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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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The deeper we went into the Demon Realm Forest, the more oppressive the air became.
Hayun, who had been grumbling ever since I let her down from my back, had finally fallen silent.
The suffocating atmosphere made it difficult to speak, and she simply trudged along behind me, her head down.
Glancing back at her, I realized she was reaching her limit.
If we continued like this, she would collapse from exhaustion.
“Get on my back.”
I offered my back once more, but this time, she refused.
“No, I need to get used to this. I can’t rely on you to carry me everywhere.”
“I think you’ll pass out before you get used to it. There’s a place to rest nearby, just until we get there.”
“……Sorry.”
Hayun practically collapsed onto my back.
I felt a tremor run through her slender frame as she leaned against me, and I quickened my pace.
‘Just need to make it to the witches’ village.’
The witches’ village, located in the heart of the forest, wasn’t too far away.
If I ran at full speed, we could reach it quickly.
The witches, sensing our approach, rushed out to meet us, ready to defend their territory.
But they recognized me from afar and immediately brought out their leader, the Grand Witch.
“It’s been a while.”
Although she didn’t seem particularly happy to see me, she had no choice but to welcome us.
Not if she wanted her village to remain intact.
“I’m here to rest for a bit. Please give this girl a place to stay.”
“……Follow me.”
The Grand Witch frowned slightly at my casual demand, but she didn’t protest.
She knew better than to defy me.
I had made our positions clear when I had entered the forest to eradicate the Tudogs.
“There’s someone who was looking for you.”
Her voice was laced with a hint of bitterness.
I didn’t understand her meaning until I saw the girl lying in the infirmary bed.
“Adriana?”
“Daniel? Hayun?”
Adriana, who had been reading a book in bed, was startled to see us.
After gently laying Hayun, who had fainted from exhaustion, on the bed, I turned to face Adriana.
“Weren’t you supposed to be with Eris in the beast-kin territory?”
“……That’s right. Actually, I was planning to visit you as soon as I recovered, so this is perfect timing.”
Adriana closed her book and set it aside.
With Hayun in the Grand Witch’s care, we were finally free to talk.
“We went to the beast-kin territory to chase down Horan, the last surviving member of the Tudogs. We should have finished the job and returned by now, but…”
“But?”
“The first problem was Horan’s family. She’s the eldest daughter of the Tiger Clan. It took us some time to deal with them.”
Hmm?
So that was what the Tudog leader meant when he told Horan to run away because she had somewhere to go.
The Tiger Clan was known for its ferocity, even among the beast-kin.
But I was sure they had won in the end.
Even the most powerful clan wouldn’t dare challenge someone like Eris, Adriana, Maester Hatsim, and Jaegua, the beast king’s subordinate.
“We eventually reached their last research lab, but… we ran into someone rather… intense.”
Intense?
Adriana shivered, as if the memory itself was too terrifying to bear.
After taking a few deep breaths to calm herself, she continued.
“Kurika… the King of Ancient Beasts… was there.”
“What?”
My voice rose in alarm, loud enough to make even the Grand Witch, who was tending to Hayun, look up in surprise.
But I was too shocked to care.
“Kurika appeared in the beast-kin territory? Are you sure you weren’t mistaken?”
I had assumed he was in Nirva, but it seemed I was wrong.
Could Adriana be mistaken too? But she shook her head firmly.
“No, he definitely came to the beast-kin territory. He destroyed the Tudogs’ research lab and killed Horan.”
“……”
Kurika leaving the Demon Realm Forest meant something dangerous had been taken from it.
The Tudogs had a history of stealing from the forest, so it wasn’t surprising that Kurika would retaliate.
‘Especially after they messed with Arianna’s Flower.’
The Predator that devours all mana.
Copying Arianna’s Flower and implanting it into their bodies… it would have been strange if Kurika had remained indifferent.
Wait a minute.
“Don’t tell me… you fought him?”
Kurika?
Even I had less than a 50% chance of winning against him.
They actually fought against that ancient beast, whose mere presence could make anyone tremble in fear?
I prayed they hadn’t, but Adriana crushed my hopes without mercy.
“Yes… we fought him.”
A wave of fear washed over me.
“Eris! Is Eris alright?”
Even Eris, the Guardian of Yggdrasil, was no match for Kurika.
In my past life, she had grown incredibly strong after living in the Demon Realm Forest, but even then…
Kurika was an insurmountable opponent.
The Eris who had only lived in Yggdrasil wouldn’t stand a chance.
“Kurika acknowledged her strength, so she wasn’t killed, but she’s severely injured.”
“……”
I clenched my fists, a mixture of anger and relief swirling within me.
Eris was hurt, but she hadn’t died.
‘Fighting Kurika and surviving… it’s a miracle.’
For Eris, who had never experienced the horrors of the Demon Realm Forest, to be acknowledged by Kurika… I couldn’t even imagine how hard she must have fought.
“You did well.”
I patted Adriana’s shoulder.
She had accompanied Eris out of a sense of responsibility, feeling obligated to represent the witches in this incident caused by the Tudogs.
But she didn’t have to risk her life fighting Kurika.
Yet she did.
And I was grateful.
“…Still… it’s a shame to turn her into a broodmare.”
“What?”
“No, nothing.”
I think I just heard something I shouldn’t have.
Adriana cleared her throat and continued her story.
“We lost. We were all badly injured, and we could only watch as Kurika destroyed the lab and left.”
Her words felt like a punch to the gut.
They had failed to find a way to reverse my sister’s dragonification.
But the story wasn’t over yet.
“Then, the Tiger Clan, who had also been searching for Horan, arrived. That’s when the misunderstanding happened. They assumed we had killed Horan and arrested us.”
“……”
“Thankfully, Jaegua, who was backed by the Beast King, was with us, so we weren’t executed on the spot. But Eris, Maester Hatsim, and Jaegua are all imprisoned in the beast-kin territory.”
Adriana pointed to a wooden ring on her finger.
“The Grand Witch gave us all rings that allowed us to warp back to the village. I was the only one who managed to escape before they could catch me. I was going to tell you immediately, but…”
“I stopped her. Adriana is in no condition to travel.”
The Grand Witch interrupted, cutting Adriana off.
I wanted to protest, but seeing Adriana’s bandaged body, I realized the Grand Witch was right.
It would be too dangerous for her to travel in her current state.
“I’m sorry, Daniel. I should have warned Eris about Kurika. I knew how dangerous he was…”
No, Adriana wasn’t to blame.
Even if she had warned them, Eris would have fought anyway.
For the young elf who had been turned into a dragon, and for my sister.
“You must have been through a lot.”
I gently stroked Adriana’s hair, trying to offer her some comfort.
Then, I fell into deep thought.
Although I wanted to rush to Eris’s rescue immediately, I had to deal with the current situation first.
I turned to the Grand Witch.
“There have been strange occurrences deep within the forest recently, haven’t there?”
“……What are you talking about?”
“Don’t play dumb. I already know.”
I didn’t just know, I had experienced it firsthand.
The other Nirva, the one in the Demon Realm Forest.
“It’s Sharcal. He created that magical city.”
The Grand Witch sighed, her voice weary.
It seemed she had been investigating this incident herself.
“I went to speak with him. I’m the only witch who can meet with Sharcal directly.”
So even Sharcal acknowledged the Grand Witch’s strength?
I nodded, urging her to continue.
“He’s investigating. After Adriana returned, he learned that Kurika, who had left the forest to deal with her, was working with someone.”
“Working with someone?”
Kurika? With someone else?
Come to think of it, Sharcal had called me “Kurika’s servant.”
“Sharcal was curious about Kurika’s intentions. After all, they were two pillars supporting the Demon Realm Forest. He was worried that Kurika might be changing, so he kidnapped one of the two people traveling with him.”
“Hmm?”
The pieces were starting to fall into place, and the Grand Witch’s next words confirmed my suspicions.
“He’s reading the memories and experiences of the person he kidnapped. That city… it’s part of the process.”
“Ah!”
It all made sense now.
Why Nirva had appeared in the Demon Realm Forest.
Why Hayun’s dead parents were there, and why we were attacked by servants who had been fired.
Why there was a fake Priestess of Time.
It was all based on Heaven Len’s memories.
That was why Nirva was so identical, and why people who shouldn’t be there were present.
A sense of accomplishment washed over me as I finally solved the puzzle, but a terrifying thought crept into my mind.
‘Why was Heaven Len traveling with Kurika?’
And why would they enter the Demon Realm Forest together?
The Demon Realm Forest wasn’t a place you could simply enter with a group of strong people.
Especially not the deepest parts of the forest, where Kurika resided.
Unless they had a Sherpa, or someone with experience navigating the forest…
“No way.”
There was someone.
Someone who had followed Heaven Len with religious fervor, someone who, like me, possessed memories of the forest.
The woman who had effortlessly stolen the essence of the Demon Realm Forest, the knowledge I had painstakingly acquired through blood and sweat.
Because her memories and mine had been exchanged.
“The Priestess of Time… is alive?”
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[Your Text Here]
thought i was tripping, but this is ch. 172; the chapter repeated.