IPBD CHAPTER 3

If it really was a monster that appeared, they needed to leave the forest immediately.

At that moment, the sound of rustling was heard again.

The sound was very close, as if something was nearby.

‘Something feels off.’

Feeling that it was too strange to be a monster, Emilina looked around.

Then, she noticed a pile of leaves stacked neatly beside a Paya tree.

‘Was that there before?’

She had been too distracted to notice.

She hadn’t seen it because she was busy gathering Paya fruits.

Emilina approached the pile of leaves and cautiously shook the top.

Rustle.

Rustle.

Squish.

‘S-Squish?’

“Eek!”

Emilina recoiled in shock, quickly withdrawing her hand.

She had felt something soft, warm, and squishy at her fingertips.

Dumbfounded, Emilina looked at her hand.

A sticky liquid, with an intense red color, clung to her fingers like…

‘Blood!’

Horrified, Emilina immediately began digging through the pile of leaves.

There, curled up and breathing faintly, was a small kitten.

‘A cat?’

Why was a cat here… No, more importantly, what in the world happened!

The sight of the limp kitten was pitiful.

Emilina covered her mouth with her hand.

Its glossy black fur had lost its shine and was soaked with blood. Between the patches of fur, deep, sharp wounds were visible.

The most severe injury seemed to be around its lower belly, where the wound appeared too deep.

It was as if someone had slashed the kitten with a finely sharpened blade.

And not just once, but several times.

‘Who would do something this crazy?’

Judging by its small size, the cat was still young. How could something like this happen?

A look of sympathy crossed Emilina’s face.

‘This isn’t the time for that. I need to treat it right away.’

The cat was in such a critical condition that it wouldn’t be surprising if it stopped breathing at any moment.

She had to hurry and treat it as quickly as possible.

To do that, she needed to leave the forest first. Only then could she either treat it herself or take it to a hospital.

Emilina quickly grabbed a cushion.

She bent down slightly toward the cat.

She thought it would be better to support the cat with the cushion rather than just carrying it in her arms.

Just as she was about to lift the cat, it seemed to regain consciousness, and their eyes met as it opened its narrow eyes.

“Cyaooo…”

The weak sound, almost like a scratchy growl, was filled with caution toward Emilina.

In a soft voice, she spoke, trying not to startle the cat.

She wanted to show that she wasn’t a threat.

“Shhh. It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. Can you stay still for just a moment?”

The wariness in the cat’s eyes seemed to fade away.

It was as if it understood what she was saying.

The golden eyes continued to stare intently at Emilina.

‘That’s strange. I expected it to be more defensive.’

Given that it had suffered at the hands of a person, she thought it would be more hostile.

Emilina found it odd but quickly dismissed the thought, assuming the cat just had a gentle nature.

“Such a good kitty. Shall we get going now?”

As Emilina said this, she gently wrapped her hands around the cat’s body, carefully avoiding its wounds as much as possible.

But then—

Drip.

“Kkrrrk.”

“Ah! Oh no! I’m so sorry!”

Blood spilled out. The blood that had been pooling in the untreated wounds suddenly gushed out.

The cat groaned in pain, letting out soft, pitiful sounds, and Emilina felt a wave of guilt, knowing she had caused it.

‘I need to get out of here quickly.’

She carefully adjusted the cushion holding the cat, making sure it was secure.

It was a relief that, despite seeing the blood, she didn’t panic and put the cat down. If she had caused it more pain, the guilt would have weighed heavily on her heart.

Emilina let out a sigh of relief and slowly began to walk.

‘But… where am I?’

Before anything, she had to find the way out.

***

“Phew! I thought my arms were going to fall off.”

Emilina rubbed her trembling arms and looked down at the cat.

It was surprisingly heavy for its size.

She had lost count of how many times she had to stop and rest along the way.

Still, without the cat’s help, she might have gotten lost in the forest.

As if it had some kind of animal instinct, the cat would purr and steer her in the right direction whenever she tried to go the wrong way.

Thanks to that, she had safely made it back home, but now came the real problem.

‘What should I do…’

Emilina sighed in frustration as she looked at the cat, now collapsed from exhaustion.

She had no idea how to treat the cat’s injuries.

Originally, her plan was to take it to the hospital as soon as they got out of the forest.

“Just hold on a little longer. I’ll take you to the hospital soon… Ouch!”

“Grrr!”

The cat, which had been calm until now, suddenly bared its claws and let out a fierce growl.

Emilina tried to soothe it, but nothing worked. In fact, every time she mentioned the hospital, the cat became more agitated and resistant.

When it finally tried to wriggle out of her grasp, Emilina realized the cat had a sensitive reaction to the idea of the hospital. It was as if the cat knew exactly what a hospital was.

‘How could a cat possibly know what a hospital is?’

She found the situation absurd, but seeing how much the cat disliked the idea, she couldn’t force it any longer.

So, she gave up on the hospital and headed straight home, thinking she could treat the cat herself.

“How hard could it be?” she thought—a naive assumption.

But when she took another look at the wounds, she felt overwhelmed. She regretted not forcing it to go to the hospital.

‘Then again, it’s not like it would be a proper animal hospital.’

There was no veterinary clinic nearby, so that had been her best option.

Of course, Emilina would have preferred to show the cat to a real vet, but the capital was far from where she lived.

And, more importantly, she had no money.

She didn’t have enough for the travel fare, let alone for the treatment.

Since she couldn’t take the cat to the hospital, she had no choice but to handle it on her own.

“Alright… I guess I’ll just have to do it myself,” she sighed, bracing herself.

Emilina took a deep breath and put on a determined face.

The cat lay still, eyes closed, as if lifeless.

‘It’s not really dead, is it?’

Nervously, she listened closely and heard the faint sound of its breathing.

Luckily, the cat was still alive.

Emilina grabbed a damp towel and gently began to clean the fur that was soaked with blood. She moved with extreme care, making sure not to aggravate the wounds.

Her focus was so intense that beads of sweat began to form on her forehead.

Once most of the blood was cleaned off, she cautiously applied ointment. It was meant for humans, but she hoped it would have a similar effect on the cat.

The cat groaned in pain occasionally, but it didn’t wake up—not even when Emilina clumsily wrapped the bandages as a final touch.

Looking at the cat, still not opening its eyes after the treatment was done, Emilina finally allowed herself to relax for a moment.

She had done everything she could, and now it was up to the cat to recover on its own.

“Did I overdo it? I feel completely drained,” Emilina murmured, rubbing her temples.

The tension had worn off, and now fatigue was hitting her hard.

At times like this, something sweet would help her recharge.

Then, she suddenly remembered the bag she had forgotten about while tending to the cat.

‘Oh! I still have that, don’t I?’

In a hurry, Emilina began rummaging through her bag.