Pathfinder

Chapter Nine

It was a creature that looked like a mix between a cockroach and a human. Garam was first shocked by its repulsive appearance and then by its antennae as long as her arm. The creature was standing upright like a human, but the outer layer of its body was like an insect's shell rather than a human’s skin, and its head was unmistakably that of an insect.

"Grr, Grrr."

It made a small sound, and more of them started appearing from all over the forest following the cry of the first one. There were approximately twenty of them. It was truly a chilling sight, enough to drain the color from one's face in an instant.

“It's better if you die.”

Mordred's last words flashed through Garam's mind.

‘It would be better if I died?’

Sure, they didn't look very peaceful, but would they really kill her? Would she die?

Garam’s heart skipped a beat for a while, and then she started running down the mountain at an astonishing speed, propelled by the sudden surge of strength that comes in a life-or-death situation. It was as if she had wings on her back rather than a backpack.

Suddenly, there was a rustling noise from behind.

'Don't look back! Shouldn’t look back!'

She shouted in her mind, but she couldn't help but turn around. Once she turned around, she instantly regretted it. The creatures had wings that resembled those of an insect, but were a hundred times larger.

No matter how fast Garam ran, she couldn't match their speed. Eventually, they flew ahead of her and blocked her path.

‘Could it be because of the food in the bag?’

Garam tried to think positively as she frantically threw the rations from her bag. But to the insect-humanoids, it appeared as if their food was throwing some more food at them. They showed some interest in the food she had thrown, but that was it. Soon, they extended their razor-sharp front limbs and began to close in on her slowly.

Tears welled up in Garam's eyes. Even though she was not one to cry easily, the situation had become so dire that tears were inevitable. There were no police or passersby to help her there in the mountains, and she was about to become the meal of those insect-humanoids. Even Mordred had betrayed her and left.

With tears streaming down her face, Garam swung her backpack helplessly. The closer she looked, the more grotesque they appeared, and she couldn't bear it. She thought she'd rather faint at that point. To pass out and wake up inside an insect's stomach would be better.

"Is anyone there? Anyone?"

Garam cried out, and at that moment, the insect-humanoids rushed towards her. She quickly regretted shouting and defended herself with her backpack.

'Like this? Like this? Is this how I die? Will I wake up if I die? Or will I go to the afterlife?'

She wished she could lose consciousness, but her sturdy mind wouldn't let go so easily. She couldn't bear the thought of being eaten by insects while in her right mind.

"Please, somebody, help! Ah, get off me!"

As Garam cried out, one of the insect-humanoids quickly swung its front limb. Its sharpness was like that of a razor, and a piece of Garam's clothing was neatly sliced off. She had expected it to be something like a blade, but seeing her clothes actually get cut made her legs go weak, and that was a mistake.

"Ahh!"

With her strength gone from her legs, Garam was unable to resist as the insect-humanoid climbed on top of her. She desperately struggled to break free, but the insect-humanoid on top of her was not alone. In an instant, Garam found herself crushed under the weight of the insect-humanoids.

'So, this is how I die. Mordred, you bastard!'

Under the weight pressing down on her, Garam was slowly resigning herself to her fate. She even thought that maybe she would wake up and realize it was all a dream. And then, at that moment...

"Roar!"

Amidst the clicking sounds of the insects, another sound that didn't belong to insects but to some other animal echoed.

'Is it a fight for prey? Insects or tigers, just eat me already.'

In her state of despair, Garam suddenly realized something.

'Wait, tigers?'

It was Trigger.

"Grrr!"

As Garam recognized him, Trigger swung his front limb, sweeping away the insect-humanoids that had been on top of her in one go. With the weight on top of her suddenly gone, Garam sprang to her feet. The insect-humanoids that Trigger had struck were missing limbs, and some even had their torsos separated. In their chaotic retreat, Trigger was like a hurricane, tearing them apart and scattering them.

"Trigger?"

In disbelief, Garam called Trigger's name in a daze. Trigger, still facing away from her, growled while waiting for the insect-humanoids to completely disappear. Finally, as the last one that had poised its appendages over Garam flew away, Trigger turned to look at Garam.

"What a mess."

Garam's face was a mess of tears and dirt. With his tongue, Trigger tried to lick her, but he was afraid that he might peel off the skin on her face, so he just extended the tip of his tail.

"Wipe."

Without a word, Garam wiped her face with Trigger's thick tail. She had handkerchiefs and wet wipes in her bag, but she couldn't think of those things at the moment.

Finally, as the tension eased, Garam sobbed uncontrollably.

"Mordred's ability turned out to be more extraordinary than I thought. To avoid being discovered, I had to follow from a distance. I'm sorry I was late."

"No, no, I'm so grateful you came!"

Trigger patiently waited for Garam, who started to cry again, to calm down. He occasionally licked her cheek to offer some comfort, and Garam held onto Trigger's head tightly as she let her tears flow. Trigger's ears twitched with a hint of awkwardness as they stuck out between Garam's arms.

The sun was setting when Garam had finally calmed down.

While still sobbing, Garam murmured and vented her frustrations about Mordred's deceit and the ordeal she had endured. Half of her words were muffled by her sobs, but Trigger sat silently, listening attentively without complaining.

"Um, thank you."

Garam said afterward. Garam, who was in her mid-twenties, felt a sense of embarrassment for crying like a child at her age. Her cheeks were slightly flushed due to this embarrassment. However, Trigger didn't comment on her crying. Instead, he responded with a short “okay” and tried to change the topic.

"Well then, I guess you can't go back to your place tonight."

"No, I can't. I was there this morning."

"At least for the next two days, you'll have to stay here. So, have you decided on a direction to head in?"

At his question, Garam looked at the back of her hand. There was supposed to be just one clock hand, but more than twenty hands had appeared, forming a shape like a sharp-toothed wheel. This seemed to indicate that her path was charging. Upon closer inspection, one of those hands was gradually fading. Perhaps when all of them faded, leaving only one, it would indicate that the path could be found again.

While it was reassuring to be able to differentiate between a charged and uncharged path, Garam was still overwhelmed by the complexity of the symbols. She had received explanations from Mordred, but there was still much she didn't understand. If she had known better, she would have been more proactive in asking questions. However, at that point, she could only sigh in frustration. Plus, she didn't know if the needle would decrease by one or two each day, making it impossible to predict how long she needed to wait. Not to mention, she wouldn't know where to go until her path was fully charged.

"No, I can't go anywhere."

Garam admitted, her voice filled with frustration.

Trigger already knew most of Garam's situation because she had talked about her circumstances while crying and also because he had been following her and picking up on things along the way. When Mordred first revealed that Garam was from another world, Trigger felt like banging his head with his forepaw. How could she tell him that so easily? He thought he just couldn't leave her alone.

"Let's do this then."

"What?"

"As you can see, I can't enter the city since I'm an animal."

"I see."

"So, I'll take you to the city gate, and from there, you can sell the items in your bag. That way, you can make some money to stay at a clean and safe inn and spend two days there. It's better not to go back every two days from now on since that would make you unable to return when it's really urgent. It would be a good idea to prepare the things you need in the city this time."

"Can't you stay with me?"

Even if she had to sleep uncomfortably, it would be better that way. Garam looked at Trigger with a pleading expression. Despite having a tiger's face, Trigger had such expressive features that it wasn't hard to recognize his dilemma. Trigger wanted to be there for Garam, especially given the recent danger she had faced. However, it was a full moon, and to be frank, Garam still looked very appetizing to him.

"No, I can't."

"Why not? I promise I won't be a bother, so please..."

"Take this chance to explore the city. You'll have to go there eventually, right? Besides, I have my own reasons. I want to go with you, but I really can't. I'm sorry."

Trigger's apology left Garam with nothing more to say. She felt that pushing further would only make things difficult for him. In the end, Garam nodded.

"Alright. But, can we meet again?"

"Well, maybe."

With a brief affirmative response, Trigger provided Garam with detailed instructions. He advised her on how to respond to guards, which inn to choose, and what she should prepare first. Garam, despite being physically and mentally drained, tried her best to absorb Trigger's advice.

Her curiosity about how Trigger, a creature that couldn't enter the human city, knew so much about that world became briefly sparked, but it quickly faded away as the fatigue in her mind erased any trace of such questioning.

"Now, let's go. Ride on me."

After listening to Trigger's instructions a few times, Garam, who had not ridden on Trigger for a long time, finally climbed onto his back. Confirming that Garam was securely on his back, Trigger, who knew there was still some time before the moon set, chose to walk instead of run.

As they walked, Trigger didn't forget to review the advice he had given her.

"If a guard asks where you're from?"

"I'm from South Korea on the Eastern continent."

"And your destination?"

"I'm headed to the Kaltsberg territory, where my father is."

"What about the inn?"

"It should be a high-end inn with rooms costing less than 1 gold but more than 10 silver."

"And the reason?"

"Staying in a place too expensive might attract attention, and staying in a place too cheap as a woman alone could lead to trouble."

"And what’s the most important thing to be cautious about?"

"Not causing any trouble in the city."

"Okay, good job. Even if you’re wronged, don't fight or make a scene. Try not to attract too much attention."

"Okay, sir."

"You don't have to call me sir. Just ‘okay’ is enough. Don't you think it's kind of funny to call a tiger ‘sir’?"

"It's not funny."

Garam replied with a straight face. Trigger was her lifesaver, and there was an air about him that she couldn't help but respect. Maybe it was because he was the lord of all beasts. While Garam was thinking, Trigger spoke in a quiet voice.

"It is funny. I just want you to talk to me in a less formal way."

"Okay."

"You pick things up quite fast."

Garam, who had found some semblance of comfort in Trigger's fur and warmth, chuckled. Trigger smirked and stopped while on the way.

"Okay, we'll just walk straight this way."