They quietly gazed at the western sky tinged with sunset for a moment. The sky gradually turned to a dark purple. Unfortunately, the footprints they had tracked continued all the way down below the cliff.
“Are we really going? Really?”
Bluoa still couldn’t let go of his reluctance and persistently grabbed at Anya once more. The northernmost part of the White Forest was called the necromancer’s ruins, and as the name suggested, it was a place where ordinary people wouldn’t even think of setting foot unless they were imperial scouts or mages.
“I’m not f-forcing you. I’ve never c-coerced anyone.”
As the sun began to set, even the wind became bleak. Anya pushed back his windblown hair behind his ear and looked back at Bluoa. The boy’s eyes were already firmly set, as if he had made up his mind to go beyond.
Under the setting sun, traces of a faintly crumbled old tower could be seen. He hadn’t been interested in red earrings or winning the hunt from the start, but this was the only way to make Royster completely lose interest in Tildyen.
He was more persistent and petty than expected, and also had a cruel side that could harm others without guilt. At this opportunity where the Emperor himself had set up the stage, it would be best to cut off the bud before Royster’s twisted pride spread to Tildyen. He absolutely hated the thought of someone in Tildyen getting hurt or suffering because of him.
“But… it’s ominous. I’ve told you before, haven’t I? My intuition is incredibly sharp. That gut feeling is telling me—absolutely do not go down below this cliff.”
The tower visible in the distance like one giant black shadow was a product of long history, but unfortunately that history was a product of dark times rather than glorious ones.
“D-don’t worry. Even w-without you, sir, I can r-return alone just fine.”
They had come this far tying red cloth, distributed to hunt participants, to tree trunks here and there to easily find their way back.
“Didn’t you s-see it too, sir?”
What weighed most on his mind was, after all… those bloodstains. Even while reaching this place following the footprints, Anya and Bluoa had witnessed vivid bloodstains on rocks and tree trunks several times.
The young but firm face shimmering under the crimson light momentarily stirred Bluoa’s heart.
“Please g-go back, sir, and r-request scouts. I’m perfectly f-fine alone. Really.”
Saying so, Anya spurred without hesitation. The young horse’s leg muscles pulled taut clearly and soon began descending below, winding around the tall cliff.
‘Isn’t that young prince afraid of what might be down there?’
Bluoa could never know with what resolve Anya had received harsh training in Tildyen’s winter forest before coming here.
“Ha, I shouldn’t be doing this…”
A deep sigh finally burst from Bluoa’s mouth. Anya was right. He hadn’t been interested in the hunt rankings from the start. He had merely drifted here, drawn by wretched curiosity.
His curiosity was now somewhat satisfied, so it would be better to retreat around now and bring scouts as Anya advised. His reason was screaming so.
“Understood! I’ll bring scouts! Since you don’t have attendants anyway, you’ll need manpower to carry the game!”
Bluoa shouted toward Anya, who had already become as small as a dot. Anya briefly turned his head and nodded slightly in place of thanks.
When he came down the cliff, it was so quiet all around that not a trace of human presence could be found.
“……”
The road below the cliff was very dark with large mountain shadows, but Anya could find his way without difficulty. At one time people must have stayed here too, as there was a faint path, though it was a mess.
Anya began to slowly spur his horse while surveying the surroundings.
Just then, rough hoofbeats echoed from behind, growing closer. Oh no! Was it Royster? Anya drew out Haebing with nimble movements.
“Whoa, whoa! Your Highness, it’s me!”
Bluoa pushed aside Haebing’s blade with his finger, making an alarmed expression. Anya’s face relaxed and soon his gentle eyes widened round.
“Why did you c-come back?”
Bluoa inwardly whistled softly, recalling the boy’s eyes that had been sharply honed for that brief moment.
‘I thought it was just a child’s impetuousness, but he has quite knightly qualities?’
“Well… I’m curious too. Thinking about how you tormented His Highness Prince Royster during the day, I thought you might be able to protect me sufficiently.”
Bluoa shrugged his shoulders and joked. Though he spoke as if showing off, in truth he had been constantly concerned about what Evernight had said to him. Had he called it vulgar amusement?
‘It’s true, though.’
Then he might as well enjoy that amusement to the end.
“Come on, let’s go check out that place!”
Bluoa cried out vigorously and spurred his horse ahead of Anya. Though his caprice was rather bewildering, Anya eventually let out a laugh and followed behind, as his mood wasn’t so bad.
Had they ridden for about 10 more minutes? They passed a short, steep slope and crossed a very old large arched bridge covered with green moss in patches. The forest began again and they entered somehow dark land overgrown with peculiarly blackish trees.
“Oh dear, it’s raining.”
To make matters worse, when the surroundings became completely pitch black, drizzle began falling from the sky. They pulled up the hoods attached to their cloaks. Before they knew it, the tower was right before them.
“When it r-rains, the f-footprints get erased. Perhaps… this might be the l-limit.”
Though Anya’s voice showed a bit of disappointment as he said so, Bluoa was pleased.
Ruined old castle walls and pillars with strange patterns were scattered chaotically everywhere. Anya couldn’t suppress his curiosity and looked carefully around. Though he had lived most of his life in Maneregia near the White Forest, he had never seen or heard of such things.
“Was this… a v-village before?”
“Well, if it’s a village, you could call it a village. The problem is it’s a village no one remembers.”
Bluoa replied while sweeping the surroundings with wary eyes. To Anya’s perception, Bluoa, who seemed like an idle rake, knew surprisingly much more than expected. Even when entering this White Forest, hadn’t he shared stories related to the Lake of Memory and the White Forest?
“Who l-lived here? Since you said the White Forest was the e-elves’ dwelling… did elves l-live here?”
Bluoa’s finger pointed at a tower with one side completely burned black.
“See that tower there? It was a place where the White Forest’s elves researched magic. According to legend, the White Forest’s elf chieftain fell into Tanon’s clutches and became corrupted. Following him, they eventually crossed beyond the barrier and became Duroks. That’s why this land is called dark land. Now, well, nothing remains and hardly anyone remembers.”
“How do you kn-know so well, sir? When you say hardly anyone r-remembers.”
From far beyond the north, a cool wind gradually began to blow and the raindrops started intensifying. Now as it became complete night, the cloaks they wore became soaked through.
“Though most ancient books were all burned away as symbols of maintaining imperial authority and peace, there are many forbidden books in the World Library that those Hakseos Family bastards secretly hoarded. When I went to visit, I looked some up secretly from Hakseos.”
Bluoa shouted loudly in the pouring rain. There were still so many things to learn, places to visit in the world.
The two finally set foot in a place that was once both the White Forest’s great symbol and simultaneously, in the Third Era, responsible for noble reason. But what greeted them was the tower’s gloomy remnants along with a wide clearing surrounded in a belt pattern by stone pillars charred black by fire.
At that moment lightning flashed loudly and illuminated the flat, desolate clearing with no trees. Anya and Bluoa simultaneously doubted their eyes for an instant and let out sighs like lamentations.
“What… is all… this?”
There lay dozens of reindeer slaughtered cruelly and sprawled out. Bright red blood flowed out in the falling rain and seeped into the dark earth.
“At the h-hunt, only one is r-recognized anyway… there’s no need to kill them all so cr-cruelly.”
“It probably wasn’t killed by one person. Were there people moving as a group? Since they’re all competitors anyway… actually, moving as a group doesn’t make sense either. Even if they each take one reindeer the same way, the rankings won’t change anyway.”
Lightning flashed once more and within a few seconds, thunder spread out loudly enough to shake what was close by. At the terrible slaughter scene, Anya and Bluoa were at a loss for words.
“Unfortunately, we’re already a step too late.”
Anya wiped away the raindrops falling from the hood’s edge onto his face. Now the rain had intensified considerably, to the point where the sound of rain was louder than each other’s voices.
“Let’s return to the camp and report to His Majesty the Emperor.”
For now, that was the only option. Who could have done such a thing? Anya suddenly thought of Royster again. He couldn’t forget his voice shouting in fury in the middle of the lake.
‘Did he commit this massacre to vent his anger at me?’
It was too extreme.
“If the rain continues like this, we’ll have trouble returning. Even His Majesty won’t overlook… this degree of merciless slaughter. Because reindeer are, above all, sacred creatures of this place.”
His steps absolutely wouldn’t come away. Anya stared at the reindeer corpses for a long while. They were all dead without even their eyes closed. The stench of blood vibrated through the air. Then suddenly, Anya continued haltingly like someone who had discovered something strange.
“…Their, their entrails are all g-gouged out.”
An eerily chilling sense of déjà vu coiled around his entire body. That’s when it happened. A rustling presence was heard from among the bushes.
