“Can I ask you something? Why do you keep following me?”
“Hey, deposed crown prince. Where exactly are you headed right now?”
“I didn’t ask you first. Weren’t you the one who saved me?”
“No, I wasn’t.”
“Hah, well then. For someone who calls himself a barbarian king, you sure have a lot of time on your hands. …Anyway, I’m on my way to meet the Flower Witch.”
“The witch? Why the witch?”
“I plan to ask for her help. …Ah, looks like we’ve arrived.”
“Where…? Huh? What’s going on with this forest?”
“A forest shrouded in black mist… a mysterious place. But it seems we’ve found the right spot.”
“Mysterious my foot… Hey, you’re not seriously thinking of going in there, are you? Why not just tell that witch to come out here?”
“That’s a good idea, no doubt, but I think the chances of that working are slim to none.”
“Hmph… I can’t believe people actually live in a gloomy forest like this.”
“Not just anyone—a witch. Anyway, I’m going in now. I won’t stop you if you want to come along, but I strongly advise against it.”
“Why not?”
“I’ve heard the witch is extremely hostile to outsiders and quite the prankster. Once you step into the forest, no one can predict what might happen.”
“……”
—From the ‘Victoria Dynasty Chronicles: The 18th Emperor (147–147)’, excerpt titled ‘The Deposed Crown Prince and the Barbarian King Before the Forest of Black Mist’, Secret Library of the Northern City, New Continent Atlanta.
After the ambush on the prairie, we began a rapid march. Actually, calling it a march might be misleading—it was more like constant movement, alternating between marching and using our transport abilities. Whenever something felt off, I’d glance sharply at Jegal Haesol. He’d sigh repeatedly (actually, he grumbled the whole time), but whenever necessary, he activated his transport powers. Since he was still new at it, his skill wasn’t quite what I remembered, but it was still impressive. Thanks to that, we managed to cut a journey that should have taken at least 35 days down to just 20. We hadn’t reached our destination yet, but if we kept up the pace, we could arrive by nightfall. Jegal Haesol quickly became the expedition’s star. Seonyul was eager to learn the transport ability, and even Hansoyoung showed deep interest.
After using the transport ability once more around midday, we pushed on and finally reached the vicinity of our destination. Before us stretched a massive mountain range. Crossing it would mark the first major milestone of our long journey—unless we decided to turn back, of course.
The mountains were imposing, but after two solid hours of climbing, we easily crested the peaks. Another couple of hours later, we had fully crossed. Descending into flatter terrain, a vast plain unfolded before us.
After marching for about another hour, I finally called a halt. To the south, stretching endlessly, lay a sprawling forest of enormous size.
Maybe because it had been so long, or perhaps because I had no prior connection to this place, seeing it up close felt strangely awkward. Though not comparable to the Steel Mountains, the forest was impressively long and densely packed, severely limiting visibility. And above all…
“What’s going on?”
“Have we arrived?”
At that moment, as the march stopped, my companions stepped forward one by one. Instead of speaking, I pointed toward the forest with my index finger. We were still some distance away, but close enough to see clearly. Besides, we had no plans to enter today.
“Smoke…?”
Someone murmured, as if in a daze.
Indeed. The forest was thick with a faintly glowing, fluffy white mist. What was peculiar was that the smoke would sometimes rise high into the sky, only to drift back down to the ground—it never escaped beyond the forest’s bounds. It flowed elegantly around the woods, evoking not just mystery but a strange sense of awe.
“A forest with flowing smoke… Do we have any information about it?”
Hansoyoung asked quietly, sensing something unusual. I tensed and turned toward her. From this point on, not a single slip of the tongue was allowed. If I blurted out anything carelessly, there was a high chance Hansoyoung’s ‘super-sense’ would catch it. So I resolved to stick strictly to the truth and maintain that this was my first time here.
With that in mind, I pulled out a record from my pocket. Of the two documents I’d brought, this one was more of an afterword than an official chronicle.
“Let me read this to you first.”
I began reading aloud, skipping unnecessary details.
‘…The place’s name first surfaced when materials concerning the sole deposed crown prince of the Victoria Dynasty were discovered. Since his reign was so brief, there had been almost no records, making this a matter of great interest to historians.
…As expected, controversies surrounding the deposed crown prince, the barbarian king, and the Flower Witch flared up, with everyone eager to uncover the truth. Eventually, the kingdom organized an investigative expedition, the First Expedition, to the site of the controversy.
…Despite countless hardships en route, the expedition persevered and finally reached the forest of flowing smoke. However, none of the members who entered the forest returned for months, and the kingdom slowly realized the gravity of the situation. In fact, the kingdom was aware that some factions had secretly sent expeditions, but they quietly tolerated it out of horror at the fate of each group.
…Thus, countless expeditions entered the forest, but all but one never came back. Rumors spread that it was a savage place where people were devoured. It is now designated a no-entry zone, but to those who might venture there in the future, heed this warning:
From the sole survivor’s testimony, if you wish to live, enter only as far as the forest’s edge and then leave. I dare say the forest itself is merely a warning. Should you venture deeper, unimaginable horrors await, far beyond what the forest’s experience entails. Only the vengeful witch’s mocking laughter will greet you.
I warn you again: the forest’s interior holds secrets we long to uncover, but it is a Pandora’s box that must never be opened.’’
After finishing, I cleared my throat and slowly looked around before speaking.
“Tonight, we’ll camp nearby—right at the forest’s edge.”
Several of them looked up at the sky. Though much time had passed, the sun was still high overhead. I tapped the record and slipped it back into my pocket, then continued.
“There’s something I want to test.”
“A test?”
Jeong Hayeon asked.
“Yes. According to the boy who survived, he experienced some interesting phenomena while passing through the forest.”
“Interesting phenomena?”
“From my perspective, yes. To summarize what I heard… the smoke perfectly suppresses the user’s magic and affects the human body.”
“…What?”
I carefully avoided mentioning anything I remembered, sticking only to what the boy had said. My companions all reacted with disbelief.
“None of this is certain. We can’t verify everything, but I intend to observe as much as possible firsthand. Seeing is believing, after all.”
“Verify? You don’t mean—”
Jeong Hayeon’s eyes widened as she glanced around. I smiled and shook my head.
“Of course not. I’m not going to use any of you as test subjects. I just need you to prepare a little.”
Ignoring their puzzled looks, I shot a glance at Hansoyoung.
She stared silently at the forest with her usual expressionless gaze.
Preparation was simple: just bring some small animals or appropriately sized monsters from the area.
Though curious, my companions followed my instructions diligently. While waiting for their return, I pulled out a few ropes from the Chaos Mimic.
“Mercenary Lord! I’ve caught them!”
Just then, Seonyul’s cheerful voice rang out. Smiling brightly, she carefully set something down on the ground. Our group quickly gathered, gasping in surprise. Three small wild creatures huddled together, trembling.
They varied in size but were roughly the size of a woman’s forearm. Their small eyes, adorable pink paw pads, and soft white fur made them look quite cute—almost like rabbits, if not for their lack of long ears.
“Kiiing…”
As I stepped closer, they flinched and curled up. The largest one was hugging the other two tightly—probably a close-knit family.
“You found them pretty fast.”
“Lucky, I guess. I was searching hard when I spotted this little family happily munching on some berries. So I caught them right away.”
“Good work.”
“Ah, they were so pitiful. I only meant to catch the baby, but the other two followed me, crying sadly. So I had no choice…”
…Damn. I’m just making things awkward now.
At last, I caught the young-looking animal first and tightly bound it with the rope I had prepared. Of course, I left enough slack to pull it along. The parent rabbits went into a frenzy, but I calmly tied each one up in the same way. The trapped family of beasts whimpered anxiously, utterly unable to move.
“O-oh, brother…”
Ansol shook his head with a look of pity, but I didn’t hesitate and took a step forward. I could feel the others following closely behind me.
From there, everything moved swiftly. The closer we got to the forest, the more the animals screamed and twisted their bodies in fierce resistance, but what could they do, already bound? I grabbed each one by hand and tossed them aside, and soon the three creatures vanished into the flowing smoke like water. After carefully lowering the rope that led into the forest, I quietly glanced back.
“Uuugh…”
“Hmm.”
And I felt something oddly intriguing.
Some stared at the forest with worried expressions. Ansol, in particular, openly shot me resentful looks. But others reacted quite differently. Jaegal Haesol and Han Soyoung gazed intently at the woods, their eyes brimming with curiosity.
‘This isn’t the time to be worrying about mere animals…’
I smiled bitterly to myself and ordered the camp to be set up.
Though we’d arrived here without any major incidents, a nagging worry still lingered in the back of my mind. After all, the real challenge hadn’t even begun.
The restricted zone wasn’t designated without reason during the first attempt. Though they claimed to have conquered it, no one ever called it a true success. The forest we had to break through tomorrow was exactly that kind of place.
Until now, I had confidence in succeeding based on the information I had about the users…
But from here on, it was an unknown world I barely understood and couldn’t be sure of. That’s why I valued harmony and prioritized teamwork. I believed the answer wasn’t to try going it alone, but for everyone to work together and overcome it.
To do that, I needed to share everything I knew as clearly as possible and confirm it with the group.
…Honestly, I was a little hopeful, too.
Maybe, by putting our heads together, someone would come up with a solution I hadn’t thought of.
‘Is that too weak a thought?’
With that thought, I helped set up the camp, finished my meal, and slipped into my sleeping bag.
And then, morning came.
---------------------------= Author’s Note =---------------------------
Ah, that was a surprise. Looks like there was a delay after the update. I was pretty startled when it didn’t show up right away. Haha.
Anyway, I hope all the readers have a comfortable day. :)