The Missing Food

By then, nearly half an hour had passed since they found her. Brando saw Peya, who had just woken up, glance around in confusion. A trace of bewilderment still lingered in her eyes, but the confusion in her dark pupils quickly transformed into deep wariness.

She suddenly sprang up from the ground like a mother beast, her hand instinctively reaching for the short bow on her back.

But she was destined to grasp nothing.

Only then did Peya fully awaken. When she saw Brando, she seemed to freeze. "Ah! R-right, I'm sorry, Sir Knight... I thought—"

But Peya's words abruptly cut off.

Brando saw horror spread across her face. She suddenly turned around and glanced at the surrounding forest as if she had seen a ghost.

"How can this be... It's exactly the same..."

Peya suddenly backed away several steps, ignoring everyone around her. As she retreated, she examined the surrounding woods, moving faster and faster until she broke into a run. In the blink of an eye, she vanished into the forest.

Peya's actions left everyone stunned. Brando was also slightly taken aback, but then he noticed that the direction in which the hunter girl had disappeared led straight to the exit toward Breath of Milos.

"Brando?" Freya asked from the side. "What happened to Peya? Should we go after her?"

Everyone looked at one another, still unaware of what had happened. Brando himself was utterly confused. Peya's earlier behavior had not seemed reckless. On the contrary, she could be called an excellent hunter.

And the most outstanding hunters usually shared one trait.

Calmness and composure.

Brando hesitated only briefly before saying, "Follow her."

Faint starlight began to appear in the forest, indicating that they were leaving the boundaries of the Eternal Night Forest. By the dim light, Brando