Fainted

After a day of searching, Rudolf's efforts to find the child was useless. Arthur disappeared as if being swallowed by the earth is true. Even more surprisingly, none of the traces he encountered of Arthur's departure.

"I don't know what I'm feeling right now. But, if you have to be honest, two things feel chest-stifling when you see this incident. First, I didn't expect that Arthur would do this kind of thing. Secondly, the strangeness of Arthur's attitude was already felt when I saw him at the table for a meal together last night. So then, why don't I talk to him at least I'll know what happened to him?!"

Regret after regret came in Rudolf. From all his thoughts, one more thing makes him very sorry. He doesn't know what his son feels until he is desperate to do something like this. Some members of the Jotuns gave their elders support and encouragement for the loss of their son. Volka and Gus are no exception. They are also confused as to why this could happen, as if this were just a lie.

"Gus, come with me. I want to talk to you," Volka hissed. He then took the ancient rabbit to an area where Jotuns didn't pass much.

"Didn't you want to apologize to him before? What happened just now? Why did it come this way?" asked Volka as if interrogating.

"yes, I did look for it. But I didn't have time to meet him because he was gone in this cave. So therefore, I reported this incident to Rudolf," Gus replied.

They got a panic attack. It also confused them because if Arthur wanted to go somewhere, he would tell one of them.

"I guess that's why Arthur ran away like this," Gus chimed in. He stared in any direction blankly. His views imply a deep regret that they could no longer be expressed in words.

"What are you talking about? Arthur didn't tell us anything, so we don't have to blame ourselves for this incident. The most important thing now, we must be able to find him as soon as possible even though our lives are at stake!" said Volka encouraging Gus.

"That sentence only applies to me, not to you. Aren't you the dark lord who lives eternally on this earth?"

"Ah, yes. I forgot you're right. Gosh, just two days I haven't guarded this forest. We have been given unexpected problems like this," Volka said. Volka's spontaneous remarks elicited a surprised reaction on Gus's face. The wrinkles on his forehead revealed the confusion of Volka's words earlier.

"What?! Two days?! You're kidding me?!"

"Yeah, so what?" asked Volka innocently.

"It's no wonder the Dark forest feels not as cool as before. Maybe it's because of your actions! Ah, never mind. Let's go quickly to find Arthur! We have wasted a lot of time!"

The two also rushed to find Arthur back. They were sure they would soon find Arthur in less than a day. But did Arthur disappear, as Gus said? Where did the Jotuns go?

Meanwhile, while others were busy looking for it, at this time, Arthur was enjoying the fresh fish meat hunted in the river under the foot of the hill. Remembering that he hadn't eaten the banquet at his father's birthday last night, the worms in his stomach screamed, struggling to signal hunger. Therefore, he took a short break to stop his journey. Stop the trip? Where exactly is Arthur going?

That night, Arthur was desperate to leave his cave because he was completely disappointed with the situation. He decided to complete his mission by himself without asking anyone for help. Then how can it 'disappear without a trace? When Arthur returned to his room, his heart asked to go out through a large hole in the room. Without thinking further, he followed his heart. He climbed up from the spot and stood firmly on the surface of the roof of Howa's cave. Slowly, he walked down the steps quietly with a whisper in his heart. Aware that his footprints would be a clue, every time Arthur stepped in, as soon as possible, he erased his footprints so that his departure would not be known to anyone. That is the reason that to date, not a single trace of Arthur's footprints has been found,

"Maybe, you can't linger outside by yourself like this, Arthur. However, when you go home later, people will be surprised by your achievements. Soon your life like this will be over! Hahaha!" said Arthur with a full mouth.

What Arthur just said is true. His large and scary body will not be able to hide longer even though he can camouflage quite well. While enjoying his game fish, an arrow suddenly stuck in his hand. He doesn't know where the arrow came from. However, it surprised Arthur with a sour look on his face, enduring pain. As hard as he could, he tried not to roar from illness so the other Jotun would not know. For a few seconds, he realized someone was following him silently.

"Arrow? Who would dare to attack me in the early mornings like this?!" he said, pulling out an arrow from his arms.

In silence, he locked his gaze and looked around very carefully. Then, again, he realized that the owner of this arrow was not an inhabitant of the Dark forest. Instead, this arrow comes from humans.

"Oh, you dare to attack me quietly? Tsk! Coward! Show me your real face, scared human!" exclaimed Arthur.

A few moments later, footsteps sounded from behind Arthur's body. The move sounded like a very familiar shoe beat in his ears.

"I'm here, damned creature!" replied the person as she walked slowly.

A woman in a knightly suit and long loose hair emerged from behind the trees. The female walks in a perfect position while holding a crossbow, ready to be released. The visible vibrations from the girl's body indicate that this girl is very brave and frightened at the same time.

"Ah, Gilda?! Are my eyes mistaken?" greeted Arthur with a relaxed tone and a sly smile. With one eyebrow raised, it indicates that he underestimated the leader of the Village of Tanee.

"Don't talk too much! Or I'll...."

"Will what? Going to shoot me with that weak arrow of yours? Listen, don't be offended. But an ant bite is far more painful than a meagre arrow from you. Ah, I almost forgot, did you come here alone? Where are your loyal citizens?"

Arthur is still trying to relax in the face of the situation. But it's different with Gilda. This time, she met with the Jotuns at such a close distance. That is why his body trembled violently even though he tried his best to cover it. Gilda was still in the same position holding her crossbow just in case.

"Don't talk too much! Where's the kid?!" exclaimed Gilda.

"Kid? Which one?" asked Arthur, pretending not to know.

"Don't be stupid! Ramy! The last child you kidnapped last week!" concluded Gilda irritably.

"So, you came here just to ask the child? Gilda... Gilda, you are the daughter of the elder in the village of Tanee. But it turns out that you weren't smart enough when you were a leader. Of course the child had vanished, aka died being eaten by us, Jotuns in that night! Hahaha," Arthur retorted.

Gilda sighed deeply. She tried to hold back the tears that were about to fall even though they had been blocked in the eyes when she heard the harsh reality.

"Then, give up!" said Gilda again in a quivering tone holding back tears.

"Give up? We haven't even started the fight yet, Gilda. Oh, so that's your army? A rabbit like ili pika? You're kidding me, right?"

Arthur looked at the furry animal hiding behind Gilda's body. It was Pipi. From the beginning, the adorable little creature was already frightened and didn't even dare to look directly at Arthur.

"I told you, give up! Or ...."

Slowly, Arthur walked up to Gilda with a sharp gaze. The greenish-grey sturdy body with expanding muscles all over it made anyone who saw the monster shudder.

"Or what?" hissed Arthur in a deep yet terrible voice.

The shadow covered sunlight in Gilda's eyes when Arthur's body approached her. The girl's eyes rounded as Arthur came. At the same time, for some reason, she suddenly lost her strength to the point of dropping her crossbow with a gaze still locked on the monster. Seeing that, Pipi had already run away because of fear.

"D-Don't you dare to approach me, cursed Jotun..."

Gilda hadn't finished her sentence, she was suddenly unconscious, and her body fell to the ground with a very pale face. Arthur was very confused because this was the second time a human being was faint when she saw him at close range.

"Tsk! Is every human being always like this? It can only be threatening but unable to support itself when approached. You guys are so weak! This is the thing I am most proud of when I become a Jotun!"

Soon, Arthur heard someone calling his name from a distance that he recognized. It is Constituency. Panicking, afraid of being discovered, Arthur hurried away from where he was at this time, but there was an awkward savage in his heart. He couldn't leave Gilda alone lying by the river like this for some reason. If Volka or the Jotuns saw Gilda faint here, they would know that Arthur's whereabouts were not far from the river and of course, Arthur didn't want that to happen. So, without lingering, he picked up Gilda and took the girl's body with him in the middle of nowhere.

"Really! This human being is so troublesome as hell!" murmured Gilda.