Chapter 72
Because we were traveling on horseback, the unusually silent forest echoed only with the hollow sound of hooves.
The sky above was pitch black.
It was hard to tell whether the darkness was truly covering the sky or if the sparse, withered leaves were blocking the view.
A shiver ran through me, visible in the foggy breath I exhaled, as tension instinctively surged.
“Are you cold, sister?”
“Mm. I’m fine. The temperature inside the forest is really low.”
Despite it being full spring outside, the forest felt like early winter, and I had draped a thick coat over my shoulders.
“I didn’t think I’d need such a heavy coat, but thank you for bringing it for me, Edwin.”
“It’s nothing. I’d do anything for you, sister.”
Hearing the calm, reassuring voice from behind, I lifted my head slightly.
Meeting Edwin’s gentle gaze, a soft smile spread across both our faces.
We were currently deep inside the Forest of Beasts.
We had first used the portal at the Amur Religion Temple with the knights to reach a border city. Then, using Edwin’s teleportation magic, we had entered the deeper parts of the forest.
‘Using both a portal and teleportation does give a bit of motion sickness. But thankfully, Edwin’s magic was perfect, so it’s not too bad.’
We had teleported only as far as the area where magic wasn’t detectable, and now we were traveling by horseback.
It would have been convenient if coordinates for already-explored areas existed, but unfortunately, there were none. Until now, the expedition had been charted solely by the Duke and the knights, without the tower’s assistance.
‘I see… so even the Forest of Beasts could take ten years to explore because of this.’
Before knowing the details, I had assumed the difficulty came from the beasts being too powerful.
In reality, the delay seemed to stem from the small number of explorers, the long distances, and the magic of the forest itself.
It didn’t seem like the beasts alone were a problem—after all, we had already witnessed the Duke’s overwhelming power firsthand.
No matter the beast, would it not be torn to shreds before his strength?
Lost in thought, I glanced at the Duke’s back.
He was riding at the front.
‘I usually remember his face because it’s so striking, but watching his back like this is… kind of refreshing.’
His straight spine seemed to radiate unyielding resolve.
Beneath his cloak, the solid silhouette of broad shoulders and a strong back caught my eye.
“…….”
I knew how sturdy that chest was.
It was only recently, when facing Veronica, who had turned into a beast, that I had seen it up close.
Carefully, I summoned memories I had tried not to dwell on.
‘Honestly… I barely remember that day.’
Was it because the shock was too great?
Perhaps as an instinctive defense mechanism, the memory of what happened that day was fragmented.
After Veronica became a beast, it felt as if all my recollections had been shattered into pieces.
The pain was what stood out most clearly.
‘I truly thought I was going to die. I never want to go through that again.’
Remembering the agony of Veronica’s tentacles piercing my abdomen made my throat dry. Goosebumps rose all over my body, and I shrank slightly. Edwin, sensing my unease from behind, called out, “Sister?”
“Are you uncomfortable…?”
“No, I’m fine.”
I smiled reassuringly at him.
I had chosen Edwin as my companion on horseback.
The Duke, leading the expedition, had insisted that the knights required his attention, supporting my choice.
Had I chosen differently, the person behind me would have been the Duke himself, Blake, not Edwin.
If it had been Blake, he would have enveloped me in his strong embrace, asking in a low voice if I was cold… just like that day when he apologized for being late.
‘…What did I say to him that day? I can’t remember. Why did he keep apologizing to me?’
I couldn’t recall whether I had scolded him for arriving late.
All I remembered clearly was the pain, the indescribable fear, and the warmth and safety of the Duke’s embrace.
Just imagining that the person behind me could be Blake made my throat dry and my face flush.
‘Ugh… why is my heart racing like this?’
The forest had felt chilly moments ago, but now it felt unbearably hot.
“We’ve arrived.”
“……!”
The Duke’s voice came from the front where he had been riding silently. I snapped out of my daze and lifted my head.
By now, he had stopped, and so had the horses of the knights and mine.
Looking ahead, I immediately understood why he had halted.
“……Magic.”
“Is that… magic?”
Unlike me, who had already seen magic, Edwin seemed to witness it for the first time. His flat voice carried genuine surprise.
Beyond where the Duke had stopped, a dark red mist of magic spread like fog.
Strangely, the magic did not cross into the ground we were standing on; it only filled the space ahead.
It looked almost like a boundary separating the living from the dead.
With Edwin’s help, I dismounted and approached the Duke.
“Your Grace.”
“Priscilla. I will need your help from here.”
Finally, the moment had come.
I looked directly into the Duke’s eyes as he requested my assistance.
He had asked me to purify this place ever since I became the saint of the Amur Religion. Honestly, I had initially resisted, but I eventually agreed through tears.
After a series of events, he didn’t want to bring me along, yet I insisted because the quest required it.
“…Do you think you can do it? If it’s too difficult…”
In the end, my stubbornness had prevailed.
‘I think the Duke secretly wants this place purified as much as I do.’
Yet he still gave me the choice at the last moment.
‘…Why is he always so soft with me? Is it guilt?’
Even the most oblivious person could see that he treated me unusually gently.
I didn’t know the exact reason why, but…
“Of course, Your Grace.”
“…….”
“This is my duty.”
He protected me, so I would repay that debt properly. At least I should earn my keep!
At the forefront, Priscilla stepped ahead of Blake, and Edwin almost instinctively reached out but managed to restrain himself.
‘Sister…’
The infamous Forest of Beasts.
The thick crimson mist before her seemed capable of engulfing and burning her soul the moment she touched it.
Could my fragile sister truly purify such vicious magic?
Though he had never doubted her abilities, Edwin was deeply troubled seeing her confront such danger.
Despite his desire to stop her, Priscilla advanced without hesitation.
Her unwavering steps, to an observer, resembled that of a “saint” willing to face danger and sacrifice herself.
At the very edge where the magic lingered, Priscilla stopped and stretched out both hands.
‘What is she doing…?’
A strange force surged around her.
It wasn’t magic Edwin was familiar with, nor was it the knights’ auras.
It was the one weapon in the world capable of countering evil magic.
“Cure.”
It was clearly a divine power that opposed magic.
As Priscilla spoke, pure white light enveloped the surroundings.
