Chapter 112
When she thought back to the power the mirror had emitted when she met Rosalie, it seemed like a fairly plausible hypothesis. But Blehel, who bore the blood of the Demon Realm, would have had a hard time fully using a mirror from the Divine Realm.
“Someone helped him.”
That “someone” was probably the one collecting the mirror fragments while interfering with Raphaella. How did that person help Blehel?
“…Demonic Fruit.”
Just as the Spirit Realm had spirit beasts and the Divine Realm had divine beasts, the Demon Realm also had a guardian beast. Naturally, the fruit would have served as a potion, temporarily boosting Blehel’s power.
“Since Blehel, who is under punishment, can’t enter the Demon Realm, someone must have brought it to him.”
Which meant:
“That someone isn’t human.”
They knew the exact locations of the Divine Mirror fragments, collected them without being swayed by the mirror’s power, and had enough strength to freely come and go in the Demon Realm. These were things impossible for a human.
“Could it really be the work of those male gods who screwed me over?”
Though two of them were said to have been annihilated, two male gods had escaped. Raphaella narrowed her focus to the remaining two. The more she thought about it, the angrier she became, feeling a fiery heat rising from within.
“Bastards! If anyone’s going to get revenge, it should be me! Who do they think they are, messing with me?”
She didn’t even realize how terrifying her expression had become as she thought about how she would punish the male gods once she caught them.
Leo carefully tapped Raphaella’s shoulder with his fingertip.
“Uh, Ellaella… could you maybe relax your expression a bit? I feel like I might have a heart attack just looking at your face before we even reach the Lost Forest.”
“Huh? Ah, right.”
Raphaella finally blinked and regained her composure. Her fists had been clenched so tightly that deep nail marks had been left on her palms.
She quickly returned to the conversation from earlier.
“Anyway, the mental magic that William faced is his usual technique and attack method, so make sure you understand it well.”
“Nooo~ just knowing it won’t stop me from being hit by it, right?”
“Leo, you’re the only one who needs to understand it well, right? No magic is without a weakness.”
“I know. I get it… but that only works if you’ve learned counter-magic. And mental-type attacks are especially hard to break through.”
“That’s why I’m telling you now, you brat. Don’t whine after coming all this way. And think about the huge amount of mana stones you’ll get to take with you. That should motivate you.”
“Chi… ahem. Just how much are we talking about?”
Raphaella then pulled out a map from her pocket showing the locations of the mirror fragments and laid it on the table. She pointed to the topmost part of the Lost Forest.
“Start here.”
Her finger traced along the massive mountain range that connected all the way to the Lenton Capital. Passing through the borders of the Lost Forest, it stopped at the mountains near the village where they were currently staying.
“End here.”
“Gah… that’s insane.”
Leo gulped dryly. Even digging up just half of the area Raphaella pointed to would yield enough mana stones to last a lifetime.
At that moment, William asked with a slightly uneasy gaze:
“Lady Raphaella, isn’t this Lenton territory? If so, taking things from here would be considered theft.”
“The king of Lenton abandoned this land. It’s not a crime to pick up things in an abandoned place, right?”
“It’s still a crime. Regardless, it’s part of Lenton’s territory.”
Leo put a hand on William’s shoulder with a sly smile.
“Liam-Liam, in times like this, just turn a blind eye. No one goes there anyway; who would know?”
“That’s still theft. Even if abandoned, I cannot allow my companions to blatantly steal.”
“The stones will be happy if I use them carefully, right?”
“Stones have no emotions. Stop talking nonsense.”
“Ah, so that’s why you’re so indifferent, Liam-Liam? Because you’re a rock?”
“Leo. I said no means no. Don’t argue.”
“Take them and no one will know! But why not?”
“I know. I can’t condone illegal acts knowing they’re illegal.”
“Then… I just have to do it without you knowing, right?”
“Try it if you can.”
Leo’s playful eyes suddenly sharpened with a killing intent. William didn’t back down either. The two stared each other down in a tense standoff.
Bang—
“Enough.”
Raphaella slammed her hand on the table, stopping them.
“Both of you, stop it. This isn’t the time to fight among ourselves.”
“But Ellaella! Liam is so frustrating, it drives me crazy.”
“As I said, if Lady Raphaella engages in clearly illegal acts, I must stop her.”
William’s expression was firm, while Leo looked sulky and frustrated.
Raphaella smiled slyly at William.
“Don’t worry. We’ll do it completely legally.”
“Eh?”
“I already sent a proposal to buy the Lost Forest to the king of Lenton. In your name, Leo.”
“What? Really? When did you do that?”
“I haven’t been just lounging around at the palace, you know.”
“Wow. Ellaella, so you are a princess. But why did you use my name?”
“All countries have spies in each other’s lands, so my existence would already be known. If the rich son obsessed with magic wants to buy the Lost Forest to research it, it makes sense. I deliberately wrote a slightly vague amount.”
“Why? What if he refuses to sell?”
“Offering too much would make it suspicious and he’d reject it. From Lenton’s perspective, that forest is a nuisance they can neither use nor abandon. Geographically, it’s the northernmost corner of the continent with three countries, so there’s no benefit or potential for development.”
“That’s true, but according to history books, previous kings sent countless knights to utilize the Lost Forest’s swamps. All failed, of course.”
“Exactly. The current king, having seen his predecessors fail, treats the Lost Forest as if it doesn’t exist. He might send an investigation team, but he hasn’t. Because he’s already wealthy from the iron mining business.”
“Hmm… I understand yet don’t understand. If he’s wealthy, wouldn’t he be less likely to sell cheaply?”
“Exactly. That’s why I set a deadline.”
William and Leo’s eyes widened. A deadline to buy land? What did that mean?
Raphaella playfully raised her hands.
“Ten years. I said we’d have it for exactly ten years, then return it. So from the king’s point of view, it’s more like a loan than a sale. Plus, if you, Leo, research well and lift the curse on the Lost Forest, it becomes safe and clean land again. How could he refuse?”
“My goodness…”
“…How do you come up with such political strategies?”
“Why would anyone refuse if I say I’ll take care of it for them? People are like that. The king is human, after all.”
“Wow… Ellaella, you suddenly seem different.”
“How so?”
“You seem like an incredible strategist. You’re awesome, sister! Whew!”
Leo even whistled in admiration, while William looked at Raphaella with slightly softer eyes than usual.
Clearing her throat, Raphaella continued.
“Anyway. Now there’s no reason for the two of you to fight over mana stones.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Eh~ fighting was just a light test of male friendship…”
“Hmm.”
“Sorry. We won’t fight anymore.”
“Good. Now, let’s get back to what we were talking about. I’ll explain Blehel’s mental attacks. It’s difficult, so listen carefully.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Mm-hm.”
Raphaella carefully explained Blehel’s abilities and why the forest came to be called the Lost Forest.
Leo reacted like a startled child, while William, as always, nodded calmly with a stoic expression.
By the time Raphaella finished her long story, Leo’s reaction was genuinely amazed.
“Wow… so that’s what happened in the Lost Forest. I never imagined someone like that existed.”
“It’s quite remarkable in many ways.”
William, still looking perplexed, asked:
“I’ve been curious for a long time… Lady Raphaella, how do you know all of this? Even details that aren’t recorded in books or chronicles.”
“Huh? Ah… well…”
Raphaella flinched slightly and had to force her facial muscles to maintain a calm expression. She couldn’t let her shameless expression slip.
“I have an informant who only tells me these things.”
“An informant with such exceptional abilities exists? One who can find out things even the national leadership doesn’t know?”
William’s eyes narrowed even further.
