The Duke's Unwanted Wife

“It’s a pity Lord Sebastian isn’t able to participate in the campaign. I heard he is planning his wedding in Polivia. Has he even heard about his sister’s condition?”    

    

“He has most likely not heard or he would’ve rushed down here. It’s a pity the Grand Duchess cannot observe the campaign this year”    

    

“It’s not like there are a lot of exceptional ladies we can dedicate our kills to. I heard Lady Borisque recently got engaged. I pursued an engagement with her but her family refused me. But I was surprised to see she was engaged to Lord Orland. I thought he would be with the Third Princess”    

    

“The rumors about the Grand Duke and the Third Princess haven’t exactly died down. If the Grand Duchess dies today, perhaps the third princess would become the next Grand Duchess. Who would like that sort of entanglement?”    

    

Although the noble men of the kingdom prided themselves on being dignified, they also liked to gossip when they had the chance. Of course, they didn’t like to call it gossip. But the ladies of high nobility called it exactly that, gossip.    

    

There was an entrance to the Forest of Damnation on the Grand Duke’s property that made it easy for them to access the Forest of Damnation in a short period of time. It was this entrance that the people participating in the Extermination Campaign went through. Several tents were set up in the Duke’s mansion for the ladies who wanted to chat and take away their boredom while they waited for the men to return.    

    

Up in her room, a weak and sickly Grand Duchess changed into men’s clothes she had bought for her brother and prepared to leave in a teleportation portal. Madaline floated beside the bed, casting magic to make it look like there was someone lying there.    

    

{Your body isn’t well yet. Are you sure you want to leave?}    

    

“I have to visit your home today. I may not get the chance anymore since I’ll be dying in a few days. I’m assuming we can’t just teleport into the place, right?”    

    

{Any tear made into that space would immediately alert the dragons of our presence. We have to get there manually}    

    

“As long as it’s not too far away so I can walk there. Let’s go”    

    

There was a flash of green and Natalia soon appeared in the middle of a large clearing. There were some trees in the distance but it was just low grass where she stood. It was strange that somewhere like this existed in the forest.    

    

{You are standing on top of an ancient beast that has been asleep for two centuries. Since it’s so powerful, everything around here tends to leave it alone except the weeds. It would wake up in a few more centuries}    

    

In her past life, Natalia never heard anything about it so it was intriguing. She moved from the clearing into the woods, finally feeling the dark aura that surrounded the forest. It was easy to see why it was called the Forest of Damnation, having a dark aura alongside its infestation with monsters. But it was surprising to see monoliths overrun with weeds and trees as she walked deeper into the Forest.    

    

“Did people used to live inside the Forest?”    

    

{Long before I made this place my habitat, there used to be an ancient kingdom of elves that resided here. Some of them migrated into the mountains but it was likely that they planted the seed for Yggdrasil that gave birth to my existence}    

    

“I never knew there was a seed of Yggdrasil here. Is it in Aldie’s Hollow?”    

    

{It's hidden safely in the den of the dragons}    

    

"That's surprising. I thought you hated the dragons?"    

    

{The dragons occupied the heart of Yggdrasil and we had to make our home elsewhere. Wait here. We're close}    

    

Madeline suddenly stopped flying and hovered in front of a tree was like the others around it. Her forehead glowed green, a symbol appearing on the tree at the same time. Slowly, a portal opened in front of the tree, a pitch black darkness at the other side.    

    

{Trust me and walk through it. I'll see you on the other side}    

    

Natalia nodded, going in immediately. It was like walking through a dark spacious corridor. She couldn't see anything but it felt like she was walking on solid ground. She walked until she saw a bright light. As she drew closer, the light got so bright that it blinded her. When she regained her vision, she found that she was yet again in another clearing. There was a huge stone carving of a turtle's face and through the nose, several fairies flew in and out. She began to see more fairies, flying around like bees, always with a destination.    

    

They gradually came to a stop, observing her. Their curiousity drew the small creatures closer until one reached to touch her cheeks.    

    

{It's a real human! Wow! It's the first one I've seen and touched in my life!}    

    

{What's a human doing here?! Someone call Mother}    

    

{You think she's lost?}    

    

{How is that possible? Humans can't wonder in here, not even by mistake. Oh, Mother is here}    

    

The crowd that had formed parted as Madaline walked through. Natalia had seen Madaline a lot of times but the one she was looking at felt different from the one she always saw and it was almost like they were two different people.    

    

{Welcome to my home, Natalia. Sorry, my children are a bit curious since they have never seen a human before. This is Alfie's Hollow, the resting place of the Celestial Black Tortoise. He's going to be asleep for a long time so we can use his body as much as we want}    

    

The stone carving was apparently a real turtle that was asleep. Just how big was he, she wondered.    

    

While Natalia had made it to her destination, the noblemen had covered a certain distance into the Forest of Damnation. They hunted some low-level master, following the lead of the Grand Duke who was the most experienced person there. He rode beside the Crown Prince who found out that while he was technically in command, he couldn't command people through a place he had never been before. Having to face the truth was irritating for him.    

    

"We are entering Dragon Territory. If you see a dragon, as long as you don't antagonize it, it would leave you alone. However, dragons live in packs. If you attack one, especially here, you will get yourself killed and the rest of this party killed. Control your mercenaries" Fredrich warned before he made a turn, everyone following after him. It was obvious some wanted to hunt dragons but dragons that lived in packs were harder to kill than dragons that lived on the edges of the forest.    

    

Lagging behind, Marvis swatted some weeds with his sword. He wasn't accustomed to using a sword but had to use it here as to not reveal his identity. He was starting to get irritated with the constant looks and questions he got from the noblemen about his gender. Those lecherous looks made him boil. He was adept at hiding his expressions and murderous intent but everyone had limits.    

    

He didn't want to go into Dragon territory. Dragons and Werewolves don't get along too well. He had no more reasons to follow the group so he snuck off with an excuse, climbing up the highest tree he saw. There were a few people who went after him and he watched them fumble around looking for him, attracting some monsters instead. These monsters weren't the easiest to kill so they had to run back to the group, giving up searching for him. He rolled his eyes and continued moving.    

    

He was more familiar with the first than most of them so he went to survey the surroundings and watch what happened from afar. His vision was extremely good so it wasn't exactly a problem for him. He did so, avoiding the monsters that occupied the air and the ones who were able to climb trees. He also made sure to avoid the tribe settlement of the beastmen, following the noblemen from above.    

    

"What is the easiest way to catch a Basilisk, your grace?" The crown prince suddenly asked. Fredrich turned to look at him, wondering if the prince was just begging for death.    

    

"A Basilisk is better avoided the killed, your highness. It takes coordinated effort to kill and with the force we have here, we would be throwing away our lives"    

    

"I heard that the poison wrecking the Grand Duchess's body was the Basilisk's breath. If we can obtain the gall of the Basilisk, we can definitely cure the Grand Duchess. Well, if your grace is not interested in curing his wife, then then Basilisk is better avoided"    

    

The Crown Prince was backing him into a corner, he could tell. It was an annoyingly obvious trap but he had no other choice but to fall into it. He couldn't let Natalia die on his watch. No, there was no way he would allow anyone take her from him, not even death.    

    

"According to his highness's wishes, we will be hunting a Basilisk. If anyone is able to obtain the Basilisk's gall, they shall be rewarded handsomely" Fredrich said. The men cheered, following Fredrich with renewed vigor.