The hand that had been signing documents froze mid-motion. Kartal lifted his head, his gaze turning instantly cold.
“Do you even understand what you’re saying?”
His voice carried a trace of anger.
“Yes, I do. And I also understand how dangerous it will be.”
“You might lose your life as well?”
“Yes.”
A firm answer.
At Serdel’s unwavering gaze, Kartal pressed his fingers against his furrowed brow and let out a long sigh.
The composed, sharp image she had shown over the past few days suddenly felt almost like a lie.
“Father—”
“Serdel. Do you even possess any ability that justifies this? Let me be blunt. You’re not like Adis, who has genius-level sword talent, nor like Redan, who has trained since childhood. What strength do you have to insist on joining an expedition? Have you considered that you might become a burden?”
His aura filled the office like a heavy storm.
The air turned dense in an instant.
But Serdel had already made up her mind. Her whole body prickled under his pressure, yet she did not step back.
“Father, I am not doing this on a whim. And I am not throwing a tantrum out of anger over my broken engagement with Count Meiante.”
She spoke calmly, emphasizing that her decision was not driven by emotion.
“I’ve thought this through carefully. Please look at this.”
As expected, she had anticipated his reaction.
Just as he said, she did not have the strength of Adis or Redan to protect herself. It was natural that he would oppose her joining the expedition.
But she had no choice.
She had to go.
For the future.
And more than that, this stubborn decision would eventually save the count’s family.
She had spent days preparing a way to convince him.
“……”
Kartal flipped through the document she handed him, his fingers tapping the desk in irritation.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
After a long silence, he returned to the first page and read it again carefully.
Ten minutes passed.
“Where did you get information like this?”
“Actually… I had been interested in Elbash Forest long before rumors about the mana stone mine even surfaced. If monsters can establish territory and live there for so long, it means the environment must be exceptionally rich. It just felt wasteful to leave it untouched.”
In truth, the forest was overflowing with resources.
Even after being devastated by extermination campaigns, it would recover in time as if nothing had happened.
As if a regeneration spell covered the entire forest.
No matter what was done, the lakes never dried or became polluted, and the trees always bore fruit in abundance.
Within that mysterious forest lay more than just the mana stone mine—there were other hidden opportunities.
That was why she intended to go herself.
Opportunities.
The Arrangement of Radune.
“In the original timeline, it was the Second Prince who, through the expedition, obtained that special power and used it to suppress his rivals and eventually become Emperor…”
This time, she intended to take it for herself.
The Second Prince used that power to ascend the throne.
She knew how important it was to his life.
But she was just as desperate.
“Strictly speaking, it comes from Elbash Forest anyway.”
All rights to the forest’s resources belonged primarily to the Robesta Count family.
The imperial family’s claim was only over the mine itself.
Even the greedy emperor had not touched anything beyond that when plotting against them alongside Count Meiante.
But the Second Prince had taken something without permission.
“So there’s no reason to feel guilty.”
She wasn’t stealing—it was rightful recovery.
Besides, he had withdrawn without hesitation when the emperor ordered it.
He had not used the power of the forest to protect the forest itself.
She understood his position, but understanding and acceptance were different matters.
“If only he had stayed…”
Perhaps fewer lives would have been lost.
And Count Meiante would not have been able to interfere so freely.
Serdel clenched her fist.
“Damn it. Knowing Meiante, he won’t give up on the forest.”
That man was greedy. Once he set his eyes on something, he would never let it go.
He would likely keep probing for a way in.
“I won’t be humiliated again. I won’t be controlled by anyone.”
To do that, she needed strength.
Kartal’s gaze fixed on her again, as if trying to see through her intentions.
“You say you were interested only because the resources were valuable? And you uncovered all this just from that? How? Even the information guild doesn’t handle Elbash Forest data.”
“There were old records in the estate’s archive. The information was limited, of course, but I pieced together several conclusions from what was available.”
“Something even the estate’s own managers couldn’t do?”
Kartal let out a short, disbelieving laugh and rechecked the document.
Serdel had deliberately kept the information brief. Too much detail would make it unbelievable.
Even so, it was enough to be surprising.
“Hm…”
Kartal groaned softly. Even after all this, he still did not immediately approve.
“I understand your concerns. I know it seems reckless. But, Father…”
“……”
“If I say I won’t let anyone get hurt because of me, I mean it. Just like you trusted me with the Meiante matter, please trust me this time as well.”
“There is no such thing as ‘never.’ How can you guarantee that? What if others try to save you and end up injured or dead instead?”
Serdel hesitated.
If she said the wrong thing now, everything she had built could collapse.
But she could not back down here.
If she failed to secure his approval now, Kartal would never listen again.
Her gaze sharpened.
“It may sound absurd, but I will not be put in danger. And there is something I absolutely must obtain there.”
“…Something you must obtain?”
Kartal narrowed his eyes.
“Yes. Something that will protect me.”
A strange, calm authority settled in her voice.
“……”
Kartal stared at her for a long moment.
Then suddenly, his hand began to tremble.
His face turned pale.
“Something to obtain… something… special…”
He repeated her words like a broken record.
His eyes darkened, unfocused, shaking violently—as if struck by fear.
Serdel instinctively reached out.
Then—
“…So it’s started again… the prophetic dreams… it’s happening again…”
His whisper echoed in the room louder than thunder.
Serdel froze.
“Prophetic dreams?”
She hadn’t misheard.
“Wait… Serdel had that kind of ability?”
She had never seen this in the game. Not once.
Confusion clouded her thoughts.
Then Kartal spoke again, voice drained of all strength.
“…Very well. I will allow the expedition. I assume you have your reasons for going this far…”
His voice was hollow, exhausted.
In just minutes, his expression had aged.
Something like fatigue settled over him, as if he had been drained of all strength.
Serdel quickly bowed her head.
“Thank you, Father.”
“…There is no need to thank me. You are… still part of this family.”
But he could not meet her eyes.
His hands were trembling as he clasped them tightly, trying to suppress something unseen.
“Leave now.”
The dismissal was final.
