23 - The Bride of the Great Lord is a Warrior from Hell
The Grand Duke's Bride is a Warrior from Hell 23
Originally, the forest had no name.
It was Alisha who called it the Musto Forest.
Alisha requested that the Musto Forest be made safe.
She didn't just make a request; she also presented a specific plan.
Alisha called it the "Musto Forest Purification."
The Tessen soldiers called the explanation the "Monster Extermination Operation." Or sometimes the "Monster Extinction Operation."
The border guards protecting the western forest and swamp were people who had lost family to the monsters living there.
The soldiers stationed within Tessen were in a similar position.
They had lost family and friends to monsters that seemed not of this world.
Therefore, Tessen praised Alisha's "Monster Extermination Operation."
Alisha was dumbfounded to hear the words extermination or extinction, but purification, extermination, or extinction were all fine with her.
Alisha, having come to this place, gave names to many things.
Within Tessen's castle, beyond the vast rolling hills, lay a forest and a swamp.
At the end of the hills, a long, narrow path led into the forest, where a pure white castle stood.
Alisha named it "White West Arlik."
Based on White West Arlik, the west side was the forest, and the east side was the swamp.
The swamp was still just a swamp.
Alisha named the western forest "Musto Forest."
This was because many Musto trees grew in the forest.
Even if they didn't call it Musto, any Tessen soldier knew what Musto referred to.
It was the only valuable thing in the monster-infested forest.
The core of Alisha's monster extermination operation was ecosystem destruction.
The fruit of the Musto trees, which were abundant in the forest, was said to be food for a gentle monster called "Rusa."
Since it was the leaves of the Musto tree, not the fruit, that were useful for making paralysis poison, Rusa and humans could coexist.
The problem was Rusa's droppings.
When Rusa ate Musto fruit, sometimes something that looked like a white stone called Calla grew from its droppings.
Calla was said to be a crop similar to pumpkin that even humans could eat.
Those listening to the explanation contorted their faces at the idea of eating a crop born from animal excrement.
According to Alisha's claims, Calla was a favorite food of monsters that lived in groups, such as Gotlan, Eto, and Penya.
Kakan or large carnivorous monsters appeared in the forest to eat Gotlan and others.
Therefore, she argued that after exterminating the current monsters, they could consistently manage Calla, the food of the group-living monsters.
Many people were dumbfounded.
Wasn't exterminating the current monsters the biggest problem?
Alisha requested no special help, only the authority to go into the forest.
Reikart gave Alisha the first friend token of the Lord of Tessen.
The first friend of the Lord of Tessen could command the forest border guards and the Grand Duke Tessen's bodyguards.
On the first day Alisha received the token, the Eto swarms around the lake were annihilated.
Day by day, the Eto population decreased.
On the third day, the Eto were close to extinction.
In that way, the creatures that made up the forest ecosystem were being wiped out one by one.
And so it came to today.
Alisha sent the last Gotlan group to the clearing where the trap was prepared.
Alisha didn't force herself to go to the clearing.
Now, even without her support, the Tessen soldiers were more than capable of dealing with the monsters.
Alisha tracked down and dealt with the Gotlan that had broken away from the group and were fleeing.
The horse that had been hunting with Alisha for over a month followed the monster, carrying its owner without special instructions.
The tip of the spear accurately struck the Gotlan's weak point.
The Gotlan, having lost its balance after being hit in the left ear, let out a ferocious "Chwiik!"
Alisha jumped off the horse as it passed the stopped Gotlan.
The spear tip, whirling in the air, blew away the right leg of the awkwardly standing Gotlan.
It was a clean movement.
The horse, noticing that Alisha had jumped down, turned its head and came back.
At the welcoming whinny, Alisha dusted off her spear and approached the horse.
As Alisha mounted the horse, the Gotlan's piercing sounds rang out in succession.
"Chwiik!"
"Chwiiik!"
"Chwiiik!"
The sounds were not far away.
Among the several that had broken away, there was the group's actual leader.
The yellow-eared Gotlan was female.
The yellow-eared Gotlan protected the young or those that had not yet reached adulthood.
It played the role of preserving the bloodline, expecting the future when the group was attacked.
In addition, the yellow-eared Gotlan took the lead when collectively emitting the Gotlan's unique screech.
The Gotlan's screech was enough to momentarily deafen a human's ears.
At the same time, it caused them to lose the ability to think.
"Let's go!"
It was not easy for the Gotlan to unleash their sound as an attack all at once.
It was by no means a common attack. They unleashed this attack when they thought they were facing a life-or-death situation or a final situation.
"Quickly, quickly!"
The annihilation of a group of Gotlan was completed when the fleeing yellow-eared Gotlan and its companions were killed.
The yellow-eared Gotlan was always Alisha's responsibility.
Because they were a fleeing group, they always moved separately from the group that was lured and sent away.
Alisha had not properly explained the yellow-eared Gotlan to others.
She naturally thought she would handle it herself.
But sometimes, in the midst of fighting, they would become separated.
She felt pathetic for not thinking that far.
Alisha bit her lip tightly and urged the horse on.
"Chwiik!"
A sharp sound rang out from beyond the trees.
The horse carrying Alisha stirred up the wind as it ran between the trees.
As the horse entered a small clearing, the pungent smell of blood filled the air.
The horse, accustomed to Alisha neatly targeting only the weak points, tried to turn its head at the smell of blood.
"Shhh."
Alisha soothed the horse and stepped down.
Along the perimeter of the small clearing, Gotlan corpses, crushed beyond recognition, were lying.
If one didn't know they were hunting Gotlan, it would be difficult to guess that the original form of the corpses was Gotlan.
Thwack!
A sound like a blunt object hitting a water bag rang out.
Then, the smell of blood spread rapidly.
Alisha, who had been constantly soothing the horse, was taken aback by the face she saw beyond the fallen yellow-eared Gotlan.
"...Your Highness?"
A man, covering one ear with his hand and frowning deeply, held a blood-soaked axe.
Reikart stood leaning on the heavy axe like a cane.
"......"
Reikart was just as bewildered.
His amber eyes were fixed on Alisha.
"Why are you here?"
Reikart did not answer Alisha's question.
"......"
His amber eyes were fixated on her legs, clearly visible below the skirt that was barely a hand's breadth long.
His shocked face was frozen as if he had seen an unspeakable pagan demon.
Alisha belatedly understood the situation.
"Ah, this."
"Were you attacked......"
His amber eyes struggled to find Alisha's face.
He didn't seem to have completely forgotten about the short skirt.
"Well, it's not exactly that, but if you trace it back to the source, it's not entirely different......"
Alisha was rambling.
She had forgotten this in her haste to come.
"What do you mean?"
Reikart said, shaking off the blood on the axe.
"When you jump off and on a horse, jump over trees, and run quickly, a skirt becomes cumbersome."
"I'm relieved if you weren't attacked."
"Yes......"
Alisha replied awkwardly.
When Reikart looked at Alisha and spoke, he kept his gaze strictly on her face.
The amber eyes fixed on her face were very burdensome.
It felt like her cheeks would be pierced.
"Everything's taken care of, so shall we go back?"
Alisha said with difficulty, breaking through the awkwardness.
She wanted to escape from this discomfort.
"I would like to, but I think we'll have to wait a moment."
Reikart said, looking only at Alisha's face.
As if committing a terrible sin if he took his eyes off Alisha's face.
Just as she was about to ask what was wrong, he abruptly averted his gaze.
Reikart's horse was lying among the Gotlan, panting.
Alisha turned away as she was about to approach.
She could feel that he was noticeably wary of her approaching.
Alisha took out a cloak from the bundle hanging on the horse and put it on.
The cloak had a double structure.
Silk of a similar color to the dress bodice was added to the lower part.
Reikart's gaze followed Alisha, who was wearing the cloak, as if bewitched.
Alisha stroked the horse's forehead, which was lying down, and checked its condition.
"It's seamless, right?"
Alisha said, focused on the horse.
"Did it fit?"
"Yes."
"Wouldn't a riding jacket and pants be better?"
Reikart suggested seriously.
Alisha bit her molars tightly and whispered.
"Daisy won't let me wear them because she says it ruins a lady's dignity. Daisy believes that a lady should fold her legs to one side when riding a horse. Daisy would think the world was ending if a lady wore pants and used both stirrups."
Alisha grumbled as if complaining about a strict teacher.
In fact, Daisy had recommended cutting the skirt only to the knees.
The skirt she actually cut was a hand's breadth longer than promised.
Alisha had cut the skirt that Daisy had sewn to calf length up to her thighs as she entered the forest.
It was more comfortable to run around that way.
But unlike the hell of the scorching heat, Tessen was cold.
Very, very cold.
Being comfortable was good, but she couldn't deny that it was cold.
"I will send you a jacket and pants."
"Daisy......"
Alisha was about to say, feeling choked up.
"Instead, wear the pants and the cloak when Daisy sees you."
Reikart added the last words as if setting a condition.
The days she had argued with Daisy about the length of the dress and wearing pants felt meaningless.
Alisha nodded.
"I will."
Just then, the horse that had been lying down got up.
"Shall we go?"
Reikart patted the horse that had gotten up to soothe it.
Alisha brought the horse she had left on one side.
The two did not mount their horses but walked slowly through the forest.
The corridor of the Lilliese Detached Palace was shrouded in darkness.
Shadows moved secretly in the darkness.
There was no sound or sign of life.
The three masked men did not even exchange hand signals.
All movements were carried out as prearranged.
The plan was perfect.
Reaching the last step, they exchanged glances.
The target was right in front of them.
From now on, speed and results were more important than secrecy.
The masked man at the head quickly climbed the stairs and opened the door.
The two masked men who had been closely following jumped into the room.
Thump. Thump.
It had been decided that when the masked man at the head opened the door, the two would go inside and find the target.
A violent sound rang out, hardly the movement of finding a target.
The masked man who jumped into the room last realized that something was seriously wrong.
The comrades who had jumped in earlier were convulsing on the floor.
They were shaking unconscious, as if they had been poisoned.
The problem was not losing his comrades.
They were not the only guests who had found the target.
A duo wearing masks was lying in the corner by the window.
A lady in warm pajamas was standing in the middle of the room.
The assassin was a professional.
He had thoroughly studied the target.
The assassin could not believe the reality he was seeing.
It was none other than the target who greeted him.
