76

Research Lab in the Royal Palace of Sibareth.

"Any progress on your end?"

Roland asked his apprentice. They had been experimenting with magic and herbs to restore a soil sample brought from Nakil.

"...None at all. If anything, it's gotten worse."

One of the apprentices muttered as they stared into a flask.

The soil inside had turned pitch black and was filled with the carcasses of dead larvae. Roland clicked his tongue and looked into his own flask.

In Roland's flask, the soil had liquefied entirely.

The insects and worms he had placed inside had completely vanished without a trace.

The results were the same for the other apprentices.

Out of the twenty or so samples, not a single one had reverted to healthy soil, nor had any of the insects or plants survived.

"This is dire. No matter what we try, it doesn't work..."

"Perhaps the conditions in the lab are skewing the results. In that case, Mukbar will have to succeed out there in the field..."

Roland muttered.

Mukbar, one of the royal representatives of a bloodline, was the minister in charge of the national environment and forests.

He was currently stationed near a river by Nakil, accompanied by a few elemental spirits of earth and water, as well as high-ranking mages.

The river was already a grotesque shade of green at a glance.

They had been working there for days to restore the blighted land, but

nothing was working. To make matters worse, pollution had begun spreading into the river itself, and they were at a loss.

"If the river becomes contaminated, the residents will no longer be able to survive. This is grave."

Mukbar said to his subordinate, the earth spirit Beron Leonis.

Beron, with long brown hair cascading to his waist, answered solemnly.

"The water spirits say the best they can do is prevent it from flowing into the other rivers."

"...What a dreadful turn of events..."

Mukbar sighed and closed his eyes.

War and environmental collapse—Sibareth was now suffering both internal and external crises, and its national fate wavered.

"The fairyfolk have the most extensive knowledge about land purification... yet of all times, Muria has joined the war..."

At Mukbar's words, one of the mages ground his teeth and snapped back,

"Then it's clear—they knew this and sided with Naizman. Crafty little fairies!"

"Let us hope His Grace the Grand Duke remains unharmed."

"Do not worry. Since His Grace took to the battlefield himself, our army has reportedly gained the upper hand. However..."

"However?"

"It's said that Prince Farid, the fourth son of Naizman's royal family, has emerged. His martial prowess is said to be formidable. We must remain vigilant."

"So they're committing to a full-on war. It wasn't just some opportunistic raid."

"Which means Naizman must truly believe in the curse of the Red-tailed Meteor..."

"Now, now, let's not give in to despair. All rules have exceptions. We'll overcome this with wisdom."

Beron the earth spirit listened to the exchange, then lifted a handful of soil.

Its coarse particles crumbled in his hand—nothing like the soil he once knew.

The memory of swimming together with Zeffel, Mia, and the beastfolk boys felt like a distant dream.

Mia arrived at the Black Forest. A glance at her pocket watch told her it was nearly noon.

This was the same forest she had visited during the unicorn's rite of passage, so it wasn't unfamiliar.

Back then, she never imagined she'd return. Life really was unpredictable.

'Might as well have lunch before I go any further.'

She had left in such a rush, she hadn't eaten a thing.

Mia summoned a few fairies and asked for a simple meal.

The fairies brought her sandwiches with raspberry jam, honeyed water, and roasted peas.

She had already asked the Salamander to deliver her message to Leca.

There hadn't been time to use a mind-transfer message spell—she still wasn't accustomed to it anyway.

After eating, Mia stood up.

She wasn't afraid yet, since she'd been here before. There might be a few monsters, but the ancient sword could handle them with ease.

She looked into the orb and recalled what she had seen—it seemed she would have to pierce through the barrier at dawn, just as the sky began to turn blue.

That meant she'd need to sleep in the evening and wake up before dawn to wait.

Mia hovered above the trees for a moment before landing again. Then she summoned a will-o'-the-wisp.

Thinking back to what had happened with the unicorn, she wanted to stay far away from its territory.

So she summoned the fir tree fairy once again and asked it to find her a place to sleep that was far from the unicorn's habitat.

Following the fairy, Mia was suddenly struck by a thought.

In the orb's vision, the man had stabbed his sword toward the sky—then the space around him had changed.

Was there a specific spot where he did that? Or could it work from anywhere, as long as the timing was right?

Mia took the orb from her bag and reviewed that part again.

A thick, dark forest.

The blue tint of the breaking dawn.

The man leaping into the air, driving his sword into a single point in the sky.

She moved her fingers to zoom in.

But no matter how closely she looked, she couldn't figure out where it was.

The trees all looked the same—there was no way to tell them apart.

'Ugh… Please, let that not be a specific location.'

Mia turned to the fir tree fairy and asked. But the fairy only tilted its head in confusion.

"I've never heard of anyone using the sky to travel to another world from within this forest."

"What?! You're the forest fairy—how can you not know that?"

"I am, but I truly don't know. Still, just in case, I'll go ask the trees and birds!"

With that, the fairy vanished.

But quite a while passed, and it still hadn't returned.

Mia, tired of waiting, was just about to doze off leaning against a tree—

When—

"Lady Mia."

The fairy had returned. Fluttering its butterfly-like wings, it slowly spoke in front of Mia.

"The trees say they've heard of such a thing, but none of them know exactly where it is. The last time someone opened that barrier was several hundred years ago, and the oldest tree who witnessed it... recently passed away."

"...What? Then what did the birds say?"

The fairy shrugged.

"They were no better than me. They didn't know anything either."

"Could you maybe ask the unicorn?"

The fairy hesitated for a moment, then nodded and vanished. She returned a little while later and spoke in an indifferent tone.

"The unicorn said they do know the answer, but since you already made a deal with them, they can't just give it away. They said if you bring the answer to your previous task, they'll tell you."

That's right—

They had asked her to meet with the fairies of Muria and find out why the Lake of Moonlight was drying up. Of course, she still didn't have an answer.

"Those stingy creatures... Fine. Thanks for trying."

At this point, Mia had no choice but to attempt it herself. But first, she needed to find a place to camp.

She ventured deeper into the forest, searching for a patch of soft grass where she could rest.

Eventually, she came upon a spot that seemed suitable.

It looked like a garden.

Unlike the towering, densely packed trees of the surrounding woods,

this place was covered with low shrubs and fragrant flowers, as if it had been lovingly tended.

"Wow... it's like this place was made just for me."

Mia blurted out without thinking, then laid her cloak over the plush earth and collapsed onto it.

If she knew how to use materialization magic, she could've conjured up some camping gear—but unfortunately, she hadn't had the time to practice it.

But then...Was it just her imagination?

It felt like the plants were... moving.

She glanced around.

The positions of the bushes looked slightly different than before. Were they... closing in on her?

Mia scratched her head. Maybe I'm just tired. I haven't slept properly in days.

Just then—

"Ahhh!!"

Vines suddenly burst out from the underbrush and wrapped around Mia tightly.

Just like what happened in Jakiel's chamber, her body was instantly entangled, bound so thoroughly she couldn't move an inch.

"I—I let my guard down! Ngh!"

Mia struggled and twisted, trying to break free—when suddenly, she heard the rustle of fabric.

The faint sound of a dress dragging along the ground.

—shhh, shhh—

A young woman appeared,

wearing a black, pointed hat. A black dress. Long black hair. A black staff in hand. She walked toward Mia, calmly.

"Well, well. I was wondering who the latest intruder might be, and look at that—a lovely young lady."

"Huh? Wait—someone actually lives here?"

Mia, still wrapped in vines, looked up at the woman in astonishment.

"Of course. I've been here longer than most trees. I'm Lunarena, the witch of the Black Forest."

"...I'm Mia."

It felt weird to introduce herself in a situation like this, but she replied anyway.

"Um, I'm sorry to trouble you, but... could you maybe let me out of these vines?"

Lunarena narrowed her eyes.

"I can't trust what a stranger might do once they're free."

"I swear I have no intention of doing anything to you or this forest. I'm just a poor girl on a mission to find the demon god Beelzebub. The only reason I'm here is because I need to pass through the barrier—the one in the sky."

"Did you say... Beelzebub?"

Lunarena's eyes widened. Mia nodded.

"The barrier seems to be up in the sky, but I can't figure out where exactly it is.

Do you know anything about it? Could you tell me?"

Lunarena frowned, her brow creasing as she fell into thought.

"...Yes, I do know. But I can't just give you the answer."

"...What do you want in return?"

"Why don't we sit down for tea and talk it over slowly, hmm?"

The witch smiled slyly.