The king had issued an order. My brigade was to investigate the forest. Officially, our mission was just that—an investigation—but I knew that if we were to encounter any unexpected issues, the king would expect us to resolve said issues.
The Fourth Knights Brigade has always had more contact with the forest than any of the other units. Most of the time, it was in the form of monster capture and subjugation missions, but being sent to survey one area or another in the forest isn’t unusual for us either. So despite the strange business with the magestone that’s got everyone a bit flustered, today’s mission doesn’t worry me in the slightest.
“But this time you’re going to the center of the forest. Doesn’t it worry you that the problem seems to be originating from where the monarchs were supposed to dwell?”
I chuckled at my friend’s words. He’d always worried too much for his own good. The so-called monarchs of the forest were nothing compared to our king. Besides, by now it had been decades since a monarch had been seen in the forest—and even if one or two of them did still lurk in those trees, what did I have to fear?
The news that a crack had appeared in the magestone had all the knights talking at first, of course. But pretty soon it came to light that the crack in question was tiny—and our magestone was far larger than any of the others discovered throughout history. A tiny crack or two posed no harm to a magestone over a meter tall. According to the records, there’d already been a few small fractures in it when they’d unearthed the magestone anyway. Why fear another crack now? Even if a king was still alive somewhere in the forest, all we had to do was crush it. Those false monarchs were a thing of the past.
Still, when the mages had first alerted the king to the new crack, there’d been a lot of unease among those in the castle, and the knights had been no exception. However, once we’d learned of the insignificant size of said crack, unease had turned to indifference, and anyone still foolish enough to voice their fears became the subject of ridicule—just as they deserved. Our kingdom possessed the strongest power in the entire world. Fear was unnecessary.
“I hope you’re right...” my friend mumbled, smiling timidly.
I smiled in return and teased him again for worrying so much. Coward.
We stood at the border of trees that marked the edge of the forest. A path led the way inside—the same path we always took. One more step and I’d be inside, but for some reason, my feet refused to move. I glanced behind me, taking in the mirrored expressions of my subordinates; apprehension written on every face.
The forest looked the same as it always had, at least from where we stood. But it felt different. Fear bubbled up inside me, like it was oozing out of the ocean of trees and straight into my chest.
But nothing’s changed. Nothing could have changed.
I sent the slaves to conduct a preliminary search of the forest as always. Usually, the Brigade would spend this time setting up camp while we awaited their return. Today, no one moved. I knew everyone else was feeling the same way I did: Something inside was saying not to sleep here.
The slaves returned from the forest. To my great relief, they hadn’t found anything out of the ordinary in the near vicinity. Fear still roiled in my chest, but I had to follow my orders. My feet felt like lead as I took that final step, crossing the border into the forest.
I remembered how my friend had looked when we’d last spoken. Sad. Worried.
Maybe I should have listened to him...