"Sit tight. This will be a rough ride."
Penelope warned, her voice firm.
Kana barely had a moment to process those words before the cart lurched forward with a jolt that sent her tumbling from her seat.
Her balance gave out instantly and she fell forward, her face crashing straight into Penelope's chest with a soft thump. Warm. Cushioned. Mortifying.
The older woman didn't flinch. She caught Kana easily, one hand bracing her back, the other gripping the reins as if nothing unusual had happened.
"You need to work on your core strength. Otherwise, you'll keep getting tossed around like that."
Penelope muttered, adjusting Kana back upright with a quick shove.
"This has nothing to do with core strength. What am I supposed to do, rebuild my body from scratch?!"
Kana mumbled, face flushed as she opened her stats interface in a panic. Her Core Strength was at max. MAX.
She stared at the glowing number and wondered—not for the first time—if she was the problem and not her stats.
Kana groaned, slumping a little in her seat.
"I'm starting to think I'm the bug in the system…"
Thankfully, the rest of the ride passed without further incidents—though the cart's constant rattling and the jerking of the reins did nothing for her nerves.
The strange, headless horses pulling them trotted like they were gliding over the earth, their movements too smooth, too silent. It gave Kana chills, so she kept her eyes forward and prayed for the ride to end soon.
Eventually, they rolled to a slow stop before an enormous white mansion surrounded by towering iron gates.
The walls gleamed under the morning sun, polished and pristine. Kana blinked up at it, momentarily distracted by its size and shine.
"We're here. Get off. We'll walk from this point."
Penelope said.
Kana stretched her legs as she jumped down, eyeing the massive gate with some apprehension.
"Uh… don't tell me we're delivering plants to this place?"
Penelope didn't answer. She simply pointed to the rear of the cart. Kana turned and saw the familiar potted plants—the ones with too many teeth and a history of hissing at people. She winced.
Still, thanks to her enhanced strength stat, picking up three of the pots was easy enough.
She steadied them in her arms, feeling only the lightest pressure from their weight. Her balance held firm this time. Maybe Penelope was right—maybe it really was a matter of control.
With cautious steps, Kana walked forward, pushing the gate open and stepping onto the paved path that led toward the grand white building.
But just as she took her second step forward, a hand clamped down on her shoulder.
"Wrong way."
Kana froze. She turned to see Penelope giving her an unimpressed look, the older woman's pipe resting between her lips.
"That's the guest mansion. The real estate's a kilometer that way."
Penelope said.
She pointed past the marble walkway, past the decorative fountains, past the trimmed hedges and finely placed benches… toward the dense forest behind the estate.
Kana's jaw dropped.
"You're kidding."
"No carts allowed past this point. Security measures. Now move."
Penelope said, already heading off the path and into the grass.
Kana's calves ached at the mere thought of walking a kilometer through uneven forest terrain with man-eating plants in her arms.
She glanced at the heavy gate again, then back to the forest.
"Isn't there, like, a side door or a servant's entrance?"
"No shortcuts. You want to work, you walk."
Kana grumbled under her breath but didn't argue. Not with Penelope's sharp gaze boring into her.
She adjusted her grip on the plants and trudged after the older woman into the woods.
They were barely ten steps in before the air changed.
The manicured breeze of the mansion grounds faded, replaced by a cool, damp wind carrying the earthy scent of moss and old wood.
The path beneath their feet turned uneven, forcing Kana to keep her eyes low and her steps careful.
"Step where I step. No telling what'll spring up if you stray."
Penelope warned, her tone quieter now.
Kana blinked.
"Wait, what do you mean by—"
Something rustled nearby.
She froze.
It stopped.
"…Right. No straying. Got it."
Kana muttered.
She followed Penelope closely, doing her best to mimic the older woman's exact steps. With each crunch of leaves or sudden chirp in the distance, her heart jumped.
The pots in her arms wobbled a little, and she hissed, adjusting her hold to keep them steady.
The plants, for their part, stayed oddly calm. Their vines curled lazily around their pots, and none of them tried to bite her fingers. That was one small blessing. Her charm stat must have been doing overtime again.
Even so, Kana couldn't shake the tension riding her spine as she walked. Something about this path felt wrong—like the air itself was watching them.
She looked up at Penelope's back, the older woman walking with calm, practiced ease, her pipe still burning faintly in her mouth.
"Just another day of work, huh…"
Kana muttered to herself, stepping carefully between two twisted roots.
She wasn't sure how long the walk would be—but she had a feeling this was just the beginning.
They hadn't even walked ten minutes before Kana felt it—that creeping, nagging sensation crawling along her spine.
She tried to ignore it, adjusting the pots in her arms and focusing on the back of Penelope's head, but the feeling only grew stronger.
Something was following her.
She glanced over her shoulder. Nothing. Just the dense underbrush and shadows between the trees.
Still… there it was again. A light brush against her calf.
Her breath hitched.
She froze for half a second before forcing herself to keep walking, refusing to give in to panic.
"Just leaves. Just my imagination. It's fine."
She muttered.
Then something cold and vine-like coiled around her ankle.
Kana stiffened. Before she could shout, the potted plant in her arms hissed—and snapped violently toward her leg. A sickening crunch followed.
Whatever had been touching her dropped away immediately.
Kana stared, wide-eyed.
"Did… did you just protect me?"
The plant wiggled smugly in her grip, its leaves rustling with a sort of satisfied shake.
"…Right. Okay. That's normal now, I guess."
But no matter how "normal" she tried to make it, the next few minutes were agony. Twice more, something slithered up her leg, and each time, the plant lashed out like a guard dog. Kana nearly tripped trying to keep her balance, biting back shrieks of panic.
By the time the treeline began to thin and the grand mansion came into view at the far end of a winding path, Kana was drenched in sweat and shaking slightly.
"There…"
Penelope said, nodding toward the looming structure of white stone and arched windows.
Kana didn't respond. She stared blankly ahead, legs trembling, arms aching, the potted plants still nestled in her grasp like temperamental cats.
"I think I've lost ten years off my life."
Kana whispered, voice hollow.
Penelope puffed on her pipe, unconcerned.
"Better to lose ten now than your head later."
Kana let out a broken laugh, though she wasn't sure if it was from relief or hysteria. She trudged forward, her steps unsteady but determined.
She didn't know what kind of place this was—but whatever they were delivering to, it had better be worth all this suffering.