There is nothing permanent in this world. It was as natural as a flower blooming and dying - it was nature’s providence. 

  Even Adenburg, once called the Eternal Empire, couldn’t avoid nature’s providence.

  The Empire enjoyed peace without any wars for 400 years. And those 400 years were enough to dull the keen insight of the monarchs and erode the loyalty of the Grand Dukes of the vassal countries. 

  The Imperial Family’s powerful strength was the only thing that maintained the Empire’s unity. However, cracks were already beginning to form and when it became a chasm too big to be filled, the Empire’s unity was finally broken.

  The starting point was the very heart of the Empire as the Adenstein’s bloodline fought amongst themselves for the Empire’s throne. The Grand Dukes supported different princes as they encouraged brothers to fight against each other for power. 

  But even until then, the situation wasn’t so serious that it couldn’t be rectified. However, once the Grand Dukes’ ambitions were added to the princes’ greed, the struggle for the throne spread beyond the Imperial Palace and throughout the entire Empire. 

  A civil war broke out and the Empire was torn apart by Grand Dukes who put their own princes to the forefront. 

  The period of 500 years where the Empire enjoyed the Era of Light had finally come to an end. 

  As soon as the splendid days left, an era of supreme darkness arrived immediately.

  With the beginning of the magic era, all sorts of weapons had been enhanced, and with those very weapons, the Empire was destroyed. Among the weapons, the most terrifying destruction was caused by what had once been the symbol of the magic era and the Empire’s most powerful weapons - the airship and the mage mount.

  Three hundred airships, both large and small, had rained down fire from the sky as they flew around. Thousands of mage mounts destroyed the city from all sides and demolished fortresses and castles. 

  It was as if the savageness and wildness that had been suppressed for 500 years under the wisdom and prosperity had burst out all at once. It was truly a terrible time. 

  Countless people who had enjoyed peace and quiet died, and the survivors became refugees who had to go around begging. Noble and honorable people met tragic deaths all over the place. 

  Even people who had the noble Adenstein blood died in that manner. While they had been protected by the strongest mage mounts and superhumans, they hadn’t been completely safe because the blade of the civil war pointed right at them. 

  Five years after the civil war, three of the nine princes died, and of the twelve princesses, only three survived. 

  Another five years passed and now, there were only three princes and two princesses left. 

  Adelaide Vinheim Ro Adenstein was one of the two princesses who survived. However, she hadn’t survived because she had the backing of a powerful Grand Duke or because she had excellent knights and mages. She had survived because she wasn’t anything special. 

  Forget the intimidating aura that was unique to the Adenstein bloodline, who was said to have inherited the blood of a dragon, she didn’t even have the dignity unique to a royal family. She was not much different from any other noblewoman and seemed just like an ordinary one. 

  She didn’t have the same remarkable presence that all the other Adenstein bloodline had, so the princes and princesses didn’t care about this ugly duckling princess. But because of that, she had been able to survive this terrible internecine. 

  But then, things changed. 

  After most of the Imperial Family died in the civil war, her presence quickly rose. Having lost a prince to support, most of the nobles and knights began to make moves to uphold her as the new monarch.

  But of course, such an atmosphere offended the influential princes.

  Previously, she had been removed from the family war for the throne, but now, she was forced into the center of the fight.

  It was truly unlucky and unfortunate. 

  For the knights, Adelaide was a princess of misfortune. But, perhaps that was why Ingrid von Trail, a Lady Knight which a bright future who had achieved the rank of 84 on the Gradus List at the age of 20, rejected all the princes’ proposals and joined Adelaide on her arduous journey. 

  At first, it was clearly compassion. But as she watched from up close, Ingrid realized Princess Adelaide was not insignificant or a person that someone like her could dare feel sympathy for.

  The princess was not someone who was pessimistic about her own plight, nor was she tainted by the delusions or bleak expectations of those who had lost.

  The princess was far nobler and more thoughtful than anyone else. She was also more dignified than any other Imperial family member that Ingrid had seen before.

  Why was a person like her unknown until now? Ingrid simply couldn’t understand that. 

  “I have never gone further than here before.”
While Ingrid had been lost in her thoughts, the herbalist, who was in charge of guiding them, stopped.

  “Thank you for your hard work.”
“Um, the price as promised…”
When the herbalist rubbed his hands, one of the knights stepped forward. Who knows when the knight had drawn his sword, but he was approaching the herbalist with a sharp blade in his hand.

  “While loose change like that isn’t precious, I cannot trust your loose lips.”
The herbalist turned pale as he started to retreat at the knight’s words. He seemed to have realized that the knight was planning on blocking his mouth by killing him.

  “Eek! I, I promise I’ll never tell anyone! N, never ever!”
The knight snorted and raised his sword. Ingrid was dissatisfied with the knight’s behavior, but she didn’t stop him. She also thought that the loose-lipped herbalist would chatter and spill the princess’ destination. 

  “Let him go.”
Then, Princess Adelaide stepped forward. 

  “We trusted him to guide us and he has faithfully fulfilled his promise. What he should receive is the promised gold, not a sharply drawn blade.”
“Your Highness.”
“I have personally made the promise.”
The knight did not withdraw his sword.

  “If your destination is revealed, then everyone is at risk. It doesn’t matter what happens to me, but if something were to happen to you, then I will not be able to endure it, Your Highness.”
While his words were smooth, it was true that he was also outrageously refusing to obey the princess’s order once again.

  “Her Highness has given you an order!”
Unable to bear it any longer, Ingrid stepped forward and rebuked the knight. The knight looked disgruntled, but he couldn’t go against her either. It seemed like he was burdened by the fact that Ingrid wasn’t like a regular knight like them, but a knight of the Imperial Guard. 

  Without intending to, Ingrid placed a hand on the hilt of her sword. If she could, she wanted to immediately punish the knight for looking down on the royal family. However, she couldn’t.

  “Sir Trail.”
She didn’t know when, but the princess had approached and was blocking her way.

  “Your Highness, they’re like wild dogs. They couldn’t even protect the person they were meant to protect, and they have no intention of paying the price of their defeat. They are here because they could not avoid the princes’ anger for what happened before. It is not because they are loyal, Your Highness.”
The princess did not say anything. She only looked at her with clear eyes. Now, Ingrid could not go against the princess’s orders. 

  “It is clear that that person is not acting as a knight, but that does not mean his words are wrong. If you leave the herbalist alive, then it may be cause for future troubles, Your Highness.”
“I know. I’m sure that the moment he returns, he will tell them where we are going and receive a reward.”
“If you know that, then why…”
Ingrid was about to question the princess again when she closed her mouth. The princess’s clear eyes were looking at her. 

  “Your Highness, I cannot understand what your intentions are.”
Ingrid sighed as she watched the herbalist disappearing out of the forest with a pouch of money clutched in his hands. 

  The forest fell silent again after the sound of footsteps disappeared.

  “Hm.”
Ingrid frowned at the strangely quiet forest’s atmosphere.

  “It feels more like ghosts would live here, not fairies.”
The heavy silence reminded them what their purpose was in coming here.

  ‘If the Empire faces a crisis that it cannot escape from on its own, then find the Forest of the Fairies. Salvation will be there.’
Shockingly, this absurd legend-like story had been handed down from generation to generation. And now, it was like a myth about how the Empire had been established - a myth that no one believed. 

  When Ingrid remembered their purpose, her heart ached as she was reminded of the princess’s desperate situation that she had to cling to such an absurd story.

  If there hadn’t been a slightly realistic rumor of an archmage living in the forest, then no matter what, Ingrid would have forced the princess to turn back.

  “Let’s hurry. As long as the guide returned, we have to find our own way from here.”
When Ingrid saw that the princess was still resolute in this bleakness, she sighed and organized the knights.

  “We shall do everything we can to ensure that there are no threats to the princess.”
At her words, about ten knights started advancing again.

  The forest was quiet. They couldn’t hear a single animal’s cry, something that they should be hearing often. They couldn’t even hear the chirping of the grasshopper, and that made it more ominous.

  What on earth is in this eerie forest?

  Ingrid looked around as she loosened the tight grip she had around her sword’s handle. All she could see were dense thickets and a forest so thick that not even a single ray of light could shine through.

  A day passed. Another two days passed. And then, a week passed. No matter how far in they went, nothing changed.

  The forest continued to be quiet and green.

  But the princess and her guards did not stop walking. It wasn’t because they had a sliver of hope. It was because they had discovered the presence of pursuers the night before. 

  The princess and her group continued forward towards the center of the forest as if they were being pushed forward

  How long did they wander through the forest like that?

  “Your Highness, it would be better to go back and organize our military strength. It is foolish to waste time in a forest that has nothing.”
Ingrid drew her sword at the disgruntled knight’s words.

  “You dare criticize the princess’s decision as being foolish?!”
“H, how could I dare…”
Pale-faced, the knight tried to make an excuse. But from the beginning, Ingrid had decided to deal with these dogs who were costumed as knights and didn’t give them time to make excuses.

  “Ack!’
“If you dare to disrespect the princess ever again, I will cut off your head and not that arrogant and rude tongue of yours.”
She pulled out her dagger and sliced off the knight’s tongue. The knight screamed and wailed that he was doing to die. Ingrid’s face turned cold as she looked at that undignified appearance that was nothing like a knight.

  The Empire truly has declined. How could the Empire appoint these unqualified people as knights?

  She stiffened as she shook off the blood from her dagger.

  Like a ghost, someone was standing in the shadows of the forest. They were blocking the way.

  “Go back.”
The voice was as lifeless as vague as their presence was.

  “It is forbidden for humans to walk from this point on. Return.”
Ingrid responded coldly to the suspicious person whose body was covered.