I Was Told to Drink Poison, So I Drank It - 17 - Noah and Chalize's Bet

“Forest of Illusions…? Prince Lawrence, what are you talking about?”

Prince Lawrence spoke, cutting off my words.

“This place is at the border between the Arcana Empire and Victoire. That’s why Arcana and Victoire have been in conflict for many years. According to the report, Victoire’s side… was going to attack.”

“What… That’s wrong! It was Arcana who attacked our soldiers!”

And that’s why there were always small battles until now.

Utis is on the Arcana-Victoire border. To attack near there is extremely cowardly. Because of that, the people of Victoire started to strongly distrust Arcana, and even began to hate them.

When I protested, Prince Lawrence nodded in agreement.

A gentle wind blew between us.

His silver bangs fluttered, and my blonde hair was caught in the breeze.

I closed my eyes from the strong wind and held down my hair.

Then, I heard Prince Lawrence’s calm voice.

“There was a misunderstanding. We recently figured that out. The Forest of Illusions is a forest that hides the truth from people.”

“…Does it show some kind of hallucinations?”

I asked, then gasped.

It had already been quite a while since Prince Lawrence had called out to me.

I judged that by the position of the sun and asked him again.

“No. I’m sorry, but Prince Lawrence, may I ask something first?”

“What is it?”

“Do you not have any guards? And how did you know I was here?”

Right. That was something I needed to check first.

Even King Henry wouldn’t know I was here.

So how did Prince Lawrence, a prince from a neighboring country—?

When I asked, he looked a little surprised—or rather, taken aback—and then smiled softly.

“Oh, that? Royals in Arcana usually don’t have guards. There’s no point.”

“What…?”

“And as for how I knew your location… It’s because we met 14 years ago.”

There it is again, that vague way of speaking.

I pressed my lips together tightly. Seeing my reaction, Prince Lawrence looked away from me and turned toward the forest as he continued.

“I’m not trying to avoid the question. But you are a Saint. And Saints and I don’t go well together. So, I need you to remember on your own.”

“I don’t understand what you mean. Are you saying you’re a demon or something?”

Those who control magical beasts—rumored, but impossible to exist.

That’s just a fairy tale, like a superstition.

Children in Victoire are told, ‘If you don’t go to sleep, the demons will take you away,’ to make them sleep.

When I asked, Prince Lawrence blinked in surprise, then looked like he was thinking a bit.

“Demons… Oh, I see. That’s how Victoire sees it. But I’m not something like that.”

“……”

His answer had hidden meaning.

I was starting to feel tired from talking to him, but I still asked:

“…Are you expecting Noah to be the next king?”

“That’s right. If not, then Victoire has no future. Don’t you agree?”

Prince Lawrence smiled kindly.

It was frustrating—but he was right.

When I fell silent, Prince Lawrence turned on his heel.

“Tomorrow, I’ll be waiting in front of the Forest of Utis. If we want to stop the fighting between Arcana and Victoire, we must do something about that forest. If you truly love this country, Victoire… even if you’re no longer queen—I believe you’ll come to that forest tomorrow.”

☆

As soon as we got to the inn and entered the room, Louis asked me,

“Will you go?”

I paused my unpacking and looked up.

Louis was looking straight at me.

“…I can’t just ignore it after he said something that mysterious.”

“But it’s very dangerous. He is a prince of Arcana, after all.”

What Louis said made sense.

And this wasn’t something I should decide on my own, either.

But Noah isn’t here right now.

I can’t ask Henry about it—and I wouldn’t go to him anyway.

If I ever go to see him, it would be… when the time is right.

“If there’s something I can do… and if it will help Victoire… then I think I should go.”

“Lady Chalize…”

“You’ll come with me, right? Louis?”

When I asked him, Louis looked at me seriously, placed a hand on his chest, and said quietly,

“If you are going, Lady Chalize… then I will go with you, of course.”

“Thank you. I’m thinking of informing General McGregor.”

“You mean General McGregor, who purposely kept your survival a secret?”

“Yes. But he didn’t do it for selfish reasons or personal gain. He truly cared about Victoire. That’s why he didn’t tell Noah I was alive. If that’s true, then he will tell Noah about this issue properly. Even if it could cause an international problem.”

As a general, he had been watching the conflict in Utis for a long time. If there’s finally a solution, he wouldn’t throw it away.

He once betrayed the trust between me and Noah.

But precisely because of that—

This time, I want to believe in him.

“If he chooses to hide it again… then that’s the kind of man he is. And both I, and Noah who trusted him, were simply foolish.”

“You are not foolish, Lady Chalize. Please don’t speak badly of yourself.”

Louis, uncharacteristically, spoke firmly.

I just shrugged.

“This is also a kind of bet, in a way.”

Louis pressed his lips together tightly and didn’t argue any further.

But from his furrowed brows, I could tell—he still wasn’t convinced.

Even so, I decided that dragging the conversation on would just waste time. So I said:

“Let’s research the Forest of Utis. I heard there was no magic energy there… but Prince Lawrence said he wanted the magic energy to be purified.”

That must mean the forest is filled with magic energy and the air is contaminated.

Then why are there no magical beasts appearing—?

I was curious, but that wasn’t what mattered right now.

“The Forest of Illusions… Maybe there are some old documents at the library. I want to act before the sun sets. Let’s go.”