Ekaterina enjoyed the delicacies, which were also a rarity. The fact that they were eating in the Forest People’s tent, instead of the Duke mansion’s luxurious dining room, was also a pleasant change of pace.
“Young lady, are you all right?”
“It’s really delicious, Mina. Is it according to your palate?”
“I eat anything edible.”
Mina was eating next to Ekaterina because the Forest People had agreed to serve her. She insisted that she would serve the young lady, but Ekaterina dragged her over and made her sit down next to her. It might be difficult to do escort work when eating together, but with six knights in attendance and Forli, there should be no need to worry about safety. Mina, who was always at work, should turn off her work mode once in a while.
For the forest people, the difference in status might be something beyond comprehension. As a commoner in my previous life, I was grateful that I did not have to worry about it.
By the way, Regina and the other hounds got a big bone outside the tent and were chewing on it.
Aurora nodded when I asked her about [Maiden of Death], wondering if it would be a good topic of conversation during the meal.
“Yes, I encountered it when I was a child. I still believe that it was [Maiden of Death].”
As a child, Aurora’s first encounter with [Maiden of Death] was when she was lost.
She went to pick mushrooms and got carried away, and the next thing she knew, the sun was setting, and she didn’t know where she was.
Aurora involuntarily began to cry because she knew it was too dangerous for a child to spend the night alone in this forest.
Then she heard a gentle voice.
[What’s wrong?]
Surprised, she looked in the direction of the voice and saw a strange girl standing there. Her long blonde hair was shining in the evening sun.
What a beautiful lady.
She was slender and delicate, pale as if she were glowing, and her fine face was a little sad, but she was beautiful, neat, and elegant. She was about 15 or 16 years old.
Relieved that she was no longer alone, Aurora admired the girl’s beauty and claimed that she was lost.
Then the girl smiled.
[You are a child of the Forest People. All right, I’ll send you to your clan. Just don’t ever, ever touch me.]
Aurora noticed for the first time that the girl had a huge scythe in her hand and flinched. The adults had told her about [Maiden of Death].
Forest People heard about the curse of the [Maiden of Death].
The avenger of her family, who was tricked and killed by the husband of her sister. Some of those people who had a small connection to her family survived and fled to the forest, fearing the Maiden’s wrath. The Forest People were their descendants.
But if she could not return to the others before dark, she would be attacked and eaten by a magical beast.
So, fearfully, she followed the girl.
Staring at her, she simply appeared to be a beautiful girl.
But it was strange to see a young woman in a place like this. Her simple white dress looked dirty. The [Maiden of Death] was supposed to be wearing a robe stained with blood. And the scythe in her hand looks like it could cut a person’s head off with ease. She was carrying it on her slender arm, but she did not seem to feel the weight of it as she walked along.
Although she appeared to be kind, what if she was really planning to kill everyone?
The place where she was living at that time was soon found. The girl turned around and pointed in that direction.
[Go…]
[…where are you going, big sister?]
The girl just smiled in response. She wondered if the girl would spend her days alone in a forest full of magical beasts.
At that moment, a huge horse appeared beside the girl. The horse’s body was jet black, its mane and tail were silver, and its eyes were silver as well, shining so coldly that it was hard to believe it was a horse. It was the very horse that [Maiden of Death] was said to ride.
At that point, she realized that it was really [Maiden of Death]
But she saved her.
Aurora suddenly thought of something and held out a basket full of mushrooms.
[Thank you. Here, you can have it.]
[No, it’s alright.]
Aurora threw the mushrooms in the basket at the girl who shook her head. The mushrooms hit the girl, who quickly tried to avoid them.
The mushrooms, which had been lush and fresh, transformed instantly. They became shriveled, black and dried up – lifeless and dead.
It was then that she confirmed that it was the Maiden of Death!
