Chapter 12
It wasn’t confirmed.
But strangely, the Razak Kingdom—and dozens of nearby kingdoms—each seemed to have one massive ruin, almost like a tumor, attached to their land.
So for hundreds of years, each kingdom had been busy building up their defenses.
But no defense line was perfect. Monsters would slip through the cracks, and now and then, rumors would spread—some territory had fallen, or a village had been completely wiped out.
That’s why it had become a long-standing duty for nobles to serve in the military, and no one complained about the enormous budgets allocated to it.
I looked up at the sky.
Unlike the military region—where it felt like every pretty flowering tree had just been planted all over the place, making it more flashy than beautiful—this place felt like a real forest.
“How do you feel seeing the ruins for the first time?”
Raphael approached me on horseback and asked. I held the reins and replied,
“It feels like I’m just in a forest. I expected something more like a desolate desert.”
“Most people do. I thought the same.”
This was the ruin site located right next to the military base.
Since monster habitats were called “mysterious, unknown spaces,” people were naturally terrified of them.
When we talk about places untouched by humans, we usually mean high mountains or thick forests.
Thankfully, the Razak Kingdom was mostly made up of wide, open plains—a blessed land.
So people didn’t fear mountains much. They were more afraid of forests, but that didn’t mean they could just ignore the resources trees provided.
That’s why the Razak Kingdom had trees everywhere. Even commoners often grew a few trees near their homes.
As for nobles, it was obvious.
“Bright forests” were beloved by nobles in the Razak Kingdom and other nearby kingdoms. So every noble family took great pride in having beautifully maintained forests on their estates.
The Lefevre estate was no exception. That’s why noble houses in the capital always had gorgeous gardens too.
After always seeing those bright, cheerful forests lit up like decorations, staring into this truly dark forest, made dark from the thick canopy, gave me a strange feeling.
I wasn’t scared—thanks to memories from my past life—but still, the thought that a monster might be hiding in there made me uneasy.
This place felt unfamiliar, but also strangely familiar.
Visually, it was new—but I’d read about it so many times in the novel that it felt like I already knew it.
I even knew about the hidden paths the main characters discover later in the story.
Maybe I was the most knowledgeable person alive when it came to this ruin.
Good thing I memorized all of it just in case.
I’d worried that my memory might be off, but clearly, I really had been a crazy fan of The Mad Beauty’s Demise.
Even the shape of the trees matches perfectly.
There was a strangely shaped tree in the exact spot it should be. I must have taken good notes after all.
I looked into the dark forest, then glanced forward again.
Today wasn’t supposed to be such a big hunt.
After all, monsters had been tormenting the kingdoms like tumors for hundreds of years.
So many had died, and so much research had been done.
One confirmed result was that monsters moved a lot less in spring.
That came from thorough data collection, of course…
Well, I guess that’s just the author’s way of giving the heroine time to adjust to the military.
Spring was when new sword bearers usually joined the army.
Still, something unexpected happened today.
A large group of monsters had suddenly appeared.
“Commander Blandea. It’s estimated that at least ten monsters have shown up.”
“That’s quite a lot…”
“You’re not surprised?”
“Would it help if I was surprised? Then I’ll stay shocked all day.”
“No, that’s not necessary… It’s just, you’re calmer than I expected.”
He looked a bit disappointed, like he was hoping for more of a reaction.
Maybe he’s not that normal either.
Better keep my guard up.
In any case, my calmness came entirely from the person at the front of the formation—Schloitz.
I glanced at his back, leading the group.
His black military uniform made his back oddly eye-catching.
To be honest, it was Schloitz who made me realize that a perfectly built man could be mesmerizing even just from behind.
Long limbs, broad shoulders, tight muscles visible even under the uniform… I found my eyes slowly trailing down—and quickly snapped back to my senses.
I shouldn’t stare so openly.
Luckily, no one seemed to notice.
Except for Raphael, who was chattering beside me like a baby chick.
“Commander Blandea, did you hear that the Basin of Memory is showing abnormal levels of contamination?”
“Yeah. I heard.”
Raphael was delivering that kind of report now. He didn’t seem to notice me quietly watching Schloitz.
Or maybe he did, but even if he knew, it wasn’t a big deal.
A newbie sword bearer, not even a month into service, suddenly being sent on a monster hunt—of course she’d stare at the youngest Supreme Commander for reassurance.
“Commander Blandea, let me tell you what the Basin looks like. It’s about this big…”
Raphael was busy describing the Basin to me.
Oh, I already know all about that.
The Basin of Memory was one of the sacred artifacts the military owned.
Despite being called a “basin,” it was huge—big enough to fill a whole room.
It was more like a small pond.
It was filled with holy water, and golden coordinates floated on the surface.
They weren’t made of actual threads or anything—just shimmering gold lines hovering like shadows over the water.
These coordinates showed where the golden pillars were placed inside the ruins.
So, if one area showed a dark black stain, it meant monsters were gathering there.
I had read all this in the novel and taken notes, just in case it would help later.
For reference, the Basin of Memory was invented by the Rosier family about 300 years ago.
That’s the family the heroine, Lurie, was born into—and the one that adopted the villainess, Titania.
Because of this invention, the Rosier family was recognized as one of the seven great families.
One basin was sent to the military, and the other to the royal palace.
Apparently, the one in the palace was so big you could swim in it.
Then, suddenly, my eyes turned to someone else.
The second-in-command and right-hand man of Prince Madros—Marc Hunt.
He had been completely invisible until now, but it seemed even he couldn’t skip a large-scale monster hunt.
He didn’t look good.
Looks like he’s been overworking too.
Maybe not as bad as Raphael, but he definitely hadn’t slept for several days.
Honestly, if Raphael truly served under Schloitz, then the one most actively attacking him right now would probably be…
Marc Hunt.
No way he’d betray Prince Madros and side with Schloitz. If I were him, I’d want Raphael gone the most.
Or maybe, for the past few days, he’d been trying to win Raphael over with temptation.
What kind of temptation?
Money?
Time?
A title?
“Commander Blandea? Why are you staring?”
“No reason.”
****
“We’ve arrived.”
Some time later.
After a long march, the procession finally came to a stop.
Haven’t seen those pillars in a while.
I dismounted and looked around.
There were twelve golden pillars placed just like the ones I’d seen in the Red Zone when I’d visited Schloitz as a child.
Kind of scary…
The golden pillars were used to briefly mesmerize monsters.
But unlike in the Red Zone, this time twelve had been used at once—probably because one or two wouldn’t be enough.
Everyone seemed a bit tense. I was too. Without the Oparts hidden in my coat, I might’ve been shaking. Even with Schloitz here, this was a cruel world setting.
There had been so many vivid, bloody monster-death scenes in the novel.
I mentally ran through the sword techniques again, simulating them in my mind, then glanced around.
The horse I’d ridden was led away by assistant officers.
Of course, not my assistant officers—they were assigned to Raphael.
“Excuse me, Commander Lefevre.”
Why am I the only one without an assistant officer?
Hopefully, I’ll survive this and get assigned some new ones later.
I lightly tapped the hilt of my holy sword.
About fifty sword bearers were here, each clearly assigned to a formation.
Except me.
I wasn’t even officially listed in the mission.
It was rare for a direct Lefevre heir to be thrown into an operation like this right after joining.
They must’ve been really short on people.
I had only come because of the Oparts.
My goal today was to observe how long the Oparts’ barrier could withstand a monster attack—and report the results to Enrico.
This world had both sacred tools that protected people from monsters—and tools that attracted them to specific spots.
One of the sword bearers in front twisted open the lid of a sacred artifact. Its design looked almost like a music box.
Click, click.
With the sound of dozens of gears turning, a strange smell began to spread.
Ugh, why does it smell so bad?
