Morning came slowly to Irinthal Forest.
The mist that had felt dense and suffocating the night before was now thinner, drifting low between the trees like the remnants of a dream that had not fully faded. Sunlight pierced through the canopy, falling in soft lines across the damp ground.
Inside the small wooden hut, Noc woke up.
His eyes opened slowly.
Blank… for a few seconds.
The same wooden ceiling.
The same walls.
The same scent of old wood.
Everything… normal.
Too normal.
He blinked once.
Then again.
His hand moved slightly, touching the floor beside him as if to confirm something.
"…Huh?"
"What was… that?"
His voice was hoarse, still carrying traces of sleep.
He sat up slowly, leaning his back against the wall.
No pressure.
No strange mist.
No suffocating aura.
Nothing.
Silence.
Calm.
"Last night…"
His brows furrowed slightly.
A fragment of memory surfaced.
Blurred.
Incomplete.
Dark… vast… empty.
And a voice.
Not much longer…
Noc rubbed his face slowly.
"…A dream?"
"But why…?"
"That mist…"
"That place…"
He looked at his own hands.
Normal.
No changes.
No marks.
No proof that anything had actually happened.
And yet.
The feeling remained.
Faint.
Unsettling.
Like something unfinished.
"'Not much longer'…?"
He repeated it quietly.
His tone more serious now.
"What does that even mean…?"
No answer.
Only the wind slipping through the gaps in the wooden planks.
Noc exhaled.
Then shook his head.
"Ah… whatever."
He stood up.
His body felt light, as usual.
Nothing strange.
Nothing different.
At least… on the surface.
He grabbed his worn coat hanging in the corner and put it on casually.
Routine.
That was what he needed.
Something simple.
Something real.
"Check the traps…"
He muttered quietly.
Normally, at this hour, he would already be outside, walking along the familiar paths, checking each trap he had set for small animals, rabbits, young deer, sometimes wild boars if he got lucky.
But his steps stopped.
Right before he touched the door.
"…Wait."
Noc tilted his head slightly.
His expression shifted.
A bit tense.
"That guy…"
Augustus.
The memory of the man surfaced clearly.
Not like last night's dream.
This was real.
Very real.
The way he stood.
The way he spoke.
The aura, something Noc couldn't describe, yet enough to make him uncomfortable.
"Is he still outside…?"
Noc stared at the wooden door.
As if he could see through it.
"…Or has he left?"
A pause.
He pursed his lips slightly.
A small part of him.
The honest part.
Hoped the man was gone.
Problem solved.
Life back to normal.
But.
Another part of him rejected that.
"If he's still there…"
Noc took a slow breath.
His expression changed.
Calm.
Flat.
"Same as yesterday."
"…I can't look weak."
His thoughts hardened.
Reflex.
Habit.
In a world like this, showing weakness wasn't just embarrassing.
It was dangerous.
Especially in front of someone like Augustus.
"Yeah…"
A faint smile appeared.
Not because he was relaxed.
But because he had chosen his role.
"I'll just act the same."
He grabbed the door handle.
And opened it.
Slowly.
Creeeak…
The wooden door opened with its familiar sound.
And outside.
The morning mist greeted him.
Sunlight filtered through thinly.
And there.
A few steps from the hut.
Augustus Kael'dorn.
Sitting.
Still.
Eyes closed.
His posture perfectly straight, like a statue carved with precision.
The air around him… felt different.
Calmer.
More… orderly.
As if even the wind refused to disturb him.
Noc blinked.
"…He's still here."
Before he could think further.
Augustus' eyes opened.
Sharp.
Locking directly onto him.
And in one smooth motion.
He stood.
Then.
Lowered his head.
"Good morning, my lord."
…
…
Noc froze.
Internally.
Completely.
"…Huh?"
But externally.
Nothing changed.
His face remained flat.
His gaze steady.
Yet inside his head.
"MY LORD?!"
Pure panic.
Instant.
"What…? What does that even mean?!"
Noc stared at him.
For a few seconds.
Trying to process.
"Is this… a joke?"
No.
Augustus looked far too serious.
"Is he… serious?"
Very.
More than that.
His tone.
His posture.
The way he bowed.
This wasn't politeness.
This was… real.
"Why is he calling me that?!"
Noc almost looked behind him.
To check if someone else was there.
But he stopped himself.
No.
Stay calm.
Stay the same.
He crossed his arms.
Lifted his chin slightly.
"…Morning."
Short.
Measured.
As if this was normal.
Even though.
"THIS IS NOT NORMAL AT ALL!"
Augustus slowly raised his head.
His gaze remained respectful.
But not weak.
"Where does my lord intend to go this morning?"
The question came naturally.
As if this was routine.
Noc blinked once.
Inside.
"He's… asking where I'm going?"
"Why does it sound like a subordinate talking to a superior?!"
But outwardly.
He simply exhaled lightly.
"…As usual."
Calm.
Without hesitation.
"Checking the traps."
Augustus nodded slightly.
Processing.
"I see…"
He glanced toward the forest.
Then back at Noc.
"Is there anything I may do for you, my lord?"
…
Noc almost paused again.
"He's asking again?!"
"And why is he so serious about it?!"
Noc pressed his lips slightly.
Thinking fast.
Very fast.
"If I say no… he might get suspicious."
"If I tell him to do something… it has to make sense."
He glanced toward the forest.
His food supply was indeed running low.
He hadn't checked the traps last night.
And the past few days hadn't been very fruitful.
"…Hm."
He made a small sound.
As if considering something simple.
When in reality.
He was improvising.
"Coincidentally…"
He glanced slightly at Augustus.
"…our food supply is running low."
That was true.
Safe.
"Go hunting."
Short.
Natural.
"…Bring back something."
Simple.
Logical.
At least, from Noc's perspective.
But.
On the other side.
Augustus went still.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Thinking.
"Hunting…"
He repeated the word internally.
But the context.
Was different.
He remembered last night.
Noc's presence.
That absolute pressure.
And the fact that someone like that.
Lived here.
Alone.
"A being like that… would not rely on ordinary animals."
The conclusion came naturally.
"Which means…"
His gaze sharpened.
"What my lord refers to…"
He lowered his head slightly again.
His tone more serious.
"…are creatures of a different level."
Monsters.
Not ordinary prey.
Not deer.
Not boars.
But something worthy of being hunted by an existence like Noc.
Meanwhile.
Noc just saw Augustus thinking for a few seconds.
"…Why is he thinking so hard?"
Suspicion began to creep in.
But before he could ask.
Augustus spoke again.
"I understand."
Firm.
Without hesitation.
"I will ensure the results are… worthy of you."
Noc blinked.
"…Worthy?"
Inside.
"I just meant something edible…"
But outwardly.
He simply nodded slightly.
"…Just make sure it's enough."
He added.
To reinforce the act.
"For a few days."
Augustus nodded.
"Understood."
He turned.
Facing the forest.
But before stepping forward.
He paused.
Slightly.
Then glanced back.
"And… my lord."
Noc looked at him.
"…What?"
Augustus lowered his head once more.
"I will also use this opportunity… to adapt."
"…?"
Noc frowned slightly.
"Adapt?"
Augustus continued:
"To… the gift you have granted me."
Silence.
Noc froze.
Completely.
"…Gift?"
Inside his head.
"WHAT GIFT?!"
But his face.
Remained calm.
Slightly cold.
"…Do as you wish."
Safe answer.
Neither confirming nor denying.
But for Augustus.
That was enough.
"Thank you, my lord."
And then.
He stepped forward.
Into the forest.
One step.
Two.
And.
Gone.
Not because of speed.
Not because of the mist.
But because his presence… blended with the environment.
Disappearing without a trace.
Noc stood there.
Silent.
For a few seconds.
Then.
"…HAAAAAAAAH?!"
He grabbed his head immediately.
Panicking.
Spinning.
"WHAT HAPPENED LAST NIGHT?!"
He paced back and forth in front of the hut.
"Why is he calling me 'my lord'?!"
"A gift?!"
"Hunting what?!"
He stopped.
Staring at the forest.
His expression a mix of confusion, suspicion… and a bit of fear.
"…Don't tell me…"
He swallowed.
"…he completely misunderstood something?"
Silence.
The wind blew gently.
And for the first time that morning.
Noc felt.
This situation…
Was far bigger than he thought.
"What the hell is going on…?"