Ending Maker Chapter 29
Ending Maker Chapter 29
Chapter 6 — The Witch's Forest #2
The Witch's Forest.
Its official name was Trafalgar Forest, and it belonged to the Northern Viscounty located northwest of Langesthei.
'There's no one managing it in particular, though.'
Forests were far more important places than one might imagine. They provided food, of course, but also firewood.
For that reason, most lords appointed forest keepers to manage the forests within their domains, but Trafalgar Forest was practically an abandoned forest.
'Because monsters appear there.'
Wild beasts like bears and boars were just as dangerous as monsters, but there was a clear difference between the two.
'Hostility toward humans.'
Most monsters hated humans.
It was not so much for any particular reason as it was pure instinctive hostility.
Moreover, most monsters were cleverer than ordinary wild beasts.
Even goblins, the poster children for weak monsters found all across the continent, knew how to use their heads cunningly—forming packs, digging traps, and launching ambushes.
The outskirts of Trafalgar Forest were fine.
But venturing deep inside—into the place called the Witch's Forest—was dangerous.
"Honestly, I'm not keen on this."
Sir Seorn, a knight of the Count Hraesvelgr Household, furrowed his handsome brow when he heard they planned to pass through the Witch’s Forest.
Now in his early thirties, he was the strongest and highest-ranking knight in Lucas's escort, and since this was a journey to the County of Hraesvelgr, he was effectively leading the combined escort of the three count households.
If he objected, then no matter how much Lucas wanted it, passing through the Witch's Forest would be impossible.
Lucas was merely Sir Seorn's charge, not his master, Count Hraesvelgr.
"Sir Seorn, but......"
"Yes, I know. If the Fairy Queen said we should stop by, then there must be a reason for it."
When Sir Seorn said this with a bitter smile, Lucas's restless face brightened a little.
"Sir Seorn, then......"
"Very well. We'll pass through. But there are conditions."
"Conditions?"
"You must not take the lead. You must remember that, as a rule, you are the one being escorted. Understood?"
"......Understood."
When Lucas reluctantly answered, Sir Seorn chuckled, then brought his face a little closer and continued.
"And there is one more condition."
"Another?"
"Yes. Please protect the young lady of the Count Chase Household like the brave and honorable knight you are. Of course, you mustn’t steal too much of Lord Yuder’s role. Understood?"
He even gave a slight wink at the end, and Lucas's face brightened at once.
"Got it. I promise."
"I'll trust you, young master."
Sir Seorn patted Lucas on the shoulder as if dealing with a younger brother, then straightened his lowered posture. Lucas beamed and turned away, hurrying over to Yuder and Cordelia, who were standing some distance off.
"Even the way he runs looks cheerful."
Sir Silion, a female knight with dull blond hair who served as Sir Seorn's adjutant, frowned as she spoke, and Sir Seorn answered with a bitter smile.
"He's at that age."
"Hmm, I killed my first person at fifteen. My first experience was even younger."
"If it's a contest of misfortunes, well, I'm willing to take you on."
Sir Seorn, a former mercenary, shrugged as he turned to Sir Silion, and she averted her gaze slightly and continued.
"I say this because I'm worried."
"I know. You may be rough with your words, but like the rest of us, you care deeply for young master Lucas."
Cordelia was the beloved youngest child of the Count Chase Household. Lucas, meanwhile, was the long-awaited heir born to the Count Hraesvelgr Household after years without a child—and he possessed tremendous talent with the sword.
It was no exaggeration to say that among the people of Hraesvelgr, there was no one who did not cherish and love Lucas.
"He's making friends his own age. Isn't that nice?"
"What if it turns into a messy love triangle?"
"Well, our young master is rather charming."
Sir Seorn had begun spouting nonsense, but the knights of the Hraesvelgr domain were birds of a feather.
Silion likewise nodded with a serious face, then gazed at the three young nobles of the count households, who were beaming with delight.
* * *
Since the brief trip to Langesthei had turned into a journey toward the northernmost reaches of the Saelun Kingdom, the composition of the escort had changed considerably.
First, Maia, Yuder's personal maid, was left out of the party.
"I would like to come along if possible......"
"No, go home, Maia. Your skin's already gotten this rough, see?"
"Young master, really."
In the end, Maia yielded and, as Yuder wished, returned to the Count Bayel Household together with Gale.
'Because it's too dangerous.'
It was not only the Witch's Forest.
They planned to follow the flow of the main story, so it was no exaggeration to say that a thorny path lay ahead of the party.
It was too much for Maia, who was not even a knight, to come along.
'As for the rest...... I guess you could call it reinforcing our numbers?'
From the Count Bayel Household: three knights and one squire to handle various odd jobs.
From the Count Chase Household: three knights, including Dahlia.
From the Count Hraesvelgr Household: five knights and two squires.
A single knight was commonly reckoned as the equal of ten infantrymen, so in raw combat power the escort amounted to more than a hundred foot soldiers.
"We plan to use carriages until we're near the Northern Viscounty, then move on foot from Trafalgar Forest onward. The carriages will be sent separately to the Northern Viscounty."
"After the adventure, we should pay our respects to the Northern Viscount."
"Yes, we stopped by on our way here as well. He's a kind and good man."
No northern lord would sit idle while children of the Twelve Northern Houses passed through his territory.
Of course, the children of the Twelve Families likewise had to meet the lord, if only for propriety's sake, unless they were in a truly urgent hurry.
'He's really laying the adventure angle on thick.'
Cordelia narrowed her eyes as she quietly watched Yuder cheerfully play along with Lucas, who was explaining the schedule with a bright face.
Cordelia’s suspicions about Outboxer009’s former profession deepened by the day.
'Well, we're accomplices now, though.'
Cordelia pouted, then smiled and began backing Yuder up.
"I’m a little scared since there will be monsters... but I feel reassured knowing Lord Yuder and Lord Lucas are here."
"Hahaha, don't worry. I'll make sure they don't lay a single finger on you, Lady Cordelia."
'Hmm, but didn't you see Cordelia fight Minos?'
Of course, Cordelia had only provided support from the rear back then too.
Yuder swallowed his slight doubt internally, took a breath, and then began the truly necessary discussion.
"Lord Lucas, before setting out on an adventure, securing information is extremely important. We need to know where we’re going, what kind of place it is, what enemies appear there, and how strong they are."
Having worked so hard to entice Lucas, Yuder felt a sense of responsibility toward him.
Even if he was a sword prodigy, he was still just a young, innocent sixteen-year-old boy.
"Hmm, I learned the same thing."
A similar passage appeared in The Heroic Legend of Biltbain.
Yuder turned to Cordelia and continued.
"In the Witch's Forest, the soul of a pitiful witch is sealed. Wicked beings are suppressing the witch's soul. The Fairy Queen said she would like us to free her."
"There was a story like that behind it..."
At a tale that sounded like it belonged in a hero legend, Lucas let out a natural exclamation of admiration, as if being drawn into Yuder's words.
And this story was actually true.
Listening to Yuder, Cordelia briefly recalled her own—Cordelia's—main story.
'So, she was definitely kidnapped and then escaped......'
Cordelia, who had desperately escaped by exploiting a lapse in the Devil's Hand's surveillance, ended up wandering through Trafalgar Forest.
Pursued not only by the monsters dwelling in the forest but also by the Devil's Hand's trackers, Cordelia narrowly escaped death several times, and when both body and mind reached their limits, she heard the witch's voice.
'It was definitely one of Asmodeus's underlings, right?'
Asmodeus, the Infernal Lord of Lust, one of the five great demons dwelling in hell.
As one of the great enemies of the entire Hero Legend series, he was a great demon among great demons who could only be faced in Hero Legend 3.
In any case, to summarize, it was as follows.
The witch’s soul was sealed there, and the “white-eyed magic beast,” a minion of Asmodeus, guarded the seal.
'Guided by the witch’s soul, she releases the seal, and the freed witch’s soul disposes of the magic beast. Once everything is over, Cordelia receives the witch’s power from her.'
She was not at the level of Yuder, who had memorized even the exact passages, but Cordelia also had a precise grasp of the game's story.
'Still, I have to be careful.'
In any case, combat with monsters itself was unavoidable, and since this was reality and not a game, any number of variables could arise.
Cordelia clenched her fist tightly as she watched Lucas listening to Yuder's story with an excited face.
'I'll protect you.'
Cordelia felt just as much responsibility toward Lucas as Yuder did.
"I really am looking forward to it."
Lucas smiled innocently, and Yuder and Cordelia turned to each other. They exchanged glances mixed with guilt and responsibility.
* * *
The journey to Trafalgar Forest went smoothly, and nothing much changed even after they entered the Witch's Forest.
"Uh...... it's a little...... different from what I imagined."
When Lucas spoke in a small voice, Yuder and Cordelia exchanged bitter smiles.
The thrilling adventure Lucas had imagined could not help but differ from the current situation.
'There are eleven knights, you know.'
If you included the squires, a full fourteen.
Whether wild beast or monster, they all had basic sense.
With fourteen armed people advancing while radiating killing intent, there were few creatures stupid and reckless enough to attack first.
Occasionally, unlucky or stupid creatures like forest goblins appeared, but they were simply cut down in an instant.
'How peaceful.'
In the original Cordelia story, this forest had been nothing short of hell.
Because Cordelia had been a low-level character fleeing while utterly exhausted and injured.
Even a single goblin could threaten her life, so every faint sound and half-glimpsed shadow made her tense enough for her heart to seize up.
But now.
"Ugh...... ugh......"
Seeing Cordelia clench and unclench her fists restlessly, Yuder's eyes widened involuntarily, and he whispered to her.
"Hey, what's wrong? Are you hurt somewhere?"
At Yuder's question, Cordelia frowned and answered in a whisper as well.
"Something's, something's missing."
It was an exceedingly vague explanation, but Yuder understood.
'She's frustrated.'
The Hunting King had come to a hunting ground and was now just watching the hunt—of course she was itching.
'Hmm, it's nothing new, but this girl isn't normal either.'
"What? What are you thinking? You thought something weird, didn't you?"
"No, nothing in particular. More importantly, hold still."
"Huh?"
"Hold still."
When Cordelia tilted her head and stopped, Yuder untied the rope at his waist, wrapped it around Cordelia's waist, and gripped the end firmly.
"What are you doing?"
"So I can catch you if you suddenly bolt. You can't just bite anyone."
"Should I start by biting you?"
It was just as Cordelia was growling like a dog.
"Lord Yuder? What’s the matter? Why is there a rope around Lady Cordelia’s waist..."
"The fog is getting thicker. If we lose sight of one another, we could get separated, so we tied ourselves together. If you’re all right with it, Lord Lucas, would you like to join us?"
"Oh...... I see. Yes, I'll tie myself in too."
As Lucas nodded and approached, Yuder quickly tied the rope around his own waist as well, then held out the remaining cord to Lucas.
And Cordelia, who had been quietly watching this, thought:
'Is that for real?'
The reason for tying the rope.
She thought she had heard something about people tying themselves together when climbing places like snowy mountains.
In the original, Cordelia had been alone, but that was not the case now.
'The fog really is thick.'
The fog, which had initially only reached around their ankles, had now risen to their waists.
And then, finally, when the fog rose above their heads.
"Wait."
Yuder, who was in the middle, stopped abruptly, forcing not only Lucas, who was walking ahead, but also Cordelia to halt.
Cordelia, who had been walking behind without a thought and bumped her forehead against Yuder's back, rubbed her forehead and asked.
"Why?"
"The soil has changed."
"What?"
That was as far as it went. Instead of answering, Yuder crouched down and touched the soil, then looked back and forth between Lucas and Cordelia, who had come closer, and explained.
"The soil has changed. Its smell, its particle size, and its composition are all different from the soil of Trafalgar Forest."
At the sudden statement, Lucas blinked, and Cordelia crouched down as well and touched the soil, but she could not tell anything.
She did not even know what the soil of Trafalgar Forest was like in the first place.
"Dahlia! Jun!"
Yuder suddenly shouted loudly, but no answer came back.
Lucas, startled, also called out the names of Seorn and Silion, but it was the same.
And then Cordelia realized.
'I lost focus.'
Until Yuder shouted, she had not thought about the escort knights at all.
Even though they were not in her field of vision, she had simply kept walking without a thought.
'A barrier.'
An independent space, just like a dungeon book.
The pieces fit together.
The knights who had suddenly vanished.
The completely different composition of the soil.
If they had not tied themselves together, then not only Lucas but even Yuder and Cordelia would have been scattered.
Cordelia quickly turned to Yuder, and Yuder nodded.
'It's a barrier, all right.'
It was both the same as the original and different.
In the original, Cordelia had been alone and wandering through the forest, so she could not even have noticed whether there was a barrier.
But this party was different. They were traveling as a group and, rather than wandering through the forest, had headed straight toward their destination.
That was where the difference arose.
And perhaps it was a change brought about by the butterfly effect of thwarting the Devil's Hand.
"Lord Yuder? Lady Cordelia?"
Lucas asked tensely. Yuder swallowed hard and rose to his feet.
Since they had already entered the barrier, he untied the rope around his waist and spoke to Lucas.
"Lord Lucas."
"Yes, Lord Yuder."
"It seems... the real adventure has begun."
A true adventure whose outcome and course could not be known.
Tension, unease, and irrepressible delight and anticipation spread across Lucas's face at once, and Yuder and Cordelia turned to each other.
Amid concern and responsibility, they readied themselves for battle.