"I have something to tell you." Xenon smiled brightly. "I'm going to do some research on Scholar Jermi. That's my plan."
"...Hmm?" Jermi didn't understand.
Xenon laughed amusedly.
"A background check?"
"Yes."
Viola looked at Jermi. And at Xenon, too. There was an awkward silence between the two.
"You've already given me the background check."
"Hmm, I'm talking about my personal investigation. I'll do it. Not someone else. I'm going to do some research on Jermi".
"Why are you telling me this?"
"I'd like to get permission."
"If I don't allow it, you won't do it, is that it?"
"I'll still do it."
"Then why did you ask?"
"Still, it matters what other people feel, regardless of permission."
Jermi blinked for a moment.
Even he couldn't catch up.
Viola is quite familiar with Xenon's strange personality. She just watched the events unfold. "But why do you want to do a background check?"
"Hmm?"
There was no problem with Jermi's outward appearance, so it must have been something else.
Xenon seemed to be hiding something, but why?
No matter how much Viola thought about it, there was no particular reason.
"Instead of allowing the investigation... Let's bet on something."
"What conditions do you propose?"
"I'll speak informally."
Jeremy laughed loudly. Viola's smile was a bit cheeky.
"If you go back to talking to me formally, I won't forget it."
Xenon said he'd do a backup investigation, so she would allow it.
'I don't think they're both out of their minds.'
She had to pull herself together.
People who are out of their minds were all over the world.
"But why are you doing a background check on me?"
"Well." Xenon tilted his head, thinking of an appropriate lie and finding none to give. "The duke gave me an order."
"Duke Heron?"
"Yes, he ordered it in writing."
"Why?"
"Well, I don't know. Why would I ask? I've never thought about that."
"But you must have some idea, at least."
"Not really."
Viola blinked. Why was her father ordering an investigation on Jermi?
This development was not in the original at all. The story had no mention of such a thing happening.
'Unfamiliar things are happening. Am I changing the story too much?'
Well, she couldn't be too surprised. Logically speaking, the butterfly effect wasn't something she could control.
'Between the Winter Castle and the Storm Castle, I think there's a political issue.'
But Jermi thought a little differently. "As expected, the duke can't help it. He's a father."
He tried to look at the big picture as Viola did, intuitively grasping the idea.
"This is a natural consequence of approaching a daughter who's about to enter society."
As someone with the kind of appearance that drove all kinds of rumors, Jermi could understand. The rumors were absurd, like the one where he was secretly married even at such a young age, but people still believed them.
"When someone like me approaches someone from an influential family..."
It was only natural for suspicions to pop up.
"That makes sense," Jermi said.
"But openly like this?"
"I wasn't ordered to keep it a secret".
"For missions that require discretion, of course, I take all the precautions," Xenon reassured.
"I see."
"That said, I don't think this is a mission that requires me to keep it a secret."
Jermi laughed. "So, the justification is a background check."
It was also a warning. Both of them were high-profile, so it was easy for things to get out of hand unexpectedly.
"I'll be watching you openly, so keep yourself in check."
"All this consideration, what is all this?" Jermi found it more and more fun, especially because of his recent encounter with Tundra...
'So that's what the Tundra meant.'
He thought of himself as a dog, so it was natural for him to be protective—even possessive—of Viola.
'But even the Duke of Heron?'
Jermi was growing more and more determined to be friends with her.
"That sounds like a good idea," he said, then muttered to himself very quietly, "I want to get closer to you gradually."
Viola, the current object of his interest, felt uneasy. Thoughts bounced around her head as they traveled to their destination.
'What's wrong with my father?'
'What politics are involved in this?'
'Am I improving?'
'As a White Verratoux, what kind of position do I have?'
'Should I take a stronger stance?'
'This wasn't in the novel!'
By the time they arrived at the Red Tree Forest, her head was aching.
The red-barked trees surrounded the path that they were on.
"The first expedition team went missing around here. We'll be going deeper... to the exact location." Jermi pointed at a place on the map, taking the lead.
They walked for about two hours until Jermi started pointing out more locations. "The second expedition went missing here. And the third expedition was supposed to arrive at a historic site here."
Discovering the existence of historical sites was the role of the sergeant in each expedition. It was their job to revitalize the site and explore its capabilities. Such an important task was usually relegated to those in authority.
"I hope what they found here was something very good".
According to the setting in the novel, here was an ancient civilization that used to exist here. Most of the historical sites that were currently being discovered were remnants of this "Golden Magic Civilization".
There were numerous magic books and history books that attested to the fact that in this civilization there was magical water that caused superhuman healing, as well as countless technologies and magical knowledge.
"These can be used to help the people in their daily lives."
I hope that this was what the magic could be used for. Even someone like the original Viola... She would want something like this, right?
Most of the objects of the Golden Magic Civilization were valuable and potentially a great help, but they could also be abused by those who wanted to gain more power. This was why all sorts of people, whether warriors or wizards, wanted to access the site.
Viola had to do it before them and make a name for herself. She wanted everything, especially things that could be used for the betterment of humanity.
"But we don't know what will come out from here," Jermi said.
But she did. It will be a special way to form a contract with a spirit. A magic circle can amplify one's affinity with the spirits to help.
In order to do that, first of all, they needed to search for the circle.
'Viola, how does this place move?'
She didn't know what traps were surrounding them, nor was she certain that she would be able to form a contract.
"Let's stay still for now."
It was her first time in a place where she had to make big decisions that weren't explicitly mentioned in the novel. Even if she knew a lot, there was only so much she could plan for. Additionally, they had been there for six hours already and nighttime was fast approaching.
"It's already dark." Xenon started a bonfire. "I don't think there's anything dangerous around, and we do need the light and warmth."
"There's nothing dangerous? But haven't expeditions gone missing here?" Viola got to the point.
"Based on your standards, there isn't anything dangerous here."
"Don't say that. Ordinary people who don't have mana should be held to different standards.
Don't say it's safe here when it's clearly not."
"Fine, then this is a very dangerous forest, Princess. What should I do?"
"Don't let your guard down," she replied.
Xenon smiled.
He was testing her again. As a butler of the Verratoux family, he evidently knew the importance of being alert. Even if things seemed calm, there was always the threat of danger.
Viola's warning was simple.
Don't relax and just because it doesn't seem dangerous. Be serious.
It was a sincere warning.
'As expected of our princess!'
Viola inwardly sighed in relief. It was important to remember that what was not dangerous to those from Verratoux was... deadly to others.
In any case, they had to do their best to keep safe. The forest at night was quite scary, and even the novel had described it as a place not for the faint of heart—what with audible howling and ghoulish monsters with red eyes.
If Xenon was vigilant, it would be safe, at least.
Whoo~
An ominous wind blew from somewhere.
Viola also heard shrill whistles mingling with the sounds of rain. It made her tense, unable to sleep.
Why was the floor wet? The magic tent was designed to maintain a certain temperature and humidity, and yet the interior was wet for no reason.
It eventually became morning.
The ominous wind disappeared and so did the whistling, much to her peace of mind.
The morning sunlight penetrated the leaves, revealing their surroundings.
In the novel, Jermi had spent a long time wandering here. The chapter was titled, "A Few Days Later, By Chance," and there was an entire narration of what he had experienced.
'I don't want to stay here for long.'
Viola thought of her warm bed and delicious meals at home.
And started craving egg tarts. And honey-glazed pancakes. And ice-cold strawberry ade! Or maybe strawberry cakes? Or a shake?
"How long are we going to wander around?"
"It's only been two days."
"Still, doesn't it feel weird?"
Jermi was a professional explorer, and yet he didn't seem unsettled at all despite the fact that two other expeditions had failed.
'Come to think about it, this process is outrageous.'
The expedition must first find the ruins, explore them, and then report back to the powerful aristocrats, who would then arrive to explore.
The truth was that even with ordinary people, if they died or got hurt, the responsibility was solely on the nobility, the powerful people who couldn't protect them.
In any case, their group had to stick together. They had to explore first and not split up.
'I need to do this for my safety and happiness. So I can live to an old age, I'll have to be vigilant and proactive.'
The power we could find here had the ability to change society. To illustrate, the success of talented explorers would grant them a noble title.
Viola pulled out her dagger, willing herself to focus, and slightly drew on her mana.
"This dagger is from the Winter Star Workshop It's an enchanted item."
"It looks like it."
"Any wood will get scratched the moment it touches it."
But no scratches appeared on the bark.
"Red wood is pretty hard, it was once used to make magical armor."
"I didn't know that"
"Maybe because it was strong only against particular types of magic. With the development of civilization, fire magic also came about, and red wood was vulnerable to it. As such, it was used less and less until it disappeared."
Viola pointed to a tree.
"Look at the tip of that tree." Jermi's head was turned.
I looked at where he was looking. "Aren't the branches strange?"
"Uh, come to think of it, it does. It looks like it's been cut upwards."
Some of the branches were in the shape of a trident. Considering the characteristics of the red tree, it was definitely unique.
"Someone artificially made that."
Is that what they were looking for?
Viola walked to the tree and touched it...
[What are you?]