Chapter 101: Too Late
[Jade’s POV]
The forest felt like it had grown teeth unbrushed for decades. The littered dried leaves that create scary noises once stepped onto, and the smell of dead, decayed mushrooms sprouting above the damp ground.
I covered my nose with a hand while the other one kept slapping away the small thorns protruding in the way, trying not to let my cheeks be scraped. Meanwhile, the captain was unbothered.
My gaze shifted to the stranger. I couldn’t help but be skeptical. We should be getting out of the forest, but instead we were walking deeper into it. It’s suspicious that this Red House we’re looking for is located in the heart of the forest.
It doesn’t make sense.
Our ’guide’ was hobbling a few paces ahead, which really meant Claude was practically dragging him by the collar.
If the guy stumbled one more time, I was pretty sure Claude would stop dragging and just start carrying him like a sack of potatoes. Or a corpse.
Honestly, depending on Claude’s mood, maybe both. But right now, he was a bit...colder than usual.
Above us, the sky was painted an ugly gray, all mist and no mercy. The kind of sky that made you question why you ever left your bed that morning—except I hadn’t had a bed since we got thrown into this world.
But how dare I complain when my dear captain even provided a tent for us, with a few books inside? I don’t get him. We were fine the other day, but then, today, he was avoiding me, and now that we have no choice but to be together on this journey, he was treating me coldly.
I was so close to smacking the back of that incomprehensible head to get answers.