# Chapter 49
Despite having secured the help of Ensha, the leader of Narkisa’s slave trader guild, Ion had almost given up hope as no information had been forthcoming. He thought it would be difficult to use their slaves as informants despite their presence throughout the continent.
But now, they had brought surprisingly clear information.
‘Caron Imperial Palace…!’
The place where Levi was located was the Caron Imperial Palace.
Each imperial palace on the continent naturally housed slaves exclusively for the imperial family. Whether to serve the imperial family at night or to perform the lowest and most arduous tasks, a considerable number of slaves resided in the palace.
While the imperial servants were responsible for managing them as a whole, the slave traders who had sold them also played a role in providing periodic training to prevent any disturbances.
The fact that they had only just delivered this information meant that Levi had been confined in a space within the palace where even other slaves couldn’t spot him. Perhaps he had been abandoned in some filthy, gloomy prison.
This thought filled Ion with immeasurable anger.
’08:27… Black Forest…!’
Levi had departed from the palace at 08:27 with four others and was heading to the Black Forest. Whether it was by Levi’s own will or if he was being dragged along, Ion had no time to think deeply about it.
Ion hurriedly pulled out his pocket watch to check the time.
The current time was 11:42.
The distance from the Caron Empire’s palace to the Black Forest would take a day and a half on horseback, assuming one rode without stopping. Considering the carriage’s speed, it would take two days.
Without further thought, Ion gripped the piece of cloth tightly and left his office.
The distance from Grand Duke Verdit’s mansion to the Black Forest was just as considerable as departing from the Caron Empire, but Ion planned to ride his horse without rest. If he didn’t even sleep and changed to fresh horses along the way, he could surely reach the Black Forest a little earlier than them.
The border was the problem. It was obvious that security would be strict during wartime, and his fame might make him instantly recognizable.
‘Hest will have a usable method.’
Hest had always kept an eye on the Black Forest even after it had fallen into enemy hands.
“Tell me when you absolutely need to go. I’ll provide a backdoor for you once.”
It was finally time to use the backdoor Hest had mentioned.
❖ ❖ ❖
Levi, who had been sleeping seated in the carriage, opened his eyes at the feeling of a large jolt. Had he sensed killing intent or threat, his body would have moved before his eyes even opened, but this jolt carried no such indication.
What Levi saw upon opening his eyes was still the interior of the carriage. The only difference was that Raziel, who had been sitting across from him, was now seated beside him, offering his shoulder.
The carriage shook entirely once more as the wheel ran over a large stone. Raziel, who had wrapped his arm around Levi’s heaving shoulder to support him, frowned as he looked out the window.
“Not only the carriage, but the road is too rough as well.”
For a carriage that had departed from the imperial palace, it was a small and worn-out thing that could barely accommodate a couple of ordinary merchants. As a result, the entire carriage swayed feebly even over small stones.
Following Raziel’s gaze and looking out through the small gap in the curtain, Levi realized the scenery had already changed.
What was visible outside was a desolate plain where even a single blade of grass could hardly grow. Rough rocks, gravel, dry sand swirled, and occasionally the remnants of dead trees or plants could be seen. The lush greenery that had frequently been visible outside the window until the previous day had completely disappeared.
A plain no different from a desert, and in the middle of it, the strange Black Forest.
As Levi gazed outside, his heart began to race at the mere thought of the Black Forest, which hadn’t even come into view yet.
The same was true for Raziel, who was also looking outside like Levi.
Raziel’s eyes darkened, and the corners of his eyes trembled subtly.
“Hoo… So it’s really taking form.”
“Since it’s not a complete core, I’m not sure to what extent he can use his abilities, but just being unable to die will make him sufficiently useful to you.”
“Did you say he won’t have any memories after regeneration because the fragment is too small?”
“Yes. He’ll be practically an imbecile, so when he opens his eyes, you can directly train and tame him.”
A conversation floating in Raziel’s mind unpleasantly stirred his emotions. Voices he didn’t particularly want to remember continued without ceasing.
Something soft touched the corner of Raziel’s eye.
“You look upset.”
A small concern appeared on Levi’s face as he touched the corner of Raziel’s eye with his fingertips.
Feeling the voices in his mind suddenly vanish, Raziel looked at Levi and stopped the trembling at the corner of his eye. Not only that, he momentarily showed compassion.
But soon, sensing the carriage slowing down, Raziel’s eyes returned to their usual indifference as if nothing had happened. He took out a black mask that covered his nose and mouth from inside his garment, put it on, and wrapped a robe he had prepared in advance around Levi’s shoulders.
“Are we there?”
The voice that had been trembling as if anxious recently was quite clear today. Just the thought of being able to return to the Black Forest made his eyes filled with childlike anticipation.
Just as he had wrapped the robe and neatly tied the string around the neck to prevent it from coming undone, the carriage came to a complete stop. There were a couple of knocks from outside.
“Your Majesty, we have arrived at the Black Forest.”
What the two saw when they opened the door and went outside was literally a ‘Black Forest.’ The jet-black thorny trees were intertwined in all directions like nests, making it impossible to see any path to enter except for the entrance. Around the eerie wall of thorny trees, soldiers in armor engraved with the emblem of the Caron Empire had formed a circular formation, and nearby, a small tent had even been set up for sentries.
Raziel, walking ahead, noticed that Levi’s footsteps had stopped and turned around.
“Levi.”
Even though his name was called, Levi didn’t move. He was lost in thought, gazing at the Black Forest as if immersed in memories. His jet-black eyes wavered with a distant look.
“You can come whenever you want.”
Levi’s eyes finally moved at Raziel’s words.
“Is that really okay?”
A gentle hand touched the head of Levi, who had hurriedly joined Raziel’s side with small steps.
“Yes.”
With that short answer, Levi’s mood began to improve indescribably.
‘Happy…?’
He had a strange sense of déjà vu.
It felt like there had been an occasion when he had come to recognize the emotion of happiness as he did now, but he couldn’t remember what it was. It was just a vague feeling, like a grain of sand rolling around somewhere.
Before Levi could think more deeply, Raziel took his hand and headed for the entrance of the Black Forest. The soldiers standing on either side of the entrance all bowed at the waist to make way, and Raziel walked into the forest without hesitation.
Only two soldiers followed the pair. Strangely, the three close aides who always secretly followed Raziel didn’t move. These men, known as the Emperor’s knights and counselors, merely watched as the two, accompanied by just two ordinary soldiers, entered the forest.
As Levi set foot in the Black Forest, he felt his entire body becoming cozy as if wrapped in a soft, fluffy blanket. His breath naturally drew in deeply and exhaled steadily, and each time, the moisture from the Black Forest that entered his lungs intoxicated him. Had Raziel not guided him by the hand, he might have stood in the middle, endlessly gazing at the forest.
It was about ten minutes after they had entered the forest.
Suddenly, Levi’s pace quickened. Levi, who had been walking slowly as if admiring the scenery, soon passed Raziel who was walking ahead, and began to run quickly toward a deeper part. Rather than trying to catch Levi, Raziel quietly followed, matching his pace.
At the spot where Levi stopped was a shabby tent. Inside the small, black tent, which could have been built at any time, there were numerous odds and ends that somehow hadn’t even collected dust properly, and in front of it were small pieces of wood that had been gathered to make a campfire a very long time ago.
Raziel passed Levi, who was standing quietly looking at the tent, and looked down at two wooden buckets placed nearby. Despite being outside, they showed almost no signs of dust accumulation, just like the items inside the tent.
“I had people manage it daily. So that you could stay as you pleased if you ever came yourself.”
Levi, who had been looking at the tent, felt his heart, which had been moving slowly as if it might beat or not, now beating rapidly like any other human. Perhaps that’s why it felt numb and painful. He felt that if he stayed like this, it would be overwhelming to the point that something might be pulled up from inside and out of his mouth.
‘This is… where I was born.’
Levi tried to recall the first day of his life three months ago when he first opened his eyes.
On that day, the first thing that entered Levi’s eyes was a large torch burning bright red and flickering in a cold stone chamber.
