Ch.158158. Let’s Go to the Forest of Death.

“W-who is your companion?”

“A woman named Rebecca. I can truly vouch for her skills.”

Rebecca.

The last companion of Serion Lycus as a mage, and one of the crazy women who appears in the novel “The Youngest Son of the Brilliant Family.”

How on earth did he already become companions with her?

This was twisted, too twisted.

Clearly, in the original work, Serion Lycus’s appearance in Lake Territory was at the very beginning, but how did he meet Rebecca, who should have been his final companion?

Hiding my uneasiness, I continued speaking calmly.

“You have a companion? Since you were dining alone, I naturally assumed you had none.”

“She’ll probably arrive tomorrow. I was waiting for my companion.”

I had so many questions now.

However, it was too awkward to pry further since we’d just met today.

I leaned forward awkwardly and forced a smile.

“I’m in the mood for a drink. Could I have one?”

Serion Lycus nodded willingly.

“Have a glass.”

“Thank you.”

I felt like we needed to share a few drinks to have a comfortable conversation.

Serion Lycus poured the drink without protest, perhaps also wanting to go to the Forest of Death with Rebecca.

Glug-glug-glug!

Even as I received the glass, many thoughts raced through my mind.

Perhaps everything I knew from the original story might disappear.

And you know what makes humans so fickle?

Thinking about the story being twisted, there was one thing I worried about most.

That was the price of monster blood.

I desperately hoped that the rising price of monster blood would follow the original storyline.

I took a light sip from the glass, set it down on the table, and continued speaking.

“So you want to go to the Forest of Death with your companion?”

“Yes, we agreed to meet here in Lake Territory anyway.”

“Hmm, is this Rebecca person really skilled?”

“Of course! I guarantee her skills. But…”

Serion Lycus trailed off.

Somehow, I felt like I knew what he was about to say.

And my prediction was spot on.

“She has a somewhat peculiar personality…”

“Peculiar?”

“Being from a rural territory, her personality is a bit different from others.”

His attempt to sugarcoat it was almost pitiful.

Since the water was already spilled, going into the Forest of Death with Rebecca wasn’t a problem.

But.

I needed to bring Luna and Rio along, and the question was whether Rebecca, who was already Serion Lycus’s companion, would accept them as companions.

Of course, Rio and Luna might also change their minds about joining once they met her.

I sighed and fidgeted with my empty glass.

“…I see. By the way, are you also from a rural territory, Sir Serion Lycus?”

“Something similar. I lived in the mountains with my master.”

“Ah… then how did you meet Rebecca?”

“We met in a place called Silverwood Territory.”

“S-Silverwood Territory?”

“Yes, are you familiar with Silverwood Territory?”

Of course I knew it. Not only had I been there, but I’d even brought Rinadiel back with me.

Wait a moment…

So Serion Lycus, who should have met Rinadiel, had his path changed because of me, and that butterfly effect led to him meeting Rebecca?

In the end, this situation happened because of me.

Who would have thought Rebecca, who should have been the last companion, would become Serion Lycus’s first companion?

While it didn’t matter that they became companions since they would have met in the story anyway, would someone with Rebecca’s difficult personality accept Rio and Luna joining as companions?

“I’ve been to Silverwood Territory. It’s a beautiful place. How did you meet there?”

“Haha, we had a small dispute, then shared a drink to make peace and became friends. Since we had confirmed each other’s skills, we ended up hunting monsters together.”

From what I’m hearing, the process of becoming companions doesn’t seem much different from the original story…

Do people who are meant to meet somehow find each other regardless?

“I see, but why did you come alone?”

“Rebecca said she had something to resolve in Silverwood Territory, so I arrived at Lake Territory first.”

“Hmm, I understand.”

“Actually, Rebecca is also very curious about what the Forest of Death is like, so I wanted to go together. That’s why I’m making this shameless request.”

Right.

With Serion Lycus asking so earnestly, I should probably agree for now.

There’s no harm in leaving him indebted to me.

“Alright. Since you’re asking, Sir Serion Lycus, I’ll grant your request.”

“Thank you. But as I mentioned earlier, since Rebecca has only lived in rural areas, she might seem a bit rude when you first meet her.”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll keep her in check.”

“…I’ll try my best.”

The bottle was now empty.

Having finished all my business for the day, I rose from my chair.

Then I extended my hand to Serion Lycus.

“Sir Serion Lycus, I look forward to working with you.”

*

“Today, you say?”

“Yes, we’re going to the Forest of Death.”

Rio showed a surprised expression before quickly forming a faint smile.

“That’s fine. I’ve been itching for some action after all this training.”

“What about Brother Leonard?”

“He’s training.”

“Alone? He’s the last person who would do that.”

“The Knight Commander is overseeing Young Master Leonard Alphonse’s training.”

“Did you tell the Knight Commander to let me know if Leonard slacks off?”

Rio nodded at my question.

“That was the first thing I mentioned. And lately, Young Master Leonard has been training diligently.”

“Really?”

“His skills are visibly improving, so I think he’s starting to enjoy it.”

“Has Brother Leonard’s skill actually improved?”

“Yes, at first I had to stop him from trying to escape to Alphonse Territory several times, but now he’s a completely different person.”

I leaned back in my chair and sighed.

“Phew! He was arrogant even when he had no skill, so I’m not sure if training him is the right choice.”

“…Young Master, you seem quite different from other nobles.”

“Me?”

“Other nobles are wary of their siblings, but you’re overseeing Young Master Leonard’s training.”

That’s to counter Evander Alphonse.

In the end, it’s about my own survival, but does Rio see it as brotherly love?

I smiled slightly and waved my hand dismissively.

“It’s not like that. How could he compete with Brother Evander Alphonse for succession without strength?”

“Even thinking that way is remarkable.”

“Anyway, today we’ll be going to the Forest of Death with two mercenaries I happened to meet.”

“M-mercenaries? Not our mercenary group members?”

“Yes, and one of them is a woman with a somewhat difficult personality. Try to be patient even if she makes you angry.”

Rio tilted his head.

“May I ask why you’re suddenly taking unknown mercenaries to the Forest of Death?”

“They seem skilled, so I want to assess their abilities.”

“If they’re skilled, are you planning to recruit them into our mercenary group?”

“No, I’m just curious about their skills.”

“Ah… I see.”

Knock-knock!

At that moment, Luna Brillhart entered after knocking.

Perhaps excited about being called after a long time, she seemed quite enthusiastic.

“You’re here?”

“Yes, Patherix told me you’re going to the Forest of Death…”

“Right, I’m going with Rio and two mercenaries.”

“I’m ready to go.”

Luna has an introverted personality before her Blood Massacre activates, so she probably won’t clash with Rebecca, but I should still give her a heads-up.

“These two mercenaries aren’t from our group, so be respectful.”

“…Understood.”

“One of the mercenaries is a woma—”

“A woman?”

Suddenly, Luna Brillhart stared at me with a chilling gaze.

She always reacts this way whenever the word “woman” comes up.

I sighed deeply while looking at Luna.

“Anyway, one of the mercenaries is a woman, so try to avoid any conflicts.”

“Is that woman also coming with us to the Forest of Death?”

“Yes, she’s the companion of a mercenary I’ve become acquainted with, though I haven’t met her yet.”

Only after hearing that I had never met her before did Luna finally dispel the dark aura she was emitting.

“Alright. I’ll make sure there are no conflicts.”

Looking back and forth between Rio and Luna, I spoke.

“They say there aren’t many monsters in the Forest of Death due to the monster wave, but we should still be careful, right?”

Rio and Luna straightened their postures and raised their voices simultaneously.

“Yes!!”

“Yes!!”

Now it was finally time to introduce Rio and Luna to Serion Lycus.

With an excited heart, I raised the corners of my mouth.

“Let’s go to the Forest of Death.”