The investigative team dispatched by the Vatican wasn’t entirely made up of church affiliates.
Though their purpose was to exterminate monsters, that forest was also part of the Empire’s territory and assets.
Thus, the Emperor selected one of the knights from the Royal Guard to serve as the team leader.
– “I shall lend my strength.”
This was the Emperor’s response to the Pope’s request for assistance.
In reality, it was more like surveillance.
To check if this group solely composed of Vatican members truly intended only to purge monsters.
Additionally, by appointing a royal knight as the leader, it implicitly pressured them not to cause unnecessary trouble.
“Director, what are you thinking about?”
A curly-haired man in a cloak asked. Agarte replied indifferently.
“Nothing at all.”
Knight Agarte of the Royal Guard glanced at the humming curly-haired man.
‘Wasn’t there a noble?’
Nobles couldn’t be affiliated with the Church.
Which meant the man was another monitor planted by the Emperor, just like Agarte.
“That crest. It’s the Ketswin family, isn’t it?”
“You know of it? I’m impressed.”
The Ketswin family wasn’t a particularly prestigious one.
Who would bother memorizing the names of every baron-level house anyway? If anyone did, they’d likely be someone of even lower status.
As the man said, it was strange that Agarte knew of the Ketswin family.
“How do you know?”
“It was the estate where I was born.”
The man’s eyes widened in surprise.
“Oh, how great must your achievements have been… Incredible!”
It wasn’t easy for someone who wasn’t of noble birth to join the Royal Knights.
Especially if they were a commoner; it implied accomplishments worthy of a title.
The man looked at Agarte with admiration.
“Ah, could you tell me? At least about the war four years ago—”
“Enough.”
Agarte’s firmness made the man instantly shut his mouth.
“I can’t tell you, so stop asking.”
“Yes, yes! Understood.”
War stories weren’t something to casually bring up, no matter how great the achievements.
Some liked to boast while others preferred to keep quiet.
The man judged Agarte belonged to the latter category and didn’t press further.
After a brief pause, Agarte asked the man indifferently.
“What’s your name?”
“M-my name is Yihan. Yihan Ketswin.”
“Yihan… noted.”
“Ah, it’s an honor!”
Yihan thought Agarte was cool.
In a world where people bragged about killing others as if it were an accomplishment, Agarte showed respect for those he fought against.
That’s what Yihan believed true knighthood was—noble and pure.
He wanted to become a knight like that, not a corrupt one driven by greed, but one like Agarte.
‘This is my chance…’
While monitoring the church followers was the priority, officially, they were aiding in monster extermination.
Yihan planned to show off his swordsmanship to Agarte during this operation.
If he impressed him, maybe he could earn his favor or even receive some training.
“Yeah, I’ll give it my all!”
Yihan declared his determination to Agarte, who responded simply.
“I expect it.”
With just those words, Yihan’s eyes sparkled intensely.
Late evening. Since entering the Monster Forest, it had been nothing but relentless battles.
Monsters kept popping out without warning.
The tactics and formations prepared beforehand had long since fallen apart.
Flesh was torn away by the monsters’ fangs and claws. Many suffered minor injuries, and some critical ones.
Unfortunately, the night seemed endless.
Finally, as dawn approached and the waning moon disappeared, revealing the sun, the battle ended.
“There’s no answer.”
Inside a temporary tent in the Monster Forest, Agarte muttered these words.
“What’s wrong?”
At Yihan’s question, Agarte handed him the map on the table.
“We’ve lost our way. We must have gotten turned around during the fight.”
“That can’t be…”
Their numbers were limited compared to the endless stream of monsters.
Moreover, because they had focused on traveling back and forth through the designated area, they lacked sufficient supplies. Once they realized they were lost, food shortages became inevitable.
Things had gone awry from the start.
Yihan believed Agarte, a knight of the Royal Guard, would surely have a contingency plan.
But when he saw Agarte’s expression, it wasn’t looking good.
“Is there… really no way?”
Even though fewer monsters appeared during the day, they were still present.
“At any moment, more monsters might attack us! If we waste time here…”
Out of frustration, Yihan’s inner thoughts slipped out.
Realizing too late, he covered his mouth, but it was already too late.
‘Dammit!’
Yihan berated himself.
He had loudly proclaimed his ambition to become a knight, yet when faced with death, he lost his composure.
Meanwhile, Agarte, despite making a mistake as the director, was trying to rationally resolve the situation.
Yihan admired that.
“I-I apologize. I spoke out of turn.”
Bowing deeply in apology, Yihan received no reprimand from Agarte, who instead admitted it was partly his fault.
“It’s fine. It’s also my mistake.”
Though things went smoothly, a crucial issue remained unresolved.
As Yihan had said, they didn’t know when the monsters might attack again. They needed a plan.
Swoosh!
Suddenly, a blue-haired priest entered the tent.
“What is it?”
“I’ve come to deliver a message.”
“Speak then.”
The priest pointed at a spot on the map placed in front of Yihan.
“Most likely, we’re here right now.”
Before Agarte could respond, Yihan chimed in first.
“Just ‘most likely’? There’s no basis for that, is there!?”
“One of our believers has divine power. He told me this.”
Once again, Yihan interrupted Agarte.
“How can we trust that?”
At Yihan’s skepticism, the priest shrugged lightly.
“If you don’t want to listen, that’s fine, but I think staying here idly until the monsters eat us is worse.”
“H-how dare you!”
The priest’s sarcasm angered Yihan, but Agarte stopped him.
“Yihan. You’re here as a knight, not as a noble.”
With the growing influence of the Church, relations between nobles and priests weren’t good.
That’s why Yihan got upset.
Disliking the Church was normal and even proud in the Empire.
“Act like a knight.”
Currently, Yihan was part of the investigative team.
“…I apologize.”
Once Yihan calmed down, Agarte turned his attention to the priest.
“Are you sure?”
“Why would I lie unless I’m a traitor?”
As the priest stared intently at Agarte, Agarte met his gaze.
Tension filled the air. Stuck between them, Yihan swallowed dry several times.
After a long silence, the priest gave in first.
“…Hmph. We’re suffering losses too. This expedition isn’t about wiping out monsters but investigating their unusual recent behavior.”
Considering this, Agarte finally made a decision.
“I’ll trust you. However, even if our location is correct, we don’t have enough food left to reach the Empire.”
Food shortage.
Even if they escaped the forest safely, the journey to the Empire would cross barren lands.
Meaning, the likelihood of starving outside the forest was high.
Agarte pointed to a place on the map. Yihan glanced at it.
“La… Brana? Isn’t this also a wasteland?”
“LaBrana Village. I’ve heard of it.”
“Are you saying people live here? Near the Monster Forest? That’s impossible…”
“It’s possible.”
Agarte dismissed Yihan’s doubt.
“It’s the hometown of a fallen comrade.”
“Ah…”
“Considering our remaining food, we should be able to make it to LaBrana after leaving the forest. We can replenish our supplies there.”
Agarte folded the map as he spoke.
“Hurry.”
We revised the plan, but escaping the forest was still a separate issue.
Although attacks were less frequent at dawn, the number of monsters hadn’t decreased.
Several church followers and imperial soldiers perished in the chaos.
Thanks to their sacrifices…
“Here?”
The team finally emerged from the forest.
“That’s some ill-fitting flowers, huh?”
At the priest’s comment from behind, Agarte inspected the flowers blooming on the plain.
“Damn, they’re gorgeous.”
Unlike the dark and gloomy Monster Forest, the scenery changed dramatically with just a few steps.
“Director! There’s a fence over here.”
Following Yihan, they found a fence indeed.
“Can such a fence really stop the monsters?”
Shaking his head at Yihan’s question, Agarte thought it was absurd.
Hardly taller than half an adult and roughly built, the fence clearly wouldn’t serve its purpose.
It could barely stop small animals.
All their effort was wasted.
“Let’s head to the village first.”
What use was speculating about the wisdom of the villagers?
Whether known or unknown, it wouldn’t help now.
What mattered was reaching the village as quickly as possible.
The team climbed over the fence one by one and headed toward the village.
How long did they walk?
As Agarte had said, LaBrana Village came into view.
For a border village, it had cultivated fields and produced items requiring some skill, like clothing, shoes, and umbrellas.
Agarte poked the dough sitting on one of the houses with his finger.
“What are you doing, Director?”
Caught off guard by Agarte’s sudden action, Yihan asked.
“Yihan, have you seen any villagers?”
“No…”
“Neither have I.”
“Isn’t that odd? Just look at the state of the fence. They’ve probably already become monster fodder.”
Agarte agreed with Yihan until he poked the dough.
“Look, Yihan.”
Following Agarte’s words, Yihan looked at the dough in front of him.
The small hole created by Agarte’s finger slowly shrank.
“For instance, this means the dough hasn’t finished fermenting yet.”
“Which means…”
Just as Yihan was about to voice his hypothesis, a voice calling out to Agarte came from outside.
“Director! We’ve found a kid!”
