Chapter 263 – Chapter 263 ― Gap (3)
Chapter 263 ― Niche (3)
A sudden war, and the emperor’s own government.
No matter how much the emperor foresaw human change and made preparations, the war turned the castle and the castle upside down.
In particular, the mind of her new wife, Empress Erenia, who had been married for less than three months, was in a mess. Her voice, which was unusually intense, seemed to reveal the empress’ mood.
“Roan! Why would you want to go to such a dangerous place yourself? Knights and lords exist for such times!”
Roan looked at the excited Eleanor.
Her affinity +100 figure appeared and disappeared by her side, and a message appeared in the upper left corner of her field of vision and then disappeared again.
[Message: Attack progress— 89%]
[Message: time limit — 181:02:30:55] (From 12/30 16:00)
[Message: If you do not complete the quest within the time limit, you will be penalized.]
Astogaru was showing quite good efficacy. Ernear’s strategy progressed quickly, and her time limit was about halfway left.
It was also the reason Roan could leave for the battlefield with peace of mind.
Because the war intends to end as quickly as possible, and the emperor himself is stepping forward to do so. If it’s 6 months, I think the current pace will be enough.
“The war has not yet begun in earnest. Before that, we need to figure out if we can quickly seal the situation.”
“There is a great lord in the Southern Dark Spirit. Even if it’s not a great lord, there are lords who rule the Hazark area. If the high lord is not trustworthy, send the captain of the knights, or another noble that Roan can trust!”
“Eleanor.”
To appease her excited Eleanor, Roan called her name softly.
Her red eyes, which had been inflamed, were startled by the calm voice and fixed on the purple dot.
“It depends on how big the war is. It is important to have someone who can make decisions in an urgent situation look at the scene.”
“…”
It is a theory. Erenia bit her lip hard.
“Last time you went and made a big contribution. My wife participated in the war, and it is ridiculous that Jim is sitting alone in the castle.”
“That… I’m still a battle mage…”
“And I am the prosecutor.”
“…”
Eleanor’s eyes were filled with displeasure.
Roan reached out her hand, gently caressed her pouty cheeks, and took her into her arms.
“You protect my castle. Because you are here, I will be able to come back after finishing this war with peace of mind.”
If it hadn’t been for my father’s work,
I would have stayed by Roan’s side even if I secretly followed him.
Erenia’s heart was filled with anger and sadness.
But on the other hand, it is also true that the trust that Roan shows satisfies her heart.
Roan’s safety is important, in fact, Basel’s imperial castle is not an important issue for Erenia, but it is not so for Roan. And Roan entrusted such an important task to me, his wife.
With that logic, Erenia calmed her excitement on her own.
Fortunately, the experiment is coming to an end.
I was lucky.
If you can finish the things your father asked for quickly, you might be able to see Roan’s dignified figure on the battlefield with your own eyes.
When her thoughts reached that point, a faint smile spread across Ereneer’s face.
Erenia obediently answered Roan’s words.
“My priority is your safety♡ But Roan’s wishes are just as important. Yeah, don’t worry Because I will work as hard as Roan does♡”
After notifying Erenier of the departure, all preparations were carried out in an instant.
Anyway, the number of soldiers to be drafted into the war was pre-determined.
Because the war was not over, the number of people who could be sent back to the border at any time and the number of people who would defend the capital had been decided.
Among them, it was decided that the Central Knights, who could move quickly, and some of the soldiers of the Capital Army under his command would escort the emperor and move to the front.
The party that was added to this was Grünent, Helen, Aina, and Urtellia. Since Grünent and Helen are both human and well aware of the situation of the nobles, Aina accompanies them in preparation for a conversation with the forest fairy.
“Why is it the Dark Forest?”
Grünent muttered in the carriage.
It’s a carriage ride, but it’s never as laid-back as when Roan moved to another city with her women.
The wagon, driven at high speed by several witch beasts, is also surrounded by knights riding on Kerr.
The sound of well-polished armor could be heard from all directions. The sound of metal that was heard without interruption in a certain rhythm had a weight that tightened the listener’s heart.
“No matter how you think about it, it seems that Shulaner hasn’t given up on anything in the Dark Forest.”
“‘Seed of the Dark Forest’… , Or something?”
“Yes.”
Urtellia, who had been listening to the conversation between Grünent and Aina, interrupted.
“The seed of the Dark Forest? Schlaner is looking for it?”
“Whoa, isn’t it amazing?”
When Grünent nodded, Urtellia made an absurd expression.
“… Couldn’t it be that the human court wizard couldn’t give up such a fairy tale object, and was inciting the king to go to war? You say so… ?”
“It would be shocking for the nobles to find out. That’s why it may have required more flashy packaging.”
“But something like that… Why are so many humans sacrificed for something that we don’t even know existed?”
“We thought so too.”
Aina, who was sitting on the side of the carriage and looked out with her arms crossed, indifferently intertwined her words.
“Doing stupid things for things that may or may not really exist. But while I was with His Majesty, I saw too many amazing things.”
“Ah…”
Yurtalia opened her mouth in a daze.
There are things on her mind too.
A demon who uses divine magic. Furthermore, a demon who can use both divine and magical powers.
It is no different from an amazing miracle that can break the many theories of magic and divine magic that have already been established.
“Using the power of the ruins, or using ancient crystals to turn a land that was no different from a wasteland into fertile soil. Unbelievable things are happening even though we are going through it ourselves. Then, might there be another power like that somewhere?”
Aina’s gaze was on the ker of the knight escorting the carriage.
Because of the magical power unique to the dark forest, forest fairies never see a magical beast in their lifetime. Aina, she came out of the forest and saw the Witchbeast for the first time. But she also had no good memories. Anyway, until she met Roan, she was just an enemy of the demons.
But now, Aina sits in a wagon pulled by such a witch, and she is escorted back to the dark forest by the most elite knights of the demon tribe.
The one who created all this nonsense was the emperor of the demon tribe who received the mysterious power of the goddess.
So, if something containing the power of such a goddess exists again, there is a good chance that another person will appear who is looking for a way to use that power.
Furthermore…
The probability that such a human being is better than the ‘demon king’ and someone who thinks of another life seems very low.
It’s a conclusion I don’t like.
Eventually, Aina frowned at her and let out a small sigh.
“I’m moving directly to check and prepare for it, so I hope there will be some kind of income.”
Roan said as if he was comforting Aina.
The destination of Roan and the women is Hajak, the southernmost fortress on the border with Merdewa.
It is the territory of the Southern Dark Spirit, and the Dark Forest is located just north of it.
Unfortunately, Roan has never been to Hazard, so the waypoint is not activated. At a leisurely pace, it would take about three weeks by carriage to get from Basel to Hazard.
“So, wasn’t it better to hurry? If you want to enter the Dark Forest, go through Zeno, but why are you going to Hazark?”
At Aina’s words, who did not know the exact circumstances, Urutellia’s expression darkened. Her quick-witted Grunent took hold of her child Na’s arm.
When Aina looked back at Grunent, Grunent shook her head and asked Roan.
“Looks like there’s still no contact from those sent to track down Schlaner.”
“Okay. Unfortunately.”
Aina put on an expression of regret.
At the same time, Helen’s expression, who had been silently listening to the conversation, also became depressed. She has met Anmut while following Roan to and from Sproth, and has also encountered Fiora.
It was the first time Roan’s helpers had been so disconnected. Her strange uneasiness made Helen nervous.
“Jeno and Hazark. If humans attacked the Dark Forest from both sides, I think there must be a reason for that. I’m the only one with powers, so if Jim looked around, he might be able to find other clues, but unfortunately, he hasn’t activated Hazark’s ruins yet.”
Grünent’s eyes sharpened.
“Your Majesty is right. Surely… If more time passes and the war really progresses in earnest, it may become more difficult to activate the ruins.”
“Okay. That is one of the important reasons.”
Activate Hazark’s waypoint before the war escalates further. And in the Dark Forest and near the border, Roan was determined to see for himself if there were any clues he could find.
He didn’t think he could find Anmut or Fiora right away on his own, but at least Roan has the power of a goddess who can find things others can’t find.
In addition, since it is inaccurate what kind of relationship the human and the Dark Lord of Darkness have, if Roan directly appears on the battlefield, it will be difficult for the Dark Lord of Darkness to do anything else hastily.
Because the emperor is not going alone, but the strongest knights of Evirgio are moving together.
“With some of our forces in Xeno, we plan to cross the Dark Forest and head for Hazark. The rest of the Knights will travel overland out of the Dark Forest and rejoin at Hazark.”
What was said at the small meeting before the departure,
Roan said to the women.
And hearing those words, Grunent, Helen, and Urtellia’s eyes widened.
“… Your Majesty, the forest… Are you saying you want to pass? Isn’t the dark forest the realm of forest fairies? Isn’t it difficult to get in the wagon and escort?”
The last question was directed to Aina.
“Wagons are difficult, but if it’s an escort, it doesn’t matter if you’re not a demon, right?”
“Ah… !”
Grünent, who let out a small admiration, soon became sullen again.
“But with my steps… It will be difficult to get through the forest quickly. Will it get in the way?”
“Grünent wants you to wait in Zeno. She entrusts Urtellia with Grunent’s escort.”
Grünent nodded with a regretful expression.
Her movements cannot keep up with Helen or Aina.
Rather than going into her forest and being her burden, it’s far better for Roan to activate the waypoint on Hazark and pick her up, staying by the West Blood Lord’s side and advising her about humans for a few weeks.
“That way, we can investigate the dark forest on our own and discuss the current situation with the forest fairies, and the knights can concentrate on moving without worrying about escorts.”
I already contacted the forest fairy and got permission.
The forest fairies are also confused and angry at the sudden human attack.
When I conveyed the opinion that humans seem to be interested in the Dark Forest for unknown reasons, so it is assumed that they set it on fire, they wanted to discuss this with Roan.
“Besides, thanks to the magic of the Dark Forest, going through the forest will be much easier.”
There is magic in the Dark Forest.
The magic of wandering in the forest forever if you enter the forest without the forest fairy.
Knowing that, the women in the carriage looked at Aina with her worried eyes.
“The magic of the dark forest is… I don’t think you’re kind to others.”
“I didn’t say I was kind. But he will surely make you move quickly.”
To Helen’s concern, Aina shrugged her shoulders.
