Mistress Of The Evil Forest

Case 62: West Zircon Expedition – Curtain falls.

*****

''...''

''...''

Sitting face-to-face with Chloe, the only thing both of us can do is occasionally sigh while keeping our silence.

It has been a few days since the incident with Sierra. Contrary to our initial belief, she didn't announce her findings to the world as soon as she got out, and her private army, according to Chloe's intelligence team, hasn't made a move since then.

At the same time, through some spying, I found out about Sierra's newly developed interest in Zircon Forest and creepy stories in general, which were evident in the books she read at the library.

Now, we should be relieved at this stage because Sierra seems to want to keep the secrets for herself, but we actually can't. The real problem is, once again, Luxia, the pinkhead.

Through Sierra, Luxia would definitely find out about Ariel's existence, and that's not ideal. Ariel, together with Skely and 049, are our trump cards in dealing with the following scenario, and Luxia, of all people, shouldn't be the one to discover her.

A mistake. This is a genuine mistake on my part. I should've thought about it better.

As if seeing my frustrated state, Chloe reaches her hand across the table and strokes my cheek gently.

''Don't worry, it'll be fine.'' She says. ''If we tread this carefully, we will definitely win. Believe me.''

''...Alright.''

''But of course, we should be even more careful in the future, both you and I.''

''Mhm.''

Chloe and I nod at each other, refreshing our determination to reach the end and overcome whatever is waiting there for us.

''Hah... But this is quite hard on our resources, huh.'' Chloe leans back and lets out a sigh. ''Those goddamn lunatic priests.''

''Didn't you say we should be able to take control of them after the next scenario?'' I reply. ''High risk, high reward.''

''I suppose...''

Chloe, or at least Amelia Luminous, is the undisputed heiress of a powerful duchy, but even her authority has a limit. Considering we will have to fight against half of the holy country of Neveah, our resources are definitely not enough.

But of course, the in-game Claire was able to pull it off, so we should, too, with some planning. And after that, we should be able to get at least a hold of Luxia, our most concerning variable.

''...''

Well, aside from that, it seems Mister Slen and Smiley have become quite famous lately. With students all showing signs of trauma when interviewed about the incident that happened in West Zircon and the allegedly disturbing nature of the two they described, it is only natural for everybody to assume all sorts of things about my summons.

Currently, they are being viewed as evil creatures of unknown origin who somehow infiltrated the already abysmal forest. Their most notable features in the eyes of the people are, of course, their grotesque appearances and the fact that they lack a status screen. I'm still wondering why my summons' status screens can only be seen by me, but I guess it's a good thing, so no complaints.

And, of course, the academy's safety level in the eyes of everyone has plummeted even more after this. Even the church got some serious criticism for not being able to dispose of Mister Slen or Smiley and for organizing this 'dangerous' trip in the first place. I, on the other hand, am very proud of this.

Take that, humans...!

Either way, at this rate, the imperial family will probably launch an investigation into my territory soon, which I will gladly welcome. With my current army and in my own territory, no less, I don't think they can do anything against me without bringing out the strongest of humanity or something equivalent.

Normally, I often forget this, but Nova is still stronger than me.

...I do hope I can turn that around after the next scenario. Being weaker than my own subordinate is a bit embarrassing.

December 9th, 1834.

The blistering cold has seemingly gotten to its most malicious form, with strong, dry, and icy wind blowing snow into everyone who happens to be outside. Even the sky is quite gloomier than usual.

Despite that, first-year students at Astra Academy are looking quite energetic. They walk the academy grounds with scarves wrapped around their necks, oversized jackets, thick gloves, and a whole lot of excitement for what will come next week.

''Phew...''

When I exhale, I can clearly see my own breath in the air. I have come to like this cold quite a lot recently.

''...''

Soon, the academy will proceed with an annual school trip for its freshmen. The destination is, of course, the holy country of Neveah. Befitting the status of the best academy in the world, Astra Academy is able to ignite numerous trips to famous locations for every student every year, and Neveah is no exception.

On this rather long trip, students will experience first-hand the life of an average citizen, learn more about the priests and their training routines, among other things, and finally, be baptized by the archbishop—whether they like it or not.

But, of course, it is not so simple. During this, something bad will inevitably happen, and this time, it is quite serious.

The school trip portion of the original story, according to Chloe, took a whole arc of four chapters to end successfully. Needless to say, this arc is the first major hurdle the player would have to face in their journey to defeat the demon god.

Now, it is also closely tied to one of the heroines, Luxia Neveah, so I do understand why it is so big...

''...''

While deep in thought, it seems the pinkhead herself has gotten this close without me noticing her. She is wearing a rather... Fluffy set of outfits, making her look exceptionally small and probably cute.

''We met again, Miss Maid.'' She says with the usual grin. ''What a coincidence.''

''...Indeed. Good day to you, saintess.'' I reply.

''Should we have a little chat?''

''Sure.''

So Luxia and I go over to the bench nearby and sit down.

''Will you go on this trip, Miss Maid?''

''If you are talking about the upcoming school trip, then yes.''

''I see, that's a relief.''

''May I ask why?''

Luxia turns to me, and we look at each other in the eyes. Gradually, Luxia's grin turns into a full smile, and a rosy tint appears on her cheeks.

''Upon receiving the teachings of goddess Neveah, you will definitely confess everything to me, Miss Maid...!'' 

''...I don't understand what you mean.''

Ignoring my dismissal, Luxia gets closer and closer to me until there is only a distance of around thirty centimeters between us.

''Hey, just tell me.'' She whispers. ''Tell me, what are you hiding? I'm dying of curiosity, so please.''

As Luxia keeps pleading like that, the stars in her eyes get brighter and brighter while her flushed cheeks show no sign of calming down. With every whisper, I can almost feel the heavy obsession behind her gentle demeanor.

''Ah...''

When her ugly desire seems to have reached a breaking point, Luxia lets out a sticky, frustrated moan. 

Looking at this crazy girl before me, I have to admit that she's... Quite enchanting.