SYFP Chapter 31

“Looks like everyone has arrived. Before we officially enter the Forest of Memories, I will cast a protection spell on you.”

In front of the western outpost, at the entrance to the Forest of Memories.

The expedition members gathered in an orderly manner near the entrance of the forest.

But now that they were all assembled, it somehow felt like there were far more people than when they had gathered in front of the Mage Tower.

“Why do we have more knights than before?”

Wendy, standing beside them, murmured quietly.

Really?

As Letier absentmindedly took her place next to Efron, her gaze caught on a familiar black mask.

Huh?

The owner of the familiar mask was standing casually right behind her.

“What?”

Thinking she might have seen wrong, she started to turn her head again, but the supervisor spoke up once more.

“Please focus. The Tower Master is coming out.”

“My lady! You should be looking forward.”

Letier had no choice but to fix her gaze ahead.

The supervisor extended his hand toward someone off to the side.

Turning her head slightly, she saw an elderly wizard with a beard that nearly reached his navel walking toward them at a slow pace.

“This is Benedict Mondrich, Tower Master of the Imperial Palace.”

Everyone bowed their heads in respect.

The wizard standing before the expedition members lifted his aged eyes and scanned them all.

As he slowly turned his head, his gaze landed on Dante, standing tall among the group, and he raised an eyebrow in surprise.

However, the elderly Tower Master had neither the energy nor the interest to concern himself with such matters.

After a moment of contemplation, he took a deep breath.

The Tower Master raised both arms, drawing a large circle in the air.

Soon, a glowing ring appeared in the empty space, exactly where his hands had traced.

‘Wow…’

It was the first time Letier had seen magic up close like this.

With wide, sparkling eyes, she silently marveled.

The large ring spun in place for a moment before suddenly splitting into multiple smaller circles, each floating toward someone’s head.

‘Amazing…!’

Letier lifted only her eyes to watch the ring spinning above her.

As the wizard lowered his hands, the floating circles dropped, passing through the bodies of those standing below.

“Ah…”

The ring that had been hovering over Letier also descended upon her.

The moment it passed from head to toe, a warm sensation spread throughout her body.

It felt like an invisible film had lightly coated her skin, bringing a faint sense of discomfort.

Letier stretched out her arm, looking down at it.

Like stepping out of a bathtub filled with bath bombs, her skin shimmered slightly in the sunlight.

“The protection spell will last for three days. It will mitigate physical impact to some extent, but remember, it won’t block everything completely.”

“Understood!”

“Then, I wish you all a safe return from your investigation.”

The supervisor stepped back, pointing toward the entrance of the forest.

The entrance looked no different from any other part of the forest.

At the very back of the group, the expedition leader waddled forward.

“Alright, we’ve taken more time than expected. It’s too late to begin now, so set up your tents somewhere suitable inside the forest. Spend the remaining time resting or observing the nearby plants. We will officially begin investigating the magical plants tomorrow morning.”

“Can we go anywhere?”

A wizard sitting not far from Letier raised a hand and asked.

“You may, but do not venture more than 500 sycnes from this entrance. Beyond that, we cannot guarantee your safety.”

“Does that mean there could be monsters?”

A knight from somewhere in the group raised her hand to ask.

The expedition leader answered without hesitation.

“No. But monsters aren’t the only danger. There could be unexpected terrain hazards or traps. Keep that in mind.”

After that, a few more questions related to the investigation were exchanged.

Letier listened carefully before moving closer to Efron.

“Alright, if there are no more questions, let’s move out.”

“Yes.”

“Got it!”

The expedition leader turned around and stepped into the forest without hesitation.

One by one, the group crossed the forest’s boundary and disappeared inside.

“I’ll go in first.”

Efron walked ahead of Letier and spoke.

Letier stuck close to his back, trying to calm her pounding heart.

She was about to step into the legendary Forest of Memories, a place she had only ever heard about in stories since childhood.

At this moment, any sense of possible danger felt vague and distant, and all she could feel was the excitement of entering a mysterious, unknown place.

“Here we go.”

Though he couldn’t see her, Letier nodded enthusiastically behind him.

As she followed Efron step by step past the forest’s boundary, she suddenly felt a strange pressure in her ears.

“Ugh…”

The sensation didn’t last long.

Her ears quickly cleared, but what filled them was an eerie silence, as if she had entered an entirely different world.

It felt as though they had crossed into a completely separate realm from the one outside the forest.

Letier was so captivated by the heavy, unfamiliar atmosphere that she couldn’t bring herself to say a single word.

“Whoa…”

Someone behind her let out a quiet exclamation.

Holding tightly onto the hem of Efron’s cloak, Letier continued walking.

“So that’s what felt off… There’s no sound of birds at all.”

Isaac, who was walking behind Letier, murmured softly.

Birdsong…?

Now that he mentioned it, she realized that ever since they crossed the boundary, there hadn’t been a single chirp.

Ordinarily, forests were filled with the lively sounds of birds singing, but here, it seemed as though not a single bird lived within.

“No wonder… It felt unnaturally quiet,” Wendy murmured nearby.

Letier clenched her toes, staring up at the sky where no birds were flying.

It was a forest so quiet, it was almost unsettling.

“It’s begun,” a woman walking beside her suddenly said.

“Huh?”

Letier looked up at her.

The woman had her unkempt hair neatly braided back and met Letier’s gaze with slightly dazed eyes.

“I’m Abel, a botanist.”

“Oh, nice to meet you! I’m Letier. I’m a chemist and have studied raw materials a bit.”

“I see.”

Abel nodded slowly.

“But… what do you mean by ‘it’s begun’?”

“The dominant species is starting to change.”

“Dominant species?”

“In the forests of the Trillante Empire, Tiglis grass is usually the most abundant species and covers the largest area. But look—it’s starting to be replaced by these unknown plants.”

At Abel’s words, Letier looked down at the ground. Sure enough, unfamiliar short plants were growing densely, pushing out the Tiglis grass.

“I’ll set up my tent here. The areas where dominant species change are particularly important.”

At her words, a few knights walking behind them stopped as well.

They began preparing their tents at that spot.

Letier, having unintentionally stopped next to Abel, turned to call out to Efron.

“Efron, where should we—?”

“Somewhere safer.”

The reply came not from Efron, but from right behind her.

Startled by the low voice, she turned around—only to see a familiar mask appear suddenly.

“Huh? Your Highn—mmph!”

The man quickly reached out and covered her mouth.

With wide eyes, Letier looked up at the masked figure standing before her.

“I went through all the trouble of wearing ordinary clothes, and you’re just going to expose me like that?”

Letier’s gaze darted down, scanning his outfit.

Like the other mages, he wore a dark robe and even had his hood pulled up, but the most striking feature was still his dark mask.

However, few people knew that the prince of the Trillante Empire always hid his face behind a mask.

To those here, he was likely just another mage with an odd sense of fashion.

Letier gave a small nod to show she understood.

Dante slowly removed his hand from her mouth.

The moment he did, Letier immediately spoke.

“Why are you here? Did you join the expedition?”

“It just happened that way. And you? You joined without even telling me.”

“Ah…”

Feeling a bit guilty, Letier resumed walking alongside Dante.

She took the chance to examine his robe, which, due to his height, looked oddly short.

“But… your robe seems a bit—”

Distracted by observing the prince beside her, Letier failed to notice the tree root sticking out in front of her.

Her foot caught on it, and she stumbled forward.

“Ah!”

She braced herself for a fall, but before she could hit the ground, a strong arm wrapped around her waist.

“Oh…”

Dangling slightly, her face nearly touching the ground, Letier clung instinctively to the arm that caught her.

His arm was firmer and thicker than she had expected.

Perhaps because she had been startled by the near fall, her heart was now racing uncontrollably.

A deep voice rumbled beside her ear.

“How about watching where you’re going instead of staring at me?”

“S-Sorry…”

Dante steadied her back onto her feet.

Embarrassed, Letier hastily dusted off her clothes and hurried after Efron, who was already some distance ahead.

Even after catching up to him and taking a deep breath, her heart continued to pound relentlessly.