To get straight to the point, Shane had already anticipated how this expedition would end.
On the surface, it seemed like they were working together to explore the great forest but this was only a temporary alliance.
Although their individual goals differed, if the objective was the same, conflict was bound to occur between them.
Some were driven by their own corruption, some for honor, some to break free from their frustrating circumstances, and others sought freedom after a long wait.
And Shane intended to gain all the advantages from this situation.
Therefore, Shane needed to clearly distinguish his allies from his enemies.
Among them, he had firmly identified his enemies, neutrals, and allies, except for one ambiguous person.
“It really is ambiguous. This rule of swinging a sword without thinking.”
Shane fell into thought while watching Anais mutter this.
Recently, Anais had often been seen struggling with a minor realization she had gained while clearing a dungeon during the preparation stage before they departed for the Cradle.
It was hard to decipher what thoughts lay behind her troubled blue eyes that were hidden beneath her white hair.
While Shane always maintained a stoic expression and kept his own pace, Anais seemed to be so deep in thought that it was difficult to understand her.
Iron-blooded justice, Anais.
In Shane’s previous life, Anais was one of the few individuals threatening enough to endanger the organization.
However, Anais also accelerated humanity’s downfall, and Shane attributed this to one reason.
She saw everything in black and white.
Anais’s sense of justice had no middle ground.
More accurately, while there was a middle ground in her concept of justice, there were no distinctions between allies and enemies.
In her past life, Anais was a woman who focused solely on judgment, regardless of whether the criminal was a friend or family member.
She did not care that her acts of punishing criminals brought great disasters upon human society.
Her sole purpose was to practice justice.
As a result, until Shane joined the organization and became a commander, she had executed countless villains by her own hand.
Sometimes, she punished those who committed crimes for the sake of necessary evil.
Sometimes, she eliminated entities that threatened humanity.
And so she earned the moniker of Iron-Blooded Justice, and everyone feared committing a crime in her presence.
Hence, Anais was an ambiguous existence to Shane.
Currently, Shane intended to play the role of a “necessary evil” for the sake of humanity.
If the present Anais was the same Iron-Blooded Justice he had seen before his regression, he would have undoubtedly considered her an enemy.
However, the current Anais had not yet been pushed to that extent, so perhaps now he could control her differently than in the past.
So Shane slowly observed Anais while waiting for the right opportunity.
It has already been a month since the exploration of the Great Mezaiya Forest began.
The trees started to freeze from the rain falling from the sky.
The rain had finally begun to imbue itself with elemental properties.
The vast forest of Mezaiya was becoming a blank canvas painted white by the rain falling from the sky.
From this point on, they could not move just because the rain had stopped like they did in the beginning, but Shane had prepared countermeasures for this as well.
[Please, do it.]
[Understood.]
One of those countermeasures was Orca, the elf from the Great Mezaiya Forest.
Orca channeled some of the elven magic she had been accumulating since arriving in the forest into the tree where the expedition team was resting, and soon, a passage began to open beneath the tree with a slight tremor.
“What, what is this?”
“My goodness…”
Amazingly, the space that opened beneath the tree was a proper passage, illuminated and without a drop of rain seeping through.
“What is this place for?”
It was James who answered Adam’s question.
“It seems to be a space created by the elves. I had only read about it in old books, never thought it actually existed.”
Little was known about the ancient race of elves, but James who was a member of the world’s greatest adventurer party knew relatively more about them.
“They seemed to have foreseen the great disaster that would befall them… What I mean is that they anticipated these weather phenomena of the Great Mezaiya Forest rather than the Great Seal of Akasha. Therefore, before the Great Seal was implemented, I read an old book that said that they hastily disappeared from the world and created their own environment like this.”
“If we had known about this earlier, it would have been much better.”
Adam’s words reflected the thoughts of the group, who nodded their heads in agreement.
Though it was fortunate they had found this now, it had already been a month since the exploration of the Great Mezaiya Forest began.
There had been some casualties during that time, so such remarks were inevitable.
“That’s why I also tried to find an elf from this place, but it was not easy.”
As James mentioned, it was rare for other races to have survived and adapted after the Great Seal of Akasha.
Many of the non-humans struggled to use their magic unless they were in the dungeons where they had lived before the seal.
In fact, Orca could only use elven magic after entering the Great Forest.
Dilaila was an unusual case if anything.
“I originally brought her to communicate with the elves here, but I didn’t expect her to have such abilities.”
Shane didn’t want to attract too much attention so he said this casually.
Regardless, this discovery was accelerating the pace of their exploration.
“Well, it seems this place isn’t completely peaceful.”
At Raviata’s words, numerous monsters appeared ahead.
Most of the monsters were of the burrowing insect type, and the group even saw the Great Wood Parasites they had encountered before.
“There are definitely not a small number of them…”
Dominic also let out a low groan at the sheer number of the insect horde, which was enough to be described as “hundreds”.
Clinging to the floor, walls, and ceiling, these creatures soon discovered the expedition team and bared their teeth.
“A place overflowing with such monsters… it’s hard to imagine what the Great Forest was originally like.”
With that, the group infused their weary bodies with magical power in preparation for the battle ahead.
“Damn it!”
The battle had finally ended. While everyone was tending to their gear and resting, they heard Adam’s voice from one side.
He had lost another knight in this battle, bringing the total to four out of the fifteen who had come with him.
While casualties were to be expected in battles, it was unfortunate that none of the other expedition members had suffered fatal losses.
However, this didn’t mean the others were at ease.
The imperial guard knights of Dominic also bore various injuries; some were severe enough that one knight had nothing left below his left elbow.
As a result, the expedition team decided to set up a base camp here and survey the surrounding terrain.
Until now, the nature of the forest had prevented them from establishing a base camp, and the slow progress of their exploration had made it even more impossible.
Now that they had a way to shield themselves from the rain, there was no longer any need to rush the exploration.
After setting up the base camp, Dominic made a suggestion to the expedition members.
“If we continue like this, time will be an issue, and it seems we won’t be able to hold out with the remaining supplies… how about we do this?”
Dominic proposed that they split up and search the passageway under this tree.
Although this would increase the risk, the goal was to gather supplies rather than engage in battles.
“Won’t that cause too much delay?”
Adam frowned at his suggestion, but Dominic pointed to his subordinates and said,
“There are too many injured. If we proceed with the exploration in this state, it will only increase the casualties.”
“Hmm…”
Indeed, the expedition team was quite exhausted.
The climate of the great forest wasn’t suited to a large number of monsters, but conversely, many monsters gathered in one place to survive the harsh conditions, just like the expedition team.
Having to force their way through the monsters within a limited time often resulted in injuries or casualties due to the urgency.
“I agree for now. This passage is made of wood, so it’s hard for me to use my magic freely.”
Raviata who had been the most effective in dealing with the monsters cast her vote in favor, and others nodded in agreement.
“Then this seems like the best course of action. The Haiel Kingdom knights who suffered the most damage from this expedition will guard the base camp. We will explore the surrounding area. Of course, since we are here to gather information, let’s mix our members from different affiliations.”
“What, old man? You’ve been acting all nice, but now you’re showing your true colors, huh?”
“Haha, wouldn’t it be better to do things properly? I’m just worried that it might cause problems later on.”
As a seasoned knight, he offered a flexible suggestion, and after a brief discussion, his proposal was accepted by everyone.
“To be precise, it would be better to rotate the teams.”
And thus began the search operation.
After each team, including Raviata’s, spent a few days searching, they began to see visible results.
Specifically, Orca had uncovered another secret of the Great Mezaiya Forest.
A wall made of ordinary tree roots opened to reveal various edible plants growing inside.
For the expedition members who had been eating only military rations this was a godsend.
And thus continued the numerous searches.
That day, it was Anais’s turn to continue the search with the imperial knights.
“Haha, the pride of the imperial family is here. Now that I think about it, this is the first time I’m greeting you like this. How is that friend Daniel doing?”
“…You know our commander?”
The search operation started.
As she walked along the path that had become familiar to her over the past few days, Anais responded to Dominic’s words.
“Of course, I know him well. Both he and I have served the imperial family for many years. Did you know that before Daniel joined the imperial knights, he trained under me for a few months? He was with your former commander, Robert. The two of them were very close, like childhood friends.”
“…”
One.
“What happened to Robert was truly unfortunate. I can only imagine how deeply saddened Daniel must have been at the time.”
Two, three.
“They were such close friends. But I feel relieved seeing you carry on Robert’s legacy. I’m sure Daniel who is now the commander of the Knights of Judgment is pleased with this as well. Haha.”
And four, five.
“The Knights of Judgment and our Imperial Guards have conducted many operations together. The Knights of Judgment strive for justice, while our imperial Guards ensure that no harm befalls His Majesty. This hasn’t changed even now.”
Again. Six, seven.
“So, I have a proposal for you. For the empire, for the imperial family, and for justice.”
Finally, eight.
Anais looked at Dominic with eyes as blue as the clear sea.
In that brief moment,
Amidst the eight lies Dominic had uttered,
[How should you deal with someone who lies? Hmm, at first, bow your head deeply, Anais. And then become strong. Until you have the strength and conviction to overthrow that lie.]
Like the words she once heard from her foster father.
“Yes, if I can be of help.”
Anais bowed her head with a heart of steel.
This isn’t good.
Shane who had hidden the dark spirit in Anais’s shadow thought as he watched the conversation between Anais and Dominic unfold.
Anais’s sense of justice was dangerous.
She wielded her sword with a good heart, not an evil one, but humanity wasn’t yet ready to handle that justice.
It might be fine for now, but someday she will reach a state close to recklessness.
Even now, bit by bit, she was gathering clues and sharpening her sword.
Her ability to detect the lies of others gradually led her to identify those she needed to eliminate.
Before that, I need to understand the cause she has.
In his past life, Shane had only seen Anais recklessly slicing through criminals without knowing why she had ended up in such a situation.
However, there were a few things he could infer.
It was about the target of her first act of justice in her past life.
The Knights of Judgment.
The sharpest sword of the imperial family was completely slaughtered by Anais. By the girl whom they had raised themselves.
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