us. We trained them not to attack anyone from the village by imprinting our scents on them.”

  Mamoru: “That’s a very unsafe security line.”

  Kogiri: “No, not really. Even the offspring know which scents mean allies. On top of that, we deliberately divided them into several ‘packs’ so that all areas around the village are secured. It’s a few kilometers to the next line.”

  They start walking. Kogiri goes ahead to fend off possible wolf attacks. Even though the wolves are trained, an attack on them—or on Mamoru—can still happen.

  Mamoru: “Why are you revealing so many details about your hideout?”

  Kogiri: “Because it doesn’t matter how much you know. You will enter our village, but you will never leave it again.”

  With a stabbing pain in his chest, Mamoru looks into the forest. He has no time to think of an escape plan or to despair. He has to watch out for wolves—gray, large, and ravenous wolves, just as Liko described.

  Mamoru: “[Is the scar across that little girl’s face from a wolf attack?]”

  Suddenly, a growl can be heard from one of the bushes. They stop. Kogiri pulls out his whip.

  Kogiri: “Stay behind me.”

  Everyone positions themselves behind Kogiri, circling Mamoru to hide him from the wolves and to make sure he doesn’t try to escape. Even if he did, they are certain the wolves would devour him.

  A single claw emerges from the bushes. It digs into the ground, extending one sharp talon—pointing directly at Mamoru.

  Kogiri: “No. He is our hostage. He is not food.”

  The claw slams aggressively into the ground. The wolf tries to emerge from the bushes, but Kogiri strikes it with his whip.

  Kogiri: “He is a hostage. He is not prey for you.”

  After a few seconds of tension, the claw releases the ground and disappears back into the bushes.

  Kogiri: “That was most likely an alpha. Let’s move quickly before it plans another attack.”

  They increase their pace. The fast walking makes Mamoru’s wounds heal poorly. Liko must have stabbed deeper than expected. After exactly fifty minutes, they suddenly stop.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  Mamoru: “[What now? The wolves again?]”

  Liko: “It’s here, right?”

  Kogiri: “Good observation.”

  Liko: “As an apology for your screaming in the hospital, you’ll let me open the barriers.”

  Kogiri: “But—”

  Liko, Shime, and Necromar glare at him and give him the cold shoulder.

  Kogiri: “Fine. But if something happens, I won’t help you.”

  Shime: “The princess is smart enough to make sure nothing happens. And in the unlikely case that something does happen to her, Necromar and I will help her.”

  Kogiri: “As if you could.”

  Liko steps a little farther away from where they stopped. She stretches her right hand forward and murmurs something to herself. After her words, a faint silver mist forms and then immediately disappears.

  Liko: “The first one is released.”

  They move on. After a few meters, they stop again. Once more, Liko steps forward and murmurs. Again, a silver mist forms—this time more intense. They do this a total of five times. Each time, Kogiri stays behind and performs strange movements with his whip.

  Liko: “From here on, we can’t proceed alone. Brother!”

  They stand before a massive silver wall. It is clearly liquid. The fluid rises high enough to form a wall.

  Mamoru: “What the hell is that?”

  Kogiri: “That’s the final barrier of our second security line.”

  Kogiri swings his whip over his head and thrusts it into the wall. It almost looks like a long, thin sword. Suddenly, the silver liquid gathers around the whip, as if everything is being absorbed into it without leaving residue. He continues until a hole forms in the wall.

  Kogiri: “Move quickly.”

  They pass through the hole. As soon as they do, the liquid flows back out of the whip and seals the opening again.

  Looking up, Mamoru notices that the silver wall forms a dome, with a small opening at the top that lets in light and fresh air.

  Liko: “Are you excited to see our village?”

  Mamoru: “Uh… yeah.”

  Liko: “That makes me happy. Once we’re there, we can play even more games and maybe even become friends. Would you help me with my art then?”

  Mamoru: “Uh… we’ll see.”

  Shime: “How dare you answer her question with anything other than ‘yes.’”

  From here on, they are no longer in a forest. The ground is shattered and clearly infertile. The air is dry and somewhat stuffy. No animals or people are visible.

  Mamoru: “[Is this supposed to be their village?]”

  Only after several more minutes does Mamoru notice a strangely shaped mud wall. It looks like splashed mud that has frozen mid-jump.

  The closer they get, the more the mud seems to move.

  Kogiri: “Shime, carry Liko. Do the same with our hostage, Necromar.”

  Liko climbs onto Shime’s back. Mamoru does the same—by force. Suddenly, the three who remain on the ground begin to run. As they do, a bulge forms on the mud wall, like a pimple.

  Kogiri: “Stay alert.”

  Suddenly, the pimple explodes and a fast column pierces up from the ground. Many more follow. They’re fast, but the group manages to dodge them.

  Mamoru: “Wait!”

  One of the mud pillars pierces straight through Necromar’s body, but instead of stopping dead, he keeps running. The pillar somehow passes through his chest.

  Mamoru: “[No blood? No hole? What’s wrong with them?]”

  Just before they can enter a hole in the ground, another pillar forms—much larger and faster than the previous ones. It crashes down vertically toward the group.

  Mamoru: “[Am I going to die here? I haven’t fully fulfilled my role as a ranger yet. It can’t end like this.]”

  Out of fear, Mamoru closes his eyes. Suddenly, he hears a loud bang from above. He opens his eyes and sees Kogiri punching the pillar.

  Mamoru: “[How did he jump that high—and that fast? Why does he have such overwhelming physical strength?]”

  The pillar falls back down. Kogiri lands faster, immediately jumps again, and channels all his strength into a single strike. The pillar is blasted upward and shatters into pieces.

  Kogiri destroys the massive mud pillar with a single punch—without visible effort.

  Kogiri: “Get inside. Now.”

  With a few more steps, they enter the interior of the mud wall. Mamoru and Liko are set down. The difference between the outside ground and the inside is immediately noticeable—this ground is softer and greener. It feels like a place where something could grow.

  Mamoru: “This feels like another world.”

  Liko: “Did you think the outside was our village? This is where we live. This is the village of the Winged Mud.”

  Mamoru isn’t listening to the little girl at all. His full attention is on the monster named Kogiri. The strength he just witnessed is immense.

  Mamoru: “[What kind of monster is he? I should be careful around him.]”

  Kogiri: “Stop standing around like an idiot. Move.”

  They continue walking, passing many small huts. A truly idyllic village, frozen in time—though the massive mud wall casts a dark mood over everything. Many children can be seen playing, seemingly unaffected by the wall.

  Liko: “Maaaaachiiiii!”

  Liko runs toward an elderly woman wearing a simple black dress. Time has clearly left its marks on her, but she is far from senile.

  Machi: “Hello, Liko—and the rest of you. It’s nice to see you back.”

  Liko: “Did you finish it?”

  Machi briefly enters her hut and returns with a plate holding a small cake.

  Machi: “Even though your wishes were rather daring, I managed to do it.”

  Liko takes the plate and eats it with her hands, refusing the cutlery. The small cake disappears in seconds.

  Machi: “Well?”

  Liko: “Mmm… it’s fantastic! You can really taste the poison berries, and the insects are nice and crunchy.”

  The description of the ingredients causes a wave of disgust among those nearby.

  Kogiri: “Why are there insects and poison berries in a cake?”

  Liko: “That’s what makes it special.”

  Shime: “Princess! Do not eat any more of that poisonous cake!”

  She slaps the second cake out of Liko’s hand and tries to stick her fingers into the girl’s mouth, turning it into a childish game of keep-away.

  Liko: “Relax, Shime. Those poison berries aren’t lethal. They cause stomach pain and dizziness. Just wonderful.”

  Shime stares at her in horror. Even though she knows the princess is twisted, she is sometimes far too naive and careless.

  Liko: “Let me finish eating.”

  She picks the cake up from the ground and eats the rest.

  Liko: “It tastes even better off the floor.”

  Kogiri facepalms and walks on. He leads Mamoru to a large barn. Inside are many small cages. Most are empty, but it’s hard to see clearly in the darkness.

  Kogiri: “Get in.”

  Without further protest, Mamoru enters one of the small cages. He feels like livestock, but he has no choice. He sits down and looks at Kogiri.

  Kogiri: “What are you staring at?”

  Mamoru: “Najun kept calling you a ‘traitor.’ Be honest. How bad was your betrayal?”

  Kogiri: “Very bad.”

  Mamoru: “You won’t get him. He’s already gone.”

  Kogiri: “We don’t want him that badly. But I can tell you this—he isn’t gone. I don’t know him that well either, but if he sees a chance to become famous, he’ll take it.”

  He locks the cage and leaves the barn. He walks through the entire village. Everything looks the same—small huts, green grass, colorful flowers, normal people. A life Kogiri always wanted.

  Kogiri: “[What is this bullshit?]”

  He approaches a dirtier hut in a corner. His entrance does not go unnoticed. He enters the living room and sits down on a chair.

  Kogiri: “Hello, Father.”

  ???: “Hello, Son. It’s good to see you back.”

  Kogiri: “I need to talk to you about a few things. Important things.”

  ???: “Ooh, that sounds serious. I hope you’re not wasting my time.”