The Zeus Woods
Reina watched and waved as Shugal and Kierra went for the gate.
She took one more look at the quest sheet and then scratched her head.
"Huh! It's just one thing after another."
She seemed annoyed by the sudden quest and how everything was turning into a huge mess. And if she refused the job, it would attract unwanted attention.
She may be an adventurer with free will, but that will has to be exercised cautiously in a lord's domain, especially one of a different country than hers.
☆
Putting it all aside for the time being, she heads for her room. The door opens to a fancy-looking room with a chandelier and full of antique works of art.
It was like a collector's room, filled with all the pricy-looking furniture.
She called out to Marcus as she was opening the door.
She went inside, where she found Mary lying on her bed; Marcus was closing the curtains of the room, depriving it of natural light, and Krai was crouched beside the bed, staring intently at Mariada.
When Reina saw Krai up and about, her mood soured.
"I see you're awake," She said in a steady voice.
"Master! Please forgive me!"
Before Reina could even approach the bed, Krai was kneeling in front of her, apologizing.
He prostrated himself before her.
She clenched her fists and was about to take some of the bad energy with a slap on Krai's face, but his sudden apology loosened her a bit. It didn't matter that he was on death's door moments ago; all that mattered was making sure it stuck in his mind that what he did today was a defiance of orders, and it could have gotten him killed.
She loosened her clenched fists and calmed the rage in her heart. Even if she wanted to discipline him with a punch, doing it in front of Mariada would stain her sacrifice.
While she was calming herself down, Krai continued speaking.
"Sir Marcus told me of my grave mistake and the reason why Miss Mary is bedridden... I know my apology won't make a difference, but it's all I can offer at the moment.
So please, forgive me, master. I am truly sorry."
"Get up."
"Huh?"
"I said get up!"
"R-Right."
She may have calmed down, but she was still harsh with her words. The order was to get up, but he just raised his upper body while still kneeling.
He looked at Reina, baffled by the way she was acting towards him.
Is Master Rei not going to yell at me? He questioned himself.
Reina placed the palm of her hand on her face to cover any visible expression that might give her intentions away to the receiver.
She even closed her eyes for a brief moment to make sure he could not get a read on her feelings.
"Tell me, Krai..."
Oh! Here it comes. I knew she wasn't gonna let this slide.
He thought Reina was gonna yell at him, but he was wrong.
Though the question carried some enmity, Reina was calm, her voice was filled with concern, and since she was hiding her face behind her hand, Krai could not see a thing.
"Why did you go behind our backs and use magic?"
Maybe he wanted to be yelled at so he could feel like he had received punishment and repent for his mistake. However, when Reina revealed her face, it was not the face of a punisher, but the face of someone who was concerned.
"I... Just wanted to get strong, not be a burden to you,"
He was ready to receive his punishment, so when his plan failed, he hung his head low, not knowing what to do.
"What makes you think you're a burden?"
"It's because you show me too much attention, and I'm not allowed to go outside the mansion without you or Miss Mary.
At first, I thought it was because I had forgotten everything, but then it didn't stop even when I could do things on my own."
"..."
"So it made me feel like if I could use magic, I could finally be useful."
Reina got on one knee and hugged Krai. She did that out of nowhere, without him suspecting a thing.
He embraced the hug, but was in disbelief at this action.
"You poor fool. It doesn't matter where you come from, nor does it matter if you're useful. What matters is that we have accepted you as part of this family.
So you can never be a burden."
"Master..."
"A nuisance, yes, but not a burden."
Krai's eyes were glistening with tears when Reina embraced him like that, and those words were not what he expected to hear.
For the first time he'd known her, she was showing a side of maternal love and caring.
She was sweet and gentle with her words, saying what he wanted to hear and what she felt in her heart.
She released him from the hug and stood up.
She walked past him and went close to the bed.
"And don't worry, Mary will be fine. All she needs is to rest."
"...Okay."
An event that would have warranted him getting harsh discipline turned into an emotional thread that further connects all of them.
One could even say it was fate testing their bond together, and they passed.
"Marcus... I have to leave for the Zeus Woods."
"What?" Marcus was agitated by the thought.
"Yeah. There's a quest, and unfortunately, I don't have any other choice on the matter, and I don't want that snobby count sending his people here.
Since Mary is out of commission, take care of the house while I'm gone."
Marcus stepped forward and said, "No, I'm going with you!"
"I would like to take you, but who will look after the place?"
"Vevil will... Sorry, but I'm not about to let you go alone."
"I'll go with her," said Krai, raising his hand timidly from the ground.
"..."
They were both shocked and just looked at him.
He looked back at them, and after a moment, he lowered his hand.
He was feeling the weight of their gaze.
The Zeus Woods needs S rankers; he was nothing more than a second-rate swordsman with little experience. If he went with them to the woods, he would truly become the burden he was trying not to be.
Then Marcus said, "No! You are staying here."
"Got it."
He wasn't about to say something stupid after the mess he created, and with no punishment for the consequences of his earlier mishap, he felt extreme guilt.
Marcus' reaction was the right one, but Reina surprised them both with hers.
"No, wait... Let's take him."
"Really?"
"Are you sure, My Lady?"
"He said he wanted to get strong, right? This is the perfect time to get some hands-on practice with the sword against real monsters."
If you interpret that carefully, you would understand that the people he was training with all this time were monsters, just not the real deal.
"But the Zeus Woods is filled with unpredictable monsters, not to mention spirits. If he's weak-willed, they'll destroy his mind."
"I wouldn't worry about that."
"..."
Marcus tried to explain the situation and the grave danger that the Woods are in. But Reina was confident in her decision.
So the old man could only comply.
Maybe the time has come to save him. I mustn't let this opportunity slip.
"Get ready, Marcus, we're leaving as soon as the adventurers get here."
She looked at Krai again, but this time she was calculating.
She thought about how what she suggested sounds logical and stupid at the same time. The place needs people already with combat abilities and experience, not newbies.
But it was her only chance to save Krai.
Krai's eyes lit up like a light when he was granted permission to join them.
The experience of fighting something that would kill him without a second thought, to know what bloodlust feels like, he was going to acquire this type of knowledge, and it would make him stronger.
Marcus was worried, though.
He is the master of the sword in the mansion, and in his opinion, Krai was less capable of taking on the Zeus woods.
Of course, he will be with too strong people, but the woods are unpredictable, and anything could happen.
"And Marcus, give him some weapons."
"Yes, my lady."
He let the thought slide and went to fetch the swords.
☆☆☆
"My lord, we've received word... The mission is a go like you desired."
"Really?"
A butler in fancy clothes said, giving a slight bow to the man who sat on a big chair in a study-like room.
The man placed both his hands on the table and sat up straight. He grins with a sadistic smile and lustful eyes. His eyes were lustful in nature, but coupled with the sadistic grin, his face was unsightly.
"...It's time that pesky woman learns her place. She'll pay dearly for taking what's mine."
He may have had a lustful expression, but he was speaking in a manner that suggested he held a deep grudge for someone.
And his sadistic grin said it all.
☆☆☆
"Wow! This place is huge!" Said Krai.
They stood in front of the forest, which they call the Zeus Woods.
The forest is huge, as Krai was amazed by, and the trees are gigantic, with wide and tall trunks that stretch out wide into the sky.
They entered the forest, which was dense and slightly dark because of the tree canopy covering most of the sunlight. The air surrounding the forest was also moist.
They walked for a while following Reina, who was leading the charge.
Marcus was in his butler outfit, but this one was fashioned differently, an outfit made for battle. The color of it was still black, and on his waist, he carried two long swords that shone. Reina was also wearing something different, a blue fighting outfit fitted for royal captains or generals, and a cloak over her shoulders.
Krai wore leather armor, which was also fancy. Metal plates covered his forearms, and he carried one sword, the same version as those Marcus carried.
Marcus even wore white gloves to finish off his outfit.
They brushed against bushes and leaves as they continued to walk straight. Everything was the same all around all around the woods, so it was difficult to tell which direction was which, and without a magical compass tool known as 'All Direction', it would be nearly impossible to find your way, even getting out once entered.
Reina carried the All Direction in her hand and followed it. It has two purposes: to find and to lead, and it does all this with the help of mana. In other words, it tracks and leads with the help of mana from the object in question or the mana of the thing the holder wants if it is not registered in the All Direction.
It can even track people.
"They should just call these woods the creepy woods." Said Krai as he glanced around, following behind.
"My lady, what exactly are we investigating? Not to be blunt, the Zeus Woods don't need to be investigated.
So what is the true mission?"
Reina closed the All Direction and hooked it on her waist.
"Good insight, Marcus... We're here to locate and retrieve a lost heirloom for an unknown noble, but in truth, Shugal and Kierra suspect the noble is actually Count Herlon."
"What? The count?"
"Yeah, you know how they are with their pride."
"But what could they be doing in the Zeus Woods?"
"Who knows... It's getting late. Let's make camp here."
They arrived at an open space in the forest, devoid of trees or bushes, with a level ground surface.
It was circular and was wide enough for camping for 5 people.
Marcus stood in the middle, reaching for the pouch on his waist and opening it.
The pouch was actually a magic tent disguised as a pouch; all you have to do to get the tent out is to make sure the pouch has mana.
They rolled out the tent with the sun seeping into the ground behind them.
The tent was about the size of a one-room apartment. It has one door and no windows.
"Get in."
"Wow! It's big!" Said Krai once again, but this time it was the inside of the tent he referred to as huge.
Inside the tent was a room the size of which was big given the outside of the tent. It was like stepping into a royal's quarters, complete with a bed and some sofas to relax on. The place was just the right temperature, the lighting was easy on the eyes, and it felt like home on the go..
Cooking and bathroom relief were to be done outside because there was no way of dealing with the smoke and smell inside the tent.
Even magic cannot completely influence every natural phenomenon.
"This should be comfortable and safe from monsters detecting us. However, we can still come under attack if the monsters notice us up close.
So Marcus and I will keep watch, you relax and take it easy."
"No, I'm okay. The spell Miss Mary used seems to have restored me to before I was injured."
"Still, stay in here and rest... I doubt we'd have to fight today anyway."
"..."
Her face didn't agree with her words.
She stared at the door with eyes lost in the distance as if she was not trusting her own words, but reassurance was needed to keep those weaker than her relaxed and calm.
So her words could have been to calm down Krai and make him relax.
