The next morning, Rameses and Jinny left the cave and began their journey toward the path that would lead them out of the forest. The place was dim and eerie—tall bushes lined the trail, and the unsettling cries of distant animals echoed through the air.
Rameses walked ahead, alert, making sure Jinny was safe behind him.
"H-How long will it take to get out of this forest?" Jinny asked, glancing around nervously. She hugged herself as she walked, trying to suppress the growing fear in her chest.
"Maybe two days," Rameses replied without looking back.
Jinny clenched her fists. Two more days in this terrifying place. She could only hope that no wild animals—or worse, beastmen—would come for them.
"How's your wound?" Rameses asked after a moment.
"It's getting better," she answered quietly.
"You should see a doctor once you reach Apomon," he said, glancing at her. "You know… you need to be checked. Down there."
Jinny understood what he meant. She had miscarried. She needed a doctor to examine her—properly this time.
"I know," she said softly.
There was a pause, then she asked, "By the way, when we reach Apomon… will you come with me?"
"I can't," Rameses replied.
"Why?" she asked.
"There's somewhere I need to go. We'll part ways once we get out of the forest. I'll accompany you only up to the entrance of Apomon."
"I see…" Jinny murmured, her voice low.
Silence settled between them, and they continued walking through the dark, whispering forest.
.
.
.
At the Beastmen Tribe
Ran and his brothers stood before the beastmen. At the center was the tribe's chief, watching them intently.
"I'm truly grateful for your help—for the food, the shelter… for everything," Chester said, bowing deeply to the beastmen. "I was lost in this forest, and I'll never forget your kindness."
Chester, the adopted son of Kaye, had also accidentally arrived in this world. It happened unexpectedly—he was walking through the hallway of their mansion when he saw his brothers staring at a painting on the wall. He was about to call out to them when a sudden, blinding light enveloped him. Then—he lost consciousness.
When Chester regained consciousness, he found himself alone in a strange, dangerous forest. He wandered, searching for a way out, until he was discovered and captured by beastmen. They brought him to their tribe. The chief, upon seeing him, was stunned—Chester looked exactly like their former leader, Hachi.
Long ago, during the reign of the late Emperor Mikhail—after the war with Gilmesh had ended and peace was restored—Hachi went hunting in the Wyrmholt Forest. It was there that he unexpectedly encountered the beastmen tribe. He had never imagined he would meet any beastmen; their kind was rare, and only a few remained in the world.
But instead of hostility, friendship bloomed. The tribe welcomed him, and when their former chief passed away, they chose Hachi as their new leader. Under his guidance, the beastmen formed a strong bond with the late Emperor and Empress, vowing to come to the empire's aid if ever the need arose.
However, Matias and his siblings never learned of this alliance. When Hachi left the world to follow Kaye, he appointed a new chief in his place. But when war broke out again, bringing devastation across the land, the new chief chose not to intervene. The tribe's numbers were few, the enemy too powerful—and if they joined the war, they risked extinction.
When the chief saw Chester, he was struck by the resemblance—Chester reminded him so much of Hachi that he even asked if he was his son. Chester explained everything that had happened to him. He mentioned that people had mistaken him for someone else before—someone who looked just like him—and that even he had once met a person who resembled him closely.
The chief believed Chester's story. He could tell the boy was truly from another world. His heart softened toward him—Chester reminded him so much of Hachi. So, the chief took him in and cared for him like his own.
During the beastmen's pursuit of Ran and his brothers, they managed to capture them when their carriage reached a dead end—a towering waterfall they couldn't risk falling from, leaving them with no escape. The beastmen brought them to their tribe, where they were stunned to see their adopted brother, Chester.
Unlike how they treated Jinny, the siblings were kind to Chester.
He had been adopted first, and there was no reason for them to dislike him. They welcomed him as if he were their own blood—treating him like a true youngest brother.
Chester, playful and cute, was a genius with computers. He had a talent for hacking systems and monitoring surveillance networks across the city. He could even locate enemy hideouts with ease. His skills were so valuable that Mikhail had given him his own computer room in the mansion, where he served as the mafia family's tech specialist.
"No worries," the chief said, placing a hand on Chester's shoulder. "May you find your way back to your world. Stay safe."
One of the beastmen stepped forward and handed a necklace to the chief. The necklace was made from an incredibly strong vine that couldn't be broken, and it held a pendant fashioned from a glowing magic stone.
"Here, take this," the chief said, holding it out. "It will protect you from danger. This is my gift to you."
Chester accepted it with both hands and bowed deeply. "Thank you. I will treasure this."
The chief smiled, then turned his gaze toward Chester's brothers.
They had been shocked to find Chester among the beastmen—but thanks to him, they had been spared. Chester had convinced the chief to show them mercy, and the chief trusted everything he said.
Before they left, the chief assigned a few beastmen to escort them safely to the edge of the forest.
After a heartfelt farewell, the brothers bowed in unison to the beastmen tribe. Then, they set off.
Soon, they reached the road that led to Apomon Village—a place where, finally, they could find safety, free from the reach of the empire's knights and assassins.
But Ran was still uneasy.
Even with the beastmen's help, they hadn't been able to find Jinny. He clenched his jaw in frustration. She was pregnant—and alone. The thought of her in danger gnawed at him. But he had no choice. For now, they had to leave the forest.
TJ placed a hand on his shoulder and promised, "Once we reach Apomon, we'll search for her again."
Ran said nothing. He just nodded and kept walking, his fists clenched tightly at his sides.