Ch.135134. Journey (3)

# 134. Journey (3)

Aelin, holding her newly acquired robe and staff, spoke in a tiny voice.

“I know… I know..”

“That’s good then. Shall we depart now?”

With such capable members in our party, we shouldn’t face any real danger.

At least, under normal circumstances.

“I’ll take the lead. Please follow me at a comfortable pace.”

Gloria stepped to the front of the group.

We all followed her into the forest.

“Ugh…!”

As expected, I felt that sense of dissonance.

It gave me goosebumps, similar to the feeling when entering storage magic or a dungeon.

‘As I thought… I can’t get used to it.’

Though I’d experienced it several times before, I still couldn’t adapt to the sensation—similar yet fundamentally different from other magical transitions.

Feeling nauseous from this discomfort, I took in the scene unfolding before my eyes.

“Wow…”

It was truly a magnificent landscape, worthy of Aelin’s admiration.

The fertile soil emanated magical energy, trees stretched impossibly tall, and high-level monsters roamed everywhere.

“The air is definitely good here.”

The air had a higher concentration of magical energy than usual, making it noticeably different.

I breathed in deeply, while Aelin looked at me with disbelief.

“You seem completely unfazed?”

“Isn’t the air great? It’s on a completely different level from the city.”

“Well… I know that…”

Aelin was clearly still very tense.

However, there were others who showed completely opposite reactions.

“The air is indeed excellent. My magical energy is replenishing quickly.”

“Did you use it earlier?”

When I asked, she answered in a calm tone.

“A little…? I was bored this morning.”

“As expected of our princess, always diligent.”

“Riel was with me too…”

Unlike Aelin, both she and Riel, with their abundant experience, appeared quite relaxed.

“Don’t worry, it will replenish soon.”

“I know that.”

With her skill [Mage’s Heart], there was no need to worry about her magical energy reserves.

Especially in this environment.

“Let’s get going. We need to head straight north from here.”

Gloria’s explanation was simple and clear.

With those words, we began walking slowly northward.

Normally, we would maintain a proper formation, but not this time.

‘Well, there’s no need for that…’

Despite traveling through the dangerous Forest of the Lost, we behaved like people on a casual camping trip.

“It’s certainly relaxed…”

Monsters occasionally jumped out, but they were weak enough that even Aelin could handle them easily.

Stronger monsters tended to avoid beings more powerful than themselves, so we didn’t encounter many of those.

“It’s definitely boring…”

The situation was boring from multiple angles.

There wasn’t much to do, the sunlight was strong, and we had to keep walking endlessly.

I passed the time by observing the surrounding scenery.

“Mushrooms?”

My eyes caught sight of large mushrooms continuously releasing spores, and a thought occurred to me.

‘Isn’t anyone going to mention those…?’

Those mushrooms periodically releasing spores.

They were the very reason this place was called the Forest of the Lost.

If those spores entered a living being’s body…

They caused hallucinations, which is why they were often called hallucinogenic mushrooms.

‘If those get inside the body, it would be serious trouble…’

People typically became lost in this forest because of those mushrooms, yet Gloria continued walking without saying a word about them.

What’s more, the forest’s structure—with its massive trees and bizarre terrain—made it nearly impossible to find your way back to your companions once separated.

“Something’s not right…”

Feeling suspicious, I took out a compass from my bag to check our direction.

‘Just as I thought…’

We were indeed heading in a direction different from where the compass’s north needle pointed.

I hurried to stop Gloria, who was going in the wrong direction.

“Teacher, we’re going the wrong wa… y?”

I reached out toward Gloria’s shoulder, but my hand grasped nothing.

And the figure of Gloria, who had been visible just moments ago, vanished from my sight.

“Ah… damn…”

The one going in the wrong direction wasn’t Gloria but me, and at some point, I had inhaled or swallowed the hallucinogenic mushroom spores.

Realizing this while still seeing the illusions of people, I quietly cursed.

“Shit…”

Then I slapped my cheek hard.

-SMACK!!-

A clear sound accompanied by a stinging pain.

After feeling that pain, I looked again at where they had been.

“As… expected?”

“But… what have you been doing all this time?”

“Huh?”

The images of everyone else had disappeared, but one person remained in my sight.

I asked her, who was still visible to me.

“Um… how long has this been going on?”

“About 30 minutes, I’d say?”

“Then… why didn’t you say anything?”

“I thought you had something in mind? You suddenly left the main group…”

I put my hand to my forehead, feeling like a hopeless idiot.

‘Seriously, get it together… Wait… why didn’t I feel anything?’

Of course, the mushroom spores are colorless and odorless.

But when their effects manifest, they usually come with some sense of dissonance.

Yet I felt absolutely nothing when the effects took hold.

‘Just like a high-level [Illusion Magic].’

This fact made me think of a certain person.

The only one among us who possessed [Illusion Magic] and had considerable expertise in magic.

That person came to mind.

“Wait a minute… was the Archmage behind us?”

“Yes, along with Duke Kyle…”

“Ah… so it was his doing after all…”

I had heard rumors that Merlin had a mischievous side, but I couldn’t easily believe it.

Given his age and the serious, dignified image portrayed in media, it seemed unlikely.

But now I had no choice but to believe it.

“That person? Oh… could it be… Merlin’s magic caused this?”

“Yes, probably.”

I only had circumstantial evidence, but it was likely correct.

Not many people could cast magic of that caliber.

“Then does that mean we’re…”

“Yes, we’re lost.”

“Ah… I should have tried talking to you earlier…”

I tried to smile despite this ridiculous situation.

It was difficult given the circumstances, but not impossible.

“Don’t blame yourself too much. It’s not your fault, noona. If anything, it’s mine.”

It was my fault for not considering that possibility and for not having any means to prevent it.

‘This is why mental defense skills are necessary…’

Unfortunately, I didn’t have any such skills.

Not even the common [Wall of Mind].

Of course, such a skill probably wouldn’t have blocked Merlin’s magic, but it would have meant something.

“What do we do now?”

“What else? We need to get moving quickly.”

We didn’t know where we were or where the main group was.

Moreover, this place had no connection to radio waves, making communication with the main group impossible.

“Won’t they manage on their own?”

“I suppose so? They did say that earlier.”

“Pardon? Earlier?”

I couldn’t understand what she was talking about.

Something must have happened while I was absent.

“Come to think of it, Albert was sleeping then.”

“So what was said?”

“Well… Aelin asked what would happen if someone got lost.”

This was definitely a memory I didn’t have.

“And then?”

“They said if someone gets lost, they should find their own way back…”

“Who said that?”

“Lord Merlin and Father.”

Those words certainly matched those two people’s personalities enough to make me angry.

Especially Merlin’s.

“Really… unbelievable.”

Still, I was fortunate not to be stranded alone.

I roughly knew the direction and how to get there, so we could just go, but being alone would be boring and potentially dangerous.

However, with her company, I wasn’t bored, and we could handle most monsters together.

“But it’s not all bad, I suppose.”

“You’re quite positive?”

“Let’s get going.”

Having regained my composure to some extent, I quickly started walking.

She then asked me a question.

“But do you know which way to go?”

“Of course I do. Though I haven’t been here many times.”

“Was that also related to missions?”

“Yes. This forest is quite useful, actually.”

As vast as the forest was, it contained many dangerous monsters and equally valuable materials.

“There are certainly many interesting things here. I hope we get to see a lot during this opportunity.”

“…”

Those words.

Hearing what could potentially be the herald of hardship made me feel anxious and uneasy.

And with that unease came numerous presences.

Sensing them, I immediately summoned my sword.

“They say words have power.”