Into the Forest
Slowly, I opened my eyes. A beautiful woman stood before me, gazing down with a cute smile. She spoke, but no sound came from her lips. Only the movement of her mouth suggested she was saying, "…Good morning."
She then turned and walked out of the room. Though my eyes felt heavy, I forced myself awake. I tidied up the futon and blanket, placing them neatly on the bed. Afterward, I arranged the table and chairs back to their original positions.
Not long after, Fia returned, carrying a tray laden with food. Quickly, I helped her by taking the tray while she went back to fetch a pot of soup—a different kind this time, a vegetable soup.
"…Let's have breakfast first, before we venture deeper into the forest to find your Prime Minister," she said. I nodded in agreement, and we both began eating.
As I ate, something lingered in the back of my mind—something about last night, perhaps about her or something else. Unfortunately, I couldn't remember clearly, so I decided to let it go for now.
After finishing our meal, she told me to prepare myself while she did the same in the next room.
I changed my shirt and put my uniform back on. I also wore a bulletproof vest, just in case the worst happened. If someone were to shoot at me—or worse—I needed to be ready. Besides, I had to protect Fia . She had been so kind to me; it was the least I could do.
When I finished, she entered the room.
She looked completely different from when I first met her. Now, she wore trousers paired with a long t-shirt, along with a bulletproof vest, just like mine. Upon closer inspection, she resembled a trained elite soldier.
"Are you perhaps an elite soldier?" I asked.
She shook her head and smiled as she explained. "…These belonged to my late father. If you're asking whether he was an elite soldier, I honestly don't know. But thankfully, they're useful now. What do you think? Do they suit me?" She twirled around to show off the outfit.
My hand reflexively shot up, giving her two thumbs up. "They suit you perfectly. Everything you wear looks great on you."
Her face flushed slightly. "…Stop teasing me. Come on, let's go." But as she reached for the door handle, she suddenly turned back. "Oh, I almost forgot about your weapons…"
She walked over to the wardrobe and pulled something out. "…Here!"
It was a duffle bag. When I opened it, I found all my weapons inside—my handgun, heavy gun, bullets, and even my large knife. It was unmistakably mine, marked with my initials, "L."
Elite soldiers' weapons often bore similar markings, but that wasn't what concerned me. What puzzled me was that I hadn't brought my heavy gun or the box of bullets—it was forbidden to carry such items when visiting neutral countries. All I had brought was my handgun and a few clips of ammunition.
"…Miss Fia, how did you manage to get all my weapons here? I'm sorry if I sound rude, but as far as I know, I didn't bring my heavy gun. Did you perhaps…"
Fia cut me off mid-sentence. "I don't know either. When I heard the loud roar in the sky, I immediately rushed to the location. In the end, I found you hanging from a tree like a puppet. Thankfully, you were still alive. Of course, I couldn't carry you by myself, so I asked for help from my Guardian Angel."
"Actually, you were quite heavy, you know…" She ended with a sulky pout.
Once again, I apologized and asked her to guide me to the location where she had found me. She moved ahead, and I followed closely behind.
This was the first time I had a chance to look around her house properly. I walked slowly through the corridor. As she had mentioned earlier, the house didn't have many rooms besides the one we had slept in.
Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a small room on the left side with a wardrobe inside. It seemed just big enough for changing clothes or storing items. On the opposite side was a simple yet clean kitchen.
After only a few steps, I found myself in front of the door. She opened it slowly.
A breathtaking view of nature greeted me. Trees stretched endlessly in every direction—this was undoubtedly a forest. Around the house, there was an open space overgrown with grass, dirt, and sand. A stone path led from the house into the depths of the forest.
"…What are you looking at? Come on, we need to hurry. We should be back at the house before noon. This forest is dangerous, so the safest place is my home." She laughed proudly, clearly fond of her little retreat.
We both stepped into the forest.
Step by step, we walked along the dirt and sand path. There was nothing here but trees, grass, and flowers. I noticed some trees that appeared lifeless, devoid of leaves—perhaps dead from old age. Others showed only trunks, likely cut down or broken by time.
The deeper we ventured into the forest, the more immersed I felt in nature.
The chirping of birds accompanied our journey, their melodies soothing and calming. It eased our minds and made our fatigue disappear.
I lost track of how long we had been walking, but it felt like we had come quite far. Fia stopped beside me and pointed ahead, giving me directions.
"Miss Fia, can you use magic?" I asked, hoping to break the silence.
She paused and turned to face me. She opened her palms. "…Do you mean like this?" From her hands emerged small spinning winds—miniature tornadoes, I assumed.
Seeing this shocked me, and I stuttered, "Y-yes…" Before I could continue, she spoke again. "Why do you want to know?"
"Because you mentioned making a barrier earlier. No human possesses magic like that—it's like something out of a fairytale. And now you're showing me this. It's shocking. I almost doubt my own eyes."
She looked surprised at first, then chuckled softly.
"…Really? Then I apologize for saying that. If people call this 'magic,' then maybe it is. But for me, this is simply inner power. The real magic you're referring to requires permission from the system—or rather, from the universe."
She turned to look ahead, continuing to speak as we walked. "Right now, only Deities, Angels, or perhaps Heavenly soldiers can cast true magic. As for me…" She glanced back at me with a smile. "…I'm human now."
What did she mean by being human? What was she before this—an Angel, a Goddess, or something else entirely? Who exactly was she? Why was she so full of mystery?
"…Come on, don't think too much. I'm not a bad person, I promise. Besides, we need to hurry before the sky turns dark." She ended with a playful tug on my hand, pulling me forward.