Chapter 571

Chapter 193: Mission

“Sil… Hia…”

Is someone calling me…

“Milady Sylviega!”

In the hurried call of the man, I slowly opened my eyes.

“…Hmm?”

My mind was briefly disoriented, then gradually became clear.

Thin morning light filtered through the forest canopy, feeling somewhat blinding, so I raised my hand to shield my eyes.

The stern face of Priest Geoffrey was right in front of me; he leaned down to look at me, his eyes slightly weary, his hair not as neat as when we first met, now a bit messy, but the man no longer cared. Seeing that I had woken up, he nodded and said, “How did you sleep? It’s dawn now, we need to continue our journey.”

Dawn has come…

“Mmm… Mmm~”

I leaned against a tree, stretching my body, humming with sleepy, sticky nasal sounds. I patted my behind and stood up, standing there for a moment, shaking my head vigorously, rubbing my eyes, and looking around.

In the quiet, lush forest, ancient trees towered, their tops difficult to see even when looking up. A gentle breeze carried a faint, musty smell, brushing against my face. The ground was uneven, covered with fallen leaves, moss, and weeds. Occasionally, colorful little flowers bloomed near decaying logs, sharp green rocks jutted out from the slippery mud, with thick, thorny dark green vines winding around them.

Familiar yet strange scenery made me feel like I had returned to a year ago.

This place was already deep within Woodward Forest.

From last night, before sunset, I entered the forest with four priests from the Faith Order, riding ravens toward the southwest. By the time it was completely dark, the paths in the forest were hard to navigate. We had to get off the beasts, leading the hornhorses on foot through soft, decaying mud. In the middle of the night, even though I still had strength, the monks were already exhausted. We discussed and found a relatively dry area where we could rest for a while.

After the priests tied up the reins and lay down to rest, I instructed Goat Cheese to be on guard, then found a tree to lean against, closing my eyes to rest. My mind wandered, and I fell asleep without realizing it.

I had a dream.

In the dream, it seemed like I was still in the city of Ethsembel…

I dreamed of Vicki…

“Caw—”

A loud screech came from the branches above, from the raven.

Priest Geoffrey brought over my hornhorse, handing me the reins, looking up to confirm the direction of the black bird flying away. Then he said to me, “Your raven is clever, almost unbelievable. To be honest, I was a bit skeptical at first, but it seems we haven’t gone wrong. Just a short distance away, I found a stream…”

I took the reins from him. The huge hornhorse took two steps forward, snorting in front of me. I stroked its head, while the priest went over to pat the saddle on the beast’s back, unhooking the water bag hanging there and throwing it to me.

“The downstream of that stream, we crossed it earlier. The terrain near the banks isn’t too complex, so we can ride. If nothing unexpected happens, we just need to follow the water southward. By tonight… No, before it gets dark, we should reach the ruins.”

“Okay.”

I caught the water bag, nodding lightly to the priest. I uncorked it and drank a couple of gulps, wiping my mouth, “Let’s go.”

The priest also nodded at me.

He turned and walked towards the other priests, waving and shouting, “Let’s go, hurry up!” I hung the water bag back on the saddle and led the giant beast following him. After walking for a moment, I couldn’t help but touch the claw at my waist.

The leather sheath of the short sword was cool and rough to the touch. I drew the blade with a “whoosh,” holding it up to examine it in the dim forest light. Even after intense battles and the constant burning heat, it seemed undamaged.

This was given to me by Vicki…

On Saint Blen’s Day, or perhaps even earlier, she guessed that I would leave. So this short sword named “Dragon Claw” was prepared beforehand, intended to be given to me as a farewell gift…

And that necklace…

That necklace, along with the bracelet I bought on my birthday, the bracelet given to me by Parsifal, the Winter Moon Heart given by my mother, the handbook written by Grandmother Bertha, the Papal Knight Badge, the Peace Medal, and all these important items, I put them all in the black leather box.

That box should be in Angel’s hands now.

After arriving at Alethien City, I worried about more intense battles damaging or losing it, so I asked the young bishop of the Faith Order to have someone take the box, entrust it to the supply team at the rear, and inform the Pope that the box was very important and could not be lost.

Once everything settled down, I planned to ask for it back.

Whoosh—

The short sword was sheathed back at my waist. The hornhorse behind me neighed. I stepped quickly over the fallen leaves and mud, with Priest Geoffrey not far ahead. Further ahead, the priests slashed through the vines blocking the path with their swords. Their robes were torn in many places, faces dirty, some with leaves on their heads. These people who usually paid great attention to their appearance probably hadn’t cared much about themselves for a long time.

As the priest said, we walked for less than twenty minutes, and the trees gradually began to thin out, the view becoming wider. The intertwined vines in front disappeared, the shadows of the trees dispersed, and the ground underfoot hardened. Gentle morning light poured down, warming my face comfortably.

A little further, I heard the sound of flowing water.

“It’s enough, everyone, mount the hornhorses!”

At Priest Geoffrey’s command, three priests mounted their beasts. I jumped on too. The hooves of the hornhorses thundered again in the forest, and in less than a minute, the clear stream appeared before us.

“Let’s go!”

The orxy beast turned at the stream and galloped along the water’s flow. There were no trees near the bank, allowing the iron hooves to truly pick up speed. I held tightly onto the reins, lowered my body, half-lifted my buttocks, and kept my chest almost parallel to the beast’s back. I squinted my eyes and followed the priest behind me.

As I ran, I felt hungry and took out the fruit I had picked last night from the saddlebag, rubbing it on my robe before taking a bite with a “crunch.” The sour and astringent taste spread in my mouth, invigorating my spirit.

This stream…

I took another bite of the fruit and looked to the side. The clear stream shimmered under the morning light, with ripples dancing with each hoofbeat.

Is this the same small stream I came across before?

I don’t know…

Woodward Forest is so vast; there should be more than one stream here…

But it feels familiar.

Perhaps because the streams in the forest look similar—similar width, gentle flow—and the surroundings are also alike. I once encountered a large white creature drinking water by such a stream… perhaps its habitat is nearby.

White…

Where are you?

I’m back…

I miss you a little.

“Hey—”

I couldn’t hold back and shouted at Geoffrey Priest ahead: “You were in the forest, right?”

Hearing my shout, the older priest turned around.

“Yes, Lady Silviga!”

The howling wind carried his voice over: “I was the one who originally reached the ruins. I got there a long time ago! The other three weren’t; they arrived two days ago with Lord Ansaril. Around that time, those heretics also found us!”

…Hmm?

The Church and the Gate of Truth arrived simultaneously…

This thought flashed through my mind. I asked him again, “How long have you been here?”

“Since you and His Holiness headed south for battle, we started delving deep into the forest!”

The priest replied, “Together with the First Knight Order that stayed behind, we began searching from the east. We never stopped, almost like a thorough sweep! About ten days ago, we found that ancient fairy ruin. After that, a large number of people returned to the outer defenses, while some scholars versed in theology and history, including myself, stayed behind. We discovered a place suspected to be the entrance to the land of dragons!”

The entrance to the land of dragons…

I still remember what I heard in class at the academy: the land of dragons is where the gods sealed the dragons that wreak havoc among humans. Whether it’s true or not, it can be judged that it’s another space or even another world created by the gods. This understanding seems correct.

Powerful dragons were sealed in the land of dragons a thousand years ago during the divine descent era. Logically, since it’s called a seal, they should be unable to escape…

I don’t know why White appeared in Woodward Forest at that time, helping me eliminate the endless abyss and then disappearing as a beam of light… but assuming it has the ability to freely enter and exit the land of dragons, its habitat might be within that ruin…

“Priest!”

I squeezed the beast’s belly, making the giant creature run faster to catch up with the older priest and keep pace with him. I turned my head and asked, “Did you not find that white dragon?”

“White dragon?”

Geoffrey Priest paused for a moment, then seemed to suddenly recall something: “Oh, you mean the dragon god that the villagers often talk about. We long abandoned the search for that legend! Later scholars indicated that the door to the land of dragons has not been opened, so no dragon could come out. They might have mistaken something else for a dragon!”

Ah…

So White hasn’t reappeared.

“We have been studying how to open the land of dragons, but after many days, there has been no progress! Two days ago, the heretics broke through the outer defenses and attacked us. Many of us died, fortunately, the two heretics were cautious, possibly fearing they might damage the entrance to the land of dragons. Otherwise, after that battle, the forest would likely have been set ablaze!”

“We narrowly escaped and temporarily retreated with Lord Ansaril! The archbishop ordered us to find you, saying only you can stop that demon! The heretics want to open the land of dragons, which will take considerable time! We still have a chance…”

“Hold on!”

I couldn’t help interrupting him: “If the demon is in the land of dragons, why open it? If not opened, won’t it never come out?”

“That’s correct!”

Geoffrey Priest nodded: “But if the demon cannot come out, its followers will spread across the world—Lord Ansaril said that demon is the source of power for the Gate of Truth! If we don’t seize this opportunity to completely eliminate it, future wars in the southern region of the Republic will continue! Countless heretics and clowns will continue to gain strength from the demon and continue their atrocities. God’s children will never have peace!”

…What?

I opened my mouth, somewhat stunned.

The demon sealed in the land of dragons is the source of power for the Gate of Truth?

Who said this…

My head felt muddled for a moment.

Why do the heretics serve a “demon” in the land of dragons?

Who confirmed this information?

“Only you can completely eliminate that demon!”

The older priest continued shouting, his emotions seeming agitated: “This is the mission bestowed upon you by His Holiness, Lady Silviga! You will bear the most glorious task of the Holy Church, ending that demon and turning heresy into history! And we, these people, will risk our lives to assist you in completing this…”

The man did not finish his sentence.

Suddenly, from a very distant place, a thunderous sound shattered the tranquility of the forest.