The Forbidden Forest's terrain was not very complex, but its size was unignorable.
Since monsters might appear at any time to attack, moving was a bit slow. It was necessary to move in small groups, and they had to be prepared for any emergency.
As a result, Fenrik, the soldiers, Siegfried, and the members of the Knight Squad did not arrive at the center of the Forbidden Forest until about half a day had passed.
“……”
Fenric's gaze was trained on the large, dead tree in front of them. As Siegfried said, the tree was very huge. Even from afar it could be easily located.
“From now on, your destination will be north with me.”
Siegfried said as he approached Fenric and looked at him.
“As I told you, there is a connection between the north and monstrous creatures. After we take a look there, we will head to the silent cave located to the west.”
The places they decided together to search were these two places. So, Fenric nodded as if he understood.
“Then, we will return to this midpoint and meet up with the Knights of the East, and then we will leave the forest through the southern entrance.”
Siegfried continued talking.
"The Duke and I will be in the lead, and several groups will follow us in a specific order. This will make it easier to deal with any emergency that may arise."
No one wanted any of these groups to follow them, but there was no reason to refuse.
Once there, they can take out Siegfried in one fell swoop.
…In fact, that was the thing Fenric was more sure of than anything else.
“Okay, let's do this.”
Fenric gave a short answer, while Siegfried looked at him with a smile.
Then, Siegfried once again recalled Dietrich's command.
[If the Duke was truly related to monstrous creatures, things would change significantly. When you notice any suspicious movement, kill him immediately, considering that it is the work of monsters.]
Honestly, Siegfried was hoping that the monsters would appear before they reached the dead tree.
If Fenric was indeed connected to the monstrous creatures, he would undoubtedly act. In this case, it will be easier to kill him when everyone is together rather than moving separately.
But, despite everything, no creatures appeared until they reached the heart of the forest. It was true that the frequency of monster appearances had decreased, but this was outside the boundaries of the Forbidden Forest, not within it.
Upon entering the forest, it was usually easy to see at least low-grade monstrous creatures.
With the opportunity to verify Fenrik's identity or get rid of him, Siegfried was frustrated by the development of the situation. However, there was nothing he could do about it.
“Then we will set off now, Sir Duke.”
Fenric nodded with an indifferent face, then everyone began to disperse into the designated groups to move.
“……”
As Fenric began to walk slowly, his gaze quickly passed over the large sword that was hanging on his waist, but no one noticed.
—
Prisippi had no idea why she was walking down the bypass.
“……”
After walking aimlessly for a long time, she suddenly stopped and stood still. Then she started looking around with a confused face.
“The problem is big.”
Prisippi had not noticed that the bypass had reached the Forbidden Forest. It wasn't the dense trees in front of her or the distinct refreshing scent of the forest, but the randomly broken fence.
Specifically, it was the pieces of broken fence that caught her attention.
The fence was high and thick and seemed to be very strong, so how could this have happened?
'Was that the work of monsters?'
But if that was the case, shouldn't the Knights have known that? They were stationed here even before the Duke arrived.
Moreover, Fenrick said that this place was under surveillance. Malia said the same thing.
But the broken fence was there, and yet she saw no knights all the way.
Should you come back?
This is probably the best option.
But despite these thoughts, her previous words still haunted her.
[They said soldiers are protecting the place...but no one is here?]
It was the voice of young Prisippi in her training days.
[Yes, anyway I have to take a look.]
While her little voice was in her mind, Presibe began to approach the bypass.
My thoughts were now identical to hers before. “I have to check it out.”
Was it a coincidence that I didn't meet anyone along the way here, as was the case on that anniversary? It doesn't seem like it was just a coincidence.
“…….”
Prisippi swallowed, then looked with nervous eyes at the Forbidden Forest before her.
Then she started walking slowly, very slowly, into the forest.
“As I expected, nothing special here.”
Despite the fearsome name and gloomy image, the forest was not much different from any ordinary forest.
Of course, since this was the home of monsters, there was bound to be some anxiety, but so far, nothing had appeared.
All you could hear was the gentle wind and the sounds of singing birds.
But going deeper into the forest is not a good idea. It was dangerous, and also Siegfried and Benrick were browsing through the forest.
At a time when the world was collapsing around her, and if she remembered the poor choices she had made when she met Ivan, it would have been better for her not to have met Siegfried.
Last time, she met him when she was alone, but now she was with Fenric. So it's better not to meet him.
Therefore, if she could, she wanted to recall the memory of the training period before delving deeper.
What was she looking for in this forest then?
“Nothing here.”
But unfortunately, the forest still looked ordinary, and it had not regained any memory.
“More entry inside would be dangerous.”
You've already come a fair distance, and if you go any further, it will be in the heart of the forest. What do you do? Precipe thought for a while, then finally decided to go back.
But at that moment, something caught her attention.
There was a lake far away.
It glows red under the sunset light.
“…….”
Precipi stopped in his tracks, his eyes fixed on the lake.
The season was different than it is now.
The summer was hot and humid.
There were dense green trees around the lake, those huge and tall trees that were like towers, with their dense leaves. Sunlight was falling through it, and there were the sounds of insects and the scent of flowers on all sides.
The lake was sparkling softly, calm as it was.
There are also small ripples on the surface of the water.
……There was a slight sound.
“The notebook.”
It was the same notebook that I lost at the lake when the game was starting.
Presibe made sure of this, and quickly headed toward the lake, checking around again.
“Huh, huh...”
Prisippi arrived at the lakeside, sitting with difficulty, feeling tired.
She saw her face in the clear, calm water, and there was a slight blur.
And…
[Damn, my notebook.]
Today, just as she was looking at the calm water, she remembered her childish face.
“Most likely, this is the place.”
In her training days when Prisippi was 10 years old, there was an event organized in the Forbidden Forest, which Malia said. I told Malia that Prisippi came here with Vanessa at that time.
Although the memory isn't entirely clear now, I realized at the start of the game that I needed to find some information in this forest. So, maybe she had come here to check it out quietly.
And in this place by the lake, I lost my notebook.
Now, it was clear how things were going.
“So, did you get the information you needed in the Forbidden Forest back then?”
Was that different than it is now?
Also, did you realize from the beginning that there was a real hero in the story?
If I can remember that, I think I might be able to find out who this real hero is...
Presibe closed her eyes tightly, trying to recall those memories, but her efforts were short-lived.
The shadows that suddenly appeared on her face were the reason.
“…….”
Precipi, sensing the movement, quickly opened her eyes.
Then she looked, with a confused expression, at the man in front of her.