Chapter 506: Rebecca’s Hunt

This was a dark age. The once radiant light of civilization had long since faded, and ironclad theocratic and royal powers bound the land and its people like chains. From the distant wastelands came waves of demonic storms; nearby, savage beasts prowled the wilds. Survival demanded immense courage and relentless effort.

Yet, it was also an age of “innocence.” The rigid aristocratic order upheld an equally rigid “noble spirit.” Those who set the rules reveled in their own “glory” and “orthodoxy,” stubbornly enforcing dogmatic morals and regulations. The existence of the extraordinary cemented the law that “strength surpasses wisdom.” Everyone was accustomed to settling disputes on the battlefield through sheer might, leaving cunning and strategy barely explored, stagnating for centuries.

So, outside the battlefield, the people of this era were doomed to be outmatched by an ancient schemer who had hung in the heavens for tens of millions of years.

Of course, Gawain himself believed every one of his plans was perfectly honorable…

Heddy had been following Gawain’s lead for two years now, but she still often struggled to keep up with the old master’s train of thought. For a moment, she was caught off guard. “You mean… you want to do business simultaneously with the Eastern Legion and the Kingdom’s army?”

“They have gold and resources; we have industrial products. It’s a very profitable trade,” Gawain said matter-of-factly.

Heddy hesitated. “But the Eastern Legion is very likely secretly colluding with the cultists… If we sell potions to them, wouldn’t that be aiding those ‘End of All Things’ worshippers?”

Gawain looked at her. “First, don’t forget that even before the civil war broke out, some retailers from the Cecil Trading Company had already been in contact with the East. Small-scale potion trade has been ongoing, just not expanded. Second… do you really think selling potions to the East benefits them?”

Heddy thought for a moment, and the faces of the “friendly trade partners” who had been wiped out after Cecil’s industrial goods were dumped on them flashed through her mind…

Ah, the grass on Viscount Carol’s grave must be a foot tall by now. Earl Hosman’s body still hasn’t been pieced back together…

“Broaden your horizons, open your mind,” Gawain said calmly—though Heddy was an adult now, perhaps because he was constantly called ‘Ancestor,’ he had recently taken a growing liking to lecturing others. “Don’t get stuck on immediate gains. There’s a lot to learn in weighing gains and losses.”

“I understand,” Heddy nodded seriously. “I’ll contact Patrick.”

“Have Patrick organize a group of smart but discreet merchants to handle this. We want to do business with everyone, but some deals can’t be too public,” Gawain nodded. “Also, send someone to the weapons design bureau to study how to make ‘export-grade weapons’…”

…

While Gawain and Heddy discussed plans for the Duchy of Cecil’s “foreign trade,” deep in the dense forest west of Cecil City, a special team moved swiftly and cautiously through the vines and underbrush.

In countless tales, ancient forests formed over millennia are fraught with danger—the deeper you go, the more perilous it becomes. In those untouched regions, countless terrifying legends told by parents to frighten children abound: bloodthirsty wolves, strange sorcerers, walking ancient trees, cruel witches. It seemed everything that could make ordinary people shudder lived in the forest’s heart, always ready to devour anyone who dared enter.

The real forest depths weren’t quite as absurd as the stories, but dangers were indeed plentiful. Beneath towering ancient trees casting vast shadows, beasts and venomous insects were the main inhabitants. In some special areas—like near magical focal points—lurked monsters and spirit constructs that even well-trained soldiers and knights feared.

So moving here required extreme caution.

A warrior clad in black light armor stepped carefully over thick fallen leaves and dry branches to reach an observation point. Pressing his hand to the side of his fully enclosed helmet, he adjusted the tactical goggles’ mode. Moments later, he signaled to his comrades behind him: “Clear.”

One by one, black-armored soldiers emerged from the bushes, followed by Solderin, also in light armor but without a helmet. Behind him came Rebecca, dressed in a short mage’s robe suited for mobility, holding an iron staff.

“Hah—” Rebecca climbed onto a protruding rock, scanning the distance as she exhaled. “I’ve never been this deep into the forest before…”

Solderin glanced at the young noblewoman but said nothing about safety. When they first entered the forest, he had warned her, “Mages are physically weaker; don’t stray from the warriors’ protection.” But after seeing her kill a forest wolf that tried to ambush them with a single strike, he realized: the women of House Cecil were as formidable as they had been seven centuries ago.

This mage, once clad in arcane armor, could probably take down everyone here except him…

“Stay alert. Switch observation roles—shield bearer, keep watch,” Solderin ordered his men, then glanced down at the amulet in his hand. The magical trinket from his homeland shimmered faintly, indicating they were close to the forest’s magical focal point. At this location, the chance of encountering monsters increased significantly.

He then looked at Rebecca—the mission today was hers, so naturally, the team followed her lead.

“We’re not far from the magic focal point, right?” Rebecca jumped down from the rock and came beside Solderin. “Wow—your pendant is glowing!”

“Strictly speaking, we’re already within the magic focal area,” Solderin nodded. “The monster you’re looking for should be nearby.”

“Yeah, I heard it’s around here…” Rebecca nodded, then sighed. “It’s better to grow up… When I was little, my father and aunt never let me go deep into the forest…”

“The forest’s dangerous. It’s no place for children,” Solderin said seriously. “Even we Silver Elves don’t allow kids to wander into the forest’s heart.”

Rebecca pouted and strode forward. “Anyway, my aunt told me all kinds of stories to scare me—witches, warlocks, ghosts, fallen elves and mages, trees that move and jump, bears bigger than houses…”

Solderin gave the order to move on, glancing at Rebecca with a faint smile. Though her mind was a bit unconventional, her childhood was no different from others—scared by ghost stories told by adults. As an old friend of Gawain’s, he couldn’t help but feel a bit of elder affection toward her. “You must have been pretty scared after hearing those stories?”

“Huh?” Rebecca paused, then shook her head. “Nope—I just ran off to play in the forest.”

Solderin nearly stumbled. Growing up in the forest as a Silver Elf, he almost fell over. “Why?”

Rebecca looked perfectly reasonable. “Think about it—so many strange people and animals live in the forest. It must be lively! I love to be where the action is.”

This time Solderin walked steadily, but a nearby Iron Ranger soldier nearly tripped over a branch.

Solderin glanced at the stumbling comrade, then stared at Rebecca in disbelief. He couldn’t find any flaw in her logic. “Okay… so what happened after you went into the forest?”

“I didn’t go far before I found a few wolves. We fought, and I lost—then the castle knights found me and brought me back,” Rebecca said, shuddering. “That was a real beating… Later I realized my aunt’s stories weren’t about how lively the forest was, but how dangerous.”

Solderin was speechless.

Whether she meant she got beaten up by wolves or by her elders back at the castle was unclear, but rumors suggested it was probably the latter.

After a while, the team reached deeper into the forest. The chatter between Rebecca and Solderin faded.

The air was thick with dampness, tinged faintly with the metallic scent of earth. The Iron Rangers on watch gave a cautious signal, and the entire team concealed themselves beside a dead giant tree.

Rebecca and Solderin crept forward a bit, then peeked out from behind the bushes to survey the scene.

In the forest’s depths, beneath the massive canopy that blocked out sunlight, a shadowy realm stretched out. Large muddy pools and ground littered with rotting leaves formed a hidden kingdom for monsters. Several massive black beasts, resembling a cross between lions and tigers, rested in a clearing. Their copper-bell-sized eyes glowed with arcane magic.

No ordinary wild animal dared approach this monster-occupied territory. Besides these dangerous arcane beasts, the only other living things were a few patches of slow-moving gray-brown slimes feeding on mud and decaying leaves—harmless, low-level creatures barely worth the beasts’ notice.

Solderin counted the beasts and relaxed slightly: this magic focal point was newly formed, and the gathered monsters weren’t too formidable.

The Iron Rangers quietly raised their weapons—high-powered thermal ray guns, arcane missile launchers, and compact personal grenade launchers—aiming at the distant monsters, who remained oblivious due to their poor perception.

“Be careful. Only kill the beasts; don’t damage the surroundings,” Rebecca whispered. “No grenades.”

The soldier with the grenade launcher reluctantly lowered his weapon and switched to a thermal ray gun. Solderin understood Rebecca’s caution: avoiding heavy firepower was clearly to protect the natural magic focal point. Though she only knew how to cast big fireballs, she was still a mage and needed the magic focal.

It seemed the young viscountess’s goal today was not only to eliminate those beasts but also to preserve this magic focal point. What exactly was she researching lately?

Solderin decided to ask after the mission. For now… the beasts had to be dealt with.

At a brief, hushed command, the Iron Rangers opened fire.

The sharp crack of thermal rays and arcane missiles slicing through the air abruptly shattered the forest’s calm. Moments later came the furious roars of the corrupted brutes, followed swiftly by their dying wails.

The battle lasted barely a minute—maybe even less.

These brutes were indeed dangerous monsters—but that was only true for ordinary, old-fashioned soldiers or underprepared low-ranking knights. For the Steel Rangers, armed to the teeth with magitech weapons and striking from ambush, these powerful yet slow creatures were nothing more than targets for a couple of focused volleys.

The fierce but uneventful fight ended quickly. The gunfire gradually died down, and the last dying brute collapsed to the ground. A swiftly fired enchanted feathered arrow pierced its skull, putting an end to the slaughter. Solderin gripped his shortbow—still preferring the weapon that had accompanied him for years—and led his warriors out from their natural cover toward a clearing in the woods. Rebecca followed close behind.

A rustling sound came from all around. Solderin glanced toward the noise—the startled slimes were desperately trying to flee, but judging by their sluggish writhing, it would be a long time before they slipped out of the warriors’ sight.

“Wow—you guys are impressive,” Rebecca said, eyeing the scene with satisfaction. “You wiped them all out!”

“My warriors are well-trained,” Solderin replied with a modest smile. “Shall we collect samples now?”

“Oh, right,” Rebecca nodded. The soldiers immediately moved to the fallen brutes, preparing to strip samples as ordered. But then Rebecca waved her hand. “Go catch those slimes.”

“Go catch…” Solderin repeated, stunned. “Huh?”

“Catch the slimes!” Rebecca blinked. “What are you standing there for?”

Solderin looked utterly baffled but still gave the order for the equally confused Steel Rangers to hurry after the sluggish slimes inching away in the mud. After issuing the command, he stared at Rebecca in disbelief. “You brought us here… just to catch slimes?”

Rebecca nodded enthusiastically. “Exactly.”

For the first time, Solderin felt his brain short-circuit. “What use could you possibly have for those things?”

“If used properly, even a single slime has value,” Rebecca said mysteriously, her gaze drifting to the Steel Rangers in the distance. They were easily capturing the low-level monsters crawling through the mud, but looked rather disheveled, covered head to toe in muck. “To you, slimes are just a puddle of moving filth. But to me… they might just be industrial raw materials.”

“Industrial raw materials…” Solderin couldn’t fathom how these useless slimes could be connected to the wonders of magitech industry. Yet, looking into Rebecca’s shining eyes, he inexplicably felt a surge of determination, and found himself saying no more doubts. “Alright, I look forward to seeing what you do with them. But the brutes are caught… what about them?”

Rebecca scanned the fallen ferocious beasts—dead, but unjustly so—and thought for a moment. “Are they edible?”

“…I’ve never eaten one, but I’ve heard their ribs taste good, and their bones make nourishing broth.”

“Then cut off some parts to bring back,” Rebecca clapped her hands. “I want to make soup for the ancestors!”

(End of chapter)