When I entered the barracks, people were busy moving around. Abel quickly saw me and Sigren.

“You both came back together.”

“What’s going on?”

Abel nervously swept his hair up. “The other hunting team caught a monster, but that’s the strange thing.”

“How?”

“It would be better for you to see and judge for yourself.”

I followed Abel’s suggestion and went to the place where the ‘new monster’ was. It wasn’t difficult to find the location because people were gathering around it.

A corpse of a monster was spread out in the center.

“The speed was so fast that several people barely caught it. One person dead, and one injured.”

“It looks like a low-level monster in this area…,”

However, when I looked closely, it was definitely different. The skin of the monster that resembled a large hunting dog was hard and black.

“Originally, it must have been a weak object to fire…, if the outside skin is this hard, it would be useless to use any kind of fire.”

I checked the monster’s teeth and claws.

“It’s harder than normal low-level monsters. It has big teeth and claws.”

“When it was alive, its eyes glowed red. It wasn’t originally like that.”

“I know. Also, originally, ah, I think the leg muscles were even stronger. I think I could understand how fast it was.”

After slowly examining the monster, I looked at Abel. “I honestly don’t understand this sudden transformation.”

Abel looked at me flatly. “And you’re saying that after guessing roughly like that.”

I sighed lightly. “Honestly, there’s only one reason for this transformation. The emergence of Darkness.”

Abel nodded. “Yeah. it’s my first time seeing it with my own eyes.”

“It’s the same for me, too. Also, I didn’t see the ‘dead land’ that often appears after the appearance of Darkness in the hunting grounds….”

If there was, the hunting competition would have been stopped immediately.

“That’s true. Anyway, it was decided that the hunting competition had to be abruptly stopped. It would be dangerous if there were many such transformed monsters in the forest.”

“Then, are we going to just leave it alone?”

This was a forest not far from the capital. No one knew whether more monsters would come down and attack the capital.

“No, a subjugation team will be formed soon. It’s not a playful competition like this, it’s official.”

“I see.”

That was weird. This didn’t happen in the original novel. The huntingcompetition scene was just a process in which Sigren and Eunice confirmed each other’s feelings little by little.

Abel glanced at my face. “Don’t worry too much.”

He must have thought that I was worried about monsters.

“It’s okay. It hasn’t been confirmed that Darkness is the cause. Rather, did everyone return safely from the hunting grounds?”

“No, I heard Ernest’s party hasn’t returned yet. Have you seen them?”

A sigh came out.

“Sigren… No, the Prince said they were heading towards the control line.”

“Why?”

“He thought he was going to lose, so I guess he went looking for stronger monsters.”

Abel clicked his tongue.

“Anyhow, that old man… fighting to death just so he could win and beat a young girl who’s the age of a daughter, really pathetic.”

That was true. Ernest was older than Abel. In terms of age, Ernest was older than my father.

“I’ll have to send a search team. Get ready to go back.”

“Yes.”

After answering, he was returning to Heilon’s tent when suddenly, a corner of the headquarter’s tent became noisy.

“There’s an injured person!”

“Hurry and call the healer!”

People rushed in.

I grabbed one of the restless ladies and asked about the situation.”What’s going on?”

“Duke Ernest’s party returned and was said to be injured.”

Oh, did they come back? In that case, it seemed that it would be okay not to send the search party. I approached the party through the gap of the people that gathered. There seemed to be a lot of injuries.

“Did the duke get hurt?”

“Stop the bleeding!”

“I’ve tried to stop the bleeding, but this wound…, is it the poison of the monsters?”

At first glance, Duke Ernest didn’t look too badly injured. It was mainly his knights who were seriously injured. There were many knights protecting the duke in the first place. However, the number of those who returned could only be counted on one hand.

‘Are the other knights dead?’

Unfortunately, it seemed that they ran into a group of transformed monsters head-on.

In the midst of chaotic shouts, a clear voice broke the commotion.

“I’ll take care of the poison.”

It was as clear as a bell ringing.

Naturally, the gazes turned around.

Bright golden hair, as if taken from the sun, brushed past me.

‘Blond hair?’’

It was not one of the healers who came out calmly, but a noble girl who appeared to be of my age.

“No way—”

The girl looked around for a moment, perhaps because she heard my voice popping out of my mouth. I met with the purple eyes sparkling like amethysts. The peach-colored bright cheeks and dense facial features were surprisingly lovely.

I swallowed my words involuntarily.

‘Eunice Arlyn’

That girl was the female lead in the original story.