The Eldest Daughter Walks Down The Flower Path - Chapter 26

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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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The Eldest Daughter Walks the Path of Flowers Episode 26

“Long, long ago, the gates of the underworld opened and monsters poured forth onto the surface, bringing the age of darkness.”

The fairy tale book was a concise summary of the story from the founding of the nation.

When darkness spread across the entire continent, Prince Dantes Arpend of Cardia received a revelation from the chief god Arnum and found three knights. The Spear of Light, the Eternal Shield, and the Sword of Flames were they.

Radis pointed to the knight holding the blazing sword.

“Is this person Alexis Tillord?”

“That’s exactly right.”

Allen smiled brightly and pointed to the knight holding the brilliantly shining shield.

“And this person is Lord Veraad Russel, the ancestor of the Russel Marquis family.”

It felt mystical.

Though it was 500 years ago, two knights bearing the surnames Tillord and Russel had joined forces to fight together.

Now their descendants were bickering over mere dresses.

Radis pointed to another knight to shake off thoughts of the dress and asked.

“What about this person? What kind of knight was the ‘Spear of Light’?”

At her words, Allen shrugged his shoulders.

“Nothing is known about the Spear of Light.”

“Ah… Is that so?”

“Even if there were records, 500 years have passed. Now the stories from the founding are only passed down through fairy tale books and songs, so it wouldn’t be strange if information was lost.”

Prince Dantes traveled the continent with the three knights, fighting against monsters.

However, great journeys are always accompanied by sacrifice.

The ‘Sword of Flames,’ who always fought at the front, was the first to fall, and second, the ‘Eternal Shield’ was shattered. The ‘Spear of Light’ also disappeared.

“Disappeared?”

“There are many interpretations about this part. Some say he died, while gossips claim this is a metaphorical expression of betrayal.”

“Ah…”

In the illustration, the ‘Spear of Light’ was depicted as having vanished, leaving only the spear behind.

Before it, Prince Dantes was shown with his head bowed as if in despair.

“However, through their adventure, Cardia was able to drive out the monsters and reclaim its current territory. The gates of the underworld were closed, and the monsters retreated into hiding in the forests.”

The last illustration in the fairy tale book depicted the territory of Cardia.

The Cardia Empire drawn in the illustration looked like an egg yolk in a pitch-black fried egg.

That black part was the Monster Forest.

“Prince Dantes said this: You must not go into the deep parts of the forest.”

Allen closed the book as he read the final passage of the fairy tale.

“It’s a lesson passed down to children.”

The deep parts of the forest.

The extermination troops called that place by this name.

‘The Forbidden Zone…’

Radis smiled bitterly.

‘If I had read this fairy tale book, would I not have gone there at that time?’

The Forbidden Zone was a place that even extermination troop members familiar with the Monster Forest should not approach carelessly.

However, at the end of her past life, Radis headed there.

As if drawn by some trick of fate.

“Vice-Captain!”

“…”

“Is it true that the Captain went to the capital to receive the Mage Knight’s seal? He would have told you, wouldn’t he?”

When Rusty asked that question, Radis was sharpening her sword on a whetstone.

She honed one edge of the sword, then sprinkled water to check that the blade was clean of debris.

Only then did she nod her head.

The troops let out exclamations.

“See!”

“Wait, that’s really true? What’s gotten into the Imperial family to actually do work?”

“It’s been years since the Captain became a mana user, this feels too late.”

While sharpening the opposite edge of the sword, Radis also quietly smiled beneath her helmet.

She was happy too.

If she were being honest, she wanted to hug each of the grimy-looking troops.

Captain Robert was a bastard son of the Roderick family.

One so exceptionally capable that his very existence became a threat to his other siblings, causing him to be cast out.

However, Robert did his best in his position.

Though it was the Imperial Monster Hunting Corps in name only, as captain of a poorly equipped extermination troop that received no proper support, he had achieved remarkable feats and finally gained recognition from the world.

Radis was as happy about that fact as she was about receiving her own seal.

Laszlo, with his dirt-stained face, approached with a grin.

“Vice-Captain!”

“…”

“Won’t you be next, Vice-Captain?”

“…?”

“You’re a mana user too, Vice-Captain. And you’re strong! You can’t even be compared to those idiots in the capital, right?”

Just as Radis was about to open her mouth, Tess came running.

“Vice-Captain! This is terrible!”

Radis stood up and took the note Tess handed her.

“The Imperial Investigation Team that we told to wait until the Captain returned has entered the Forbidden Zone!”

Thierry, who had been maintaining his weapon nearby, jumped up at the mention of the Forbidden Zone.

“Are they insane? Do they know what kind of place that is?”

“Vice-Captain, what should we do?”

“They seem desperate to die, so let’s just leave them be.”

Radis clenched her jaw as she gripped the note in her hand.

The Imperial family’s movements had been suspicious lately, showing great interest in monster hunting when they hadn’t cared before.

They said they would honor Captain Robert by granting him the Mage Knight’s seal, and even dispatched an investigation team to survey the forest conditions.

But these two things overlapped.

Robert delayed receiving the seal as much as possible, while the investigation team was dispatched too early, causing things to get tangled.

The investigation team that barged in unreasonably demanded that the extermination troops escort them to the center of the forest, to the Forbidden Zone.

However, judging it dangerous to go to the Forbidden Zone while protecting the investigation team without the Captain present, Radis firmly refused.

And then this mess happened.

“Haah…”

Radis let out a suppressed groan.

As the troops said, the best course would be to let those desperate to die just die, but.

‘They’re an investigation team dispatched by the Imperial family. If they die, it will all be our responsibility, no, Robert’s responsibility…!’

If that happened, the Imperial family might try to revoke the seal from Robert, who had gone to the capital to receive it.

It would be one thing not to receive it at all, but having the seal revoked within such a short period would be an unbearable humiliation for Robert.

‘I can’t just leave them like that.’

Radis opened her mouth.

“We’ll divide into three squads and move quickly. The advance team will follow the investigation team’s trail and move as fast as possible, while two squads will follow behind, watching for monster attacks. Since our goal is searching for the investigation team, not hunting monsters, we’ll avoid direct combat and move quickly.”

Before leaving, Robert had left her with these words.

‘I trust you, Di.’

Robert said, placing his hand on her shoulder.

‘You’re the only person I can entrust my back to. Please take care of the troops. And…’

‘…?’

‘I have something to say.’

‘Go ahead, Captain.’

‘No… When I return. I’ll say it after I come back.’

She was curious about what he had wanted to say, but that wasn’t what was important.

Robert had delegated full authority to her.

Sliding the sharp-edged greatsword into its sheath, Radis straightened her helmet.

‘Captain, I don’t know if I can do it. But I’ll do my best.’

“Miss Radis?”

At the sound of Allen calling her, Radis snapped back to attention.

“Yes?”

“You do look tired. I think it would be best to stop here for today.”

“I’m not tired though…”

Radis, who had been disappointed, changed her mind.

“Yes, let’s do that then.”

Rather than her body being tired, her mind was complicated.

At times like this, it seemed better to move her body rather than sit still.

Radis smiled grimly.

Seeing her like that, Allen unknowingly followed with a pleased smile of his own.

Thrum thrum.

The familiar resonance made her chest tremble, and hot energy spread throughout her entire body.

Radis pulled a large wooden barrel toward herself with her toes and kicked it hard toward the haphazardly stacked wooden palisade.

Crash!

About waist-high for a person, the wooden palisade that had been built merely to imitate what humans made without any real purpose of blocking anything shattered to pieces along with the barrel.

From behind it poured out small monsters wielding bladed weapons.

“Wicked little brats.”

Radis infused mana into the cheap iron sword she had secretly taken from Lord Russel’s armory warehouse.

The mana blazed fiercely, wrapping around the rusted and chipped iron sword.

With two swings of it, five goblins shrieked and collapsed.

Though goblins were low-grade monsters, they were so greedy and cruel that they were objects of terror for the pioneers near the forest.

Low-grade monsters that fear fire can be kept away just with torches around the village, but goblins who know how to use tools don’t fear fire.

Moreover, because they steal and use human weapons, they were more fearsome to the pioneers than bandits.

This place seemed to be a pioneer settlement that had been attacked in such a way.

A fishy smell wafted over as arrows came flying.

Goblins even use poison.

Most of it was crudely applied poisonous herbs obtained from the Monster Forest, not lethal, but she couldn’t afford to be poisoned during close combat.

Radis swung her sword to deflect two arrows, then kicked off the ground and leaped up.

And she plunged her sword into the chest of the monster that had been shooting poison arrows from atop a short tree.

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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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