The Marionette's Puppeteer (Volume 2)

Chapter 6: A PseudoChristos was born

Tall grasses swayed alongside towering trees, enveloping the countryside—a place hallowed in honor of the sun god, Apollo.

As divine blessings bathed the fields, unwanted vegetation flourished, forming a dense forest.

Night blanketed the surroundings, the moon's light thwarted by the forest's lofty canopy, shrouding the area in impenetrable darkness.

Amidst this obscurity, only the gleaming eyes of predators lurked, awaiting unsuspecting prey.

After several hours, a faint wave of yellowish light danced through the forest, emanating from a candle nestled within a jar held by a young lad. His lemon-colored hair framed emerald eyes that surveyed the enigmatic forest.

"...It's not here. Where can I find them?" he muttered, his brow furrowed with concern.

Though he knew that lurking monsters posed a threat, he found himself oddly unafraid, devoid of any tremors or shivers.

Undeterred, he forged ahead through the tall grass, turning his head from side to side, searching fruitlessly. Eventually, frustration took hold, leaving him scratching his head in bewilderment.

"This is disheartening... If I don't find what the leader requested, I'll be cast out by my guild." Worry seeped into his voice. Strangely, he seemed more troubled by the prospect of expulsion than the perils of the treacherous forest.

"Or perhaps they sent me on a wild goose chase, commanding me to find something that doesn't exist in the first place? Maybe the guild no longer values my presence and seeks to dispose of me here?" His thoughts turned somber as he delved into deep contemplation.

Lost in his introspective musings, he failed to watch his step, stumbling over an unseen object.

"What was that?" he exclaimed upon regaining his footing, raising the candle in his left hand.

Illuminated by its flickering glow, a soft, pale-skinned figure came into view. With blond-coffee tresses and pallid lips devoid of color, it appeared to be a lifeless form—a corpse.

"Eeek! A human?!" he yelped, taken aback, then kicked at the figure's leg in surprise.

To his amazement, his kick met no resistance, as though he had struck thin air. The figure was weightless, not resembling a genuine human limb.

Realizing this, a sigh of relief escaped his lips, dissipating the remnants of his nerves.

"It's not a human... It's... a... doll. Thank goodness. I thought I stumbled upon a discarded body." He commented, his voice tinged with gratitude.

Confirming his suspicions, he examined the doll and found that it was indeed an inanimate object, lying among the grass. However, this doll perplexed him. Its hair appeared remarkably real, and the dress it wore exuded an air of opulence.

"I... I feel compelled to take this with me. It seems so lonely here in the forest..." he mumbled, gripping the bow of the doll's dress and carrying it with one hand.

Unbeknownst to him, a larger predator had set its sights on him.

Behind him, a chorus of wolf howls erupted, triggering his instincts to flee. And so, he ran, his mind sending danger signals.

“W-what was that!? That cannot be! The aura I possessed from my skill prevents any monsters from coming near me or detecting!?” He rampantly blabbered as he ran towards nowhere.

He was lost. He only knew the way back is where he came from. But that route was now having a monster sort of chasing him.

Struggled as he was running with both hands occupied, he couldn't find the correct pathway to outside.