40 episodes
Cynthia was now revealing the magic and magical power she normally suppressed.
Fenrir jumped up at her appearance.
He didn’t growl, revealing this, but he showed a sign of surprise.
Lucio ran his hands through his hair as if to calm Fenrir.
He immediately recognized who this girl appeared in front of him.
Still, I had to ask.
“Who are you?”
“My name is Cynthia Alexandra Redwood, Princess of the New Nillum Empire. I know well that my energy is disrespectful to the temple. But since you continued not to believe Priest Ethan, there was no choice but to do this.”
Lucio’s eyes widened at him.
‘This magic and magic. It’s definitely a princess. But why is the princess who should be in the new empire here?’
As if reading Lucio’s expression, Ethan opened his mouth.
He described the sequence of escapes with the princess from the city of Nouvelle.
Even after hearing the whole story, Lucio furrowed his eyebrows.
“It was such a terrible thing. You must have suffered a lot.”
Then Cynthia came out first.
“okay. So help us get to the islands.”
“But it’s too important for me to decide on my own, so I’ll send someone to Nouvel. Princess, how about taking a break here for a while? Priest Ethan goes back to Nouvel.”
“What?”
that would not have been said.
It would be like conveying their location to the Dark Follower’s spies in Nouvel.
Ethan said firmly.
“There is no time to linger here in leisure.”
Then Lucio rubbed his chin.
“I did not recommend it without thinking. But right now, it’s because I can’t afford to take the Crown Princess to the island.”
Ethan muttered to himself.
‘So what’s the matter?!’
That was then.
A strong wind blew from beyond the walls of Pache.
As the scent of the forest brushed the tip of his nose, his left eye began to throb.
‘damn. again?’
Jet-black eyes were drawing him into the past.
* * *
The forest was dense with trees towering high into the sky.
In the middle of the night, a silver wolf and an old man were watching the forest from afar.
‘Well? Who is that old man?’
Ethan frowned at the old man’s appearance.
‘Luca Rossiro-kun.’
The old man, Luka, said while stroking the divine beast’s hair.
“Fenrir, I am truly sorry.”
why?
As if asking such a question, Fenrir tilted his head.
“The forest that was originally beautiful will now only be remembered by descendants as a cursed and dangerous forest. Descendants will now fear the red moon.”
Ethan was puzzled by that.
When the original red moon rises, magic and magical powers flourish.
But there was no reason to be particularly afraid of the red moon.
Because the red moon rises periodically, each city had countermeasures such as replenishing soldiers and closing the gates quickly.
Luca looked into the distance as if recalling the past.
“Saint Lady really liked that forest. However, when the Demon King invaded this place in the past, a curse was placed on that forest. The curse is deeply rooted in the forest. That’s why the people of Pace get scared every time the red moon comes up.”
Luka, who was stroking Fenrir’s fur, clenched his fists involuntarily.
“He’s such a damn bastard… … !”
🥺!
Fenrir, whose hair was pulled out, jumped on the spot in surprise.
“Huh, sorry! Are you very sick?”
I can’t beat this old and weak man!
Fenrir glared at Luka with those eyes, then sat down again.
Ethan, watching them, muttered to himself.
‘Are you fools?’
Luka looked at Fenrir and smiled bitterly.
“Anyway, the wounds on this land have not yet been healed. So, Fenrir-sama, I have a favor.”
As if to say something, the silver wolf raised its head.
Luca looked at Shinsu with clear eyes.
“If Eileen-sama isn’t here either, and now I too have passed away, there will be no more reason for Fenrir-sama to be in Pache. But would you like to protect the people of this city a little longer?”
Fenrir raised his head as if answering and looked at the sky.
A red moon was floating in the night sky.
* * *
Ethan regained consciousness and rubbed his temple in slight pain.
‘I think I know what Luca’s grandson will say.’
Ethan looked up at the night sky.
The red moon was still floating in the sky as it did in the past when the jet-black eyes showed it.
“It is a day when the red moon rises. Are the monsters running rampant in the cursed forest a problem?”
“How do you… … !”
Lucio’s eyes widened at those words.
Ethan just smiled.
* * *
“It’s strange.”
Lucio murmured lowly.
Ethan and the princess whom I met earlier have long since passed away.
However, the meeting left a strangely deep impression.
‘Fenrir-sama avoided the priest, and he knew about the curse of the forest. Despite being a foreigner.’
Lucio was suspicious of Ethan.
I’ve sent someone to Nouvel City, so I’ll be able to get information sooner or later.
Before that, I had no intention of being swayed by Ethan’s words.
Even he couldn’t havetily grant Ethan’s request.
At least I needed to be sure.
Of course, the appearance and age were similar to the miracle boy who resurrected Seongbaeksu, and the existence of the princess supported the truth.
‘But, somehow, it’s awkward.’
Because of this, Lucio could not easily trust Ethan.
Since becoming a priest, he has never hated anyone in particular.
But strangely, Lucio was reluctant to Ethan.
“You say you hate someone I’ve only seen once?”
Lucio was perplexed by the emotions he was experiencing for the first time in his life.
But that feeling was natural for the saint’s followers.
His forefather, Luca Rossi, did the same.
* * *
next day.
Ethan went around Pache Castle to inquire about the curse of the forest.
However, people did not open their mouths to Ethan, who was an outsider.
“This is the hometown of St. Such a trivial curse is said to be repelled by the divine beast!”
“I don’t know where or what I heard from, but it’s bullshit, bullshit.”
Oddly enough, everyone responded with a sigh.
‘Have you ever been brainwashed as a group?’
Ethan laughed in disbelief.
Meanwhile, he happened to pass by near the birthplace of the saint.
Ethan’s eyebrows furrowed immediately.
‘Unfortunately.’
There were many shops selling various souvenirs.
Merchants were raising their voices to promote their products.
“As long as you have a portrait of a saint, you are not afraid of monsters! When you encounter a monster, take out this portrait! Then you will run away trembling!”
“What kind of bullshit are you talking about? Traveler, how would a piece of paper like that get rid of monsters? I’d rather throw this pendant to buy some time!”
“What? scraps of paper? Are you blaspheming the saint now?”
“It’s not the saint that’s the problem, it’s your tactics, you bastard!”
A portrait merchant and a pendant merchant were having a childish argument.
Ethan’s eyes widened openly.
If you persuade them well, you may be able to get information.
Ethan went to the portrait merchant and said,
“Does that portrait really work?”
“Uh-huh, have you been deceived? Is it because it’s real?”
“Good. Then give me a portrait.”
“Excellent choice!”
Then the portrait merchant smiled to the ears.
On the other hand, the pendant merchant’s face was distorted.
Ethan said in a passing tone.
“Now that I have a portrait of St. Actually, I have to leave for the Empire in a hurry tonight, so why don’t the innkeeper tell me not to go because the monsters will run rampant? There’s a good way to do this, but I’m not going to tell you. It must have been that they were trying to rip off the cost of accommodation.”
“yes?”
The face of the portrait merchant who was wrapping the portrait turned pale.
The pendant merchant next to him asked.
“Me, guest. Where did you say you are going now?”
“I will go through the forest next to the castle to the Empire.”
“Hey, guest! Don’t do that! You must not go to that forest on a red moonlit night. The monsters go crazy at night!”
Ethan responded as if he did not understand English.
“Would you be okay with this portrait?”
The pendant merchant jumped as if frustrated.
“Do you believe that? That piece of paper has no power!”
“Hey! Anyone have anything to do with business?!”
The portrait merchant, who had stood still, raised his fist.
Then the pendant merchant opened his eyes.
“No matter how much we call it a business, there is a line to keep! Just to give a piece of paper a piece of paper to a child the same age as yours and push him into your limbs?”
“Wow, huh!”
The portrait merchant just coughed, not knowing what to say.
At this point, Ethan no longer had to act as an innocent boy.
Ethan smiled and looked at them both.
“I heard the story. You shouldn’t go to the forest on a night when the red moon is up… … . Please explain what that means.”
The boy felt an unidentified sense of intimidation.
The two merchants had no choice but to swallow dry saliva.
* * *
– A hundred years ago, the demon king placed a curse on the forest near the castle. After that, when the red moon rises, it is said that the monsters in the forest run more mad than any other time. It is not uncommon to attack travelers, and they come to attack the castle without fear.
-It’s been around for a hundred years, so why are the people of Pache so quiet?
-That is… I, do you know a priest named Luca Rossi? He was an ardent follower who followed St. In recognition of his merits, he was buried in the basement of a temple in Pace Castle. By the way… … .
-By the way?
– Rumors like this are circulating. It is said that after Priest Luca Rossi was buried in the basement of the temple, it had a bad effect on the Cursed Forest.
– Are you saying that the priest’s corpse affects the curse?
-yes. Priest Luca Rossi was wounded by the magic of the Demon King, but it is said that the magic has affected even the bone marrow, so it is still emitting magic even after death. Everyone is resting because the priest in charge of this place is probably his descendant.
A deep night with a red moon.
Ethan sat on the wall and remembered the conversation with the two merchants.
‘It’s strange. When I looked at the past with jet-black eyes, there was no sign of that at all.’
That was then.
I saw a silver wolf standing still in the garden to get up.
Ethan paused his thoughts for a moment.
In his view, Fenrir was aware of Ethan’s presence.
But I didn’t know what to do.
‘If it was in a previous life, even if you were this far away, you would have tried to kill me.’
Ethan snorted.
‘There is only vague hostility, you know very well that he is an innocent priest, right? So I can’t do anything.’
Ethan fiddled with the eyelid on the side with the jet-black eyes.
‘It’s amazing. Even the gods didn’t notice.’
The jet-black eyes were more secretive than I had expected.
Didn’t even Shinsoo not notice Edan’s greatest secret?
Considering the powers of the divine beast, I was able to realize how secretive the jet-black eyes were.
‘but. If the jet-black eyes would be easily detected, I would not have even thought of entering the Central Church.’
That was then.
Fenrir frowned suddenly in pain.