What woke me up was a pleasant low-mid tone. Before I knew it, Michael was near her.
“Your Highness, I am ready to enter the forest.”
“Ah, let’s go right away.”
I, Michael, and the Knights of Punishment entered the forest, escorted by the villagers.
Several people also accompanied us. Helione, the village chief, and five others who would guide the way.
I rode with Michael and left the reins to him so that I could look at the map while they rode.
'Hmm, it seems like it would be impossible to pave the road to the Dragon's Seal following the map.'
Outside the fence was the great outdoors, with only forests, mountains, and caves. The only path was intermediate.
It was just a narrow path made along the path that the homunculus took every day.
It was common even if it was winding or going around in circles. This was because the road was made not for moving, but for wandering around searching for supplies.
I looked at the map and traced the route with my hand, but then gave up. Instead, I made a decision.
'I need to pave a new road. To do that, I need to get some help from my sister and brother.'
Anyway, the mission of the entire expedition is to search for the seal of the demon dragon.
Exploration in crowded places inevitably involves combat.
'If we send my sister and brother to a place where road development is needed, we can utilize the power of the Wallblood and Annihilation Knights.'
Shouldn't good things happen together?
I looked at the map's overall terrain. The dragon Ambroxa was sealed slightly northwest of the center.
And to the east is an unpolluted lake, and to the south is a rocky mountain that radiated strange energy. The rest of the area could almost be considered forest.
'The map of Ambroxa's seal and water source is drawn more roughly than other places. I guess that means it's not easily accessible.'
First, I set my course toward the northeast. As I crossed the forest, I saw dark purple clouds rise here and there, creating an eerie atmosphere.
The knights and residents did not let their guard down, as it was not surprising that a monster might appear at any time.
I also noticed the trees in the forest. The conifers that made up the forest had purplish columns and black, glossy leaves, perhaps due to the effects of the turbidity.
These sharp needle leaves, which look like they are made of tightly packed pieces of obsidian, are both mysterious and beautiful, drawing attention.
I folded the map and asked Helios.
“The tree is unique. It looks like any other tree.”
“The purple fir is what Baron Erka calls it, so that's what we call it. It's the most common tree in Dandelion, so we use it to build houses.”
I asked, recalling the interior of the building I had gone into yesterday to have a secret conversation with Morien.
“I didn’t see any rot in the building, even though it was made of wood all the way to the ceiling. How could it survive the rainy season every year?”
“Oh, that is...Can I explain it to you by showing you something?”
“Of course.”
I raised my right hand and led the group to stop.
Helione rummaged through the bushes under the tree and picked up something.
A large purple crystal was held in his hand. It looked more like a hardened liquid than a gem.
My eyes sparkled curiously.
“What is this?”
“It is the hardened secretion of a monster insect.”
The field trip continued. Helione took out her dagger and made deep cuts into the purple fir tree trunk.
As the purple sap flowed down, it was as big as the palm of the hand.
The bugs swarmed. It was a disgusting sight, but not threatening.
“It’s a bug that feeds on fir tree sap. Their secretions are dissolved in oil and used as a waterproofing agent for trees. When applied, it has a shiny finish and is also quite water-resistant.”
“I see.”
I nodded in agreement. It was a boring reaction, but if Anais had been here, she would have been thrilled. The secretion of the insectoid was a substance called shellac. It was also produced in the Empire, but only in very small quantities, as it was taken from ordinary small worms rather than large ones.
As a result, it was a very expensive coating, reserved for furniture and musical instruments made by the finest craftsmen. Furthermore, Imperial shellac was not as waterproof as Dandelion's shellac.
“Yes. Dandelion is a place with limited supplies, but it has quality wood and animals. Because there are so many of them.”
“That’s great. This will be enough to waterproof the roof. Then I saw that the rainwater tank was also made of wood. Did they use a waterproofing agent on that too?”
"You're right."
“Then it seems to be harmless to the human body and has a shiny coating effect. Can I use it to decorate my nails? I should take this with me and discuss it with Young Lady Yegreen.”
I tucked the violet shellac into my sleeve and went about my nail polish business.
“But Your Highness.”
“Why, Michael?"
“Where are we headed now?”
“First, I’ll go to the lake in the northeast. I heard there’s a clean water source there.”
You may have plenty of rainwater from the rainy season, but there's a limit. When the rainwater runs out, they have to purify muddy water from the swamps near the village. Access to drinking water is a constant problem.
Therefore, it was natural for me to choose a water source where I could obtain both drinking water and food.
Of course, from the perspective of the residents of Dandelion, my choice was not obvious. Helione expressed her concerns.
“Is it okay? The lake is full of monsters, so we couldn’t even dare to go near it.”
This was something I had already guessed from the vaguely drawn map of the area around the lake.
I reassured Helione and the intermediate homunculus.
“Even if it is dangerous, is it as dangerous as the monsters that rushed through the door yesterday? Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”
“Oh, yes. I understand, Your Highness.”
Helione and the intermediate homunculus were quickly convinced. When they recalled Eve's magic that annihilated the legions of monsters that had swarmed from the sky yesterday, my heart suddenly felt at ease.
At that time, Michael also spoke about the punishment.
“Have you heard? The Princess says she will protect us. Don’t be afraid.”
"Yes!"
I looked back at Michael in confusion and whispered.
“Am I the one protecting you?”
“It’s to boost morale. They’ll remember how Your Highness performed yesterday.”
“I was just using some defensive magic... Okay, I'm really not going to do that anymore.”
I reflected on myself. It seemed that I had to admit that it was time to go back to being a harmless life magician.
'While I'm at it, I should research a way to use the Silver Arachne irregularly.'
Although I have no talent for applying offensive magic, I thought I could use the Silver Arachne.
Then Michael asked.
“Your Highness I have been curious about something for a while now."
“What is it?”
“Isn’t it amazing that there is a completely clean water source in a place polluted by pollutants?”
I looked delighted as if I had gotten through.
“Michael thought of that too.”
“Then Your Highness?”
“Yeah. Actually, going to the lake is for research purposes as well as securing drinking water and food.”
“So you guessed that something was suppressing the turbidity in the lake?”
“That’s right. I plan to search the lake thoroughly to find out.”
The party, consisting of the Punishment Knights and the townspeople, continued to move.
We were attacked by monsters five or six times along the way, but we easily defeated them all.
After about two hours, the homunculus who was in charge of guiding the area said that the water source was approaching.
It was reported that this was the danger limit that the homunculus were exploring.
As we moved deeper into the danger zone, there were noticeable environmental changes.
The trees began to appear as if they had lost much of their purple and black hues and had become plain-colored.
“That’s unusual.”
When I and Michael were deep in thought, Helione and the intermediate homunculus saw something strange.
They were startled as if they were about to die.
“Oh, my goodness. The trunk is brown and the leaves are green. How can such a strange tree exist?”
It was a natural reaction, having lived their whole life seeing only purple lanterns and black needles.
That was when.
“Everyone, be quiet. There are monsters around.”
At Michael's voice, the entire group prepared for battle and stood guard around them.
The shadows of monsters were visible between the conifers. There were quite a few of them.
In addition to the sound of the monster's footsteps, I could hear the sound of water. I guessed the direction.
Michael chose two of the Knights of Punishment and sent them to guard. When they returned soon, they spoke with serious faces.
“Your Highness, Commander, I think you should see it for yourself.”
“I guess something is going on. The village chief is also coming with us.”
I, Michael, and Helione cautiously headed toward the place where we could hear the sound of water.
We hid our bodies behind a wall of bushes that reached chest height. And when I looked out at the lake, I was startled.
A clear, turquoise lake as if made of melted emeralds, spread out before our eyes.
And around it, there were probably hundreds of monsters.
Orcs, ogres, trolls, behemoths, centaurs, nepenthes, gargoyles... the number of entities was extremely diverse.
But there was something peculiar.
Rather than being completely contaminated with the odor and blackened, parts of the body retained their original color.
“Those guys, half of their bodies are fine?”
“It hasn’t been completely transformed into a demon. I think it should be considered a demon.”
This is the second piece of evidence following the ordinary fir tree. It confirms my guess that the lake has a special power to suppress turbid air.
At that moment, Helione also said something about the sight before his eyes. His voice was somehow filled with excitement.
“Yes. I think we can all use it as food.”
"What?"
I and Michael looked back at Helione in surprise. Helione just looked at us with eyes asking why.
It was then that an ominous suspicion began to creep into me and Michael's mind.
'Come to think of it, Dandelion has so many places that it's just full of trees and monsters... Then, surely the sausages I ate yesterday and today...'
I became thoughtful at the conclusion, and Michael flinched.
I asked as if I was about to cry, remembering the meal Peony had prepared for me this morning.
“Wow, that sausage was made with witch hazel?”
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