Forest Dreams (5)

"Me?"

Cristo pointed at himself slightly reluctant.

He had a look of disbelief all over his face when he heard the diversion plan to get Althea from interfering with the search.

I nodded at him while explaining the concept of the plan in more detail.

"Yes. From the circumstances that the festival will have, I'm thinking of diverting Althea's attention towards you. It will allow Azrael and I to find Selene through blending ourselves in the middle of the crowd and going in a different direction from her."

Cristo lazily sighed after listening to the plan.

He slouches his shoulder while looking at me in dismay.

A visible frown was written all over his face.

".. Why me?"

Cristo asked again in a listless tone.

I gesture my hand closer to my chin.

I thought of Cristo's question and answer.

"At first, I was intending to choose Azrael as the diversion to divert Althea's attention."

Azrael's eyebrows twitched after hearing that he was supposed to have the role.

"What??? Do you want to sacrifice me?"

He asked in a surprised expression with a mix of denial considering the context of the first version plan.

I snort at his exclamation and immediately answer back.

"I'm not sacrificing you. I'm just going to use you to divert her attention. Nothing more, nothing less."

I exclaimed with a slight smirk.

Azrael facepalmed and sighed in exasperation.

".. I shouldn't ask."

I turned my head towards Cristo.

I focus my eyes towards him as he glances back slowly.

"Cristo, do you want to do this?"

I asked once again for confirmation.

Cristo averts his gaze away from me while thinking for a moment.

He later sighed but still didn't look back at me.

".. I'll do it alright."

He scratches the back of his hair without sparing me a single glance.

Despite him facing sideways, I could tell he had a hint of determination in his expression.

Azrael, however, looked at him quite confused and hesitant.

"But why Cristo?"

Azrael asked curiously.

My lips form a confident smile after hearing his question.

"Well, Cristo fought with Althea once. With that, I think that fighting will put them into a branch of conversations. Well, in a condition that Althea isn't wasting her time. Also, I need you to accompany me because--"

Before I could finish my lines of explanation, Azrael beat me to it.

"To put it simply, to use my knowledge. Right?"

Azrael estimates my whole plan.

I just nodded at his calculation as I thought to myself.

'Well, it's actually to use your demon power as well if something goes wrong. But I'll let that slip for now.'

My thoughts faded away as I glanced at them.

"At least for 15 - 20 minutes. I think that will be enough time."

Cristo slightly widened in surprise when hearing the duration of time.

"Master, that's too long and risky. She will find us and we will die by execution. I can't do that."

"Well, you're right but--"

Once again, Azrael cut my lines.

"Let's do it. Distract Althea's attention for at least 20 minutes. It's not whether you can or not. You will."

Azrael glanced at Cristo, pointing his finger towards him.

Hearing Azrael's sound more and more demanding, Cristo let out a heavy, long sigh.

"... Guess I don't have another choice."

After hearing his reply, I looked at Cristo with a slightly worried look.

"... Cristo, if you don't want to, it's alright. Azrael can replace you. Perhaps I can even take your role."

I offered him another choice since I was feeling a bit bad from forcing himself to the plan.

"No, Dorothy."

Azrael immediately rejected the idea I offered as I turned my head towards him.

"Azrael, why are you so forceful?"

I scolded his behavior and Azrael looked at me in disbelief.

He sighed while trying to explain it patiently.

"Because if it were me to distract Althea and you were in trouble with Cristo, I couldn't trust Cristo to hurriedly save you."

I frown with a disappointing expression.

'.. So is it's about trust? Or you're just too suspicious of Cristo, Azrael?'

Unbeknownst to us before, Cristo slowly raised his hand to attract our attention.

Both of us turned our heads towards him.

"It's alright Master, I'll carry out my mission."

Cristo answered, willingly to be part of the plan.

"Then it's decided."

Azrael exclaimed with a satisfying smile.

-

-- 'Well, a plan is a plan.'

Cristo shrugged.

He turned around towards Althea, who was standing in front of him with a frown.

"Where are they now? We have to find them. You know something, do you?"

Althea dangerously asked.

Cristo thought back about what Dorothy had said to him,

--"Cristo, I want you to remember something. If you encountered Althea, think of any possible excuse that could cover Azrael and me according to the situation."--

Cristo subconsciously averts his eyes in a different direction.

He thought for a while and finally was able to conclude.

His lips started parting away and exclaimed,

"... The two of them wanted to be alone."

Althea raised her brow in confusion after hearing the excuse.

"What?"

Cristo looked at her with his deadpan expression since he has to explain in more detail of what they were doing.

"... At first, they wanted to go to this festival alone together. But you happen to bother them so they purposely asked me to go with them to have a conversation with you while they are spending their time alone."

Cristo was proud of himself because he just made up something without a single speck of lie.

However, Althea took it the wrong way.

"Wait, wait... Her Highness and His Grace are.. a thing?"

Althea looks at Cristo with eyes widen while asking in curiosity.

However, Cristo didn't understand the question as he titled his head to the other side.

He was a bit dumbfounded by the words.

"... A thing?"

Althea sighed as she clarifies her statement.

"Like lovers."

Cristo tilted his head in more confusion.

'.. What are lovers?'

Cristo asked himself while searching out the word similar to that.

But after thinking, he decided to shake the thought off and casually answer Althea with a,

"... Yeah."

-

-- I look at the creature in front of me as shivers run down my spine.

I froze on the sport because of the fear that consumes me.

However, I immediately stood up and turned the other way.

I increase my speed while I began to run away from the creature as fast as I can.

'What is this feeling?!'

I suddenly felt a sudden gust of wind blowing towards me.

I turned my head back curious but fearfully.

My eyes widen when I notice that the creature used its wings and changed after me.

"... What do you want!?"

I raised my voice a bit.

I didn't stop my running as it was like my life depends on it.

Which in truth, It was because it is.

'... It's not responding.'

The creature did not respond to anything.

It was just flying towards me while using its claw towards me.

I looked back again as I was shocked to see that the creature wasn't there anymore.

'Where did he disappear to?!'

I panicked until I gasped in fear when I saw it again.

'What is that!? What am I supposed to do!?'

In the corner of my eye, I saw his sharp nails come careening towards me.

My eyes widen in horror as I try to throw myself down to avoid it but--

A sharp pain from my shoulder that feels like it had turned me into two, made me groan in pain.

Something crept along my back, slick and warm.

--It was my blood.

I didn't stop there as I continue to run and grab my bloody shoulder only for me to feel the pain worsen.

'... It's attacking me!'

The pain was so fresh and raw as if I felt it for the first time in this life.

Remembering the warmth of my castle, I regret that I come here for a second.

The feeling of regret was only temporary as it was quickly replaced by determination.

I continue to run through the forest, finding no one without looking back.

'I have to escape!'

I feel the screaming of my lungs and the will of my muscles to go far beyond what exercise could ever demand as I was losing my breath.

One thing I'm grateful for is that I'm wearing boots that helped me a lot.

Looking up at the dark sky, the stars twinkling much more, but it's slightly dull because of the rising sun.

Noticing that the sun almost rises, I keep up my pace and continue to run even though my feet felt like dying and the wound on my shoulder is not helping either.

'... What did I do to deserve this kind of fate!?'

I was exhausted, hungry, and I already lost so much blood.

Because of the tiredness I felt, I stumbled on a rock and fell on the grass harshly.

The wind in my face made it impossible to breathe, I felt like I will suffocate and die from blood loss.

'... am I going to die?'

With the strength I have left, I try to rise from my fall and turned my gaze.

However--

The creature disappears as he was not chasing me.

Or as if he's never there.

My eyes went wide.

'... Where did that creature go...!?'

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