Neighhh~
The horse let out a soft huff as Daisuke shifted his weight onto the stirrup and swung himself down from the saddle. His gaze lingered on Lumielle as she gingerly dismounted her own steed, her every motion radiating an effortless elegance. Despite the ragged cloak draped over her shoulders, she somehow retained an air of dignity.
"Just where exactly are we?" Daisuke asked as he smoothed his hand over the horse's snout. Then he tilted his head back as he glanced up at the ginormous trees that stood before them.
"This is known as the Mammothgrove Forest," Lumielle informed dryly as she secured the reins of her weary horse to a nearby tree.
"Mammothgrove, huh?" Daisuke murmured. "A fitting name for sure. This place is unbelievable, and the trees haven't even shed their leaves for the winter. That's so strange."
Without a word or even a sidelong glance, Lumielle retrieved the Repel Incense that was tied off her horse's saddle and secured it to her waist. Then she casually tossed her hair back before confidently slipping into the ominous maw of the forest. Daisuke followed suit, glancing around like an awestruck toddler at an illusion museum.
Holy hell, he exclaimed internally while staring up into the canopies. They're even bigger up close!Did a forest from Jötunheimr manifest here on earth or something—wait, why did I even think that this world was based off earth in the first place?
The soft moonlight that had illuminated their path until now barely managed to pierce the dense canopies of Mammothgrove Forest. In its absence, the forest seemed to come alive with its own otherworldly glow. Plants radiated bioluminescent light, casting a mesmerizing array of hues across the landscape. Vines draped from massive branches like glittering chandeliers, their tendrils pulsating with a faint, rhythmic luminescence.
Daisuke couldn't help but pause and marvel at the scene before him. The trees towered into the heavens, their bark adorned with intricate patterns of shimmering blues and greens, as if the forest itself was breathing light. Towering fungi the size of small cottages glowed in gentle purples and yellows, their caps dotted with specks that flickered like tiny stars. Even the underbrush radiated life, with leaves and flowers emitting soft glows that ranged from delicate pinks to vibrant oranges.
It was as though the forest had borrowed its aesthetic straight out of a dream—alien, yet strangely harmonious. Every step they took caused the ground beneath them to react; faint trails of light followed their movements, swirling like ripples on a pond. It was breathtaking, but also deeply unnerving. The sheer scale of everything dwarfed them, making Daisuke feel like an insect wandering through the domain of giants.
"You seem oddly unfazed by all of this," he murmured to Lumielle who hadn't uttered a word for quite some time now.
The princess kept her head straight, her lips parting reluctantly. "Was it so difficult for you to deduce that I've been here multiple times before?" she scoffed.
Daisuke glanced down at a fallen leaf that was several times the size of his boot. "I don't think I could ever get used to this place," he mused. "It's way too amazing."
"There are actually several forests similar to this one in the world," Lumielle informed in a monotone. "But… there's probably none quite like this one."
Daisuke raised one eyebrow curiously. "In what sense?"
"Mammothgrove spans roughly ten thousand acres of land. If you continue in a southeastern direction, this place intersects with the Murkwood Forest—a region that is blanketed by a thick, unsettling fog. It's known to be one of the most dangerous and geographically mysterious locations in the Arcanium Kingdom.
Over the course of several decades, daring explorers have categorized Murkwood into three sections: Thornveil, the realm of man-eating plants, Mournveil, the realm of powerful and nightmarish creatures, and Hazeveil, the realm of the undead.
Beyond the Murkwood Forest lies Myst Mountain, which is where the fog is the thickest. But if one is able to brave the toxic veil that orbits the mountains, it is said that an amazing treasure trove awaits—a land that is teeming with natural resources such as gold, silver, mana crystals, and even Adamantite and Mithril Ore."
"Wow~" Daisuke sighed in astonishment. "This may just be the longest you've spoken since we left the city."
Lumielle's delicate eyebrows pulled down into a deep frown. "That's all you've gathered from everything I just said?"
"No, I—"
"Hmph!" the princess cocked her head to the side and eased into a steady gait, her strides confident, resolute, and feisty.
Lagging behind, Daisuke watched as she took the lead, her chin tilted haughtily. He could almost feel her hostility intermingled with her femininity. It was clear she didn't take well to being underestimated or treated in a demeaning way.
WHOOOOOH~
But when the wind suddenly gusted, that conviction suddenly crumpled like a dried leaf and she shivered like a feline caught out in the rain.
"Really? You seem to be so well-informed about every square inch of this forest and yet you didn't think it was wise to dress a bit warmer?"
The patronizing remark stung, and Lumielle fumed in response, but she couldn't quite find the right retort for a counterstrike. Annoyed and frustrated, she turned on her heels with a snarl.
"It's of no concern to you!" she murmured, a more urgent pace putting her even farther ahead.
"You really need to slow down," Daisuke called. "Didn't you mention that the forest is dangerous?"
Lumielle rolled her eyes, her pace refusing to slow. "Did my earlier words enter through one ear and exit through the other?" she accused angrily. "As I mentioned before, the Repel Incense will ward off majority of the monsters that lurk at night. Honestly, you men are all the same… you're so engrossed by your own ego that you absolutely refuse to merit the words of a woman. I'm so tired of—"
GLUUBB.
Before the princess could finish her sentence, a large Slime fell from the treetops onto her. But instead of being crushed beneath its weight, she was swallowed whole by the translucent fiend, like a butter bean caught in the center of a jello. But whereas a bean was an inanimate object, Lumielle was a living organism that desperately needed air to breathe—to make matters worse, her clothes had started dissolving from the creature's stomach acid.
A Slime?! Daisuke frowned, the thought streaking through his mind like lightning. It's pretty much the same size as Globerax—that boss mob from the dungeon!
Lumielle squirmed and writhed, her face creased with lines of terror, but without oxygen there was only so much energy she could muster within the bowels of the monster.
After everything she had endured and accomplished, and the host of other things that was left utterly undone, was this honestly how it would all end—being devoured by a Slime?
Resignation shimmered in her eyes as she glanced at Daisuke through the haze of her confinement. Like her, it was highly unlikely that he would survive the encounter, and she partially felt remorseful because of that. He had demonstrated incredible talent at the guild, but it would take more than speed and fancy tricks to slay a Slime in the Mammothgrove Forest. It was a shame, with several more years and a master swordsman as his guide, he had the potential to become a mighty warrior. But in this life, it would seem fate was not in his favor—neither of them.
Just as Lumielle's eyes were about to drift close for the final time, she briefly glimpsed as Daisuke's body dipped low and leaned forward. And then—
BOOOOOOOM!
He zipped past the monster in a burst of unnerving speed, a swift series of intersecting slashes making the monster explode in splotches of liquid before evaporating into complete and utter nothingness.
Astounded, Lumielle pulled in a sharp breath. For a moment, she was caught in a disorienting trance and the world around her slowed to a dull, muffled crawl. She could clearly hear the erratic pounding of her heart in her ears, Daisuke a beacon of light before her trembling eyes.
CLASP!
The instant he took hold of her wrist and yanked her to her feet behind him, the universe righted itself again. The once muted world came gushing back with overwhelming clarity in time for her to hear the screech of his blade cleaving into another lunging slime.
SPLATT!
The creature scattered into sections, falling to the ground at either side of them.
Lumielle finally exhaled. "Haxks… you—"
Before another syllable could roll off the princess's lips, her periphery caught a glimpse of silky white skin. Belatedly, she noted that the Slimes' gastric acid had dissolved her clothing down to her brassiere and panties, revealing soft, lean curves and flushed crevices.