Fairy Tale: Little Red Riding Hood's Wolf Mentor

"The smell of blood? Has a hunter been attacked?"

Lake frowned. She was far away from Poro, which meant she would have to cross a long distance.

"The sound is coming from right in front of us?"

And mixed in with those sounds were some human cries of pain, and... cries for help?
After thinking for a moment, Lake turned slightly and walked towards the direction of the bloody smell.

but……

"Am I still too late?"

Blood flowed among the grass stems, and a mangled corpse lay in the grass—a hunter he didn't know.

Reck bent her knees slightly, half-squatting down to examine the hunter's injuries.

Behind the hunter's shattered armor were several deep claw marks that revealed bone, like those of a leopard or similar creature.

From above, the sound of branches snapping echoed through the tree canopy.

Lake's fingers tightened suddenly. Before he could even look up, the hair on the back of his neck sensed the overwhelming stench of a leopard—its vertical pupils narrowed into two blood-red lines, its sharp claws tearing through the light spots, and the sound of wind breaking came crashing down!

But the next moment, a sword flashed, and leopard blood poured down like a sudden summer rain.

"Hmm? This leopard is a bit... different?"

Reck sheathed her sword. The experience given to her by [Spiral Beacon: Hunter] made her keenly aware of the difference between the clouded leopard in front of her and ordinary animals.

"Is it magic?"

Within the carcass of this clouded leopard, a trace of energy dissipated with its death.

But before she could think any further, Lake looked up into the distance. The stench of animals overwhelmed the grass, and a shadow loomed over them—a bear, a huge bear!

"call……"

Leik took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the hilt of her sword slightly.

The bear stood like a human, its dark brown fur already stained with large patches of fresh blood. It did not charge forward, and what gleamed in its eyes, besides its cruel bestiality, was a hint of cunning that should not exist!
And in one of the bear's claws, the head of a dead hunter was still clutched!

"Chong-"

The Rex sword was drawn, its blade gleaming with a thick, bloody light from the strange bear that had killed many innocent people.

Under normal circumstances, even if the target is an animal that has killed a human, the Star Kill Sword's effect will not be triggered.

Perhaps it's just the way nature is—survival of the fittest.

But this bear is different.

But just as Lake was about to make her move, her pupils suddenly contracted as she looked at the forest beside her—a beam of magical light suddenly shot out and struck the bear, causing it to freeze in place.

At that moment, a stag leaped out of the forest, with a young girl in a long dress sitting on it.

In an instant, the long, thin antlers pierced the bear's chest!

The bear's fur was so thick that it seemed even ordinary swords couldn't penetrate it, but the stag's antlers pierced the bear's body as easily as if they were tofu!

Then, the stag even raised its head and tossed the bear's heavy body into the air before slamming it heavily to the ground!
"You are--"

Leik released her hand from the hilt of her sword and looked at the newcomer.

Lek sensed magic emanating from the girl riding the deer; a wisp of magical light swirled around her and eventually settled into a book in her hand.

"This forest is dangerous. For lone hunters, these animals are not something ordinary people like you can handle."

The girl riding the deer didn't explain, but after catching her breath, she solemnly explained to Lake.

After that, several more people emerged from the woods behind her.

Several of them were hunters, and there were also a few soldiers from the Kingdom of Hangte. All of them gripped their weapons tightly and appeared somewhat wary.

"Are you a magician?"

Leike looked at the book held by the girl riding the deer. It had some patterns drawn on it. Although Leike didn't know any magic, she could still recognize these things with magical elements.

"Yes."

The girl riding the deer nodded. "So, if you want to survive, you'd better come with me."

"So, you know the secret of this forest?" Lake asked, somewhat surprised.

"Yes I know."

The girl riding the deer closed the magic book in her hand and answered with certainty, "This forest, and the maze, were created by a witch. Originally, there was a palace of the ancient kingdom of Hangte in the forest."

But the prince, and all the other humans, died at the hands of this witch!

"And what about these animals?"

Lake then pointed to the dead animals on the ground and asked, "Are they all the witch's henchmen?"

"They were originally human, but they were cursed. This witch will cast such a curse on all those who stray into the forest."

A glint of magic flashed in the eyes of the girl riding the deer as she explained, "And these humans who turned into beasts were twisted by some means of hers, becoming what they are now."

As she spoke, the demonic light in her eyes gradually faded. She looked at the hunters behind her and then at the sky.

As night fell, the sky appeared somewhat yellowish.

The shade of the trees is even denser, and you can hear the rustling of birds as they flit through the leaves, but you can hardly see them.

Not far away, a tilted rock reflected the last rays of the setting sun.

"Let's set up camp first, and then look for the lost hunters during the day. It would be too dangerous to act at night and face those wild beasts."

Although none of the hunters who followed the deer-riding girl knew magic, most of them were extremely skilled in the basics of hunting.

Soon, a campfire was lit, and a wooden shelter to block the wind was erected on the outside.

The remaining hunters, in small groups, began setting up simple warning traps in the grass around the camp.

After finishing her work, Lake used her keen hearing to catch the hunters' casual conversation nearby.

Many hunters appeared somewhat irritable.

"Did you catch any game today?" a hunter asked.

“Hit? Heh, all we got was a rabbit—this place is really weird!” another person said.

"Those strange beasts? And that fog?"

"Yes, I've heard we've encountered quite a few that were killed by wild beasts..."

"I've never fought those wild beasts. Could those animals really defeat soldiers?"

"Who knows? I came here to earn a reward, and now I'm being accused of running away?"

"If you ask me, it's because there are too many of us that those beasts smelled the scent and ran away, which is why we didn't encounter them. Before, when I was alone, I saw an injured leopard, but unfortunately, the witch brought you here and scared the leopard away!"

"What? You think you can beat us if we don't come?"

"What's so difficult about that? I might just become the Hunter King all by myself!"

"..."

Lake turned her attention away from the noisy chatter and looked towards the center of the camp—

The girl riding the deer was leaning against her stag, flipping through a magic book with one hand and sketching something on a piece of paper with the other.

"Miss, are you... studying the forest maze here?"

Leike stepped forward and looked at the paper the girl riding the deer was sketching in her hand, asking with some surprise. Some of the runes on the spellbook and the patterns the girl was sketching mostly pointed to this point; Leike had seen similar things in her grandmother's spellbook and in the Poro's spellbook.

"Yes, I need to figure out how to solve them. You know about the forest maze?"

The girl riding the deer paused for a moment, then asked in surprise.

"I know some magic, but I don't know much about it."

Lake nodded and asked, "Is this maze very complicated?"

"Yes, but now, I might be the only one who has the chance to crack it."

The girl riding the deer sighed and said, "And then there are those cursed beasts. The only good news is that they don't make up a large percentage of the forest, or perhaps..."

They are also evenly distributed throughout the forest; what we encountered was only a small fraction of them.

"So, being trapped in a maze would be very dangerous for an ordinary person, right?"

"Yes, you think so too, right?"

The girl riding the deer glanced at Lake again, but her words revealed a hint of inexplicable helplessness.

Just then, a special forces officer in armor stepped forward, interrupting Lake and the deer-riding girl's conversation:
"Your Grace, I am very sorry to have disturbed you, but I hope..."

"Just say it, sir."

The girl riding the deer narrowed her eyes slightly, put down her pen, closed the book in her hand, and looked at the sergeant.

"Thank you."

The officer bowed again and continued, "In the name of the glory of the Kingdom of Hangte, we beg for your help. Our princess is lost in this forest. Perhaps your magic can help us rescue her from danger."

Therefore, His Majesty the King will grant you appropriate courtesy and rewards!

"Is that really the case?"

The girl riding the deer muttered something under her breath, her expression unchanged. "Sir, if we meet again in the forest, I would be happy to offer my help, but the maze here is far more difficult than I expected."

As she spoke, she pointed to the hunters around her and the other soldiers, "But for the safety of more people, my first priority now is to unravel the maze, and then—"

So that you, and many more, can leave this place safely.

"But we came to this forest to rescue Her Highness the Princess."

But the officer's gaze darkened, and he pointed to the other hunters, "And you, and the other hunters, have sworn to His Majesty to hunt enough prey—forgive my bluntness, but apart from some disoriented and slightly strange animals, I don't think there's much danger."

This is the risk I willingly took by joining this hunt!

After hearing these words, the girl riding the deer remained silent for a long time before speaking again:
"Sir, I think that during a hunt, one should be able to leave voluntarily."

Moreover, you don't understand the dangers lurking here. You only see the wild beasts and the illusion of the maze, but you don't know what it represents—you're throwing your lives away, just like the hunters!

"What does life matter if Your Majesty bestows such glory upon me..."

"Please return, sir. I cannot make any guarantees, but if there is an opportunity to save your princess, I will certainly do so."

Seeing that the sergeant in front of her was about to say something, the girl riding the deer turned cold and interrupted him.

At the same time, the stag behind the girl raised its head and looked at the sergeant with one eye. The sergeant opened his mouth, but for some reason, after meeting the stag's gaze, a chilling coldness enveloped his body, as if he were facing a monster that was even more powerful than a lion or tiger!

He couldn't say anything more, so he gritted his teeth and walked away.

"It's not that I don't want to save people, it's just that this maze is indeed quite complicated. You should be able to understand that, right?"

The girl riding the deer exhaled and looked at Lake, "The only thing I know right now is to expand the detection range in the maze so that I can find so many people."

"Of course, these animals, and the maze—all indicate that there is a powerful witch in the forest! The true source of humanity's transformation into beasts has not yet appeared!"

"Yes, it would be great if everyone understood this like you do."

"Will they leave then?"

"Hmph, take you for example. When you learn of the existence of such a powerful and irresistible mage, the wise thing to do is to leave as soon as possible, isn't it?"

However, when faced with this question, Lake didn't answer immediately. Instead, she fell into a brief silence, and after a moment, she spoke with slight embarrassment:
"Uh, actually, I can help you—"

If all of this stems from an evil sorcerer, then I want to defeat him!

"Huh? Why are you here too..."

The girl riding the deer raised her eyebrows slightly, sized up Lake for a moment, and finally fixed her gaze on Lake's cloak, as if she had noticed something:
"Okay, I can sense that you are indeed different from other hunters. Have you really been exposed to magic?"

The girl riding the deer blinked, then suddenly asked, "What should I call you?"

"My name is Leigh."

"Miss Lake, it's a pleasure to meet you. I hope you truly have the power to fight against a magician!"

As the girl riding the deer spoke, she gently rubbed her fair cheek. "By the way, you can call me Sidag."

At this point, the girl riding the deer lost interest in saying anything more.

She refocused her gaze on the spellbook in her hands, lost in thought. Lake didn't disturb her any longer and quietly left—she knew that a mage's thinking always required concentration.

But shortly after Lake left, the expression on the deer-riding girl's face gradually turned into one of gritted teeth and near-madness. She took a deep breath, closed her spellbook, leaned against the stag behind her, and muttered under her breath:

"Brother, this maze magic is so difficult! I've only been learning magic for a few years, and I'm already facing such a difficult formation... Can I really handle it?"

A glint of light flashed in the stag's eyes, and it spoke, uttering human words!

"Don't be discouraged. You have a great talent for magic. This won't be difficult for you."

As the stag spoke, it tilted its head to look at the night sky through the gaps in the tree canopy. "Besides, we defeated a magician less than a month after we first came into contact with magic."

This time, it can be the same!

Nightfall surged in from all around the forest like a tide, and from the dark distance came eerie and mournful howls of beasts, deep and terrifying.

In the camp, some hunters lay prone on the leeward side of the grass piles to rest, while others held torches and kept watch around the territory.

"Crackling—pop—"

A slightly crisp breaking sound.

"Who's there?! If you want to die, get over here!"

Slightly outside the camp, two hunters, one holding a torch high and the other a longsword, shouted sharply at a spot in the darkness.

The crisp sound just now was the triggering of the alarm mechanism.

A rustling sound came from the bushes, and the two hunters saw several pairs of different animal eyes disappear into the darkness from a blurry shadow. From the fleeting outlines of color and shadow, the two hunters deduced the species of the animals:
"what is that?"

"One of them looks like a black panther."

"Anything else? I always feel like there's one that looks like a deer?"

"I also saw something green, though it was a bit blurry, but I guarantee it was a wolf!"

"..."

Meanwhile, in the camp.

Leike, who was leaning against the corner, suddenly opened her eyes, looked at a corner of the forest not far away, and a smile appeared on her lips.

"Poro, is that you?"

"Hehe, missed me, didn't you? Good evening, Lake." (End of Chapter)