Chapter 128 - <1>
"Here I am again…"
Ritz dismounted from his horse and let out a sigh-laden mutter. Spread before him was the greatest forest on the Yuresla continent, so dark that even in daytime, one could not see far ahead. Looking back, there was nothing but grasslands, with no sign of any people other than themselves.
This great forest, located in the northeastern part of the Yuresla Kingdom, was named Ciedena Forest. But few called the forest by its official name. Its other, more common name was far more famous.
Ciedena Forest… also known as the 'Spirit's Lost Forest.'
Only the beautiful spirit race—the Clan of Light—who possessed lifespans more than ten times that of humans and were born with the ability to converse with spirits, were permitted to live in that land.
Knowing this, humans rarely set foot in this forest casually. Occasionally, some unlucky souls would wander in unknowingly, but it was said there was no guarantee they would return alive. While this was merely rumor and hearsay, the forest was so endlessly vast that this was spoken of as a matter of course. Furthermore, it seemed that clocks and compasses that indicated direction would sometimes cease to function correctly.
For these reasons, humans who managed to escape the bewitching forest with their lives would speak of its horrors with a shudder, and thus the forest came to be known to the world as a place of terror.
In truth, Ritz had never had his clock go haywire in this forest, but that was likely because he technically belonged here.
It was currently early August in the year 1573 of the Yuresla Kingdom Calendar.
Three weeks had passed since they left Lef's village, and a full week since they had parted with Lef at the mountain border. But even though it was the height of summer, this forest was in a highland region, so it was cool with a refreshing breeze.
Just yesterday morning, they had passed swiftly through the city of Saradio, a day and a half's ride by horse, yet the climate here was quite different. Perhaps because the sun was about to set, it felt a little chilly.
"Never dreamed I'd be back in just a year."
After groaning what was half a complaint, he switched gears and turned, offering a hand to Anna, who was still on horseback.
"Here, your hand."
"Okay."
Her small hand was placed in his with a smile, and Anna dismounted as lightly as if she had no weight at all. After getting on and off the horse countless times each day, Anna had grown completely accustomed to it. The Anna of today would have no problem riding a horse by herself.
In fact, he knew she would probably ride much better than Franz. But he had no intention of giving up his current perk, so he had told Anna, "We don't have the money, so we're not buying a horse."
"Thank you."
"Yeah."
It was a little regrettable, but he let go of her soft hand, and Anna became fixated on the forest before them. She was carefully observing the towering trees from bottom to top.
"Whoa…"
She had been voicing her awe for a while now, but perhaps standing on the ground and looking up at this sight allowed one to feel its overwhelming presence even more.
"It's a really amazing forest. I can see it in the distance from the hill outside my village… but seeing it up close is incredible."
Anna's eyes were sparkling with wonder. Ciedena Forest spread out at the foot of the great mountain range located in the center of the continent, occupying a large portion of the Yuresla Kingdom side. From Vishnu, about a two-day walk from here, it would be clearly visible.
The total size of Ciedena Forest was still unknown.
"It feels so full of life. There must be a lot of spirits here."
"Probably."
"I knew it! So this is the sacred land of the spirit race…"
Anna said dreamily. He had once thought that a spirit user would be moved if he showed them his native forest, and it seemed he was right. Being unable to see spirits himself, he couldn't really feel it.
"Well, it's normal to me."
This deep forest, which would seem unfathomable to a normal person, was a playground for Ritz. He had no particular reason to be so impressed by this forest he had played in since he was a child. He noticed Edward had dismounted and was standing beside him, holding the reins.
"Seeing the Lost Forest in person makes me worry if you really are of the spirit race."
"Why's that?"
"If, by some chance, you weren't, we could end up wandering this forest forever."
Edward's tone was mostly joking, but a hint of sincerity was mixed in, and Ritz sulked.
"Like that would happen."
Ritz didn't officially belong to this clan, but he had actually lived and grown up here, so there was no way he would get lost. That was as certain as Edward not getting lost in the royal palace.
His gaze fell on the overly quiet Franz, who was just getting off his horse, looking even more tired than usual. He remembered how, when they passed through Saradio yesterday, Franz had been wearing ridiculously stuffy clothes for midsummer, which only made him stand out more.
It was true that he might not have been recognized as Franz, but it had undoubtedly drawn a lot of attention. If there was anyone in that city who wanted to hide their face that much, Franz would be at the top of the list. Anyone who knew that would surely find it suspicious. The man had no sense of moderation.
But he could understand Franz's fatigue. The fact was, they were all tired from having to camp out continuously, unable to even stay overnight after leaving a large city. He wanted to reach his home before sunset.
"Alright, let's go."
The forest interior was intricate, making it impossible to proceed on horseback. So, leading the horses, he urged everyone on, and as expected, they all wore tense expressions. It was no wonder they were all intimidated by the legendary Lost Forest. Knowing this, Ritz stepped into the forest with a nonchalant attitude.
"Don't trip on the tree roots. They sometimes stick out like traps."
He gently pulled the horse, and unlike the humans, it stepped into the forest obediently. It showed no resistance at all. This forest, terrifying to humans, seemed to be a comfortable place for creatures like horses. Indeed, the forest was teeming with many living things.
Confirming that Anna and Franz had stepped into the forest with some trepidation, and Edward with a look of great interest, Ritz took a deep breath. It was the scent of the nostalgic forest.
He proceeded at a leisurely pace, as if on a stroll, feeling a sense of nostalgia and a strange comfort. The forest was a very comfortable environment for Ritz as well. Despite his complaints, climbing trees, napping on their branches—his growth and the forest were inextricably linked. The reason he always felt the urge to leave on a journey when he was in a city was perhaps because it felt suffocating.
As Ritz was walking along, lost in such thoughts, Anna, who was walking beside him lightly gripping the hem of his clothes with some tension, spoke up.
"Hello."
"Hm? What is it?"
Thinking she had spoken to him, he looked down at Anna, but she was talking to a spot in the distance. There was nothing in her line of sight but more forest. Thinking it might be what he suspected, he glanced at Franz, who was also staring off into the distance with a look of astonishment.
As if something were clinging to him, Franz twisted his body in a panic and looked at himself. From Ritz's perspective, who couldn't see anything, it was quite amusing.
Edward, who likely couldn't see anything either, turned to look at Ritz. Their eyes met, and he couldn't help but give a wry smile. Something invisible to Ritz and Edward, but visible to Anna and Franz. It could only be a spirit.
"I'm Anna. And you are?"
Anna extended a hand into the empty space.
"Oh, I see, you're a tree spirit. Okay. I'll let him know."
With that, Anna waved at the empty space.
"Bye-bye!"
"What were you talking about?"
Now that she seemed to have finished, he asked, and Anna looked up at Ritz with a joyful smile.
"You know, there are lots of tree spirits. They're all bright and seem to be having fun."
"There are that many?"
It seemed they were spirits after all. Unfortunately, Ritz couldn't sense them in the slightest.
"And then, a whole bunch of them gathered around, and I was wondering what was going on, and they said they came to see you, Ritz."
"Me?"
"Yeah. They said, 'Welcome home.'"
"…I see."
He had always felt a gentle atmosphere in the air of this forest when he entered it. Perhaps he had always been welcomed like this by the spirits of the trees. He whispered a thank you to the unseen spirits in his heart and looked up at the sky.
The sunlight filtering faintly through the forest trees shimmered green. It was the same color as Anna's eyes. Maybe that was why he felt a sense of calm when he looked into her eyes.
Each of them savored the clear atmosphere of the forest as they proceeded leisurely. Strangely, the passage of time felt very slow. Perhaps this was the feeling of one's clock going mad.
After about two hours of walking, Ritz stood before a massive tree. The tree was so large that it seemed a single one could cover all the other trees in the vicinity. When Ritz stopped, Anna touched the trunk of the giant tree before her.
"What a big tree!"
"Yeah. They say it's been here since this forest became the Lost Forest."
"Since it became the Lost Forest, you say?"
Edward, who had been looking up at the tree as well, turned to look at Ritz. His face was a clear picture of doubt. It was quite rare to see Edward, who always knew more than Ritz, tilting his head in ignorance.
"Yeah. Though I don't know the details."
"I see… So it has been here for thousands of years, then."
"Probably."
"I see."
He had thought of showing him up, but being genuinely impressed like this made him feel strangely restless.
"So, where is the spirit race's settlement?"
At Franz's tired prompting, a mischievous thought sprouted in Ritz's mind. The mechanism for the entrance to the settlement was a familiar sight to him, but first-timers would surely be surprised.
Ritz gave a small, deliberate cough, and like a maître d' at a high-class restaurant, he placed one hand on his chest and gestured to the great tree with the other.
"Right this way, my esteemed guests."
When he said this playfully, everyone looked up at him with quite bewildered expressions. From their perspective, it looked like nothing more than a giant tree, so it was only natural.
In front of the confused group, Ritz touched the trunk of the great tree. The moment he did, a cool, refreshing sensation enveloped his entire body. In his mind, he conveyed his name to the image that appeared, and the giant tree before them began to glow, gradually transforming into a large, double-winged door.
"Ah…"
"Whoa…"
"Well, well…"
With their various cries of surprise at his back, Ritz lightly touched the heavy wooden door that had appeared before him. It looked heavy, but it was a door of illusion that had protected the Clan of Light for generations. In reality, it had no weight at all.
The door opened outwards without a sound, and from it, bright sunlight spilled into the dim forest, momentarily turning his vision completely white.
"It's so bright…"
A light tug on his hem made him look over to see Anna rubbing her eyes. The other two were also squinting at the brightness. As their eyes gradually adjusted, a familiar emerald-green lake and a sun-drenched clearing appeared on the other side of the door, like a phantom.
Turning back, he confirmed that the three behind him were staring dumbfounded at the other world beyond the door. Then, Ritz gave a bright smile to the three who were frozen in place.
"Welcome to Ciedena, my home."