"Your Highness, I am so glad that you are safe!"
There was a small sob at the end of Selena's voice.
"What on earth happened?"
Selena's eyes wavered as she looked Karina up and down.
"I'm okay."
Karina answered with a smile, but Selena didn't seem to believe her.
"..."
'Yes. I'm wearing tattered and torn clothes, and I'm soaking wet and looking like a drowned rat.'
Even if she said it was okay in this way, it wouldn't be credible. Selena's reaction wasn't strange.
"I'm really okay. There were some circumstances surrounding the clothes being like this."
Selena quickly took off the robe she was wearing and wrapped it around Karina, who smiled awkwardly. She even carefully untied it to keep out the wind, hoping that it would help maintain her body temperature at least a little.
"Thank you."
Karina didn't refuse the robe that Selena wrapped around her. The robe that Selena had been wearing just now still had warmth left in it. Selena took Karina's hand with a worried expression. Karina felt the warm hand touching hers and confirmed that this was not a dream or an illusion.
"But why are you guys here?"
Karina asked calmly, although she was inwardly bewildered.
"Ah, that's..."
Selena and Hasten reported everything they had seen and heard after Karina and David were taken by the monsters. What they told her was shocking.
"So... those who spread malicious rumors about my merger are connected to Croana?"
Karina's eyes widened.
"It's not just a connection. I heard them say directly that they belong to the Countess of Vestianne."
Selena said with a stern expression.
"I followed them into the Cursed Forest and found a herb garden. They had purposely created a herb garden in the Cursed Forest and were growing them. In addition to Croana, they were also growing many other narcotic plants."
Hasten explained with a stern expression.
"There was also a wizard who managed the herb garden separately. I followed that wizard and went deeper... but I lost him in the middle."
Selena couldn't hide her bitter expression at losing the wizard. Of course, she was aware that she had broken the promise she had made to Karina, so she looked at Karina's expression every now and then while speaking.
"..."
But Karina had a hard time coming to her senses at the sudden story. The immediate and malicious rumors about the couple's union, the misdeeds of Countess Vestianne who manufactured and distributed Croana poison, the herb garden that seemed to have been secretly created in the Cursed Forest to avoid people's eyes, the Croana and various other drug varieties grown there, and even the wizard who managed the place separately...
Karina was dumbfounded by the series of events and situations that seemed completely unrelated. She didn't even have time to feel bitter about the fact that Selena didn't keep her promise to her.
'There are more than a few things I have to figure out and prepare for once I get out of here.'
She was having a headache because the situation was so different from the future she knew.
'But is it meaningful to prepare for the future in a situation where everything has changed so much?'
The future that will unfold will be very different from what she knows, and she now has a feeling that she is not even sure if preparation is even possible. At that time, Karina was pondering such questions in her mind.
"But what exactly is 'Croana'?"
David, who had been listening to the two people talking next to him, suddenly asked.
'Oh, David still doesn't know about Croana.'
Karina glanced at David, who asked what Croana was. In the future, David would root out all crimes related to Croana. But that was a little further in the future than now, so not yet.
"Croana is a plant that is the raw material for a poison used to kill people. It is called Croana poison, and it is often used to assassinate someone for political reasons. Croana poison leaves almost no traces even when used."
Selena explained what she knew.
'Can the Crown Prince know about this already?'
Karina was momentarily lost in thought as she watched David listen to the explanation about Croana. However, after thinking about it carefully, she came to the same conclusion as before. In a situation where the future is so different from what she knew, what was the point of trying to stop this once?
David only stepped forward to solve the problem after learning that the Imperial Chancellor had been assassinated using Croana.
'Yes. Listen carefully now. You'll have to deal with it later anyway.'
Karina decided that it was fortunate that David found out about Croana early.
'You're going to find out anyway, so wouldn't it be better to find out a little sooner?'
She decided to think positively. Karina decided to worry about the situation right in front of her first.
'By the way, when is the search party coming? How long do I have to wait like this?'
Was it the relief of seeing a familiar face?
Karina felt her tension slowly easing without her knowing it. As the tension eased, all the strength left her body. Warming herself up by the bonfire didn't help. As time went by, it became harder and harder to hold on. The feeling of her head spinning became more severe, and her vision gradually became blurry and then clear, and the cycle of repeating this became shorter and shorter.
Karina tried to stay awake by flailing around, but it wasn't enough. She thought she was listening intently to the conversation between the three of them, but at some point, Karina's body leaned forward.
"Archduchess!"
David caught Karina's body as she was about to fall.
"Archduchess! Come to your senses!"
David shouted while supporting Karina. But Karina could only feel his voice calling her growing distant. With David's faint shout as her last, Karina lost consciousness.
***
"This!"
David bit his lip with a serious expression.
"Karina! Why all of a sudden..."
Selena was very surprised and tried to check where Karina was hurt. David said to the bewildered Selena.
"She's been going through a lot of trouble since she was caught, so she could easily collapse. She's still wearing wet clothes, so her body temperature isn't rising. It's dangerous if we leave her like this."
Karina's condition was worse than they thought. Her complexion was pale and she began to sweat coldly even though her body was cold.
"She needs to get treatment as soon as possible."
Selena quickly responded to David's words.
"Let's get out of the Cursed Forest right now."
David questioned Selena's firm suggestion to get out of there right away.
"Do you know the way out?"
"Yes. I marked it with a dagger on the way here. I know the way back."
"...!"
David was delighted at the news that he knew the way. To be honest, he couldn't be certain that the path the two people in front of him had left behind was safe. Even if it was safe when they came, he didn't know if they would be completely safe from monsters when they returned. So, to prevent any possible danger, it would be best to join the search party and move together at once. However,
'There's no time to wait for the search party to get here.'
Karina's safety and treatment were the top priorities. As time passed, Karina's condition rapidly deteriorated.
"The Archduchess's condition is very bad."
Selena, looking at Karina's pale complexion, opened her mouth in a worried voice.
"Can she hold out until she gets out of the Cursed Forest..."
"..."
David agreed with that. The sound of Karina's breathing in his ear was getting weaker. There was no time to hesitate. The three decided to leave the Cursed Forest along the path that Hasten had marked.
"I will carry the Archduchess."
Since David's condition didn't look good either, Hasten offered to carry Karina.
"No. I will carry the Archduchess."
David rejected Hasten's offer without a second thought and carried Karina on his back.
"Go quickly."
***
A dark, dim cave with little light. An old man leaning on a cane entered alone in that gloomy place where not a single blade of grass grew. Even though it was an eerie and gloomy place where a monster might jump out, the old man's steps did not waver. The old man naturally entered deep into the cave and tapped the floor twice with the tip of his cane. Then, the magic lights inside the cave turned on, and the inside became softly lit. A large mirror was attached to one wall, out of place in the rocky cave. The body of the old wizard with white hair had suddenly transformed into that of a young woman. When the woman approached the mirror, her image was reflected in it.
"I'm here, master."
At those words, the mirror began to light up, and the mirror reflected a different scene than the object in front of it. The mirror showed a man called Master sitting cross-legged on a chair. A small magic ball was placed on the table in front of the chair where the man was sitting. He was resting his chin on the table with a dry expression, and with indifferent eyes, he confirmed that the woman had come.
"Have you looked into the situation?"
"The previous situation is as reported."
As the woman put her hand on the magic sphere reflected in the mirror, an image appeared. The magic sphere in front of the man showed the scene when the monster appeared in the middle of the capital and opened his mouth.
"I didn't give it to you to use like this."
The man muttered in a low voice as if he was displeased,
"I'm sorry. I didn't stop you properly."
"No, it's not your fault. It's not easy to listen to something that sinister and suspicious person says."
"But... I never thought that the Archduke would get involved."
One corner of the man's mouth went up at the woman's apologetic words.
"Yeah. It turned out well."
The man turned to the woman and asked.
"So what's the current situation?"
"The Grand Duke of Colesburg is killing all the monsters he sees."
"Oh no, it would be a problem if we kill them all now..."
Contrary to what he said, the man's tone was relaxed and fun.
"And among those who entered the forest to find the Crown Prince and the Archduchess, there were wizards."
"Wizard...?"
"He is the man who guarded the Archduke in the North."
"That man must be a disciple of Magic Tower."
"Yes, that's right."
"Give the next tower to the Northern Grand Duke..."
The man, who had been trailing off as if he was weighing something, opened his mouth again.
"I'll pick out some more useful stuff here and send them over there."
"It's okay. We'll need more of them in the North later."
"You don't have to worry about that. Just make as much as you need here."
The man said it was no problem.
"Rather, if you draw some attention from the capital, it will be easier for me to move."
The woman nodded in agreement to the man's words. Then she spoke with an apologetic expression.
"I have one more thing to report."
"What is that?"
"The existence of a herb garden inside the forest has been exposed."
"...?"
The man raised one eyebrow as if in surprise after hearing the woman's report.
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment