Chapter 150: The Enchanted Forest

Traveling to the territories of the faction we formed, once things had settled down a bit after returning to the capital, was originally part of the plan.

However, this was supposed to happen a bit later, around the fifth month.

After publicly revealing Isamu’s ability skills, a mountain of various letters started arriving, sent not only through the connections of Viscount Klaufeldt and his wife but also through Isamu, Annemarie, and even members of the knight brigade.

Some noble families even went so far as to use expensive “hawks” to send their letters.

The letters fell into four broad categories.

The most common were requests for meetings with the Viscount or Isamu. It’s only natural that people would want to meet and talk in person.

The next most common were requests for marriage meetings with daughters or relatives. While many were invitations to tea parties or other gatherings, these were essentially marriage proposals. Despite the existence of Annemarie as Isamu’s fiancée, many nobles were trying to push their daughters as concubines, and some high-ranking nobles seriously suggested breaking off the engagement to marry into their families.

A few cunning nobles targeted Julius, the Klaufeldt’s youngest son, or single members of the knight brigade instead.

The remaining two categories were faction-related inquiries and joint development proposals. Most inquiries about faction membership were requests to join Isamu’s faction, with a few rare ones suggesting that Isamu join their factions or even create a new faction together. The joint development proposals, though fewer, mostly came from territories that produced magic stones. Many seemed to be aiming for the same success as the refrigerated boxes experienced by the Kalenberg and Chartreuse families.

Among these letters, there were some genuinely beneficial proposals for the Klaufeldt family and Isamu. However, many were not worth considering.

The expected response volume was far exceeded by the actual flood of correspondence. If they responded to everything, it would take up all their time.

So, Isamu and his companions decided to flee for the time being.

They planned to politely decline most requests by claiming official duties outside the territory while they were away. They also intended to verify the more interesting proposals with the help of factional nobles during their travels. Early in the second month, they decided to set out, coordinating with faction members and making preparations for departure the day after tomorrow.

Meanwhile, a strange incident continued to occur in the Klaufeldt territory.

—

“Haa! Haa! Haa! Damn it, they said it was an easy job to scout a country noble’s land! This is a joke…”

A man cursed, constantly glancing over his shoulder as he fled through the forest.

His clothes were torn from catching on branches, and his exposed skin was covered in cuts and scrapes, but he ignored these injuries and kept running desperately.

“I’m almost to the highway! If I can just make it there…”

He spotted the forest’s edge up ahead and felt a surge of relief.

But then…

Awooooooo

A wolf’s howl echoed from somewhere.

Awoooo

Another howl answered.

“Ahh! No! Please, no more!”

Terror washed over his face as he tried to flee back into the forest.

Rustle!

“Ahhh! Spare me!”

Seeing a shadow emerging from the forest, the man dropped everything he was carrying and bolted toward the highway, rolling as he ran toward the nearby Klaufendamm.

Meanwhile, the shadow picked up the dropped items in its mouth and let out a single bark.

Another small shadow appeared, took the items, received a lick on the head from the first shadow, and then disappeared back into the forest. The small shadow, carrying the items in its mouth, darted through the trees at a rapid pace.

—

“That’s the sixth case this month. It’s good for us, but…” 

A young guard told his superior, the captain of the guard, in the guard station beside the main gate of Klaufendamm.

A mud-and-leaf-covered bag lay on the desk.

“I keep telling you, I don’t know who hired me directly! I was just asked to stay in this town, gather information about magic tools and the knight brigade, and report back weekly!” 

A desperate voice shouted from the interrogation room.

“They also mentioned contacting Orihime’s trading company and infiltrating the knight brigade, but they told me not to take risks!”

“Is that all? You know lying won’t do you any good. We could always send you back to that forest…” 

The interrogating old knight said with a glare.

“No! Please, no! I’ve told you everything! Just protect me! That forest is dangerous! And you’re guards, aren’t you? Do your job and handle this!” 

The man shouted, his face pale with fear.

“Alright, alright. We’ll keep you in the cell for now, so calm down. Take him away!”

The old knight calmed the man and handed him over to the young guard, who took the still-panicking man to the underground cell.

“Every one of them says the same thing. They all talk about that cursed forest.” 

The old knight said, sighing as he exited the interrogation room.

“Thank you for your hard work. So, it’s the same story again…” 

The guard captain murmured, glancing at the bag on the desk.

“Yes. They come to town to gather information on the city and the Klaufeldt family. When they go to the meeting place to report, they get attacked by beasts in the forest. They say it’s as if the entire forest’s creatures turn against them.”

“And then, they rush to the guard station, revealing their identities to save their lives?”

The guard captain continued with a wry smile.

“Exactly. And their belongings, the proof of their investigation, somehow end up near the guard station before they do.”

“Is this some sort of fairy tale? If it happened once, I’d understand, but six times in a row…”

“It’s unbelievable, but it’s happening. And all six were spies investigating the lord or Isamu-sama…”

As they discussed, self-surrenders by suspected spies infiltrating Klaufendamm had become frequent. The guards didn’t catch them; they turned themselves in.

Chased by beasts in the nearby forests or deserted areas, they fled to the guard station. Some fled the town, only to be driven back into the forest and further pursued there.

Moreover, the evidence of their investigations was found near the guard station before they arrived.

This was far from ordinary.

After the third such incident, the knight brigade conducted a thorough investigation of the forest, but they found nothing unusual. Orihime often hunted there, so it was familiar territory. Yet, the incidents continued, reaching six cases today.

“It’s challenging to convict spies without catching them red-handed or having evidence. So, this is quite fortunate for us.”

“Indeed. The lord has instructed us to be vigilant against spies. And despite these incidents happening in the forest, adventurers and merchants report nothing unusual, so we’re not negatively impacted…”

“Right. Whoever is behind this is quite something. The lord has said that as long as it doesn’t affect residents or merchants, we should leave it be. We’ll keep an eye on things for now.”

“Understood. We’ll increase patrols as these should be our captures.”

“Do that.”

—

“That’s what’s been happening.” 

Annemarie explained.

“Yes. The spies who surrendered were injured but not critically. It seems they’ll recover.”

Isamu first heard about this that afternoon from Annemarie. He had been engrossed in developing and testing the magic vehicles but had recently finished, allowing him to relax and have tea with Annemarie.

“Even so, the fact that so many were caught in succession means that many spies have infiltrated.”

“Indeed. Recently, Maraine-sama sent a butler and a maid to serve Isamu-sama, and just yesterday, a chef and a tutor for Julius dispatched by Zvar-sama arrived. Hopefully, this will bring some stability.”

As Annemarie spoke, she glanced at the maid standing in the corner of the room. The maid, named Jaretta, was sent by Count Maraine Bisseling and was “well-versed” in her duties.

Previously, Karina, Annemarie’s personal maid, had always been around when Annemarie was present. However, there had been no maid in the workshop due to the highly confidential nature of the information there, which often left the lab unoccupied and raised security concerns. Now, with the arrival of Jaretta and a man named Neumann, who was sent as Isamu’s butler, the minimum necessary security for the workshop had finally been ensured.

“Nya~~u~”

While Isamu and Annemarie were having this conversation, Orihime returned from outside. With her tail perked up, she affectionately circled around Isamu and Annemarie’s feet before heading towards Jaretta and lightly rubbing her forehead against her shin.

“…Thank you.”

Jaretta whispered softly. Normally quiet and expressionless, her cheeks recently had begun to soften whenever she saw Orihime, something Isamu had just noticed.

“Oh?”

Jaretta found something on Orihime’s back and gently picked it up.

“Isamu-sama, look at this.”

She handed it over to Isamu.

“A leaf?”

“This is a leaf from a silver cedar. Around here, they only grow in the forest south of the capital.”

“Orihime, have you been playing in the forest again? I’m sure you’re fine, but be careful, okay?”

“Meow.”

Orihime meowed as if to say she understood and curled up on Isamu’s lap. Recently, Isamu had discovered that Orihime had been saving the money she earned from selling monsters she hunted in the forest with the help of adventurers, and it seemed she still regularly ventured into the woods.

That night, after everyone in the lord’s mansion had gone to sleep, Orihime silently slipped out. She leapt from rooftop to rooftop without making a sound, racing through the quiet streets. Reaching the few lit spots on the outer walls, she looked around before gracefully jumping down. Landing silently outside the walls, she dashed towards the forest.

In the forest, Orihime hopped from branch to branch, heading deeper inside. After a while, she arrived at a small, yet very beautiful pond. The still water reflected the moon and stars like a pale blue mirror.

“Nyaooo~~~n.”

Orihime let out a long cry, unlike her usual self, by the edge of the pond. Soon, sounds of various creatures approaching from all directions around the pond could be heard.

Within ten minutes, over fifty different beasts and animals had gathered around the pond. Wolves, bears, boars, squirrels, owls, crows, and others—all seemed larger than usual. Among them, a particularly prominent large white wolf stepped forward and approached Orihime.

The wolf seemed to communicate with Orihime, then narrowed its eyes and rubbed its cheek against her before stepping back.

“Aoooo~n!”

The wolf howled, a clear and beautiful sound that echoed through the silent night forest.

“Ooo~n.”

“Ooo~n.”

In response, small howls rose from various points in the forest.

“Meow~”

As the howling subsided, Orihime meowed. The gathered beasts then dispersed back into the forest.

“Nyaff.”

Orihime observed the scene for a while longer, then let out a small cry and left the pond.

At dawn, Orihime returned to Isamu’s bed, curled up by his pillow, gently brushed his face with her tail a couple of times, and fell asleep contentedly. Isamu, barely waking up, caught a faint scent of the forest, but soon succumbed to sleep again.

The next day.

“Haah… that makes seven now…”

Another person, suspected of being a spy, rushed to the guard station. They claimed to have been chased all night by a huge white wolf and an unusually swift small golden beast they had never seen before.

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