The End of Your Arrogance - Chapter 38.2

“Pia, was it? You’ll accompany me to explore the entrance of the Dark Forest,” Ilya stated.

“But, Your Majesty, the full moon hasn’t even risen yet. What would we do there so early?” Nikolas protested, but Ilya remained resolute.

As Ilya nodded, Evelyn reluctantly approached his side.

His face, which had shown a displeased expression throughout, softened slightly. Soon enough, he returned to his usual cold demeanor.

He swiftly lifted Evelyn onto his horse, catching her off guard. She let out a surprised “Eek!” before they started galloping away.

“Let’s go.” Navoron, Ione, and the lieutenant followed Ilya’s lead.

How long did they ride like that?

In the distance, Evelyn doubted her own eyes at the vague sight before her.

Whoosh! A gust of wind blew from somewhere, and a cascade of black waterfalls began pouring down. Evelyn’s heart started pounding in response.

“Do you see it? The Dark Forest,” Ilya said.

Evelyn couldn’t tell if it was due to the man behind her or the looming dark forest in front of her, causing her heart to flutter with uncertainty.

With towering trees that seemed to pierce the sky, densely packed and intertwined without any gaps, Evelyn couldn’t help but be amazed.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before. It’s more like a waterfall than a forest.”

“People who see the Dark Forest for the first time often react the way you do. I was the same,” Ilya replied.

They moved slowly in front of the barrier formed by the entangled trees over many years.

Evelyn brushed aside a tree in front of her and asked, “Is it forbidden to go inside by cutting these trees?”

“There were people who had the same idea. They all died. Their flesh melted away when they were struck by the sap that oozed from the trees.”

‘This… is truly a cursed forest.’

Whoosh! The sound of branches rustling in the wind was far from reassuring.

“What kind of path is between these cliffs?”

“We’ll find out when the full moon rises.”

Ilya couldn’t tell either. All they could do was wait until the full moon and try whatever they could.

“What if nothing happens even when the full moon rises… What do we do then?”

Evelyn asked with a worried expression, to which Ilya casually replied, “We’ll figure it out. We’ll come back next full moon.”

Evelyn was surprised by the casual response.

“Yeah, if it doesn’t work, we can always try again. Why am I so scared?”

“It seems like that’s why knights follow you, Your Majesty.”

“What’s all this sudden talk?” Ilya asked in a curt voice.

“If I were a knight, if I had a commander who spoke like you in difficult situations, I would trust and follow them,” Evelyn explained.

“…”  

Ilya remained silent, his expression unreadable.

Evelyn moved forward with an air of nonchalance, as if she had never heard an unsettling sound before. Ilya silently watched the small figure in front of him and followed behind her.

When Evelyn suddenly stopped in her tracks, Ilya asked, “What’s there?”

Ilya quickened his pace and approached Evelyn’s side. Seeing her trembling shoulders, he inquired, “What’s wrong?”

Ilya’s eyes followed Evelyn’s gaze, and his pupils shifted.

Two thick branches were entwined, resembling the crossing of two little fingers.

“It’s just an interesting shape formed by the entangled branches,” Evelyn explained.

‘It must be a coincidence… Naturally occurring. What reason could she have to come all the way here? ‘

Evelyn scanned the area with her eyes, longing for the brown-haired girl she could no longer see.

The surroundings, which were already darkened by the tall trees, became even darker as they were obscured by them.

Soon, it was time for the full moon to rise.

*****

Finally, the long-awaited night arrived. The group gathered at the agreed-upon location, excluding Stas, who was entrusted with guarding their rear.

The full moon seen from the entrance of the Dark Forest was unusually large and red. It was the only splash of color in a world cloaked in darkness.

“Your Majesty, not even a single ant is present. It seems like they won’t move until we do,” the deputy who had gone on reconnaissance with Navaron reported.

“We can’t return empty-handed like this. Rene, what should we do?” Evelyn asked.

“Just a moment.”

Rene took out a crimson necklace and a ring from her magical pouch.

“What are those?” Ioane asked, curious.

Rene chuckled softly in response.

“The key to opening the path into the Dark Forest, perhaps?” Evelyn couldn’t take her eyes off the ring, her gaze fixated on the moonlit surface that seemed to beckon to her.

“T-This… What is it?” she stammered.

The ring floated above Rene’s palm and began spinning in place. Fireflies appeared from somewhere, circling around the ring and emitting a soft glow.

“Huh? It’s moving forward!”

The spinning of the ring halted, and it started moving forward. The fireflies gathered together, following the ring and tracing a trail of light.

Everyone slowly followed the ring, moving at a steady pace. The horses moved in single file, guided by the radiant tail of light emitted by the ring.

“Stop, everyone!”

Ilya, who was leading the way, chasing after the ring, came to a halt. The others followed suit, heeding his signal.

‘Huh? That’s where it was earlier.’

It was the place where branches were entwined, resembling the crossing of two little fingers—a place that reminded them of the girl they missed.

Swish! The Dark Forest surged forward like a wave before receding, repeating the motion. A whirlpool formed at the spot where the branches were entangled.

“Your Majesty, let’s get closer.”

Ilya didn’t hesitate and urged his horse toward the location where the ring had stopped.

“Your Majesty, it’s dangerous!”

“Pia! Come out immediately!”

The ring, floating in the air, attached itself to Evelyn’s ring finger. It automatically resized to fit snugly around her finger.

Instinctively, Evelyn twisted her hand, wearing the ring, in various directions.

Click! As a sound echoed, a beam of light shot out from the ruby on the ring, piercing through the center of the full moon like an arrow.

And then…

The moon trembled, tilting to the side. Molten moonlight started cascading down like lava.