The Forest Race Clonne

Chapter 114

Honestly, I can’t tell if there’s any scent coming from me. I just thought it might be possible, like when I summoned the bugs once before. I needed a natural way to reveal my identity without any unnecessary steps. If they knew I was a Clonne, they would at least try to capture me alive.

Given the current state of my still-throbbing body, that was definitely the right decision. Even though they restrained their strength, it felt like my insides were twisted. If they had judged me to be just an ordinary intruder, they might have killed me on the spot.

“You’re really out of luck. Of all times, Lord Eliha had to be around when your scent was noticed. At this rate, don’t you think the Creator God has abandoned you? Your luck couldn’t be worse.”

That’s why the soldiers’ mockery didn’t bother me much. Instead, I was more interested in what they said next.

“Looks like those guys caused a commotion because of this one, huh? They must have been excited knowing someone came to rescue them.”

“But now you’ve been captured so easily. You’ve just become another research specimen.”

“Well, they’ve been thoroughly scolded, so they should know their place now.”

Thoroughly scolded? Could it be related to the eerie stillness from a while ago? I had a bad feeling. When I looked up, the soldier escorting me smiled knowingly.

“What? Got something to say?”

“…What have you done to everyone?”

“Oh, finally speaking up? I thought you were mute, keeping your mouth shut like that.”

“……”

“You’ll find out soon enough. You’ll see for yourself.”

“I hope you take it as a lesson and keep quiet. Stay obedient, and we won’t kill you. Let’s not waste energy unnecessarily.”

Soon, the force that had been dragging me stopped. We were in front of a giant iron door that towered over my head. The door didn’t even have a handle. The soldier brought his wrist, which had a bracelet, close to the door. Red symbols spread rapidly from that point.

“Anyway, welcome. This is where you’ll be staying from now on.”

Clank—

The heavy iron door opened in front of me.

The first thing that greeted me was a dimly lit space. It wasn’t as pitch-dark as a storage cellar, but it was dark enough to make movement difficult. In the thick darkness, I saw figures lying lifelessly on the ground. None of them seemed to have any vitality. The air was thick with a foul, metallic smell. It wasn’t the scent of poison, but something even more ominous.

‘The smell of blood.’

Are they… really alive?

My heart sank coldly. Thankfully, it didn’t seem to be the worst case, as I soon felt weak movements. Toward the light pouring in through the open door, they slowly raised their heads. Their eyes, dull and unfocused, found me standing before them and slowly widened.

“Se, Sei…!”

“Sei!”

Tears quickly filled my eyes as I saw their desperate, pleading gazes. It seemed like they could make a sound, and seeing me, they appeared to recognize me. It seemed they had no trouble with their cognitive abilities, though for some reason, they couldn’t move their bodies.

“Yeah, yeah. You’re glad to see a comrade, aren’t you? You probably thought he was your only hope, but now what do you think, huh? What are you going to do now?”

Clenching my fists tightly, the soldiers chuckled and laughed. I stared coldly at their disgusting faces, seeing their enjoyment in the suffering of others.

“What exactly did you do?”

“It’s nothing much. Just being punished.”

“Punished…?”

“Guess it’s the price for breaking the shackles and causing a ruckus. A bit of karma, really.”

A price? What price?

Why are you punishing them? You who bound their freedom, who shackled them—what right do you have to punish them?

An overwhelming surge of emotion made my head go white.

“Did you think you could fix everything just by breaking the shackles? Did you think Lord Vaen didn’t foresee something like this? You should pay attention too. Do you see now what happens when you make such a careless choice?”

“…Are you proud of doing this?”

“……Are you proud of doing this?”

“Haha, upset? But what are you going to do about it?”

“……”

“You must have lived in the forest for so long that you don’t understand the ways of the world. This is how it is for the weak. It’s better for your mental health to give up quickly and adapt. Now, get inside!”

A rough hand pushed my back (I heard someone mutter a curse, though I wasn’t sure who it was). The door slammed shut with a loud thud, faster than it had opened.

As the outside world was completely cut off, the surroundings plunged into darkness. It seemed every place I went was like this. I didn’t particularly mind before, but now I felt I would come to dislike narrow and dark spaces.

“Is everyone alright?”

I waited for my eyes to adjust to the darkness before approaching those who were only breathing heavily. At my cautious question, sighs that could be mistaken for sobs emerged from various corners. Before I could examine it more closely, the person nearest to me grabbed my hand. The skin was thin and rough.

“Sei… is it really you, Sei?”

I recognized the voice.

“Yes, it’s me, Talis.”

“Huff, Sei…”

The hand holding mine trembled. He seemed to be trying to hold back tears, but it wasn’t very effective.

“Why… why are you here? Why…?”

“Well… I look a bit ridiculous like this, but I came to rescue you, somehow.”

It felt awkward saying this while being captured, but he didn’t look at me incredulously or laugh. Instead, he sobbed even more.

“Why did you come to save us? If you were alive, you should have run. You should have just fled far away.”

“I couldn’t do that. And I didn’t want to.”

“You foolish kid…”

Eventually, dampness spread over the back of my hand. Despite everything, he muttered prayers of thanks to the gods, grateful that I was alive. Suddenly, he inhaled sharply and held my hand even tighter.

“But why is your body like this? Why is your temperature so high?”

“Hmm? Oh, this…”

“Are you running a fever?”

Suddenly, the atmosphere around us became chaotic.

“What? Sei has a fever?”

“What’s going on? Is your body not well?”

“Where? Where does it hurt?”

They were such strange people. They couldn’t even move themselves, yet they were worried about something as trivial as someone having a fever.

“…I’m fine.”

It took some time to calm my voice. I felt that I should inform them about the signs of Awakening, but hearing such worried voices, it was hard to bring myself to speak.

“More importantly, what happened to all of you? What did they do to you that you can’t move?”

So, I started with the question I was most curious about. Those who hesitated to answer finally spoke when I pressed them. To sum it up, they didn’t know the exact cause either. They had successfully broken their shackles and tried to escape, but at that moment, someone appeared and uttered something like a spell. Suddenly, they felt a sharp pain, as if their insides were being twisted, and they started vomiting blood.

“It wasn’t a typical attack magic. It felt more like activating a device that had been prepared beforehand.”

“They injected us with strange substances every day. Maybe that’s the cause.”

Injected with substances?

Could they have developed a poison effective against Clonnes? Considering they referred to research samples, it wasn’t a possibility that could be ruled out. Even those with excellent healing abilities couldn’t cure themselves from this poison. Could this be treated? A sudden sense of unease chilled my heart.

“Just hang in there a little longer. Help is on the way.”

“Help?”

“The Crown Prince of the Aslan Empire is sending troops here. The Security Department is also aware of this underground facility, so we’ll be rescued soon.”

We just need to hold out and not scatter until then. Thanks to my recent capture, they seem to have postponed their plan to separate the location, but we couldn’t be entirely at ease.

“No, you need to get out before then.”

At that moment, a deeply hoarse voice was heard. It was Kalph’s voice.

“They’ll inject you with that substance soon. No matter what, you mustn’t let that happen.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the people lying down trembled. I could feel everyone on edge, focusing outside.

“Damn it, they’re already coming.”

“Bastards, they’re always quick with this.”

They must have sensed a subtle presence that I couldn’t catch. At that moment, a dark shadow crawled over and extended a hand towards me. When I took it, thinking they wanted me to hold it, a relieved voice flowed out.

“Thank goodness. It seems like it’ll work.”

Then, everyone else sighed in relief. Though I hadn’t talked much to him, I knew who it was. It was Reta, one of the two connectors in the village. I sensed him faintly smile when our eyes met.

“Those stupid bastards didn’t realize my shackles were broken. Thankfully, they just left me alone. I wasn’t sure if I could manage due to my poor condition, but I can get at least one person out.”

“What do you mean…?”

“We’re going to get you out of here.”

The firm voice belonged to Kalph again.

“You said help is on the way, right? Thank you. That’s enough for us. We’ll handle the rest. Sei, you need to leave immediately. You, of all people, shouldn’t be here.”

Before I could even process the unexpected words, Reta, who had taken a deep breath, suddenly vomited something up. The pungent smell of blood made it clear what he had thrown up. It was evident that he was straining himself to muster his strength.

“Wait. You can’t just do this without my consent! Stop this! I haven’t agreed to leave! Why are you…!”

As I tried to let go, the hand gripping mine tightened even more. The determination to forcibly send me away was palpable. I struggled to break free, but then, a cold hand cupped my face, holding me in place.

I was about to resist, but just then, a voice cut through the tension.

“Knight Kalph, I greet the King’s son.”

“…!”

I instinctively held my breath. It felt like the world had come to a halt. The next thing I knew, I was pulled into a dry embrace.

“Forgive me for failing to recognize and protect you, my prince. If I live to see you again, I will accept whatever punishment is deemed fit. Please take care.”

A suppressed sob was swallowed somewhere in the darkness. For the first time, I felt relief in the darkness, thankful I couldn’t see anyone’s face. I could only feel my trembling body as I tightly shut my eyes. The sense of cruelty and despair was overwhelming—so much so, I almost wanted to scream.