The Demon Lord's Bride (BL)
Chapter 314: Trecking across the forest is a serious business

Chapter 314: Trecking across the forest is a serious business

[Go to forest! Forest call for Jade!] the little bird flapped its wings energetically as we approached the river’s junction.

"They’re not calling for me," Ignis sighed. "I think they’re kind of afraid of me."

Fire and leaves, huh? I didn’t think fire could burn a humid forest, but then again, Salamander’s fire was not like other fires. I patted the little gecko on my shoulder in consolation. "Don’t worry--as long as you don’t set anything on fire."

"The plants in the forest are tough, so you can count on them to defend themselves even if such mishaps happen, Your Highness," our druid guide, Halurean, told us assuringly.

"Oh, that’s good!" I stroked the little gecko’s neck in delight. After all, I wouldn’t want my companion to be banned for arson just after I got my friend absolved of blasphemy. "But...umm..."

I glanced at the druid sheepishly, and he blinked innocently. "Yes?"

"Can you do something about how you call me?" I scratched my neck and shifted my gaze to Ilya. "Uh, you too."

"Me too?" Ilya raised his brows. "What should I call you, then, Your Excellency?

Young prince?"

My lips pursed instantly. "That doesn’t sound better..."

Thankfully, Natha came to the rescue. "Young Master is fine."

"I guess..."

Well, I knew they wouldn’t want to call me by name, and I had used to be called that too at this point.

"That doesn’t sit well with me," Halurean frowned slightly--now he was the one who pouted. "But if it’s your wish."

"Yes, yes!" I nodded eagerly. "It’s my biggest wish right now!"

Natha chuckled and patted my back softly. "Careful, sweetheart; you might want to keep that wish for something more substantial."

"That’s why I said ’right now’," I argued, patting my heaved chest. "And my comfort is substantial!"

Natha tilted his head. "Hmm...well, if you put it that way."

"Hehe," I grinned and grabbed his hand as we arrived at the riverbank. "Anyway, is there no bridge or any--oh?"

Just as I wondered about it, the water’s surface suddenly rippled and stone platforms came up all the way across the river. It was wide enough for one person to step on it, with adequate distance to walk normally without us needing to jump.

"Ooh!" I exclaimed in awe, clapping a little bit with Jade although the little bird had no need for a stepping stone.

Halurean casually stepped on the stone, and Natha nudged me lightly to follow through. He was right behind me, always just a step away. I could feel his hand so close to my back, as if he was ready to catch me all the time.

Which meant he thought I would fall into the water all the time.

"I can maintain my balance this much," I protested the moment we reached the other side while waiting for Ilya.

"I don’t trust you near rivers," Natha replied easily.

Ugh...he would never let me off about that, would he? I wanted to pout in protest but he smiled charmingly that I couldn’t feel upset about it.

Haa...this is why you don’t do things recklessly, Val.

Once Ilya jumped to the riverbank, Halureon guided us to a path that went further to the thin side of the forest, where it still felt more like a park than a forest. It didn’t take long, however, until the pathway gradually lost the bright sunlight as the canopy of leaves grew tighter.

And then Halureon stopped, turning back to look at us with a serious face. "From now on, please only walk the path that I take."

"Okee," I raised my hands in pledge and nodded solemnly.

[Okee!]

Jade stopped flying and perched on my shoulder instead. Conceding its place, Ignis slithered over to Natha’s shoulder, who came to hold my hand and walked together with me. Ilya, meanwhile, was keeping guard behind us.

From what, you ask?

Well...there was no way druids were the only ones who resided inside this great forest, don’t you think? Elves, as a race of hunters and archers, had the best eyesight among us. Not that I thought anything would be able to go past Natha’s guard.

Snuggled in the middle of all these excellent guards, including my two adorable little companions, I had all the leeway to observe our druid guide and how his path tracking worked. At least, I meant to do it, before I felt like walking into a sticky syrupy membrane.

Not literally, but it felt like that.

"Uff--" I gasped and coughed for that one second of weird sensation, which I realized was the barrier. "That was thick."

"As expected, you’ll be able to feel the barrier, Your--Young Master," Halurean glanced back with a smile, which made me look at Natha.

"What? Don’t you feel that too?"

"I’m not that sensitive to elemental mana," Natha shook his head. "It just felt like going through a slightly heavier air for me, and normal people with low sensitivity probably wouldn’t even feel anything."

Hoo...and that would lower their guard, I guess? Made them more susceptible to the confusing illusion that would lead them astray. I looked around the forest and...yeah, even without any illusion, I felt like these plants would lead them astray.

Compared to the section near the forest, the part on this side of the barrier was darker; the trees were taller, with bigger foliage that seemed to be interlaced with each other and formed a canopy above us. But the sunlight piercing through the gaps was beautiful, casting these curtains of light that made Jade chirp quietly in delight. And it wasn’t just darker due to the less light, but also because the color all around was deeper, richer--as rich as the elemental mana abound. I had to take Jade in my arms and stroke the little bird that became giddy from the bath of mana.

For a while, we just walked following Halurean in silence, getting used to our surroundings. The plants in this part were rather tight, and there was no clear path on the forest bed. No wonder Halurean told us to follow his steps tightly. If I stray just a meter away, the bushes and trees could isolate me, covering up the others’ presence. So, unless I could ask these plants to befriend me enough to tell me the way, I should adhere to the rule.

And in case you forgot, I had this tendency to walk astray when I was too absorbed in observing my surroundings; Doun often scolded me for this when we were in the Lair’s forest. Belatedly, I realized it was why Natha had never let go of my hand the moment we stepped into the forest.

"Nat, did you take this route to the last time?" I asked in a whisper once I got a bit bored from the constant vigilance.

"I wasn’t going here the last time,"

"Oh?"

"This is not the nearest druid settlement to the elvendom," he replied. "I needed help as fast as possible at that time, so we sent a message to Chief Counsel and I met Amarein in the closest tribe settlement from Sarteriel that didn’t need a whole day of journey."

"Ah..."

Halurean glanced back and explained further. "Alnin’s settlement is the center of druid’s society, and it’s where the Chief Council usually held. The current Chief tribe of Alnin is the first cousin of the last King, so...he will be your closest kin, Young Master."

"I see..." I nodded, wondering if that was the tribe where Amarein came from. "Is the forest where you stay always protected by the barrier?"

"...no," Halurean answered hesitatingly before looking to the front again. Even though I couldn’t see his face, I could feel his conflicting mood. It took him a few minutes before speaking again. "We only put the barrier after the war."

"Oh..."

He shifted awkwardly in his step, and I wondered if he felt guilty for me because of that. Before I could say anything more about it, however, we arrived at a small clearing that received more sunlight. The air was lighter here, and I could feel the barrier thinning. We were still in the middle of the forest, though, nowhere near the settlement.

Halureon stopped and turned toward us. "The barrier is lighter from now on, so I plan to go faster. That way, we’ll be able to reach the tribe before nightfall."

"Oh, we’ll be running?"

"Yes," he nodded, focusing on me. "Is it okay...Young Master? We can take a short rest here before--"

"It’s okay," I waved my hand to cut him. "I’d rather rest once we arrive."

Also...I didn’t think I would ever lose stamina in this forest rich with life force. Halurean looked at Natha and Ilya next, and after they gave their agreement, he turned around.

"The forest is less treacherous, but please follow me tightly just the same," he said, before starting to move.

He did not run immediately, increasing the pace from walking briskly to a small jog. After making sure I followed behind him closely, he started to dash, and Jade wrapped wind magic around my feet to make me move better.

Thanks to that, I also felt light when I ran, and had no problem following the druid. Natha the former adventurer and Ilya the hunter, of course, had the easiest time among us.

Since I had to keep on running behind Halurean in precision, my mind had no time to wander around and there was no danger of me going astray. When I felt a bit tired, I immediately reinvigorated myself, and it only took us a short water break for each hour of running.

I couldn’t say the journey was all smooth though. While Halurean tried to take a path where we wouldn’t encounter beasts and other mysterious entities, sometimes it was them who came to us. Mostly though, they were repelled by Natha’s fear-inducing gaze, but some had enough wit to repel it. In that case, I was given a chance to witness an elf’s powerful and precise archery. Rather than a longbow, however, Ilya used the crossbow and quickly got rid of our attacker before they could get too close.

You know what--the journey did run smoothly since I didn’t have to do anything. Trusting the capability of the two guards, Halurean almost never stopped to hide or seek protection, just occasionally glancing up to check on the sun’s position.

With time, everything just felt like a blur of green and brown with a splash of color. Pretty disappointing, because I would like to know the forest more. But we were pressed for time, so unless we wanted to spend the night camping in the middle of the forest, we had no leeway for a stroll.

Just as I got bored and numb from the constant running, my eyes caught a flash of white in front of us. I would have thought it was a ghost if not for the familiar mana I felt from the figure.

Excitedly, I waved my hand at the smiling lady.