Vincent woke up to the scent of medicinal herbs. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the rays of sunlight coming through the window and falling on his eye. He stood up and felt a little pain, but he didn't pay it any attention. He tried to walk until he reached the place with the smell of herbs.

The old man looked and observed as he ground some herbs and mixed them with other herbs. The old man Vincent sensed someone behind him and turned his head.

"Oh." Good morning, you are already awake.

"Yes, good morning..." What are you doing?

Curiosity grew within Vincent as he looked at the herbs. He certainly knew that there wouldn't be natural herbs like those in his world, so he was a bit curious.

"Oh, this! I'm researching some types of herbs to combine them with other types to create a new kind of herb."

Vincent could not have imagined a more concise answer than what he heard. He had always been one of the biggest haters of plants because they were the only meal available to him in the poor neighborhoods before he started stealing, which is why his curiosity faded in the blink of an eye.

"Generally, wait a little and I will bring breakfast."

A poem by Vincent about something inside his heart, as if he longs for something. But he didn't care about it and sat on the wooden chair in front of the small table and waited.

...

After Randolph finished preparing the food, the two sat down at the small table and began to eat. After it ended, Randolph began to take care of Vincent's foot injury. He no longer felt pain after that, but he was more than an expert in matters of injuries, so he knew it was important to take care of the injury even after it had relatively healed. He looked at it while seeing the small wooden house and the sound of the wind and trees outside. He felt calm, and that made him think.

"Mm.." "Mr. Randolph, do you live here alone?"

Randolph chuckled a little after hearing Vincent's question, as if he knew what he was going to say.

"I know what you will say." Yes, I have been living here alone for a few years. "And no, I do not feel lonely."

Vincent wasn't very surprised. In fact, he admired the way of life of old Randolph; he wished he could live in a secluded place away from the noise of living beings for the rest of his life.

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"Oh right..." "You didn't say what caused this injury."

Randolph lifted his head and looked into the middle of his eyes as if he were trying to study his expression.

Vincent's poem had something wrong in it, and he immediately understood what the mistake was.

"I mean, my memory is a bit foggy after I had this injury." "And you also seem to know what causes it, so if you don't mind, could you tell me?"

Vincent was a smart boy. Although he did not receive proper treatment or nutrition, his mind developed in a healthy way. Also, with the way he lived in impoverished neighborhoods and the danger of possibly dying from hunger or from people so desperate that they would eat anything, one had to think of solutions in the blink of an eye to survive in such a place. That's why Einstein's mind always worked so quickly that he noticed things that are difficult for an ordinary person to perceive. Just like what's happening now, when Finn saw Randolph's expression, he immediately understood that what he had said was considered illogical.

" Hmm... You are a smart boy, I must say. "Yes, I know what has happened to you, but before that, did you come from outside the forest?"

Vincent did not expect your question like this, but he answered anyway, using the information he gathered from the memories of the original body owner.

"Yes, I came from a neighboring village, and when I woke up, I found myself in a place that resembled a cave, and my foot was injured and oozing that sticky fluid."

" Hmm... It seems that the injury has really affected your mind. It doesn't matter, we are now in the North Moon Forest, it is a magical forest that you don't see often. On the edge of the forest lies another forest, which we, the inhabitants of the North Moon forest, call the Border Forest, as it serves as the dividing line between the rest of the Azforth continent and the North Moon forest. A few years ago, small creatures appeared that feed on the organs of living beings by laying their eggs inside them. When these eggs mature, more of these small creatures emerge. We call these creatures the Cedar Beings. "This wound is the result of an attempt to lay eggs from one of these creatures in your foot, and it seems that it succeeded in laying its eggs, which is why this sticky fluid is coming out of your foot."

Randolph spoke comfortably as he continued to apply the medicinal herbs around the injury and wrap it with fresh bandages.

"What?" "So what will happen now?"

Vincent shivered a little when Randolph finished his talk.

"Don't worry, luckily for you, I have a way to eliminate those nests before they spread throughout the body, so there is no danger to you, little one."

Vincent's body and heart relaxed a little after what Randolph said. He thought his end would be like the filth of animals, while those cedar beings devoured him. But it seems that his fears are in vain. "But why does he call me, little one?"

"Wait a minute." "Do you have a mirror?"

"Mirror, of course, it's on your right."

Randolph was a little surprised by Vincent's question, but he answered it anyway.

He stood up from his place and headed towards the mirror. The mirror was a little dirty, but he was able to see himself. He looked at himself in the mirror. His hair was dark red like blood, slightly curly and foul-smelling because it hadn't been cleaned for a while. He had sharp features and big eyes, and his jaw was relatively sharp. His features are slightly different from what he used to know, considering that it is not his body, of course. His height was one meter and fifty centimeters, which means it was close to his height in his previous body, which was one meter and forty-three centimeters, and this was due to malnutrition to the extent that his body did not grow properly. His features were somewhat childlike. "What is this? Was the owner of this body a young boy? That explains the short height and the features."

Vincent was a little troubled. There was a young boy in a magical world.

He didn't know what he would do, even if he were in his original body, which would not undergo that change. But suddenly he remembered something.

"From the memories of this boy." It seems that he lives in a village and resides with his father. Well, the best solution is to go back there, rather than staying here where something dangerous is expected to happen. It is a magical forest in the end. But what if his father feels a change and realizes that I am not his son? Alright, it doesn't matter now; there’s no better idea than this. And it's also not necessary to return to the village; I can go to any nearby city, and I can go back to my main job as a thief.’

"Old Randolph, can you tell me how to get out of the North Moon forest?"