Chapter 03 – The Truth About the Arcan Plant

The two started walking, and Louise used her magic to illuminate the road where they were traversing. Gerald raised his guard as he saw some monsters pop up from time to time, but most of them vanished before they reached them. He stared at the girl and felt amazed.

"They are weaklings." Louise spoke, "In my standard, of course." She turned her head and sized the Duke, "I'm more astounded seeing an average person such as yourself stay alive after being inside this forest for a long time."

"Are you cursing me now?" Gerald asked.

"Nope. I'm stating the fact that is all. " The girl responded casually, "So why did you come here again?"

Hearing this question, Gerald retold his story to Louise without omitting anything as they walked inside the jungle.

"I'm not even sure if I can find the Arcan plant in this vast place to cure the illness of my daughter. That's the only hope that I have."

Louise was silent for a while before she replied.

"You mentioned earlier that the physician who checked your daughter told you that the Arcan plant is the only cure for her. Yes?"

The Duke nodded.

"Let me ask you this, do you even know what an Arcan plant is? What is its appearance? What are its characteristics?"

He shook his head before he answered.

"That...all I know is it glows with a yellowish aura when it's dark."

He heard the young lady sigh.

"Did you become dumb because of your daughter?" The mage asked in a blunt tone.

"What did you say?" Gerald was also stunned by this question.

"Where did this rude lady come from?" Gerald asked internally,

If they were in a typical setting, she might have her tongue removed if she spoke to a Duke like that.

"My apologies. I do not mean to offend you." Louise spoke as if she could read his mind, then shook her head, "Never mind. Your emotions could blind your logical function most of the time. I guess the Duke is no exception."

Louise waved her hand, and out of nowhere, it produced a plant five inches in height. It had seven short leaves, and a yellowish aura surrounded it.

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"That..." he was about to grab it when suddenly it disappeared from thin air.

"That's right; it is indeed the Arcan plant," Louise confirmed his speculation.

Then she continued.

"This might shatter your hope, but I will tell you anyway. The Arcan is known for its potent toxins, and it's not a cure for any illnesses."

When Gerald heard this, he felt cold water pouring into him, and the feeling of desperation when he listened to his daughter's illness started to resurface again.

"Now, with regards to the symptoms of her disease. Falling ill and never waking up and a body as cold as a corpse it's called a living corpse illness, not an ancient one."

"Then why-"

"Why did that physician tell you it's Ancient?" she cut him off then shrugged."It's for you to investigate. I'm an outsider, so the schemes inside your household are none of my business."

Gerald was silent for a while, then opened his mouth again to speak.

"You're knowledgeable about the illness." He commented.

"I told you earlier that gathering of intelligence is a must in this era. For instance, having enough knowledge about this Mystical Forest could save your life."

Then he saw her flicked her finger, and the Duke's hair stood on its end when he saw green snakes falling like rain from a tree where they were supposed to pass through. He froze on the spot, and it took him a while before he was able to recover. He stared at the snakes on the ground and noticed that their appearance differed from a normal one.

They had black patterns on their skin, and their head had some wings attached to them, and if you looked more closely, their eyes were all black. He took a step backward when all of the snakes stared at them in unison.

On the other hand, Louise crossed her arms on her chest while observing his and the snake's reaction.

"These monsters are called Luver." She explained. "They can feast on you alive. They will not even spare your bones, mind you."

Duke Gerald silently swallowed his saliva. Why was she explaining something when this is not even a class? Shouldn't she be killing these monsters? He just thought of this when the snakes started crawling at a faster rate towards them. He instinctively stepped backward, but he heard Louise lightly laugh.

"Not a chance."

She waved her hand, and a bluish aura covered the entirety of the snakes' area. Then after a while, all the monsters vanished from their sight.

"I understand that you care about your daughter so much. But throwing your life away without the exact knowledge of everything is not helpful at all." Louise then turned towards him, "I'm showing you the reality of your situation. But, as I said earlier, you have to thank your luck for keeping you alive as well."

Gerald blinked his eyes when he realized why the girl showed him that dangerous situation.

"Thank you."

He paused, then opened his mouth again.

"About my daughter's illness, since you are very familiar with it, does that mean that there is a cure?"

Louise shrugged her shoulder, "You could say that. A mage can only solve an illness inflicted by a mage."

"A mage? But the magic healing potion wasn't able to cure her." He countered.

"Why would I inflict an illness if a simple magic potion can cure it? If I am the culprit, it doesn't make sense, does it?"

"Then what would happen to my daughter?"

"The worst-case scenario is her death," Louise answered casually.

Gerald was silent for a long time as if he was weighing something. Suddenly he balled his hand into a fist.

So that means that someone was toying with him. So, if he was able to get the Arcan plant, then what would happen? He will indirectly kill his daughter.

There was a cold glint that flashed through his eyes. He will make sure that he gets to the bottom of this.

"Can you cure her?"

"Didn't I mention it earlier?"

The Duke bowed his head towards her full of gratitude.