### Chapter 193: The Mission
“Silvya…”
Is someone calling for me…?
“Lady Silvya!”
As the urgent voice of a man broke through my slumber, I slowly opened my eyes.
“…Huh?”
My thoughts were a jumbled mess for a moment, but gradually, clarity returned.
The pale morning light spilled down through the trees, feeling a bit harsh on my eyes, so I raised a hand to shield myself.
Jeffrey Priest’s rugged face loomed close, looking down at me with a hint of fatigue in his eyes. His hair was not as neatly groomed as when we first met; it had become slightly disheveled, but he didn’t seem to care. Upon seeing me awake, he nodded, “How did you sleep? It’s daytime now; we need to keep moving.”
Daytime…
“Mm… mm~”
I leaned back against the tree, stretched dramatically, and let out a sleepy grumble. I patted my backside, stood up, and stood there momentarily dazed. Shaking my head vigorously, I rubbed my eyes and looked around.
The serene forest was lush and vibrant, with towering ancient trees whose canopies were hard to spot even when tilting my head back. A gentle breeze carried a hint of decay, brushing against my face. The uneven ground was carpeted with fallen leaves, moss, and unruly weeds. Occasionally, a few brightly colored flowers bloomed beside rotten wood. Sharp bluestone poked out of the muddy ground, its pointed tip entwined with thick, thorny deep green vines.
This familiar yet strange scenery momentarily made me feel like I had stepped back in time to a year ago.
We were deep in Woodward Forest.
After entering the woods just before sunset yesterday with four clerics from the Faith Organization, we raced southwest alongside the raven until it was completely dark. The pathways in the woods became difficult to navigate; we had to dismount the beasts and lead the horned horses through the squishy, rotten mud on foot. By the late night, even though I still had energy, the clerics were already exhausted, so we found a relatively dry patch to rest for a bit.
Once the clerics tied up the reins and laid down to rest, I tasked the goat cheese with keeping watch. I then found a tree to lean against, closed my eyes, and let my mind wander aimlessly until I drifted back to sleep.
I had a dream.
In the dream, it felt like I was still in Ethanbel Royal City…
I dreamt of Viki…
“Caw—”
A loud cawing echoed from the branches above.
Jeffrey Priest led my horned horse over, handed me the reins, and glanced up to confirm the raven’s direction of flight. He then said, “Your raven is surprisingly clever; I honestly didn’t believe it at first. But looking at things now, we haven’t gone wrong. I found a creek not too far away…”
I took the reins from him, and the massive horned horse stomped forward, snorting loudly. I scratched its head, while Priest went ahead to pat the saddle, removing a water pouch hanging from it and tossing it to me.
“We crossed that creek downstream earlier. The terrain near the creek is not complicated, so we can use the beasts. If all goes well, we should be able to reach the ruins before nightfall… no, before it gets dark, at least.”
“Mm.”
I caught the water pouch, nodded gently at Priest, popped the cork, and took a couple of gulps, wiping my mouth. “Let’s go.”
Priest nodded back at me.
He turned to the clerics nearby and called, “Let’s go, hurry up!” I reattached the water pouch to the saddle and led the massive beast behind him. After walking for a moment, I couldn’t resist the urge to touch the dragon claw at my waist.
The leather of the short sword’s sheath was cool to the touch, uneven, and I swiftly drew the blade, studying it closely. The sword glimmered faintly under the dappled light.
Even after such fierce battles and being constantly scorched by intense heat, it seemed to have survived unscathed.
This was the short sword Viki had given me…
She must have sensed I was leaving on Saint Brune’s Festival—if not earlier—so she had prepared this short sword, named “Dragon Claw,” to send me off with…
And then there was that necklace…
The necklace, the bracelet from Pasifal I got on my birthday, the Winter Moon Heart from Mother, Grandma Bersa’s handbook, the Pope Knight emblem, the Peace Medal, and all those other important items—they were all packed away in my black leather trunk.
That trunk should now be with Angel.
After reaching Alectine City, I worried about the back-to-back battles damaging or losing it. So, I called upon that Young Bishop from the Faith Organization, instructing him to have it taken away and handed over to the supply team at the rear, informing the Pope that it was very important to me and must not be lost.
When all this settles down, I’ll ask him to get it back.
Swish—
I tucked the short sword back into its sheath. The horned horse whinnied behind me as I quickened my pace, following Jeffrey Priest, who was walking not too far ahead. In front of him, the clerics were slashing through the tangled vines blocking our path, their robes getting ripped in multiple spots, and their faces looking filthy. A few even had leaves stuck in their hair. These were people who often took pride in their appearance—but it seemed they hadn’t cared about their looks in ages.
As Priest said, we hadn’t been walking for even twenty minutes when the trees gradually thinned out around us, our view becoming more open. The tangled vines ahead disappeared, and as the shade lessened, the ground became progressively firmer, with warm, soft morning light pouring down, bathing us in its comforting warmth.
We hadn’t walked far when we heard the sound of flowing water.
“Alright, everyone mount up on the horned horses!”
Jeffrey Priest commanded, and three clerics quickly hopped onto their mounts. I also jumped on, and the pounding of hooves echoed in the woods. In less than a minute, a crystal-clear creek came into view.
“We head downstream!”
The horned horse turned sharply at the creek, galloping along with the flow of water. With no trees near the creek bank, the speed of the iron hooves truly picked up. I held tightly to the reigns, crouching down, lifting my backside slightly, keeping my torso almost parallel to the beast’s back, squinting as I ran behind the clerics.
As we galloped, I began to feel hungry. I rummaged through the saddlebag for the fruit I had picked last night, swiped it along my clothing, and took a bite, slowly chewing as the sour taste spread across my tongue, invigorating my spirit.
This creek…
I took another bite of fruit and turned my head to glance sideways at the clear, bottom-visible water shimmering in the morning light. The rippling waves danced in the sight as the beast galloped, creating a mesmerizing illusion.
Was this the little creek I came across before?
Who knows…
Woodward Forest is so vast; there should be more than one creek…
Yet it certainly felt familiar.
Maybe it’s because the streams in the forest look quite similar—of comparable width, with the sound of water flowing in the same way. Even the surrounding environment felt alike. I had encountered the great white dragon by a similar creek… perhaps its habitat lay nearby.
Great white dragon…
Where are you?
I’m back…
I find myself missing you a bit.
“Hey—”
I couldn’t help but shout to Jeffrey Priest ahead, “Were you guys, in the forest before?”
Hearing my voice, the older priest turned around.
“Yes, Lady Silvya!”
The howling wind carried his voice to me: “I was the one who arrived at the ruins previously, a while ago! The other three didn’t; they came with Lord Anseier two days ago around the same time! Those two heretics found us then too!”
…Hmm?
The Church and the Gate of Truth arrived at the same time…
That thought flickered through my mind, and I asked him again, “You’ve been here, how long?”
“Since you and the Pope went south to wage war, we have been delving deeper into the forest!”
Priest replied, “Together with the First Knights Order that remained behind, we started searching from the eastern side, practically combing the area without a break! It was about half a month ago… over ten days ago! We found what seems to be the ruins of the ancient fairies; after that, a large group returned to the outer lines, leaving behind people like me, and some scholars knowledgeable in theology and history! We found what appears to be the entrance to the Land of Dragons!”
The entrance to the Land of Dragons…
I remembered hearing about it in class before. The Land of Dragons was the seal set by the Deities for the dragons that caused havoc among humans. Regardless of the truth, it should be understood as a separate realm created by the Deities, or perhaps another world; I could take that understanding at face value.
The powerful dragons had long been sealed in the Land of Dragons during the divine era a thousand years ago. Logically speaking, since it was called a seal, they shouldn’t be able to get out…
I have no idea why the great white dragon appeared in Woodward Forest at that time and later helped me defeat the Endless Abyss before vanishing into light… but if it had the means to enter and exit the Land of Dragons freely, its lair might just be in those ruins…
“Priest!”
I squeezed the beast’s belly, urging it to run faster and caught up with the older Priest, keeping pace with him, turning to ask, “Did you find that white dragon?!”
“White dragon?”
Jeffrey Priest froze for a moment, then seemed to recall, “Oh, you mean the dragon god rumored by the villagers? We gave up searching for it long ago! The later scholars indicated that the door to the Land of Dragons hasn’t opened; it’s impossible for any dragon to come out from there. What they might have seen was something else, mistaking it for a dragon!”
Ah…
So, the great white dragon hasn’t appeared again.
“We have been researching methods to open the Land of Dragons, but many days have passed without any progress! Two days ago, the heretics broke through the outer defense line, attacking us. We lost quite a few people; fortunately, those two heretics were cautious—they probably worried about damaging the entrance to the Land of Dragons and held back during the fight. Otherwise, the entire forest might have been set ablaze!”
“We thus escaped a disaster and temporarily retreated with Lord Anseier! The Archbishop instructed us to find you, stating that only you can stop that demon! The heretics want to open the Land of Dragons, which should take considerable time! We still have a chance to…”
“Wait!”
I couldn’t help but interrupt him, “If the demon is in the Land of Dragons, then why would it want to open it? Wouldn’t it stay forever sealed inside?”
“True, that makes sense!”
Jeffrey Priest nodded, “But while the demon can’t come out, its followers can spread across the world—Lord Anseier said that the demon is the source of the Gate of Truth’s power! If we don’t take this opportunity to eliminate it completely, then in the future, wars in the southern Republic will continue! There will be countless heretics, countless jesters, and the heretics will continue to draw strength from the demon, perpetuating their violence. God’s faithful will never find peace!”
…What?
I opened my mouth, momentarily stunned.
The demon sealed in the Land of Dragons is the source of the Gate of Truth’s power?
Who said this…
My head was spinning for a moment.
Why would the “demon” that heretics worship be in the Land of Dragons?
Who confirmed this news and from where?
“Only you can completely eliminate that demon!”
The older Priest was still shouting at me, visibly agitated: “This is the mission the Pope has entrusted to you, Lady Silvya! You are to bear the most glorious duty of the Holy Church, to end that demon and turn the heretics into history! And we, those of us here, will risk our lives to assist you in completing…”
Before he could finish, a distant, earth-shattering boom suddenly shattered the tranquility of the forest.
