Regas Vol 1. Chapter 11

The area around the forest was always blanketed in thick fog. The dense mist, which made it impossible to see even a few steps ahead, didn’t lift no matter how bright the sunlight was. Because of the fog that shrouded the entire forest, anyone who entered would lose their way—and eventually die.

It was called the Dragon Forest, but it was also known as the Forest of Death. Only the king who inherited the dragon’s abilities and his Regas could enter. But the current king was said to despise the forest and had never stepped into it. So to Ashler, who had never seen it until now, it was nothing more than a legend.

“Fog?”

Abel, holding the prince in his arms, asked with a puzzled expression. As always, the prince was biting Abel’s neck and leaving wounds on his body. Abel, as always, simply held him tighter.

“This fog,” Ashler said, pointing to the white mist that spread endlessly in front of them. “It’s so thick—what will you do if sothing goes wrong while you’re carrying the prince?”

But instead of answering, Abel kept looking around and repeating the sa word.

“Fog?”

“You really can’t see it? This fog...”

Ashler trailed off. He stopped and stared quietly at Abel.

“Abel. What do you see in front of you?”

“A forest.”

“......”

“But wow, it’s really dense. The trees are huge!”

Abel looked up in admiration and turned slightly so the prince could see what he was seeing.

“Your Highness, look over there. Isn’t it beautiful?”

Of course, the prince didn’t raise his head, still absorbed in his own world. But Abel kept talking, unfazed.

“This forest is full of amazing and curious things—things you’d never imagine. There are all sorts of unusual plants, strange insects, even animals you won’t see in the palace. Oh, and fruits too. I’ll show you everything.”

He gently stroked the back of the prince’s head with his large hand. The gesture was so calm and comforting that Ashler didn’t dare interrupt. Luckily, Abel turned to him on his own.

“I won’t do anything dangerous. I promise I won’t go too far.”

“Understood. But...”

Ashler briefly glanced at the foggy path ahead—one that only he seed able to see.

“I’ll wait here. It seems that only the prince and Mr. Abel are ant to enter the Dragon Forest.”

Though it was his duty to escort the prince, Ashler had no intention of risking his life in that place. His captain had specifically excluded the Dragon Forest from his mission. Abel looked montarily surprised but soon nodded.

“All right, then I’ll go with the prince today. But next ti, Sir Knight—you must co with us. Hehe.”

He really hadn’t been listening. Ashler swallowed the urge to lecture him and stepped back. Maybe it was better this way. Abel showed no fear of the forest, but that didn’t an they’d return safely.

If Abel wasn’t truly a Regas—soone recognized by the forest—he would vanish into the fog the mont he let go of the prince’s hand. He might die. But what mattered wasn’t Abel’s life.

The real danger was what might happen to the prince if he was left alone.

Ashler still couldn’t believe the king had allowed this. Even with the king’s seal on the permit, the decision must have co from his inner circle. Did they not care if the prince died? Or... is the forest really enchanted, as they claim?

“I’ll be back,” Abel said.

When Ashler looked up, Abel had already disappeared into the mist. He stared at the spot where the two had vanished and began the long, uncertain wait.

From the mont he was born, the forest had been Abel’s playground and his ho. Every morning, he would run straight into the woods—chasing his brothers, collecting firewood, picking fruit, catching mice. Before he knew it, the day would be gone.

In winter, he would stay shut in like a bear in hibernation. But as soon as the frost lted and the first buds appeared, he’d return to the forest.

Always hungry, Abel often searched the bushes for magpie nests. Unlike most birds, magpies sotis built their nests close to the ground, making them the only birds whose eggs he could hope to steal.

He would spend the whole day rummaging with a stick, and still return empty-handed more often than not. But every morning, he would go out again. And when he did find a nest—lined with dry grass and feathers—it might hold ten small, speckled eggs.

He couldn’t take them all. He had to be careful—leave enough behind so the birds wouldn’t abandon the nest. If he was lucky, he’d find one with eighteen eggs, and then he could take more.

By the age of eight, Abel had beco the best egg-hunter in the area.

Before sumr ended, he would harvest fruit, and when autumn ca, he’d gather acorns with great effort. The days with sunshine were too short to explore all the forest’s corners. At night, he would dream of running through the woods.

Even after losing his family and leaving his hotown, Abel kept looking back—his hand held tightly by his new master. To him, the forest had always been more comforting than the village that burned behind him.

The forest was so natural, so constant, that he didn’t hesitate when told to leave.

“From now on, you will learn about nature. The land, the trees, the animals.”

“The forest?”

“Yes. The forest.”

Over ti, Abel realized that learning from his teacher wasn’t much different from running through the forest alone. He often wondered why a Regas—soone so special—would teach him such ordinary things. Even now, entering the Dragon Forest with the prince by his side, Abel still wasn’t sure.

What his master taught him, and what they did together, seed too simple to have anything to do with taming a dragon like a true Regas. Besides, Ashler had warned him: unless he was a real Regas, he would get lost in the forest and die.

Maybe he could do it. But he was still afraid.

Yet the reason he had moved toward the forest without hesitation, despite the fear and pressure, was because of the sorrow that had quietly piled up in his heart. The sll of blood that never washed away. The cruelty of attacking, of tearing animals apart. A face hidden by hair—expressionless. No laughter. No tears. No hatred. Just like a lifeless doll.

This prince weighed heavily on Abel’s heart.

He glanced down at the boy nestled in his arms. The child, exhausted, now lay quietly against his chest. His nails and teeth still dug into Abel’s flesh—but without strength.

No matter what anyone said, to Abel, the prince was simply a frightened, lonely child.

He stopped walking and looked up at the forest towering into the sky. He didn’t know if there was anything he could truly do.

Maybe, in a month, he would leave the palace disgraced and mocked.

Even so, he wanted to hold the boy’s hand. Just once, he wanted the prince to feel a little of the peace Abel had known while laughing and running through the forest.

That was enough.

Abel whispered to the child resting in his arms:

“Prince, do you hear that sound? I think there’s a magpie nearby. This one’s a real talker—tough little thing too. Once it finds a nest, it won’t leave it. Even if soone catches it, it still cos back. Shall we go see this stubborn creature?”

****

As the sky turned red, Ashler finally received the answer to the question that had been bothering him all day.

Thump, thump.

Abel erged from the fog—just as he had that morning—with the prince in his arms.

“Sir Knight! You’re still here, just as I hoped. Haha, I even brought you a gift!”

He quickened his pace, visibly delighted. Ashler hadn’t left his post, concerned for the prince’s safety, though he didn’t show it. Instead, his eyes imdiately scanned the child.

The prince was still biting Abel’s neck. His nails still dug into Abel’s skin, just like before. But now, the prince’s hand was stained. A dried sar of blood was clearly visible.

Ashler stepped closer, his voice cold.

“What happened to the prince?”

“What?”

Abel blinked and took a hesitant step back. He held out a branch bearing a white flower to Ashler, but the knight glared at him more sharply.

“I said—what happened to the prince?!”

“W-we went to see the magpies.”

“A magpie? Is that how he got hurt?”

Ashler reached out to take the prince from Abel.

“Let go of the prince. I’ll treat the wounds.”

But Abel, looking genuinely confused, didn’t move to hand him over. When Ashler tried to take the boy by force, Abel backed away quickly.

“Lord Regas!”

“No! The prince isn’t hurt.”

“Then what is this blood?!”

Abel finally looked down at the prince’s hand. His sleeve too was stained, dark with dried blood. The child remained silent, unaware of his surroundings.

Ashler looked more closely at him.

Abel thought the boy looked no different from that morning—but he was wrong. There were fresh scratches on the prince’s face and neck. Signs of what had happened in the forest. Still, Abel spoke calmly.

“It’s the magpie’s blood.”

A slightly embarrassed smile crept onto Abel’s face.

“We went to see a magpie’s nest. Luckily, I found one in a hole not too high up in a tree, so I climbed up. But then...”

He trailed off. The rest was clear. The prince had killed the bird.

Yet Ashler’s expression didn’t twist in disgust, as it used to. Strangely, the first thought that ca to mind was:

How did he catch the bird?

“The bird... Did the prince catch it?”

As soon as Ashler asked, Abel let out a gasp, as if he’d been waiting for that very question.

“Wow, that’s right! It’s amazing! The prince didn’t even move much—but the magpie ★ 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 ★ didn’t fly away. It just stood there, right in front of him!”

It didn’t move?

Ashler opened his mouth to ask more, but Abel was already turning his amazed expression to the prince.

“Prince, this is incredible! You could be a hunting genius! Hahaha! You’ll never go hungry again!”

Ashler didn’t know whether to draw his sword in protest or ignore the remark altogether. Telling the next king that he’ll never starve again? It was ridiculous.

But Abel continued in a gentle tone:

“So, Your Highness... next ti, instead of killing animals, how about trying to befriend them? They might surprise you. And I’ll be right beside you.”

The prince gave no response. Still, Abel’s smile didn’t fade. He held out the blooming branch to Ashler.

“I found a big lake while I was looking for sparrows. There were still magnolias blooming nearby.”

Ashler didn’t reach for the branch.

“...Why are you giving this to ?”

“Because I’m grateful.”

“What?”

Before he could ask again, Abel answered first—with eyes full of warm laughter.

“You waited here all day.”