I rubbed my forehead. “A favour? Yeah, sure, not like I’ve got anything better to do—roads, housing, public transport.” Come to think of it, once I had Shal under my control, I’d also have to start looking outward.

We already had a relationship with Zaleria, but it was so hilariously one-sided it may as well have been a shakedown. What about Kavsta, behind the Caltan Mountains? They were home to the Church of the Eight Pillars, and I hadn’t done much research yet, but apparently they wouldn’t trade with us because it was easier to leave everything to Zaleria, who offered favourable rates.

Aleister had been trading with Antira. Maybe I could use that, and strike a deal with them. I wondered what goods they had.

Clearing his throat, Duke Shal cocked his head. “Public transport? I say, do you mean like the Kavstan stagecoaches?”

“The what?” Of course someone else had gotten there first. This wasn’t a novel, or a game, and I wasn’t the only one who had good ideas. Hell, most of them were stolen anyway.

“Kavsta is mostly tundra, sire,” said Hana. “As it is so uncomfortable to walk through, though not impossible, the Church runs large carriages from city to city for a nominal fee. They are quite popular.”

I scratched my head. “But then… what’s pulling them. Horses?”

“A beast known as a Rusky,” said Duke Shal.

“A… what?” Images of a walrus crossed with a husky came to mind, then it morphed to a metal dog covered in rust.

“They’re essentially ginormous canines,” said Shia, shifting in her seat. Her voice was small and hard to hear, and she kept looking down at the desk.

“Can’t you ever just talk normally?” I asked.

“What are you talking about?” she replied, her voice growing as she met my gaze. “This is normal. How else are humanoids supposed to understand how overwhelmingly intelligent I am?”

“Whatever, this isn’t important! Duke Shal, in all seriousness, I’m sure I can do something to help. What is it you need?”

He coughed, glancing between us in confusion. “Well, you see, it isn’t something you would have to be involved in yourself, per se, and more an issue of logistics.”

“Carry on,” I said.

“Indeed, do you know of the Dark Forest on the borders of this town?”

“I’ve heard the name.”

“It is a bountiful forest, full of mana,” said Hana, hands behind her back, “capable of producing the kind of wood yields that can sustain most of a country, without ever seeming to shrink.

“It is also a breeding ground for monsters.”

“As the Arbiter says.” Duke Shal’s face drooped, and he exhaled deeply. “Because of the monsters, we cannot send ordinary workers or soldiers to harvest the trees. Instead, we must rely on adventurers, yes.”

My heartbeat quickened. Of course, I’d heard about monsters before, but no attacks had occurred since I took the throne—to my knowledge, at least—so they’d become an easily forgettable background detail.

Adventurers, though, were a new one. It made sense, I supposed—where there was magic, monsters, and untamed wilds, there would always be adventurers.

A sense of longing tugged at my chest.

“How come there aren’t any adventurers in Larm?” I blurted out.

“They left,” said Hana. “With the economy crumbling, nobody could afford to order quests, so maintaining their Guildhall became too expensive.”

I furrowed my brow. “Then how come they can afford it here?”

“I consider their prices overheads from the harvest, you see,” said Duke Shal. “Unfortunately, the adventurers have been going missing. Yes, it seems the Guild will leave this town too, if nothing is, indeed, done.

“If that happens, the monsters usually cleared by them may begin to overrun Kalst itself.”

“I see.” Was I dreaming? I didn’t even dare pinch myself, since if I was, it would probably wake me up.

A Dark Forest full of monsters, a bunch of missing adventurers, and a town in peril.

This felt like a real quest.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

“Leave it to me,” I said, puffing my chest. “I’ll get to the bottom of it for you, and what’s more, I’ll do it myself.”

Hana and Shia both turned to me in shock, and Duke Shal’s face lit up.

“Oh, I see, really? Yes, that would be fantastic, but what you said before—”

“Don’t worry about it,” I said, standing. I chose to ignore Hana narrowing her eyes at me, and Shia stifling a giggle. “A nation is made of its people, and it’s the job of a ruler to support and protect them all, right?”

“I see, yes.” Duke Shal gave a small smile and a sigh of relief. “Thank you, sire. Of course, I shall once again consider my territory, indeed, as part of this great kingdom.”

I beamed. Today, everything was looking up.

***

We left the manor, and I had Shia return to Larm to grab Cannara, prompting more complaints about being treated as a pack horse. It hardly registered, though; the quest on the horizon had captured my full attention.

The forest was hard to miss. A shadow hung over it, but it didn’t just hang—it permeated the trees, the brush, the undergrowth, snaking and winding around everything like the sunlight itself was scared to enter.

Great oaks and pines intertwined, their gnarled bark and fluttering leaves seeming to merge with the darkness. It smelled of earth and… something else.

Silence emanated from Kalst behind us, the cypress meadows between wrapped in a similar eerie lull.

“Sire,” said Hana, her voice terse, “may I point out how awful of an idea this is?”

“Your objection is noted,” I said, breathing in the air of mystery. This was how it was supposed to be.

“You’re piss-weak, Oliver,” said Cannara, smirking. “I could rip you apart and wear your guts as a belt with both my hands tied behind my back.”

I started, narrowing my eyes in confusion. “Well, that’s… vivid.”

“She is right.” Hana stepped forward, positioning herself between me and the forest, her hands on her hips and brow downturned. “At least in Zarua, you were surrounded by an army of allies. Here, we are alone, and even I am not sure what lies ahead. Do you really expect us to be able to protect you for the whole journey?”

Heat pricked my skin as I clenched my jaw. Sure, maybe I wasn’t a badass warrior, but I wasn’t completely helpless. Not anymore.

“Did you forget about the S—er, magic that overwhelmed you all? Do you need another demonstration?”

Drawing her sword, Hana sliced me with a glare even sharper. “Please, do.”

Gone was her usual stoic expression, and it occurred to me I’d never seen her angry before. My stomach jumped and my breath caught, a shiver wracking my body and bleeding the tension from my legs.

“Um, guys…” said Shia, her brow trembling. “There’s really no requirement for—”

Hana surged at me, closing the gap in an eyeblink. I swallowed my heart.

“STOP.” Holding out my hand, I commanded her, and she froze in place, mid-swing. Her arms quivered as she glowered at me.

“As you can see,” I said, smug, “while your concern is appreciated, it’s also—” I squeaked.

Hana’s sword was at my throat. The same position twice in as many days—was I about to get a streak started?

“And now,” she said in a dark tone, “you are dead.”

“He hasn’t actually expired though,” said Shia, sweating. “So why don’t we embark into the forest now?”

“Really?” asked Cannara, her eyebrows raised. “You want to go in there?”

“Obviously!” Shia straightened, staring at Cannara with the force of a freight train. “Think of how many undocumented plants and creatures are in there, and that’s not to mention the magic… ooh, we could even meet a hidden tribe!”

My eye twitched. “You’re not helping!” Focusing back on Hana, I gulped. “Look, I get what you’re trying to say, so please put the sword down?”

I shit you not, she harrumphed. Hana. Harrumphing.

“Do you truly understand? That magic of yours may be powerful, but it means nothing if the enemy overcomes it. Didn’t you realise during the battle at Zarua?

“In combat, one lapse of concentration can cost you everything. Even if you have the power to subdue your opponents, you cannot take your eyes from them for a second. That is the difference between life and death.”

“I understand,” I said, and I did. Despite knowing this wasn’t a game, in some aspects, I realised I was still treating it like one. Thinking I could just head off and hunt monsters, without any kind of plan or awareness, was the height of stupidity.

“But I still have to do this,” I said. “It’s my duty as King to make sure those adventurers get home safe.”

She shook her head, biting her lip. “No, you simply wish to explore.”

Stammering, I paused. “How do you know that?”

“The time we spoke of stories and adventures,” she replied. “I could see the longing in your eyes.”

I sighed. “Still, I’m not wrong.”

“Yes, you are,” she said, sighing back. “But I sense I will not be able to stop you, so I shall simply do my best to protect you.”

“As always, then,” I said, smiling.

“Great!” said Shia. “So, can we depart now, then?”

“For what it’s worth,” added Cannara, frowning, “I still think we’ll all end up dead. How many of us, apart from me, know how to track creatures? Has anyone even been in a forest before?”

No one said anything.

“Where did you learn how to track?” asked Shia.

Palming her face, Cannara let out a noise somewhere between a sigh and a growl.

“Perhaps you will have an unfortunate accident,” said Hana. Then, she patted her sword, and said to me, “And if you ever use that magic on me again, rest assured, I will fulfil my duty.”

I gulped, then nodded. She definitely meant it, and there was no argument. This was another facet of her personality I experienced for the first time, and I had to say, it was… kind of cool. Terrifying, but cool.

It wasn’t the kind of Skill I wanted to use on my friends anyway, so it wouldn’t be a problem. Neither would Hana deciding to show that side and assert herself more.

In this situation, it would probably save us.

Regarding each other and nodding, we all stepped forward.

The Dark Forest embraced us.