“I have something to tell you.”
Zenon grinned. He spoke with a kind expression and a warm tone.
“I’m going to do some background investigation on Prince Jeremy.”
“…Hmm?”
Jeremy, who was upbeat and thoughtless about everything, chuckled as if he didn’t quite understand.
“You’re going to investigate my background?”
“Yes.”
Zenon looked at Jeremy with a warm smile. Jeremy also smiled a ‘haha’ and looked at Zenon. An awkward silence passed between the two.
“Hmm. So you’re talking about my background investigation? No one else, me.”
“Yes. I want to do some background investigation on Prince Jeremy.”
“So openly?”
“I want to get permission.”
“If I don’t give permission, will you not investigate?”
“I will do it anyway.”
“Then why did you ask?”
“Well, it’s different for human hearts. What is allowed and what is not allowed.”
Jeremy blinked for a moment. Even to Jeremy, Zenon seemed erratic. Viola, quite familiar with Zenon’s personality, just watched.
‘But why are you doing a background investigation?’
Due to his personality, there was a high possibility that Zenon wouldn’t tell her why. But seriously, why would he even bother to investigate Jeremy’s background? No matter how much she thought about it, there was no reason.
“In exchange for allowing my background investigation, I will make a condition.”
“What condition?”
“I won’t let go.”
Jeremy laughed hysterically while Viola’s laugh was sarcastic.
Did a crazy person cling to you because they were now allowed to speak casually? All they have to do is let go!
Zenon, who was going to openly investigate Jeremy’s background, and Jeremy, who would not accept it without a condition.
‘I think both of them are insane.’
She had to keep a level head. Insane characters were all over this world.
“But why are you investigating my background?”
“Hm.”
Zenon tilted his head. After thinking about it for a moment, he answered honestly because he never lied.
“Because Duke Heron gave the order.”
“The Lord of Winter Castle?”
“Yes. He gave the order directly in writing.”
“Why?”
“Well, I have never thought about the why from the position of receiving an order.”
“Still, you must have a guess.”
Viola also focused on Zenon’s words. Why did Heron suddenly want to investigate Jeremy’s background? It was completely absent from the original. She even reviewed the contents of the book, but there was no reason for Heron to investigate Jeremy’s background.
‘Are there things happening that I don’t know about?’
Viola couldn’t say it was strange as she had changed a lot of things and the resulting butterfly effect couldn’t be ruled out. Viola thought rationally.
‘There seems to be some political issue between Winter Castle and Storm Fortress.’
But Jeremy thought differently.
‘As expected, Duke Heron is also an obsessed father.’
He didn’t think it was complicated or difficult as Viola did. Jeremy understood intuitively.
‘Jeremy, an unapologetic man who created all sorts of rumors, is approaching Heron’s soon-to-be-entering-society daughter.’
Jeremy was somewhat aware of all the rumors surrounding him. The most absurd rumor was that he already had twenty-four wives. It was a wild rumor, but some people actually believed it.
‘It’s because I’m sticking close to his daughter.’
So it seemed natural to ask for a background investigation.
“But can you do it openly like this?”
“I didn’t receive orders to keep it a secret.”
“Isn’t it normally a secret though?”
“In the case of missions that require secrecy, they are delivered with a ‘secret mission’ label attached.”
“I see.”
That said, there was no need for secrecy. Jeremy chuckled.
So, a background investigation. It seemed better to hear it as a ‘background investigation’ but understand it as a ‘warning’. A father with a daughter, warning the dark beast approaching his daughter.
‘I’ll be watching you openly. Isn’t that what this means?’
Jeremy felt he was having more and more fun. Because of Tundra, there would already be a rematch.
‘It’s Tundra, but it’s like that.’
She was said to have saved Tundra’s life. She had helped Tundra up until now, and Jeremy knew that Tundra had grown up to be a companion dog. So it was understandable that Tundra was obsessed with Viola.
‘But even Duke Heron?’
More and more people were getting involved. Didn’t Jeremy only want to be friends with Viola? So why did they keep trying to ostracize others? He didn’t think that was a good thing.
‘It’s amazing, it’s fun.’
He muttered very quietly to himself.
“I want to get to know you even more.”
For some reason, Viola got goosebumps.
* * *
Viola was lost in thought until she reached their destination, the Red Tree Forest. Why would her father do that? What political dynamics were involved? What kind of position and attitude should she take as the White Bellato?
‘As expected, it hurts my head to solve stories that are not in the novel.’
Anyway, they finally arrived at the Red Tree Forest. It was named ‘Red Tree Forest’ because trees with red trunks made up the forest.
“The location where our 1st expedition team went missing is this way.”
Jeremy pointed to a spot on the map and took the lead. After walking for about two hours, Jeremy pointed to the map once again.
“The 2nd expedition team went missing here. And the 3rd expedition reported that they found a historical site there.”
It was the role of an expedition team to discover the existence of a site. However, the proper exploration of the ruins and revitalization of the interior was the responsibility and duty of the higher-ups with power.
“I hope something very, very good is discovered.”
According to the setting in the novel, there existed an ancient civilization called the ‘Golden Mage Civilization’. Various newly discovered ruins were remnants of this Golden Mage Civilization where numerous history and magic books full of knowledge, as well as magical artifacts useful for everyday life, could be excavated there.
“I hope it will help people in their daily lives. Does Viola also think so?”
Most of the items from the Golden Mage Civilization were valuable. Some items were of great help to the common people. So, those who had power, like warriors and wizards, had to properly explore the ruins and drag the old civilization out into the modern world. Because it was something that would ultimately help the world.
‘But I know what’s really here.’
In these ruins, a special magic circle that could contact a guardian spirit was created. It was a special space that helped you make a contract with a spirit even if your affinity with spirits was low.
‘To do that, I need to find a trident-shaped tree.’
Viola knew how this place worked, what traps were here, and even how to make a contract with the spirits.
‘Let’s just stay still.’
In actuality, Viola was coming here for the first time. So the fact that she knew so much would be considered strange.
Six hours had passed since they entered the forest and night in the woods came very quickly.
‘It’s already dark.’
ROAR!
Zenon lit a bonfire.
“I don’t think there are any dangerous monsters around here, but I’ll keep an eye out, just in case.”
“Why did two expeditions go missing when there are no dangerous monsters?”
Viola pointed out the key point.
“Jeremy, you can’t classify dangerous monsters according to your standards. Classify dangerous monsters according to the standard of common people without mana.”
“If that’s the case, then this is a very dangerous forest, Princess.”
“Then Princess, what should I do?”
“Don’t relax, Zenon.”
Zenon chuckled.
‘She is testing me again.’
If you are a Bellato butler, you have to do your very best at every moment. No matter how risky the situation was, even if it was practice, you had to do it like it was the real thing. Viola Bellato was sending him such a message right now.
‘Don’t be nervous and do it like a real game.’
It was a sincere warning to not stop being vigilant just because it wasn’t dangerous.
‘As expected of our princess!’
Viola let out a sigh of relief.
‘Please set the standards properly.’
Things that were not dangerous by their standards were dangerous by her standards.
‘Anyway… I will do my best to keep vigilant.’
In fact, Viola was afraid of this dark forest. According to the description in the novel, it was said that this was a forest where faint whispers could be heard. It was said that ghost-type monsters often appeared and bewitched explorers who entered the Red Tree Forest.
‘It will be safe if Zenon seriously watches.’
Whiing—
An ominous wind blew from somewhere.
Whoo, wooo—
Cries were also heard. The sound of a ghost hidden in the wind put Viola’s nerves on edge.
‘Eww. I can’t sleep.’
She tried to sleep but she couldn’t. Why was the floor so damp? It felt like it was somehow damp inside her magical tent where a certain temperature and humidity were supposed to be maintained.
Finally, it was morning.
The ominous feeling of the wind lifted and the howling and whispering were gone. The morning sunlight broke through the leaves and lit up the surroundings.
‘I can’t do it.’
In the novel, it was stated that Jeremy wandered around this place for quite some time. Specifically, it was explained as ‘by chance, a few days later’.
‘I don’t want to stay here for any more days.’
She thought of the warm bed and delicious food at home.
‘Ah, I want to eat egg tarts.’
She also wanted to eat pancakes drizzled with honey. And strawberry-ade topped with the iciest shaved ice.
‘No. Today, for some reason, I have more of a craving for strawberry shakes.’
“How long are you just going to wander around?”
“Isn’t today only the second day?”
“You still don’t understand how strange this is?”
It was natural for him not to know, because Jeremy was a soldier, not an expert explorer. Groups of explorers already went missing twice.
‘Come to think of it, it’s a very irrational system.’
A general exploration team of commoners first explores to locate a historic site and then goes back to report it. Then, the powerful aristocratic class would revisit and explore the ruins.
‘Anyway, it’s irrational. It would be much more comfortable if I just came with an explorer.’
There was probably a reason for it. If an ordinary citizen died or got injured while in a group of nobles, the responsibility would lay solely with the nobles. Because the responsibility would be on the ‘powerful person’ who failed to protect their followers. So let the common people explore on their own first, and the nobles would move separately.
‘I can’t. For my safety and a happy old age, I need to tweak this situation, too.’
Later, Lucas, one of the social reformers, would appear and change societal rules. Nobles with skills would be allowed to be a part of the explorers. That way, the original group wouldn’t have any problems. It was in the distant future, though.
Anyway, she had to focus on her current job right now. Viola took out her dagger and slashed a tree trunk.
“This dagger is a special product from the Winter Castle’s workshop.”
“I see.”
“Most wood would have been sliced the moment the dagger touched it.”
But there was no scratch on the tree.
“These red trees are so hard, they were once used as material for armor.”
“Where did you hear that?”
“But it was too vulnerable to fire attacks. As magical civilization developed, fire-type magic also developed, and the armor made from this red wood was too vulnerable to fire magic. In the end, it disappeared into the dust of history.”
Viola pointed to a tree.
“Look at the top of that tree.”
Jeremy cocked his head to look at the top of the tree.
“Aren’t those tree branches strange?”
“Oh, come to think of it, they are a bit strange. They look like they were artificially cut. But the trees are so hard.”
Some of the branches were shaped like tridents. To be considered a characteristic of red trees, more than a single tree had to look like that. Like someone carved it into a piece of art.
“Someone made it that way artificially. Do I have to explain everything to you, one by one?”
Viola stepped over and put her hand on the tree. But then, something happened that even Viola did not expect. Suddenly, a strange voice spoke into Viola’s mind.
[You! What is your identity?]
—————————————————————
Translator Note:
I will be 2 weeks out (in a family travel) so don’t worry because this story won’t be dropped BUT during 2 weeks there won’t be any new release. SORRY!!
Hello there! This is RJR. I hope you liked it <3
If you like my work please support me with Ko-fi or Patreon. Next post will be released on September, 12.
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