Maria tensed as the grass mode movement on her right side and she instantly ducked under the water as she saw a shadow poking its head out of the grass.

The red eyes and black fur of the rabbit were quite adorable as it came closer to the river to drink water but the fangs coming out of its mouth, as well as the size, is supported, were not something Maria was a fan of.

A fish jumped out of the river, likely thinking of the rabbit’s red nose as food, and instantly got swallowed up by that huge mouth and fangs. They bit into the skin and fishbones like it were a sponge and gulped it down.

Maria came to a horrific realization as she watched the fish being devoured. The rabbit was a vampire rabbit, one of the dangerous species of creatures that were no longer supposed to exist in this world.

But one had somehow gotten away and if there was one, there might be dozens more around. Maria had to be careful and get this information to Nao. And then they would find a way to get this information to the royal forces and local authorities as well.

Maria might have her misgivings about trusting the royal soldiers but she did know that they cared about the people. And if nothing else, this level of threat must be enough to get a candidate to step in as well.

Also, Maria needed to find her friends before something extreme happens. She was not sure when she had lost sight of them but she had and now she was left alone. She did not even have a tracker with her.

‘System, can you show me the map of this forest?’ Maria asked as soon as she went back up the water.

[Answering User: Gathering data. Progressing map]

Maria looked at the map being generated in front of her but it did not make sense to her. No matter how much she looked at it, the small circle is shown as the field she was currently is in did not make any sense.

The budded field stretched for miles and miles around her but the space on her map indicated that the whole circle was not even bigger than a 50-meter span. It should not be possible…

…unless there was magic involved.

“I can’t believe I got stuck in an illusion like this. And I can’t even explore this place since I’ve got no legs” Maria complained as she rested her arms against the shore. The news was disheartening but it also helped Maria come to a decision.

She was about to get up and go off in search of her friends when a shadow covered her form. She opened her eyes, only to come face to face with a scarred face.

“A cursed one? I thought you smelled familiar but I guess I was wrong. Now go back before I kill you” the figure, male this time, called out to her and pointed toward the way Maria had just swum up from.

No matter how Maria looked at the man, he felt familiar and she even got the feeling that she had seen him before. But the memories were too faint in her mind.

“Um, I can’t go back. Two of my friends are out there, lost in this place. I cannot leave them behind. Besides, I was told that there is a fairy here that can help us” Maria explained it all in one breath.

She had a feeling that the man had not been listening to her until the last part. It did the job of instantly gaining his attention and he even straightened out his back.

And the guy was tall. Tall and leather and had a sour look on his face. His hand held a long sword and it looked sharp as well.

“You said someone told you to find the fairy of the forest? A cursed one helping another cursed one? How interesting. Wear this and come out of the water. I want to hear your story” The man replied as he tossed maria a shiny stone necklace.

Maria almost did not manage to catch the item in time but her reflexes kicked in at the last second which allowed her to catch the necklace. The stone in the center looked shiny and it gave off a familiar golden glow.

Maria felt the magic interact with her and her body protested before Maria felt it forcefully change into her human form. Maria felt her body sink as soon as the hold of the curse lightened on her.

It was difficult to use her legs once the magic had worn off but Maria’s mind remembered the sensation of having legs. It was easier to drag herself out of the water without the weight of her tail dragging her back in.

“Follow behind me. You can get lost in this illusion if you are not careful” the information came off as no surprise to Maria. This was what she had guessed about this place as well but her senses had not adjusted to the illusion.

Walking was difficult after a few days of having a tail but the guy was merciful enough to wait for Maria to catch up before walking again. He was unexpectedly nice in the weirdest way possible.

“Hey, since I have my legs back, does that mean that my curse has been broken?” Maria asked with a hopeful voice. If her curse was indeed gone, then they could leave.

“Don’t count your lucky stars just yet. The core I gave you is a small chunk from the Gem of Requiem but its power is not enough to ward off your curse. It will only allow you a week at most to stay in human form” the guy replied as he walked faster. It caused Maria to pick up the speed as well.

Maria felt her hopes dash but not completely disappear at those words. A week was a long time for things to happen.

“Oh, is that so? I guess I should thank you for this gift” Maria replied in a polite voice. She could not help but like the guy who had helped her out in this tough situation.

Not to mention, the familiar feeling he gave off. It kind of left like Lady Karin but not completely. Maria was sure she had seen him before but not ‘her’ her. Then perhaps, it had been the previous owner of this body?

Maria only had impressions of the original oracle’s memories so it was entirely possible.

“Don’t thank me. If you feel gratitude toward me then tell it to me by introducing yourself. And don’t you dare try and lie, because I will know”