Shortly after I finished talking to Skadi, soldiers arrived.
It was only natural that the magic of darkness had covered the entire forest not too long ago.
“This, what the hell… … .”
The soldiers could not hide their surprise.
Trees and land that are empty here and there, as if erased with an eraser.
The dark magic that subtly remained there was like the reverberation of death.
“… … Are you okay, brother?”
It was Hones’ question that seemed to represent their questions.
It must be because he is standing alone in a scene like this, and the traces of the battle remain.
“Yeah, as you can see.”
I smiled and brushed the dust off my clothes.
“Let’s go back, the problem has been solved.”
“solve… … What? Are you saying the spirit has returned?”
“Yeah, I did a good job. Since we achieved our goal, we can say that it worked out very well.”
I walked outside without saying anything further.
At this, not only the soldiers but also Honess stared blankly at me.
That gaze continued until I left the forest and got on the carriage.
When the carriage started and I didn’t open my mouth, Hones asked impatiently.
“What the hell happened?”
“I’m sure I’ll go to Daejeon and listen to everything, but what’s so urgent?”
“Can’t we just talk a little bit? I am curious.”
“Am I tired? I’ll go and tell you everything, so don’t wake me up.”
There was a reason for refusing to answer.
I had to organize my thoughts on what to report and what to do next.
… … Of course, there was also that because I was really tired.
Not only did he consume a considerable amount of mana, he moved his body violently.
With this body that lacked discipline, even activities at this level were burdensome.
It made me want to stretch out and sleep right now.
“It’s all here.”
After arriving at the palace, we refined our clothing and headed to Daejeon.
The queen and her servants were already gathered there.
Among those who participated in the investigation team, only the representative came forward and bowed his head.
“Lapis, the representative of the court magicians who participated in the investigation team, will report.”
He described the process of reaching the forest in detail.
“After arriving in the forest, an operation considering the safety and efficient movement of the search team was carried out under the leadership of Deputy Cruz.”
His report was structured entirely around me.
“The situation was more serious than we thought. The inside of the forest was devastated and life was impossible.”
“That means there was a rampage of spirits that descended.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
At Lapis’ report, the ministers couldn’t help but panic.
It’s because I didn’t expect it to be such a serious situation.
“I told Lord Cruz that I had to return to the palace, but he did not accept it.”
Their gazes were focused on me.
It was a gaze accompanied by the meaning of not knowing the subject.
“You added that if things go back like this, the people will suffer the damage, but that Lapis sincerely admired and felt ashamed.”
At Lapis’s words, the gaze that had been looking at me withdrew.
“Also, you were confident that you could cope with it with your current troops, which was an accurate judgment. Because you solved it yourself.”
The narrowed gaze was once again focused.
Even if you say that you can change what you said in front of you that you will change.
It was because the result of his actions, that he had solved it himself, was a problem that he could not do with his mindset alone.
“There were intense traces of battle on the site, so I think it was not an easy situation.”
At Lapis’ report, not only ministers, but even the queen’s eyes were fixed on me.
It’s because he said too much good things about me.
I could easily guess why.
It was because he had falsely reported that he had to return to the palace from the field.
If I mention this, I’m going to do this because I think I won’t be able to avoid the blame.
‘Apart from Lapis, the other wizards accompanying him must be the same.’
It must be Lapis’s own signal to ask him to take a look at it because he made a mistake.
Upon hearing his report, the Queen’s eyes turned to me.
“Crus.”
“Yes, Mama.”
“Report directly what happened inside.”
“All right.”
I talked about what happened after the soldiers were divided.
Originally, I was tired and planned to rest, but I followed the magic I felt suddenly and moved into the forest.
There, an unconscious spirit was releasing energy in all directions.
He was able to barely hold on because his opponent was unconscious.
“The spirit that poured out all its strength disappeared soon after.”
As soon as I finished my words, a strange current flowed in the Daejeon.
The runaway spirits were more serious than expected.
my actions in response to it.
It was because of the information that was hard to believe easily.
There were some who wondered whether it was true or false, but there was no way they would find out the truth.
‘Because it’s not a lie.’
After hearing the report, the queen thought for a moment, then opened her mouth.
“I heard that you were confident that you could deal with it with prepared troops, is that true?”
“Yes, Mama.”
“How are you so sure?”
“I judged that because there was not too much mana in the atmosphere.”
The spirit’s descent did not always lead to unconsciousness.
There was also a case where they tried to descend for the purpose of rampaging.
If you do not stay for a short time, but if you stay for a long time, you must absorb mana to maintain an unstable body.
Or find a way to replenish mana in other ways.
However, there was not enough mana in the atmosphere of the island forest.
There was no other way to replenish the mana.
In other words, he doesn’t think about what happens after he descends, but it’s an action he wouldn’t commit if he had rational judgment left.
“Unconscious spirits are easy to deal with because their attacks are simple. So I decided it was just a matter of wasting time.”
There were also high-ranking mages present, and they were all amazed.
‘… … How could the two princes know such information?’
Such things were knowledge that only wizards with considerable experience knew.
But the 2 princes know about it?
‘Among the wizards belonging to the reconnaissance party, there is probably no one who knows this.’
The high-ranking mage’s thoughts were true.
The reason Lapis lied and asked to go back was because he didn’t know about this fact.
‘How the hell did this happen… … .’
As if in place of their doubts, the queen spoke.
“You managed to know that information.”
“Before going to the site, I researched by reading books related to spirits.”
It was possible.
However, books dealing with such information were very rare.
Even if you were lucky enough to find it, your opponent would be the second prince.
After coming out of confinement, he declared that he would change himself, but how can a person change so dramatically?
“Crus.”
“Yes, Mama.”
“Why did you fight the spirit alone?”
“I judged that if we didn’t fight back, the runaway spirit would leave the forest. I did that because I thought it would be difficult to stop it if I applied my magic in a new place.”
Besides, he lasted alone until the power of the spirits ran out?
It was impossible for a 2-star wizard with no combat experience.
Not to mention actual combat experience, he must have lacked skills… … .
Even in this situation, Honess doesn’t say anything, so it won’t be a lie.
“The brave and the reckless have one thing in common: they both venture into dangerous situations.”
I listened to the sudden words of the queen.
“Then do you know the difference between the two?”
“I do not know.”
“There is a clear basis in that judgment for being brave. Recklessness is going out without thinking about it.”
The atmosphere became heavy at the Queen’s words.
“Your act of recklessly stepping out without any experience of fighting spirits was reckless, not brave.”
I couldn’t resist the queen’s words.
It’s me who has combat experience, because I wasn’t the second prince.
‘What worries me more than that is… … It’s the atmosphere of ministers.’
I could feel the eyes of the ministers rolling busily at the words of the queen, who seemed to be scolding me.
‘It’s probably because she’s trying to figure out how the Queen evaluates and thinks of me.’
But the problem is… … It was that I didn’t know either.
Is this just a tree?
Or is it advice with heartfelt words?
“Take note of what I said today.”
“Yes, I will keep that in mind.”
When the conversation ended like this, it was felt that the ministers were confused.
It was because I couldn’t see exactly how the Queen evaluated me.
“Then I’ll award the investigation team.”
The Queen congratulated the ball by calling her by name.
Strictly speaking, the representative of the general soldiers, the representative of the royal knights, and the representative of the court mage were summoned in turn.
Nonetheless, those who were called out were clearly thrilled.
It was an atmosphere in which receiving the award and the fact that the name was called directly by the queen was considered a great honor.
‘A king is a king.’
Most of the heads of families, including the famous ones, are given the same power and treatment as kings within the family.
The same was true of the Ronberg family, which was ridiculous compared to the queen here.
To that extent, the Queen’s majesty was absolute.
“Finally, Cruz, come forward.”
The distribution of compensation according to majors was in the order of general soldier, knight, wizard, and hones, and the higher the position, the larger the amount.
‘How much do I want to receive?’
While I was thinking about it, I heard unexpected words from the queen.
“I will give Cruz the opportunity to choose the reward he wants for the highest achievement.”
At the Queen’s words, I shot a slightly surprised look.
‘What is the purpose of this?’
Everyone else finished with the reward money, but only gave me a choice.
‘You’re trying to figure it out.’
I thought it was an exploration.
An attempt to gauge what state and level I am now, which has suddenly changed.
‘Good.’
I myself had to figure out what the Queen thought of me.
Only then can we set the direction of our future activities.
“Tell me what you want.”
“Yes, Mama.”
There were only two things I had to think about right now.
Figuring out what I need right now and the Queen’s intentions.
The demand that can satisfy these two things was calmly mentioned.
“I want an elixir.”