I Was Told to Drink Poison, So I Drank It - 24 - People of victory, here is the proof of it.

“…It was a trap.”

When I heard Prince Lawrence whisper, I looked up at the sky.

It was hard to see through the leaves and branches, but a faint light was shining through.

I couldn’t tell how strong the sunlight was just by looking, but it seemed they could.

“I wonder how it works…”

I found myself saying it out loud.

Is it because time has stopped inside this forest? Is that what it means?

Then, Prince Lawrence snapped his pocket watch shut and spoke.

“Probably, because the magical energy doesn’t affect us, they decided to attack from the outside.”

“Are you saying the forest itself has a will?”

“The forest itself… yeah. Maybe so.”

Prince Lawrence gave an unclear answer.

Maybe he wasn’t sure either.

Prince Lawrence glanced at me.

“Time is off between the inside and outside. Should we leave the forest once?”

“It’s noon outside now… But inside this forest, time has stopped, right?”

“Either time has stopped, or it’s slowed down a lot… Either way, the time here is different from the outside world.”

“There was never a report about something like this before.”

“I bet. This time is special. The forest’s magic doesn’t work on us. It can’t make us lose our minds.”

“……What is the forest’s goal? Is it trying to stop intruders?”

“Who knows? We won’t know unless we go see. In the deepest part of the forest, there’s something like a gravestone. That’s the heart of the forest. There, you’ll find a swirl of magic. If a normal person touched it, they’d be affected by magic right away.”

As we walked through the forest, I still couldn’t feel any magic.

If Prince Lawrence hadn’t warned me, I probably would’ve entered the forest without using any holy power.

I thought for a moment, then looked up at Prince Lawrence and spoke.

“We’ll keep going. If we turn back now and come again later, we don’t know what kind of trap will be set next time.”

When I answered, he lowered his eyelashes and gave a small nod.

“…Alright. I think we’ll reach the deepest part in a few more hours. Louis, take this.”

Prince Lawrence suddenly called Louis and threw something to him.

Louis caught it firmly.

It was a pocket watch.

And not just any watch—it had the crest of Arcana engraved on it. Only the royal family of the Arcana Empire is allowed to own one.

Louis looked tense as he held it, and stared at Prince Lawrence.

“This is…”

“You should keep it. Make sure you check the time often. Now we know we can’t trust the color of the sky in this forest. If you rely on it, you’ll be tricked. Use that as your guide.”

“…Understood.”

Louis probably had many things he wanted to ask or say, but he held it in, took the watch, and placed it in the inner pocket of his jacket.

Then the three of us kept walking—and a few hours later.

We arrived at what seemed to be the deepest part of the forest.

It was a much calmer and more peaceful place than I had imagined.

Surrounded by thick trees, there was a big spring. Around it, colorful little flowers were blooming, like a full spring scene.

Somewhere, I could hear birds singing—but…

There shouldn’t be any animals in this forest. I frowned, and Prince Lawrence explained.

“It’s a sound illusion.”

“Sound illusion…”

“That swirl of magic I mentioned—that’s it.”

Prince Lawrence pointed ahead, and in the middle of the spring stood a single stone, like a gravestone. A path made of sand led to it. Everything about it looked strange.

“…Can you feel the magic, Saint of Salvation?”

“…So you call me that now.”

Even though I almost made a sour face, I smiled at Prince Lawrence.

From here, I couldn’t sense any magic.

But I could clearly tell that something was strange.

A stone placed in the deepest part of the forest.

In front of the stone, a path like a sandy beach even though we’re in a forest.

Flowers surround it as if protecting it—and trees cover everything.

I took a deep breath and stepped toward the spring with determination.

Prince Lawrence and Louis followed behind me.

We walked across the sandy path and stood in front of the stone—that looked like a gravestone.

There were words carved on it, a short sentence.

People of victory, here is the proof of it.

“…People of victory.”

I softly said those words.

“You can read it?”

Next to me, Prince Lawrence asked.

Of course. This is in old Victoire language, so Prince Lawrence, who is royalty from the Arcana Empire, probably can’t read it.

Even among the people of Victoire, not many can read the old language.

It’s an ancient language, not used at all now.

Most who learn it are scholars who study old texts.

As a duke’s daughter and future queen, I was made to study it for education.

That’s why I can read it.

I looked at Prince Lawrence—and Louis behind him—and told them what was written on the stone.

“People of victory, here is the proof of it… That’s what it says.”