Mistress Of The Evil Forest

Case 61: West Zircon Expedition – Banshee’s descendant.

The night of the West Zircon expedition.

As per usual, Chloe and Aurora are spending time in the former's room. This makes the other maid especially jealous, but they can't have conversations without filters in front of her, so this is inevitable.

''Well, that was easy, wasn't it?'' Chloe speaks up leisurely. ''Your horror summons are goddamn monsters.''

''They are monsters; that is why I like them.'' Aurora replies.

The owl girl is exceptionally satisfied with her horror 'showcase' this morning. Not only did Slen manage to handle the whole team one and some more, but Smiley also did a good job scaring the rest away. By early noon, the job was officially done, and she went right to sleep in her main body.

As she had predicted, horror reigns over humans. Although her two summons were, in some cases, weaker than those they confronted, the final victors emerging were still them. Aurora didn't even have to assist the two in any way.

All in all, this operation is a total success. Now, Aurora can finally eat her potato chips in peace, knowing no one should dare enter her territory from this point onward.

She smiles, rarely.

Unbeknownst to her, this prediction will soon prove to be false.

At the entrance connecting the academy to West Zircon, four people wearing dark robes can be seen sneaking around.

Sierra and her three specialist subordinates have been laying low for some time, waiting for the guard shift to change. Even though Sierra is named the 'Mad Dog' princess, she is not a simple-minded, violent-craving madwoman. She knows she will get into trouble if she barges her way through the entrance.

A rather prudent princess, if she has to say so herself.

Nevertheless, when the shift finally changes, the four quickly shoot themselves into the dark forest. This instantly triggers the territory owner's senses, prompting her to frown while in Chloe's room.

''Aurora?'' 

''...Something just entered my forest.''

''That's serious stuff. Go back and check immediately.'' Chloe's face turns serious.

''Alright.''

With that, Aurora transfers her consciousness back to her main body, leaving Peln behind with a pack of half-eaten potato chips. Peln stares at it for a second before thrusting her hand in and grabbing a piece for herself.

Waking up in the Backrooms, Aurora jumps off her bed and alerts the others about the situation. Pulling the mask out of her inventory, Aurora and her subordinates promptly exit their base. Halfway through, Aurora addresses her concern from a moment ago.

''Where's Ariel?'' She asks.

The banshee's brother immediately replies. ''She said she wanted to go on a walk.''

''As expected...''

This is quite bad. Aurora has already sensed Ariel's position; she just wants to confirm. And the direction of the intruders is heading... They will bump into her!

''Let's teleport!''

It would be a disaster if somebody hurt Ariel like this. The woman has already died a miserable death; she shouldn't have to receive the same fate again!

Aurora swears to absolutely shred anything that dares to touch her precious friend and subordinate.

Unfortunately, it takes quite a while for her to pinpoint the exact location due to the vagueness of her territory-sensing ability.

Meanwhile, in a part of West Zircon.

''Hah... The air is fresh today~''

Ariel is flying around leisurely, trying to take in the clear air of the forest, even though she is not breathing anymore.

''Hm~ Hm~ Oh god~ please, please let me hear your voice—''

Humming and singing a random song as she floats by the trees, Ariel is suddenly alerted by a few presences right in front of her. 

Before she can even question why she couldn't feel them until now, she is immediately stunned when she sees the woman leading the bunch.

''...'' 

''...''

The same can be said about Sierra's group. 

This is the first time in their life, and likely the first time in the history of mankind, where someone encounters a banshee that can speak coherently, a banshee that is level 34—on par with elite holy knights and imperial knights alike—and a banshee that can use magic.

However, the very thing that stuns all five people is not that. No, it is something much more superficial... Their faces. Sierra's face and Ariel's share an eerie similarity, as if they were carved by the same people or forged in the same mold. From their rare silvery-white pupils to their complexion, their facial features, and even their hair texture.

As Sierra stares at the banshee in front of her, she suddenly thinks the name 'Ariel' she just saw on the status screen sounds quite familiar.

''Ariel... No way, Saintess Ariel...?!'' Sierra mutters.

In the history of the Astra bloodline, there was a period where a Saintess graced them. That was when the Astra family was still a duchy, not yet to ascend the imperial throne, an almost golden era for the family, if not due to the unexpected deaths of the two siblings who everyone thought would change history.

'Saintess of Absolute Domain,' Ariel Alaina Astra.

'Archmage of Light', Kieran Kassius Astra.

Despite this unfortunate loss, the duchy still rose to the position of absolute power and remained there until this day.

Ariel herself knows all of this after catching up with history, and she is indeed curious about her descendants, but she never thought she would meet one of them like this.

While she is panicking, not knowing what to do, Sierra quickly halts her subordinates' movements.

''Saintess Ariel, can you understand me?'' Sierra speaks up clearly. ''I am Sierra Alaina Astra, your descendant.''

Ariel hesitates to execute her duty of chasing intruders. She and Skely didn't even have a partner, so this should be her other sibling's direct grand grand grandkids or something, but she is still her descendant!

In these cases, it is best to report to Aurora immediately!

As Ariel is about to shoot herself away, a heavy presence appears in the sky. As they turn their heads upward, a masked female figure can be seen floating under the bright moon, seemingly staring at Sierra's group intently.

'''' !!! ''''

Right away, the crown princess and her subordinates feel chills running down their spines. The pressure presses their body down, making normal movements difficult. The figure then points her index finger at them.

In less than a second, hundreds of sharp and dense ice spikes surround the group. They hurriedly deploy numerous defense barriers of all kinds when the spikes are launched at them.

Despite their effort, the icy cold quickly eats away at their defense, gnawing its way into their bare bodies.

''Protect Her Highness!''

''On it!''

The three specialists use their all to shield their princess, letting the blistering cold penetrate their skin. Once the attack is over, they grit their teeth and move their wounded bodies to assist the princess in running away.

Aurora doesn't chase them further. Killing the princess right now is not ideal for the scenarios to come. She quickly descends and inspects Ariel closely.

''Are you alright?''

''I'm okay, just...''

''Phew... Sorry, I hurt your blood.''

''No, no, it's alright. It's the right thing to do.''

''I see...''

In the bushes nearby, the four remaining members stare at the scene blankly.

''So that was your descendant, sir?'' 049 speaks up. ''Quite similarly clean of it, I see!''

''Well, yes...'' Skely replies.

Meanwhile, it takes some time for Sierra's group to reach the border of West Zircon. Sierra stops her subordinates right away, seeing that nobody is chasing them anymore.

While giving them the medical attention they need, Sierra's lips suddenly curl up, and her eyes shine dimly, startling the three specialists.

'Miss G and my ancestor... Ah... This is getting too interesting.'

Sierra is now even more excited.

'Zircon forest...'