Chapter 203 …
“It may not be at the level of a Great Rampage, but the Black Dragon could cause more monsters to appear, so you should still prepare defenses.”
“But can we really call it a Black Dragon? The Black Dragon is a sacred being that helped found Kairam. ‘Evil Dragon’ would suit it better.”
The Margrave said it jokingly. Rita paused for a moment, then replied calmly.
“It behaves somewhat differently from ordinary magical beasts. It has never attacked humans, so for now we’re simply calling it based on its appearance. Also, calling it a Black Dragon helps reduce the fear and confusion of the empire’s citizens who witnessed it. And when His Highness the Crown Prince returns later, it will be easier to connect the story with the founding myth.”
She repeated Olivia’s explanation almost word for word.
The Margrave nodded.
“I see. Then what support do you need for subjugating the Black Dragon and searching for His Highness the Crown Prince? Just say the word, Lady. Separate from repaying you for saving Winterfield, we’ll prepare everything to the best of our ability.”
“There’s no need for repayment. Winterfield is Lucas’s hometown and a neighbor of Laskail, so helping is only natural. As for what we need for the search…”
She carefully listed her requests. She had discussed them with Oli before leaving, so she could say them immediately.
None of the tasks required much time, and thanks to the Margrave’s enthusiastic support, her requests were resolved within the same day.
Meanwhile, Rita personally met the hunter who had last witnessed the Black Dragon and listened to his testimony.
The hunter who had fought on the city wall yesterday was extremely cooperative with Lilieta. He wracked his memory and told her everything he had seen. He even willingly handed over a map of the Black Forest that hunters shared among themselves and volunteered to act as a guide.
Thus, the preparations to enter the Black Forest were completed.
Both Lucas and Rita had rested for a full day and recovered from their fatigue. And since it was urgent to find Gideon before Pascal made a move, they decided to depart as soon as the sun rose the next day.
And so—
Dawn of July 14.
Winterfield had a ranger unit skilled in exploration and combat within forests and mountains.
In addition, there was a small branch of the Tritoma Special Knight Order—about ten members—stationed in Winterfield by Gideon in preparation for a Great Rampage and trained by Lucas.
All of them lined up at the entrance of the Black Forest in full gear, carrying signal flares.
On the city walls behind them, the knights, defense forces, and mages of Winterfield stood ready for battle.
If they stirred up the Black Forest during the search, monsters might appear again, so they were preparing in advance.
Searching with a small group is safer, but it would take too long.
Also, cannons that had been prepared years ago at the Crown Prince’s order and Lucas’s insistence—but never actually used—were placed on the walls at Lilieta’s request.
If Pascal shows up, magical beasts might appear. For ordinary people, cannons are the best way to deal with them.
Last night she personally inspected every one of those cannons. People of this era tended to ignore cannons because they were inconvenient, slow, and unreliable compared to magic and aura, so she couldn’t trust that they had been properly maintained.
As expected, out of twenty cannons, only about twelve were immediately usable.
Even so, Winterfield managed to maintain this many thanks to Luca.
Still, twelve cannons should be enough to hold out for a while even if a named‑class magical beast suddenly appeared.
Lilieta stood in front of the ranger unit and the Tritoma Special Knight Order wearing clothes similar to yesterday’s with a cloak. Lucas wore flexible leather armor that could withstand his partial beast transformation.
The young count, who had accompanied them to the entrance of the Black Forest on behalf of the Margrave, gave a short speech to the rangers before issuing the command.
“Begin the search!”
Since everyone already understood the mission from yesterday, no additional explanation was needed. The rangers, dressed in dark green, spread out widely and disappeared into the Black Forest like shadows seeping between the trees.
Lucas turned toward Lilieta. When she nodded, he shouted toward the Winterfield branch of the Special Knight Order.
“We begin the search!”
He led the way into the Black Forest. The hunter guide walked right behind him, showing the path, while Lilieta followed. The members bearing the Ash‑Flame emblem drew their weapons and followed behind.
From this point, the ranger unit would sweep widely through the Black Forest, searching for traces of a massive creature moving through the area or signs that monsters had moved strangely.
Meanwhile, the Special Knight Order led by Rita and Luca would first head straight to the location where the hunter claimed to have seen the Black Dragon, and then begin a separate search from there.
Unlike the rangers, who were searching from the very edge of the forest, the location where they would start their search was quite far away. It was a deep region that only a handful of Winterfield’s hunters—those accustomed to roaming monster‑infested forests—could even enter.
Following the hunter’s guidance, they walked forward. They encountered almost no monsters, but the forest gradually grew darker.
At some point, sunlight barely reached them, and although it was still morning, the surroundings became dim.
The tall northern conifer trees gradually disappeared, replaced by strange trees with moss‑covered black trunks and twisted branches jutting out wildly. Silence filled the air—no cries of animals or insects—and the damp atmosphere felt ominous.
The hunter stopped in a small clearing where a towering spruce tree, likely hundreds of years old, stood. There were traces of a campfire and chairs made from cut tree stumps.
“This is a shelter we hunters use. In fact, you could say the true Black Forest begins from here. We don’t usually go beyond this point.”
Standing near the remains of the campfire, he tilted his head and pointed toward the narrow strip of sky visible through the dense canopy.
“As I told you yesterday, I was resting here when I saw the Black Dragon flying across that sky. At first I thought it was a big bird… but as it came lower, I realized it wasn’t.”
The hunter moved his finger, tracing the path across the narrow sky before pointing deeper into the dark forest.
“A massive dragon crashed down over there, smashing the trees as it landed… I was so terrified I ran away, so I don’t know what happened after that.”
“Good work. You can head back now. You can return alone, right?”
“Of course. It’s my job.”
After bowing repeatedly, the hunter left.
Lilieta and Lucas walked in the direction he had indicated together with the Special Knight Order members.
“I’ve never come this far inside before. It’s like midnight in here. We should light the lanterns.”
Lucas muttered in surprise and lit the lantern he had brought. Several of the agents also lit their lanterns and raised them high.
Rita watched silently as the lantern light stretched through the damp darkness and twisted tree trunks. Then she suddenly raised her hand.
“Over there.”
“Yes?”
“A tree is broken.”
At her words, Luca hurried ahead.
Soon he stopped abruptly and raised his arm high above his head.
“…Wow.”
Seeing the scene faintly revealed by the spreading lantern light, he let out a groan.
A massive ancient tree—so thick that three or four people would have to join hands to circle it—had been snapped in half, exposing its pale inner wood.
The broken upper portion looked crushed as if something enormous had slammed down on it. Between the shattered wood pieces, a sticky dark‑red liquid had dried.
Rita bent down to examine it and said quietly:
“A liquid infused with contaminated magic… it’s the blood of a magical beast.”
“I don’t think it’s just this one. Everyone, come over here and light up the area!”
At Luca’s command, the agents spread out and raised their lanterns.
Gradually, the full scene became visible.
Countless ancient trees were snapped like reeds and scattered everywhere. Dark‑red liquid had splattered across the area and dried. From the size of the destruction, they could estimate the scale of the creature that had fallen and rolled around there.
“That’s incredible… Is this really…?”
Luca, who had never actually seen Gide in his beast‑transformed form, swallowed dryly and muttered.
Still bent over, Rita picked something up from between the broken branches.
“Look at this, Luca.”
It was a sharp object, charred black as if burned. Hard like metal and as thick as an adult’s forearm—it looked almost like a throwing spear.
Lilieta knew exactly what it was.
“A spike from the Black Dragon’s body.”
She ran her fingers over it briefly, then set it back on the ground and stood up.
Her deep violet eyes scanned the wide trail of destruction and the bloodstains.
Then she declared firmly:
“Gide passed through here. That way.”
