CHAPTER 455: CHAPTER 453: IN THE FOREST

The wind finally calmed as Seojun and his companions slowly floated down from the sky.

Belgom the grimporc suddenly clenched his legs together, "M-My Lord Seojun!" he blurted with a panicked look on his face. "May I please... I mean... can I relieve myself?!"

Ssivar immediately turned toward him and hit him lightly on the back of his head with his scaled palm. "Are you not ashamed?! We are in the presence of our master!" he scolded in a proud, deep voice.

But Seojun, looking calm as always, only looked around the forest and said plainly, "We’ll go down. Take a break."

The air smelled fresh, earthy, and slightly wet, as if it had just rained. Sunlight passed through the leaves, painting golden light on the forest floor.

The moment their feet touched the forest ground,

Hearing that, Belgom’s eyes lit up like a child getting a gift. "T-Thank you, my lord!" he shouted, running toward the thickest part of the trees.

Grimzark, the small boy, laughed and sat on a nearby rock. "You should go too, Ssivar. Don’t pretend you’re not holding it."

Ssivar stood stiffly, as if trying hard to look noble and unmoved. "I do not need to. I will remain here and guard my lords with my life!"

Seojun raised one eyebrow at him and said in a calm but firm tone, "Just go."

Ssivar was silent for a moment, staring at the forest in front of him. Then, like a balloon slowly deflating, he dropped his proud shoulders and muttered,"I apologize, my lords!"

And without another word, he turned and rushed into the trees, moving as fast and quietly as he could while holding his tail and muttering complaints under his breath.

Grimzark leaned back on the rock, giggling. "I thought he was going to explode."

Grimzark sat quietly on the rock, swinging his small legs as he looked at Seojun, who was slowly walking around their landing spot. The white-haired man had his eyes half-closed, sensing something in the air, listening, thinking.

After a moment of silence, Grimzark floated closer and said "It feels like we’re inside a barrier that blocks sound. The noise from outside can’t come in. And the noise inside can’t escape."

Seojun stepped further, the dried leaves crunching under his boots. Then he suddenly stopped and looked down at the ground beneath them. There, hidden under dirt and moss, was a strange cement platform.

Kneeling down, Seojun wiped it gently with his hand. Faint markings revealed themselves—lines, symbols, and shapes—but not in any magical flow he had seen on Earth.

"These are runes," he muttered to himself. "This place doesn’t use mana-based magic... it’s rune-based."

He narrowed his eyes. Something about this place felt ancient, almost too perfect, like it was watching them back.

Just as he stood up, a sudden loud oink-scream echoed through the trees.

"WAAAAAAAHHHH! MY LORD—HELP ME!"

It was Belgom.

His voice was a strange mix of a human scream and a high-pitched pig-like oink, followed by a second shout—this time from someone else.

A girl.

"Oh! A girl voice!" Grimzark small hands pointing wildly as he floated in circles.

Seojun raised an eyebrow but started running, brushing branches aside as Grimzark zoomed ahead, weaving between trees like a flying squirrel with too much sugar.

They reached the clearing—and what they saw made Grimzark stop midair and blurt out with a laugh, "Pfft—Belgom’s getting bonked on the butt."

Belgom panicked was indeed in a very undignified position, pants halfway up, hands over his head, while a girl thumped a wooden club onto him with big dramatic swings.

"I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to pee here! It just looked like a regular bush!" Belgom cried, scooting back on his butt.

On the side, a wild-looking girl in fur and leather gear shouted, "That’s not a regular bush, you overgrown pig! That’s sacred ground, idiot!"

Grimzark floated beside Seojun and whispered with a grin, "Ooh, Seojun, she’s scary. I like her. Can we keep her?"

Ssivar just appeared, "Belgom! why does trouble always find you?!"

"It found me this time!" Belgom protested loudly. "I was minding my own business—well, sort of—and then this big tree came out of nowhere and started spanking me!"

Grimzark cracked up. "You are a naughty piglet!" he teased, floating upside-down now.

Seojun held up his hand, glancing at the tree creature and the brown-haired girl. "Let’s all calm down before someone gets turned into mulch."

The girl narrowed her eyes and pointed her club. "Who are you people?"

The little girl stood with one hand on her waist, chin raised like a proud warrior. She was about the same height as Grimzard.

Grimzark, curious as always, floated down from the air and landed beside her, grinning wide. "Whoo hoo! I’m taller!" he declared with both hands raised like a champion.

The girl narrowed her eyes and, without saying anything, lifted her thick wooden club again to bonk his head.

But Grimzark laughed and quickly floated back into the air, sticking out his tongue. "You missed! Hah! You blind little girl!" he teased while spinning in the air like a leaf caught in the wind.

The girl turned away from him, clearly unimpressed, and went straight back to hitting Belgom—again and again—her little arms full of strength.

"Ouch! Ouch! Why me again?! Lord Seojun! Help meee!" Belgom cried, covering his head with both arms as he rolled away.

Seojun sighed, stepped forward calmly, and grabbed the club mid-swing with one hand, stopping it before it could land another hit."Stop hitting anyone. These are my people."

Then he looked her in the eye and added, "Now, what are you doing in this forest?"

The girl blinked and stared at Seojun from head to toe, her eyes slowly narrowing in a curious way. Then, with no warning at all, she stepped closer and casually wrapped her arms around his shoulder like it was the most normal thing to do.

With a confident grin, she said, "You look much better than this pig, whats that a lizard? Nevermind." She then smiled brightly "Let’s get married."