The Crown I Will Take From You - Chapter 251

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Part 2, Chapter 98

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The Pitch-Black Forest.

Ancient trees stretching endlessly toward the sky overwhelmed the expedition.

It was as dark as night even during the day, and every time a human exhaled while on horseback, sounds from unidentifiable creatures followed from not far away.

Medeia recalled the time long ago when she had first set foot in this forest.

The time when she had held her young son in her arms and forced herself to step forward as if nothing was wrong. Yet despite the terrain being more overgrown and treacherous now than then, she wasn’t afraid.

Perhaps it was because she didn’t feel as alone as she had back then.

“Did you see my diagonal slash? Did you see my amazing reflexes hitting the target even with a sideways glance?”

Tom shouted triumphantly over the corpse of a fallen hobgoblin.

The Pitch-Black Forest did not welcome the strangers who had entered after so long. Just moments ago, they had encountered a pack of hobgoblins.

Hobgoblins were superior entities, much larger and stronger than regular goblins.

“On the continent, you’d only see these during waves, but here hobgoblins are just lying around everywhere!”

Still, perhaps because those traversing this forest had experienced all manner of hardships, no one was surprised.

Tom’s voice was quite cheerful too.

“Maybe this was actually my calling? It’s way more fun than putting on airs and using formal swordsmanship, isn’t it?”

There was a sense of free enjoyment in his swordsmanship as he swung wildly in various trajectories.

“Tom, one’s coming your way. If you get distracted and blood splatters on Her Highness—”

You’re dead. Between the words Neryl swallowed,

Swish,

A silver trajectory cleanly cut through the hobgoblin, and long, extended legs kicked away the corpse spurting blood.

Preventing any of it from reaching Medeia.

Neryl stayed by Medeia’s side like a hunting dog protecting a lamb.

“Ha, I can see why it’s called the Pitch-Black Forest. It’s probably just my imagination that they’re all clinging to me and blocking my vision, right?”

Meanwhile, Garo, who was walking at the front of the group, kept grumbling.

Even so, with the twin axes in both hands, he didn’t miss a single one of the approaching winged bat demons.

Swish, swish.

Garo, walking and grumbling between the demons that fell split in half in the blink of an eye, looked like a giant iron ball made into human form.

Tom let out an admiring sound.

“Ooh, so Facade’s fake leader didn’t get his position for nothing…”

“You little bastard, what do you mean by that?”

“Well, you’re always lounging around, so I thought you were just a figurehead for show.”

“Hmm, I won’t deny that I’m certainly outstanding in looks.”

“…Where does that confidence come from when you can look at our boss’s face and still think that seriously?”

“What’s that supposed to mean, you brat?”

Garo and Tom bickered constantly.

But perhaps because they were quite similar in personality, they were the fastest to become friends among Medeia and Chezare’s subordinates.

Tom was the only one who responded to Garo’s constant useless chatter, and vice versa.

On the other hand, Terrence wore a tired expression with his robe pulled down low.

True to being a mage from the Mage Tower, he was dynamic even in the forest and rarely left the handling to Garo or Chezare’s subordinates.

On the occasional unavoidable turn, he would draw out a long, sharp, delicate sword, seemingly to prevent demon blood or filth from splattering as much as possible.

Terrence’s standards for cleanliness were quite exceptional, as he would cast cleaning magic on his robes every night before bed.

“Brother, what’s the point of constantly casting cleaning magic in a forest crawling with demons? That’s why you have dark circles under your eyes.”

As if fed up with his neat-freak brother, Garo shook his head while pointing at Terrence’s darkened under-eyes.

“Shut up. I’m covering this with self-sufficiency. And I’ve had these eyes since birth.”

Terrence’s pockets were full of small magic stone pebbles extracted from the hobgoblins’ corpses.

Since cleaning magic wasn’t particularly demanding magic, it seemed unlikely that Terrence would get dirty until the expedition ended.

“How did you survive during the continental war when you couldn’t even get magic stones—”

“Everyone stop.”

At that moment, the group halted at Medeia’s command. There were no demons jumping out, and the path before them looked ordinary.

“Your Highness?”

“Why? There’s nothing—”

Garo closed his mouth at Medeia’s gaze. He realized her green eyes were looking somewhere other than at him.

Thud.

Medeia dismounted her horse and stomped her foot. Thump. Thump.

Again, thump. Thump. Thu-thump.

The slow, regular rhythm faintly shook the ground. Medeia suddenly took something out and sprinkled it over the area.

‘That’s… the item Her Highness obtained from the village…’

Neryl recognized the scattering gray lime powder, but the other companions were just bewildered.

“Why is Her Highness doing that—”

Swoooosh—!

At that moment, the ground collapsed. Simultaneously, several thin, massive centipedes shot up onto the path.

“Neigh—! Neighhhh!”

The startled horses backed away, and

“Sand-dwelling centipedes!”

The expedition, belatedly discovering the hidden predators, quickly rushed forward.

Sand-dwelling centipedes were demons with the habit of hiding in sand marshes before ambushing their prey.

Each one was long and massive enough to easily span two carriages.

Hundreds of sharp legs moved in unison, making scratching sounds as if scraping skin.

“Garo, their shells are thick, so don’t aim for the front—target the joints.”

“Huh? Yes!”

He wondered how Her Highness the Princess knew that, but Garo’s body moved first.

Shortly after, the expedition stood beside the mountain of sand-dwelling centipede corpses.

“Just as Her Highness the Princess said. These things’ carapaces are as hard as iron.”

When Alpha struck a centipede, it made a metallic clang instead.

All the dead sand-dwelling centipedes had been cut or pierced through their vulnerable joints.

If they had continued on the path as they were, they would have fallen into that sand marsh and, blocked by those steel-like shells, become food for those creatures with no way to fight back.

‘But really, I didn’t sense anything special.’

Garo, who had traversed countless battlefields, prided himself on his intuition for detecting danger being second to none,

So how had he been so completely unaware?

Even Tom lost his smile, feeling chilled to the bone. This place was truly dangerous.

The notorious reputation of being called the Forest of Death was no exaggeration.

“The Pitch-Black Forest isn’t only dangerous because of the demons. As human footsteps ceased, the forest itself became designed for predators to hunt easily. Like a giant trap.”

Then, a calm voice echoed over the startled people.

“But the older the trap, the more unchanging its structure. If you know that much, avoiding it isn’t difficult, so don’t be too tense.”

Though he knew Medeia’s words were meant kindly to comfort the group, Garo’s expression only grew more confused.

‘Then how does Her Highness know about this trap?’

Then he suddenly realized.

It had been several days since entering this forest.

“You’re injured. Apply this—if you don’t neutralize the poison, your skin will rot away.”

Handing crushed medicinal herbs to Beta, who had been scratched by a shadow rat’s claws,

“Not this way, we need to go further north.”

“Only feed the horses grass with patterns like this.”

“Dip a stick in before drawing water. If there’s no change, it’s safe to drink.”

While they were busy adapting to the unfamiliar forest environment, the actual leader who had been guiding the group from behind the scenes was none other than Princess Medeia.

“…”

Wasn’t this strange?

How could a young princess who had never left Valdina know the Pitch-Black Forest in such detail?

This land of death that didn’t match her delicate and beautiful appearance at all.

She seemed to know where and what would appear.

‘As if she had experienced it firsthand….’

Neryl also recalled.

“Garo, the shell is thick, so don’t aim for the front—target the joints.”

“Attack the belly below the chest! That’s its weak point!”

Last time, the one who had told them the weak points of the bat Masu that appeared at Valdina Strait was also her—Medeia.

“…Your Highness.”

As if she didn’t feel the unresolved confusion and questioning gazes, Medeia glanced toward the sand marsh with a slight nod.

“We need to go to higher ground. It’s dangerous to stay here any longer.”

Then she bent down to check the leaf veins of the thicket before changing direction.

“There’s no time. The sun will set soon.”

Her steps onto the unfamiliar path showed no hesitation.

As if she knew a shortcut.

* * *

The stew bubbled away.

Crackle crackle. The sound of the campfire burning echoed.

“….”

Today’s meal duty fell to Neryl and Gamma.

However, Neryl was also lost in thought, nearly throwing unwashed muddy carrots straight into the pot before Gamma barely noticed and stopped her.

“Please have your meal.”

Among the expedition members gathered for dinner, only the quiet sound of spooning stew could be heard, unlike usual.

Medeia also knew she was the cause, but pretended not to know as she moved her spoon.

What could she say?

She couldn’t tell them the truth, and would they even believe it?

That she had already experienced this entire expedition in her past life, died miserably, and was resurrected?

“Have you never experienced divine power? Seen horizons somewhere that no one else could see or had ever experienced?”

Medeia let out a hollow laugh as she recalled the old woman’s words from Swamp Village of Tamsik.

‘Yes, being given a second life must be that divine power.’

A miracle bestowed by the Goddess who pitied her.

However, the Goddess’s favor ended there. She would not forgive those who tried to slander her Saint.

Seeing how she intended to punish her by making her a sacrifice of the oracle for targeting Rachel.

Medeia swallowed another quiet laugh.

Without noticing the golden gaze that glanced at her during her silent self-mockery.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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