We live at the foothills of Dragon Peak.
Welcome to the Forest of Bewilderment.
“Um, you know. Priscilla wants to build a big house here and play with everyone,”
“Not to live, but to play, huh?”
“It’ll be fun!”
“Fun, fun!”
The cheerful Priscilla-chan skips along the lakeshore, beaming at me.
Ares-chan seems even happier than usual.
I follow the young girl with a light step.
What a lovely day.
The sun is cheerful, and the temperature is neither cold nor hot. The clouds drifting slowly across the sky are a pleasure to behold. The gentle breeze rustles through the forest trees.
Everything I feel is pleasant.
Because I’ve finished a big job and am enjoying my long-awaited break.
I didn’t have to become a Demon Lord.
It’s unclear if the Giant Demon Lord truly gave up, but at least I’ve escaped the immediate crisis.
I tried to hand over the rights to the Necropolis in this momentum, but that was too much to ask. I’m apparently still in the position of ruler. However, Meduria will manage it as lord regent, and I’ll continue to receive support from the Demon Lord.
The elite Black Winged Demon Race is apparently withdrawing, but a replacement unit will be stationed here.
The cost of military occupation?
Apparently, money is being moved around in ways I’m not privy to.
My sources of income seem to be flowing in from inexplicable places.
Yes, I’m speaking as if it’s someone else’s problem.
The Shū River flows along the border between the Armēdo Kingdom and the Yorttenitos Kingdom. A portion of the tolls from the great bridge spanning this river, so wide that the opposite bank is invisible, is an income source I have no knowledge of.
Apparently, large sums of money come to me just for people and goods passing through.
Yufilia and Nina told me that the maintenance costs for my family home will also be covered by such income sources, gradually. The expenses will be significant with the operation of the Necropolis, but the income must be sufficient to cover it.
My small wallet only contains loose change, so this is a truly mysterious story that I can’t quite grasp.
And so, having resolved both my own problems and those of the Necropolis, we decided to head back after a few days’ stay.
Before summer, I had been traveling for quite a long time without saying goodbye to my mother and the others. I need to report to Lord Rudoruaado and the related parties, and I also need to deliver the red-haired Graus to prison.
He is currently still unconscious in the Necropolis prison. I plan to retrieve him when we leave.
Also, when we return, we’ll need to begin preparations for the wedding ceremony.
Oh, right. The wedding ceremony of Listea, the Hero, is finally approaching.
Preparations are steadily underway for the wedding ceremony to be held in the副都 Ambis.
They said it was scheduled for summer, so we all agreed we had to be back by then.
However, someone disagreed with our plan.
Yes. That’s right. Our “Violent Princess.”
“You know. Priscilla wants to play with Teruru-chan?”
Priscilla-chan probably suggested it with a completely innocent heart, but the guilt of not being able to give her the same protective gear as Ares-chan weighed heavily on everyone’s minds.
And so, we came to visit the Forbidden Territory.
Even so, it felt wrong to visit Teruru-chan without a gift, so we are hunting while taking a walk like this with Priscilla-chan.
Meanwhile, Mistral and the others are preparing for an overnight stay in a ruined village on the mountainside of the Sacred Mountain.
Nimia also wanted to play, but she was drafted to help with the preparations.
Nimia has been sacrificed for Priscilla-chan.
It’s unfortunate.
Also, I thought Micheila-chan and the others were still staying, but they were no longer in the Forbidden Territory.
I would have liked to introduce them to everyone if they were here.
“Ah, a rabbit!”
Priscilla-chan spots a white rabbit hopping in the grass and chases after it with a giggle.
I suppose I could catch it instantly with Spatial Jump, but she’s still a small child. It seems she enjoys chasing more than efficiency.
“Hey, hey. Don’t go too far ahead.”
I chase after Priscilla-chan, who is running away from the lakeshore after the rabbit.
Ares-chan is floating in the air, following us.
Ares-chan, aren’t you taking it easy all by yourself?
“Hop, hop, bunny.”
Priscilla-chan, imitating the rabbit, or rather, mimicking what looks like a frog’s hop to me, chases after the white rabbit.
The white rabbit flees deeper into the tall grass, as if to avoid being caught.
Priscilla-chan, also hopping, goes into the tall grass.
I follow her play without disturbing it, while searching the surroundings for any ominous signs.
We pass through the tall grass and enter the woods.
The young grass, bathed in sunlight filtering through the trees, fills the forest with the signs of spring, and it feels good just to run.
Priscilla-chan is an ear-long race from the forest. Perhaps sensing the spring air of the forest, she seems even more cheerful than usual.
Catching the rabbit seems secondary; she’s engrossed in the chase.
But you know. We can’t go visit Teruru-chan without collecting a gift for her, right?
I wonder if she’s already forgotten the purpose of meeting Teruru-chan…
What a hassle.
We need to finish hunting quickly, or it will get dark and we won’t be able to play with Teruru-chan.
We came to visit the Forbidden Territory, but we won’t be staying long.
However, it would be bad if I shot the white rabbit that Priscilla-chan is chasing.
While following Priscilla-chan, I search for different prey.
But there were no animals other than the white rabbit in the vicinity.
Hmm?
That’s strange.
Even though the forest is bathed in cheerful sunlight and a pleasant breeze blows through.
There are no beasts. No birds. No trace of animals.
Could this be a slightly dangerous place?
This is the Forbidden Territory.
It’s not our familiar Dragon Forest, nor a safe place touched by human hands. We know only a small part of it; the rest is untamed wilderness. Therefore, there may be unknown dangers.
“Priscilla-chan, wait a moment.”
I hurry to catch up with Priscilla-chan and catch her instead of the rabbit.
“Priscilla is the souvenir?”
“No, no, that’s not it. This forest might be a little dangerous, so let’s move.”
“The rabbit too?”
” Hmm…”
I look around, but the white rabbit is already gone.
I thought it had escaped. But.
When I sense its presence, it’s also gone.
Hmm.
What could it be?
Collecting Ares-chan, I quickly try to leave the woods and retrace my steps.
There are no signposts, but if I can just sense the lake…
Huh?
I don’t sense the lake, or rather, the clear water’s presence.
I don’t think I went that deep into the forest.
This forest is definitely strange.
I proceed through the forest, remaining vigilant, but I can’t seem to return to the lakeshore.
Sensing a growing danger, I realize this is serious and activate Spatial Jump to break through the forest.
I aim for the light-filled area visible in my sight.
My vision blurs for a moment, and a new landscape appears.
I did indeed use Spatial Jump.
There’s no doubt about that.
The scenery shows me a new landscape.
But it wasn’t the landscape I expected.
“Um, in the forest?”
“I’m lost, I’m lost.”
In my arms, Priscilla-chan tilts her head. For some reason, Ares-chan is joyfully excited.
“Mom, this is troublesome.”
I know.
I know about places that prevent you from reaching your destination.
“I never thought there would be a Forest of Bewilderment here.”
I stop for a moment and survey my surroundings.
A moment ago, it was a sun-dappled forest, but now it’s a deep, dark wood.
A damp atmosphere hangs in the air, and dense branches and leaves cover the forest in deep shadow.
“Older Brother, are you in trouble?”
“Hmm. I wonder. It’s certain that we’re lost.”
If this is the Forest of Bewilderment, we’ll never reach our destination by moving aimlessly, right?
But if I don’t move, nothing will change.
This is troublesome.
I was wary of the Forbidden Territory having dangerous monsters and magic beasts lurking, but I never expected there to be a place that could so easily confuse you.
More importantly, if this is the Forest of Bewilderment, does someone live here?
Perhaps the ear-long race, or someone like Old Man Sleigsta.
However, I’ve never heard of the ear-long race living in the Forbidden Territory from the Witch or the Giant Demon Lord. If the Ancient Dragon Species lived here, Nimia and Lily would have noticed.
For now, I’ll explore the surroundings without moving recklessly.
I concentrate and try to sense the incongruity of the world.
…
….
…… Yes! It was no good!
The incongruity of the world?
With the Bewildering Technique in effect, the entire forest was nothing but incongruity.
Alas. I’ve unexpectedly learned a weakness of my new ability and my shoulders slump in disappointment.
“Um, are you in trouble?”
“Yeah, we’re in trouble.”
“Trouble, trouble.”
The two young girls, showing no signs of distress, look around cheerfully.
Well, Priscilla-chan is a child of the forest, and Ares-chan is a ruler of nature. Getting lost might not be a crisis for them.
“Hey, Priscilla-chan. Can you sense the atmosphere of this forest?”
“Great-Grandpa’s forest?”
“No, it’s a different atmosphere from the Dragon Forest, even though it’s a Forest of Bewilderment.”
“A bit damp.”
“Unnatural, unnatural.”
“Yes, that’s right, Ares-chan. It’s probably because there’s no sign of animals.”
The Dragon Forest is under the Bewildering Technique by Old Man Sleigsta, but nature is preserved. Birds and beasts live there, and you can feel the breath of life.
However, this forest has no trace of such creatures.
Of course, I can feel the life of the trees, but the absence of animal activity creates a strange sense of incongruity.
Even so, I don’t feel any malice.
There’s no sign of a fearsome predator that would capture and eat those who get lost in the forest.
Perhaps, perhaps, the ear-long race really does live here?
“Hey, Priscilla-chan. Can you sense any trace of the ear-long race?”
I hoped that if they were the same race, she might sense something.
Priscilla-chan made a gesture as if to listen intently with her ears, then shook her head.
“You know. No one is here.”
“Is that so? Ares-chan, do you sense anything?”
“Don’t sense, don’t sense.”
It seems there is no one nearby.
“Ugh. If that’s the case, what is this forest?”
Untended, the forest has fallen trees and mossy rocks, making it difficult to walk.
Inevitably, I activate Spatial Jump, carrying Priscilla-chan and Ares-chan.
Once I jump, I arrive in an unknown place. I jump again, and further into an unknown place.
No matter how far I go, there’s no trace of animals. Yet, there’s no scent of danger either.
It feels like a forest forgotten by animals.
After several Spatial Jumps into the deep forest, Priscilla-chan stops me.
“What’s wrong?”
“You know. Someone is over there?”
“Huh? Someone?”
I tilt my head, finding it strange.
Even while using Spatial Jump, I was searching for the presence of those around me. And yet, I sensed nothing, but Priscilla-chan noticed something.
“Let’s go, let’s go.”
Ares-chan is not on guard, so let’s go. With that in mind, I activate Spatial Jump in the direction Priscilla-chan pointed.
And then, I regret it.
Yes.
This is the Forest of Bewilderment.
After using Spatial Jump, I was transported to yet another unknown location.
“Mmm.”
Priscilla-chan protests, puffing out her cheeks. When I pinch her cheeks with my fingertips, air escapes her mouth with a “poof.”
Cute!
No, no, this is not the time to play.
“Alright, let’s try to find that place again.”
We ended up here by chance using Spatial Jump, so we should be able to get close to that place again.
With that, I activate Spatial Jump.
I jump, and confirm with Priscilla-chan.
If I don’t sense anything, I’ll jump again.
I wonder how vast this forest is.
The scenery changes with each Spatial Jump, so I can’t tell if I’m coming back to the same place. Perhaps I’m just going in circles, or perhaps I’m arriving at completely different locations within the Forbidden Territory with each jump.
However, no matter where I jumped, there was no trace of animals, and my ability to sense the world was hindered by the incongruity of the entire forest.
After quite a few Spatial Jumps, Priscilla-chan reacts again.
“Someone is over there.”
“Let’s go, let’s go.”
This time, we won’t fail.
Without using Spatial Jump, I walk in the direction Priscilla-chan indicates.
I proceed cautiously, through paths that don’t exist.
Over slippery slopes, around swamps, and treading on fallen leaves accumulated during winter.
“Mmm.”
And then, Priscilla-chan puffs out her cheeks again.
“Ehh? Did we end up in a different place again?”
When I turn around, the swamp we detoured around has disappeared.
…What am I supposed to do?
I am once again reminded of the tediousness of the Forest of Bewilderment.
“One more time.”
“Do your best, do your best.”
The young girl, Priscilla-chan, raises her index finger and instructs me like that.
I nod in acknowledgment and perform Spatial Jump again.
This time, I’m going to reach it for sure!
With determination, I performed Spatial Jump multiple times.
Thanks to that effort, we have our third encounter.
“It’s that way.”
Priscilla-chan reacts to someone’s presence and points in that direction, it was past noon.
“Alright, this time for sure.”
As I try to proceed with renewed determination, Ares-chan thrashes about and escapes from my arms.
Priscilla-chan also slips out of my embrace and stands on her own.
“Older Brother, I’ll take you.”
“Lost, lost.”
“Sob, sob.”
Is that so?
I’ve been abandoned by the young girls.
What am I, who gets lost more than young girls…
Led by Priscilla-chan and Ares-chan, I proceed through the forest.
It’s still a difficult forest to walk through, but Priscilla-chan walks with a practiced air.
As expected of the ear-long race.
They can navigate any environment in the forest without issue.
In the end, I reached my destination with the help of the young girls.
And I gasped at the strange sight.
At first, I thought we had left the forest.
Emerging from the dense woods into a sun-drenched plaza, I squinted my eyes against the blinding light.
But it was still within the forest.
However, what was different from before was its nature.
The stuffy, stagnant atmosphere of the forest changed into a clear space, like the depths of the Dragon Forest.
Squinting to endure the brightness, I looked up. The trees surrounding the clearing spread their branches and leaves wide, forming the usual thick ceiling.
But the sunlight seemed to filter through, and light poured down from above.
And in front of the light-filled plaza, someone was huddled and crying.
Her golden hair, as if bathed in sunlight from above, was so long that it formed a golden river from her back to the ground.
She had curled her thin limbs and was trembling, crying as a small adult woman.
Could she be an ear-long race?
“Um, you know. Hey. You don’t have to cry?”
“Good girl, good girl.”
“Ah!”
Although the person, who seemed to be a woman, was huddled and crying, it wasn’t certain she wouldn’t act hostile towards us.
After all, she was deep in the Forest of Bewilderment.
But Priscilla-chan and Ares-chan ran up to the woman without hesitation.
And gently patted her back.
I had no choice but to follow the two and approach the woman.
Her thin clothes reveal the outline of her body beneath.
She’s even thinner than Lyra was when we first met.
The woman was sobbing, and didn’t react even when Priscilla-chan and Ares-chan petted her back.
“Are you alright?”
I spoke to her, but she just kept crying.
“Hmm, what should I do?”
She doesn’t seem to be a dangerous person, but if she just keeps crying, we won’t get anywhere.
While I was pondering what to do, Priscilla-chan and Ares-chan were gently stroking the woman.
Gradually, the woman stopped crying, and I was impressed by “Wow, the healing power of young girls is amazing.”
Sniffling, the woman finally looked up.
Like her sun-like golden hair, she had golden eyelashes and eyebrows. And golden eyes.
She looked somewhat like Ares-chan.
“No, no, no.”
However, Ares-chan shook her head in denial.
“Um, you know. This child is a Light Spirit.”
“Wha-what!?”
Priscilla-chan’s words made me recoil in surprise.
I never thought a Light Spirit would be in such a deep, dark forest!
Moreover, her adult form means she’s a high-ranking Spirit.
“But why is a Light Spirit in a place like this, and why was she crying?”
I had a preconceived notion that the dwelling place of Light Spirits would be a beautiful, radiant, sacred place, so the question of “why here?” blurted out.
However, Priscilla-chan seemed unable to understand my question and just tilted her head.
Perhaps Light Spirits are Spirits that can be found anywhere?
Come to think of it, they appeared normally and played in the Dragon Forest.
“No, no, no.”
Ares-chan shakes her head at my thoughts.
“Different, you say? Light Spirits aren’t everywhere?”
“Different, different.”
Grrr. What is different?
Because Ares-chan is a young child, her thinking might be immature, and she’s not to the point.
Since she’s not giving me any new information, I have no choice but to look at the Light Spirit, who has stopped crying.
She’s so thin, she’d be unable to stand if she were human. Her cheeks are also sunken, and she’s emaciated.
The Light Spirit looks at us, who appeared by cutting through the Forest of Bewilderment, with a strange expression.
Or rather, she looked at me first.
“H-hello…”
“Why is a human…?”
I could hear a faint voice because there were no animals around, and the surroundings were enveloped in silence.
“Um, we were taking a walk and somehow ended up in the Forest of Bewilderment.”
“You know. Priscilla brought me here.”
“…That’s right. I wouldn’t have been able to get here by myself.”
It’s the truth, but it’s a little sad.
The Light Spirit smiles at Priscilla-chan’s words.
“Ah, an ear-long race…”
“Older Brother is human? Priscilla lives in the Dragon Forest.”
“Living, living.”
“Oh, oh… Spirit of the Spirit Tree…”
This time, she looks at Ares-chan with a happy expression.
“I tried my best. For your return…”
The tears that had stopped begin to flow again. Then, she shows a green jewel she was carefully holding in her palm and offers it to Priscilla-chan.
“With this… my duty is…”
“Ah!”
Deep in the forest, the presence of the Light Spirit, which had existed like the sun’s radiance, suddenly flickers.
Her form, which had been clearly visible until now, suddenly becomes semi-transparent.
What duty?
Why was she alone in the depths of this Forest of Bewilderment?
I have questions I want to ask, but the Light Spirit seems to be fading away.
However, Priscilla-chan does not accept the jewel offered by the Light Spirit.
At that reaction, the Light Spirit’s expression became very sad.
I don’t understand what’s going on, but the Light Spirit seems to want to entrust the jewel to Priscilla-chan.
I try to urge her to accept it, saying, “You should take it.”
But.
“Um, you know. Priscilla wants to play together?”
With a beaming smile, she gently hugs the Light Spirit.
“Ahhhh…”
A sigh escapes the Light Spirit’s lips. Then, her expression changes to one of great happiness.
So that’s how it is.
I underestimated Priscilla-chan.
Priscilla-chan is innocent and always causes trouble for everyone around her, but in reality, she’s a very kind girl.
In particular, she gets along with any Spirit.
She has a contract with the Earth Spirit and the Wind Spirit based on friendship, not coercion, and she’s best friends with Ares-chan, the Spirit of the Spirit Tree.
It’s no wonder that kind Priscilla-chan wouldn’t abandon the Light Spirit who is about to disappear before her.
Priscilla-chan gently embraces the female Light Spirit and shares her Spirit Power with her.
It seems she was fading away due to a lack of Spirit Power.
The Light Spirit, receiving Priscilla-chan’s energetic Spirit Power, regains her form, which had been on the verge of disappearing.
“If you eat a lot, you’ll get better.”
I’m sure Priscilla-chan is talking about regular food, but in this situation, the Light Spirit’s food is Priscilla-chan’s Spirit Power.
Ares-chan takes out a purple sweet potato from her mysterious space and hands it to the Light Spirit. In return, she receives the green jewel the Light Spirit held so dear.
“Ares-chan, what kind of jewel is that?”
“Bewildering, bewildering.”
“Perhaps, with the power of that jewel, you cast the Bewildering Technique on the forest?”
Ares-chan nods vigorously.
I see, so the Light Spirit was the culprit behind the Forest of Bewilderment.
But, why did she cast the Bewildering Technique on the forest?
She seemed to be maintaining it at the cost of her own existence.
“Phew. Priscilla is tired.”
Once she had recovered enough for the Light Spirit to maintain her manifestation, Priscilla-chan finally stopped hugging her. Then, she got onto the lap of the Light Spirit, who was sitting down, and began eating the sweet potato from Ares-chan.
The Light Spirit also seemed at a loss as to what to do with the handed-over sweet potato, but seeing the young girls eat, she began to imitate them.
And what about my sweet potato?
“Gone, gone.”
“Sob, sob.”
Unfortunately, it seems to be out of stock.
Didn’t the mysterious space contain an infinite number of purple sweet potatoes?!
Come to think of it, the golden sweet potatoes were also eaten up at some point, so it seems nothing more than what was collected is stored.
Priscilla-chan, Ares-chan, and the Light Spirit eat the sweet potatoes with relish.
I watch them, my stomach rumbling.
Although it’s an encounter with many lingering questions, I think this is fine for now.
If Priscilla-chan, who cast the Bewildering Technique on the forest, becomes friends with the Light Spirit, I’m sure she’ll be able to find out how to get out.
But my expectations, as usual, were dashed.
“A rare life, one.”
“Ah! No, you can’t! You mustn’t eat the Light Spirit!”
Tearing through the sky of the Forest of Bewilderment, we see Teruru-chan, the guardian of the Forbidden Territory.
