Chapter 86

Chapter 86 – Chapter 14: The Last Flame

They smiled like it was a joke, but the situation wasn’t that relaxing .

Carack grabbed Robin with a serious expression and asked,

"It is a situation that’s different from the usual?”

"That's correct . I’ve never seen Spider Forest look this way . ”

Robin spoke politely to Carack as he had done throughout the journey as Carack was an orc who was shockingly informal when talking to the prince and princess . The armour he wore was so great that Robin mistook him for someone with a noble status .

Seira added,

"Are there any regular patrols in this area?”

The lycanthrope rangers patrolled the outskirts of the lycanthrope area at regular intervals, so Robin nodded .

“It isn’t everyday, but the rangers will pass by here once a month . ”

"When was the last time the rangers passed by here?”

This time it was Delia who asked .

Robin counted the date in his head and stuttered,

“Eh . . . We can’t reach the rangers headquarters unless we pass Spider Forest . . . Considering the amount of time it takes to move and the last time the rangers have been here, it should be 10 days to a fortnight . ”

A fortnight was definitely not a short period . However, it was too short to change the distribution of animals in certain areas .

"This is a recent change . It is abrupt . ”

Felicia muttered and looked around again . She could feel a powerful energy even without focusing on the flow of magic .

As Robin had said, if there had been no big changes until 10 days ago, then it had to be a coincidence that their visit coincided with the changes in Spider Forest .

Carack asked with a serious expression,

"Don't worry . Can we really blame Prince? This is Prince’s trademark . ”

In-gong couldn’t sense the difference, but Carack seemed to think it was good . Carack nodded with a laugh while In-gong looked at Daphne . She a was druid and a dryad, so she would be most sensitive to these kind of changes .

While the party was exchanging stories, she closed her eyes and tried to communicate with the surrounding spirits . Then she spoke with a pale face,

“The surrounding spirits are very afraid . It is more about fear for the future than a sudden change in circumstances . ”

Daphne looked at Karma and Karma nodded as well .

"Fear is mixed in with the cries of the beasts . It isn’t just a threatening cry . Some are terrified . ”

Intermittent roars could be heard from the depths of the forest . He didn’t know if they were fighting each other, but maybe there truly was a different cause .

Everyone’s expressions became serious . Felicia turned to In-gong and asked,

"The person called Amita, are they strong?”

Although she knew they were unusual because they were a friend of the sword duke, she couldn’t help feeling uneasy .

In-gong was also forced to give an uncertain answer,

"Let's hope so . "

In Knight Saga, Amita had always appeared with a difference appearance . In the past, Amita had appeared as a big man who looked strong but also a thin woman and a cute little boy .

Right now, he had Caitlin as an example, so it was impossible to evaluate attack power based on appearance alone . In the end, it was impossible to guess how much strength, skill and abilities Amita had .

'They have lived for a long time, but that isn’t unconditional .

Moreover, there was a law that prevented the existence of a great craftsmen and great warrior in one individual .

While In-gong and Felicia had a silent conversation, Caitlin, who had been listening quietly, opened her mouth .

"Shutra, this is outside the lycanthrope territory, but it isn’t that far . I think that it would be a good idea to ask for support, rather than try to resolve it ourselves . ”

Although she was quite curious about Amita, she was a princess of the lycanthropes .

Felicia nodded in agreement to her statement .

However, there was someone who opposed this .

"It is too late . ”

It was Green Wind . Robin was amazed by her sudden appearance . However, the party had already seen Green Wind several times, so they were more interested in her words .

Carack asked first,

"It is too late . What does that mean?”

Instead of answering, Green Wind just frowned slightly . However, it wasn’t because she wasn’t offended by Carack’s question but because the energy around Spider Forest was having a detrimental effect on her .

Green Wind hugged herself and looked at In-gong .

"I can feel the power of the guardian . It is very weak . The spirits are just afraid of the monsters . They are afraid that the guardian of Spider Forest will disappear . ”

It was Green Wind, the guardian of Enger Plains, who was saying this . Felicia asked Robin hurriedly,

“Robin, does Spider Forest have a guardian? A guardian that protects the area . ”

Caitlin didn’t know a lot about the outside territory, so she didn’t know much about Spider Forest .

Robin searched through his memories with a confused expression before clapping his hands .

"There is a story of a spider spirit . It is a story about a giant spider living in the centre of Spider Forest . ”

There was no such thing as proper faith .

In-gong nodded thoughtfully . Nothing special had occurred at Spider Forest in Knight Saga . Moreover, there were no tribes living nearby, so the situation was different from Green Wind who was worshiped by the centaurs and satyrs .

Regardless, Green Wind had said it, so the existence of the guardian was certain .

Carack asked Green Wind,

"Anyway, what will happen if the guardian spirit disappears?”

Carack’s question pulled at the core of the story . Green Wind seemed to find it difficult to answer and Felicia suddenly opened her mouth,

“If the guardian disappears, it is a problem . But how does it disappear?”

Everyone’s gazes moved toward Felicia . She raised her index finger and explained,

"There are two main ways that a guardian can disappear . One is that the guardian spirit itself is destroyed while the other is that the source of the spirit is destroyed . ”

In-gong was reminded of the small temple on Enger Plains . Green Wind had said that Enger Plains would lose its colours and revert back if she disappeared .

Felicia presented the answer like she had read In-gong’s mind .

"Green Wind is a higher ranked guardian . So, even if the source disappears, she won’t . Her strength is likely to just weaken . ”

Karma had a heartbroken look on her face at those words, but no one witnessed it .

Green Wind just shrugged in response .

"Hmm, hmm . ”

‘Now, you know . Master should take care of me more,’ was what her expression seemed to be saying .

In-gong looked away from Green Wind and shifted toward Felicia, who laughed and continued her explanation,

"But most guardians are destroyed when the source is . Most of them are cases that I have encountered before in ruins or dungeons . ”

Since Felicia had many experiences exploring ruins, no one expressed any disagreement .

Caitlin frowned and asked,

"Unni, are you saying that the guardian of Spider Forest is weakened due to the source itself being hit?”

“Perhaps . ”

“It is accurate . I also think so . ”

Green Wind nodded with a serious expression and spread her arms wide open .

"This is the first time I’ve come here . The spirits are confused and frightened and they can’t communicate properly, but I can feel it . There is powerful magic in the centre of that forest . Once the magic is destroyed, a big change will take place in the neighbourhood . ”

"Like Enger Plains?”

In-gong asked reflexively and Green Wind nodded .

“Master broke through the crisis on Enger Plains, but that would have been the case if Master hadn’t appeared . Enger Plains would have been turned into a desert . I don’t know what magic is in the centre of the forest, but if it is similar to Enger Plains, the area may become a desert or wilderness . ”

Robin’s face became speculative when he heard the word ‘desert’ . Green Wind continued to speak,

“There isn’t enough time to call for support from somewhere else . The power of the guardian spirit is too weak . If we wait for support, we might miss the timing . ”

It had taken In-gong’s group a few days to reach Spider Forest . However, when considering the round distance travel, it would take at least three days for support to arrive .

In-gong stared at Spider Forest . Firstly, they had to confirm the identity of the enemy .

“On Enger Plains, the monsters of the Northern Limit Line came down directly . What monsters are gathered in the forest to attack the guardian?”

“I don’t know the answer to that . Maybe something like a powerful curse is weakening the guardian . ”

"In the end, we have to go into the center of the forest . ”

Outside the forest, they couldn’t do anything other than guess .

In-gong was reminded of the Death Knight . If this was a repeat of what had happened on Enger Plains, then it was likely that the Death Knight was involved .

‘The purple aura . ’

It had been wrapped around the monsters in the north . Additionally, the man with the spear had a blue aura which contained a power of death that was one step higher .

"E-excuse me . ”

Karma interrupted suddenly, raising her hand slightly when In-gong glanced at her .

"I know we don’t have time, but I think it will be hard to explore the forest right now . ”

Her words were correct . There was a clear basis for them and Daphne agreed with Karma’s words .

"Your Highness, the spirits are afraid of the night . It is clear that something will happen at night . ”

Green Wind nodded to confirm it .

Felicia bit her lip and asked,

"Can we get to the center before that?”

"We won’t arrive that quickly . It is already late afternoon . ”

Carack pointed to the sky; the sun was close to the west .

"Okay, then we will set up camp nearby . We will put off going into the forest until tomorrow morning . ”

Although In-gong was responsible for Thunderdoom Fortress, Felicia was in charge of the visit to Spider Forest .

"The most important things are our lives . We shouldn’t run away, but it isn’t worth doubling the risk . ”

It was true that she wanted to meet Amita . As a child of the demon king, she had no desire to leave the forest .

However, the lives of In-gong and Caitlin were more precious . Felicia made a clear statement, then asked In-gong,

"Shutra, can I give Karma some work?”

In-gong turned to Karma and Karma immediately responded to his gaze,

“I will follow your words . ”

In-gong looked back at Felicia . She accepted it as permission and told Karma,

"It is important to inform the lycanthropes of the current situation . Robin has to guide us in Spider Forest, so Karma will tell them the news . I believe in your quick feet and strong heart . ”

“I understand . ”

Karma replied with a determined expression . Felicia smiled and tried to relax .

"I'll write you a letter, so just wait a moment . Does Green Wind agree with camping?”

"Understood . ”

“Yes, I agree . I am sorry for the guardian of this land, but Master is more precious . ”

Green Wind scattered back to wind . After a rough plan was set, Robin and his group started moving again .

Then Caitlin grabbed In-gong’s hand and stared straight into In-gong’s eyes .

“It isn’t because of Shutra . ”

This wasn’t happening because of In-gong; he was just involved in the incident .

"And on the contrary, can’t this crisis be resolved because Shutra has come here?”

Caitlin smiled so brightly that In-gong couldn’t help smiling back . He was thankful to Caitlin .

"Um, I think so as well . ”

Carack laughed as he listened to the conversation . In-gong also laughed and patted Carack’s chest .

"Well, it is like this . ”

"Good luck . ”

Carack went to say goodbye to Karma who was preparing to go a long way .

Then a few hours later .

Night came to Spider Forest .