Hours later, Mr. Huntsman rose from his deep slumber.

His pale complexion did not inspire confidence in his condition, but he was thankfully still alive. If Snow had healed him any later, then this cave would have been his final resting place.

“Do you know how to make a splint?” Snow asked Red.

“No… What’s that?”

“Bring me some branches. I’ll show you what it is. It’ll help Mr. Huntsman walk. We can’t… leave him behind. Never him.”

Snow’s hands hovered over Mr. Huntsman’s legs. Despite the injury being isolated to simply his left hand, the rot of the Envious Brambles was already deeply rooted into his system. Furthermore, Snow couldn’t heal all injuries.

Gangrene was the most she could repair. Lethal injuries were entirely out of her scope, never mind mortal wounds. Complex fractures were another limitation of her powers as a Healer.

Snow’s hands roamed over the exposed, swollen area of the man’s shins. She winced as though experiencing the same agony as him, which prompted the man to remove Snow’s hands.

“I’d rather you don’t experience it yourself.” He said with a tremor in his voice. “You’ve already… experienced the pain of the rot.”

Red had no idea what they were talking about as she went to work chipping away sizable brambles and pieces of the Rock Bug’s shell. She hauled back a decent pile of materials beside Snow who immediately went to work.

Snow isn’t handling the Envious Brambles with gloves. I thought she said they were poisonous. Is that also the power of a Healer?

Indeed. Snow’s hands were even cut by stray splinters and thorns of the brambles. Her veins turned black for only a split second before reverting to normal. Red’s body was entirely unaffected by this poison which was why her veins did not change color.

She figured that she must have also been exposed to the poison. There must have been a time when she too was wrapped by either a Bitter Thorn or a Sweet Thorn.

I’m not sure about that actually. The Bitter Thorn and the Sweet Thorn seem to have different types of poisons. The Bitter Thorns take over the bodies they infect. But the Sweet Thorn used my body to grow an apple… And I managed to survive that. Did Snow manage to survive too?

She didn’t know, but the fact that Mr. Huntsman didn’t seem bothered by this confirmed that he was aware of the secrets Snow harbored. The woman kept her diary close as she tried to expel the toxins from his body, resulting in Snow vomiting copious amounts of blackened blood.

Her eyes burned with desperation as she wrapped his shins with the brambles.

Seeing her eyes swell and moisten with tears, the man placed a hand on her head to assure her that he was fine.

“Don’t lose hope, Snow. I’m the one who is injured. Don’t shoulder a burden that doesn’t belong to you. Let adults be the ones to worry about you.”

“Please don’t treat me like a child. I’m not the same Snow you remember. Can you stand?”

“Hardly. Truth be told, I’ll just slow you down.”

“Mr. Huntsman –!”

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“Here.” Red interjected as she held out a hand.

To see a young, lithe girl hold out a hand as if she could do anything to support a man as large as him would have caused any other person to burst out in laughter.

But he was aware of the peculiarities of the world. Judging a person’s strength solely on their physical appearance was a mistake one can only make once. Typically, the smaller one appeared the more dangerous they potentially were. This was especially true in a Region like Emvita where only the strongest could survive as an Adventurer.

For instance, there was a famous Diamond-Ranked Adventure by the name of Dorothy. She was an unarmored woman who wielded an incredibly thin sword. It was said to be so thin that it could vertically slice a strand a hair into two.

Those types of people laughed in the face of low Risk-Level Corrupted. Just one Diamond Ranked Adventurer could save them.

But no one was here to lend their hand aside from the little Red.

“The Village of Hearth is blessed to have a benefactor like you. Little Red… you’re a fearsome Huntress. But you still spare the time for people as weak us.” He took her tiny hand.

That tiny hand gripped his with the strength of a dozen men. He was pulled up to his feet and was immediately supported around the shoulder of this girl.

“It’s what humans do, right?” Red smiled.

“I suppose it is, young Red. Urgh… Do we have a plan of action?”

“Escaping is our priority.” Snow urged. “If we can find a way out, then there’s a chance that the infection will stop.”

Mr. Huntsman thought for a moment and agreed, although:

“The chances of finding an exit are slim. Corrupted Zones don’t typically allow people to escape… But if we’re lucky, then we might be able to escape with our lives.”

Their eyes lit up with newfound hope. Red knew something they didn’t. A key detail that would erase that light of hope forever. She grit her teeth, took a deep breath, and sighed to gain their attention.

“You’re wrong… This place is the Forest of Everlasting Envy.” Red announced. “No one can leave this forest until the Suppression or Subjugation of the Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns.”

She was fully expecting them to ask how she knew this. But to her surprise, Snow nodded with a solemn expression.

“I thought so. In the end, we’ll have to fight a Corrupted…”

“I can fight it.” Red assured them. “I’ve fought a Trickle before. Level 30. It was a giant Anid.”

Snow wanted to argue. To tell Red that she was wrong. That a Trickle Corrupted did not compare to the likes of one that had manifested a Corrupted Zone. But Mr. Huntsman’s life was on the line.

He was like a father to her.

“I don’t know how I’m supposed to believe you.”

“I trust her.” Mr. Huntsman announced. “As difficult as it is to admit, Red is far stronger than I will ever become. The only reason she was taken down was because she lowered her guard… Red. No matter what happens, you must be able to differentiate a friend from an enemy. You have to know when it’s time to let them go.”

“Let them go?” Red whimsically asked, wondering what he was talking about.

“Humans don’t live forever.” He said, emphasizing the ‘human’ part.

Does he… know? No. He can’t. I’m sure I’m overthinking it.

Snow shook her head and hugged the side of the man.

“Mr. Huntsman… Don’t… say that…”

The fear of losing someone so close to her was an emotion Red didn’t understand. But when she thought of losing Snow, her heart ached in a way that caused the blade at her hip to burn.

The man cradled the back of Snow’s head and smiled contently.

“Just prepare yourself, Snow. That’s all I ask. Red… Shall we head off now? I’m afraid I’m on limited time.”

“Then let’s go. Onwards!” Red immediately began leading him away with stars glistening in her eyes.

As a mission orientated person, she was ready to take on anything in their path. She wasn’t bogged down by emotions like the two.

But a part of her wished she could understand what they were going through. It was a shame, she thought. But it was also strange. Mr. Huntsman wasn’t afraid of his impending death, whereas Snow was deeply affected by it.

What made Mr. Huntsman so calm despite being so close to death?

Why was Snow so attached to him?

She figured it was because they were friends.

That, and because they were human.

… I don’t like seeing Snow look sad. Maybe it’s the same thing.

A hand suddenly tugged on Red’s sleeve the moment they stepped out from the cave. But before they left, Red stored a bundle of large shards of the Rock Bug’s shell into her Dimensional Storage.

“Wait… can you tell me more about it? What else do you know?” Snow’s voice trembled. She took a large shard for herself as a shield.

Red stared at her eyes before pointing at the symbol etched onto the side of the diary. She recalled her past life as the Vengeful Red Assassin and how she and the Queen of Sweet and Bitter Thorns were ultimately taken down.

“The golden apples. If we can find them, then we’ll be able to figure out how to beat this thing!”