Seriously speaking, the more Yuri and the others approached the area that they were required to pass through to get to the capital, the more their anxiety intensified. They had no idea what to expect as soon as they reach the forest. But the guards by the sea border warned them about going through the usual path.
According to them, the usual path which was a valley was sealed off after the Esovian Mazoku's war against the attacking Phantasma. The guards didn't state the reason why. But from the tone of their voices, it wasn't a good one. It was the first time that Conrad had heard of such a forest existing in Esovia.
"Why would they seal off a completely safe path going to the capital?" Yuri wondered out loud as they continued traversing the path.
"They made it sound as if it was similar to Mt. Makadira back in Shin Makoku," Murata responded.
"But that doesn't make this Forest of Illusions the same as Mt. Makadira?" Wolfram asked.
"If it is like that, those soldiers should've already kept quiet about not going to the usual path," Shori stated. "But they didn't. Considering that they were already expecting Conrad to return here, for them to warn us about the valley was enough proof that they still cared for our welfare and success to reach the capital."
Yuri remained quiet since he knew his brother had a point. But why did they choose the Forest of Illusions as an alternative path to go to the capital? His mind couldn't stop thinking and imagining the possible scenarios to happen once they reached it. All of them always ended up with something worse.
As for Conrad, he was silent the whole time. Ever since he rode the horse that one of the guards had lent to them for travel use, he hadn't said a word at all. Many questions kept on swirling in his head after hearing those words from the guards. Why was Klaus still expecting all this time for him to return to Esovia? The last Esovian prince never even demanded that or made it as a favor. Could it be that Murata was right? Klaus wanted him to return to Esovia of his own volition?
"There's no point in keeping everything to yourself, Lord Weller."
Those words startled the said soldier before rashly facing the source of it. Though Murata's focus was on the path that they were traversing, the Daikenja's attention was on him.
"Your Grace..."
"Remembering those memories now that you've returned here and visited Esovia again was probably painful for you. But I'm pretty sure your friend wouldn't want you feeling this way at all," Murata continued. "What I said earlier was just a hunch. I have no idea what Lord Amrein was thinking when he gave that crest to you. But if it was just like what I said, it could only mean he was truly thankful to you."
Conrad couldn't help frowning at those words. "Thankful... to me?"
"He's thankful...that someone like you remained by his sister's side until the end."
Before the soldier could say anything in response to that, he suddenly felt something as if cold water washed over him. Not just him. The others appeared to have felt the same thing. He thought of that when he looked around to check if he wasn't imagining that at all.
"Your Grace..." Conrad called
Murata responded with a grave nod. "It looks like we've entered the forest's barrier. From here on, I guess we'll start facing problems."
Yuri immediately faced his friend. "What do you mean, Murata?"
"If my hunch is correct, this forest... was something that Lady Yunsoo created to confuse outsiders. Shinou said that his sister would usually create something that confused to the point of leading her enemies to their deaths with their own hands. That power to create deadly illusions was one reason why the entirety of the Min clan members was eliminated. But not by Soushu or his army."
"Your Grace, are you saying that Lady Yunsoo's clan was obliterated by the Phantasma?" Gwendal queried upon understanding the meaning of Murata's story.
The Daikenja nodded. "Shinou was able to witness the last moments of the attack on the Min clan, even the power that Lady Yunsoo displayed to destroy all of the attackers with one powerful spell. She was the only survivor of that attack."
"Could it be that Lady Yunsoo already discovered the power of the Beast Spirits even before she was adopted and became Shinou's sister?" Shori asked.
"Among the six Esovian founders, she was the last to discover and acquire its power. The first was the daughter of the Yi clan's leader who was also the first queen of Esovia, Lady Hyorin. She was also the strongest in terms of maryoku and physical strength. Lady Yunsoo was the deadliest in terms of maryoku because of her illusions. Lady Jihae, though always known as a gentle lady, was dangerous because of her ability to adapt to any situation, especially on the battlefield. The first king of Esovia and Lady Hyorin's husband Lord Chunho was revered for his incredible strength, strategy, and ability to quickly analyze his opponents, making him the Daikenja of the Beast Knights. Lord Namgi was admired for his accuracy and precision, making each of his attacks as deadly as that of Lady Yunsoo's and Lady Hyorin's. Lastly, Lord Taewon was famous for his speed, allowing him to support his comrades on the battlefield almost all at the same time. With Lady Yunsoo's help, Shinou was able to convince the other five Beast Knights into helping him with the war against Soushu," Murata explained.
"I can't believe they're nearly as extraordinary as Shinou," Yuri commented. Even Wolfram agreed to the Maoh's words.
Gwendal was the first to discover that Conrad wasn't paying attention to the conversation at all. But he could at least tell that it had nothing to do with the "travel down the memory lane" moments. Conrad's eyes were focused and narrowed as if analyzing something.
"What's wrong, Conrad?"
That question shifted everyone's focus on the said soldier. Conrad's eyes remained the same even with all the attention focused on him.
"This is strange. The illusions should've started working by now," Conrad said in a soft yet firm and wary tone.
"He's right. And yet, this forest isn't even doing anything to throw us off," Murata replied, his voice laced with worry and caution.
"Stop saying things like you're expecting something to happen, Murata."
"Because that's the truth, Shibuya. Something should've already happened the moment we entered that barrier. Whether you admit it or not, we're still considered outsiders. The barrier and this forest should've already done something to cast us out. And yet --" Murata's words were interrupted, however, when he felt something fast approaching them. He looked up to see who or what it was.
All of them were surprised to see s lone cloaked figure who seemed to have jumped up and now, was about to attack them. The three brothers and Yozak unsheathed their swords as soon as they got off of their horses. It looked like the problem Murata was talking about a while back had finally happened.
The cloaked attacker unsheathed his sword, as well, and landed clean strikes on each of Yuri's subjects. Though they were able to block each of them despite the struggle, one thing was certain.
"His attacks are precise. His swordsmanship style is also different," Gwendal commented, his grip on his sword tightened.
"There's only one attacker, and yet it feels like he could finish us off all alone," a frustrated Wolfram soon added.
"The guards never said anything about this forest having a guardian, though. Do you think the magic of this forest dissipated over time?" Yozak asked without removing his eyes from their attacker.
"I don't think that's the case. There's another reason why the forest's illusion didn't work the moment we entered here," Murata answered with his eyes narrowed.
"And it looks like this person isn't an illusion at all with the way he's attacking," Shori commented.
"Could it be that he's testing us?" Yuri could only wonder.
For a fleeting moment, they noticed that their attacker shifted which told them that he became distracted. Even Yuri was able to notice that.
"Those voices..." Some of them heard, which gave a surprise since they heard a feminine voice.
Could it be an effeminate man? Or was their attacker...a strong and skilled female?
"Please stand back, Your Majesty. Do so, as well, Your Grace, Shori," Conrad requested to which only two of the aforementioned people obliged.
But Shori unmounted the horse he was using and stood beside Conrad.
"'Your Majesty'? 'Your Grace'?" The cloaked figure mumbled once more in confusion. Soon after, they heard a gasp from that person which soon dropped their guard a little.
What could have surprised this person?
"No way..."
This time, they were sure of one thing. Their opponent was a female. Yuri and Shori could only stare at the figure in disbelief. It appeared that the Shibuya brothers were surprised upon figuring something out about their attacker.
"This is a joke, right? Maybe a product of this forest's illusions," Yuri could only utter in disbelief and surprise.
The others were confused as to why the Maoh would say such a thing. But the answer to that soon revealed itself when their female attacker removed the hood of her cloak that blocked the view of her face. This time, even Murata couldn't help gaping in surprise at the sight.
"Mari-san?"