Chapter 4: In the Forest

"So, what is your name again?"

Inside a rattling carriage, I sat with my head rested on my palm while peering out the windows. The janky road thrashed the carriage up and down, but the servant with me was too skilled to let it roll over.

Two weeks had passed and I kicked out of the Estrantia Estate without the delay of a blink. With me was the servant that I had first met who had shown me to my room. Apparently he was my exclusive butler but I digress.

"My name is Jim, sir. But you said that all butlers should be named Hans and forced me to change it."

"Hans, then."

God damn was Ivan an asshole. Changing someone's name just because it fit your stereotypes was a sign of being an ass, but I agreed with the guy this time.

"What kind of name is Jim anyway. Hans. Hans is good."

"I thought you had changed, but you're still the same!" Hans sniffled.

Well if I was still the same, there was no doubt that he would already have been kicked to the curb for making that statement. Maybe he had gotten encouraged after seeing me friendly with all the knights.

Those rats too just told me to not fail this time and didn't even say bye. Even though I had trained them to the point where there pukes and piss were both filled with blood.

"Anyways, Hans."

"Jim, my lord."

"Hans. Do you remember the rules I set?"

"No stopping for other carriages, trample over any bandits…"

"And?"

"No forest paths?" Hans looked back at me while holding the reins. "I still don't get why you want to make a two-day detour because of it."

I turned my gaze back outside toward the skies.

In the Aegimus Empire, in the captial city of Aegis was the academy where all the greatest talents of the entire world gathered. Be it priestesses from the Theocracy or Princesses from our ally in the Eastern continent.

And so.

In such settings.

Forest paths were the prime spot for trouble.

"I just… don't want to raise any flags."

"Flags?"

"You're too young to get it. Just drive, Hans. Windward."

The servant clicked his tongue.

"The wind is flowing the other way."

Maybe I should beat him a little?

***

The first that greeted us on the path going around the forest was a landslide. Rocks from up above had fallen to the ground and had washed away the entire road.

In the midst of the broken stones was a wooden sign made out of recently cut wood saying landslide ahead.

Whoever wrote it deserved a smack. We were already at the landslide and that was where the warning was?

"Guess we'll have to go through the forest path, my lord."

I crossed my arms as Hans turned the carriage around and set off toward the forest path.

Yes. Just because it was a forest path did not mean that it had to be where trouble was to be brewing. Definitely.

We hadn't seen any bandits or people in need either.

Yes. I didn't have to fear what likely wasn't happening. 

The carriage rolled over the path and went straight into the forest. The counts territory was in the west bordering another kingdom while the empire's capital was closer to the north where the Beast Wall lay, a mountainous region that served as a barrier between humans and a land infested with monsters.

On the East the Empire connected with the theocracy while the south led to an archipelago and a very bountiful trade route.

Even though most places were connected this way, the entirety of the Empire itself wasn't fully mapped with many depths and forests and other places still left unexplored.

This forest wasn't one of them. But it was a forest nonetheless, and if there was anything I had learned after years of stringent research—Ahem, through serialized web fiction and animated docucommentaries sprinkled with just some amount of surrealism for entertainment, forests were the home ground for trouble.

"It's a smooth path from here, my lord. I don't see any flags."

"Flags are not visible to the naked eye, Hans."

"Are we even talking about the same flags anymore?"

Never were.

We went deeper into the forest and the land around us started to fade away, covered by lines upon lines of trees.

Only the hums of birds and chirps of insects rang about in the forest while the wind rustled and the leaved howled.

We were well on the fastest route to the captial from the count's territory, perhaps concerned by my statements to this point, felt some reasn to speak up again.

"See, there are no problems at all!"

"That right there was a flag. You raised a fucking flag Hans—"

A neigh resounded in the space right in front of us and the sound of steel smashing into steel filled our ears.

As the carriage moved just a bit closer, a little ways from the road was another broken carriage and a single knight fighting against a horde of bandits.

Behind the man was a young girl in a dress that would only be on a noble. Clenched tight in her hands was a staff of wood.

The bandits cackled and laughed and pointed their swords once more.

"My lady! Please run away!"

"I-I can't leave you here!"

"I am just your escort, please! You have to get to safety!"

"Hoho! No one is running while we are here."

I almost wanted to smash my head to the ground at the sight. A forest behind the capital where the academy was located, and the one in trouble was a familiar noble from a different country.

One of the few druids, and also a heroine in the game, Yelena Sinclair.

This was a game, alright?

"M-my lord! There's battle! We must help!"

As if on cue, a system window opened up in front of me as well.

[Side Quest: Helpless in the Forest!

A person from your academy is in trouble. Go and help her against the bandits. Save both the lady and her knight to succeed.

Difficulty: Extremely Difficult

Success Rewards: Just two weeks of bed rest

Failure Penalty: Death]

This damned system! Why did it assume that I was going to be beat up unconditionally?

Well anyway, I didn't remember any mention of a forest problem in Yelena's routes in the game. Seeing as it was a side quest too, there was little chance of this being important. She would survive.

Though Yelena was a great heroine, she was also annoyingly clingy toward the player.

"Kuh!! My lady! I can't hold on for long! Please turn away now!"

But…

It pricked my conscience to not help others.

With a long sigh, I ran my hand through my hair. Only because I could do it, only because I could was I going to help her.

"What did I say to you, Hans? What were the rules?"

"W-we can't ignore this, my lord! It goes against the house of Estrantia!"

Look at this, I guess I wasn't the only fool here.

"Remember it. No stopping for other carriages… and?"

Hans looked back, a smile beaming on his face.

"Trample over bandits!"

The reins whipped and the horses started running ahead at full speed. Their target? The heads of the fucking bandts.