We arrived inside the forest . Honestly speaking, the closer we got to the centre of the forest, the more prominent the eerie feeling grew . It wasn’t particularly oppressive, but there was a spooky ambience . It was akin to swimming in water and then suddenly seeing that the blue water was red . It was incorrect to say that the mana didn’t belong there . The mana was the one with the problem .

The magical creatures nearby continued with their lives as per usual, and they weren’t different to the animals outside the forest by any accounts . They ran when they were supposed to and did whatever else they were supposed to . Herbivores were afraid of us, not due to the eerie mana but due to them sensing bloodl.u.s.t . In simple terms, if humans came to the area, they would be totally oblivious as to what happened . I, however, could sense it just as Mom could .

Mom scanned our surroundings with her eyebrows furrowed . She quietly noted, “Something’s wrong . If it was a rock, an area of gra.s.s or a river that had an issue, it wouldn’t have such an immense impact . This is abnormal . It’s an abnormal change . ”

“In other words, an elf is plotting something? Mom, it seems your a.s.sumption is correct . ”

Mommy Vyvyan lowered her voice: “I’m not certain, either… After all, we haven’t sighted any traces of an elf doing anything . There are no flames or footprints . Further, soldiers have cordoned this area . Where would they have come from? I even cast a spell here to prevent anyone from entering . The spell I cast is the same one that I cast at the imperial palace . If somebody forcibly trespa.s.sed, it would alert the soldiers, but they never reported anything, so n.o.body should have entered this place… What would they have obtained after entering…? Compared to the forests to the South and West, this forest isn’t rich, not to mention that it was once attacked…”

“That’s true… We don’t know what they’re thinking . This might be a secret black magic research lab for all we know . ”

Mom shook her head: “That’s incorrect… Son, black magic has a discerning feature, which is that it takes effect fast and will use a life of some sort as a medium . Think about our journey here . Aside from what we killed, we haven’t seen any traces of blood or hunts . You and Mommy are dark elves, so we’re especially sensitive to blood . These creatures carry mana… but it’s clear this mana isn’t harmful; therefore, it isn’t a harmful spell . To be precise, mm… it’s a strange spell . It’s not a spell we use here . ”

“So, similar to feeding household pets forage when the household pets are actually wild beasts in the wild?”

Mom nodded: “That’s a good way to put it . Whatever the case may be, you must be cautious, Son . I don’t know what else can happen to the creatures . We need to investigate it . Nevertheless, the good news is that we’ll soon get to the centre of where this is happening . If this really is the deliberate work of someone, we’ll soon have to face them . To be frank, Mommy is starting to feel angry . ”

Mom suddenly grinned and rode over next to me . She then checked the forest around us with an irritated look again: “I truly can’t figure out what happened . If this was a man-made situation, what are they after? If they wanted to harm us, they could come straight to the imperial capital . In the scenario they lacked the courage to do so, they could choose from any small town or village . What’s the point of choosing this poor location?”

I smiled: “I think the one and only reason is that you’re not here . Things are different here compared to in humanity’s lands . If we were in humanity’s lands and somebody wanted to revolt, they would start it within the vicinity of the royal palace . Mommy Elizabeth may be strong, but, unlike you, the people don’t revere her to the same degree elves revered you . If dark elves wanted to pull something, I’m sure that they wouldn’t choose to do it right under your nose . While this place is poor, if they succeed here, you wouldn’t even know . Therefore, it’s naturally the safest place . ”

“Mm, that’s a reasonable deduction . That means my appearance here has disrupted their plan?” remarked Mom, with a nod . She then peered at the sky: “All the more reason to locate the elf as soon as possible, in that case . Son, frankly, the next full-moon night is coming right up, so it’s best we resolve this by then, right? Else, I don’t know what will happen if we absorb too much of these animals’ mana . ”

I nodded: “All right . ”

Mom turned her head back to face forward . We were deep in the forest . There were no longer many places where we could ride side-by-side any more . The cl.u.s.ter of trees obstructed Mom’s vision, too, thereby preventing her from seeing long distances . We could hear the sound of running water next to is . It was most likely from a small creek in the forest .

We searched for the point of origin of the creek . Mana couldn’t be spread at will; a medium was required . Normally speaking, it would be running water, which was why we searched for its origin . If it really started from a small creek, then it surely started from the origin .

Initially, Mom did her best to not pa.s.s up any suspicious traces, but she soon gave up . Mana couldn’t enhance an elf’s senses . Hence, Mom couldn’t see what was going on just looking at the trees . I picked up the canteen hanging from the side and had a drink . Then, I handed it to Mom . With a smile, I asked, “Mom, do you want a drink?”

“Ah, sure . ”

“We’re mother and son, so we don’t have to worry about indirect kisses, do we? We’ve already lost count of the number of times we’ve kissed…” reasoned Vyvyan . Mom took the canteen and had a drink: “This isn’t wine!!”

“Ah… we’ve finished the wine, so I filled it with just water . It’s fine, though, Mom . It’s been boiled . ”

Mom glanced at the canteen, and then she sighed . Hopeless, she said, “Whatever, water it is, then . However, we’ve practically consumed all of our supplies . I never expected this to take us so long . Son, we must make haste . ”

I nodded: “Uhm . ”

I turned to head to the origin of the creek with Mom . However, I neglected something important, and that was that the creek… might be the source of berserk mana…