The Encounter Between the Forsaken Healing Magic’s Beloved Child and the Betrayed Black Dragon Princess of Calamity - 4

Chapter 4: The Dark Forest

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“Whoaaaa!”

A month had passed since I left the capital of the Hylics Empire, Pralg. I had finally arrived at my destination, the Dark Forest. 

“What a strange prince. Here you are, about to die. Yet, you’re looking around in fascination, as if you’re sightseeing.”

One of the soldiers who had brought me here chuckled. Following Chancellor Hertling’s orders, the soldiers didn’t treat me roughly. For the first time since forever, I was able to spend my days without being hit or harassed by anyone. 

“Look. That’s the entrance to the Dark Forest.”

One of the soldiers pointed. I looked in the direction he indicated and true to its name, there was not a trace of light in that forest. Without any light, it would be hard to even see where I was stepping.

“Here’s your food and water for about a week. After that… Well, you’ll have to manage on your own.”

“Yes…”

The food for the week was probably prepared with the assumption that I would die before it ran out. I had a feeling that they also made me carry rations with me to make me more vulnerable to the monsters. 

“U-Umm… Thank you for bringing me all the way here.”

“Hm? …You’re really a strange prince.”

I bowed deeply and thanked them, but the soldiers turned their faces away. They probably didn’t feel any joy to be thanked by someone like me. 

“Well then… Please accept this as a token of my gratitude.”

“Oi, oi. Isn’t that the money Your Highness received from the Chancellor?”

“Yes, but I won’t be needing it anyway.”

I wouldn’t be able to use this money in the Dark Forest anyway. In fact, I’d probably be dead before I had the chance to use it. 

“…I understand. I will take it.”

One of the soldiers awkwardly accepted the leather pouch with the money inside.

Good. Maybe I’m just being overly positive, but at least by doing this, I won’t be killed by the soldiers right after stepping into the Dark Forest. Heh. What am I even thinking? My father threw me into the Dark Forest for me to die. I have to die. So… Why am I making an effort to avoid death?

“Ahaha…”

I couldn’t stop laughing, finding everything somewhat amusing. 

“Well then, thank you for everything.”

I turned around just before the entrance of the Dark Forest and gave them a small bow.

This is truly the end.

“Salute to His Highness Gilbert Furst Hylics!!”

“SALUTE..!!”

Two soldiers raised their swords and saw me off. They probably did that because I gave them the money, but still… Being seen off like this… This was my first time experiencing it. The soldiers were so dignified and cool and being sent off by them made me feel like the main protagonist of a story. Hence why…

“I’ll be off!”

I waved my hand and smiled at them before entering the Dark Forest. 

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“It’s completely dark here…”

It had been about an hour since I stepped into the Dark Forest. When I looked back, I could no longer see the entrance of the forest. I doubt I could return now. 

“I wish there’s something I can use as a landmark…”

I muttered to myself, but when I looked up, I could only see tall trees stretching high above, covering the sky. There wasn’t even any crack for the sunlight to peer through. I was enveloped in darkness. I couldn’t even see what was ahead. This place was literally… The Dark Forest.

“…Well, I don’t have any destination to go anyway. It’s all the same for me.”

After all, this forest, although bestowed to me by His Majesty, was just a place for me to die. The letter of introduction I had received was nothing more than a mere formality. If another troublesome child like me were to be born, they’d probably hand them the same letter and abandon them here in this forest, just like me. 

Maybe in the past, there were others like me, abandoned here and lost their lives in the process. 

“…Well, since I’m already here, I might as well do some exploring.”

I’d be killed and eaten on the spot if I encountered a monster since I didn’t have any weapon or any strength to fight off monsters. Until then, I might as well enjoy myself a little. No good thing had ever happened to me in my 10 years of living, so…

“Wait. No, that’s not exactly true.”

Smiling shyly, I shook my head. Right. When I was about to enter the Dark Forest, the two soldiers saluted and sent me off. That was enough to make me incredibly happy. 

“Alright, let’s go!”

Raising my right hand, I confidently walked deeper into the forest. Strangely enough, I hadn’t encountered any monsters so far.

“According to Chancellor Hertling and the soldiers, this forest is supposed to be teeming with monsters…”

I had been walking through the forest for over an hour, but I hadn’t encountered any monsters. This was simply hard to believe. A useless child like me should be the perfect prey for monsters…

Tilting my head, I continued to venture deeper into the forest. And then…

“Ah! A river!”

Following the sound of the stream, I found clean water flowing freely. I rushed over, scooped some water with my hands, and took a sip.

“It’s delicious…”

The water flowing through the Dark Forest tasted completely different from the water in the imperial palace. It didn’t have any strange smells, tasted slightly sweet and incredibly cold. I got so caught up in drinking that I ended up drinking too much. My stomach felt bloated now. But at least, it seemed I wouldn’t need to worry about water. 

“That said, if I’m going to live here for the foreseeable future, this area should be good.”

Fortunately, I hadn’t encountered any monsters up until now. For safety reasons, this area seemed to be the best place to serve as my base of operations. 

“But still, I need to find a place to shield myself from the rain and elements.”

It would be nice if I could build a hut, but unfortunately, I didn’t have any tools with me and since I was just a weak boy, making a hut from scratch was downright impossible for me. If only I could find a cave or something… 

While making sure I didn’t stray too far from the river, I walked around the area. Then…

Grrr…

“-?!?!”

Amid the sound of the stream, a guttural growl echoed through the Dark Forest.

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