The woman sat upright, her expression turning serious as she recovered from her wounds. Though relief washed over her at having escaped the chasing mob, her past experiences had hardened her heart.
She had learned long ago that people were cruel—seeing her as nothing more than a beast. Even now, sitting beside Kent, she remained cautious, her guard never lowering completely.
“So, tell me—who are you? And why did you save me?” she asked, her voice steady but filled with wariness.
Kent, sensing the weight behind her words, withdrew his hand from tending to her wounds on the soft thigh and met her gaze. His eyes held no hostility, only a quiet intensity.
“Before I tell you who I am, you should first tell me who you are,” he replied in a serious tone. “I’m not the one seeking help here.”
The woman hesitated for a moment before letting out a soft sigh. “I suppose you’ve already figured it out. I am human… but not entirely like you.” She looked down at her trembling legs, the pain evident in her expression.
“I was raised by a black magic wizard—one who was a master of beast arts. Since childhood, he fed me the blood of magical beasts. Over time, I gained the ability to transform my limbs into the body parts of different animals. But I can’t change my entire body or face completely.”
Kent narrowed his eyes. “Are you sure about that? If you were examined by skilled healers, they would be able to tell if there’s more to your transformation. You can’t hide everything from them.”
The woman gave a faint smile, but her voice carried an underlying pain. “You’re right. I can partially transform into a beast, but only for a short time. I have been trying for years to fully transform my being… but I haven’t succeeded.”
Kent remained silent for a moment, absorbing her words. Then, tightening a silk cloth around her wounded legs, he asked, “So what exactly happened? Why was that mob chasing you? And more importantly, where are you from? I’ve heard of no city near this forest—except for my hometown.”
The woman’s expression darkened as she looked toward the distant waterfall, her mind drifting back to painful memories. “I come from the Kulu Empire,” she finally answered.
“A few months ago, the coronation of our new emperor took place. During the ceremony, the eldest son who performed best was rewarded with gifts—powerful weapons, directly bestowed by the new emperor.”
Kent’s brows furrowed. “So… a new family took over the throne of your nation?” he asked, a hint of doubt in his voice.
“What? No,” the woman shook her head. “The new emperor is the son of the old emperor. It is almost impossible for any other family to seize the throne in our empire. Each of the four great empires of the Heavenly Realm possesses a Tyrant-rank weapon, and only four such weapons exist in this world. Until someone loses their weapon, no one can replace their heritage in their respective nation.”
Kent fell into deep thought upon hearing about the Tyrant-rank weapons. He had never come across any mention of them in the books of the Weapon Hall. It became clear to him that this woman came from a distant land—one completely disconnected from his own homeland.
The woman’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. “As for my situation… I wanted to obtain an Elder-rank Jade Weapon, so I participated in the coronation ceremony,” she said, her voice laced with regret.
“At first, people were amazed by my ability to transform my limbs into those of beasts. Changing my hands and legs into those of peacocks, birds, and even mythical creatures fascinated the crowd. I never expected, however, that revealing my power would make me a target.”
She paused, her eyes fixed on the cascading waterfall in the distance. The images of that fateful day played vividly in her mind, as if she were reliving it all over again.
“So what happened next? Instead of giving you a gift, did they try to imprison you?” Kent asked, his expression serious.
The woman let out a bitter laugh. “The lady who is set to marry the new emperor thought I was a beast and asked him to give me to her as a pet,” she said, her voice laced with anger and frustration.
“I tried everything to explain that I was human, not a beast—but they refused to believe me. The emperor ordered the elders to capture me. At that moment, I had no choice but to use all my strength to transform into a pseudo-beast and escape. I fled as far as I could, thinking I’d never see another person again after entering this forest… In my homeland, we call this place the Endless Green Desert.”
She fell silent, lost in memories of her desperate escape, recalling how close she had come to falling into the hands of those powerful elders.
Kent, too, remained silent for a long time. He didn’t feel much anger toward the princess who had asked for the woman as a pet. After all, the world worked that way—the strong always sought to exploit the weak, believing everything belonged to them. It was the same reason he had to escape from the Kai Royal Family. But still, he felt a bit of pity for the woman sitting in front of him, who had narrowly escaped death.
“You don’t need to pity me,” she said suddenly, her voice sharp with irritation.
Kent chuckled, shaking his head. “Alright, then tell me—how far does this Endless Green Desert stretch? Do you have any idea how many miles you’ve traveled since your escape?”
The woman exhaled deeply, thinking for a moment. “I don’t know the exact distance, but I’ve been traveling for more than three months. I believe I’ve covered at least 300,000 miles into this forest,” she replied.
“I made sure to keep moving east without much deviation. I used charms and talismans to escape and cover large distances, but the leader of the mob had some method to track me. Thankfully, he’s dead now. Without him, they won’t be able to trace me anymore.”
Kent’s eyes widened slightly. “Three hundred thousand miles?” he muttered to himself. He had never imagined that the seemingly ordinary forest behind his family’s house extended so far.
Looking at the woman, he asked, “So, if you want to return to your nation, you’d have to travel back more than 300,000 miles. Are you sure you want to go back?”