NOVEL NEXT Chapter 157
157. The Witch’s Forest And Noa
“Here, I’ve made some tea.”
The whole family was sitting in the living room, and Mom served us tea. I wasn’t sure where to start, but Dad broke the silence.
“So, are you getting married or what?”
“No, I’m not.”
I figured I needed to clear up some misunderstandings first. I handed them my adventurer’s card.
The adventurer’s card works like a membership ID, used to verify one’s identity.
“This is… an adventurer’s card? Oh, look, it’s got Arx’ name on it! What a cool card!”
“Wait a second, Papa! Look at this! Right here!”
Mom raised her voice, pointing at a specific spot on the card. Dad, who was still leisurely admiring it, quickly focused on where she was pointing. Hina and Dad followed her gaze in a rush.
“W-wait, this says S?! Does that mean…?”
“Yeah, it means exactly that. I became an S-rank adventurer.”
The three of them sat there, stunned, clearly having a hard time believing it.
To make my words more convincing, I summoned my storage slime and pulled out a particular item.
Clink, clink, clink, clink!
In the next instant, the backpack carried by the storage slime spilled out a massive pile of gold coins onto the living room floor.
“W-what is all this?!”
Gold coins poured from the backpack with a jingle, soon covering the floor entirely. Now that the room had gone silent, I began my explanation.
“This is what I’ve earned in just six months. Well, most of it’s from recent work. Do you believe now that I’m an S-rank adventurer?”
“I mean… it’s not like we ever doubted you, Arx, but… this is all so sudden!”
Mom picked up one of the gold coins and stared at it intensely.
Well, I guess dropping something like this out of the blue would surprise anyone. But this was only the beginning of my story.
“There are two reasons I came back home. The first is to leave this money with you.”
“All of it?!”
I nodded and continued.
“The second reason… is that I have something I need to ask both of you.”
“Something to ask us?”
“Is there a ‘dark place’ near this village that I might have visited? I think it would be outside the village.”
I have no memories of Noa. So, I don’t know what she meant when she referred to a “dark place.”
But I figured if anyone would remember something from my childhood, it would be my parents.
“If it’s a dark place… could it be that one?”
Dad and Mom exchanged looks and nodded. They seemed to have an idea.
“Do you remember the ‘Witch’s Forest,’ Arx?”
“That’s… near the village, right?”
There’s a large mountain near Sarina Village called Mount Manados, so tall you can see it all the way from Ortea.
At the base of the mountain is a forest dense with towering trees, and the villagers call it the Witch’s Forest.
The forest is home to powerful monsters, so even adventurers avoid it, let alone the villagers. Anyone crossing the mountain must bypass the forest entirely.
“When you had just turned ten, Arx, for some reason you told your friends you were going to defeat the witch living in the forest and went inside by yourself.”
“The witch?”
“There’s an old story about a woman living in the forest, known as the witch. They say she used to interact with people long ago, but no one’s seen her since.
Personally, I think the whole thing is nonsense.”
Looking back, it’s amazing how reckless kids can be. I must’ve made them worry so much.
“When we heard from your friends, the entire village went into a panic. But charging into the forest would’ve only gotten more people hurt… So, they decided to give up on you if you didn’t come back.”
“…So, I died?”
“If you were dead, then who do you think you are, sitting here now?”
Raize’s calm interjection shut me down.
Mom gave me a sympathetic smile, then dropped a bombshell.
“Noa went into the forest to save you.”
“Noa?!”
The mention of that name made me lean forward in shock.
“You remember Noa? She was a traveler who stopped by the village and stayed with us for one night.”
“Did Noa… say anything?”
“No, not much. She had a mysterious vibe about her.”
Mom’s words didn’t sit right with me. Noa, quiet? The Noa I knew was bubbly and cheerful.
“And what happened to Noa?”
“No one knows. She left the village alone… and then you came back alone.”
Suddenly, the pieces started falling into place.
Noa had been here. She went into the Witch’s Forest and gave me my
So, I barely escaped with my life—probably from the monsters in the forest.
For now, I had all the answers I came for. But… if Noa really did die, does that mean there’s no way I can bring her back into this world?
“Is there anything else you want to ask?”
“…No, I got everything I needed. Thank you.”
“Glad to hear that. Since you’re back, why don’t you and Raize take it easy and stay for a while?”
“Yes, we’d love to!”
And so, Raize and I decided to stay the night in Sarina Village.
The reunion with my family felt healing in a way, washing away the burdens I’d carried for so long.
Yet, in a small corner of my heart, the thought of Noa still lingered, leaving a trace of unease.