I headed to the center of the palace to meet the queen.
I had to report that I had risen to 2 stars and tell them that I was going to Ireland Forest.
‘As expected, the center of the palace is the most splendid.’
Daejeon, the place where the queen could be seen, was located in the center of the palace.
Everything inside the palace was antique, splendid, and possessed a strange dignity.
Daejeon stood out the most among them, and the unique authority of the royal family was felt.
“Lord Prince Cruz is entering the palace!”
With the cry of the bureaucrat, I entered the Daejeon.
The inside was full of bureaucrats.
‘The gaze is very explicit.’
They must be examining the truth of the statement that I have reached 2 stars.
Ignoring the gazes, I politely walked to the Queen and bowed.
‘You’re very young.’
She could hardly be seen as a woman with three sons.
I was impressed with her blond hair and blue eyes, just like mine, but she was a beauty with sharp lines.
In addition, there was an indescribable sense of intimidation in the serious yet sharp eyes.
‘… … After all, the queen is different.’
Queen Annette Alexander was one of the few 8-stars not only in the East Continent, but also in the West Continent.
He was also known for his cool-headedness and excellent judgment.
“Crews, is Ion’s report true?”
It was a way to go straight to the main point without asking about the context, but I was not taken aback.
“Yes, it is true.”
“Prove it.”
As seen by Ion, I circulated and manifested my magic power.
The eyes of the servants who were watching me were filled with surprise.
I heard a report from Ion, but to really reach 2 stars in such a short period of time.
However, unlike them, the queen did not feel any reaction.
‘As expected, from the moment I first saw it, I had already figured it out.’
This was speculation based on previous life experiences.
When I was 7-star, I was able to figure out the opponents of minions without difficulty.
The problem was that I couldn’t understand the feelings of the queen staring at me.
‘I can’t read the inside.’
I had my own confidence in reading other people’s emotions.
Because I grew up in an environment where it would be difficult to survive otherwise.
It wasn’t difficult to see through the feelings and thoughts of the ministers watching over me… … .
The Queen’s emotions were not read at all.
“I have a request for you, Mama.”
“What is it?”
“Please leave the investigation of the island forest to me.”
The eyes of the servants were once again stained with surprise.
The 2nd prince, who had no interest in anything other than entertainment, said he would go to work himself, so he had no choice but to do so.
“No.”
But the Queen’s attitude was callous.
“It is no longer your business.”
I don’t know what was discussed earlier, but I could make an analogy.
2 If you see the prince insisting that it’s not something to step out, it must be that the scene could be dangerous.
There must be something unreliable that the second prince, who has never paid attention to management, will step up.
‘I still have to go.’
I had a reason to go anyway.
If the opponent is a high-ranking spirit, I might be able to convey my news to Skadi in the spirit realm.
“I beg you again, Mama. Please leave the investigation of Ireland Forest to me.”
A little tension circulated among the ministers at my words that followed.
It was a reaction that came because I was stubborn about the decision the Queen had made.
“Why do you want to go?”
“Because it is the area that I have to manage originally.”
“… … .”
“Soja, while I was locked up, I thought a lot and reflected on myself. I will show you a different side of me, Mama.”
To become king was to receive the title of crown prince.
In order to do that, I need to build up my power and influence, as well as be recognized by the Queen.
So I had to show that I was no longer the prodigal child of the past.
“Hoo.”
For the first time, the queen’s gaze, which had not shown emotion, was intrigued.
“I will show it through actions rather than words.”
“good night. However, Hones will accompany you. Will there be any objection?”
“Yes, Mama.”
“Hones, come forward.”
Honess, who was standing in line, bowed and knelt beside me.
“I will give command to both Cruz and Hornes. I will attach the person.”
“Yes, Mama.”
“Let the 2nd and 3rd princes fulfill their royal responsibilities.”
* * *
After an audience.
I led the soldiers given by the queen to the island forest.
While moving, Hornes gave me a strange look.
As he got closer to his destination, he opened his mouth as if he couldn’t stand it any longer.
“How did you get to 2 stars?”
“Well, it was just because I trained hard.”
“Some people don’t see it that way.”
“How can you raise your realm without training?”
“Many people believe that he used an elixir.”
Elixir was a medicine that increased the user’s magical power.
Of course, the price was quite expensive, so even the royal family could not easily obtain it.
‘Yes, there was a way.’
When I heard the word elixir, I fell into trouble for a while.
Because I thought it was the best way to grow for me at the moment.
“… … I don’t know if you’ve really used it, but you should be aware of it. It is better to avoid taking the elixir at this stage, brother.”
“huh?”
“Currently, it is an important time to strengthen the foundation and learn from the process, but it is to be omitted.”
At the unexpected advice, I looked at Hones in a puzzled way.
“If you do, refrain from using it for a while. Elixir becomes poison when used consecutively.”
“What, are you worried about me?”
Honess answered with a stiff face at my question with a smile.
“… … I’m just advising my fellow royalty not to do stupid things.”
By the time I finished talking to Hones, I had arrived near my destination.
It was a small village outside the Irish city facing the forest, but there was no one inside.
It was because there was an order to evacuate just in case.
Honess naturally spoke first.
“Then, as I said, I will split the group.”
“for a moment.”
When I cut him off, his eyes focused on me.
“First, let’s go into the forest and decide how to search.”
“… … Why?”
“Shouldn’t we find out what the situation inside the forest is like in detail? After that, it will be more certain to divide the staff.”
My purpose was to meet the high-ranking spirit ‘alone’.
There was something I had to tell a higher-ranking spirit in private.
‘Because it’s difficult when there are people listening.’
Therefore, it was necessary to accurately determine the location of the spirit.
It was intended to enter the forest and slightly confuse others so that they do not meet the spirit.
“… … great.”
Entering the forest like that, I felt that the atmosphere of the investigation team had subsided somewhat.
It was because there were rotten trees and withered plants in places.
“This… … .”
The faces of the guides, as well as the soldiers, were greatly distorted.
There was not too much mana in the atmosphere, and there were animals and plants that had been forcibly stripped of their vitality.
“The situation is worse than expected.”
The forest, which had lost its vitality and withered away, looked like death itself.
Everyone was frightened by this and stopped, so I hurriedly spoke.
“What are you doing? not moving fast Go inside quickly.”
“We have to go back, poor Cruz.”
One of the court mages said with a serious face.
“This isn’t just a high-ranking spirit coming down. It is an obvious runaway.”
A lot of energy was required for high-ranking spirits to descend to the human world without contracting with humans.
To do so, he gathered the mana around him, but he did not gather it indiscriminately to this extent.
It was because the purpose was to show up for a while, so there was no need to attract them to this extent.
“It must not be normal, so we have to go back.”
“That’s right, the conversation won’t work.”
“If we fight with these troops against the runaway high spirits, we will suffer unbearable damage.”
I agreed with the statement that the conversation would not work.
But what does it mean to suffer unbearable damage?
“If we go back like this, who will take the damage? Would the damage spread beyond the evacuated village?”
In response, one of the court mages, Lapis, hardened her expression and stepped forward.
‘I can’t just risk my life on a mission like this.’
I came out thinking it was just light reconnaissance.
If you collide head-on with the runaway spirit, the worst could have happened.
‘More than half of them may die.’
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Lapis had no intention of getting involved in such a thing.
‘I need to write a number.’
It was easy to guess the reason why the 2 princes were out of step with their ambitions.
Maybe he’s doing this because he’s afraid he’ll end up in solitary confinement again.
He could not risk his life on the selfishness and foolishness of the royal family.
“Hey, can you see this scene right now? The animals and plants living in the forest are forcibly deprived of their vitality.”
“Yes, I see.”
“We also do not know when our vitality will be stolen like this, so we must return quickly. This is advice for the safety of the poor.”
Hearing his words, I smiled and asked.
“What is your name?”
“My name is Lapis, a second-class court mage.”
I approached him with a thin smile.
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Lapis looked a little taken aback by the sudden approach.
I whispered in his ear without hesitation.
“Lapis, are you telling a lie that doesn’t work anywhere right now?”
“… … !”
he was greatly agitated.
It was because he came out of nowhere and pinpointed the lie he had told.
‘How did the 2 princes know this!?’
It was a lie that it was dangerous because it could suck life force.
This is because it was able to resist even reaching the 2-star level.
Since it was about spirits and magic, it was a knowledge that the warriors didn’t know much about.
2 I thought there was no way the prince would know, so I induced the retreat by covering a moderate amount of lies.
He assumed that the other court mages wouldn’t bother revealing it because their thoughts were not different from his own.
“If you don’t follow my instructions, I won’t let you go.”
Hearing my warning, Lapis couldn’t hide her fear with her eyes trembling.
It was only natural that he could mess up the investigation team with lies and even be accused of deceiving the royal family.
“I will accept some of your comments. The guides can be dangerous, so go back. The rest of us move on.”
It was a decision made because it was necessary to confuse the search.
Most of the guides were also untrained.
After hearing the instructions, the guides quickly left the forest as if relieved.
“Lapis, take ten soldiers and search the west side of the forest.”
“Yes, yes, degradation. What are you doing? Don’t move fast!”
Since then, Lapis has actively searched for me so as not to offend me.
If a soldier showed even the slightest lukewarm attitude to my instructions, I immediately approached him and rebuked him.
Thanks to this, the soldiers followed my instructions without a word.
Hornes stared at me excessively.
“From now on, I will split the group.”
The troops were divided, citing the reason that the efficiency of reconnaissance was increased by dividing the direction.
‘It’s just to meet the spirit alone.’
After tearing the soldiers apart on purpose, they walked for a long time.
It took time to figure out the location of the surroundings and roughly calculate the location of the scattered troops.
‘This should be enough.’
After I stopped, I took a deep breath and said.
“I’ve been moving quite a bit, but I’m a little tired. I will be resting here, so everyone move.”
The magician accompanying him asked very carefully.
“Is it okay if I don’t leave an escort?”
“It’s okay, can’t you just look at it? There is nothing that could threaten me around here.”
It was true.
Because the soldier was properly torn, the nearby investigation was over.
As long as I didn’t move on my own, there was no danger.
“All right.”
Perhaps thanks to what happened with Lapis, the wizard followed my instructions, guiding the soldiers without asking any further questions.
‘Okay, now I can go see him alone.’
He had roughly inferred where the spirit was.
The soldiers were properly distributed so that they would not go there.
So I moved quickly.
Bassrock.
The closer I got to the place where I was supposed to be, the stronger I felt.
but… … .
‘… … Why are you so used to it?’
The closer I got, the more certain I was.
This magical power is too familiar.
The moment I got that close, I couldn’t help but doubt my eyes.
A woman with black hair and red eyes standing in the middle of the clearing… … Because it was a spirit I knew.
“… … Skadi?”