NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 469
Kurt’s party was in chaos after confirming that Mari had disappeared.
Originally, it was time for breakfast, but who had the calmness to eat now?
The group skipped breakfast and gathered in the center of the village, seriously pondering why Mari had vanished.
“…Where on earth did she go? More importantly, why did she leave without saying anything…?”
“Could she have been attacked by a zombie bear…?”
“Wait, do you remember what Mari said earlier?”
“What Mari said? Wait… Could it be?”
Serena’s words suddenly sparked something in Kurt’s mind.
‘We need to exterminate the zombie bear as soon as possible to return to Astram.’
That was what Mari had said, sulking, before leaving the inn.
“Wait, Serena. Are you saying Mari ran out of the village alone to hunt the zombie bear?”
“Even Mari wouldn’t act so recklessly…”
“…But if by any chance she really did.”
“…”
“…”
“…”
The possibility was extremely low.
No matter how clumsy she usually acted, she had started to show the makings of an adventurer and knew full well how dangerous and foolish it would be to rush out alone.
But when she left the inn, she was quite excited and mentally exhausted from not having rested for a long time.
In such a state, she might have acted impulsively…
Realizing the same possibility simultaneously, the party grabbed their weapons and hurried out.
Meanwhile, unaware that her party was worriedly searching for her, Mari cautiously made her way through the bushes, vigilant of her surroundings.
Contrary to her party’s worries, Mari had been diligently gathering information about the zombie bear from the villagers.
Though Kurt’s unilateral actions had filled her mental “yellow card” quota to about 70, Mari’s generous heart still had about 30 cards left.
She wasn’t the type to get genuinely angry over such things.
Moreover, the villagers, who had initially been indifferent, thinking this attempt would also fail, gradually opened up to her persistent passion and friendliness, showing cooperative attitudes and yielding results.
“Hey, kid. Is this the right way?”
“I’m not a kid. I have a name, Pepper.”
The reason Mari was now outside the village, heading into the mountains, was because of a child she had met during her inquiries.
The child hadn’t provided any decisive clues about the zombie bear.
In fact, what the child said wasn’t particularly helpful for the search.
But Mari couldn’t just ignore the child’s story.
“Is this the way to my mother’s keepsake?”
“Yes. The adventurers who came last time said they clearly saw it.”
At Mari’s words, the girl’s eyes began to moisten as memories of her mother surfaced.
The girl, living alone with her mother, had lost her to the zombie bear.
Her mother, the village doctor, had ventured into the mountains to gather herbs despite the danger, ultimately falling victim to the zombie bear.
Having grown up with just her mother, Mari couldn’t ignore the girl’s plight.
If Pepper had asked for revenge against the zombie bear, Mari couldn’t have agreed, no matter how tragic the story. But the girl only wanted to retrieve her mother’s keepsake.
And according to the girl’s description, the keepsake was spotted in an area near the village that Kurt and Mari had searched several times.
Given that, it should be safe.
Thinking so, Mari took Pepper to the location where her mother’s keepsake was last seen.
Before leaving the village, Kurt’s party learned from the villagers that Mari had left with a young girl named Pepper.
The direction she headed was an area they had searched multiple times.
But instead of feeling relieved, Kurt grew more anxious.
“Wait, aren’t you rushing too much? According to the villagers, she took a girl named Pepper. Mari wouldn’t take a child to a dangerous place, so we should be fine, right?”
“That’s right. Plus, we’ve confirmed this area is safe after several searches. I understand your concern, but maybe you should calm down a bit…”
But Kurt’s expression remained grim.
“No. It’s the opposite. It’s precisely because it doesn’t seem dangerous that it’s even more dangerous.”
“What do you mean?”
“The zombie bear in this mountain is highly intelligent and uses its intelligence maliciously. It’s cunning.”
“We’ve heard that several times already. What does that have to do with now…”
Kurt quickened his pace and replied to Serena.
“The problem is that its cunning is more like a hunter’s than a beast’s. It sets traps over days, waiting for its prey to let its guard down and fall into them. And if my prediction is correct, Mari is probably…!”
Before he could finish, Kurt sped up, almost running ahead.
The location Pepper mentioned wasn’t far, so they arrived quickly.
It was close enough to the village that, if not for the zombie bear, it would be an hour’s round trip.
“Is this the place?”
“Yes. The adventurers who came before said they saw my mom’s herb bag hanging from the top of the tallest tree here.”
Mari looked around for the tree Pepper described.
“Let’s see… Ah! Found it. Is that the bag hanging from that tree?”
It didn’t take long.
The tree Pepper described was unusually large and nearly leafless, making it stand out even from a distance.
The herb bag was conspicuously hanging from the top of the tree, as if placed there to be seen.
“Ah…! Mom’s herb bag! That’s it. Mom always carried her herbology book in that bag while gathering herbs. Sniff. I thought all of mom’s things were torn and lost forever. Mom…”
“Don’t cry. I’ll climb up and get the bag for you. I may not look like it, but I’m great at climbing trees.”
“No. I’ll climb up. It’s my mom’s last keepsake, so I should get it.”
Mari wanted to stop her, but Pepper was determined. Mari agreed, planning to catch her safely if needed.
As Pepper slowly climbed the tree, Mari carefully assisted, keeping an eye on the herb bag.
“But it’s strange. Why would the herb bag be hanging from the top of the tree? Did a bird carry it up? I’ve never heard of a bird carrying a bag, especially not something as mundane as this…”
At that moment.
Grrroooaaarrr───!!
“What, what’s that!? That roar…! Could it be!?”
Unfortunately, Kurt’s ominous prediction was spot on.
Just as Pepper was halfway up the tree, something burst through the bushes, revealing itself.
It was a pure white polar bear with fur that didn’t belong in the mountains.
And there was only one bear in these mountains.
“Why is the zombie bear here!? We’ve searched this path several times…!”
Mari shouted in panic at the ferocious beast before her.
Why would the zombie bear appear here now, in a place it had never been before?
When they searched with the party, there wasn’t even a shadow of it.
Why now, of all times…?
“…No. It’s not a coincidence.”
Suddenly, Mari realized.
The zombie bear appeared now not by chance, but because of this very moment.
When the strong adventurer Kurt and the party were around, it hid and stayed away. But when Mari went out alone with a defenseless girl, it revealed itself.
The keepsake of the girl’s mother was placed conspicuously not by a bird, but by the zombie bear to lure in villagers or adventurers seeking to retrieve it.
It was a trap to ambush those who came to recover the keepsakes of its victims.
Realizing this, Mari understood the zombie bear’s intelligence was far higher than she had thought.
Grrroooaaarrr───!!
But it was too late.
Mari had already fallen into the zombie bear’s trap.
The zombie bear charged fiercely, swinging its paw at Mari.