Volume 2, Chapter 35 ~As Expected

“So, the disaster was exorcised?”

“In theory, yes.” I was completely drained of mental energy, lazily resting my head on the Moon Elf Princess’ silky-black-stockinged lap. Stretching out my soft, shapely waist, I shifted into a more comfortable position.

Having kept Divine Appraisal running the whole time while surveying this corrupted forest, I’d burned out my SAN points ages ago. I really needed rest and some nutrients.

“Uuuh…” Wenfu poked her fingers together, her soft pink ears drooping. She was a little relieved that she wasn’t the only one who had dragged down the team this time—but it didn’t really change anything. She was still on the “useless teammate” list. That title was impossible to shake.

Felicia said nothing. As the Knight Princess, even if she felt guilty for harming her allies, she would never show it.

Still, she could hardly believe it herself. Touching the scratches left behind by [Verdant Fragrance], she had no choice but to accept the truth.

She had allowed herself to be mentally compromised by an unknown corruption. It meant she wasn’t yet mature enough.

“Was this forest the work of the Demon Race?” Wenfu clenched her fists. “If so, that’s just awful—mind control and all…”

Mind control…

That phrase caused a subtle shift in Astrid’s expression as she continued to provide me with a lap pillow. But no one noticed it.

“I think… rather than demons, I lean more toward a supernatural phenomenon.” My head rested contentedly on a silky pillow softer than anything, and I couldn’t even be bothered to lift it.

“Supernatural?”

“It’s the only explanation. After all, we know almost nothing about Ruglian.” And we couldn’t exactly ask the locals. Even if we could communicate, they might be just as clueless.

“When I was fighting those ghostly faces, I noticed something—they seemed to embody pure negative emotions. So intense that they affected the mental state of everyone in the forest. I suspect their driving force was deep-seated hatred.”

“Monsters born from negative emotions?”

“You’ve heard of that, Felicia?”

“No, but I remember reading about ‘curses born from negative emotion’ in the royal palace library.”

“Oh? What did it say?”

“I don’t remember the details… just something about how every extreme belief or desire is a primordial spark of power.”

“A primordial spark of power?” Wenfu tilted her head. That was clearly too deep for a little kitty whose only real strength was being adorable.

“Power” was a broad term. Magic was power. Alchemy was power. Divine Authority was power too.

“This book—was it from the royal palace’s grand library?” I asked.

“Yes. It dates back to the Ancient Empire, likely a mass-circulation copy from the era.”

“Even so, if it was preserved in the royal archives, there had to be a reason,” Felicia mused.

“Even if it was just a widely distributed book, it clearly had some value.”

“If what it said was true, then Divine Authority might also fall under that category.”

“Wait—Divine Authority is born from strong desires?” Astrid looked puzzled. “But isn’t Divine Authority bestowed by gods, passed down through bloodlines?”

Felicia shook her head, unsure. “We can’t take one old book as gospel. Even ancient tomes contain errors, corrected by later generations.”

While ancient books had archaeological value, much of their knowledge was outdated—centuries, if not millennia old. Some lost techniques aside, most of it had long been replaced.

Time always moves forward, unless struck by a dimensional regression.

Felicia read those books to study ancient customs and social structures—not as truth. But today’s events reminded her of what she once read.

And I wasn’t wrong. The Luminous Ones had been absent from the continent for over four centuries—we knew nothing about how Ruglian had changed in all that time.

This forest devoured all indiscriminately. It didn’t care whether we were human or demon. It spared no one.

If this forest was created by the Demon Race, why did it turn on them?

If it was a more advanced faction targeting the low-tier demons at the edges of the wilderness, it suggested internal divisions.

In any case, we’d learned a lot. We now had a clearer view of Ruglian’s inner workings.

“Has the forest really gone back to normal?” Dawn approached—perhaps signaling the end of a nightmare. Wenfu nervously rubbed her little paws, the newborn sunlight her only fragile comfort.

Though she’d been a victim of control, her body still recalled the sensations—being entangled by tendrils, manipulated like a puppet.

“Regardless, we should head back.” I was too injured to continue. Pressing forward would risk total party wipe.

We’d failed once again, but just surviving a trek into Ruglian—the demon homeland—was already quite the feat.

“Wait, maybe we gained something after all,” I said, pointing in a direction.

“Try searching over there. There might be a Demon Heart.”

The others followed my gaze to the tallest tree in the forest.

Felicia and Wenfu searched around its base. Sure enough, they found a soft, jewel-like object nearby.

“This is a Demon Heart?” Wenfu examined the palm-sized, jelly-like gem. She hadn’t expected something so pretty to come from such terrifying creatures.

“Yes. I saw one as a child. This one’s quite large for a Demon Heart.” Felicia stepped closer, gently picking it up.

“This heart dropped from the ghost-faced creature we fought—it must’ve had a physical body after all.” I’d recovered a little bit of mental energy. “I didn’t think a spirit would drop a heart. But it makes sense—no heart, no Divine Authority.”

Felicia raised the heart to the light. In the sun, it looked like a congealed lump of blood inside a plastic bag.

“With this, Felicia’s condition to break her shackles is fulfilled. Time to go home.”

“Thanks, Teresa.” Felicia stared at the still-warm Demon Heart. After a pause, she took a deep breath and addressed us solemnly. “Everyone, thank you. I’ll never forget the help you gave me during that crisis.”

“No need for thanks between teammates, Lady Felicia.”

“Y-Yeah! No need to be so formal…” Wenfu looked away, feeling guilty. She hadn’t done a thing. Teresa and Astrid had carried everything. She’d just been along for the ride.

She felt like nothing more than a mascot clinging to the legs of real powerhouses. Just staying out of the way was her only contribution.

After packing up the camp, we prepared to leave the forest.

“Teresa?” Astrid asked, noticing I was still staring into the trees. “Did you forget something?”

“No. I was just thinking—what will change in Ruglian now that we’ve left this forest?”

That made both Astrid and Felicia go silent. Only Wenfu tilted her head in confusion.

“What do you mean? We just leave and that’s it, right?”

“This forest’s curse… was removed by Teresa.” Astrid didn’t continue.

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Wenfu still didn’t understand.

“It means the forest is no longer forbidden territory for the local demons,” Felicia explained. “Most likely, there’s another faction of demons living beyond the forest.”

“Now that the curse is gone, it’s only a matter of time before the fringe demons discover it. Then they’ll rush to claim this unowned land, and inevitably clash with the demons beyond.”

“No demon wants to stay in a barren wasteland. Fights over territory are bound to happen.”

“This forest was a barrier between two demon groups. Now, the path is open. Who knows what chaos that might trigger?”

“Wouldn’t that be a good thing? Infighting among demons benefits the Luminous Ones, right?” Wenfu still didn’t get it.

“Maybe. I hope so. But everything has gone too smoothly,” I murmured.

I had only managed to purify the forest thanks to the cheat-like power of [Sacred Oblivion]. Anyone else would’ve died here.

Was it really just a coincidence that I, of all people, came here and lifted the curse?

Everything had been our own choice—but still, it felt like we were following a pre-written script.

Who could possibly plan something like this? Who could exploit me—know me better than I know myself?

No one I knew fit that profile. Maybe I was just being paranoid.

If anyone could be capable of this, it was Bilodis—but she had no motive or opportunity.

After some reflection, we left Ruglian.

Astrid didn’t feel tired at all despite moving through the forest all night. Felicia and Wenfu were a bit worn out, but they’d at least gotten some sleep.

On the way back, we weren’t so lucky.

Maybe it was because our group was all girls—but we attracted a gang of green goblins.

Some scholars argued goblins were demons; others said they were just magical beasts. There was no consensus. In the end, it was all academic hand-waving.

These goblins clearly mistook us for some weak, clueless female adventurers. They set traps and tried to lure us in.

Their eyes gleamed as they ogled us—especially me, the biggest-chested of the group.

Big mistake.

Felicia’s greatsword roared like a mountain. A single swing shattered their brittle joints.

With Wenfu’s buffs and Felicia’s brute force, the goblins were quickly wiped out. The survivors fled into the hills.

Felicia tossed her swan-like neck and flicked the gore from her blade, looking vaguely unsatisfied.

She hadn’t met a proper foe this entire trip—just one spooky forest. She’d been itching for a fight.

Later, we encountered a few lone beastmen returning from a hunt. They wisely chose to ignore us.

Felicia didn’t return the courtesy.

She charged in without hesitation, dragging all four into a brawl.

With Wenfu supporting and Astrid sniping, Felicia handled them easily.

Watching her high heels grind a beastman’s face into the dirt as she yanked her sword from his chest, I sighed softly.

That girl’s battle high still hadn’t worn off. Those poor beastmen had picked the wrong time.

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