Situated in the middle of the mountains, the forest they had to explore also had uneven terrain. Traces of last night's rain left the ground damp with dew on the leaves. Tall trees that almost covered the sky overhead, several wild animals of unknown origin. "Your informant is extraordinary. You know so much." As they entered the forest, Quinn met Irish Gold. For several minutes afterward, they still hadn't separated, trying to understand the forest they were exploring.
"Well, I'm Irish Gold. If you want to know anything, you can ask me." What did she want to know? Something crossed Quinn's mind. "It seems like you really want to know something from me." Quinn shook her head. "Nothing. I'll let you know if I need anything." The bright-eyed woman decided against it.
"Ahhhhh!" someone's scream was heard not far from them, however, because the tall, dense plants limited their vision and movement, they didn't see who was screaming.
"Do we need to check?" Irish—the woman who was checking the contents of the bag provided as supplies—replied. "No need. This isn't a dangerous place. At most, whoever it is will encounter some of the animals that live here." The girl took a dagger from her bag to clear the path.
Quinn also agreed with Irish on this point; they were still Seeds participating in the election. The Knox family wouldn't do anything that would put them in danger. They might encounter some animals or plants that looked threatening, but all of that was still under the Knox family's control.
Quinn looked up, having noticed an insect flying near them. One was on her and one was on Irish. The insect was inconspicuous, silent, and flew very quietly, even after being shooed away several times. With great care, Quinn caught the insect and held it between her fingers.
There was a camera inside the insect, and it moved as Quinn took a closer look. "You're right. They'll make sure everything is going well." Quinn released the insect, which began circling above her head again.
In the control room, Mrs. Knox laughed. "Hahaha, she noticed us."
"Miss Flos has always been more perceptive than the others. She's very sensitive to her surroundings. I thought she must be an A- or S-class girl. Seeing her in person, I always thought she was an SS-class." Inside the control room, not only were Mrs. Knox and the grandmother present, but the general himself was also there. He silently watched each screen displaying various individuals, but his eyes were focused on one person.
Quinn held her foot as she was about to step on a passing snake with two heads. One of the snake's tails turned green after one of its heads noticed their presence. "Oh, aren't they venomous?" Quinn shook her head, holding Irish back from bothering them. "No, this one is green. Usually these kinds only leave a bite mark. Unless they grow as big as you." Irish shuddered in horror, hugging herself as she imagined being swallowed by a two-headed snake.
"If they really grow as big as me, I won't hesitate to cut off their heads!"
"When killing them, you have to cut off both of its heads at the same time, if you only cut one, it will grow back again." The blonde-haired girl paled, her expression immediately changed to horror, along with her round eyes staring at Quinn who was of course very calm and relaxed.
"You've probably heard that some plants will attract passing insects and prey on them, right? Some of the larger ones can even eat humans."
"Hey! Have I done something wrong to you? Why are you doing this to me?" Irish asked, unconcerned. She took a few steps back from where she was standing. "I'm just telling you what I know. I own a plant shop in town. I also care for and own medicinal plants. I know how to care for them and how to extract them. I'm not making anything."
Quinn, who appeared serious on the outside with her cold aura, was actually trying to hold back laughter on the inside. Especially when she saw Irish Gold growing increasingly frightened. "You... you..." Irish's tongue became numb. She wasn't afraid of anything. She wouldn't be afraid of facing criminals, pirates, or flying to any galaxy to fight criminals—it wouldn't matter. However, her fear would arise when she imagined something so large eating her body.
"Don't worry, you won't find anything like that here. You said it yourself, this forest is very safe." Quinn walked away, leaving Irish alone. She felt satisfied after teasing the arrogant Miss Gold. "Come on, don't you really enjoy activities in the wild like this? You should have fun!" She shouted to Irish.
…
As they had expected, no danger awaited them in the forest. At most, only a few animals would flee as they approached. Irish Gold was feeling better now. As if their previous conversation had been a passing thought, the beautiful girl with the red flower was now complaining about the lack of interesting things she had encountered.
"What's in this bag?" Unlike Irish, who immediately confirmed what supplies they were given, Quinn hadn't seen what she was carrying. "Just drinks, some snacks, a knife, and a gun." Irish pulled the gun out of the bag. "Is this real? They gave us a gun when no one would be able to use it. Ah, Scarlett can use it."
Irish handed her the gun. "Here, can you use it?" Quinn stared at it like it was something she'd never seen before. "No, you can keep it." The woman looked away.
A few minutes later, they encountered a girl crying under a tree. She was terrified and wanted to go home. "I want to go home! I don't want to be here!" Upon further investigation, they discovered the girl had accidentally slipped and injured her leg.
Quinn caught a bug on the girl. "Hey, can you send someone to get this woman? I'm afraid her crying will disturb the animals in the forest." Irish, who was administering first aid, laughed. "Hahaha, you look cold on the outside. Who would have thought you were actually quite cruel?"
After receiving a message that help was on its way to the girl, the two girls, who had very contrasting hair colors, continued their journey.
"I don't know where we're going. We don't have a map, this is a big forest! I don't find anything interesting here either! We have guns, we have knives, but I don't know what they're for! I don't even care about that stone!"
"That's the point. The Knox family has no intention of giving the stone to anyone. That woman, Mrs. Knox, just wants us to give up. It's easier than choosing which Seed she should keep and which she shouldn't."
Irish chuckled, "Then I won't give up. I won't give up! They won't be able to get me out!" As evening approached, the sun was setting, casting a golden glow through the trees. Many girls had already given up. The Knox family wouldn't force anyone to stay if they didn't want to. When someone wanted to give up, they would let them.
….