As those words left Liam’s mouth, Charlotte paused for a mont and stared at him.
Then she took another bite from the deer leg in her hand.
"Pretty rough honestly," she said simply. "Getting dropped there from the start wasn’t really that bad. I did have to deal with so Horror-class demons, but it wasn’t anything too serious."
She continued eating while Liam simply waited for her to continue.
"Though it got worse the farther east I went," Charlotte continued, her usual tone still present, though no longer filled with teasing. "The demons there were way more territorial, and I can swear most of them were Advanced Horrors. That alone forced to rely on this new form of mine more often, but I guess I underestimated the place a little."
Liam tilted his head slightly.
"At first, the first couple of hours were manageable for , and my beast-dominant form helped a lot," Charlotte continued casually. "But the farther east I went, the more dangerous the forest started feeling. There was definitely sothing there stronger than the Advanced Horrors. And if that’s the case..."
She paused briefly.
"...then it could only be a Sync-class demon."
She took another bite before continuing.
"And honestly, with how much I love myself," she said sweetly, "I knew better than to run into a Sync-class demon on the very first day."
Charlotte shrugged lightly.
"So I changed direction and started moving south instead, which turned out to be the best decision I could’ve made since it eventually led to my shining strong armor."
She pointed the deer leg toward Liam dramatically.
"And that shining armor is you, bae."
Liam only stared at her while she continued eating as though she hadn’t just ntioned sothing that could potentially change the entire direction of his assessnt.
Charlotte tore another piece of at from the deer leg and chewed calmly, though the usual playful ease in her expression had thinned slightly. Not enough for most people to notice.
But Liam noticed it.
Even though her voice remained casual and her posture stayed relaxed, her eyes told him the truth.
The mont he had ntioned the eastern side of the zone, the golden glint within Charlotte’s gaze had sharpened in a way that had nothing to do with teasing.
It was caution. Genuine caution.
Liam rested one arm across his raised knee while quietly watching her.
"A Sync-class demon," he muttered at last.
Charlotte humd softly while still chewing.
"Yep," she answered after swallowing. "I didn’t exactly stick around long enough to ask for its na, rank, age, favorite food, or what kind of poor soul it planned to eat next."
She lifted the deer leg slightly as if emphasizing her point.
"I like being alive, you know."
Liam’s expression remained unchanged as he asked:
"What exactly did you sense?"
Charlotte paused for half a second before glancing at him again.
And Liam caught that look once more.
That brief flicker of calculation.
Not fear exactly.
But sothing close enough to self-preservation that it carried the sa weight.
"What do you an?" she asked.
"The presence," Liam clarified calmly. "How did it feel compared to the Advanced Horrors you encountered before it?"
Charlotte stared at him for a mont before narrowing her eyes slightly.
"Bae," she said slowly, "that’s a very interesting question coming from soone who should be asking how to avoid that area entirely."
Liam didn’t respond imdiately.
Charlotte leaned back slightly on one hand, her eyes never leaving him.
"Most people hear ’possible Sync-class demon’ and imdiately think sothing reasonable. Like, ’Thanks for the warning, Charlotte. I’ll make sure never to go there.’"
She pointed the partially eaten deer leg toward him again.
"You, on the other hand, are asking how it felt."
Her smile returned, though this ti it didn’t fully reach her eyes.
"That’s not survival thinking, bae."
She tilted her head slightly.
"That’s hunting thinking."
The chamber fell silent for a brief mont, the only sound coming from the quiet crackling of the fire between them.
Eventually, Liam spoke again.
"I’m only trying to understand the region."
Charlotte scoffed lightly.
"No, you’re not."
She took another smaller bite, chewing slowly before swallowing.
"You’re doing that thing where you pretend the question is harmless when it obviously isn’t."
She pointed toward him again.
"You’re not asking because you want to avoid the place. You’re asking because you’re trying to decide whether it’s worth going there."
Charlotte paused briefly before smiling faintly at him.
"What?" she asked. "Did you really think I wouldn’t notice?"
She tapped the side of her temple lightly with one finger.
"I flirt too much, sure. But I’m not stupid."
"I never said you were," Liam replied calmly.
"Good," Charlotte humd in satisfaction. "Because I would’ve been offended."
She lowered the deer leg slightly and rested her elbow over her knee.
For once, her posture looked less playful and more grounded.
"Look, I ran from that place for a reason," she said. "Not because I couldn’t kill anything there either. I handled myself fine at first. Better than fine, honestly."
A faint smirk crossed her lips.
"Like I said, my beast-dominant form is ridiculously effective in an environnt like this. Maybe too effective. It made a little careless."
Liam remained silent, allowing her to continue.
Charlotte looked toward the fire for a mont, quietly watching the flas move.
"The first few hours were normal. Annoying, but normal. Horror-class demons here and there. A few pack hunters. So territorial things that thought I looked edible."
She shrugged casually.
"I corrected them though."
Then her expression shifted slightly.
"But the deeper east I went, the less normal things beca. The forest changed first."
She paused briefly.
"Not physically. At least not by much. But the feeling changed."
Her eyes narrowed faintly.
"The air felt heavier. The scent trails beca ssy. Like too many things had died in one place and the forest itself never fully recovered afterward."
She lightly tapped one finger against the exposed bone of the deer leg.
"And the demons there weren’t moving normally anymore."
Liam’s eyes narrowed slightly.
"They were avoiding sothing?"
"So were," Charlotte answered. "Others weren’t avoiding it at all."
She looked back at him directly.
"They were being drawn toward it."
That imdiately caught Liam’s full attention, and Charlotte noticed it at once.
"There it is," she muttered quietly. "That look again."
"What look?" Liam asked calmly.
"That one," Charlotte said while pointing directly at him. "The one that says I just gave you useful information."
Liam didn’t deny it.
Charlotte stared at him for another second before letting out a slow breath through her nose.
"Honestly, you’re exhausting."
"Please continue," Liam replied calmly.
Charlotte rolled her eyes, though she still continued.
"The Advanced Horrors there were different. Not like the ones I fought closer to where I landed. Those ones were aggressive, sure, but still normal enough."
Her tone lowered slightly.
"The ones farther east moved like they were guarding territory."
"Guarding?" Liam repeated.
"Yeah," Charlotte answered. "Not hunting. Not wandering around randomly. Guarding."
She paused briefly.
"And so of them were wounded."
Liam’s gaze sharpened slightly.
"Fresh wounds?"
"So fresh. So older."
Charlotte looked back toward him.
"And before you ask, yes. The wounds looked like they ca from other demons."
Liam said nothing, but Charlotte still noticed the subtle shift in his eyes, causing her to sigh heavily.
"Stars above..." she muttered. "You really are thinking about going there."
"I haven’t decided anything yet," Liam said calmly.
"Bullshit," Charlotte replied bluntly.
Liam stared at her.
Charlotte stared right back.
Then she leaned forward slightly, her voice lowering.
"Listen to carefully, bae."
The teasing in her tone faded almost completely.
"I didn’t co here because I suddenly wanted to spend the rest of this assessnt playing house inside your cave."
She paused briefly.
"I ca here because you’re the safest option I’ve found so far."
Her golden eyes remained fixed on him.
"Like I said..."
A faint smile appeared.
"You’re my shining armor."
There was no embarrassnt in her voice. No attempt to soften the statent either.
She said it plainly because, to Charlotte, it was simply the truth.
And Liam quietly studied her while she continued.
"I like you. I genuinely do. You’re strong, interesting, annoying, handso, and sohow boring enough to make want to bother you forever."
She paused briefly.
"But I like myself more."
The fire crackled softly between them.
"Which ans I’m not following you into sothing suicidal just because you got curious."
Liam’s expression remained unreadable.
Charlotte smiled faintly again, though this ti there was no seduction in it.
Only honesty.
"I survived this long because I know when to leave. That’s it. That’s my secret."
She shrugged casually.
"I don’t care about pride. I don’t care about proving I’m brave. And I definitely don’t care if so instructor sitting safely back at the academy thinks I ran too early."
Her eyes glead softly within the firelight.
"If I see sothing stronger than , I leave."
She lifted one finger.
"If I sll sothing wrong, I leave."
Another finger.
"If the forest itself starts feeling like it doesn’t want there..."
She shrugged lightly again.
"...I leave."
Charlotte leaned back afterward.
"That’s why I’m still alive."
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